No one objected to Zhao Mu's suggestion.
At this point, both his strength and leadership had completely earned everyone's trust.
One student suddenly raised his hand with a bitter smile.
"Zhao Mu… I'm withdrawing from the trial."
"This actual combat training made me realize how far I still am from being a true soldier of the Xuanfeng Empire."
As soon as he spoke, several others also raised their hands one after another.
Most of them had nearly exhausted their Spirit Energy reserves.
Unlike Zhao Mu, they did not possess terrifying recovery abilities or the ability to rapidly restore Spirit Energy through meditation.
If they continued fighting in their current condition, they would not only risk death but might also become a burden to the rest of the team.
Zhao Mu calmly nodded.
"Understood."
Soon afterward, more people announced their surrender.
"Caw! Caw!"
Several giant eagles descended from the sky and landed nearby.
The withdrawing students climbed onto the backs of the giant birds before being carried away from the battlefield.
At the same time, the corpses of those who had died were also removed.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
In the end, fewer than ten people chose to remain.
Zhao Mu glanced at the timer on his communicator.
More than four hours had already passed.
There was only a little over one hour left before the Final Trial officially ended.
He looked at everyone seriously.
"From now on, we're operating as a small combat squad."
"Nobody knows how many Head Beasts are still hiding in these ruins."
"We must stay cautious at all times."
"Do not get greedy for points."
His expression darkened slightly.
"If you die, everything ends."
Everyone fell silent before nodding seriously.
After witnessing so many deaths firsthand, none of them still viewed this trial as a simple training exercise.
This was a real battlefield.
A rehearsal for the cruel wars they would face in the future.
Zhao Mu's gaze suddenly shifted toward Lu Yan.
The young man wore oversized aviator goggles that gave him a rather cool appearance.
However, ever since the battle began, Lu Yan had barely contributed anything.
Not because he was weak—
But because he suffered from severe hemophobia.
The moment he saw humanoid Remnant Beasts bleeding up close, he became dizzy, nauseous, and would even vomit violently.
Lu Yan lowered his head awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, Zhao Mu…"
"I dragged everyone down."
Zhao Mu rubbed the bridge of his nose helplessly.
"I really need to find a way to cure your fear of blood later."
Then he smiled lightly.
"It's fine."
"Just having you here already gives us extra security."
Lu Yan was a genuine Combat Level 12 Spirit Energy User.
In theory, his strength was even greater than Zhao Mu's current level.
If not for his condition, he would have shined just as brilliantly as Mo Guanguan during this trial.
As long as he received proper training in the future, he would definitely become an excellent ally.
Without wasting more time, Zhao Mu leaped upward again.
Using the broken walls and collapsed buildings as footholds, he moved through the ruins with the agility of an ape.
Unfortunately, after hours of battle, most nearby Remnant Beasts had already been exterminated.
Even after climbing to several high vantage points, he found nothing unusual.
After carefully observing the position of the sun and surrounding terrain, Zhao Mu roughly confirmed their current location.
He quickly returned to the group.
"We're heading toward the central area of the ruins."
"The terrain there is higher. It'll make observing the surroundings easier."
No one objected.
At this point, everyone trusted Zhao Mu completely.
After all, when it came to survival and combat experience, none of them could compare to someone who had spent years hunting inside Blood Bone Mountain.
While Zhao Mu's team carefully advanced through the ruins—
Another team had already reached the center of the city.
Shao Han and his squad stood at the edge of a gigantic sinkhole.
The enormous crater stretched deep underground, descending dozens of meters below the ruined city.
Shao Han looked downward and slowly smiled.
"According to our intelligence…"
"The final Head Beast should be nearby."
His confidence was obvious.
"While everyone else is still wandering aimlessly, we'll kill the final Head Beast and secure first place in this Boot Camp trial."
Excitement appeared on the faces of his teammates.
Without hesitation, Shao Han slid down the edge of the sinkhole while the others followed closely behind.
The bottom of the crater was filled with collapsed buildings, twisted steel beams, broken machinery, and construction debris.
It was dark, chaotic, and filled with shadows.
Perfect hiding places for Remnant Beasts.
Fortunately, waking them up was easy.
All they needed—
Was enough noise.
Without saying a word, one of the team members stepped forward and raised a long spear high into the air.
Spirit Energy surged violently around the weapon.
Then—
He hurled it forward with all his strength.
"Boom!!"
The spear pierced directly into a pile of unstable ruins.
Spirit Energy exploded instantly.
The already fragile structure collapsed violently inward.
"RUMBLE—!!"
Massive chunks of debris crashed downward as dust filled the air.
Then—
A deep roar echoed from somewhere beneath the ruins.
Everyone's expressions immediately became serious.
Shao Han gripped the Frost Blade tightly in his hand.
Cold energy spread from his body as layers of frost formed across his arms like armor.
The others also raised their weapons nervously.
Their eyes filled with anticipation.
Once they killed the final Head Beast, they would secure enormous points.
Perhaps even first place overall.
Suddenly—
"BOOM!!"
The ruins exploded apart.
Huge slabs of reinforced concrete and steel beams were hurled through the air like toys.
The expressions on everyone's faces changed instantly.
The excitement from moments earlier vanished completely.
Even before seeing the creature itself, they already understood one thing—
The strength of this Head Beast was far beyond normal.
"Defend yourselves!"
Someone shouted loudly.
Massive boulders rained down from above.
The team hurriedly dodged in panic as enormous chunks of debris smashed into the ground one after another.
Fortunately, everyone present was an elite cadet soldier.
Although the attack caught them off guard, they still managed to avoid fatal injuries.
After the dust finally settled—
A gigantic figure slowly stood up from within the ruins.
The entire battlefield instantly fell silent.
Even the abandoned excavator nearby looked tiny compared to the monster before them.
The creature was nearly ten meters tall.
Its massive body radiated overwhelming pressure.
When Shao Han finally saw the creature clearly, the smile on his face completely disappeared.
Replacing it—
Was shock.
Ordinary Head Beasts generally possessed similar appearances.
But this thing…
Was completely different.
Its skin was crimson red, resembling fresh blood.
It had no visible neck.
Its head resembled an inverted metal barrel.
Its enormous stomach bulged outward grotesquely like an obese old man.
Most horrifying of all—
Its arms did not end in claws.
Instead, enormous flesh-and-bone war hammers extended from its shoulders.
The sheer size of those monstrous weapons made everyone's scalps go numb.
Someone swallowed hard.
"This thing…"
"It's not a normal Remnant Beast…"
"What exactly is it?!"
Panic began spreading through the team.
Shao Han's expression darkened.
"That's impossible."
"The Final Trial should only contain Crimson Demon Hounds and standard Remnant Beasts."
"My intelligence can't be wrong."
Then another student suddenly thought of something terrifying.
His face turned pale instantly.
"Unless…"
"This thing is a mutated Remnant Beast."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Mutants existed not only among humans—
But also among Strange Beasts.
Among humans, Awakeners occasionally appeared with extraordinary talents and terrifying abilities.
Similarly, among Strange Beasts, certain individuals would undergo abnormal mutations.
These mutant creatures possessed strength far surpassing ordinary members of their species.
And they were usually incredibly dangerous.
Far above the battlefield, three instructors silently observed the situation unfolding below.
Zhang Biao looked interested instead of worried.
"A mutated Head Beast?"
"That's rare."
"I wonder what Combat Level it has reached."
Xu Zhixiong frowned slightly.
"If things continue like this, more cadet soldiers may die."
"We might need to activate the emergency rescue plan."
However, Zhang Biao waved his hand dismissively.
"What's the rush?"
"Let's observe a little longer first."
His tone remained calm and indifferent.
To experienced Spirit Energy Users like them, death during training was nothing unusual.
This was the cruelty of their world.
If someone lacked the strength to survive—
Then they simply died.
Even if Shao Han himself were killed here today, his father—the deputy commander of Lujiang City's garrison—would have no grounds to blame Qingfeng Camp.
Because this was reality.
The world of Spirit Energy Users had never been merciful.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)