Chapter 10

"Young people are impulsive, follow me."

The one leading Luo Xiu to the examination site was an elder in a white robe.

Luo Xiu saw two badges on the elder's chest: one was the crossed swords emblem of a Hunter, and the other was a hexagram emblem.

"Array Master badge!"

Luo Xiu was slightly startled, clearly this elder was no ordinary person, possessing a dual identity. Despite his apparent age, his life meridians were brimming with vitality, harboring formidable power.

As they walked down the corridor, torches hung on both sides. Pushing open a stone door, Luo Xiu followed the elder into a spacious room.

The floor of the room was inscribed with strange patterns, crisscrossing like random scribbles, seemingly without any order.

In the center of the room, there was a raised stone platform, about two feet high.

Before Luo Xiu could ask, the elder in the white robe said, "This is where the examination takes place. If you fail, remember to pay the fee for activating the array."

"Fee?" Luo Xiu was taken aback.

"Do you think arrays are activated casually? The examination for a Level 1 Hunter requires one Essence Stone. If you pass, the Hunter's Guild will cover the cost. If you fail, you'll have to pay for one Essence Stone."

Luo Xiu had heard of Essence Stones before; they were highly condensed minerals of elemental energy, which martial artists could directly absorb for cultivation, with effects far more significant than absorbing the thin elemental energy from the surroundings.

"How much does one Essence Stone cost?" Luo Xiu regretted not reading the contract given by the receptionist more carefully, as he was unaware of the fee requirement.

"Five hundred silver taels."

"Whoa... that's so expensive!?" Luo Xiu was shocked; this amount was undoubtedly astronomical to him.

The elder in the white robe glanced at Luo Xiu and smiled, "If you're not confident, it's not too late to back out now."

The five hundred silver taels fee made Luo Xiu reconsider, so he asked, "I want to know the specific content of the examination."

"Coming here without knowing what the examination entails, do you think the Hunter's Guild is a place for you to mess around? How dare you be so reckless?"

The elder in the white robe immediately flared up, "Considering your young age, I won't hold it against you. Go back and practice more."

Despite the elder's harsh words, Luo Xiu did not get angry, as he indeed knew very little about the Hunter's examination.

In the hall earlier, he had learned from other Hunters that it involved a direct battle with a Level 1 monster, but there were no monsters in this room.

Seeing Luo Xiu looking around, the elder in the white robe said calmly, "The monsters will appear after the array is activated. The examination for a Level 1 Hunter requires you to independently kill three Level 1 monsters!"

Monsters are different from wild beasts; the lowest-level Level 1 monsters have the strength comparable to a human martial artist at the fifth level of Body Tempering.

However, true strength is revealed in battle. A fifth-level Body Tempering martial artist without combat experience is far from a match for a monster.

"Three Level 1 monsters? I think I can do it!" Luo Xiu said.

The elder in the white robe didn't say much, pointing to the stone platform in the center of the room, "Just stand there."

Luo Xiu nodded and walked over to stand on the platform.

"After I activate the array, you will enter the environment formed within the array. Everything you encounter will be almost the same as reality. If you feel you can't hold on, don't force it. Just think about it, and you can exit the array within three breaths," the elder in the white robe explained.

Three breaths may seem short, but in a life-and-death battle, a lot can happen. Many casualties during the examination occur within this short time.

"Let's start!" Luo Xiu took a deep breath, adjusting himself to his best state.

The elder in the white robe took out a palm-sized stone emitting a faint white light, walked to a recess in the array pattern, and placed the Essence Stone there.

"Buzz!"

A faint light shone on the array patterns on the floor, and all the light converged on the stone platform where Luo Xiu stood.

Then, Luo Xiu felt the scene before him change, and he found himself in a room that resembled a cage.

"Roar!"

A flash of white light, and three ferocious monsters appeared about ten meters away from him.

They had gray fur, blood-red eyes, and resembled wolves but were much larger, with sharp claws and fangs that gleamed with a cold light.

"Ironback Wolf!"

Although Luo Xiu had never seen a monster, he had read about them in books and recognized these monsters from their characteristics.

These low-level wolves are called Ironback Wolves, indicating that their backs are as hard as iron.

"No life meridians?"

Luo Xiu frowned, focusing his gaze, but found that the three Ironback Wolves had no life meridians, being entirely formed from elemental energy.

This was due to the array, which could not perfectly replicate real life.

Luo Xiu frowned because in this environment, he couldn't use his ability to damage life meridians.

Facing the three Ironback Wolves, Luo Xiu was not nervous, even feeling a bit excited.

He licked his lips, assuming an attack stance, and muttered to himself, "Even with restrictions, it will show my true strength!"

"Roar!"

At that moment, the three Ironback Wolves charged at him with fierce momentum.

While the array couldn't fully replicate a living being, it could simulate the habits and attack methods of these monsters.

"Come on!"

Luo Xiu's steps moved slightly, and his nearly instinctive Inch Step technique allowed him to easily dodge the attacks of two Ironback Wolves.

"Dragon Tiger Fist - Fierce Tiger Style!" His hands moved without pause, channeling internal energy into his fists and striking the abdomen of the third Ironback Wolf.

Monsters know to avoid their vital points during combat. This Ironback Wolf suddenly crouched, exposing its strongest defense, its back, to Luo Xiu's attack.

"Bang!"

The Ironback Wolf was directly blasted away by Luo Xiu's punch and exploded into a white light in mid-air.

Despite its iron-hard back, it was only relatively strong. Luo Xiu's perfected Dragon Tiger Fist was comparable to a seventh-level Body Tempering martial artist's full attack, combined with the destructive power of his Death Qi, allowing him to kill it with one punch.

However, Luo Xiu also suffered, the strong counterforce making his right fist feel as if it had broken, causing intense pain.

At that moment, the other two Ironback Wolves pounced again, their breaths hitting his face.

"Life Qi!"

The Yin and Yang Qi in his body converted, and a surge of vitality flowed to his fist, repairing his life meridians and rapidly healing his broken bones.

Using the Inch Step technique, Luo Xiu easily dodged the pounces of the two Ironback Wolves.

"Rising Dragon Style!"

Internal energy split into two streams in his body, one converting to Life Qi to repair his life meridians, the other to Death Qi to execute martial techniques.

"Boom!"

Another Ironback Wolf exploded into white light, its head shattered by Luo Xiu's punch.

"Level 1 monsters are nothing more than this." Luo Xiu narrowed his eyes at the remaining Ironback Wolf, a smile forming on his lips. "This can be used to hone my Inch Step technique."

The Ironback Wolf pounced, but this time, Luo Xiu didn't strike forcefully. Instead, he kept his hands behind his back and used the Inch Step technique to dodge the wolf's attacks.

The wolf's attacks were fast, pouncing, biting, and clawing in rapid succession.

But Luo Xiu's movements were even faster. After half an hour, the Ironback Wolf had not even touched his clothes.

"Too boring. It seems I need more than this level of training to improve my technique."

Practicing the technique for half an hour was better than using wooden dummies, but the improvement was minimal.

"Bang!"

A powerful punch, hitting the Ironback Wolf just as it pounced and couldn't react. Its hard skull was shattered by Luo Xiu's punch, and the wolf disappeared, turning into white light.

"Out!"

Having passed the examination, Luo Xiu spoke to the surroundings.

The scene around him began to change, and within three breaths, Luo Xiu exited the array, still standing on the stone platform as if he had never moved.

As soon as he came out, he saw the elder in the white robe, who was looking at him with surprise.

"Good kid, I underestimated you. Your strength is comparable to a seventh-level Body Tempering martial artist," the elder in the white robe said. Since he had set up the array, he could see everything Luo Xiu experienced within it.

Luo Xiu scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"But don't get too cocky. Even in this Qingyun City, a fifth-level Body Tempering martial artist is not much. You have a long way to go," the elder in the white robe said with a smile.

"I will remember your advice, senior," Luo Xiu said.

"Alright, you can go to the hall to collect your Hunter badge." The elder in the white robe signed Luo Xiu's application and handed it to him.

"Zhuang Nantian..." Luo Xiu saw the signature and knew it must be the elder's name.

...

"Half an hour has passed, that kid must have failed the examination!"

"Haha, he might even be dead in there."

"Even if he's not dead, losing limbs is common in the examination."

In the hall, the two groups were in a standoff. Guo Huizi's side had confident expressions.

On Zhou Long's side, however, their faces were grim. They had bet on Luo Xiu's examination, with a wager of a thousand silver taels!

A thousand silver taels was not a small amount for a Qi Sea Realm martial artist, requiring at least ten to fifteen days of hard work to earn.

But what Zhou Long cared about most was not the money, but his reputation. He was a well-known figure among the Hunters in Qingyun City.

"Guo Huizi, don't get too cocky. If that kid passes, I'll see where you'll put your face!" Zhou Long said with a snort.

"I still say the same thing. If he really passes, I'll cut off my head and let him kick it like a ball!" Guo Huizi shouted back.

"He's coming out!"

At that moment, someone pointed to the corridor leading to the examination site, and everyone turned to see Luo Xiu holding his application form and walking towards the counter.

"Slap!"

In front of everyone, Luo Xiu walked to the counter, slapped the application form down, and smiled at Jiang Shanshan.

"Little brother, you don't seem hurt. Did you back out and not take the examination?" Jiang Shanshan looked at Luo Xiu and smiled.

"Beauty, what if I passed?" Luo Xiu also smiled. He knew Jiang Shanshan had warned him for his own good, but he found her interesting and felt more relaxed due to the atmosphere in the Hunter's Guild hall.

Zhou Long and Guo Huizi's groups were also watching, eager to know the outcome.

Jiang Shanshan rolled her eyes at Luo Xiu, tapping her lips and said, "Little brother, not to be mean, but the chance of a fifth-level Body Tempering martial artist passing is less than ten percent. If you really pass, I'll chase you, how about that?"

"Spit!"

Many people in the hall who were drinking spat out their drinks, staring in disbelief.

"Damn, why don't I have such good luck to have Shanshan chase me!"

"No justice! Does Shanshan really like young guys?"

"Damn, I curse that kid to fail!"

The people in the hall also started to cheer, "Kid, hurry up, did you pass or not?"

Luo Xiu chuckled, lifting his hand from the application form, "Beauty, remember what you just said."

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the application form, and the two prominent words "Passed" made the entire hall fall silent, a pin could be heard dropping.