C27 I Began to Show My Strength.

It's no surprise that President Faang of No.3 High School harbored doubts about Lu Chong. Anyone with a shred of insight could see it was Lu Chong's inaugural foray into the hunting grounds.

More precisely, it was his first real encounter with a living mutated beast.

Lu Chong's lack of caution upon entering the hunting grounds, coupled with his playful distraction with a cat, made it clear he was no seasoned hunter. In fact, his behavior was quite naive.

Other students, especially those with solid Martial Arts foundations, proceeded with extreme caution, ever vigilant for the mutated beasts' ambushes.

Some of the more seasoned and adept students had already begun to strategize their routes and hunting techniques, aiming for efficient scoring.

Yet there was Lu Chong, still loitering near the entrance after nearly half an hour. This didn't speak to his strength but rather to his inexperience.

Everyone there understood the gravity of the situation – even in territories dominated by Stage 1 mutated beasts, complacency could be fatal. Surrounded by such creatures, even a Stage 8 or Stage 9 Martial Disciple could find themselves ensnared, with potentially deadly consequences.

Indeed, the teachers had imparted this knowledge during regular classes, but many students either dismissed it or found themselves unable to apply it in the heat of exams or battle.

Now, it seemed Lu Chong was one such student.

However, when faced with President Faang's skepticism, Wai Jianguo simply took a calm sip of tea and responded with a chuckle, "Faang, after all these years, you still lack the knack for spotting talent."

Stung by the remark, President Faang retorted with a mix of shame and anger, "Don't act like you have all the answers. What's so special about your student?"

With a smile, Principal Wai replied, "I've heard No.3 High School has some formidable students this time around. So let's see how they fare in the mock exam's practical combat scores. If any of your students can outperform Lu Chong, I'll happily call you 'big brother' from here on out."

At that, President Faang's spirits soared. After years of being outmaneuvered by Wai, he was eager for a chance to turn the tables.

President Faang remarked confidently, "Alright. We're not even intimidated by the elite students from No.1 High School's Key Class, much less a student who has only reached the Eighth Stage."

Principal Wai turned to President Faang and challenged, "I've made considerable sacrifices. If you end up losing, you should pay some sort of penalty, don't you think?"

President Faang smiled and inquired, "What do you have in mind?"

With a grin, Principal Wai suggested, "Your self-developed Tiger Roaring Arts are quite impressive, Faang. How about passing it on to my student?"

President Faang chuckled and replied, "You address me as 'big brother,' hoping to lay claim to my top-tier Tiger Roaring Arts? That's simply out of the question."

He then added, "A fair trade would be your Golden Cicada Robe for the technique."

Unperturbed, Principal Wai agreed, "Fine! It's a deal. But in return, I expect you to personally mentor my student during the special training. Agreed?"

"Certainly," President Faang responded, eager to stipulate further.

"Senior Colonel Huang, you're our witness to this agreement," Principal Wai said, turning to the military officer with a relaxed tone.

The Senior Colonel, responsible for the military base in Guanyun City, promptly stood and acknowledged, "Understood, Teacher."

Senior Colonel Huang, once a student of Principal Wai, was now over forty and a genuine Peak Martial Master. Yet, he was curious why his discerning teacher valued this somewhat naive-looking Junior Brother so highly.

From the back row, Lee Chengjun caught sight of Lu Chong's lackadaisical demeanor and the score list on the big screen's right side.

Turning to Wang Tong, Lee remarked, "Former squad leader, your star pupil has only scored a single point. Hsiang Yueya and Zhao Loongfei have already racked up over a hundred points each."

Indeed, it wasn't just the students from Class 1; all students with advanced cultivation had already charged into the territories of the Stage 4 and even Stage 6 mutated beasts.

The outer area might be teeming with mutated beasts, but the points for defeating them were minimal, and their scattered presence made them hard to track down. This posed a significant challenge to the students' hunting efficiency.

Wang Tong swept his gaze over the score leaderboard before turning his attention to Lu Chong, who had just freed the Shadow Cat. Rallying his spirits, he declared, "Hold on. There are five days left, and the winner is far from decided."

Lee Chengjun noticed Wang Tong's own nerves and held back any further taunts, not wanting to provoke him further.

After all, this was a test. Despite having five days, every second was precious in the race against time.

Unaware of the multiple eyes tracking his movements, Lu Chong released the Shadow Cat at a leisurely pace and continued down the designated street.

He had devoted time to studying a Level 1 Shadow Cat not out of ignorance of the ticking clock or arrogance, but because he knew the mock exam's hunting ground contained only this type of mutated beast.

His goal was to observe the Shadow Cat and cross-reference it with textbook and video materials to gain a deeper understanding.

Now, he felt a growing sense of confidence.

Crucially, Lu Chong had committed the Shadow Cat's aura to memory.

Since mastering the Golden Cicada Robe to an arcane level, his senses had sharpened remarkably. With the beast's scent etched in his mind, hunting would become much more straightforward and efficient.

Continuing his unhurried journey down the street, Lu Chong effortlessly claimed several Stage 1 Shadow Cat location monitoring devices.

Throughout, he had relied solely on the fundamental Monument Breaking Hand and Nine Shadow Step techniques, executing them so briefly that few could discern he had achieved perfection in these martial arts.

Only as dusk fell did Lu Chong enter the domain of the Stage 2 Shadow Cat.

At that moment, his score stood at a mere 36.

Consulting the Help Caller Device, he saw the top student on the leaderboard had already racked up 232 points. That student was Hsiang Yueya from No.1 High School. In second place wasn't Zhao Loongfei or Huang Junyan, but Xue Cheng from No.3 High School, with 218 points.

As darkness fell, Lu Chong glanced at the fading light and bit into his Nutrient Stick. "Time to pick up the pace," he muttered to himself, quickening his stride toward the inner circle.