Assessment Island. Core Region.
Having evolved from a walking powerhouse to a mounted powerhouse, Su Hao didn't take much time to travel from the edge to the center.
Here, the number of intermediate and advanced entry-level spirits was noticeably higher.
They posed a threat to him as well.
After all,
Spirits weren't stupid; they knew how to ambush, how to coordinate.
And they especially knew to prioritize attacking the weakest spirit tamer in a group.
Whoosh~
A massive fireball flew straight toward him.
Without needing Su Hao's command, the Water Scale Beast dodged with a "whinny."
The scorching fireball flew past, slammed into a telephone pole behind them, and exploded into a brilliant burst of flames, sparks scattering everywhere.
"Good thing I've got a mount."
Without a mount,
Given his reaction speed and agility, he'd at best manage a clumsy roll.
He could avoid the direct blast.
But not the shockwave.
It would definitely consume some soul power, and little by little, that could lead to danger.
Alternatively,
He could only have his spirit take the front.
Tank-type spirits often weren't there to protect fragile spirits, but to protect the even more fragile spirit tamer.
The spirit that fired the fireball was a Flame Pig.
It wasn't stupid.
It tried to use a "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" tactic, forcing the Ember Crow and Dream Moth to fall back.
Buying itself more time to escape.
But...
It failed.
All it saw were two pairs of eyes blazing with fury.
"Oink oink—"
Its wails echoed far and wide, scaring off other nearby wild spirits.
A Flame Pig lay in a pit, flattened, smoke rising from it. Faintly, Su Hao caught the scent of roasted pork.
"Gulp~"
Other wild spirits watching from the shadows fled even faster.
The Dream Moth flew back.
Suddenly,
It seemed to notice something and called out urgently, "Guno guno!"
Its daily training meant the Water Scale Beast's body moved before its brain could react.
It raised its hooves and bolted forward at top speed.
The next moment,
A burly gray figure dropped from the sky, its fist slamming into the spot where the Water Scale Beast had just been.
The ground cracked inch by inch, fissures spreading like a spiderweb, dense and intricate.
Then it shattered violently.
Countless fragments of stone flew out.
Like stray bullets.
A few whistled toward him, only to be blocked by a translucent giant bubble.
The bubble dented slightly, then bounced the debris back.
—The Water Scale Beast's ultimate move, Bubble Defense.
Su Hao looked back.
It was a Mountain Ape!
An elite-level spirit!
A sneaky ape!
It had just charged out from a nearby building.
"Looks like I need to avoid entering complex terrain areas."
He felt he'd learned something new.
The landed Mountain Ape reached out with a palm as big as a fan, grabbing for the tiny Dream Moth.
The Dream Moth sidestepped slightly to dodge, while firing off two energy spheres.
The one aimed at the Mountain Ape's face was blocked by its raised hand.
The other slammed into its chest.
With a roar, the shockwave swept outward, kicking up gusts of wind.
Though not heavily injured, the Mountain Ape staggered back a few steps.
Just then,
The Ember Crow, not one for fair play, seized the chance to unleash its ultimate move.
Its black wings turned metallic, gleaming with luster.
Then a red glow spread over them.
Finally, the black feathers extended, the wings lengthened, becoming sharp as blades.
Steel Wing + Fire Feather + Wing Attack...
Flame Slash!!
It struck the Mountain Ape's right leg!
The thick fur was cut through, and the flame blade sank a third of the way into the massive thigh before the Mountain Ape's internal energy surged, washing it away and leaving it stuck, spent.
The Mountain Ape roared.
A massive fist glowed with a earthy yellow aura.
Impact Fist!
Even before the fist landed, gusts of wind strong enough to punch through walls swept out.
But the Ember Crow was well-versed in a hit-and-run fighting style.
As the flame blade got stuck, the black feathers extended by the wing attack shattered with a bang, dissolving into pure energy particles.
This was the Crow's Feather Break!
It had already flown far away.
The Impact Fist's wind landed, tearing up the already cracked ground, sending debris flying like dense raindrops.
The two spirits dodged with ease.
The Dream Moth weaved through attacks while casually firing off energy spheres.
The Ember Crow seized openings to sneak a slash at the Mountain Ape.
Both aimed for its vital spots.
Two minutes later.
The Mountain Ape, battered and gasping for breath, collapsed heavily to the ground.
It had only cost the two spirits a moderate amount of energy.
Nowhere near needing their trump cards.
Seeing the battle end,
The ruined street had been utterly destroyed by the fight's aftermath. The Water Scale Beast hopped over the craters left by the Mountain Ape and approached.
"Elite-level destructive power is really..."
Su Hao found it hard to imagine what a full-on fight between a transcendent-level or monarch-level spirit would look like.
...
By around three in the afternoon,
In an open farm with little cover around,
Su Hao counted his trophy badges while his three spirits ate jade powder to replenish their energy.
"Three elite-level, twenty-two advanced, thirty-six intermediate, and beginner... I won't bother counting the beginners."
In the practical exam, one advanced badge equaled five intermediate, which equaled twenty-five beginner badges.
And defeating one entry-level advanced spirit was clearly easier than beating twenty-five entry-level beginners.
The gap was even bigger for elite-level.
One elite badge equaled twenty-five advanced badges.
"With these badges, I'm pretty much in first place."
The practical exam scored based on ranking.
The top 60% was the passing line.
First place got full marks.
Su Hao had seen the data on Back Tower Dragon and Ring Electric Wing Dragon.
Both were at entry-level limits, with a ton of mastered moves—their stats were basically enhanced versions of entry-level.
"They might be able to take down wild elite-level spirits too, but it'll definitely be harder for them."
"Guno~"
The Dream Moth nodded.
So, can we rest now, guno?
It wasn't exactly motivated.
After all, beating monsters only dropped badges, not money, guno~!
"So, now you can start training."
Dream Moth: "???"
Ember Crow: "Caw caw," meaning same here.
Seeing the question marks in his three spirits' eyes, Su Hao said earnestly:
"Think about it, when have you ever had such good sparring partners, where you can test moves without worry?
"Take illusions, for example..."
He looked at the Dream Moth, "Whether it's five-sense manipulation or phantom sounds, you can try anything, do whatever you want, without fear of messing up the target's mind.
"Or take blade techniques..."
He looked at the Ember Crow, "Now you have the chance to fully experience the feel of cutting different parts, to better figure out a killing move."
He finally looked at the Water Scale Beast.
Under the Water Scale Beast's expectant gaze, he said, "You... you're out of luck. Just stick to being a mount."
Water Scale Beast: "!!!"
It looked at the two seniors, the Moth and the Crow.
The Dream Moth was still half-doubtful.
The Ember Crow had already spread its wings, eager to try.
The Water Scale Beast fell silent.
It felt so wronged.
But didn't dare say a word.
...
On the island, battles were ongoing.
Some examinees, lacking combat experience and poor at adapting, were in a sorry state.
After just a few fights, their spirits were injured, their combat power steadily declining.
Others, unlucky and under-skilled, were surrounded by wild spirits with no escape, facing life-threatening danger, and had no choice but to press the emergency button and withdraw.
But some kept hunting wild spirits, their smiles gradually turning twisted.
Bay Town.
Old Chen and the teachers from various schools sat in the hall, watching the surveillance feeds.
The TV station also picked suitable footage from the exam feed to broadcast.
At that moment,
Inside the command center,
The crowd had thinned out, but a few big shots, including Flame King, were still stationed there, overseeing the entire exam.
They watched the high schoolers' battles and couldn't help reminiscing about the past.
"Back in the day, when we first fought alongside spirits at their age, our performance... wasn't necessarily better than these kids now."
"Come off it, Old Wu, you were the one who messed up. I never panicked in a fight."
Flame King Xia Yanghua said with a laugh.
The tall, thin man called Old Wu snorted coldly.
The other big shots had no choice but to stare at the ceiling, pretending they hadn't heard a thing.
Suddenly,
Flame King let out an "eh," and immediately ordered the staff sitting at the computers up front, "Zoom in on screen A34 for me."