Moreover, the damage left on the vine armor before could regenerate and repair itself.
But looking at the vine armor now, there was not the slightest sign of self-repair. It had clearly become a dead thing and was most likely ruined.
Struggling to contain her anger, Liu Yun said, "Aren't you going a little too far? He only said a few words."
Lu Ding folded his arms. "Yes, I'm going too far. And? What can you do about it?"
He was just running his mouth, he was just joking, he just said it without thinking-hearing excuses like these disgusted Lu Ding.
He could not be bothered to argue right and wrong with others, either. You ran your mouth first, and I hit you today. What are you going to do about it?!
"You..."
Right, what could she do? She could not do anything.
Her strength was not much different from Chu Hao's. If Chu Hao could not block that slash, neither could she. She would not even be able to react.
Under these circumstances, even if she stepped in, she would probably only get taken down in an instant.
"Enough. Keep it to yourself. If I don't like what you say, I won't spare your feelings, either."
[Candidates are not permitted to attack one another. Please prepare yourselves. The assessment will begin in five minutes.]
The announcement rang out through the assessment venue.
What had happened here was seen by the spectators outside.
It instantly ignited a flurry of discussion.
"Wait, what happened? Why did they suddenly start fighting out of nowhere?"
"He sent Chu Hao flying in one move, even with his vine armor. How is this someone who just joined? I'd believe you if you told me he was a full investigator!"
"That should be his innate ability, right? Its power is a little too terrifying."
"I admit he's strong, but his personality leaves something to be desired. Attacking someone just like that-isn't he a little too arrogant?"
"Stop fucking putting other people down. 'Isn't he a little too arrogant?' If you think he's arrogant, go fight him after his assessment! With the power of that slash, and from just a flick of his finger, too-if he went all out, see if he couldn't chop your head clean away from your ass."
"Arrogant is exactly what he should be. If I had that kind of strength, I'd be even more arrogant! Relying on that magic artifact of his, Chu Hao spends every day with his eyes pointed at the sky, looking at people through his nostrils. We're all trainee investigators-how many of us has he ever treated nicely? Finally, someone's here to put him in his place!"
"Didn't he clash with another newcomer before, too? Relying on his vine armor's protection, he beat the guy and then called him trash. I think he's the trash. Now he doesn't even dare let out a fart. He fawns over those above him and tramples those below him. Feeling good now? Hahahaha!"
The atmosphere outside reached a new high.
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Chu Hao finally exhaled the breath pent up in his chest. His complexion returned to normal, and his eyes were full of wariness as he looked at Lu Ding nearby.
After realizing that his vine armor was essentially ruined, that wariness turned into fear.
When the gap between someone and you was small, you would resent them, be wary of them, and harbor thoughts of revenge as you quietly waited for another day.
But when the gap between that person and you was like the distance between the clouds and the mud, all you would feel before them was fear and terror. Revenge, another day-none of it existed.
You would not dare think it, much less do it.
Chu Hao himself understood this. He had been arrogant before, looking down on every trainee investigator he had met during this time except Liu Yun.
All that confidence had come from his vine armor.
But now that the vine armor was broken, his confidence had scattered with it.
He had originally been brimming with confidence about this assessment, but now he began to feel uncertain.
Strange-looking wooden figures, each two meters tall, emerged from underground one after another. Fear rose in Chu Hao's heart, and he took half a step back.
Before, his vine armor could block incoming attacks, so he only needed to attack with all his strength. But now that it was gone, he had to think about dodging. A solid hit landing on his body would hurt.
Then the broadcast announced, "The assessment begins!"
Hundreds of wooden figures charged.
Excitement appeared on Lu Ding's face, and he leaped out to meet them first.
"Come on!"
He raised his hand and swung, instantly sending out a horizontal slash spanning ten meters.
Along its path, more than a dozen wooden figures were cut in half at the waist before its power dissipated.
No notification appeared before his eyes.
Lu Ding felt only regret.
Though it was not very realistic, he had still entertained the fantasy that killing these monsters might earn him rewards.
Now it seemed they could not be taken in, and they were far too weak, too.
The terrifying power of this attack drew cries of shock from many people and ignited the other trainees' desire to fight.
The assessment battle had officially begun!
Lu Ding moved through the foremost cluster of monsters, slashes enveloping and circling his body. Every movement of his hands and feet sent slashes bursting out, wood chips flying and broken limbs scattering in every direction. He seemed to be strolling through a quiet courtyard, unhurried and unflustered, displaying the elegance of violent aesthetics.
He reached out and clamped a hand around a wooden figure's head.
Dozens of slashes swirled chaotically in his hand.
The wooden figure's head instantly shattered into a handful of wood chips.
He casually scattered them.
Lu Ding only felt that the difficulty was far too low. These wooden figures looked terrifying, but their actual combat strength was not much greater than that of ordinary people.
They were merely a little taller, a little tougher, a little stronger, a little faster, and a little more numerous.
That was all.
They posed no threat to him whatsoever.
Within ten minutes, the number beside Lu Ding's name on the big screen had soared past eighty.
That meant he had already killed more than eighty monsters.
At the sight of that terrifying figure,
the other trainee investigators watching the spectacle once again lost their composure.
"This guy's more of a fucking monster than the monsters! Over eighty kills in ten minutes-is he chopping cabbages?!"
"No wonder he's so arrogant. With that kind of strength, he deserves to be!"
"Isn't he going to break a record at this rate? Whether it's the number or the time, I've never heard of anyone killing eighty monsters in ten minutes during the trainee assessment."
"Lu Ding. I'll remember that name. If possible, I hope I can go on missions with him in the future. He gives you such a sense of security."
"How many do you think he'll kill in this hour?"
"At least four or five hundred."
"I think so, too. I wonder if there's a reward for breaking the record."
"What are you thinking? Do you think you're reading a novel, where every broken record comes with a bonus reward?"
"Even without a bonus reward, he's made a name for himself. I reckon there won't be many people in Bureau 749 who don't know him after this."
Inside the venue, Lu Ding knew nothing of the reactions outside.
On the battlefield nearby, Liu Yun wove through the monsters with her demonic saber in hand. Each rise and fall of her blade turned another monster into points on the big screen.
But even so, her score remained a long way behind Lu Ding's. She had only killed thirty-odd, while Lu Ding had already killed nearly two hundred.
Liu Yun had originally thought the gap between her and the other trainee investigators was already large enough, with both her demonic saber and her powerful innate ability.
But today, Lu Ding's appearance had taught her what it meant for there to always be someone beyond you, another heaven beyond the heavens.
Remembering the flattery and praise she had received over the past few days, Liu Yun flushed with shame and felt it was laughable.
She cut down another wooden figure.
Liu Yun had been here for almost a month, and for the first time, she realized she needed to work hard!