[Slaughter Drill x1]
[Ancient Martial Spear (Proficient)]
[345/1000]
Killing one Middle Tier Demon Beast adds 10 points.
[Metamorphosis Attribute: Powerful Penetration, Copper Transformation]
[Copper Transformation]
[Features: Transform Qi Blood into a protective force, solidifying it like copper.]
[Powerful Penetration]
[Features: Channel force into your limbs, allowing flesh and blood to break armor.]
He had two Metamorphosis Attributes. The first came from a high-quality Body Refining breakthrough into the Iron Flesh Realm. It allowed him to consume Qi Blood to reinforce his skin, to the point that even the fangs of a Red Armored Giant Lizard couldn't pierce it.
The second came from the ambush by the Red Armored Giant Lizard, an insight gained from a single Life and Death Drill. It was a technique that essentially grafted the Bright and Dark Force from his Ancient Martial Spear onto his fists and feet, allowing his punches to break armor as well.
After this battle, he could confirm that most Middle Tier Demon Beasts weaker than the Red Armored Giant Lizard were no match for him.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiu let out a long sigh. He dragged the at-least-five-hundred-pound Red Armored Giant Lizard back, muttering to himself, 'Middle Tier Demon Beasts are clearly more cunning than Low Tier ones. If I didn't have Copper Transformation, I would've been severely injured at the very least. I have to be more cautious from now on...'
He dragged the Red Armored Giant Lizard's corpse into the pitch-black floor of the supermarket. Light from a fire spilled down the stairs, accompanied by the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of footsteps.
Looking up, he saw Liu Zili holding a spear in each hand. The one in her right had a cone-shaped tip, and the one in her left had a Double Arc Blade. "Jiang Qiu, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Jiang Qiu shook his head, but before he could say more, Zhang Shan and the other students who followed her down grabbed the Demon Beast's corpse from him. "Whoa, we couldn't even pierce this armor with our spears, and you, Brother Jiang, smashed its skull open with your fist?"
"Brother Jiang, you're fucking awesome! Killing a Middle Tier Demon Beast bare-handed! I bet even Li Juefeng isn't that strong!"
"That tail whip almost broke my spine earlier. But look at Brother Jiang's physique, not a single problem. He's so tough."
"Yeah, thank goodness Brother Jiang was here. Otherwise, someone from our site would have been the first to [Withdraw] on the very first night."
"Haha, sticking with Brother Jiang is the safe way to go."
The joy of surviving the ordeal was as bright as a cheerful song. Surrounded by the others, Jiang Qiu returned to the second floor, back to the draft-free storage room where they regrouped around the bonfire.
They sprinkled another layer of Demon-exorcising Powder at the entrance and shut the iron door. Jiang Qiu took a clean black shirt from his pack to change into. As he did, the chiseled ravines of his muscles were fully revealed, once again drawing laughter from Zhang Shan and the others. "On the surface, Brother Jiang just looks a bit fit and on the lean side. Turns out the muscles underneath are as solid as steel bars! Not like me, I still look a little chubby!"
"Haha, Brother Jiang is at least in the Iron Flesh Realm. How could he be fat?"
Only Li Si stared wide-eyed, trying his hardest to spot something unusual, but he couldn't even make out a single bite mark.
'So Copper Skin and Iron Flesh isn't just an expression...'
After everyone settled down and the bonfire died out, they each hugged their spears and slept leaning against the wall. They glanced at Jiang Qiu before closing their eyes and soon fell asleep.
The night passed quickly. Hu Ye'ye got up early and dragged a whole carcass from the storeroom where they had kept the Demon Beast Meat yesterday, then started a fire to roast it for breakfast.
Mimicking Zhang Shan, she cut off a large piece of belly meat and handed it to Jiang Qiu.
"Thanks."
"Mm..."
Meeting Jiang Qiu's gaze, which was as calm as still water, Hu Ye'ye's heart skipped a beat. She went back to carving the meat with her head down, occasionally getting teased by Zhang Shan and the others for her clumsiness and quiet nature.
"Brother Jiang, what's the plan for today?"
Zhang Shan tore off a large bite of meat, his thick eyebrows twitching.
"Find Demon Beasts. Then kill them," Jiang Qiu said, his cheeks bulging with food. He paused for a moment. "We're occupying the best area in Qingmu Town, so there should be the most Demon Beasts here. If we search building by building, we should find plenty."
"Yeah, we have to hurry up and kill Demon Beasts before Li Juefeng recovers," Zhang Shan nodded, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "How about this? I suggest we give all the kill opportunities to Brother Jiang. We can practice capturing the Demon Beasts alive. After all, Brother Jiang is the core of Site Eight!
With Brother Jiang's strength, killing that Red Armored Giant Lizard bare-handed yesterday, if we combine that with all of our power, I dare say it'll be very difficult for Li Juefeng to catch up.
What do you guys think?"
His words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, creating a thousand ripples.
"Alright!"
"I support Brother Jiang!"
"We should have done this from the start! Every other site is doing its best to support their lead student!"
"Right!"
Jiang Qiu was taken aback. Seeing Liu Zili and Zhang Shan staring at him with burning intensity, with Wang Guanjia, Li Si, and the others also looking his way, the blood pumping in his heart felt like gently simmering tea.
'In the end,' he thought, 'I'm just killing Demon Beasts for money, for the 'Best Performance' award, and because I have the ability to do so.'
'Being able to kill more Demon Beasts is, of course, even better.'
"Thank you for your support."
A faint smile spread across Jiang Qiu's greasy lips. A sense of relief washed over his chest, as if all the murky air had been expelled.
[Extremely Low-Quality Body Refining x1]
[Extremely Low-Quality Body Refining x1]
[...]
After the meal, the group of outstanding students, led by Jiang Qiu, strode out of the supermarket. With their spear tips angled toward the ground and their killing intent coalescing like a tiger, they moved slowly down the main road. Occasionally, they would duck into a building along the street, kill a few Low Tier Demon Beasts, and emerge bathed in blood.
[Kill Count: 12]
[Kill Count: 13]
[Kill Count: 14]
[...]
[Slaughter Drill x1]
[Slaughter Drill x1]
[Slaughter Drill x1]
[...]
SWOOSH—
Inside a restaurant, as a Double Arc Blade sliced off the head of an Iron Armor Lizard, the two students who had been pinning its belly down breathed a sigh of relief. They shook their hands and wiped the sweat from their faces. "Capturing these things alive is way more tiring than just killing them. But my spear shaft is getting steadier."
"Yeah, but there don't seem to be as many Demon Beasts on Central Street as I expected. We've been at it for half the day and only found this one small nest of Iron Armor Lizards, killing five of them."
"If only we knew where the Secret Realm Center was. The Demon Beasts are definitely packed in there. We might even run into a Demon Plant."
"In your dreams. Demon Beasts, Demon Plants... The Secret Realm Center is warped and chaotic. If you accidentally get sucked into the Secret Realm Space, you'll be stuck there until the training hunt is over..."
Amid the playful banter, Hu Ye'ye, after getting Jiang Qiu's permission, gathered some wooden planks, plastic, and even tore down the dry vines covering the walls to start a fire. They immediately began to prepare another meal.
Soon, the rich, oily fragrance of cooking meat filled the air—another hearty feast of Demon Beast Meat.
Just as everyone was happily eating, the sound of footsteps, DA-DA-DA, came from the road outside, growing closer.
"Hey, it's Xie Kuang and his group... oh, they're missing someone."
Li Si shouted loudly, not letting the large mouthful of Demon Beast Meat he was chewing slow him down.
The footsteps stopped. Jiang Qiu and the others turned to look.
Xie Kuang stood at the other end of the road, a long spear in his hand. His magnificent Light Armor from the previous day was gone, dismembered somewhere. The shocking claw marks on his back were crusted with dried blood. He looked back at them like a vicious wolf, his bloodshot eyes resembling those of a Fierce Ghost.
Li Si subconsciously flinched and shrank his neck, but then remembered Jiang Qiu and the others were behind him. He grinned and waved tauntingly. "Xie Kuang! I'll share some meat with you! Want some?"
"Hmph!"
Xie Kuang dragged his feet and walked away. The surviving students behind him twitched their lips, gritting their teeth as they stared at the group eating around the fire inside the restaurant. A sour feeling surged into their sinuses, and after a moment's hesitation, they too left.
'How could those people who badmouthed Jiang Qiu have the nerve to eat Demon Beast Meat with him?'
'How could they have the audacity!'
'A bunch of shameless bastards!'
"Haha, Li Si, you've really got a nasty mouth on you."
Zhang Shan slapped his thigh and laughed, then took another huge bite of Demon Beast Meat, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Li Si curled his lip. "Otherwise, who's going to compensate me for the beating I took yesterday morning? He holds a grudge just because he overheard me say a couple of things about him. Tsk, tsk, tsk... not like Brother Jiang."
He turned and grinned at Jiang Qiu, causing everyone to break into knowing laughter.
Jiang Qiu silently withdrew his gaze and continued eating, offering no comment.
The boisterous noise continued. Unseen, on the withered yellow vines hanging on the outer wall, two or three small green buds had quietly sprouted...