Chapter 84: Countdown

This works?!

The barracks instantly erupted into chaos.

Today I've really opened my eyes.

Who says otherwise? Those who don't know would think he's a Talent Endowed in beast language, naturally having an extremely high affinity with demon beasts.

And yet he talks about affinity—how many demon beasts has he killed?

Inside the Huāngshén Cónglín.

Having the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon as a mount saved Lu Jing a lot of time.

Even demon beasts of the same rank vary in strength.

The Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon is the strongest among fourth‑rank beings; many point‑earning demon beasts tremble at its aura, unable to muster any fighting spirit.

Take the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros right in front of us: after seeing the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon circling in the sky, it froze for two seconds, then fled like a shot into the distance.

Seeing the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros flee, exposing its back, Lu Jing naturally wouldn't let such a good chance slip by.

A light tap of his feet made the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon understand his intent, and it accelerated into a dive.

Roar——

Accompanied by a dragon's roar, the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon's mouth flashed with red light, and its innate fire spewed forth.

Boom!

Wherever the flame pillar passed, trees toppled one after another, quickly forming a sea of fire along the path.

Yet the head‑down‑fleeing Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros couldn't escape; the flame pillar struck its back.

Even with its defenses maxed out, the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros couldn't last more than a few seconds under the scorching flame pillar.

Its flesh was charred black, cracking inch by inch.

Wuu~

As the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros's wail rang out, its body, weighing over ten tonnes, collapsed to the ground.

Due to inertia, it kept sliding forward, smashing through several big trees before stopping dozens of meters away.

"Little Fire, hold back a bit next time—if you blast it dead in one breath, what am I supposed to do?"

Lu Jing angrily patted the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon's horn, signaling it to fly lower.

As the distance closed, Lu Jing drew the Thousand‑Blade Demon Sword and leapt down.

Arriving beside the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros, Lu Jing watched its heaving chest and sighed, "Let me finish it with this final strike."

Clang——

The long blade pierced the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros's heart with precision.

Immediately after, the synthesis panel's notification sounded.

【Congratulations, host! You have slain the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros and gained 4 Colorless Crystal Blocks!】

【Congratulations, host! You have slain the Thunder Shadow Horn Rhinoceros and gained 2 Red Crystal Blocks!】

Lu Jing nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad—gather a few more Red Crystal Blocks and I can keep enhancing the Thousand‑Blade Demon Sword……

A ray of dawn leapt from Dongfang Lengbai's weapon, dyeing the clouds on the horizon blood‑red.

The forest beneath the clouds was more than half destroyed, and thin wisps of green smoke rose, as if recounting last night's ordeal.

After a night of struggle, Lu Jing wiped out all the fourth‑rank demon beasts released by the training camp.

Of course, Little Fire wasn't among them.

Last night Lu Jing hardly lifted a finger; those fourth‑rank demon beasts were chased and scorched by Little Fire, losing half their lives outright.

"You've worked hard."

Lu Jing stroked the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon's neck, signaling it to land.

Roar——

Little Fire let out a weary roar; after a nonstop night, its stamina was more than half gone.

"Your mission is complete; you may rest."

Lu Jing laughed as he reassured it.

With the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon nearby, no demon beast dared approach, and he could finally get a good night's sleep.

Outside the Huāngshén Cónglín.

In the barracks.

"Chief Dong, the assessment ends in an hour—should we issue a notice?"

A staff member asked.

"Hmm."

Dong Ningxue nodded, looking at the screen showing a person and a dragon curled up asleep together, and she laughed helplessly.

If we don't send the notice, he'll probably just sleep straight through to evening.

【Only one hour left until the camp assessment ends!】

Everyone's wristwatch chimed.

【All trainees, please proceed immediately to the entrance to assemble!】

This sudden noise turned the area outside the Huāngshén Cónglín into utter chaos.

With only one hour left, trainees who lacked enough points or had theirs stolen all panicked.

Many of them hung their heads, weak and listless, shuffling toward the entrance.

Still others gritted their teeth, grabbed their weapons, and eyed their fellow trainees warily and fiercely.

As for hunting demon beasts to earn points?

Even if their information was completely blocked, they still knew there was a person named Lu Jing who had reclaimed all the demon beast points.

Therefore, the only way to earn points now is to kill each other.

Immediately afterward, a shocking scene appeared.

Around the outskirts of Huāngshén Cónglín, the students who had huddled together out of fear of encountering demon beasts actually started fighting each other.

Although here, their performance looked utterly pathetic.

But it was only because someone was too dazzling, creating a stark contrast with them.

You should know, in their own cities and schools they were top-tier geniuses, the promising stars everyone had high hopes for.

But the next moment, this chaotic scene suddenly came to an inexplicable halt.

Many people kept looking up at the sky, occasionally sighing about something.

Actually......

In the not-so-distant sky, a drake covered head to toe in fiery red scales, with wings and a tail, appeared.

Under the sunlight, it was plated with a layer of gold, shining brilliantly.

This drake shook its mighty wings, sometimes hovering low, sometimes shooting straight up like a sword to pierce the heavens, breaking through the cloud layer.

"Oh my god, what level of demon beast is this? It looks terrifying!"

A student twisted his stiff neck from looking up too long and shouted with a trembling voice.

His position was still some distance from the entrance, and the sudden appearance of the drake made him very uneasy.

"At the very least, this is a fourth‑level demon beast, and the strongest kind!"

"Its size rivals that of a small passenger plane; I hope it's just passing by......"

"Hurry up and run—escaping with our lives is the priority!"

With that terrifying demon beast circling overhead, everyone was scared out of their wits and sprinted toward the entrance as if flying.

However, things did not go as wished.

The drake circling in the air suddenly swayed its body, and with a flap of its huge fleshy wings it changed direction, likewise flying toward the entrance.

Its speed was worlds apart from that of the students running on the ground.

At the entrance, Dong Ningxue arrived late with Zhu Xingyao and a group of staff members.

Seeing the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon swooping down from the sky, a staff member in uniform immediately grew nervous and said, "Commander, should we shoot down this Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon?"

Dong Ningxue frowned slightly, looking at the students still some distance from the entrance, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

She was just about to give the order to shoot it down when Zhu Xingyao beside her shook her head.

"Don't rush, let's observe first," Zhu Xingyao said, a lollipop in her mouth, smiling: "Lu Jing is very likely up there; if we shoot down the Blazing Fire Cloud Dragon now, wouldn't we wipe him out as well?"