Combat is the best way to test a spirit's abilities!
The two young men had been enrolled in training classes for over a year since contracting their spirits. Although they had to make a living and earn money, unable to fully dedicate themselves to raising their spirits, they still invested a lot of effort. They considered themselves no pushovers—"seniors" among the training class students.
Nearby, a companion who wasn't a spirit master looked worried. "Are you sure about this?"
"Relax! Those two fugitives aren't formally trained spirit masters either. Plus, their spirits haven't even reached the entry level—they can't be that strong!"
That was the key reason they dared to intercept them. The two young men sprinted toward the scene with their spirits, not looking back. "Just call the cops for us."
...
Before the short, stout man could disappear into the forest, the Gibbon and Little Clay pounced from the side. The Gibbon was faster, swinging its fists as it charged. The Little Coyote suddenly crouched low, then launched itself with all four limbs, slamming into the Gibbon with a thud. The Gibbon stumbled backward.
"Watch your left!" the stout man warned.
The Little Coyote's fierce eyes darted left. Little Clay, resembling a lump of yellowish-brown jelly about knee-high, stretched out two long arms like putty and grabbed the Little Coyote before it could dodge.
"Gibbon, now!" its spirit master shouted.
The Gibbon clenched a fist, channeling spiritual power to it using techniques learned in class, and threw a punch the size of a sandbag.
Bam!!
The Little Coyote was slammed into the ground, bounced up, and yelped in pain. The Gibbon and Little Clay pressed the attack.
Suddenly, a green blur flashed by. Little Clay's stretched arms nearly snapped, and it retracted them in fright. The Gibbon dropped to one knee, clutching its leg. The green blur slowed in the distance.
It was a Wood Mantis! The other fugitive's spirit.
But, "How is it so fast!" "So strong!"
The Wood Mantis was a deep ink-green, its cold eyes fixed on the Gibbon and Little Clay, like a killer baring its fangs. The two young men froze, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
"How is this possible? I just tested the Gibbon last week—its spiritual power is over eighty!" "Yeah! According to the trainer's ranking, the Gibbon and Little Clay are both advanced apprentices, practically at the entry level!"
They couldn't believe a single encounter had them beaten by the Wood Mantis. Especially since the Wood Mantis had no spiritual aura on its body—it was also at the apprentice level, just like their spirits.
"Kill them all!" the tall man ordered coldly.
"Bro, since we've already struck, at least let's fill our stomachs so we can run faster later." The tall man didn't refuse. The short man eyed the grill closest to them.
The Little Coyote, having scrambled up from the ground, paced forward slowly. Its injuries only fueled its ferocity. The stout man swept his gaze over the boys and girls near the grill and growled, "Get lost, or die!"
A few students immediately fled into the distance. But others were frozen in fear, their legs trembling and unable to move.
"Charcoal Turtle, burn it!"
A tongue of fire several meters long suddenly shot out. The Little Coyote was startled but nimbly dodged aside. It lunged at the Charcoal Turtle, which was panting after its missed shot.
Just then, the Silkworm, which had been hiding behind the grill on Su Hao's cue, charged out. Its goose-yellow body shot up like a cannonball, slamming squarely into the Little Coyote's face.
A meaty blast to the face!
With a thud, the Little Coyote flew back, crashing through chairs along the way and slamming into the stone grill. The grill rack fell with a clatter, scattering a few glowing embers that sizzled against the Little Coyote, making it howl. It pawed at the ground, trying to stand, but the repeated injuries sent sharp pains through its body. It wobbled and collapsed with a thud.
Just as Su Hao and Liu Ren breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts clenched again. Nearby, the Gibbon and Little Clay—both decent spirits—were in bad shape. They couldn't resist the Wood Mantis at all, being tossed around by the green figure and accumulating wounds. They'd long since collapsed, far more injured than the Little Coyote, barely holding on thanks to their spirits' tenacious vitality.
"This Wood Mantis is way stronger than the Little Coyote. Those forelimbs are clearly specially trained..."
Based on Old Chen's classification of pre-entry-level spirit strength, the Wood Mantis, Gibbon, and Little Clay should theoretically be on the same level. But their combat power was vastly different. No, it was more that the spirit masters of Little Clay and the Gibbon had focused solely on boosting their spirits' spiritual power without training their combat abilities.
That was normal. Spirits had at most three to five years from growth to adulthood. If they couldn't break through to entry level in that time, they were mostly wasted. Many spirit masters in social training classes prioritized raising their spirits to entry level first, then training combat skills or learning special moves. It was the most cost-effective approach! Plus, once a spirit reached entry level, the contractor could register with the Spirit Union, become an official spirit master, and receive union subsidies. Su Hao remembered that even a junior spirit master got three thousand a month!
A few years ago, the college entrance exam also tested a spirit's spiritual power. Later, reforms added spirit battles as a major component. The spirit science exam now included a written test, a spiritual power test, and spirit battles—fighting peers, with top performers even facing examiners directly.
But Su Hao had heard this year's exam was getting another reform.
"Crackle~ Crackle~"
The Wood Mantis turned its gaze toward them.
"Old Su, what do we do?" Liu Ren asked nervously.
Su Hao didn't look away, just spat out one word. "Fight head-on."
The Wood Mantis charged. Before Liu Ren could command, the Charcoal Turtle spat a blazing fire tongue. Whoosh! The Wood Mantis raised its sickle-like forelimb, slicing through the incoming flames, and the sharp blade continued its descent. The Charcoal Turtle, terrified, retracted into its shell. The blade-like limb scraped across the shell, sending sparks flying. The force sent the whole shell flying, bouncing and crashing around. The Charcoal Turtle was dazed, its eyes spinning.
"Now, Little Stone Elephant, ram it!" Chen Qi shouted.
The Little Stone Elephant charged, thudding straight at the Wood Mantis. But the mantis dodged nimbly, its forelimbs slashing twice, leaving wounds on the Little Stone Elephant. They weren't even in the same league.
Ma Ruomei and Zhou Yuze wanted their spirits to join the attack, but Su Hao stopped them. It would just be a waste. Right now, only Liu Ren's Charcoal Turtle posed any threat to the Wood Mantis. Fire countered wood—if the flames hit, they could deal significant damage. But the mantis was too fast; the Charcoal Turtle had no chance to strike. The other spirits were just targets in front of it—fragile ones at that.
The Silkworm chirped twice, its round, big eyes locking with the Wood Mantis's.
It was about to explode.