Chapter 51: Su Lingwei Wants to Be the Boss Too

This match had already been going on for half an hour, and even the audience was starting to find it dull.

Han Wenqing no longer cared about martial virtue either. He knew full well that if things dragged on any longer, he would definitely be worn to death. He had originally planned to crush this freshman head-on with overwhelming force, but now he had no other choice.

In arena matches, losing didn't only mean being beaten down — stepping outside the arena's bounds also counted as a loss…

"It's over!"

Han Wenqing used Spirit Energy to pull a weapon lying on the ground not far away, then channeled Spirit Energy along the spear's shaft and hurled the black spear with all his might, turning it into a streak of black light.

The force roared like a raging gale, leaving no time to react.

Chen Xiaohu tried to raise his hand to block, but with his current physical resilience and his Ancient Martial Arts Method that had only just begun, he had no way of withstanding Han Wenqing's full-power thrown spear head-on.

"Boom—!!"

A figure slammed heavily into the spectator stands, causing quite a commotion.

The match ended here.

Only then did Han Wenqing finally let out a breath of relief.

In an unnoticed corner of the arena, two people had watched the entire match from start to finish.

Su Lingwei held a cup of milk tea in her hands and commented, "His physical body really is outstanding, and cultivating an Ancient Martial Arts Method has given him at least some ability to fight back. If we had him on the team, brawls in the future should get a lot easier."

She meant every word of it.

Jiang Qin needed no explanation, but she herself wasn't skilled at close-quarters combat. Although her Flying Knives packed serious destructive power, facing enemies several times her own strength meant she had to control her Flying Knives while simultaneously dodging attacks — a single slip-up and she was done for.

But if they had a meat shield like him on the team, that worry would vanish.

And Jiang Qin, who had watched the entire battle from beside her, understood as well.

This fight was Chen Xiaohu proving himself to her, declaring his resolve — he wanted one more chance to join the team. Otherwise, Chen Xiaohu had no reason at all to challenge Han Wenqing.

Given the strength he had just displayed, among the second-years, aside from a very select few seniors, no one was his match.

If it were a fight to the death, among all the students in the entire Academy, only Jiang Qin could suppress Chen Xiaohu with his Slash Domain. Every other student either couldn't beat him or would be worn down to death.

"Since you think so highly of him, then you're the one who'll go invite him. Once the Investigator formal-employment assessment is over, we'll be heading out to garrison a city. The two of us alone are a bit too thin on the ground."

"Got it!"

Having made the decision, Jiang Qin's figure vanished soundlessly, without a trace.

By this point, Chen Xiaohu had already climbed out of the spectator stands. A flash of pain crossed his eyes — even after spending two days and two nights slaughtering Fierce Beasts inside an Otherworld Rift, he still couldn't ignore pain.

But compared to his former self, this kind of progress was already enormous.

A figure flashed and appeared before him.

Su Lingwei gave him a careful once-over from head to toe, then said, "You should know why I'm here. Tell me your decision — are you joining or not?"

"I'm joining!" Chen Xiaohu nodded heavily, his gaze resolute.

The improvements he could gain at the Academy were very limited. He had to face danger head-on. Only by staying at Jiang Qin's side would he have a chance to see a broader world and slay more Fierce Beasts!

He had issued the challenge to Han Wenqing for exactly this purpose, so naturally he wouldn't refuse now.

Seeing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Su Lingwei's face. "Very good! From now on, you run with us. Remember — when Jiang Qin isn't around, I'm your boss, and you have to listen to me."

Of course.

Mainly because she wanted to experience what it felt like to be the boss!

"Understood, Boss!" Chen Xiaohu said.

That "Boss" pleased Su Lingwei immensely. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she said, "Since you've already called me Boss, today this Boss will help you get your face back."

Her fingers moved slightly.

Two Flying Knives, the color of maple leaves, materialized out of thin air, their cold edges restrained. These were Flying Knives she had just finished refining — their grade had reached Fourth-tier, sufficient for use all the way to the Divine Image Realm Realm.

The red Flying Knives sliced through the air, racing toward the arena at extreme speed, cutting off someone who was about to slip away.

Han Wenqing stared at the two Flying Knives inches from his face, their blades pointed straight between his brows, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

That's not how you play the game…

The students who had already been preparing to leave, seeing there was still more excitement to watch, all returned to their seats one after another.

Two matches in one day — this trip really wasn't wasted!

Su Lingwei, of course, wasn't about to bother with martial virtue against Han Wenqing either. The instant she leaped onto the arena, she launched a fierce assault. Wave after wave of Flying Knives left Han Wenqing overwhelmed, and he was soon bleeding from multiple wounds.

In the end, he held out for less than ten minutes before Han Wenqing collapsed and conceded with a bitter expression.

It wasn't that he was weak.

It was that his Spirit Power had already been nearly drained from the match against Chen Xiaohu, and on top of that, Su Lingwei hadn't given him any chance to recover — which was why he went down so fast.

……

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

After receiving the assessment notice from the Spirit Suppression Bureau, Jiang Qin and Su Lingwei arrived at the Shanghai Spirit Suppression Bureau Headquarters.

The Spirit Suppression Bureau was not like the Public Security Bureau — it had very strict confidentiality requirements. So whether it was the headquarters or a branch, the bases were all extremely secretive. In fact, a single city might have multiple bases, to guard against sudden enemy attacks.

Led by a staff member, the two of them descended deep underground within the Spirit Suppression Bureau.

This was the assessment venue.

The moment they drew near, they heard a hubbub of voices. Looking up, the view opened up wide — ahead lay a vast open space, devoid of any facilities or superfluous decoration, with nearly a hundred figures standing within it.

Not only were there Intern Investigators from Modu, but also ones from other cities.

After all, the formal-employment assessment wasn't held frequently. Gathering people from several cities together for a single assessment was perfectly normal.

The appearance of Jiang Qin and Su Lingwei immediately drew quite a few gazes.

The reason was simple — the two of them were just too young.

Apart from the two of them, the youngest person present was at least five or six years older than they were. The moment the two walked into the venue, they looked somewhat out of place.

Various murmurs reached their ears.

"These two should still be students, right? How come they're here to take the formal-employment assessment too?"

"Does that even need asking? They're definitely students from Zhenling Academy. Every year there are plenty of outstandingly talented students who, the moment they break through to Spirit Sea, want to switch to becoming official Investigators. But how could it be that easy? The number of slots for passing the assessment each time is so small — I've already taken the exam four whole times!"

"Nearly a hundred people competing for ten slots, and among them there are more than ten at Spirit Sea Late Stage. Those two students are destined to just be here for the ride."

"Hahaha, listen to you all. It's a good thing they have ambition — what matters is the experience. Besides, the strength of this year's examinees is quite a bit higher than before. Even if they get last place, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I think the top spot this time is definitely Yang Ningxue. She fought her way out bit by bit from an Otherworld Rift, so she already possesses cross-border combat power. What's more, she's now broken through to Spirit Sea Late Stage and can stand shoulder to shoulder with Spirit Sea Peak."

"I know her! They say when she first awakened her talent, she was valued by a first-rate Academy, but not long after enrolling she beat a family disciple into serious injury, and was ultimately forced to withdraw. Later she joined the Zhenling Bureau, and has at least a hundred lives on her hands."

"Enough talk, the assessment is about to start…"