The military base was bustling with activity, and a lavish lunch had been prepared for the aspiring warriors who had come to participate in the practical warrior assessment.
In the afternoon,
1680 aspirants stood in a vast open square. At the front stage stood high-ranking officers from the Jiangnan Northern Military District, along with senior members from the Thunder Martial Arts Academy and the Limit Martial Arts Academy.
“Those whose names are called next will step forward to receive their combat gear and weapons.”
“Yan Zhuo.”
“He Feng.”
“Wang Bingjiang.”
…
There were ten officers on the stage, calling out the names one by one. Those whose names were announced stepped forward to collect their combat uniforms and weapons.
“Luo Feng.”
The loud voice rang out clearly, and Luo Feng heard it immediately. He sprinted forward to the front.
“This is your combat uniform and boots. This is the Blood Shadow Blade Series 2 you requested. We’ve prepared the heaviest version available—98 kilograms. Anything heavier, we don’t have ready,” the officer handed Luo Feng a set of items. “This is the communication watch, with positioning and communication functions. And this is the hexagonal shield.”
As the officer spoke, his eyes held a hint of confusion—what kind of aspirant would request such a heavy blade?
Luo Feng smiled slightly, gathered the pile of items weighing nearly two hundred kilograms, and quickly ran off.
…
In the square, all 1680 aspirants were issued weapons suited to their body size and personal requests, each receiving a melee weapon. This was a requirement of the practical warrior assessment—firearms were strictly prohibited. After the distribution, everyone returned to their respective rest areas to change into their combat uniforms and boots.
…
The open square was filled with laughter.
At this moment, Luo Feng was wearing alloy combat boots, military trousers and a combat vest embedded with special materials like Keluo alloy. A hexagonal shield and the Blood Shadow Blade were strapped to his back. He was happily chatting with other aspirants nearby.
“Just this set of gear alone would cost at least seven or eight hundred thousand credits,” said a young man with a buzzcut, excitedly pointing at his uniform. “These trousers and vests may not be top-tier warrior gear, but they’re lent to us for this practical assessment. They can withstand the claws of the weakest H-class beast. They’re far superior to any bulletproof vest in the city—ordinary bullets can’t penetrate, and H-class beasts can’t tear through the fabric.”
“They may not tear through,” a cold-faced girl beside him scoffed, “but even if the beast can’t tear the uniform, the sheer force of the impact could break your bones and severely injure your internal organs.”
“Brother isn’t that fragile,” the buzzcut youth grinned at her. “How about it, little lady? Want to test out my strength somewhere else?”
“Say less,” Luo Feng frowned.
“Yes, Brother Luo. I’ll listen to you,” the buzzcut youth laughed.
The news of Luo Feng being recruited early by the Limit Martial Arts Academy spread quickly among the aspirants. Among this year’s group of 1680 aspirants, only three were recruited early—two by the Thunder Martial Arts Academy and one by the Limit Academy. Everyone knew these three would have extraordinary prospects.
“Luofeng! Luofeng!” a voice called from a distance. It was Wu Tong, the chief instructor of the Yangzhou Limit Martial Arts Academy.
“Wu Uncle.”
Luo Feng said his goodbyes to Yang Wu and the others with a smile and hurried over. In the past month, Luo Feng had been staying at the Mingyue Residential Complex, where he had become close to Wu Tong, who also lived there, and naturally addressed him as “Uncle Wu.”
“Luofeng, come with me,” Wu Tong said, leading the way.
Though puzzled, Luo Feng didn’t ask questions and soon arrived at a quiet two-story building. In the second-floor living room, several people were already seated. Luo Feng recognized only one among them—Zhuge Tao, one of the four powerhouses of the Jiangnan Limit Martial Arts Academy!
“Supervisor,” Luo Feng greeted respectfully.
“Mm, Luo Feng, sit with Wu Tong over there,” Zhuge Tao said with a faint smile, wearing a dark black uniform faintly shimmering with silver specks.
“Zhuge, this is the Luo Feng you were talking about? He doesn’t seem much better than our Thunder Martial Arts Academy recruits,” said a tall, muscular man sitting opposite Zhuge Tao. He wore a dark purple combat uniform, and his voice seemed to echo from deep within his chest. “We’ve recruited two early this time—one with physical abilities no worse than your Luo Feng, and another who’s a firearms prodigy.”
The muscular man glanced at two young men beside him, who immediately stood up.
“I’m Wan Dong,” said a gloomy-looking youth with a purple birthmark on his face.
“I’m Ma Xiao,” said the other, smiling warmly. He was undeniably handsome—so much so that if he were a woman, he would be considered a beauty capable of captivating a nation.
Luo Feng smiled slightly and nodded. “Luo Feng. You already know me.”
“Luo Feng,” the gloomy youth spoke again. “Do you have the guts to compete? In tonight’s practical warrior assessment, let’s see who can get the highest score!” His eyes gleamed with a hungry light, like a predator eyeing its favorite prey.
“No interest,” Luo Feng replied, shaking his head.
The gloomy youth was taken aback, then sneered and said nothing more.
Zhuge Tao and the muscular man from the Thunder Martial Arts Academy exchanged glances and laughed.
“Zhuge, your little guy is interesting. At least he’s calm—he doesn’t get hot-headed at every provocation. I kind of like this young man. Luo Feng, have you considered joining our Thunder Martial Arts Academy?”
“Go, go, go,” Zhuge Tao glared at him.
“Just kidding. You’re no fun,” the muscular man laughed heartily.
Zhuge Tao glanced downstairs. “We should go too. The practical warrior assessment will start soon.”
…
Guided by soldiers, the 1680 aspirants, including Luo Feng, marched for half an hour before arriving at the outskirts of a small town. By then, the sun had already set.
“Roar~~”
“Growl~~”
Terrifying beastly cries echoed from within the town. The town was surrounded by barbed wire, and numerous soldiers patrolled the perimeter with firearms.
“Hurry up! The number of beasts inside is insufficient. Bring in 1200 Iron-Furred Wild Boars, 300 Shadow Cats, and 500 Tiger Mastiffs!” As the command rang out from within the town, Luo Feng and the others didn’t wait long before seeing a convoy of heavy trucks arriving. Each truck carried cages filled with furious beasts, their growls making the hearts of some inexperienced aspirants tremble.
Luo Feng and the other warriors looked closely…
Each truck carried cages, and each cage held a beast. Their furious roars made the hearts of some aspirants who had never killed a beast before quiver with fear.
“Luo Feng,”
Wu Tong, the chief instructor standing beside him, smiled faintly. “Being physically strong and skilled with a blade doesn’t necessarily mean you can kill beasts. After all, some people can’t even bring out a fraction of their strength when faced with blood and life-or-death situations. So this practical warrior assessment is mainly to train your mentality. You must adapt to fighting beasts to the death—don’t be merciful.”
“I understand,” Luo Feng nodded.
“These beasts are all the weakest H-class. Equivalent to the ‘Novice Warrior’ level among warriors,” Wu Tong explained. “Their weakness is low intelligence. But their advantage is their bloodthirsty, ruthless nature. That’s why every practical assessment sees deaths and injuries among aspirants.”
Luo Feng nodded. Killing beasts was never 100% safe.
…
After the weakest H-class beasts were transported into the town, the number of beasts inside had reached a staggering level.
“Everyone!”
A loud voice echoed into the ears of every aspirant. Luo Feng and all the other aspirants looked up. A military officer stood atop a dilapidated three-story building inside the town, addressing all the aspirants.
“This practical assessment follows the same rules as before! It will officially begin at 6:30 PM tonight and end at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning!”
“The more beasts you kill, the more points you earn. For each beast killed, cut off its left ear as proof.”
“Remember, mutual killing among aspirants is strictly forbidden. All your actions are under surveillance. Violators will be executed on the spot!”
“Among you 1680 aspirants, those ranking in the top 60% will obtain warrior status. The bottom 40% will fail and have to wait for the next assessment!” The officer’s voice grew colder. “In other words, among you 1680 aspirants, 1008 will pass, and 672 will be eliminated!”
The aspirants below murmured anxiously. A 40% elimination rate!
“One last reminder: killing three beasts is generally enough to pass. If you kill only two, it depends on your luck,” the officer’s voice rang out clearly in everyone’s ears. “When scores are equal, rankings will be determined by the time taken to kill the beasts and the severity of injuries. So, once you’ve killed enough beasts, get out of the town as soon as possible.”
“Remember, if you’re seriously injured, press the emergency button on your communication watch. Someone will come to rescue you immediately… but that also means your practical warrior assessment is over,” the officer said, then leapt from the rooftop.
Whoosh!
He soared over ten meters high, then with two swift jumps, landed outside the town.
“All aspirants, move out! Enter the Beast Town!” the officer waved his hand.
Like a surging tide, the 1680 aspirants rushed into the Beast Town.
“Close the gate!” the officer commanded.
Boom!
The only gate slammed shut with a deafening noise.
The practical warrior assessment had officially begun!
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