C23 A Crisis Had Arrived

"Wait a minute, I'm just the admissions director. How is his trouble my concern? That's for the principal and his teachers to worry about."

Wu Liqiang grumbled to himself, his mood instantly brightening.

The ride was monotonous and dull. After the initial thrill wore off and the sky turned darker, everyone began to succumb to sleepiness.

The moon vanished into the night, leaving only a handful of stars to sprinkle faint light upon the earth.

The wilderness was eerily quiet, save for the soft rustling of tires against the ground.

The car's sealing and soundproofing were top-notch, keeping the interior noise and engine's roar completely at bay.

Moreover, with the military periodically clearing this road, in theory, the chance of encountering a ferocious beast was virtually nil.

But, as always, theory is just theory.

In this perilous wilderness, the usual rules didn't apply.

Wang Yan, feigning sleep, suddenly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings in an instant.

The driver sat ramrod straight, eyes fixed ahead.

Wu Liqiang's expression was grave, his brow furrowed deeply.

Goldie stood motionless beneath the windshield.

Even Green, usually so lethargic, poked its head out from the backpack.

Without question, something was amiss—and it was no small matter.

"There are over five thousand ferocious beasts, and the number is climbing," Wu Liqiang announced, glancing at Wang Yan.

"Are they targeting us?"

"It's highly probable!"

Wang Yan's own brow creased at Wu Liqiang's words.

Unless there was a detour or a migration of beasts, encountering such a massive assembly on this road was virtually unheard of.

And given the late hour, it seemed almost certain that the beasts were after them.

"Turn on the headlights, launch the flares. Everyone, get ready to fight!"

Without a moment to ponder, Wu Liqiang triggered the alarm, rousing everyone.

Over five thousand ferocious beasts might intimidate others, but Wang Yan remained unfazed.

With Green's dragon might unleashed, both common and elite adversaries would be forced to the ground.

Even a leader's fighting strength would be drastically diminished.

Wang Yan had no immediate plans to take action, suspecting that someone was manipulating the ferocious beasts. Without unmasking the true villain, eliminating five thousand beasts would only lead to another five thousand taking their place—an endless and exasperating cycle.

"Keep your dragon species spirit beast out of the fray to avoid tipping off the enemy," Wu Liqiang advised, finding that he and Wang Yan were on the same wavelength.

He had reviewed the combat exam footage repeatedly and was convinced that Green possessed abilities akin to power or a domain. Now at Lord tier, Green's involvement would render these ferocious beasts a non-issue.

The enemy's choice to orchestrate a beastly siege rather than engage in direct combat betrayed a lack of confidence in their victory. Therefore, keeping Green as an ace up their sleeve could potentially reverse the battle's outcome when it mattered most.

Ideally, their suspicions would be proven wrong, and there would be no puppeteer—just a mere aggregation of ferocious beasts. Wu Liqiang and the driver would handle the higher-level threats, leaving the rest for the students to hone their skills.

"What's the matter?"

"What's going on?"

...

Chaos erupted in the carriage following the alarm. Most students were visibly shaken, but a select few remained composed, assessing the situation with a cool head. Wu Liqiang took note of their reactions, earmarking the more collected individuals for potential leadership roles. They might not be on par with Wang Yan yet, but with proper guidance, they could become key players.

The growls of the encroaching beasts grew louder, a deep, resonant chorus that now filled their ears. These students, despite their youth, were the cream of the crop at M Province University—each a genius endowed with intellect, bravery, and tenacity. In under thirty seconds, they were battle-ready.

Elite spirit beasts and a swarm of their ordinary counterparts had the vehicle encircled. "Take out all the elite ones later, not a single one spared," Wang Yan instructed quietly, to which Goldie nodded in understanding.

Wu Liqiang, acting as Dean of Education, along with the driver, would confront the leader. The students would manage the ordinary beasts, while the elite ones, too dangerous to be left unchecked, were to be swiftly dispatched.

As the ferocious beast drew nearer, the tension escalated sharply.

The students brimmed with a combative zeal, itching to dive into the fray.

"Commence the battle!"

With Wu Liqiang's thunderous command, the clash erupted.

Hundreds of spirit beasts engaged in close combat with the onslaught of ferocious beasts, while Goldie vanished in the blink of an eye.

Like the first light of dawn piercing the night, or thunder cleaving through storm clouds, Goldie unfurled its wings, leaving dozens of ferocious beasts dead in its wake.

Razor-sharp, cutting-edge.

Graceful, dashing.

Goldie moved like a dancer on the edge of a knife, a shadowy assassin in the dark.

In a flash, enemies fell.

"Roar!"

A deep roar echoed from the horde as an iron-armored rhinoceros set its sights on Goldie, charging with a wild fury.

The rhinoceros, heavy and unwieldy, could only charge straight ahead, nearly incapable of altering its course.

But its defenses were formidable, and its attack power was fearsome; among the leaders, few could withstand its direct assault.

"Pfft, brute!"

Goldie scoffed at the sight of the charging rhinoceros, swiftly pecking a hole in the skull of a monkey below.

Even with a rank advantage, Goldie could easily outwit and outplay such a fool.

With a flourish of its wings and a flicker of its form, Goldie was like a specter—each appearance guaranteed the fall of at least two ferocious beasts.

"You beast, I'll take you on!"

The ruckus from the Armored Rhinoceros couldn't be ignored, quickly drawing the driver's attention.

At his shout, a fiery red gorilla was summoned, its fists thundering down upon the armored rhinoceros.

Wu Liqiang was far from idle, as he and his three beasts grappled with the two ferocious beast leaders, the battle reaching a deadlock.

"Wang, something seems off here."

Zhang Wei backed up against Wang Yan, shield in his left hand and long spear in his right.

His contracted spirit beast was weak in combat, and its Rank 1 skill leaned towards support, hence the emergence of their current tactical system.

Assisted by his spirit beast, he was able to engage in combat independently.

Human strength paled in comparison to that of a spirit beast, but if he could just stall his adversary, he could wait with ease for his ally to defeat the foe before coming to his aid.

Alternatively, he could wear the enemy down until their demise.

It was this tactic that earned him a high B grade during the practical combat exam.

He fought with a steady hand, concentrating on defense, never retaliating unless he was absolutely certain of success.

He battled ten Rank 1 Star 1 ferocious beasts for ten minutes.

He faced ten Rank 1 Star 2 ferocious beasts for thirty minutes.

And he endured against ten Rank 1 Star 3 ferocious beasts for a grueling two hours.

The spectators in the stands were nodding off, while Wang Guangyao was so frustrated he was on the verge of swearing.

"What's amiss?"

Wang Yan sent a charging leopard flying with a kick and then severed the head of a nearby duck.

He wondered how a Rank 4 duck would taste if roasted.

"Do you think there's a chance that it's not just bad luck that we're running into these ferocious beasts, but that we're actually their intended targets?"

"Yeah, you're spot on!"

Wang Yan agreed, nodding as he decapitated another duck.