A thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear?! Its combat power is basically at the ten-thousand-year level!"
In the examiner's area,
Mu Jin's face turned pale.
A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!
Its combat strength was multiplied several times over!
Sending such a ferocious creature to assess a second-year student?
Even with Dean Yan present in previous years, they wouldn't dare go this far!
Wait—
She suddenly recalled their earlier conversation.
This boy's soul beast?
You're telling me this thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is his soul beast?!
She stared at Su Wen in disbelief.
But the boy remained calm, watching the match as if nothing unusual was happening.
…
"You chose it yourself," the referee said helplessly. "A thousand-year soul beast is acceptable. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is only a thousand years old."
"You know it's called a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear too!!!" Xiao Yan nearly screamed.
As the massive beast approached, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and his face turned deathly pale.
He just wanted to pass the assessment—
not die here!
"The assessment continues," the referee explained after receiving a signal. "You only need to last for three… no, one minute, and it will end."
"Then… I'll try."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath.
He still trusted the academy's safety measures.
If they dared to release such a beast, they must have confidence they could control it.
"Roar!"
Three soul rings rose beneath his feet.
Yellow. Yellow. Purple.
"Silver Defense!"
"Iron Wall!"
"Crimson Rage!"
He charged ferociously at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
And then—
that was it.
Mu Jin gasped as Little Gold casually slapped Xiao Yan into the arena fence.
The force was perfectly controlled.
That single strike could have shattered his bones and crushed his skull like a watermelon—
yet somehow, Xiao Yan staggered back to his feet.
"Huh?"
"His bones aren't broken?!"
Although Xiao Jin had controlled his strength very precisely, the slap was still terrifying.
Xiao Yan was sent flying, his head buzzing, his vision spinning. It felt as if his entire body had been torn apart, waves of pain surging through him without pause.
Then, very clearly, Xiao Yan saw the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear opposite him reveal an almost human expression of disdain.
Too weak…
Xiao Yan: "…"
He wanted to curse.
But when he realized that he had already been knocked outside the assessment area—clearly out of bounds—he forcibly swallowed his resentment and slowly walked back toward the rest area.
Whether he passed or failed was another matter entirely.
Several young girls immediately gathered around him, their voices full of concern. That attention made Xiao Yan feel slightly better.
"Elder Gong… does this count as a pass?"
Many of the assessment instructors looked conflicted.
Elder Gong had said that as long as Xiao Yan lasted for one minute, he would pass. But just now, that exchange probably hadn't even lasted five seconds.
Yet if he failed, the blame would fall on the examiners themselves. After all, they had released a soul beast whose combat strength was comparable to a ten-thousand-year beast—clearly exceeding the assessment standards.
"That's enough," Elder Gong waved his hand impatiently. "Even those fourth-year brats wouldn't have lasted much longer against Little Jin."
He had only wanted to teach the kid a lesson. There was no need to actually fail him.
"Basic score: 100. Combat skills…"
Elder Gong smacked his lips.
"25."
"Then give him… 125."
"130."
"134."
"…Alright."
After a brief discussion, the instructors finalized the score at 131 points.
(For comparison: Dai Huabin scored 145—full marks in basics and 45 in combat skills.)
Xiao Yan's fighting spirit wasn't weak. He had even dared to charge the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear head-on.
Unfortunately, he had been beaten so badly he probably wouldn't recognize his own parents afterward.
When the results were announced,
Xiao Yan finally let out a breath of relief, though his expression remained gloomy.
He had intended to kill soul beasts to prove his Dao. The thrill of tearing apart soul beasts, watching blood splatter, and gaining fame from it—that was intoxicating.
Had his intentions been seen through?
"I've been tricked by those damn capitalists… this hurts."
"Want to go up and try?" Elder Gong chuckled.
"I'm not the one being assessed," Su Wen shrugged.
"And don't forget—you still owe me half a month's food expenses for the three pet beasts."
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