Chapter 53: A New Assessment

The appearance of the Shadow Wolf caught everyone completely off guard. The scene was thrown into utter chaos.

All those present were students from Xuncheng High School, and this assessment was their very first time facing a spirit beast in reality. Such a bloody spectacle was something they had never witnessed before. For a moment, many couldn't help but retch.

Lin Xiao himself felt a wave of nausea; for the first time, he truly sensed the dangers of this world. A life, vibrant just moments ago, had vanished from his side without warning.

...

At that moment, Zhou Wei was seething with anger. He had already noticed something was wrong earlier—after all, the spirit beasts had deliberately avoided this direction, which had made him wary. He had even sent down instructions, telling those responsible for protection to stay alert.

He simply hadn't expected that, in a level-one secret domain, a level-two shadow-type spirit beast would appear. Shadow-type abilities, whether in spirit beasts or humans, were exceedingly rare—and exceedingly dangerous.

His secretary, Xiao Zhang, hurried directly to his side. “City Lord, this is my fault. I was in charge of clearing level-two spirit beasts in the secret domain. I never imagined one would slip through the net. I’ll notify our people immediately and have them eliminate it.”

“This isn’t your fault. Shadow-type spirit beasts, even at level two, are almost impossible to find if they wish to hide,” Zhou Wei replied.

He had originally intended to have the experts in the secret domain kill the Shadow Wolf, but as he watched the scene unfolding, a new idea took root.

“Xiao Zhang, connect me to Wang Qing.”

Xiao Zhang quickly made the call, and before long, Wang Qing was on the line.

“City Lord, this was my oversight. I failed to detect the shadow’s presence. By the time I sensed a surge in spirit energy, it was already too late. Please decide how you wish to proceed.”

Zhou Wei spoke at once. “I’m not here to blame you. The appearance of this Shadow Wolf is an accident. In past assessments, casualties have occasionally occurred—these things are inevitable. I’m calling to tell you: from now on, protect the students of Xuncheng with everything you have. No more deaths must occur. And don’t touch the Shadow Wolf for now. Let the students handle it themselves!”

Wang Qing was stunned at his words. He hadn’t expected Zhou Wei to be so audacious as to let the students deal with the Shadow Wolf themselves.

But soon, he understood Zhou Wei’s intentions.

“Understood, City Lord. We’ll make sure these students are safe!”

...

Sun Zhiyuan and Murong Yu were also within the secret domain, though they were a little farther away from the incident. Had they been closer, given their cultivation, the Shadow Wolf would never have succeeded in its ambush.

Because of their distance, they hadn’t sensed the beast’s presence in time. Otherwise, a mere shadow-type spirit beast would never have escaped their notice.

Sun Zhiyuan sighed. “What a pity. There’s been a casualty after all.”

“There was no way to avoid it,” Murong Yu replied.

Neither was overly emotional. It wasn’t that they were cold-blooded—rather, they had witnessed such scenes too many times before. Though a promising youth had perished, those who remained had now truly seen the terror of spirit beasts for themselves.

“We should go over as well. At the very least, we can prevent this from happening again.”

The suddenness of the incident meant the entire scene was broadcast live. Most of the viewers were ordinary people, unaccustomed to such sights, and for a moment, the barrage of live comments fell silent.

“So this is how terrifying spirit beasts are?”

“And this is only a level-one secret domain. Who knows what horrors the higher-level ones hold?”

“I’m so glad to live in a powerful nation—spirit beasts run rampant in so many places abroad.”

“I hope there are no more casualties. These young people are the future of our country!”

...

After slaying Li Ding, the Shadow Wolf didn’t leave immediately. Like a king, it gazed with disdain at the humans before it, making no further attack but clearly sensing the presence of danger.

When Wang Qing and the others arrived, the Shadow Wolf melted into the shadows at once.

With Wang Qing’s arrival, the students seemed to find their pillar of support. One by one, they looked to him with hope.

Wang Qing glanced at Li Ding’s corpse, a trace of sorrow flickering across his heart. To those behind him, he said, “See to his body. Once we’re out, make sure his affairs are handled properly, and take good care of his family.”

Once these matters were arranged, Wang Qing turned his eyes to the remaining students.

“Look at you—so spineless over a single death? You all signed your lives away when you entered. The moment you stepped inside, you should have been prepared to die.

“I’ll give you a chance to withdraw now. If you’re afraid, you can forfeit here and now. But don’t expect to awaken any abilities if you do—just live out your days as an ordinary person. Otherwise, sooner or later, you’ll end up dead at the claws of a spirit beast.

“Is anyone forfeiting?”

Having spoken so plainly, not a single student chose to forfeit. Although some remained frightened, they still chose to continue.

“Good! At least you’re not all cowards. Now for the next phase of the assessment—there’s been an unexpected development due to the Shadow Wolf’s appearance. Your new primary task is to slay the Shadow Wolf. Whoever delivers the killing blow will be awarded two hundred points!”

As soon as Wang Qing spoke, Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up. Two hundred points was no small reward. If he managed to kill the Shadow Wolf, he’d be catapulted straight to first place—and the prize money would be his.

Unlike Lin Xiao, many others weren’t thinking about points at all—they were wondering if they could even survive.

Chu Ran raised his hand. With Wang Qing’s nod, he spoke. “Chief Examiner, if I’m not mistaken, that spirit beast was a level-two. Do you really think we’re a match for it? I’m not afraid, but I don’t want to die here for nothing. And it’s a shadow-type—it’ll be hard to even find it.”

Wang Qing looked at Chu Ran approvingly. The boy wasn’t stupid.

“We’ve considered all that. Though shadow-types are troublesome, this one’s level is still too low. We can keep track of it and will confine it to this area. And I’ll tell you this: from now on, each of you will be under full protection. You don’t need to worry about your safety. Your task is to find the Shadow Wolf and kill it. Once it’s dead, the assessment will be over. You don’t have much time left.”

Wang Qing’s words finally put the students at ease. As long as their lives weren’t in danger, they could think clearly.

Two hundred points was enough to change everything. The gap between Shen Yao, currently in first place, and the last person wasn’t even two hundred points. Whoever killed the Shadow Wolf would seize first place!