Due to deal restructure text to speech player is currently unavailable. Will find a solution soon.

Chapter 16

After they got rid of the lackadaisical young man, Ling Jiu and Li Kai parted . As the rule of the assessment did not encourage team-forming, it was better for them to split up .

Ling Jiu was very ambitious . His goal was not to just pass the test but to make it into the top three as well . He could not afford to get his score dragged down because he was working in a team .

He continued to venture deeper into the zoo .

Inside the zoo were many powerful Direbeasts . After killing the Ironspike Gator and Sableback Gorilla, he encountered a few more Direbeasts, most of which were Class 1 and easily killed .

Soon, he came to a woodland . A pack of wolf-type Direbeasts was hungrily gnawing the corpse of another Direbeast .

These giant wolves were four meters long each . Their silverish white mane looked like steel needles growing on their backs, and the claws on their paws glinted in the light .

“Class 1 Direbeast, the Silverclaw Wolf!”

Ling Jiu knew what beasts these wolves were, and he sneaked over .

These Silverclaw Wolves were Class 1 Direbeasts, but there were many of them . So, Ling Jiu figured that the best way was to catch them unawares . He would have to get close to do that .

As a Level 2 Arcanist, Ling Jiu’s attack range was about ten meters, beyond which Arcana manipulation would become less effective .

4

So he had to get within ten meters from his targets .

However, Ling Jiu had underestimated the Silverclaw Wolves . Before he could get close to them, one Silverclaw Wolf that had been tasked as the lookout spotted him .

With one long howl into the air, the other Silverclaw Wolves stopped eating and looked over .

They were growling menacingly, their silverish claws glinting with warning and murderous vibes .

They just wanted to carry on eating their meal and had no intention of going after Ling Jiu . As long as Ling Jiu left them alone, they would not attack .

Sadly, things did not always turn out as they wished . Instead of going away, Ling Jiu was edging closer and closer .

The Silverclaw Wolves howled and charged at Ling Jiu since his actions had agitated them . As they got closer, they suddenly split up and worked as a team by surrounding Ling Jiu at the center .

It was the wolves’ typical hunting technique . A single Silverclaw Wolf was weak, but they could kill a Class 2 Direbeast when they hunted in a pack .

Yet, no matter how clever their plan was, they were just a bunch of paper tigers in front of a being with absolutely superior strength .

Just as the wolf pack inched closer toward Ling Jiu, they felt a horrible force pressing down on them . They struggled to move as their bodies contorted .

Next, sharp earthen spikes jutted out of the ground and hit the Silverclaw Wolves .

As the spikes pierced through their paws, hind legs, and bellies, the Silverclaw Wolves whined in agony .

“Again!”

With a wave of his hand, Ling Jiu summoned a dozen stone spears to pierce through their bodies and nail them dead to the ground .

“Done!”

He snapped his fingers .

…

“That’s the superiority of an Arcanist with dual special abilities! Using the Gravity Arcana for a surprise attack, followed by an Earth-element Arcana attack—it is just too lethal!”

“This kid is talented! It’s a shame that he has joined Pangu . Hmm, maybe it’s all about the penalty for breach of contract . ”

Many team leaders from the Arcana organizations coveted this talented teenager . They were all thinking of poaching him .

Instructor Bai Yang was feeling the pressure . He knew that these guys were eyeing Ling Jiu . He could almost imagine that the better Ling Jiu performed, the more they would covet him .

Ling Jiu has only signed a C-level contract with the company, and the contract termination fee is only a million . If other companies really wanted him, they could easily convince him to jump ship .

Bai Yang’s heart skipped a beat when he thought of this . I have to inform Luo Jia .

2

…

Ling Jiu had absolutely no idea that he had attracted the attention of different Arcana organizations . After he harvested a dozen Silverclaw Wolf hearts, he continued his journey .

Time flew, and two days had passed .

The Direbeasts have seemingly disappeared from the county city after two days of hunting . I should probably watch out for other contenders; they have been in a frenzy lately!

Lin Jiu was sitting in front of the window on the 29th floor of an apartment and eating freshly grilled barbeque while enjoying the scenery outside .

The assessment had progressed to the ultimate stage . Whether they could pass the test and what position they would achieve depended on how they could make use of the second half of the day .

Hence, everyone was in a frenzy .

Robbery had become common, and getting robbed was also just as common .

4

To avoid this madness, many candidates had gone into hiding just like him .

1

I wonder if my harvest is good enough to get me into the top three . Ling Jiu thought to himself .

He was determined to make it into the top three by hook or by crook . Be it the intermediate Gene Arcana secret teqnique, a million bucks in monthly pay, or a mansion, he wanted them all .

Half an hour later, Ling Jiu finished his lunch and took a brief rest before he continued to scan the surroundings . He became notorious because he had robbed too many people during the past two days . People would avoid him like a plague when they spotted him from afar .

2

So robbery had become more difficult . Ling Jiu could only lie in wait for his prey to show up .

He suddenly heard a fight in the distance . He spied in the sound’s direction and saw a few Arcanists fighting on top of a building .

“That’s an opportunity!”

Ling Jiu quickly ran in that direction .

4

…

“He must have collected many Direbeast hearts . Defeat him, and we’ll take all of his harvests! Guys, let’s do it!”

Four Arcanists were fighting a lion man .

With the head, claws, tail, and fur of a lion and the body of a human, the lion man could stand on two, much like the lion man in mythology .

However, this figure was not a lion man but an Arcanist with a lionization ability .

The lionization special ability belonged to Shapeshift-type Arcana . Once the Arcanist shapeshifted, he or she would have the power, speed, and offensive abilities of a lion .

2

The four attackers comprised of a Fire-element Arcanist, a Water-element Arcanist, a Wood-element Arcanist, and a Soundwave Arcanist .

22

These four Arcanists were powerful, and they had tacit coordination with each other . Yet, they were still no match for the lion man .

The lion man was agile, and he could easily dodge the attacks from the Fire-element, Water-element, and Wood-element Arcanists . Only the Soundwave Arcanist could pose some problems to him .

“Attack me? All of you have walked into my trap . I purposely exposed my hiding place to lure idiots like you so that I could take your harvests!”

The lion man burst into laughter as he appeared before the Wood-element Arcanist in a flash and struck him with his claws .

He was too fast . Before the Wood-element Arcanist knew it, he was hit in the chest . Blood spurted out of his mouth while he was sent tumbling back .

“One!”

The lion man sped toward the Water-element Arcanist . Fear and desperation filled his eyes as the lion claws struck him .

The blow sent the Water-element Arcanist flying backward .

1

“Not good!”

“Run!”

It shocked the Fire-element and Soundwave Arcanists to see how powerful the lion man was . They were thinking about running away, but it was still too little, too late .

Bang!

Bang!

The Fire-element and Soundwave Arcanists became airborne at the sound of two bangs .

“Done!”

The lion man clapped his hands with delight . Anyone who had reached that stage would have either lost everything or collected a lot of Direbeast hearts .

If those four Arcanists possessed any Direbeast hearts, it would be in a large quantity . His tactic of lying in wait was paying off big time now .

1