The Patrol Squad's Test!

Complaints and sighs rose one after another. The threshold of this first step in body tempering had stumped almost everyone, and their faces were full of frustration and anxiety.

Dongfang Yueming listened in silence, his heart undisturbed. This was reality. Without cheats or resources, relying on talent and hard work alone to begin skin tempering within a month was indeed as hard as ascending to the heavens for the vast majority of ordinary people.

After finishing his meal, he got up and left the cafeteria, ready to head to the East City Gate patrol station.

The moment he stepped outside the cafeteria, he felt numerous gazes fall on him. Unlike the anxious looks directed at the other new students, these were full of pity, sympathy, and even a hint of veiled mockery.

"Look, it's him! The one who talked back to Gao Hu at the martial arts hall yesterday!"

"Tsk, tsk, a newborn calf really doesn't fear a tiger. He actually dared to challenge Gao Hu to a fight, and in just a month?"

"I heard Gao Hu broke through to greater skin tempering as soon as he got back yesterday! How's this kid supposed to fight him now?"

"Fight? With his head? I bet he won't even be able to block one of Gao Hu's fingers!"

"It's worse than that. He's offended Gao Hu, so life at the Martial Dao Academy probably won't be easy for him from now on. Who knows if he'll even last a month..."

Although the voices were hushed, Dongfang Yueming's skin tempering perfection hearing let him hear every word.

Expressionless, he walked straight toward the academy gates as though he hadn't heard a thing.

Pity me? Feel sorry for me?

The corners of Dongfang Yueming's lips curved into a cold smile.

In a month, you'll find out who's truly the pitiful one!

After passing through the slightly old but still sturdy East City Gate, Dongfang Yueming quickly found the patrol station. It was a row of low, single-story buildings, with a weathered sign hanging by the entrance that read "East City Security Patrol Third Squad."

When Dongfang Yueming pushed open the door and entered, four people were already in the room.

Three men and one woman.

Their leader was a middle-aged man of average build and ordinary appearance, but his gaze was unusually sharp. He wore a crisp patrol uniform, his temples bulged prominently, and his aura was steady and sustained. When he saw Dongfang Yueming enter, he merely gave him a slight nod.

Beside him stood an exceptionally tall young man, even more heavily built than Gao Hu. His muscles were sharply defined like granite, and he radiated a powerful fluctuation of qi and blood. He was clearly at greater skin tempering too! Judging by his age, he seemed only a few years older than Dongfang Yueming and was probably also an academy student doing missions to earn contribution points.

The other two were a man and a woman. The man was lean and sturdy, with a steady gaze. His aura was somewhat weaker than the tall young man's, but he had reached greater flesh refining.

The woman was pretty and well-proportioned, dressed in a fitted martial arts outfit. Her cultivation was at lesser flesh refining, and her lively eyes were curiously sizing up the newcomer, Dongfang Yueming.

"You're Dongfang Yueming?" the middle-aged leader said in a steady, strong voice. "I'm Wang Zhen, captain of the Third Squad. This is Zhang Meng, at greater flesh refining." He pointed to the lean, sturdy man.

"This is Li Yue, at lesser flesh refining." He then pointed to the pretty woman.

Finally, he patted the tall young man beside him on the shoulder. "This is Zhao Tieniu. Like you, he's a student at the Martial Dao Academy, and he's at greater skin tempering."

Dongfang Yueming nodded to each of them. "Hello, Captain. Hello, everyone."

"Mm, welcome aboard." Captain Wang Zhen nodded, sweeping his gaze over Dongfang Yueming as if assessing something. "Since you're here, let's get straight to work. Today's patrol area runs from East District Three to East District Five. It's a fairly large area."

After a moment's thought, he pointed to Li Yue and Dongfang Yueming. "Li Yue, show the newcomer the ropes today. Team up with him and take East District Three and the first half of East District Four."

"Yes, Captain!" Li Yue readily agreed, looking at Dongfang Yueming with a clear hint of amusement and fondness. There was no other reason: though Dongfang Yueming was dressed plainly, his features were handsome and his bearing was calm. Compared with the other rough men on the squad, he was undoubtedly much easier on the eyes.

Li Yue's undisguised attitude, however, made the lean, sturdy Zhang Meng's brow crease almost imperceptibly, and a barely noticeable trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes. He had always been interested in Li Yue, so seeing her show such enthusiasm for a greenhorn who had just arrived naturally made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Zhao Tieniu, you're with me. We'll take the second half of East District Four and East District Five," Wang Zhen continued assigning tasks.

"Got it, Captain!" Zhao Tieniu answered in a deep, muffled voice. He gave Dongfang Yueming an appraising look, seemingly curious about this "competitor" who was also at greater skin tempering.

With the assignments made, Captain Wang Zhen waved his hand. "All right, get moving! Stay safe!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Li Yue beckoned to Dongfang Yueming. "Come on, newcomer, follow me."

Dongfang Yueming nodded and followed Li Yue. The two walked out of the patrol station side by side and began patrolling the designated streets.

Watching their retreating figures, Captain Wang Zhen remained where he was, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. He turned to Zhang Meng beside him and said in a low voice:

"Zhang Meng, in a little while... you can 'accidentally' let a few of those 'little rats' we caught yesterday loose toward East District Three."

Understanding flashed in Zhang Meng's eyes. His lips curled into a malicious sneer, and he answered quietly, "Understood, Captain!"

Zhao Tieniu heard their conversation but said nothing. In his heart, however, he knew exactly what was going on.

Carrion Rats... sure enough, it's the same old trick, Zhao Tieniu thought.

Carrion Rats were the lowest grade of mortal beast, usually possessing strength roughly equivalent to skin tempering lesser accomplishment. But they made up for it with their numbers, agility, and a degree of toxicity. The patrol squad commonly used them to test a newcomer's courage and strength.

Let's see what this kid is made of. Zhao Tieniu recalled his own first encounter with Carrion Rats. He had been thrown into a panic and had taken considerable effort to deal with them, even getting bitten on the arm.

Cultivation on paper and actual combat are two different things! Especially when facing ferocious beasts, not everyone can withstand that fear and pressure.

If this kid takes one look at the Carrion Rats and doesn't even have the courage to fight, turning tail and running in fright, then his greater skin tempering is a fake. The captain will definitely kick him off the squad without hesitation! After all, the patrol squad doesn't need dead weight!

Zhao Tieniu glanced in the direction Dongfang Yueming had disappeared, eager to see what would happen. He was curious how this newcomer, also at greater skin tempering, would perform when faced with this first "appetizer."