The layout of the temporary assembly camp was simple. Chatting with Sun Yongsheng along the way, it only took a few minutes to see most of it.

Over a hundred black armored vehicles crouched in the night like black tigers. More than five hundred small tents clustered around a few large ones. The students of the Prodigy Program were quartered in the middle section. Sun Yongsheng helped Jiang Qiu set up his tent next to his own.

"Get some good sleep. These combat-style tests are always unpredictable—who knows when we’ll have to assemble."

With that, Sun Yongsheng’s tent flap fell. A moment later, the white light within was extinguished.

Jiang Qiu glanced over the hundreds of army-green tents arranged in neat rows. Most lights were already out, as if their lamp oil had run dry. The tents on the outer perimeter, however, were still lit. There, burly men patrolled in the cold wind, wearing only thin black tank tops.

’This temporary camp has over five hundred people. Including Officer Liu Qi, there are about ten Martial Artists, over three hundred Middle Level Non-commissioned Officers, five Senior Non-commissioned Officers, and eighty-two students from the Prodigy Program. It’s quite an assembly.’

’Still, during the training hunt, over forty Martial Artist-level instructors watched over a hundred or so students. This is far more dangerous than that.’

After muttering to himself, Jiang Qiu slipped into his tent, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

The moon high above looked down upon a mountain range that billowed like a great wave. At the foot of the mist-shrouded mountains, the wind groaned.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

Suddenly, the low thrum of a gong reverberated. As if voice-activated, lights in dozens of tents flickered on.

Jiang Qiu lifted his tent flap as well. He had barely poked his head out when he saw them: black, humanoid steel beasts emerging one by one from the small army-green tents. They resembled soldiers from some ancient-styled science fiction fantasy.

They were all wearing Ancient Armor Replicas!

They looked more menacing than Li Juefeng’s Silver Armor, and were mostly Middle Tier of Armor.

"Huh? Jiang Qiu, why aren’t you wearing an Ancient Armor Replica?"

Jiang Qiu turned his head and saw Sun Yongsheng emerging unhurriedly, clad in a similar set of Armor and wearing a Profound Iron Helmet, his eyes half-open.

He waved his hand and sighed, "Ah, forget it. Let’s just assemble first..."

"Okay."

THUD THUD THUD...

After a flurry of chaotic yet heavy footsteps, Jiang Qiu and Sun Yongsheng quickly fell into line at the far left of the group of young people. Pair after pair of wide eyes subconsciously stared at him, as if to say—’Not afraid to die? Where’s your Armor?!’

"The teams from the other directions have already started advancing into the mountains. I will lead the Seventh Martial Arts Team into Dongqi Lake ahead of you and do my best to eliminate the threat of any Transformed Great Demons!"

Suddenly, a voice like muffled thunder boomed from the front. Everyone simultaneously turned to Liu Qi, who was clad in Light Armor. His expression was grim, his eyes sharp as he spoke, "You from the Prodigy Program, don’t stray too far from the squads of Non-commissioned Officers, in case of any accidents!

Also, the area around Dongqi Lake has been mostly scouted. The route you’ll be taking is the one with the fewest Demon Beasts of all the attack routes. If you run into an emergency, hold out until I fight my way back from the depths!

Shoulder your bows!

Move out!"

"Yes, sir!"

A roar like rolling thunder shook Jiang Qiu’s chest, making his blood surge. In the blink of an eye, the hum of vibrating Storage Rings filled the air, and all sorts of Qi Blood Bows materialized in everyone’s hands.

With a thought, he also took out his [Black Flood Dragon] bow and slung it onto his back. When he looked up again, Liu Qi and several Martial Artists from the Military Department had already charged into the dark forest like black shooting stars.

THUD THUD THUD...

A heavy trampling sound erupted from the large squad of burly men ahead. Their iron boots crushed stones and the force of their passage flattened the resilient grass. Like a pack of black tigers stampeding into the forest, the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.

The students from the Prodigy Program naturally broke off into smaller teams, scattering as they chased after the shadows of the Non-commissioned Officers.

"Jiang Qiu, you’re not even wearing Middle Level Armor. You’re bound to get torn up," Sun Yongsheng panted from the rear of the group, the joints of his Black Armor clacking against him. "Just forget about fighting for the top ten. Stick with me, use up all the Conical Arrows you prepared in your Storage Ring, rack up some kills, and just go home with the participation reward..."

Jiang Qiu shook his head at the skittering whisper. "My goal is first place."

"Heh..." Sun Yongsheng looked up, but the nimble figure had already leaped past several coniferous trees. He sighed to himself. ’He really doesn’t listen to advice. First place? He’s definitely going to end up looking like a pincushion.’

THUD THUD THUD...

The moon rose to its zenith and then quickly fell. The ink-black night diluted as if splashed with water. Through the branches overhead, a glimpse of the gray-blue sky could be seen.

Entering a forest of Iron Trees that stood straight as chopsticks, Jiang Qiu clenched his right hand in mid-air, pulling an arrow from the void. A pea-sized bead of sweat slid down his chin.

Looking up, the straight trunks were ten to twenty meters tall. Their glossy black bark reflected the faint moonlight. High above, the branches were leafless but covered in spiky black pinecones pointing straight up.

’According to my General Studies class, Secret Realms distort their surrounding environment. The larger the Secret Realm, the wider its sphere of influence.’

’When you see bizarre scenery, you’ve most likely entered a Secret Realm’s area of influence, just like how vines grew out of the reinforced concrete in Qingmu Town.’

’In other words, Demon Beasts will make their lairs in places like this...’

SHHH—

Suddenly, a strained hiss sounded from behind him, so quiet it was barely audible, like air being forced from a flattened pipe.

Frowning, Jiang Qiu turned to see the late-arriving Sun Yongsheng standing outside the Iron Forest. His eyes were wide as he raised his right hand, pointing up toward the dim light filtering down between the overlapping branches and spiky black pinecones.

’What does he mean?’

’Is he saying the sky’s getting brighter, so the light is better?’

’Or that something is wrong...’

Focusing his gaze, Jiang Qiu looked up at the patch of sky Sun Yongsheng was pointing to. The arrow in his hand was already nocked on his bow, his eyes slowly scanning from left to right.

TWANG—WHOOSH—

Suddenly, the clear sound of a bowstring twanging came from a kilometer away in the Iron Forest, like an invisible hand plucking an ancient zither. Instantly, the "black pinecones" above the Iron Forest opened their eyes one by one. A vast field of red lights lit up in the distance, reflecting in the sky above like a canopy of red stars!

At the same moment, the spikes on their bodies unfolded into wings, each Iron Feather like a blade!

’Iron Feather Birds?!’

Jiang Qiu’s heart skipped a beat and his pupils contracted. A sentence from his General Studies textbook flashed through his mind: "The Low Tier Demon Beast, the Iron Feather Bird, excels at hiding"!

’So this is how they freaking hide?!’

"Jiang Qiu, get out of the Iron Forest, quick! Their feathers can cut through the skin of someone in the Iron Flesh Realm!"

Sun Yongsheng no longer suppressed his roar, and at once, all the Iron Feather Birds in the entire forest erupted into a frenzy.

Along with the strange shrieks of the Iron Feather Birds, a black Arrow Rain was already reflected in his eyes. A rattling sound scraped against the Iron Tree trunks, and orange sparks splashed throughout the Iron Forest.

’I’m screwed. I’m really going to be turned into a freaking pincushion!’

The other nine prodigies from the Outer City had just arrived nearby and happened to witness this shocking scene, their pupils widening in disbelief.

Although an Iron Feather Bird is only a Low Tier Demon Beast, its feathers are incomparably sharp. Forget trying to withstand them unarmored—there were precedents of people being shot to pieces even while wearing Middle Level Armor!

’How dare that guy named Jiang charge into the Iron Forest alone, and right into a massive colony of Iron Feather Birds?!’

"Huh?! No, wait!"

A prodigy suddenly cried out in shock, and everyone’s hearts pounded wildly!