Someone had suggested to the instructor that the weaker students already had it tough, and being the first to go would be practically impossible to survive. Thus, For the second test, the first to step up was Su Hao. The instructor asked him to demonstrate, to give the others a sense of what to expect. Su Hao said no problem. He straightened his collar, walked forward through the gap in the parted crowd, step by step. Around him, As always, countless eyes were fixed on him. Su Hao didn’t look back, but he knew plenty of cute, pretty female classmates were staring straight at him. ‘I wonder if they’re craving my talent or my good looks.’ Su Hao figured he had too many strengths to tell. ……
Standing at the entrance of the Serpent Path, waves of hot air swept over him. Su Hao reached out, pressed down his hair about to be tousled by the wind, turned his head, and said to the Water Kylin: “It’s up to you—show off the results of your daily tens-of-kilometers training!” “Xilu~!” It pawed the ground. Beside him, the instructor whose name Su Hao still couldn’t recall raised a hand. “3, 2, 1… Go!”
The Water Kylin shot out with a *biu*. Like lightning, it left a trail of afterimages. It stepped into the Serpent Path, and its body suddenly sank. Su Hao saw the Water Kylin pause for a split second under the gravity’s influence, as if sprinting forward had become much harder. But it had trained plenty in gravity environments; in a blink, it recovered and kept charging ahead. It let out a “xilu,” and a water-blue shield formed around its body, charging straight through the blazing flames. It dashed with particular glee. A fire dragon suddenly burst from the flames; the Water Kylin leaped into the air, then turned by stepping on the transparent walls of the Serpent Path. Up and down, left and right. It moved with devilish steps, leaving a string of afterimages. Each afterimage held a different pose. Some like a “horse stepping on a flying swallow.” Some like a “Water Kylin leaping over the dragon’s gate.” Some had the whole horse running upside down along the path’s ceiling. Roaring fire dragons. Shattered ice shards. Wind blades shooting like arrows… All were easily dodged. Dodged with flair. Dodged with showmanship.
When it acted as a mount, It had to follow traffic rules. It had to avoid pedestrians. It had to be steady, no jolting. It had to accelerate or decelerate evenly. It had to… Not having to carry Su Hao was way too easy, xilu~! ……
“Time: 8.43 seconds, grade: A-,” the instructor announced the result. “Xilu~!” The Water Kylin trotted back with a “tap tap tap,” calling out joyfully. As if seeking praise. Su Hao gave it a thump on the head. Getting cocky! You stupid Husky-lin, getting cocky again! If you hadn’t pulled all those flashy stunts, would it have taken over eight seconds?! “Xi~lu?” ……
The Husky-lin’s performance… ahem, its demonstration, let many anxious examinees breathe a slight sigh of relief. It seemed… The instructor hadn’t set the difficulty too high. That Water Cloud Horse had been so relaxed and effortless; even if their own spirits weren’t as good, getting a C-grade shouldn’t be hard, right? “Next, Li So-and-So.” After Su Hao, it was some unknown student’s turn. He sent out his spirit, a Two-Headed Hound. The Two-Headed Hound was only at the entry-level limit, but after seeing the Water Cloud Horse’s performance, both the dog and its owner were brimming with confidence. Under Li So-and-So’s command, The big red-furred dog spat flames from its mouths, ran to the Serpent Path entrance, and crouched slightly, as if gathering strength. “… Go!”
The Two-Headed Hound shot out like the Water Kylin before it. It crossed into the Serpent Path. Gravity suddenly pressed down; the Two-Headed Hound’s body sank, and panic flickered in its eyes. What’s going on? It seemed, maybe, possibly, probably… the gravity was too strong!!! It couldn’t keep its balance, let out a “woof-woof,” and tumbled forward. It slammed into the wall at a turn. A fire dragon engulfed it. Ice covered it. Wind blades struck it. The Two-Headed Hound’s bad start made its dodging increasingly frantic and sluggish. Dozens of seconds later… When the Two-Headed Hound stumbled out of the Serpent Path like a dead dog, it collapsed immediately. “Time: 56 seconds, moderate injuries, grade: Fail.” Li So-and-So: “…” He looked at the Two-Headed Hound, covered in wounds. Then he looked at the Water Cloud Horse, which was stepping on air like it was a wall, practically breakdancing, and wanted to cry but had no tears. They were all liars! ……
The rest of the tests went without much drama. Liu Ren, cautious and careful, got a “D” grade with his Flame Bat. Gu Lingyao sent out her ace, the Tide-Calling Spring Spirit. The Tide-Calling Spring Spirit’s forte was its abundance of water and slick water control; it used the Wave-Riding move to lift itself, protected itself with a water shield, and went straight, turned, and went straight again, earning a decent “C+” grade. Aside from the Ancheng crew, the only one Su Hao vaguely recognized was Bai… Bai So-and-So. The spirit he sent out was still the Polar Nine-Tails. Inside the Serpent Path, the white figure ran forward with elegant steps. Very agile. And it occasionally conjured ice mirrors to block incoming attacks. But its speed wasn’t fast enough, only earning a “B+” grade. Su Hao turned to look at the Water Kylin, which was “climbing the wall.” “See, making you run tens of kilometers every day, do push-ups, sit-ups, and all that training—it was totally the right call.” ……
The attack test and speed test lasted a whole day. Aside from breaks and meal times, Su Hao’s day ended amid sounds of “D,” “C-,” “C+,” and the admiring, shocked gazes of his classmates. On the second day, Su Hao got up early and met up with Liu Ren and Gu Lingyao. “Songting’s Master Hound got ‘C+’ and ‘B-’ grades yesterday!” Li Songting’s ‘Pingshan Court’ had their tests on the same day, just in a different zone. Liu Ren pondered. Logically, his Lava Dragon Turtle was pretty strong. But it only got a ‘C+’ and a ‘D.’ A huge gap from Li Songting. And Gu Lingyao had gotten decent ‘B-’ and ‘C+’ grades. Thinking about it, among the Four Little Heavenly Kings of Ancheng, he—he—he—he—he was the worst?!?! Liu Ren clutched his head in despair. “Damn it! For the final defense test, I’m getting at least a B no matter what! “Turtle, let’s go!” He cheered on his spirit. The Lava Dragon Turtle spat a bit of fire, still looking like an old grandpa with zero fighting spirit. Liu Ren: Orz. His despair came and went quickly. Shaking his head, he asked, “Which spirit are you two using?” “Me… hmm, probably still Lingling, right?” Gu Lingyao turned to look at the Tide-Calling Spring Spirit. The Tide-Calling Spring Spirit indicated it had to carry the banner, “Umu~!” “Right, right, it’s learned plenty of defensive moves, so it can take a hit too.” “What about you, Old Su?” Liu Ren didn’t wait for him to speak and analyzed, “Butterfly Goddess and Fire Crow aren’t suited; that bear of yours is tanky, but it’s not at Elite level yet… So the only one you can field is that horse! “Am I right in my reasoning?” Su Hao looked back. After Butterfly Xia took down the Polar Nine-Tails, it had lost its battle drive again, wanting to hole up in the villa. Fire Crow was looking at him. Electric Bear… Water Kylin was excited, looking like it was about to get cocky again. “Your reasoning’s right, so… “I’m sending out Fire Crow.” Liu Ren: “???” Water Kylin: “??? +1” Its excited face froze instantly. Liu Ren didn’t get it, “No way! Isn’t your Fire Crow an attack-type spirit? And it never carries a shield! “You said so yourself yesterday~!” “We need to learn to look at things from multiple angles.” Su Hao had to enlighten his buddy, “The school is testing the spirit’s defensive ability, not its endurance. “So… as long as it takes out all the enemies first, it won’t lose a single HP.” ———— Even though I owe chapters and update slowly, I still want to ask for votes (shouting~) ┗(▔,▔)┛