Chapter 103: The Ninth Starlight Equipment Material

Ji Huai's extra lessons teach the usage techniques of the long blade, yet they are not merely the usage techniques of the long blade.

In the process of guidance, he also imparted his combat philosophy wholeheartedly.

In Ji Huai's view, the two sides in battle are like the two pans of a scale; if the power gap is too great, the scale quickly tilts to one side, making such battles usually without suspense.

When the powers are relatively close, the victory scale wavers between the ends; if one side suffers an injury that affects its condition in battle, then in the subsequent battle it will be more prone to injury, causing the scale to tip to the other side.

So…

Seizing his illness, take his life! Gripping the long blade with both hands aimed at the not‑far Black Demon Cat, Qin Chuan's mind echoed Ji Huai's low shout, and his gaze suddenly became sharp.

Azure‑blue light surged again at the bottom of his vision; Qin Chuan saw the Black Demon Cat's beating heart and its internal blood circulation, and also saw the blood temporarily blocked as it flowed through the waist‑abdomen wound.

As he focused all his attention on the blade in his hand and the opponent before him, this moment felt exceptionally quiet in his perception; he sensed the surging chill around him and the wind sweeping past the forest behind him.

His body together with the long blade in his hand instantly turned into countless snowflakes, riding the wind and swiftly swooping toward the Black Demon Cat.

The Black Demon Cat's expression was wary; as it let out a fierce hiss, it arched its back, locked its gaze on the incoming snowflakes, did not retreat but advanced, and fiercely swung its sharp claws, trying to tear apart the human who was hiding in the snow, pretending to be mystical.

Its swinging claws raised a gale, scattering the frost before it; the matchless force, merely an instant, shattered the snowflakes into powder.

Yet its attack struck empty air, never touching Qin Chuan in the slightest.

After the failed attempt, the instant it landed again, the Black Demon Cat, without hesitation, burst forth at its utmost speed, trying to escape this snow‑filled region that felt ominous to it.

But it seemed to have forgotten that it was wounded.

Under the Black Demon Cat's full‑force eruption, the wound at its waist‑abdomen was torn open a little; the blocked blood, like a breached dam, instantly burst through the obstruction and sprayed out, worsening the wound once more.

It's time.

Qin Chuan, who had seen everything clearly through Water Vision, muttered a word, appeared at the injured side‑abdomen of the Black Demon Cat, and his long blade instantly thrust out, deeply piercing the wound, slipping through a rib gap at an extremely tricky angle straight into the chest cavity.

Puchi—

The cold bursting from within its body made the Black Demon Cat's body instantly stiffen; the pierced and frozen heart caused its vitality to swiftly depart its body.

As Qin Chuan pulled out the blood‑stained long blade, the Black Demon Cat's body heavily fell to the ground.

At the end of its life, it stared fixedly at Qin Chuan, emitting a blood‑tinged whimper from its mouth; the last gleam faded from its eyes, and Qin Chuan's figure was sealed within its lifeless pupils.

It's over.

Qin Chuan glanced at the time shown on his wrist, confirmed he hadn't exceeded the limit, and let out a slight sigh of relief.

This should secure him first place.

"Not bad."

A familiar voice drifted from nearby; Qin Chuan started, turned sharply, and exclaimed, "Teacher Ji?!"

He hadn't realized at all when the other had arrived.

"Just happened to pass by." Ji Huai didn't elaborate, speaking plainly, "There are still five minutes left; continue the assessment."

"Okay…" Qin Chuan nodded.

Although that was the case, it was already the final five minutes; having just slain the Black Demon Cat, the string he had kept taut for nearly two hours loosened, he slumped sitting under a nearby tree, took out a stamina‑recovery fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

Ji Huai walked up to the Black Demon Cat, glanced twice, then looked at Qin Chuan once, and turned to leave.

"Teacher Ji!" Qin Chuan suddenly remembered something, hurriedly called out to him, "Is this demon cat Level 20?"

Ji Huai's departing figure did not pause; only his words drifted over: "That bear is."

Eh? Watching Ji Huai disappear into the forest, Qin Chuan fell into thought.

What Teacher Ji meant was… the Advanced Demon Bear he had killed earlier was Level 20?

He couldn't help but glance again at the Black Demon Cat.

What is this, then? — After the assessment ends, all examinees will gather at the field where they arrived.

Their gazes were first drawn to the pile of experience gems stacked like a small hill on the ground.

For a moment, even Qin Chuan found it hard to look away.

How many experience gems must this be? At least over a thousand! "Congratulations, everyone, for successfully completing this practical assessment and returning safely here." Lan Cheng cleared his throat lightly, and his loud words shifted the examinees' attention away from the experience gems.

"The experience gems you see now are the rewards of this practical assessment; for intern‑level examinees ranked second to hundredth, the amount of experience gems awarded varies by rank."

"Official‑level examinees also receive a share, with the amount likewise tied to rank."

"And now…" Lan Cheng raised his voice a few notches, waved the paper in his hand, "Your rankings are right here."

As his words fell, everyone's gaze turned to the ranking in Lan Cheng's hand.

"Intern‑level first place… Senior Year 3 Class 7 of Changxing City No. 2 Middle School, Li Xian!"

As Lan Cheng's words fell, a cheer burst from the ranks; Xiao Pang strode out with a steps that ignored all kin, walking amid the examinees' envious, jealous, hateful gazes, laughing until his eyes nearly vanished.

Qin Chuan also felt a bit dazed.

Really, this guy got the intern‑level first place?

But noticing that Xiao Pang's outfit was not the one he arrived in, the cuff of his short sleeve still showed a hint of white bandage, Qin Chuan's expression shifted slightly.

To secure this first place, Xiao Pang probably endured quite a bit of hardship.

Once this guy makes up his mind, not even ten oxen can pull him back.

Before he could think further, Lan Cheng spoke again.

"Official‑level first place… Senior Year 3 Class 7 of Changxing City No. 2 Middle School, Qin Chuan!"

Everyone's gaze instantly turned to Qin Chuan.

Both first places were from No. 2 Middle School, and even in the same class—clearly beyond everyone's expectations.

Qin Chuan strode out, his heart inevitably stirring up waves.

First!

This means he may freely choose one Starlight Equipment Material from the list provided by the Special Affairs Group.

Before the weekly settlement, he already possessed four Starlight Equipment Materials; the Superior Ranking settlement and the refresh of the Achievement Shop gave him three more, and during the Resource Exploration prior to leaving the Dream World, he discovered the eighth Starlight Equipment Material.

Although he hadn't yet gone to claim it, Qin Chuan had already taken it as his own.

So, this is his ninth piece of starlight equipment material right before him.

If everything goes smoothly, Shui Hua will soon have her own starlight equipment, completing the equipment evolution.

He patted Xiao Pang's shoulder, Qin Chuan stood at the front of the stage, looking down at the other thirteen formal-level examinees with varied expressions, his smile brilliant.

Ladies and gentlemen, I accept your concession! (End of chapter)