On the screen, Lin Fang groaned and began to sit up. There was no blood or any gaping wound. His shirt was torn where the bison's horn struck, but his flesh underneath looked completely unscathed.
"Pause it," Feng Xiu said, stepping closer.
The screen froze on Lin Fang, whose one hand was gripping the cracked floor, and the other was already forming a fist once again.
Feng Xiu murmured, "There's no visible mana readings emitted from him… and judging by common sense, that beast should've torn open a damn hole."
"Could be armor? Some sort of artifact?" another suggested.
"No," Feng Xiu said. "I don't think so. Battle Gears and artifacts are banned inside those testing chambers. The moment any of them gets activated, alarms would automatically ring."
He tapped his chin. "Pull up his profile."
The assistant opened the file: Lin Fang.
Feng Xiu frowned, seeing that it was pretty much clean, but it made it difficult to understand what he was displaying right now. "Either this kid is hiding something far beyond regulation, or… Hmm… what the…" His eyes widened, watching the scene.
A moment ago, back in the testing chamber;
While Lin Fang seemed unharmed, the Tundra Bison staggered instead, its hooves scraping wildly on the stone floor. A pained bellow echoed as cracks formed across its thick hide. It shook its head with its bloodshot eyes blinking in confusion.
Lin Fang looked down at his body, tugged up his shirt, and blinked. There was no gaping wound. Just a red bruise mark where the bison had struck.
"Cool," he muttered, flexing his fingers. "I knew that Black is stronger than this bison."
Adrenaline surged again in his body as he clenched his fists tighter and his eyes locked on the dazed bison. "Alright, big guy," Lin Fang said aloud. "My turn."
He charged forward and unleashed a full-force punch, driven by every ounce of strength he could muster through the Combat Merge.
His fist slammed into the bison's ribs.
Crack!
*Graaaaa*
The beast let out another agonized scream and crumpled to the ground, trembling before falling unconscious, its legs folding under its enormous weight.
One full-powered punch. That's all it took for Lin Fang to beat down a Commander Tier monster with high defense.
Meanwhile, a soft chime echoed through the room. A translucent screen descended from the ceiling.
Level-3 Cleared
Time: 0:28 seconds
Score: 430/500
Total Score: 810/1000 – PASSED
[Congratulations, Applicant Lin Fang, you move onto Level 4.]
Lin Fang stumbled back a step and exhaled sharply. "Haha… I did it. I did the right thing in selecting the strongest one over playing safely."
He couldn't help but pump his fist, grinning widely. "Didn't even need the Blood Coagulation Pill!"
He turned to the cage, which now lowered gently from the ceiling. Inside, Black was curled up in a deep slumber, breathing softly. "Hey," Lin Fang whispered, placing the crate down gently and brushing his fingers over Black's soft fur. "Thank you."
Back at the Control Room, a strange silence filled. Everyone was frozen, staring at the live feed.
"What?" one staff member muttered.
Feng Xiu's jaw was hanging open.
The monitor replayed Lin Fang's final strike, frame by frame. The punch. The collapse. The complete shutdown of a peak Commander Tier monster in under 30 seconds.
"This… This is ridiculous," Feng Xiu finally said, snapping out of it. "There's no artifact use, no visible spell, no combat gear, not even a trace of spiritual energy. And he… punched it into submission with pure fist? How? The only possibility is the Combat Merge, where the hunters could use the powers of their companions. But only a tamer could do that."
The receptionist nervously added, "Um… Sir. We double-checked his records. He's a registered plainfolk."
Feng Xiu's brow furrowed deep. He muttered almost to himself: "That's impossible. A plainfolk cannot form a bond strong enough for Combat Merge. Unless…"
A moment of silence, and his eyes lit up in realization. "Unless he's… an innate soul."
He stared long and hard at the monitor, narrowing his eyes.
*
Meanwhile, Lin Fang stepped through the doors into the waiting hall, where the cool air of the corridor gave way to the low buzz of voices and shifting footsteps. The large screens still displayed "Level-3 In Progress" for most participants.
"Classmate Lin!"
A voice captured Lin Fang's attention for a moment. As he turned to the voice, he saw Zhi Yan rush up from one of the benches, halting just a foot away from him with her eyes scanning him from head to toe. "What happened? You're out early. Don't tell me…"
He smiled and, from behind his back, pulled out a sleek black envelope embossed with the silver insignia of the Hunter Association.
Zhi Yan's eyes widened. "You passed? Seriously?" she gasped.
He shook his head, "Not exactly, but this is a ticket for the final trial."
"A ticket to the final trial?" Zhi Yan blinked in wonder.
Lin Fang shrugged. "After passing the third level, I was given this letter and told that the final level exam would be conducted three months later."
"Three months later?" Zhi Yan seemed quite taken aback by it. "Why?" But before Lin Fang answered, Zhi Yan answered her own question. "Yeah, if it is Feng Xiu, it makes sense."
Zhi Yan then held his arm tighter and half-skipped forward. "Anyway, you did what I thought was impossible. We have to celebrate this."
"C'mon, I haven't got the license yet."
"Nope, no excuses!" she grinned, dragging him along like a sister pulling her little brother from a video game.
Meanwhile, across the hall, standing near the wall like a pale statue, Leng Xuenyi watched them quietly with her arms crossed. Her wolf, Fenrir, was nowhere to be seen, though.
She murmured to herself, so quietly that even the people standing nearby didn't notice."So the young master managed to pass three levels. I must inform the Old Master. He will want to know immediately. But before that…"
She then glanced ahead, and there was a holographic screen floating before her, and on it, a notification was seen, awfully similar to Lin Fang's system.
*Ding!
[You completed the Side Quest, Complete Lin Xintong's mission. You received one of the hints for the main quest.]
She blinked in surprise as a piece of information appeared in her head, "Hmm? Based on the hints gathered, to complete the main quest and get a seat in the Overlord Council, I need to find the Divine Temple. But what is this Divine Temple? Where is it? Hmm… Anyway… let's get out of this place."
She turned, walking toward the exit without another word.
Control Room;
Feng Xiu stood at the far end, near a secluded corner, speaking into a small communicator pressed to his ear. His voice was low and tight with restraint. "Brother… I need a favor."
"Speak." A heavy voice responded from the other side.
"Name's Lin Fang. A plainfolk suspected to be an innate soul. I will send you the basic details and the photograph. I need to know everything about him. Background, origin, family, friends. Everything. Based on his profile, he is of Manchu descent. Start from there."