Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Apprentice Demon Exterminator Examination
Early on the morning of the examination, Lu Zhan took a bus to the Demon Extermination Bureau.
He had to admit that he was lucky. He had happened to catch the Demon Extermination Bureau’s semiannual examination.
If he had been a few days later, he would have had to wait until spring next year.
About half an hour later, the bus announcement sounded.
“The next stop is Linhai City Demon Exterminator Training Base. Passengers getting off, please prepare.”
It was called a training base, but in reality, it was simply Linhai City’s Demon Extermination Bureau.
Very soon, a towering building came into view. So this was the Demon Extermination Bureau? Lu Zhan gave it a brief look before heading inside.
There was an open-air football field inside, broad and spacious.
There were also quite a few stands around it.
They were packed densely with people, some carrying sabers and others wearing swords on their backs.
Are these the examinees taking the test with me?
Lu Zhan walked toward the crowd and heard several people discussing things among themselves.
“Sigh, what bad luck. I don’t know what’s going on this year, but why are there so many people taking the examination?”
“Because more people have awakened. But this time, the Demon Extermination Bureau is offering quite a few slots too. There are fifteen in total.”
“My god, fifteen slots?!!! I heard there were only five slots last time, but even then there were three people who got an Excellent rating. How many examinees do you think will reach Excellent this time?”
“I’d say at least two. Shangguan Ling and Wang Botao both have pretty good talent.”
“Sigh, if you put it that way, doesn’t that mean there are only thirteen slots left?”
“With strength like ours, it’s basically impossible to pass the examination. We’re just here to make up the numbers and get a little experience.”
...
Lu Zhan looked around.
Clearly, there were quite a few people planning to just gain experience.
Although his strength was low here, he did not stand out.
In just that short while, Lu Zhan had already seen several people whose realms were about the same as his.
As for the ratings they had just mentioned, Lu Zhan had checked the rules last night as well. The Demon Extermination Bureau examination lasted an hour and a half.
Killing a demon beast one realm below your own was worth 10 points.
Killing a demon beast at the same realm was worth 20 points.
Killing one a realm above you was worth 30 points.
And so on.
Different ratings meant different treatment after entering the Demon Extermination Bureau.
There were four levels of examination rating:
30 to 50 points was Pass;
60 to 70 points was Good;
80 to 90 points was Excellent;
100 points and above was Perfect.
The higher the examination rating, the greater the potential one represented, and the more resources would be tilted in one’s favor.
Just then, two elderly men in dark blue trench coats walked toward the crowd.
“Look, it’s Commandant Li and Commandant Zhao.”
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Everyone immediately turned to look at the two old men, their eyes filled with deep reverence.
Lu Zhan knew these were the examiners.
As for the “Commandant” they were referring to, that was a Demon-Slaying Commandant, a position within the Demon Extermination Bureau.
Thirty years ago, a blood moon had hung in the sky, and the whole world had undergone demonic transformation.
That was how the Demon Extermination Bureau had come into being.
However, over the years, the Demon Extermination Bureau had ended up with quite a few strange categories of positions.
But the officially designated ranks were: Apprentice Demon Exterminator, Demon-Subduing Guard, Demon-Suppressing Mage, Demon-Slaying Commandant, Demon-Quelling Commander...
An Apprentice Demon Exterminator was generally someone in the Qi Condensation Realm. By that logic, a Demon-Slaying Commandant would be a powerhouse in the Yuan Gang Realm.
Lu Zhan only glanced at the man once, yet he inexplicably felt a formless pressure.
He let out a helpless sigh in his heart.
“Sigh. The Fourth Heaven of the Qi Condensation Realm is still a bit lacking in the end. I just hope I can hunt a few more demon beasts in this examination.”
He thought to himself in silence.
Li Cunguang took the microphone and briefly explained the examination rules.
“Ahem! All examinees, please be quiet.”
“There are quite a few candidates here today, so I’ll first announce the examination rules.”
“First, cheating of any kind is forbidden during the examination. If you are caught, your eligibility to take the examination will be revoked, and you will not be allowed to register for it again for three years.”
“Second...”
...
While Li Cunguang was announcing the rules, the other examiner, Zhao Jun, tested everyone’s realm.
After that, he gave each examinee a talisman.
Lu Zhan recognized this talisman. He had looked up the examination procedure online last night.
He knew that this was a teleportation talisman, and it was also the tool used to record points.
Once all that was done, the two old men grew solemn. With a lift of their hands, special spirit runes appeared in the air one after another.
Very quickly, a tide of spiritual power stirred within the Demon Extermination Bureau, and a crack appeared before the crowd.
“So this is the demon nest?”
Lu Zhan studied the crack before him with some curiosity.
Though it was called a demon nest, it was really just a secret realm.
Every time a demon nest opened, the demon beasts inside would rush out and devour people, forming a demon tide.
For many ordinary people, that was no less than a natural disaster.
However, the Demon Extermination Bureau’s demon nest here was rather special. The demon beasts inside had probably already been cleared out before. It was only for the sake of the examination that they had deliberately captured and released some demon beasts into it again.
At the same time, the Demon Extermination Bureau would also clear out any demon beasts above the Qi Condensation Realm to prevent accidents during the examination. So the demon beasts inside would not exceed the Qi Condensation Realm.
“All right, get inside quickly. If you encounter mortal danger, you can activate the teleportation talisman.”
“But once you activate the teleportation talisman, it means you have failed the examination.”
Li Cunguang gave one final reminder.
The examination was dangerous, so everyone’s eyes held more or less some nervousness and fear.
Lu Zhan, however, was the exception.
His eyes burned with excitement as he stepped into the demon nest without hesitation.
For him, time was money.
Seeing how decisive Lu Zhan was, Li Cunguang was a little surprised.
Zhao Jun could not help asking when he saw that.
“What is it, Old Li?”
Li Cunguang shook his head and smiled lightly.
“Nothing. I just saw an interesting kid. His strength is average, but he’s brimming with confidence.”
“And... he looks like a very kind child.”
Zhao Jun could not help freezing for a moment.
“How do you know that? Do you know him?”
Li Cunguang shook his head.
“No, but you haven’t looked at him. That boy is full of righteous energy. You only need one glance to know.”
...
Inside the demon nest, Lu Zhan only felt his vision blur. By the time he came back to his senses, he discovered that he had appeared in a forest.
Dense branches blocked out the sunlight, and the ground was covered with a layer of dry fallen leaves that crunched underfoot.
Suddenly,
“Hrmph! Hrmph! Hrmph!”
Before he could react, the sound of a beast roaring came from the woods.
“Hm?”
Lu Zhan was puzzled at first, but he quickly understood what was happening.
“Hahaha, a demon beast, it’s a demon beast.”
“This is great!”
“I didn’t expect my luck to be this good. I actually got teleported right into a demon beast’s territory.”
Lu Zhan was a little excited.
It was a pitch-black wild boar. It was not especially strong, and its realm was equal to his.
As the boar charged toward Lu Zhan, Lu Zhan also excitedly drew the Longevity Saber at his waist and rushed to meet it.
For a moment, a dense aura of slaughter filled the entire forest.
Thus, one man and one demon rushed toward each other.
Very quickly, they met face to face.
The wild boar’s eyes turned blood-red the moment it saw Lu Zhan. It leaped into the air and rammed forward savagely.
Its sharp tusks seemed intent on skewering this outsider who had trespassed into its territory.
Lu Zhan was a little surprised.
This demon beast was so fast. No wonder people online said that at the same realm, demon beasts were much stronger than humans.
However...
other people were other people. Lu Zhan was different.
His strength had been cultivated bit by bit through his own hard work using Slaughter Points.
So his foundation was exceptionally solid.
He might only be at the Fourth Heaven of the Qi Condensation Realm, but his spiritual energy was denser and purer than that of many martial artists at the Fifth Heaven of the Qi Condensation Realm.
Not to mention that he also had the title’s enhancement.
[ Effect 1: Sharp Edge ]
Attack power permanently increased by 30%. The power of saber-type martial arts is additionally increased by 20%.
So although the boar was fast, Lu Zhan’s saber was faster.
A streak of red light flashed past, and the Longevity Saber gave a soft hum.
Then the wild boar let out a miserable scream.
Blood dripped down as Lu Zhan sheathed his saber.
It was done in one smooth motion.
At the same time, a mechanical electronic voice sounded.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have slain a demon beast at the Fourth Heaven of the Qi Condensation Realm. Reward: 400 Slaughter Points. ]
[ The title First Showing of One’s Edge has been activated. Additional Slaughter Points gained: 40. ]
[ Current Slaughter Points: 440. ]