NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Two-Star Beastmaster Assessment, Hell Difficulty?
Chapter 51: Two-Star Beastmaster Assessment, Hell Difficulty?
The next day at dawn.
Qinglong Academy.
In Class 3 of Year One, the students were engaged in self-study.
Wu Shengyou was dozing off with a copy of "The Self-Cultivation of a Beastmaster," drool pooling on the pages.
Song Hu was exchanging flirtatious glances with a girl at the next table, paper notes flying back and forth.
The class's discipline was lax primarily because the homeroom teacher, Chen Qinian, was absent.
At this moment, in the office,
Chen Qinian was sipping from a goji berry tea cup, taking small sips.
Xiao Xingyu stood in front of Chen Qinian.
After finishing his tea, Chen Qinian set the cup down and assessed the top student of Class 3.
"Xiao Xingyu, are you sure you want to participate in the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment today?"
Xiao Xingyu nodded earnestly.
"Yes. With the Supernova Contest approaching, I want to pass the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment as soon as possible so I can register early."
There were three conditions to participate in the Supernova Contest.
First, a recommendation from the dean.
Second, passing the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment.
Third, contracting two or more magical beasts.
Xiao Xingyu had already satisfied the first and third conditions, leaving only the second.
"Since you've made your decision, I’ll notify the dean and arrange for you to take the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment at 3 PM today."
Xiao Xingyu couldn’t help but be curious.
"By the way, Director Chen, so far, which students from this year's freshmen have passed the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment?"
"The Murong siblings passed the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment three days ago."
The Supernova Contest was a competition between the four major academies.
Each academy could only send three freshmen.
It seemed that Murong Xinxin and Murong Yangshuo had already secured two of those spots.
The last spot was clearly reserved for Xiao Xingyu.
"Xiao Xingyu, everything is set; you just need a favorable wind."
"As long as you pass the Two-Star Beastmaster assessment, it will be considered automatic registration for the Supernova Contest."
Xiao Xingyu replied confidently, "Director Chen, don’t worry. I won’t let you down."
"Oh, and the dean mentioned that if you can defeat a participant from the White Tiger Academy in this contest..."
"She will personally reward you with something substantial!"
Xiao Xingyu felt a surge of anticipation.
Su Ruyan, the dean of Qinglong Academy, was quite wealthy and had many treasures; the rewards she offered would undoubtedly be generous.
“May I ask why the dean is so insistent on me defeating a participant from the White Tiger Academy?”
"You silly boy, don’t you realize? Who overshadowed Ye Shuangning in last year’s Supernova Contest?"
Xiao Xingyu smacked his thigh, suddenly enlightened.
"Director Chen, I understand now!"
In last year’s Supernova Contest, Ye Shuangning represented Qinglong Academy and secured second place.
The champion was Li Mucheng from the White Tiger Academy.
"Our Dean Su is quite vengeful; she repays every grievance."
"According to her, a team battle can be lost, but the White Tiger must be defeated!"
"As long as you can defeat a participant from the White Tiger Academy, even if you don’t win the championship, the dean will be very pleased and reward you!"
As Chen Qinian spoke, he lowered his voice conspiratorially, making sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby.
"I’ll let you in on a little secret."
"The head of White Tiger Academy, Zhu Qingyu, is a sworn enemy of our Dean Su. They can’t stand each other!"
Xiao Xingyu sighed, "It seems this Supernova Contest is less about friendship and more about settling scores~"
At 2:50 PM,
A helicopter flew across Longyin City, landing at the entrance of a canyon on the outskirts.
As the cabin door opened, Xiao Xingyu stepped out, donned in the special uniform for the Beastmaster assessment.
After last night’s rain, the canyon was muddy, with rampant vegetation.
Some of the trees had grown so tall that they reached the clouds.
At that moment, a voice came through Xiao Xingyu's earpiece.
"Xiao Xingyu, you have arrived at the entrance of Blood Mist Canyon."
"The Two-Star Beastmaster assessment is about to begin. Please make your final preparations."
Blood Mist Canyon was the largest, most desolate canyon outside Longyin City.
This canyon served as the assessment site for the Two-Star Beastmaster.
As Xiao Xingyu had flown over in the helicopter, he had observed the shape of Blood Mist Canyon from above.
From that height, the canyon looked like an elongated coffin.
The distance between the entrance and exit was approximately five kilometers.
The assessment sounded simple.
Candidates only needed to start from one side (the entrance) and reach the other side (the exit) to pass.
However, this assessment was deceptively simple, hiding various dangers.
Blood Mist Canyon was home to the Blood Demon Spider clan.
The Blood Demon Spider was a mature-level magical beast.
Some of these spiders had doubled combat power and were even at the mature level (Third Rank).
It's important to note that mature-level (Third Rank) beasts were just one step away from becoming fully matured.
Moreover, the Blood Demon Spider had strong territorial awareness; any human intrusion would trigger a mass attack.
Candidates attempting to cross the canyon would have to endure significant trials.
Xiao Xingyu did some light warm-up exercises, which amounted to a set of stretches, twisting his waist and stretching his back.
"Alright, I’m ready."
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Xingyu stood at the starting point, poised for action.
Through his Bluetooth earpiece, Chen Qinian’s voice came through.
"Xiao Xingyu, there are a large number of magical beasts in Blood Mist Canyon."
"If you encounter a situation you can’t handle, don’t hesitate to signal for help."
A signal gun was strapped to Xiao Xingyu’s waist.
This was a protective measure set by Qinglong Academy for candidates.
While the difficulty of the Two-Star assessment wasn’t outrageous, it could easily lead to accidents for inexperienced freshmen.
As long as candidates faced insurmountable danger, they could fire the signal flare to request assistance from the staff.
Of course, if they chose to request help from the staff, it would be considered a failure in the assessment.
"Director Chen, I understand."
After explaining the assessment details, Chen Qinian ceased further discussion.
"The Two-Star Beastmaster assessment officially begins!"
The large gate behind Xiao Xingyu began to close slowly.
The canyon was a straight path with no twists or turns.
To pass, he simply had to cross the canyon and reach the door at the end to obtain the qualification certificate for a Two-Star Beastmaster.
Above the canyon, several drones hovered, capturing the event from multiple angles.
In the Qinglong Academy conference room,
Su Ruyan, Lin Cang, Chen Qinian, and others were present, watching the projection.
The images on the projector were from the drones.
Director Lin Cang focused intently on the screen.
"Dean, Xiao Xingyu has entered Blood Mist Canyon."
"Next, he will pass through the first danger zone, the Red Water Marsh."
Chen Qinian’s expression grew serious as he analyzed, "Since it rained heavily yesterday, there will likely be a large number of Iron-Mouthed Giant Crocodiles near the Red Water Marsh."
The Iron-Mouthed Giant Crocodile was a magical beast species inhabiting the Red Water Marsh.
Most of these crocodiles were at the initial level (Third Rank).
As for the mature-level Blood Demon Spiders, they resided deeper in the marsh.
To traverse the entire canyon, candidates would first have to battle the Iron-Mouthed Giant Crocodiles, then escape from the swarm of Blood Demon Spiders.
A data analyst approached Su Ruyan.
"Dean, according to the data feedback, due to last night’s rain, the number of Iron-Mouthed Giant Crocodiles in the Red Water Marsh has doubled."
"Additionally, based on the latest investigation, there is a Blood Demon Spider in the cave that has evolved into a fully matured beast, the Cave Demon Eye Spider!"
Chen Qinian, who valued talent, was worried about Xiao Xingyu's safety.
"Dean, due to last night’s rain, the difficulty of the assessment has increased significantly!"
"To be honest, this difficulty now rivals that of the Three-Star Beastmaster assessment standards."
"I suggest we pause Xiao Xingyu’s assessment and reschedule it for another day."
Su Ruyan smiled gently, her fingers interlocking, her fiery gaze fixed on the screen, locking onto Xiao Xingyu's figure.
"Old Chen, I’m actually very curious about this kid's limits."
"Dean, do you mean..."
"Continue the assessment!"