Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Assaulting the Strongpoint

The surrounding Female Soldiers swarmed forward.

They surrounded the Earth Puppet and began a frenzied barrage of spear thrusts.

The Female Craftsmen closed in as well, swinging their Iron Sabers in a flurry of slashes.

Sparks flew from the Earth Puppet’s head.

"Ngh... Nghh!!"

The Earth Puppet furiously slammed down its heavy fists.

BANG! BANG!

Its two arms actually detached from its body.

They shot out like cannonballs, but their trajectories were bizarre, wobbling erratically.

Finally, they slammed into two of the Female Craftsmen.

"Agh!"

"Ugh..."

"Quick, use a potion!"

After hitting the women, the stone arms quickly returned to the Earth Puppet’s body.

But soon, the two arms shot out again.

Tang Ruan shouted a warning, "Everyone, be careful! This Earth Element’s arms are very flexible! They can leave its body for a short distance and attack from strange angles—Ah!"

As Tang Ruan shouted, she was punched in her left side.

It hurt, but thanks to the defense from her Leather Armor, her Life didn’t drop too much.

The Earth Puppet’s fists were like hammers, carrying immense Impact Force.

They could injure you right through your Armor.

"So painful... Just fall apart!"

Even the gentle Tang Ruan was filled with rage, viciously thrusting the Iron Spear in her hands.

A few more sparks flew.

Finally, a crack appeared on the Earth Puppet’s head. The crack grew larger and larger.

CRUMBLE!

The broad, man-high Earth Puppet collapsed, its stone blocks scattering across the ground and piling into a mound that resembled a tomb.

Tang Ruan breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. There’s a straggler over there. Let’s go!"

Zhao Chi had also come up, armed with his Sword Shield.

He didn’t have the high agility that Tang Ruan and the others possessed, so he hadn’t dared to lure out the Stone Spikes.

One wrong move, and it would all be for nothing.

But now that it was close-quarters combat, Zhao Chi had some confidence.

He had already coordinated with the Female Soldiers to kill one.

However, even Zhao Chi hadn’t expected the Earth Puppets’ arms to be so flexible, capable of attacking at will all around their bodies.

But this was just a desperate last stand.

Without their Stone Spike Spirit Technique, the Earth Puppets were slow, despite their high Defense and HP. It was easy for the women to catch them alone, overwhelm them with superior numbers, and surround them until they were dead.

Even if they managed to hit a few of the women, their arms couldn’t travel too far from their bodies, making it impossible to pursue and finish them off.

They could only watch helplessly as the women used potions or were healed to full health by Gu Qing’s Treatment.

In the end, after more than twenty minutes, all the Earth Puppets had been reduced to piles of rubble.

The battle was over.

’As expected of Earth Puppets.’

The tips of the Female Soldiers’ Iron Spears were blunted.

Many of the captured Iron Sabers were now nicked and chipped.

The Durability of many Female Soldiers’ Leather Boots was almost depleted; one more hit and the boots would be ruined.

The Shields’ Durability was low as well.

Many of the Female Soldiers also had sore backs and waists from being hammered by them.

Fortunately, the women all had decent Constitutions; otherwise, they might have been killed by a single punch.

But in the end, they had passed the stage.

[Stage 7 Cleared]

[Defeated] 70 Small Earth Puppets

[Time] 22m 55s

[Score] 77 Points

[Total Score] 470 Points

[Rank] 10

This stage took a long time.

Almost twenty-three minutes.

This time, probably because it took so long and they hadn’t taken any prisoners, the score was a bit lower than the last stage.

However, his rank had jumped again, all the way to 10th place.

This was the first time Zhao Chi had ever broken into the top 10 of his grade.

And this was a genuine, top-10 combat ranking.

The Female Soldiers were panting for breath.

This time, it wasn’t just the Female Craftsmen and Female Soldiers; even Gu Qing and Tang Ruan, who had exceptional Physical Strength, were a little tired.

Although their Physical Strength recovered the fastest, it still took time.

It was like running a 1000-meter final at full speed, only to have to run another 1000-meter final with just a seven-minute break.

No one could handle that.

Insufficient Physical Strength would have a huge impact on their combat ability.

Gu Qing approached, smiling and breathing lightly.

"Sir, those Earth Puppets were really tough. Our spears are all blunt and their Durability is low, but with only ten minutes left, there’s no time for repairs."

Zhao Chi pointed to the ground. "Rest up. Don’t worry about repairs. Depending on the situation, you can just use the Iron Sabers later. I want to see what the next stage is. If it looks bad, I’ll consider withdrawing."

Gu Qing sat down beside him. "Huh? It’s okay, Sir. We can keep fighting."

Zhao Chi said, "I’m just saying we should see what the situation is first. The Durability on your Leather Boots is pretty low, right?"

Gu Qing nodded. "Yeah. Even I got hit by a Stone Spike, and Tang Ruan almost got stabbed in the crotch."

Tang Ruan was lying next to Zhao Chi.

Hearing this, she turned over. "Hey, Sister Gu, why are you bringing that up?"

"I just want Sir to worry about you a little."

As expected, Zhao Chi asked, "How are you, Tang Ruan? Are you okay?"

Tang Ruan nodded. "I didn’t dodge it completely, but I twisted away. It only hit the inside of my thigh, above the knee. Thankfully, my Leather Armor and Silk Stockings protected me, so I wasn’t injured."

As she spoke, Tang Ruan lifted her leg.

Zhao Chi saw a long scratch mark on the Leg Armor on the inside of her left thigh.

The leather fibers were slightly frayed outward, a testament to the sharp point of the Stone Spike.

Gu Qing laughed. "Good thing you dodged. It would have been such a shame to let a rock... you know."

"Huh? Let a rock what me? A shame for what?" Tang Ruan blinked, not understanding what she meant.

Zhao Chi gave Gu Qing a helpless look.

Gu Qing laughed. "Haha, Sir, why the long face? Do you know what I’m talking about?"

Zhao Chi sighed. "Just get some rest. We don’t have much time."

Gu Qing covered her mouth and giggled. "Chatting with you guys *is* resting for me. My Physical Strength is recovering really fast."

Tang Ruan still looked at them with a completely baffled expression.

Gu Qing smiled. "Looks like our little Tang Ruan really is clueless. Sir, you’ll have to teach her well in the future... if she’s fortunate enough."

Tang Ruan was even more confused.

But she could tell from Gu Qing’s smile that it wasn’t anything good.

’Still, if I can learn something, I’m more than willing.’

"Sir, as long as you’re the one teaching me, I’m willing to learn anything. And I promise I’ll be a good student."

Zhao Chi nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll teach you well. Time is short now, everyone rest."

Gu Qing lay down too.

She settled in next to Zhao Chi, watching the clouds in the sky.

Zhao Chi opened the rankings.

[Live Test Rankings]

[1st Place] Class 9: Zhou Lue

[2nd Place] Class 1: Hua Yuyin

[3rd Place] Class 8: Wei Jinlong

[4th Place] Class 10: Yuan Zhao

[5th Place] Class 10: Lang Hu

In this ranking, Zhou Lue’s 1st place position hadn’t changed.

Hua Yuyin and Wei Jinlong had risen to 2nd and 3rd place.

Yuan Zhao had reappeared, taking 4th.

And Lang Hu, another strong contender from Class 10, had reached 5th place.

Pei Yuanxiu and You Yu, who were just in 2nd and 4th place respectively, had disappeared. They were no longer in the top 10.

The familiar name of Qi Xue was also gone.

Zhao Chi scrolled back and, sure enough, saw that these three students had withdrawn from the test.

So far, a total of five well-regarded students had withdrawn.

You Yu from Class 2, Xiao Liu from Class 3, Pei Yuanxiu from Class 5, Qi Xue from Class 6, and Ye Zhong from Class 7.

Their early withdrawals were all considered upsets.

Zhao Chi’s own entry into the top 10 was also an upset.

’So many upsets.’

Then he checked the situation for Class 4.

"...No way."