Moreover, the vine armor's defining trait was its ability to regenerate and repair any damage.
Yet looking at it now, the armor showed no sign of self-repair. It lay inert, utterly devoid of vitality – likely ruined beyond recovery.
Liu Yun struggled to contain her fury. "Wasn't that a bit excessive? He only said a few words."
Lu Ding crossed his arms. "Hmm. I *was* excessive. And? What are you going to do about it?"
*He was just mouthing off. He was just joking. He didn't mean it.* Phrases like that made Lu Ding sick.
He couldn't be bothered arguing semantics. *You ran your mouth first. Today, I hit you. Deal with it!!*
"You—"
Indeed. What *could* she do? Nothing.
Her strength was comparable to Chu Hao's. If he couldn't block that strike, neither could she. And neither could react in time.
Facing Lu Ding head-on? She'd likely be instantly defeated.
"Save your breath. If I don't like what you say, you won't get special treatment either."
**[Warning: Candidates are prohibited from attacking each other. Prepare for assessment commencement in five minutes.]**
The announcement echoed through the arena.
The altercation hadn't gone unnoticed by the spectators outside.
Instantly, the commentary exploded.
"What just happened?! They just started fighting out of nowhere!"
"One move sent Chu Hao flying – with his vine armor! This guy's no new recruit! I'd believe he's a formal investigator!"
"Must be his talent. That power is terrifyingly strong."
"I admit he's powerful, but his attitude... attacking outright? Isn't that a bit arrogant?"
"Stop talking shit! 'A bit arrogant'? If you think he's arrogant, challenge him after the assessment! That flick-of-the-finger strike? Imagine it at full power – it could cleave your head clean off your ass!"
"Arrogance is earned! With that strength, *I'd* be worse! Chu Hao struts around like a peacock because of that artifact, sneering at everyone. Finally, someone put him in his place!"
"Remember when he picked fights with other trainees? Hid behind the vine armor, beat them down, then called them trash? Look who's trash now! Too scared to even squeak. Kisses up, kicks down. Serves him right! Hahaha!"
The atmosphere outside reached a fever pitch.
Five minutes passed in a blink. Chu Hao finally managed to gasp out the knot of pain in his chest, his color returning. He glanced at Lu Ding nearby, eyes filled with wariness.
Realizing his vine armor was effectively destroyed, that wariness deepened into outright fear.
When someone is only slightly stronger, you resent them, plot revenge, bide your time.
But when the gap is like heaven and earth? Only fear remains. Revenge? Futile. Unthinkable.
Chu Hao understood. His arrogance stemmed entirely from the vine armor. With it, he'd looked down on every trainee except Liu Yun.
Now the armor was broken. His confidence shattered with it.
His earlier certainty about the assessment evaporated, replaced by deep unease.
Two-meter-tall wooden dummies, grotesque in appearance, began emerging from the ground. Chu Hao instinctively took half a step back.
With the armor, he could focus solely on offense, ignoring defense. Without it? Every hit would land. Every hit would *hurt*.
**[Assessment Commence!]**
Hundreds of wooden dummies surged forward.
Lu Ding's face lit with excitement. He leapt forward, meeting the charge head-on.
"Bring it!"
His hand swept sideways. A horizontal cutting force, spanning ten meters, erupted instantly.
Where it passed, until its energy dissipated, over a dozen dummies were cleaved cleanly in half.
No system prompt appeared.
Disappointment flickered in Lu Ding's heart.
Unrealistic, perhaps, but he'd hoped killing these constructs might yield rewards.
*Apparently not. And they're pathetically weak.*
The sheer devastation of that single strike drew gasps from the crowd and ignited the fighting spirit of the other trainees.
The assessment battle erupted in earnest!
Lu Ding moved fluidly through the front ranks of the dummy horde. Cutting forces surrounded him, swirling like a protective storm. With every gesture, slashes burst forth. Wood chips flew. Limbs shattered. He moved with unhurried grace, a brutal ballet unfolding around him.
He reached out, snagged a dummy by the head.
Dozens of invisible blades materialized and twisted in his grip.
The dummy's head instantly disintegrated into a shower of splinters.
Lu Ding casually scattered the debris.
*Too easy.* These dummies looked intimidating, but their actual combat prowess barely exceeded that of an ordinary human.
Just taller. Tougher. Stronger. Faster. More numerous.
That was all.
They posed no threat whatsoever.
Within ten minutes, the number beside Lu Ding's name on the massive overhead screen had skyrocketed past eighty.
Eighty-plus kills.
Witnessing this monstrous statistic, the other trainees outside lost all composure.
"This guy's more monstrous than the monsters! Eighty-plus kills in ten minutes?! Is he chopping cabbages?!"
"No wonder he's arrogant! With that strength? He's *earned* it!!!"
"He might break the record! Both time *and* kills! I've never heard of a trainee clearing eighty in ten minutes!"
"Lu Ding. Remember that name. If possible... I want him on my team. Pure security."
"How many do you think he'll clear in an hour?"
"At least four or five hundred."
"Agreed. Wonder if breaking a record gets extra rewards?"
"Dream on! This isn't a novel! Breaking records doesn't come with bonus loot!"
"No extra rewards, but he's famous now. Doubt anyone in 749 will forget his name after this."
Unaware of the reactions outside, Lu Ding fought on.
Nearby, Liu Yun wove through the dummies, her demonic sword flashing. Each stroke felled another dummy, adding to her tally on the screen.
Yet, despite her efficiency, her score lagged far behind Lu Ding's. She had barely passed thirty kills; he was nearing two hundred.
Liu Yun had thought the gap between her and the other trainees was vast, blessed as she was with a demonic sword and a powerful talent.
But Lu Ding's appearance was a brutal lesson: *Beyond every mountain, a higher peak. Beyond every sky, a vaster heaven.*
The compliments and praise she'd received these past weeks suddenly felt hollow, embarrassing. She flushed with shame, the irony bitter.
She cut down another dummy.
After nearly a month here, it finally struck her: *I need to train harder!*