Chapter 37: Hidden Stage

Setting aside the constant murmurs of the others, those from the Element Academy, like Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian, were feeling somewhat nervous.

Because Qin Jian had already successfully matched their results; if he were to force a draw with the Level 9 Soul Beast as well, he would enter the Level 1 Area to hunt Soul Beasts just like Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.

The quality of Soul Beasts there is far stronger than in the Level 1 Area.

Finally, the Level 9 Soul Beast appeared.

Like all the others, this was a Xuantu Giant Dragon capable of soaring through the skies and burrowing into the earth.

However, because Qin Jian's soul power was only Level 20, the strength of this giant dragon was only equivalent to Level 25, not Level 35.

Even so, it was far more troublesome than the previous eight Soul Beasts combined.

"Bang!"

The dragon claw slammed into the spot where Qin Jian had been standing, and several large trees toppled over just like that.

If not for Qin Jian's quick reflexes, he would have been knocked out of the training ground by that single blow.

Outside.

Everyone was staring intently at the scene before them.

Yu Tianxin relied on his powerful Beast Spirit, and Dugu Yan relied on her Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison; they also wanted to see how Qin Jian intended to deal with this Soul Beast that had a full 5-level gap in strength.

"Hmph! I don't believe he can also successfully force a draw with a Level 9 Soul Beast." Huo Wu crossed her arms and snorted coldly.

Although she was tough in her words, the index finger that kept tapping against her arm betrayed her inner restlessness.

"Teacher, can he fight the giant dragon to a draw like Yu Tianxin and Dugu Yan did before?"

In a corner, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but ask.

Her teacher looked at her in surprise and said, "Bing'er, you're actually concerned about whether someone else can succeed? Don't you usually refuse to get to know strangers?"

"Then... then never mind..."

Shui Bing'er immediately shrank back.

On the other side, Ning Rongrong was also clutching Ning Fengzhi's left hand tightly: "Daddy, Daddy, can Brother Jian fight this giant dragon to a draw?"

Ning Fengzhi glanced at her and said, "Based on a normal assessment of strength, Qin Jian has a chance, but only your Jian Yeye would know what his true level of strength is."

"Jian Yeye, Jian Yeye, can Qin Jian fight the giant dragon to a draw?" Ning Rongrong hurriedly turned her gaze toward Jian Douluo nearby.

"Jian Yeye thinks you should be considering whether Qin Jian can defeat the giant dragon; as for a draw, Jian Yeye isn't worried at all," Jian Douluo said with his arms crossed.

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly looked back at the image in front.

Sure enough, after the initial scramble, Qin Jian slowly adapted to the giant dragon's attack rhythm, and actually managed to trade blows with the giant dragon by relying on his martial soul, the Qing Sword, and the Sword Qi he kept unleashing...

"He wouldn't really force a draw with a Level 9 Soul Beast too, would he?"

Shui Bing'er's head poked out from behind her teacher again.

This time, her teacher didn't tease her, but instead kept her eyes fixed on the light screen and said softly, "He is worthy of being Jian Douluo's personal disciple; his attack power far exceeds that of Spirit Masters of the same level. Even Yu Tianxin of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect is far inferior to him in terms of attack power..."

"Moreover, I suspect his goal isn't just to force a draw..."

The teacher from Tianshui said with a deep gaze, "I think his goal might be to defeat this Soul Beast!"

"Ah?!"

Shui Bing'er covered her small mouth: "Teacher, is that possible?"

But before her words had even faded, the scene within the light screen changed again...

Because Qin Jian, somehow or other, dodged left and right, and actually climbed onto the giant dragon's head.

"He, he, he... what is he doing? If he falls off, he'll lose immediately!"

"He... he might be trying to... slay the dragon!"

"..."

There was an uproar outside.

And inside, at this very moment, Qin Jian held his Sword in a reverse grip with both hands and stabbed it fiercely downward!

"What I want to give to Rongrong... is more than just the Level 1 Area..."

"Hah!"

With his soul power erupting throughout his body, Qin Jian, under the shocked gazes of everyone, nailed himself firmly onto the struggling dragon head.

"Die... for me!"

Boom!

The soul power erupted completely, and for a moment, the inside of the light screen was shrouded in various colors of light; one could faintly hear a booming explosion, but those outside could not see clearly.

"Did he succeed? Did he succeed?"

Ning Rongrong was gripping Ning Fengzhi's hand so hard it hurt.

"He succeeded," Ning Fengzhi said hurriedly.

Ning Rongrong was stunned for a moment, then immediately jumped up: "He succeeded! He succeeded! He succeeded!"

Everyone was still staring at the light screen...

And at this moment, the image gradually became clear.

The forest was in a mess, a giant dragon lay on the ground, and the young man's figure stood proudly atop the dragon's head!

"He really... succeeded..." Yu Tianxin muttered.

On the other side, Huo Wu also opened her mouth wide: "That's a Level 9 giant dragon, how could he be this strong..."

At this time, Education Committee Member Meng Shenji suddenly said, "His attack power is extremely strong, but his defense is very weak, so he had to finish the battle quickly; he couldn't force a draw, he took a desperate gamble..."

"To have such courage at such a young age is truly remarkable!" he exclaimed.

"Why hasn't Brother Jian come out yet?"

Ning Rongrong, in front of the entrance, didn't care what Meng Shenji was saying; she just kept peering inside.

"Because the Assessment isn't over yet..."

Meng Shenji revealed a strange smile, and before the crowd could react, eight Soul Rings—Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black—suddenly lit up on his body.

At the same time, the earth within the light screen churned and forests grew, restoring the previously devastated world to normal in mere moments.

More importantly, the Xuantu Giant Dragon slowly climbed back up at this moment.

"Roar! ——"

It roared at the sky, then shot its fierce gaze toward Qin Jian, who had already retreated to the front...

"How could it... come back to life..."

Qin Jian's brows locked tightly, but in the next instant, his pupils constricted, and he lunged to the side...

"Boom!"

The next moment, the giant dragon's claw slammed into the spot where he had originally been standing!

"The speed has increased!"

Qin Jian looked back at the several-meter-wide deep pit and added, "The strength has also become stronger!"

The crowd outside also began to discuss the scene heatedly.

"How can there still be an Assessment? Wasn't the Level 9 giant dragon just killed?" Huyan Li's voice was the loudest.

Meng Shenji glanced at him, then said in a clear voice: "This is a hidden stage of the Mimicry Trial. Although he has already obtained the qualification for the Special Grade Area, the purpose of the trial is to test the upper limit of a student's strength, so there are five more levels of assessment after Level 9..."

"In other words, with Qin Jian's Level 20 soul power, he must deal with Soul Beasts with the strength of Level 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, respectively." His eyes flickered slightly as he spoke.

The crowd finally realized.

But the other two Education Committee Members looked at Meng Shenji with strange expressions and whispered: "We don't seem to have any such hidden stage, do we?"

Meng Shenji moved his mouth without moving his face: "Keep it down, keep it down..."

(End of this chapter)