Behind the main battlefield, the corpses of five or six cadet soldiers already lay scattered across the ruined streets.
Some had died instantly.
Others still clutched broken weapons in their hands even after death.
The battlefield had always been cruel.
Especially against exotic beasts.
The Head Beast standing before them looked tall and thin, almost fragile at first glance. Its limbs resembled dried branches, and its narrow body gave the impression that a strong gust of wind could knock it over.
But everyone present had already learned the terrifying truth.
That appearance was deceptive.
The creature's speed was horrifyingly fast, and its physical strength was monstrous.
Its two elongated arms were sharper and deadlier than steel spears. Every swing tore through the air with terrifying force, easily blasting several cadet soldiers away at once.
Boom!
A cadet soldier failed to dodge in time and was sent flying by a sweeping strike. Blood sprayed through the air as his body crashed into a broken wall.
"Careful!"
Zhu Meng roared loudly while stepping forward to block another attack.
Beside him, Wang Jiaojiao and Zhuo Yun attacked simultaneously from opposite directions.
At this moment, the three of them had become the core fighting force against the Head Beast.
Even so, they were struggling heavily.
The pressure was enormous.
Every direct clash left their arms numb and their internal organs trembling.
The Head Beast's raw strength was simply overwhelming.
If not for the three of them coordinating carefully, the front line would have collapsed long ago.
Meanwhile, someone unexpected suddenly became the key factor changing the flow of battle.
Meng Qiuqiu.
Normally, he looked more like a rich young master than a fighter. Most people assumed he relied entirely on money and expensive equipment.
But now—
He was displaying terrifying firepower.
Holding a second-grade remains construct known as the Bobo Gun, Meng Qiuqiu continuously fired spiritual energy bullets from a safe distance.
Each shot cost twenty thousand Xuanfeng coins.
Twenty thousand!
Every time he pulled the trigger, countless spectators felt their hearts ache.
That wasn't ammunition.
That was money exploding into the air.
Boom!
Another spiritual energy bullet slammed into the Head Beast's shoulder, blasting away chunks of flesh and forcing the monster backward.
Ironically, among everyone present, Meng Qiuqiu was currently dealing the highest amount of damage.
Even Zhu Meng couldn't help twitching at the sight.
If this battle continued much longer, Meng Qiuqiu alone might spend enough money to buy an entire luxury residence in the capital.
Under normal circumstances, Zhao Mu would definitely have stepped forward and said:
"Give me all that money. I'll kill it for you myself."
Unfortunately, this wasn't the time for jokes.
The Head Beast finally became enraged.
Its blood-red eyes locked onto Meng Qiuqiu in the distance.
Clearly, the monster had identified the true threat.
Ignoring Zhu Meng and the others, the Head Beast suddenly raised one claw and condensed a massive spiritual wave.
The air around it trembled violently.
Everyone's expressions changed instantly.
"Qiuqiu, dodge!"
But the attack was too fast.
The spiritual wave shot forward like a compressed cannon blast, instantly crossing hundreds of meters toward Meng Qiuqiu.
Yet surprisingly—
Meng Qiuqiu didn't panic.
Instead, he calmly raised his hand.
A ruby ring on his finger transformed instantly into a massive square shield.
Second-grade remains construct—
Guardian Shield.
Boom!!!
The spiritual wave collided heavily against the shield.
The impact generated a violent explosion of wind and dust.
But shockingly—
The shield absorbed the entire attack completely.
Not even a crack appeared on its surface.
Seeing this, Zhao Mu finally relaxed slightly.
At least Meng Qiuqiu had enough self-protection ability.
Otherwise, Zhao Mu might truly have needed to interfere again.
But right now, taking action again wasn't convenient for him.
Although his earlier battle appeared quick and effortless to outsiders, the reality was far more dangerous.
Using the silver sword consumed an absurd amount of spiritual power.
Just ten seconds of combat had drained nearly half the spiritual energy inside his body.
If the battle had continued even slightly longer, things might have become troublesome.
Zhao Mu walked calmly toward the corpse of the Head Beast he had personally killed earlier.
Without hesitation, he sliced open the beast's chest and removed its bloody heart.
For exotic beasts, the heart was the source of spiritual power.
It was also the most valuable material on the entire creature.
Since Zhao Mu had solo-killed the beast himself, ownership naturally belonged entirely to him.
After storing the heart away carefully, he collected the creature's ten severed claws as well.
According to the Ember Remains database, these claws were the hardest parts of the monster's body and could be used to forge low-rank Ember Remains equipment.
Although Zhao Mu had little interest in such low-level materials—
They were still useful for increasing proficiency.
After finishing everything, Zhao Mu transformed the silver sword back into a ring and sat quietly atop a large rock nearby.
He clasped his hands together beneath his chin.
Then—
He entered meditation.
[Spiritual Energy Rotation]: Intermediate Meditation Technique — Proficiency 412.
[Turtle Breathing Technique]: Life Skill — Proficiency 425.
These two techniques complemented each other perfectly.
One accelerated spiritual energy recovery.
The other stabilized breathing and physical condition.
Combined together, they allowed Zhao Mu to calm himself almost instantly, even immediately after an intense battle.
Soon, his consciousness gradually synchronized with the spiritual energy flowing throughout the surrounding subspace.
Because these abilities were constantly used in daily life, they were also the fastest-growing skills among everything Zhao Mu possessed.
Meanwhile, the chaotic battle against the second Head Beast continued.
Fortunately, after adapting to the monster's attack patterns, the cadet soldiers gradually stabilized the situation.
Although injuries continued appearing, the likelihood of additional deaths became much lower.
Victory was only a matter of time now.
At the same time, inside the instructors' observation room—
Several instructors stared at the battlefield footage with increasingly shocked expressions.
Especially Zhao Mu's performance.
His solo kill of a Head Beast, combined with his extraordinary spiritual energy control, instantly pushed his evaluation score back to the top of the rankings.
In fact, his score had already surpassed everyone else by a huge margin.
Unfortunately, the rankings weren't displayed publicly in real time.
Because of that, Shao Han still believed he remained in first place.
In reality—
His score wasn't even close.
Although Shao Han also participated in killing a Head Beast, he did so alongside an entire team.
The contribution score was naturally divided among everyone.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu had defeated one entirely alone.
The difference was enormous.
Mo Guanguan's score was similarly impressive.
Like Zhao Mu, she also completed a solo kill.
However, everyone understood one thing clearly—
The difficulty between defeating a Head Beast at Combat Level 5 versus Combat Level 13 was completely incomparable.
Instructor Xie Yingxue watched the battlefield calmly before speaking.
"There are five Head Beasts in this examination area."
"Four have already appeared."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"That means whoever kills the final Head Beast…"
"…will likely become the winner of the Final Trial."
The atmosphere inside the observation room immediately became serious.
Everyone knew what that meant.
The true competition was about to begin.
Elsewhere inside the ruins—
Shao Han stood proudly atop a ruined building while one of his scouts returned with information.
"Boss Shao!"
"The situation from the other two battle zones has been confirmed!"
The scout spoke excitedly.
"In Group One, Mo Guanguan also killed a Head Beast alone."
"She's terrifying. Truly worthy of being an A-rank genius at Combat Level 14."
Another teammate sneered immediately.
"As for Zhao Mu's side, they're still fighting."
"That idiot actually brought along all those useless burdens."
"He doesn't understand that more people means fewer points."
Everyone nearby laughed mockingly.
Shao Han merely shrugged casually.
"Who knows?"
"Maybe Zhao Mu enjoys pretending to be a hero."
He gripped the Frost Blade in his hand confidently.
"But heroes still need strength."
The smugness in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"With so many weaklings dragging Zhao Mu down, he's no longer a threat."
"Still…"
"To be safe, we must secure the last Head Beast ourselves."
A fierce smile appeared on his face.
"When I take first place, none of you brothers will lose out on the rewards."
Hearing this, everyone immediately became excited.
"Our smooth progress is all thanks to Young Master Shao!"
"That's right!"
"Boss Shao is definitely number one!"
"From now on, we'll follow Young Master Shao!"
The flattery made Shao Han feel even more satisfied.
He raised his chin proudly.
"Let's move."
"Before Zhao Mu and the others are done wandering around like headless flies…"
"…I'll already have finished off the final Head Beast."
He sneered coldly.
"On the battlefield, intelligence is everything."
"Whether it's Zhao Mu or Mo Guanguan…"
"How can they compare to me?"
Under Shao Han's leadership, the group immediately rushed deeper into the ruins.
Their destination—
The central sinkhole.
It was an enormous crater spanning thousands of meters in diameter.
According to rumors, it had been created during the Great War ten years ago by a terrifying human expert.
Even now, remnants of overwhelming destructive power lingered throughout the area.
And according to Shao Han's intelligence—
The final Head Beast was hiding there.
Back on Zhao Mu's side—
After meditating three times consecutively, Zhao Mu finally recovered all the spiritual energy he had consumed.
At almost the same moment—
The battle nearby finally ended.
Under the combined siege of over fifty cadet soldiers, the Head Beast eventually collapsed.
Boom!
Its massive body crashed heavily onto the ground.
The exhausted soldiers nearly collapsed alongside it.
Although they achieved victory—
The cost was enormous.
More than thirty people suffered injuries of varying severity.
Eight people died.
Many cadet soldiers simply sat down on the ruined streets, breathing heavily while staring blankly ahead.
They looked like survivors who had barely escaped death.
The atmosphere became heavy.
Fear lingered in everyone's eyes.
Zhao Mu silently observed their expressions.
He could clearly sense their hesitation.
Their confidence had already begun collapsing.
So he stepped forward calmly and addressed everyone.
"If anyone feels unable to continue…"
"…you may retreat now."
His voice remained steady and calm.
"You've already fought powerful exotic beasts."
"That experience alone is extremely valuable."
Hearing this, many people lowered their heads silently.
No one mocked them.
Because everyone understood how terrifying the battle had been.
After a brief pause, Zhao Mu continued speaking.
"As for the spoils from the Head Beast…"
"…there isn't enough to divide fairly among so many people."
He glanced toward the corpse nearby.
"My suggestion is simple."
"We preserve everything for now."
"After leaving the trial grounds, we can review the battlefield recordings and distribute the rewards according to each person's actual contribution."
The moment those words were spoken—
Many exhausted cadet soldiers immediately looked toward Zhao Mu with gratitude.
Because unlike others—
He was actually being fair.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)