Mo Guanguan's performance was dazzling.
Among all the freshmen participating in the current Qingfeng Camp Boot Camp, she was unquestionably the center of attention. As an A-Rank Special Recruit, she had long become the favored genius in the eyes of the camp's higher-ups.
Very few people actually knew her background.
In fact, only a handful of senior officials were aware of her true origins.
But one thing was certain—
Mo Guanguan came from an extremely powerful aristocratic family.
And the longbow in her hands, the Ember Remains Longbow, was clearly no ordinary weapon.
Even at a glance, one could tell it possessed an exceptionally high rank.
Inside the monitoring room, Xu Zhixiong stared at the projected combat footage and could not help speaking in admiration.
"She can already condense Spirit Power into Flaming Arrows?"
His expression became slightly serious.
"Has Mo Guanguan's strength already reached this level?"
Beside him, Zhang Biao stroked his thick beard and nodded calmly.
"After all, she's already a Combat Level 14 Ability User."
"A true Private Rank fighter."
The surrounding instructors all understood the meaning behind those words.
In less than a month, Mo Guanguan's Combat Level had risen from 12 to 14.
That level of improvement was astonishing.
At first glance, it might not seem as exaggerated as Zhao Mu's leap from Combat Level 1 to Combat Level 5, but in reality, the difficulty was completely different.
The higher one climbed, the larger the gap between each Combat Level became.
Especially after reaching the Private Rank.
The defining characteristic of the Private Rank was the ability to condense Spirit Power and project it externally.
Among the four major Spirit Power techniques—
Refining.
Wrapping.
Condensing.
And Emitting.
"Emitting" was the most difficult.
Only by mastering it could Spirit Power truly leave the body and maintain its form externally.
Ordinary Spirit Power Users could barely coat weapons or fists with Spirit Power.
But Mo Guanguan had already advanced far beyond that stage.
She could directly condense Spirit Power into flaming arrows.
Even Zhao Mu, despite his exceptional archery skills, could not currently achieve something like that.
His attacks still required physical arrows as carriers.
Mo Guanguan, however, no longer needed such limitations.
That was why her efficiency in hunting strange beasts greatly surpassed Zhao Mu's.
Watching the footage, Zhang Biao spoke casually.
"It seems that Zhao Mu won't be taking first place this time."
He crossed his arms and continued:
"In terms of real combat ability, both Mo Guanguan and Shao Han possess natural advantages."
"And later in the training zone, they won't just face low-rank Crimson Demon Hounds anymore."
He paused briefly before adding:
"Still, Zhao Mu has already performed extremely well considering his background."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the final rankings will probably look like this—"
"First place: Mo Guanguan."
"Second place: Shao Han."
"And Zhao Mu should end up third."
Neither Xie Yingxue nor Xu Zhixiong objected to his conclusion.
After all, the Spirit Power world had always operated according to the same cruel rules.
Talent.
Resources.
Family background.
Those things determined a person's upper limit.
Only an extremely small number of people could break free from that reality.
And how many true monsters capable of overturning the rules existed in this world?
Very few.
In their eyes, Zhao Mu's greatest future potential probably did not lie in becoming a top-tier Spirit Power User.
Instead, he was more suited to the path of a Jinhai Master.
Still, despite their evaluations, they had no intention of underestimating him.
At that moment, Xie Yingxue adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and looked toward another combat screen.
"Besides those two," she said thoughtfully, "that B-Rank Special Recruit, Shen Moran, is also performing exceptionally well."
The projected footage displayed a young girl calmly standing amidst the battlefield.
Her hands were lightly clasped together.
The air between her palms began to distort strangely.
Moments later—
Boom!
An invisible force exploded outward.
More than a hundred meters away, a Crimson Demon Hound was blasted violently into the air.
"An Air Cannon…" Xu Zhixiong muttered.
"As expected of a Space Element Ability User."
Xie Yingxue nodded.
"The biggest problem with Spirit Power external emission is that the power disperses once it leaves the body."
"But Space Element users are different."
"They can confine Spirit Power within distorted spatial fields, preventing energy leakage."
That was why Shen Moran's combat efficiency was terrifying despite her relatively low level.
Among all the recruits, her combat power currently ranked second only to Mo Guanguan.
Meanwhile—
The person receiving the least attention at the moment, Zhao Mu, had already led Meng Qiuqiu and Lu Yan deep into the ruins.
Unlike the others, Zhao Mu did not rely on brute force to search for prey.
Instead, he relied on experience.
The deeper they traveled into the ruined city, the stranger the surroundings became.
Towering abandoned buildings stood silently on both sides of cracked asphalt roads.
Rust-covered vehicles remained scattered across the streets.
Broken signs swayed in the cold wind.
This place had clearly once been a bustling commercial district.
Even after countless years of destruction, traces of its former prosperity still remained.
Yet strangely—
The further they advanced, the fewer Crimson Demon Hounds they encountered.
Meng Qiuqiu finally could not hold back his doubts anymore.
"Xiao Mu Ge…"
"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"
He nervously gripped the bobo gun in his hands while constantly glancing around.
The atmosphere here felt far too eerie.
Zhao Mu, however, remained calm.
Step by step, he carefully observed the surroundings while speaking quietly.
"No."
"The fact that we aren't seeing Crimson Demon Hounds anymore actually proves we came to the correct place."
Meng Qiuqiu blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Mu explained patiently:
"It's common knowledge from the Strange Beast Encyclopedia."
"Low-rank strange beasts instinctively avoid territories occupied by higher-rank predators."
"The absence of Crimson Demon Hounds means something stronger is nearby."
Hearing that explanation, Meng Qiuqiu's face immediately turned pale.
He subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Wait…"
"You mean there are Advanced strange beasts around here?"
"Isn't it too dangerous for just the three of us?"
Zhao Mu nodded slightly.
"There should definitely be Private Rank strange beasts here."
"But based on Qingfeng Camp's rules, their Combat Level shouldn't exceed 15."
His tone remained calm and analytical.
"I've already figured out the purpose behind this Boot Camp."
"The instructors want to force us beyond our limits."
"That means every dangerous situation is carefully calculated."
"The strange beasts here must be powerful enough to threaten us…"
"But not powerful enough to guarantee our deaths."
His reasoning was precise and logical.
Inside the monitoring room, Xie Yingxue's eyes lit up immediately.
"What a sharp mind…"
She pushed her glasses upward slightly.
"I didn't expect him to completely see through our planning."
Even Zhang Biao looked impressed.
"If this kid enters the military later," he said thoughtfully, "he could easily command an entire company."
Then he shook his head slightly.
"But unfortunately…"
"To become a true commander in this era, intelligence alone isn't enough."
"One must possess overwhelming personal strength."
And in his opinion, Zhao Mu's Spirit Power talent simply could not compare to monsters like Mo Guanguan.
Still—
No one denied Zhao Mu's brilliance.
Xie Yingxue suddenly smiled mysteriously.
"Keep watching."
"The real show is about to begin."
At this point, the leading members of all three teams had already entered the deepest area of the training zone.
And now—
The true danger was finally approaching.
Humans hunted strange beasts.
But strange beasts also hunted humans.
Especially powerful strange beasts.
Once they detected human scent, they would actively seek out their prey.
Back in the ruins, Zhao Mu suddenly stopped walking.
His ears twitched slightly.
Something was approaching.
"Stop."
He immediately extended one arm, blocking Meng Qiuqiu and Lu Yan from moving forward.
His gaze slowly lifted upward.
The next second—
His pupils contracted sharply.
On the outer wall of a tall abandoned commercial building clung a horrifying humanoid creature.
The creature's limbs were unnaturally long and twisted.
Its entire body possessed a corpse-like greenish-black color.
Messy black hair covered its head.
Its eyes were pitch black and lifeless.
It had no lips.
Its exposed mouth revealed rows of terrifying sharp teeth.
The sight alone caused a deep instinctive fear to emerge within people's hearts.
Meng Qiuqiu's face instantly turned deathly pale.
His body unconsciously took several steps backward.
The fear buried deep within human DNA had been triggered.
Even Lu Yan's breathing became heavier.
Zhao Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Remnant Beast."
The name escaped his mouth immediately.
According to the Strange Beast Encyclopedia, this was a Level 2 Hazard humanoid strange beast.
Its maximum growth potential could even reach the terrifying Third Tier.
Unlike ordinary beasts, Remnant Beasts preferred darkness and hidden spaces.
They often concealed themselves within abandoned buildings, underground tunnels, or places humans rarely noticed.
But once disturbed—
They became extremely violent.
At that moment, the creature slowly twisted its neck.
Crack… crack…
Its dead black eyes locked directly onto Zhao Mu's group.
A chilling killing intent instantly descended upon the street.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)