The examinee who walked out wore the uniform of the affiliated high school, accompanied by two spirits of his own. A small stone elephant, and a... withered leaf locust. This withered leaf locust was as long as an adult's arm, its entire body the withered yellow of fallen leaves. It hid among the leaf litter, the environment becoming its perfect camouflage. But Su Hao saw it, and the data of the withered leaf locust surfaced in his mind. [Spirit: Withered Leaf Locust] [Attribute: Wood] [Spiritual Power: 134 (Limit State)] [Special Training: Leg Jump Training; Flight Speed Training...] [Introduction: I'm not a dead leaf, I'm a locust!] [Other Data: Omitted] He had already seen this withered leaf locust's data yesterday. Recognizing the spirit, Su Hao knew who he had run into. "The affiliated high school's top student, also listed as a seeded player... Gu Mingrui." "You are... Su Hao from Ancheng No.1 High School." Gu Mingrui saw the silkworm and the little fire crow, a trace of wariness flickering in his eyes. He wasn't afraid, exactly. But Su Hao was also a troublesome figure just below the seeded players. The little fire crow even countered his main spirit, the withered leaf locust. It would be fine if he could take down Su Hao without losses, but if his spirit got injured, it would be disadvantageous for the battles ahead. Gu Mingrui didn't want to start a fight with a candidate of Su Hao's level just yet. So he spoke, "Are you going to run away on your own, or should I blast you out of here?" Su Hao: "???" ... The monitoring center of the forest primitive zone was located deep within the vast forest, also the destination the joint exam candidates needed to reach. As the joint exam was in full swing, some members of the referee panel and leading spirit envoys had already arrived here first, either via helicopter or riding their flying spirits. On the monitoring screens, some candidates were attacked by wild spirits, others encountered battles, some fled in panic, and still others got separated from their spirits. Heavenly King Zhou Weiping, other spirit envoy referees, teachers from various schools, and the monitoring center staff all watched. Zhou Weiping occasionally offered a few comments. "Barely three hours in, and nearly ten percent of candidates have been eliminated." A referee shook his head. Among the eliminated candidates, every school had its share. Because the affiliated high school and No.1 High School had larger numbers, they also had more eliminations. Teachers from various schools kept searching the monitoring screens for their own students. Every time they saw a familiar student eliminated, they sighed regretfully. "Student Lin Wen shouldn't have been eliminated here. He still lacks observational skills, charging straight into an ambush circle of wild spirits." Old Chen shook his head, then suddenly noticed one of the monitoring screens. "That's... Su Hao." As a student Ancheng No.1 High School had high hopes for, the moment Old Chen said it, Old Gu, Instructor Xiong, and others all looked over. On the screen, Su Hao was pushing forward with the silkworm and little fire crow, steamrolling everything. "Though it looks a bit reckless, for a capable candidate, this approach actually saves some energy." Old Chen praised. "Not bad, and his reaction speed is very fast. The way he handled those vine snake ambushes just now was excellent." Instructor Xiong said, then his gaze sharpened as he addressed the staff ahead, "Screen 55, zoom in." "Is that?" Teacher Chen also looked over. "One of the seeded players, Gu Mingrui? He actually ran into Su Hao!" Though the seeded player list was just an unofficial ranking made by the candidates, it was backed by a wealth of information. Not only had the leading teachers from each school repeatedly studied that collector's edition intelligence, but even Heavenly King Zhou Weiping had praised it as well done. In that intelligence, Gu Mingrui was ranked in the top ten, while Su Hao was in the 10–20 range. Gu Mingrui's withered leaf locust was at its spiritual power limit, and his small stone elephant was close to it too, while Su Hao only had a silkworm at its limit. According to the intelligence analysis, the gap between them was significant. "Terrible luck," Old Chen said. Old Gu nodded. "Now it depends on whether Su Hao can retreat without losses. Putting myself in their shoes, they probably won't fight easily... Huh?" ... A massive fireball crashed down, and the withered leaf locust fluttered up in panic, its wings slightly singed. Gu Mingrui couldn't believe it. You're clearly at a disadvantage, how dare you strike first, and so decisively, even finding where my spirit was hiding! Weighing both sides' intelligence, Gu Mingrui thought Su Hao was trying to take out his main spirit with a sneak attack. But he failed! "You'll pay for this!" As he spoke, the information about the silkworm and little fire crow flashed through his mind. Their specialties, the moves they knew. For instance, the little fire crow's notable move was the fireball, and while the flame claw was also a fire-type move, hitting the speed-oriented withered leaf locust with it was impossible. Speed was his greatest advantage. "Flit around, look for an opening to use Wing Slice!" Gu Mingrui commanded. The withered leaf locust darted through the air, appearing and disappearing. It was far faster than the little fire crow. The other spirit, the small stone elephant, guarded in front of Gu Mingrui. Then, the withered leaf locust burst out from a tricky angle, its wings spread like sharp blades sweeping through. The little fire crow flapped upward in fright, narrowly dodging. The withered leaf locust plunged into the trees on the other side. A goose-yellow figure followed. "Charge!" The silkworm leaped high, crashing toward the withered leaf locust, but the locust accelerated again, making the silkworm miss. "My withered leaf locust's wings have been specially trained. Even the little fire crow can't catch up. What can your silkworm use to chase?" Gu Mingrui stepped back two paces, keeping a safe distance. By wearing it down slowly, he could defeat both of Su Hao's spirits. Then, he heard Su Hao command again, "Chase it, use Silk Spit." Still daring to chase? Wait, what Silk Spit? The silkworm, gradually descending midair, suddenly shot out a white silk thread. The thread stuck to a large tree, and the pulling force sent it zipping in front of the withered leaf locust. Wrapped in a faint green glow, it slammed into the locust. "Gust!" "Spirit Envoy: Accelerate!" The withered leaf locust's speed became like the wind, weaving through the trees. But the silkworm, the size of an orange cat, was even faster. One silk thread after another stuck to the trees, seamlessly connecting, constantly catching up, exhausting the withered leaf locust. "How is this possible? It actually learned Silk Spit! And it's this skilled! "This is a move many beginner-level spirits struggle to learn!" This silkworm... no, how did its spirit envoy manage this! And why wasn't it recorded in that collector's edition intelligence!! ... At the monitoring center, a teacher from the affiliated high school happened to see this scene. He could discern the technique even better, his eyes widening: "This silkworm not only learned Silk Spit but can also use the move while maintaining a charge state. Its control over spiritual power is no simple feat! "Moreover, the silkworm is incredibly agile and quick to react—it must have undergone countless practice sessions... Gu Mingrui's withered leaf locust is completely being dominated! "Ancheng's Su Hao's strength far exceeds what the intelligence suggested!"