Overlord of the Wilderness

Next, the remaining youths took the test one by one. Most of these youths had Fifth-Grade or Sixth-Grade talent, and only Zhaang Yuan, Zhaang Jian, Zhaang Wen, and Zhaang Yin possessed Fourth-Grade Talent.

With the talent assessment complete, two Stewards carried in a huge iron cage covered with a black cloth.

Zhaang Ye took a closer look at the iron cage. Its bars were as thick as a person’s arm, and it looked extremely sturdy. A thought struck him. ’A cage this strong must be holding something incredibly dangerous. Could it be... a ferocious Fierce Beast?’

Just then, the Steward in charge of the assessment spoke up. ”The talent assessment is over. Now, we will conduct the strength assessment. The method for the strength assessment is very simple...”

The Steward waved his hand lightly, and a surge of True Qi shot out, flinging the black cloth off the cage.

”ROAR!”

The moment the black cloth flew off, a deep, terrifying roar erupted from within the iron cage. Along with the roar, a savage aura surged out.

A youth standing near the cage glanced at its contents, and his face instantly turned pale. With a flash, he retreated more than thirty feet away, exclaiming in horror, ”Heavens! T-t-this is a Fierce Beast!”

”What? A Fierce Beast?!”

”No way!”

The youths stared intently and saw a beast standing inside the incredibly sturdy cage. It was ten feet tall and over twenty feet long. The beast looked plump, with a fat head and large ears, somewhat resembling a pig. Its skin had a faint, dark sheen, and its bloodshot eyes were exceptionally savage. Its limbs, as thick as tree trunks, and its gleaming tusks gave off an extremely dangerous feeling.

”This...” someone said in astonishment. ”This is truly a Fierce Beast in its Adulthood Stage! Although it’s just a low-level Black Armor Fang Beast, it’s equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer!”

Many powerful beasts exist on the Desolate Continent, and Fierce Beasts are among the stronger types. Fierce Beasts are divided into three tiers: low-level, mid-level, and High-level Fierce Beasts.

Most Fierce Beasts have tough hides and immense strength. Even a low-level Fierce Beast in its Adulthood Stage could match a master of the Martial Arts Third Layer. A mid-level adult Fierce Beast could even fight on par with a master of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer. And the legendary High-level Fierce Beasts were said to be powerful enough to contend with masters of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer—they were terrifying to the extreme.

Looking at the fearsome Black Armor Fang Beast, one of the youths suddenly asked in horror, ”They... they’re not going to use this Black Armor Fang Beast to test our strength, are they?”

Hearing his words, the faces of the other youths changed. Although they were at the Martial Arts Third Layer, they were no match for a Fierce Beast whose strength was comparable to the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer. A moment of carelessness and they would be gored by the Black Armor Fang Beast’s tusks...

The Steward in charge of the assessment spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate. ”That’s right! The way we will test your strength is by having you fight this Black Armor Fang Beast! In a moment, you will line up and enter the cage one by one to fight it. The longer you can last, the better your score will be...”

’Enter the cage and fight the Black Armor Fang Beast!’ Even though the youths were the elites of their generation, the color drained from their faces.

”This group has decent talent, but it seems their combat experience is lacking. A mere low-level Black Armor Fang Beast is enough to make them turn pale,” one of the Stewards remarked, shaking his head slightly.

Another Steward also showed a hint of disappointment. ”Steward Bai is right. I was hoping to watch this Black Armor Fang Beast rough them up a bit. But it looks like this strength assessment won’t be much of a show. I doubt we’ll find anyone in this group who can even last ten breaths.”

By this time, the Steward in charge had organized the youths and begun the assessment.

The first to be tested was a youth named Zhaang Yuan. He was at the Martial Arts Third Layer, but he had no experience fighting Fierce Beasts. The moment he stepped into the cage, the massive Black Armor Fang Beast lunged at him ferociously.

Seeing the beast’s intimidating presence, Zhaang Yuan’s face went white with fear. He instinctively drew his Long Sword and stabbed toward the Black Armor Fang Beast’s eye. His strike was quite exquisite, but the beast’s hide was tough. It simply closed its eyes, letting the sword hit its eyelid. Almost simultaneously, its two long tusks slammed into Zhaang Yuan’s arm, sending him flying out of the cage.

THUD! Zhaang Yuan slammed heavily onto the ground. A bloody hole had been torn in his arm, and blood gushed out like water.

The presiding Steward checked Zhaang Yuan’s injuries, then waved his hand to have him taken away for Healing. He then announced, ”Zhaang Yuan, defeated in a single exchange.”

The crowd of youths couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath in unison upon seeing Zhaang Yuan defeated in a single exchange.

Next, a second youth steeled himself and entered the cage for his turn.

This youth knew the Black Armor Fang Beast’s hide was too thick, so he immediately adopted a hit-and-run strategy, planning to use his Body Technique to evade its attacks. But just as he began to move, the Black Armor Fang Beast opened its massive maw and let out a tremendous roar.

”ROAR!”

The roar was like a thunderclap on a clear day, making the ears of even those standing dozens of yards away ring. The youth bearing the brunt of it was blasted by the roar until his face lost all color. His True Qi fell into disarray, and his movements faltered. In that instant, the Black Armor Fang Beast lunged, its maw gaping wide, about to swallow him whole.

At that moment, the presiding Steward grunted. His arm shot out, and he snatched the youth from the cage just before the Black Armor Fang Beast’s jaws could reach him.

The Steward tossed the youth aside and announced, ”Zhaang Song, defeated in a single exchange!”

The assessment continued amidst the youths’ nervous tension.

Zhaang Qing turned to Zhaang Ye. ”Zhaang Ye, that Fierce Beast is incredibly savage. If you go in, how long do you think you could last?”

”I should be able to hold out for a while,” Zhaang Ye said with a smile, knowing Zhaang Qing was feeling unsure. ”This Black Armor Fang Beast’s strength is only equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer. But since it’s a veteran of countless battles, it has a vicious aura. That, combined with its tough hide, is enough to intimidate anyone at first glance and cause them to slip up. If you can fight it steadily and cautiously, you could last for a while too.”

Zhaang Ye had spent some time on the outskirts of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, observing Fierce Beasts from a distance. The Mammoth he had stayed with for a while was also a Fierce Beast. Zhaang Ye knew a thing or two about their capabilities.

Zhaang Qing gave a bitter smile. ”I hope so. I’ve killed plenty of wild beasts before, but this is my first time seeing a Fierce Beast. I’m really not confident.”

Zhaang Ye smiled. ”Don’t worry. The first two guys were only defeated so quickly because they had no experience fighting Fierce Beasts. Once the others get a better feel for this Black Armor Fang Beast’s abilities, they won’t lose so miserably.”

Zhaang Ye’s words proved true. The next few dozen youths, having gotten a better sense of the Black Armor Fang Beast’s abilities, performed more normally. Most were able to last for two or three breaths. The stronger ones among them—Zhaang Yuan, Zhaang Jian, and Zhaang Yin—lasted for five breaths.

Just then, it was Zhaang Yang’s turn. As a young master with Third-Grade Talent and strength ranked in the top three, his appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention. Even the Stewards began to speculate on how many breaths Zhaang Yang could last.

Zhaang Qing whispered, ”Zhaang Ye, you’ve fought Zhaang Yang before. How long do you think he can last?”

Zhaang Ye thought for a moment. ”Zhaang Yang’s skills are focused on his footwork, which is good for both dodging and attacking. If he performs well, he should be able to last for eight breaths.”

”Eight breaths...” Zhaang Qing sighed softly. ”I’m afraid not many people here can achieve a score like that.”

Just then, Zhaang Que’s voice cut in. ”Zhaang Qing, you’re mistaken this time. There are at least four people here who can last eight breaths.”

Zhaang Qing was taken aback. ”Four people? Which four?”

Zhaang Que said coolly, ”Zhaang Yuhu, Zhaang Dahong, Zhaang Ye, and myself.”

”You?” Zhaang Qing sounded skeptical. Zhaang Que’s strength was about the same as his own, and he didn’t believe Zhaang Que could last for eight breaths.

Zhaang Ye smiled slightly and explained, ”Zhaang Que has dealt with wild beasts for a long time and understands them very well. It’s not strange at all that he could last for eight breaths.”

Understanding dawned on Zhaang Qing.

Zhaang Que then fixed his gaze on Zhaang Ye. ”Zhaang Ye, I know you haven’t shown your true strength yet. I’m very curious—how many breaths can you last?”

Zhaang Qing also looked curious. ”Zhaang Ye, your strength is far greater than mine. Lasting ten breaths should be no problem for you, right?”

Zhaang Ye just smiled. ”We’ll have to wait and see.”