In a dark corner, Zhang Meng pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his Pregnant, poured out a few dark red pills, and with a sinister grin, threw them into the iron cage where several Carrion Rats were confined.
The Carrion Rats were already restless. Smelling the strange, fishy odor emanating from the pills, they immediately scrambled to devour them.
“Squeak, squeak!”
Almost instantly, the Carrion Rats that swallowed the pills let out sharp, piercing cries! In their originally murky little eyes, a demonic red glow suddenly flashed! Their fur stood on end, their bodies trembled slightly, emitting a frantic, restless, and bloodthirsty aura! It was as if they had been injected with some kind of berserk power!
“Hehe…” Zhang Meng watched the changes in the Carrion Rats in the cage, a sinister and arrogant smile appearing on his face.
This was no ordinary test! He had added some “potent ingredients” to the pills for the Carrion Rats — a forbidden drug that could temporarily stimulate the potential of Vicious Beasts and send them into a berserk state!
“You dare to make Li Yue look at you differently? Kid, today I’ll let you know what’s what!” Zhang Meng thought viciously to himself, “Let you suffer a bit, preferably get injured, then see how you can still put on an act in front of Li Yue! And let Li Yue see who is the truly reliable man when it matters!”
He opened the cage, and several Carrion Rats with red eyes, clearly on the verge of berserk, shot out like arrows from a bowstring, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the street, heading straight for East District Three where Dongfang Yueming and Li Yue were!
…Meanwhile, in a secluded alley in East District Three.
Li Yue had brought Dongfang Yueming here for a brief stop. She said it was a patrol, but she seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally led Dongfang Yueming to this relatively remote, obstructed area.
Dongfang Yueming keenly sensed an unusual atmosphere. It was too quiet around; even the usual stray cats and dogs were nowhere to be seen, and a faint, fishy smell seemed to permeate the air.
“Sister Li Yue, here…” Dongfang Yueming was about to ask.
“Shh…” Li Yue, however, put a finger to her lips, playfully winked at him, a sly, mischievous smile on her face, as if anticipating something.
Dongfang Yueming frowned slightly, and instantly understood.
Sure enough, there was something fishy!
Just then!
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!!!”
Several sharp, piercing cries suddenly rang out from the shadows at the alley entrance!
Immediately after, three Carrion Rats, several times larger than ordinary rats, with fur standing up like steel needles and eyes flashing with terrifying red light, shot out like three black lightning bolts, carrying a violent, bloodthirsty aura, and lunged towards the two of them!
“Vicious Beasts?!” Dongfang Yueming’s pupils suddenly contracted! Although he had anticipated it, seeing these monsters, which he had only seen in books and images, with his own eyes still sent a chill down his spine!
Almost instinctively, his right hand instantly pressed on the hilt of his blade at his waist! His entire body’s muscles tensed, and his Qi and blood secretly circulated, preparing for battle!
As for Li Yue beside him, the moment the Carrion Rats appeared, she nimbly leaped backward, creating a distance of several meters, crossing her arms, looking like she was ready to enjoy a good show.
Dongfang Yueming glanced at her, feeling even more certain.
“It really is aimed at me… Is this a show of force from the patrol team, or… a test?”
Li Yue stood in the distance, watching Dongfang Yueming with interest. She was also curious how this seemingly refined and handsome newcomer would perform when facing Vicious Beasts? Would he panic? Or would he display strength commensurate with his Skin Tempering Perfection Cultivate?
“Hmm?!”
However, when Li Yue’s gaze carefully fell on those Carrion Rats, the smile on her face suddenly froze!
Those blood-red eyes! That frantic, restless aura! That ferocity far exceeding ordinary Carrion Rats!
Something was wrong! This was absolutely wrong!
Although ordinary Carrion Rats were fierce, they would never look so crazed and bloodthirsty! This was clearly… a berserk state?!
Li Yue’s heart sank sharply!
Vicious Beasts in a berserk state would have their strength soar by a large margin! The danger level of these three berserk Carrion Rats probably approached or even surpassed the Flesh Refining Realm Early Stage!
This had already far exceeded the scope of testing a newcomer!
Even she, a Minor Achievement in Flesh Refining, would struggle to deal with three berserk Carrion Rats simultaneously, and might even get injured!
To let a newcomer who only had Skin Tempering Perfection deal with them? This wasn’t a test; this was sending him to his death!
“Could it be… Zhang Meng made a mistake? Or… was he intentional?!” Li Yue’s face instantly became extremely grim!
She glanced at Dongfang Yueming, who had already taken a stance and was ready to face the enemy, then looked at the three roaring, approaching berserk Carrion Rats, exuding a dangerous aura, and her heart was instantly filled with conflict!
Logically, this was a test for a newcomer, and she shouldn’t interfere. But now the situation was clearly out of control! If she didn’t act, this handsome newcomer who had just arrived might… really die here!
Help? Or not help?
Li Yue clenched her fists, hesitating for a moment.
In a flash of lightning!
The three Carrion Rats, flashing with crimson, vicious light, had already pounced close like black whirlwinds! They opened their stinking mouths full of fangs, bringing a nauseating foul wind, and attacked Dongfang Yueming from three tricky angles!
“Courting death!”
A cold glint flashed in Dongfang Yueming’s eyes! There was no panic, only icy killing intent!
Test? Berserk?
In front of his absolute strength, they were nothing but mere chickens and dogs!
Clang —!!!
A clear and resonant blade cry echoed through the alley!
The long blade at his waist, like a silver lightning bolt, suddenly unsheathed!
In an instant, blade light burst forth!
Dongfang Yueming moved! His figure seemed to merge with the wind, incredibly fast!
“Basic Fast Blade Thirteen Styles” — Perfection!
There were no complex Moves, only extreme speed and precise slashes!
Blade light flashed!
Pfft!
The Carrion Rat charging at the front, without even having time to react, was cut in half at the waist by a lightning-fast blade light! Stinking blood and internal organs instantly burst out!
The blade’s momentum did not stop!
Dongfang Yueming’s wrist flicked, and the blade’s edge traced a strange, unpredictable footwork like an antelope’s horn, instantly changing direction!
Pfft! Pfft!
Two more dull thuds of a sharp blade entering flesh!
The other two berserk Carrion Rats: one was cleanly decapitated, its head flying high, with the berserk red glow still lingering in its eyes; the other was diagonally split open, from shoulder to abdomen, leaving a horrifying wound deep enough to expose bone, dying on the spot!
Like a rabbit rising and a falcon swooping!
From the appearance of the Carrion Rats to all three being killed, the entire process took only two to three breaths!
In the alley, only the strong smell of blood and three incomplete corpses remained.
Dongfang Yueming twirled his blade, returning it to its sheath, his movements flowing like clouds and water, utterly graceful. He didn’t even get a speck of blood on his clothes.
Silence! A deathly silence!
Li Yue, standing not far away, was completely stunned!
Her beautiful almond eyes were wide open, her small mouth slightly agape, enough to fit an egg! Her face was filled with disbelief and extreme shock!
What had she seen?!
Three Carrion Rats in a berserk state, capable of threatening the Flesh Refining Realm, were, in the hands of this newcomer, actually… like chopping melons and dicing vegetables?!
What kind of blade Dao was that?!
Fast! Too fast! So fast that she could barely see the trajectory of the blade!
Moreover, every slash was precise and ruthless, targeting vital points, without any superfluous movements!
This… was this really the strength a newly enrolled student could possess?!
“His… his blade Dao… could it already be… Major Achievement?!” Li Yue’s heart was stirred by a monstrous wave! Her own “Willow Leaf Blade Dao” was only at the Minor Achievement Realm, and she knew the difficulty of Cultivate blade Dao! A new student, Cultivate a blade Dao to Major Achievement? This was simply incredible!
Just as Li Yue was utterly shocked, her mind blank.
Dongfang Yueming shook off the non-existent blood from his blade (because the speed was too fast, no blood got on it), turned his head, looked at her, and with a calm, matter-of-fact expression, asked:
“Sister Li Yue, these… hmm, little rats, do killing them count for contribution points?”