After assigning everyone their roles, the group quickly spread out across the trial area to begin hunting exotic beasts.
However, none of the teams strayed too far from one another. Everyone maintained a safe distance so they could provide support if another group encountered danger.
Zhao Mu glanced at Meng Qiuqiu and Lu Yan beside him before speaking calmly.
"Let's move."
As he spoke, his nose twitched slightly.
Years of surviving and training in Blood Bone Mountain had sharpened his senses far beyond ordinary people. Simply by analyzing the scent carried through the air, he could roughly determine whether prey or danger was nearby.
Meng Qiuqiu remained silent.
A faint flash of light emerged from the ember-like ring on his finger, and in the next moment, a delicate blue pistol appeared in his hand.
The weapon looked elegant and expensive, with strange spirit-energy patterns engraved across its surface.
The Xuanfeng Empire had always placed heavy restrictions on the development of firearms and thermal weapons. The higher-ups feared that Spirit Power Users would become overly dependent on technology instead of cultivating their own strength.
However, there was one important exception.
Spirit Energy Weapons.
Although these weapons resembled firearms, their operating principle was completely different from ordinary guns. Instead of using gunpowder, they relied on the user's own Spirit Energy as a power source.
In some ways, they were closer to bows and arrows than modern firearms.
But they came with a terrifying drawback—
They were outrageously expensive.
Not only did Spirit Energy Guns require high-grade materials to create, but every single bullet also had to be specially manufactured.
Even the cheapest rounds cost thousands of Xuanfeng coins each.
Ordinary people could never afford to use such weapons.
Only someone as wealthy as Meng Qiuqiu would casually pull out a Spirit Energy Gun during a student trial.
Meng Qiuqiu carefully gripped the pistol with both hands while standing behind Zhao Mu.
Meanwhile, Lu Yan wore his dark sunglasses as usual, giving him the appearance of a volunteer guiding blind civilians through the streets.
The three moved quickly through the forest.
Suddenly, Zhao Mu's eyes narrowed.
"This way!"
He had already picked up the scent of exotic beasts.
Without hesitation, he accelerated forward toward the left side of the forest, and the other two hurried after him.
Before long, they arrived at an open area.
And there—
More than a dozen Crimson Demon Hounds stared back at them.
The beasts were enormous.
Each one stood roughly 1.6 to 1.7 meters tall, their bodies built like muscular calves. Crimson fur covered their bodies while burning saliva dripped from their sharp fangs.
The moment they spotted Zhao Mu's group, low growls escaped their throats.
The beasts slowly spread out, beginning to surround them.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Zhao Mu calmly spoke.
"Qiuqiu. Lu Yan."
"Cover me."
The moment his words fell, Zhao Mu smoothly reversed his grip on the bow behind his back.
In one fluid motion, he nocked three arrows at once.
His movements were incredibly practiced.
The bowstring stretched like a full moon as blue Spirit Energy rapidly wrapped around the arrows.
Spiritual Entanglement activated.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Three arrows tore through the air with astonishing speed, moving so fast they were nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
The compound bow Zhao Mu used was the strongest model available. It required over four hundred jin of draw strength just to use properly.
But thanks to the bow's special construction, the actual force unleashed after release could reach over two thousand jin.
Even using only physical strength, Zhao Mu's arrows could pierce massive trees hundreds of meters away.
Now, empowered by Spirit Energy, their destructive power became even more terrifying.
The Crimson Demon Hounds never had a chance to react.
Three beasts were instantly pierced through the skulls.
The arrows blasted through their bodies and carried them flying backward several meters before slamming violently into the ground.
The remaining hounds immediately erupted into furious roars.
"WOOF! WOOF!"
Burning saliva splashed from their mouths as they charged.
The ground trembled beneath their combined assault.
A foul stench of blood and burning flesh rushed forward with them, and their speed was unbelievably fast.
More than a dozen giant beasts charging together created immense psychological pressure.
Meng Qiuqiu's face instantly turned pale.
No matter how much training students received at the academy, simulations and drills could never compare to a real life-and-death battle.
The fear of death was instinctive.
In moments like this, most people's first reaction was to run.
But just as panic began overwhelming Meng Qiuqiu's mind, Zhao Mu's voice rang out again.
"Stay focused!"
Unlike them, Zhao Mu appeared completely calm.
As if this kind of scene was perfectly ordinary to him.
In one smooth motion, he slung the compound bow onto his back and grabbed the Heavenly Halberd planted nearby.
Then—
Instead of retreating, he charged directly toward the pack of Crimson Demon Hounds.
Light Spirit Steps activated instantly.
His figure blurred.
The Crimson Demon Hounds were already incredibly fast, but Zhao Mu moved even faster.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly before the leading beast.
"ROAR!"
The Crimson Demon Hound opened its massive jaws wide, exposing rows of razor-sharp teeth as scorching breath poured from its mouth.
But Zhao Mu's expression never changed.
Without hesitation, he swung the Heavenly Halberd in a reverse slash.
PFFT!
A bloody arc flashed through the air.
The hound's skull split diagonally apart before its fangs could even reach Zhao Mu's neck.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
Half of the beast's head crashed onto the ground while its massive body continued rushing forward from momentum before collapsing heavily.
BOOM!
The earth trembled slightly.
Yet Zhao Mu didn't even glance at the corpse.
The instant the first hound died, he twisted his body and swung the halberd again toward another beast charging from behind.
The Crimson Demon Hounds were considered among the weakest types of mutated exotic beasts.
Their combat style relied almost entirely on overwhelming speed, brute force, and sharp fangs.
Against experienced soldiers, they were not particularly difficult opponents.
The true challenge for rookie cadet soldiers wasn't skill—
It was fear.
Zhao Mu tightly gripped the Heavenly Halberd as Spirit Energy surged through the weapon.
A blood-colored afterimage flickered around the blade while he executed the Hegemon Formation Breaking Halberd Art.
At that moment, he looked less like a student and more like a battlefield executioner.
Even in pure physical strength, Zhao Mu completely overwhelmed the Crimson Demon Hounds.
"Hah!"
He roared as the heavy halberd swept outward violently.
Despite its enormous size and weight, the weapon moved as smoothly as a sword in his hands.
One Crimson Demon Hound after another was torn apart.
The enraged beasts howled furiously, gradually abandoning Meng Qiuqiu and Lu Yan altogether as they focused entirely on Zhao Mu.
Instinctively, they understood.
This human was the true threat.
Yet even while surrounded from all sides, Zhao Mu showed no fear whatsoever.
Instead, his eyes became colder.
The Heavenly Halberd rested briefly upon his shoulder.
Then he unleashed another technique.
Erlang Carrying the Mountain!
BOOM!
The heavy halberd swept across the battlefield like a storm.
Five or six giant Crimson Demon Hounds were blasted away instantly like rag dolls.
Even the instructors observing the trial area couldn't help gasping.
"Is that really just a Combat Level 5 Cadet Soldier?"
"He's basically a humanoid exotic beast!"
Zhao Mu's physique appeared lean and balanced rather than bulky, yet the strength erupting from his body was terrifying enough to shame even veteran instructors.
Innate Divine Strength truly lived up to its reputation.
Far behind the battle, Lu Yan stood frozen.
Because of his sunglasses, his senses were somewhat dulled, making the scene even more shocking.
He slowly gripped the handle of his blade and muttered helplessly,
"Should… should we even help?"
Meng Qiuqiu finally snapped out of his daze.
"Oh—right!"
He hurriedly raised the Spirit Energy Gun and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A crimson beam erupted from the muzzle.
The moment it struck a Crimson Demon Hound, a massive bloody hole exploded through the beast's torso.
Its internal organs were completely obliterated instantly.
Even Zhao Mu felt slightly shocked upon seeing the effect.
"That weapon must be at least a Second-Grade Remains Construct…"
Outside the trial grounds, Instructor Xie Yingxue covered her forehead speechlessly.
"He's using a Second-Grade Spirit Energy Gun to kill Crimson Demon Hounds?"
"That's like using a siege cannon to kill chickens!"
Despite his nervousness, Meng Qiuqiu's marksmanship was surprisingly accurate.
Clearly, he practiced frequently.
After all, firearms were inaccessible to ordinary civilians, but among wealthy upper-class families, they were practically expensive toys.
As the son of a rich family, Meng Qiuqiu had naturally received professional training.
With his support fire assisting from behind, Zhao Mu's slaughter became even more efficient.
The Heavenly Halberd swept horizontally through the battlefield like a blood-red hurricane.
No Crimson Demon Hound could break through his defense.
None could survive even a single exchange.
Touch the halberd—
And you die.
Brush against it—
And you're crippled.
The battlefield rapidly turned into a massacre.
Blood soaked the earth while broken corpses piled around Zhao Mu's feet.
Watching this scene, Lu Yan, Meng Qiuqiu, and even the observing instructors all felt chills run down their spines.
Zhang Biao stared at Zhao Mu in disbelief before finally muttering,
"He's not a student…"
"He's a genuine battlefield killing machine."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)