Chapter 8

The towering Meng Yan, the head hunter, roared in anger, then stood up with a heavy breath, walked around the table, and gave Zhou Lu a cold glance, snorting, "Follow me." Meng Yan strode towards the entrance of the large tent, shouting loudly to the outside where people and horses were neighing and braying:

"Lei Meng, come over."

The sturdy and solid centurion who had previously commanded the troops to gather ran over quickly, his dark and rough face showing a hint of shrewdness.

"Hunter, you called me?"

Meng Yan snorted, grabbed Zhou Lu and pushed him forward, shouting, "This kid is called Zhou Lu. From now on, he will be assigned to your team."

"Assigned to me? This fatty?"

Lei Meng pointed at his own nose exaggeratedly.

Among the more than a hundred men of the Sixth Squadron of the Eagle Wing Rangers, each one was a top-notch fighter, capable of charging into enemy lines and fighting fiercely. Assigning a fatty to them would just be a burden, wouldn't it?

Moreover, everyone had heard Meng Yan's roar earlier, and the messenger had already spread the word about Zhou Lu's identity. This little brat who failed the sacrifice and was kicked out of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, was to be forced upon them?

Lei Meng was extremely unwilling.

Seeing Lei Meng's expression, Meng Yan's face turned grim, and he snorted forcefully.

Lei Meng, the centurion, was at a loss. He took a deep breath, his eyes darted around, and a strange smile slowly spread across his face. In front of the head hunter, he laughed heartily, reached out to pull Zhou Lu, and said warmly, "Brother, since the head hunter has given the order, welcome to our Sixth Squadron. We're both fatty, so we're a good match. Come, let me introduce you to the other brothers in the camp."

Lei Meng led Zhou Lu forward. Behind the circle of stone walls was the temporary camp of the Sixth Squadron. Lei Meng was very talkative, introducing Zhou Lu enthusiastically as they walked:

"A few days ago, our Sixth Squadron was on leave. Today, our leave has ended, and we need to head to the West Mountain's Sky Erosion Mine. Brother, you know the West Mountain, right? It's the richest source of mystic gold for our Heavenly Demon Clan. The Sky Erosion Mine is dangerous and sparsely populated, but the ore there is the purest. The Array Fire Pavilion has even set up a branch there and sent over more than twenty weapon masters."

"The weapon masters of the Array Fire Pavilion?"

In no time, Lei Meng had introduced the situation of the Sixth Squadron. Zhou Lu was a bit dazed by the enthusiastic centurion, but he was still startled when he heard the word "weapon masters."

The Array Fire Pavilion was as mysterious as the Alchemy Pavilion. Each weapon master inside was extremely special and noble, even comparable to powerful soul hunters.

Lei Meng laughed heartily, his face full of pride, and continued, "Yes, that branch of the Array Fire Pavilion is under our jurisdiction. The Sky Erosion Mine is often visited by the Blood Barbarians. Our task is not only to defend the mine but also to protect the Array Fire Pavilion and those arrogant weapon masters."

"How about that, brother? Do you see the importance of our Sixth Squadron?"

Lei Meng was quite pleased with himself.

Zhou Lu smiled, secretly thinking: You're not a weapon master, just because you're assigned to protect them, you act so superior.

However, Zhou Lu knew that the teams assigned to protect the disciples of the Array Fire Pavilion were indeed the elite of the elite. Lei Meng had every reason to be proud.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the stone wall, which was about half a person's height. Inside, more than a hundred men were grinning maliciously, holding their horses and crossing their arms, looking at Zhou Lu. At the entrance, five burly men stood in a row, blocking the entrance tightly, showing no intention of moving when they saw the two approaching.

"This..."

Zhou Lu was stunned by the scene.

Centurion Lei Meng chuckled, turned to Zhou Lu, nodded, and then changed his tone, "Brother, technically, since Head Hunter Meng Yan has assigned you to our Sixth Squadron, we are now one family. But..."

Lei Meng's face turned serious, "But, our Sixth Squadron doesn't keep freeloaders. I'm not making it hard for you, but to enter our Sixth Squadron, you need to show us your skills."

Lei Meng was a tough man with a warm exterior. Forcing a fatty into his team made him very uncomfortable. With his personality, he wouldn't let Zhou Lu join the Sixth Squadron so easily.

"Damn, every new environment has its hurdles. They all look at me with those sneaky faces, just waiting to see me fail." Zhou Lu was a bit frustrated. He knew that dealing with these guys, who were like bandits, would be tough if he didn't show his skills.

Zhou Lu smiled and looked at the entrance, asking, "What do I need to do to pass?"

Lei Meng licked his lips, grinned maliciously, and nodded towards the row of burly men, shouting, "Big Guy, you go."

A man who was a head taller than Zhou Lu, with muscles like gnarled tree roots, stepped out of the line with a sinister smile.

Lei Meng turned to Zhou Lu, smiling, and said, "Brother, you play with Big Guy. If you can last ten moves against him, our Sixth Squadron will recognize you, and you'll have the strength to enter the camp."

Big Guy sneered, exhaled, and his muscles bulged even more, looking terrifying.

Zhou Lu's face changed, and he asked nervously, "Centurion, can we change the person?"

Lei Meng's face turned cold, and he said coldly, "Change the person? When you face an enemy, can you ask them to change? Brother, don't blame me for saying this, but if you can't pass this test, even Head Hunter Meng Yan's order won't help. You'll have to go back where you came from."

Lei Meng finished speaking, put his hands behind his back, and secretly gave a gesture to Big Guy, which meant: hit him hard.

Big Guy nodded with a sinister smile, licked his lips, and lunged forward with a heavy punch, like a large pot, aiming at Zhou Lu.

Big Guy was known in the army for his brute strength. Once, on the plains, he encountered a mad wild bull. The bull was roaring and charging, about to injure the elderly and weak. Big Guy's eyes turned red, he gathered his strength, and jumped out, smashing a punch into the bull's neck. With just one punch, he knocked the mad bull to the ground, convulsing and unable to stand up, saving dozens of elderly and weak people. This incident became a famous story in the clan.

The strength in Big Guy's punch was something even Centurion Lei Meng had to be cautious about.

The punch brought a gust of wind, and the other burly men cheered.

Zhou Lu was shocked, his face changed, his body trembled, and he took a hasty step back, clearly showing fear.

Big Guy became impatient, roaring, "Kid, don't run if you have the guts."

The hunters behind them laughed and shouted, "Running is no good."

"You can dodge one punch, but not the next."

"Kid, if you have the guts, fight face-to-face, don't run..."

Amidst the chaotic noise, Big Guy became even more eager to knock Zhou Lu down. Zhou Lu took a step back, creating some distance. Big Guy took a step to adjust his center of gravity and prepare to charge forward to catch the little brat.

The men behind cheered him on, "Big Guy, hit him hard, knock him out."

"One punch to knock him down."

"Hurry, knock him down..."

Big Guy sneered, took a step to adjust his center of gravity, and was about to throw another punch.

At that moment, Zhou Lu suddenly stopped trembling, his lips pouting in a委屈 manner, and his chubby right hand, gathering some unknown force, moved like lightning, slapping over.

Just as Big Guy lunged forward, it was as if he had jumped to put his face in front of Zhou Lu. The two of them cooperated perfectly, without a single mistake.

Big Guy was so scared that his body hair stood on end, and he had no time to dodge.

"Slap."

A crisp sound,

Zhou Lu's palm, infused with brute energy, struck Big Guy's face hard.

Brute energy was a form of power only possessed by those at the brute realm. This slap almost flattened Big Guy's head, known for his iron-like body.

Big Guy was stunned, his neck cracking, and his face turned to the side.

Zhou Lu didn't wait for a reaction, and a shadowy kick, whistling through the air, struck Big Guy's abdomen, sending him flying through the air, spinning like a windmill, and landing on the ground like a broken sandbag.

Looking at the shocked Big Guy on the ground, Zhou Lu retracted his foot, standing there with a pouting face, and said, "I didn't run, I didn't want to run."

Behind the wall, the more than a hundred men were stunned, all the shouting stopped.

Two men quickly ran over to help Big Guy to the side, and the rest looked at Zhou Lu with disbelief.

Lei Meng had said to let him last ten moves, but Zhou Lu only used two. What was different was that Zhou Lu used just two moves to defeat their man.

At the time, everyone saw that when Big Guy was off-balance, Zhou Lu took the opportunity to slap him, as if Big Guy had fallen and been hit by Zhou Lu's slap.

Zhou Lu had used a trick, but Big Guy was a tough hunter who had fought in many battles, with rich combat experience. No one had ever knocked him down in two moves, even with tricks.

The more than a hundred men were stunned, and the scene was quiet.

Centurion Lei Meng felt his scalp tingling.

Lei Meng was very close, and his strength far exceeded that of the hunters, so he saw everything clearly.

When Big Guy lunged forward, Zhou Lu retreated in a very rhythmic manner, taking just the right step to land in Big Guy's blind spot, luring him to adjust his center of gravity.

When Lei Meng saw this, his back turned cold. He suspected it was a trap. His combat instincts told him that Zhou Lu's seemingly casual step had immediately put Big Guy in a very passive position. The moment of adjusting his center of gravity was almost a fatal flaw in the eyes of experienced old hunters.

If Zhou Lu had retreated by chance, it would be normal. But if it was intentional, then Zhou Lu's cunning was terrifying.

The following slap confirmed to Lei Meng that everything was indeed Zhou Lu's plan.

Otherwise, how could the slap be so perfectly timed and so vicious?

When he saw Zhou Lu kick the man and stand there with a pouting face, Lei Meng felt a chill run up his spine.

Lei Meng had seen many battles of experts.

He knew that in the Elder Pavilion, there were several elders with unfathomable strength, skilled in using the most precise calculations and the lightest movements to completely change the rhythm of battle, turning weakness into strength.

Those combat techniques amazed Lei Meng, and he doubted he could ever reach such a level.

But he never expected that a little brat he wanted to get rid of could use just a step back and a slap and a kick to recreate the same technique.

Equally ruthless, equally decisive.

And the frightened expression on the little brat's face was incredibly deceptive, even fooling Lei Meng. This little brat was cunning and despicable to the level of a master.

Seeing Zhou Lu still standing there pouting, Lei Meng was furious, even a bit amused, and really wanted to kick the little brat out.

What he didn't know was that Zhou Lu was almost drooling with joy.

With the brute energy spiral, Zhou Lu's control over combat had reached a pathological level. The martial arts he had learned before could now be used to their full potential. From the moment Big Guy lunged forward, he could even calculate the next point of force and all future movements.

The form of power possessed by those at the brute realm allowed Zhou Lu's four layers of power to produce miraculous combat effects. He was surprised by his sudden strength.

And the panic earlier...

It was just a deceptive trick he often used.

After a long moment of silence, Lei Meng suddenly burst into laughter and walked quickly towards Zhou Lu.

This cunning little brat could knock down Big Guy so easily, he was definitely not an easy opponent. He thought Zhou Lu was just a useless burden, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Lei Meng patted Zhou Lu's shoulder hard, "Brother, you've got it. You've passed. From now on, we're one family. Come, let's go into the camp, we need to get ready to leave."

Ignoring the other team members' dissatisfaction, Lei Meng was genuinely happy.

Although he hadn't seen Zhou Lu's true strength, that move alone was enough to prove that this fatty was not the useless person he was rumored to be.

"Can a useless person kick Big Guy flying?"

"Based on that level of calculation, anyone who thinks this little brat is useless is blind."

Lei Meng, feeling elated, shouted to everyone, "Mount up, we're leaving."

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