As Expected of the Inspector

On the return journey, to save time...

They decided to have Li Xin summon her Rose Unicorn and take Lin Jialu ahead to the Border Alliance garrison, then bring back the horses they had left at the camp to transport everyone else.

"Haochen, why do you look so troubled?"

Yue Shen and Long Haochen rode side by side, following behind Li Xin's Rose Unicorn.

"It's nothing." Long Haochen shook his head slightly. "I was just wondering whether you would already be on your way to register in the Holy City if you had been acting alone, Brother Yue."

"What's there to wonder about?" Yue Shen said helplessly. "If I had been acting alone, I should already be in the Holy City by now."

Hearing that, Long Haochen felt even more dejected. He had thought Yue Shen would offer him some reassurance, only to get utterly crushed instead.

"I know what you're thinking," Yue Shen said frankly. "You think I killed that Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon with my own strength."

"Didn't you?" Long Haochen asked.

Although he had been too busy dealing with the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon to spare any attention for Yue Shen's battle, the sight of Yue Shen's earth-shattering strike, which had killed that towering fifth-tier Skeleton Mammoth in a single blow, was still etched in his mind.

Even now, recalling it left him every bit as awestruck.

"Most of the credit goes to Sol," Yue Shen answered honestly. "I could have killed that Skeleton Mammoth myself, but it would never have been that easy. As for the Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon, without Sol's help, it would have been hard to say."

"Sol is actually my biggest trump card right now. My own strength is still within the normal fifth-tier range." Yue Shen smiled slightly. "But you should be close to breaking through to the fifth tier too, right?"

"Yes," Long Haochen replied. "After we returned from Knight Sacred Mountain, my teacher increased the intensity of my training. My spiritual power has been growing quite a bit faster than before."

Poor kid.

"Then if we run into each other at the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament, I won't use Sol, and you won't use Haoyue. We'll have a contest of our own strength." Yue Shen's eyes brightened as he made the suggestion.

He wanted to know which of them was truly stronger, himself or Long Haochen.

Although he currently fell short of Long Haochen in innate internal spiritual power and cultivation talent, he could grind. He did not believe he was weaker than Long Haochen, which was why he had proposed a fair contest.

Besides, once they reached the Holy City and entered the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament...

Long Haochen would no longer be able to hide his talent as the Child of Light. It would cause a sensation throughout the Knight Temple.

When that happened, a battle between the two of them would be about more than simply comparing their strength.

Yue Shen understood that very clearly. If he lost then, his future standing within the Knight Temple might never catch up to Long Haochen's.

"No."

To Yue Shen's surprise, Long Haochen actually rejected his proposal.

"Our mount companions are part of our strength." Long Haochen's expression was calm. "I know Haoyue isn't as strong as Sol. If neither of us summons our mount companion, that would clearly work in my favor."

"But I hope you'll give it everything you have when the time comes, Brother Yue. Don't hold back." Long Haochen's expression grew serious. "This concerns a knight's honor."

"All right." Yue Shen wasted no more words and agreed at once. At that moment, he could clearly sense a powerful fighting spirit emanating from Long Haochen.

It seemed he did not need to offer him any more reassurance. Someone like him only needed a little provocation to pull himself together.

Perhaps the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament would prove much more interesting than he had imagined.

After they returned to the Border Alliance's garrison camp, the officer who received them learned that they were going to take part in the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament.

His attitude was very courteous, and he assigned them a large tent specifically so they could rest. Once everyone had gathered, Feng Yangmu, the Inspector overseeing Haoyue City's assessment, began explaining the tournament arrangements with a broad smile.

The Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament was held once every five years. Every medium-sized city or larger would be assigned an Inspector to assess the candidates' abilities. Only the true elite could enter the tournament's preliminaries.

After arriving at the Temple Alliance and registering, the contestants would be divided among their respective temples to undergo the preliminary selection.

However, getting through these preliminaries would be far more difficult than completing their earlier assessment mission, because each elimination round would knock out half the contestants.

This was especially true of the Knight Temple, the Warrior Temple, and the Magic Temple, since those three temples had the most contestants. Their elimination rounds were therefore also the most brutal, with contestants dying or being permanently disabled in practically every tournament.

These brutal preliminaries would continue until only the ten strongest contestants remained in each temple. Only then would the tournament enter its final stage.

The finals, however, had little to do with most contestants. Their purpose was to select the strongest competitors in that year's Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament, as well as those whom their respective temples would prioritize for future training.

After all, for the vast majority of contestants, making it through the preliminaries was enough to secure a place in a new Demon Hunt Squad.

The final stage primarily ranked the contestants from the Six Great Temples by strength, providing a basis for the subsequent team assignments through the Demon Hunt Roulette and the distribution of rewards.

After explaining all the tournament procedures, Feng Yangmu noticed that something seemed off about everyone's expressions and could not help feeling puzzled.

"Isn't passing the preliminary assessment something to be happy about? Why do you all look so troubled instead?" Feng Yangmu asked in confusion.

When no one spoke, Yue Shen gave a light cough to draw Feng Yangmu's attention, then pointed at himself.

Feng Yangmu immediately understood. Their confidence had taken too great a blow from this young fellow.

After considering it for a moment, Feng Yangmu said slowly, "Fifth-tier contestants like him receive byes for the first two elimination rounds, so you don't need to worry about running into a monster like him."

"But since you've already recognized the gap between yourselves and true geniuses, shouldn't you work even harder to pass the preliminaries and earn a chance to catch up to them?"

"As long as you pass the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament and become members of a Demon Hunt Squad, the possibilities are endless," Feng Yangmu said solemnly. "It isn't impossible for you to catch up to these geniuses."

Yue Shen silently gave him a thumbs-up...

No wonder these Inspectors were chosen from the seasoned veterans of the Six Great Temples. Their ability to sell grand promises and dish out motivational speeches was truly first-rate.

"Besides, most contestants in the preliminaries of each Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament are at the third or fourth tier. Even when there are fifth-tier contestants, there are never more than ten at most," Feng Yangmu continued. "Don't tell me you lack the confidence to win against opponents at your own tier?"

"We have confidence!"

"That's more like it," Feng Yangmu said with a smile.