Chapter 41 – Second-Year Students

The man who spoke had dyed yellow hair and wore an earring, his demeanor flippant.

“Nice to meet you all, I’m your senior, Jing Tao. Ah, and these two beside me are also your senior classmates.”

The examinees exchanged glances but said nothing.

The woman among the three walked over and smacked Jing Tao on the back of the head.

“Get serious and introduce yourself properly!”

After scolding her companion, the woman finally looked at the crowd and said calmly:

“My name is Zhang Man. This one here is Wu Tianze. The three of us are all Second Year students at Ningjiang Academy, and we’re responsible for serving as the assessors for this Stele Challenge.”

Assessors?

Lin Ze felt a vague sense of understanding.

Sure enough, he heard Zhang Man continue:

“According to the rules, any examinee who can defeat the three of us in a row will receive a special reward from the Stele Challenge.”

A murmur of whispers immediately rose from the crowd.

Someone couldn’t hold back and asked loudly: “Senior, may I ask what the special reward is?”

“A Baptism!”

Zhang Man answered frankly.

“It’s a watered-down version, and it can only enhance a Beast Tamer’s Constitution and Soul Strength, but it’s roughly equivalent to the enhancement magnitude of an Apprentice Assessment at Intermediate Difficulty.”

Whoa!

The crowd erupted in commotion.

A Baptism at Intermediate Difficulty Apprentice Assessment level could boost Soul Strength by a full 2 points and Constitution by 1 point.

Soul Strength was already extremely difficult to improve—even gaining a single point was an uphill battle.

Let alone a full 2 points.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of examinees present had Soul Strength of less than 5.

2 points was close to half of their current Soul Strength.

Not to mention the Constitution enhancement as well.

This was undoubtedly a tremendous temptation for them.

Even Tan Yong and Guo Xinyi showed looks of longing.

For a moment.

Many examinees were eager to give it a try.

Jing Tao watched, a mischievous smile suddenly spreading across his face.

“Hey hey, don’t be so hasty—the rules aren’t finished yet.”

“The challenge doesn’t come without a price. Those who fail will have their Cultivation Resources from the academy for the next month go to us!”

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly extinguishing the examinees’ enthusiasm.

Most people immediately abandoned the idea of attempting it.

The Stele Challenge was said to have never been successfully completed in all its years—the Difficulty was clearly immense.

If there were no consequences, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. If they succeeded by some chance, they’d hit the jackpot.

But if the price was a month’s worth of Cultivation Resources… then forget it!

“I’m not challenging.”

“Me neither.”

“The price is too steep!”

“The main thing is the Difficulty is too high. Hmph, Second Year students definitely aren’t weak!”

Discussions rose and fell one after another.

Jing Tao and the others seemed to have foreseen this situation long ago, looking completely unsurprised.

“Doesn’t anyone want to challenge?”

Jing Tao looked around with a grin and asked.

No one responded.

After a few seconds of Silence, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

“I’ll do it!”

Everyone turned to look and saw that the speaker was none other than Lv Gang.

Lv Gang stepped out from the crowd and stopped at a short distance in front of Jing Tao and the others, a defiant expression on his face.

“I’d like to see just how strong Second Year students really are!”

Jing Tao wasn’t angry. He sized up Lv Gang with a smile and asked:

“What’s your name, junior?”

“Lv Gang.”

“The fourth-ranked Freshman, no wonder you’ve got that kind of nerve.”

Jing Tao smiled and stepped forward.

“Then, your first opponent is me.”

The crowd quickly cleared an open space to serve as the battlefield for the duel between the two.

The two stood facing each other across a distance of more than twenty meters.

Lv Gang’s Iron-clad Dragon Snake had already appeared by his side, hissing softly toward Jing Tao, its forked tongue flickering in and out.

A flash of light.

Jing Tao’s Insect Beast appeared as well.

It was a giant mantis, its entire body emerald green, with a pair of sickle-like blades as sharp as knives.

“It’s a Wind-Slicing Mantis!”

Someone recognized the origin of this Ferocious Beast.

“A Wind Attribute Pet Beast, huh.”

“I remember this is the Evolution Form of the Wind-Cut Mantis.”

“That’s right. Apparently it starts at Tier 3 from the beginning, and at Mature Stage it can reach up to Tier 4!”

“Whoa! That impressive!”

“A Wind-Slicing Mantis that has reached Mature Stage would have wind patterns on the surface of its sickle blades, but this one doesn’t, which means it’s still at Tier 3.”

A clear, pleasant female voice suddenly cut in.

Jing Tao turned to look and saw a young woman with a beautiful face and delicate features as exquisite as a doll’s. His eyes immediately lit up.

“This junior sister has quite extensive knowledge. What’s your name?”

Guo Xinyi glanced at him but didn’t answer.

However, Jing Tao’s words were undoubtedly an admission that Guo Xinyi’s assessment was correct. Seeing this, Lv Gang’s heart settled.

If it was only a Tier 3 Pet Beast, he still had a chance to win.

“Enough talk. Let’s begin.”

Lv Gang said with a cold snort.

The battle erupted quickly.

The Iron-clad Dragon Snake let out a hiss and launched the first attack.

Its body, covered in hard scales and as thick as a water barrel, slithered forward, darting toward its opponent like lightning.

Whoosh!

The Wind-Slicing Mantis suddenly spread its wings, lifting off the ground, then charged head-on without the slightest hesitation.

Just as the two were about to collide, the Wind-Slicing Mantis abruptly twisted sideways, narrowly brushing past the Iron-clad Dragon Snake, while its pair of sharp sickle blades tore through the air and slashed viciously across the latter’s body.

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring suddenly exploded.

The sickle blades dragged a trail of sparks across the scales, leaving behind a faint white indentation.

Seeing this, a smug smile crept onto Lv Gang’s lips.

He could tell now—this Wind-Slicing Mantis wasn’t particularly high in Power Level.

He estimated it was around Tier 3, Second Stage, not far off from his Iron-clad Dragon Snake.

With similar Levels, the Iron-clad Dragon Snake, renowned for its formidable defense, was undoubtedly a hard counter to an assassin-type Pet Beast like the Wind-Slicing Mantis, which excelled in high attack and high agility.

As long as the Wind-Slicing Mantis couldn’t break through the Iron-clad Dragon Snake’s defense, he was naturally in an unbeatable position.

He could just wear the opponent down!

Many of the examinees around had also noticed this.

“Looks like Lv Gang has the upper hand.”

“Be confident—drop the ‘looks like.'”

“This Second Year student doesn’t seem all that strong.”

“Can’t say that. Lv Gang is, after all, fourth among the Freshmen. He’s genuinely skilled.”

Hearing the chatter around him, Jing Tao’s expression remained unchanged, that same frivolous smile still on his face.

After gauging his opponent’s strength, Lv Gang no longer held back and ordered the Iron-clad Dragon Snake to attack with full force.

Under the fierce assault, the Wind-Slicing Mantis was soon hard-pressed to defend.

But just as everyone thought the Iron-clad Dragon Snake had secured victory, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

At the instant of launching another attack, a bright gleam suddenly flashed across the surface of the Wind-Slicing Mantis’s sickle blades.

A layer of ink-black luster spread across both sickle blades in the blink of an eye.

A heart-stopping aura of sharpness instantly filled every inch of the surrounding space.

Under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, the Wind-Slicing Mantis’s sickle blades tore through the Iron-clad Dragon Snake’s hard scales without the slightest resistance, sinking deep into its flesh.

Ssshh!

Crimson blood blossomed into the air!