Volume 1 Chapter 20: A Single Sword Strike to Slay a Second-Order Beast
The points wristband resembled a fitness tracker, yet it was a mystery how such a small device could discern the strength of a slain ferocious beast and tally the points accordingly.
Tang Xi couldn’t help but feel grateful that Blue Star had not abandoned technology and continued to vigorously develop it. In many respects, technology proved far more useful than the path of immortality.
Technology as support, the path of immortality as the mainstay.
An hour later, Tang Xi and his companions boarded two large trucks in an orderly fashion. Two hours later, their eyes were met with towering steel city walls reaching a thousand meters high. Above, a transparent dome crafted through godlike means by powerful beings covered the city, visible only near the edges of the walls.
At the heart of the royal city, they could see blue skies and white clouds.
The humans of Blue Star now lived beneath the dome, within the steel walls.
As the vehicles drove out from within the steel walls, the scene changed dramatically. Endless vast forests stretched into the distance, the air faintly tinged with the scent of blood. Occasional roars of beasts echoed through the wilderness. Along the paths the vehicles passed, small ferocious beasts fled in panic.
Time slipped by, minute after minute. About half an hour later, the vehicles pulled into a makeshift encampment guarded almost exclusively by members of the Immortal Martial Division and soldiers from the military.
Tang Xi spotted Zhao Shixuan and was surprised to see how seriously the higher-ups took this joint examination, even dispatching Great Golden Core cultivators.
“Brother Xi, brother Xi, look, that’s the head of the Immortal Martial Division. Besides the city lord, he’s the one I admire the most in the Tenth Royal City. When will I become a fourth-tier warrior?”
“You brat, it won’t happen that fast, but I’m jealous too! A Great Golden Core cultivator must be incredibly powerful.”
Listening to their conversation, Qing Hua covered her mouth to smile.
“Brother Xi, Mu Fan, I’m guessing the two of you will become Golden Core cultivators and fourth-tier warriors within a year at most.”
Tang Xi and Mu Fan looked at Qing Hua and both gave her a thumbs-up. This girl was truly comforting; her words were genuinely pleasant.
Xu Wuhen’s gaze remained fixed on Tang Xi and Qing Hua, his fists clenched tightly.
“You little bastard, you’re pushing me. Once this joint exam ends, it’ll be your death day.”
...
After lunch, the ten high schools were neatly arranged according to their respective schools.
Zhao Shixuan slowly walked to the center of the crowd, exuding a heavily oppressive aura.
“Students, I am Zhao Shixuan, head of the Immortal Martial Division. You are all the Tenth Royal City’s reserve talents. Real combat is no child’s play; prioritize your own safety to avoid needless loss of life.”
“A battlefield spanning a hundred miles in radius is yours to fight in—kill without restraint!”
With these words, one by one, the students entered the wilderness.
Tang Xi patted Mu Fan’s shoulder. “Da Fan, your temper’s been flaring up a lot lately. Remember to think twice before acting in the wild.”
Mu Fan nodded. “Brother Xi, I got it.”
Then Tang Xi turned to Qing Hua. “Qing, beautiful lady, you must be careful too.”
Qing Hua smiled like blooming flowers. “Seeing how worried you are about me, I’ll take good care of myself. You stay safe as well.”
...
Tang Xi ventured into the wilderness. The combat zone covered a radius of 100 miles, meaning it was relatively safe within this area. He was currently at the eighth level of Qi Refining, with combat strength comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage, so there was no need to worry excessively. He could just go all out and kill.
Energy surged within him; his speed was swift as he pressed deeper into the wilderness.
Soon after, he encountered a mid-level first-tier beast, a spiny rat comparable in strength to the fifth level of Qi Refining. The spiny rat was roughly the size of a kangaroo from his previous life, with two incisors nearly twenty centimeters long. Its fur stood on end, eyes bloodshot, giving it a fierce and terrifying appearance.
Facing the charging spiny rat, Tang Xi swung his sword once, cleaving the beast cleanly in half at the waist. The cut was neat and smooth, and it took several seconds for the blood to slowly seep out—a testament to the incredible speed.
The points wristband glowed, displaying: Points: 5
“Ding, host successfully slain ferocious beast. Immortal Path points +50.”
“Seems pretty accurate. Let’s set a small goal: break the Tenth Royal City’s points record in two days and establish a new high.”
“Points for late first-tier ferocious beasts double, so I need to go deeper to see jumps in points.”
...
After some time, Tang Xi had ventured eighty miles deep into the wilderness.
Here, the beasts were far more numerous and stronger.
Tang Xi revealed a cruel grin. “If that’s the case, then I’ll just harvest wildly!”
...
Zhao Shixuan and a group of teachers gathered in a spacious room. At the front was a large screen displaying a topographical map of the 100-mile radius, dotted with a hundred red points, each representing a student.
Most students were located within twenty to thirty miles, a few at fifty-plus miles, and two or three even at eighty miles.
Time ticked away. After several hours, the sky darkened, and students gradually returned.
Those positioned at seventy to eighty miles were moving slowly, showing no signs of returning, apparently intending to spend the night in the wilderness.
Suddenly, everyone noticed a red point rapidly approaching the hundred-mile boundary. Within half an hour, it crossed the limit and vanished from the screen.
“Wang Qi, find out who this student is.”
After a while, Wang Qi reported, “Chief, it’s Tang Xi.”
“Tang Xi? Monitor his points wristband and ensure his safety. That kid’s a troublemaker—he never puts anyone at ease.”
Shortly thereafter, two more red points rapidly approached the hundred-mile boundary before disappearing from the screen.
Zhao Shixuan’s mouth twitched slightly. “Check those too.”
“Chief, they’re Mu Fan and Qing Hua from the Tenth.”
Hearing this, all the teachers looked toward Zhao Minghan and Zhao Kuang, who appeared just as puzzled, signaling they had no idea either.
...
Late at night, Tang Xi showed no sign of stopping his killing spree. He was utterly berserk, his points skyrocketing, completely oblivious to having already exceeded the designated boundary.
When it was well past midnight, Tang Xi ceased his slaughter. He took some ferocious beast meat from his system storage space and lit a fire to roast it.
At his current strength, he had yet to encounter a beast that could withstand a single sword strike from him. He had recently slain a late first-tier beast comparable to the ninth level of Qi Refining. The meat he was roasting now came from that very beast.
A breeze stirred.
A foul stench wafted through the air—putrid and rancid, the smell of food rotting amid bacteria, nauseating to inhale.
Tang Xi frowned. What was spoiling his appetite?
A roar pierced the wilderness, startling flocks of birds into flight under the cover of darkness.
...
A gigantic beast, about fifteen meters long, slowly appeared before Tang Xi.
The creature resembled a lizard, covered in sharp bony spikes. Its head was triangular, armored with mottled brown scales. At the end of its tail was a massive flesh hammer emitting a chilling gleam in the night.
“Roar!”
Tang Xi’s eyes gleamed with excitement, showing no hint of fear.
“A low second-tier ferocious beast—the Bone Demon Lizard, comparable to a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. Let’s test the limits of my current strength with it!”
This scene naturally caught Zhao Shixuan’s attention. He frowned.
“Nonsense! How reckless can he be? That kid’s got the bravado of a newborn calf.”
As he turned to leave, he suddenly noticed Tang Xi move.
A dazzling sword light flashed in the darkness. The Bone Demon Lizard’s famously tough hide cracked open, revealing tender flesh beneath.
“Could this kid be creating a miracle?”
Zhao Shixuan halted. “Wang Qi, go now and keep communications open. Maybe this kid will surprise us.”
...
“Big guy, I don’t think you’re much good either!”
Tang Xi unleashed a series of sword strikes, breaking through the Bone Demon Lizard’s defenses.
The beast howled in pain. A faint blood-colored glow appeared on its back, converging into its mouth before it spat out a destructive light orb. The orb left a deep crater in the ground.
The hammer at the tail swept across the air with a whistling sound.
Tang Xi dodged continuously while counterattacking.
The destruction wrought by this duel was immense. Tang Xi’s sword strikes left wounds all over the Bone Demon Lizard.
He dared not absorb the beast’s attacks head-on, lest he be pulverized into paste.
After several minutes, Tang Xi had discerned the Bone Demon Lizard’s fighting style. It was strong, but its strength was limited.
“Let’s see the power of the Ultimate Sword Classic.”
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