But they were both Giant Rock Dragons, so why was there such a massive difference?

’The Giant Rock Dragon that Sir summoned... it must be the same one from yesterday, right?’

"It is indeed the same one from yesterday." Standing outside the gate, Qin Ziwen gazed at the summoned Giant Rock Dragon.

Extraordinary Giant Rock Dragon (☆☆☆★★) (Ability: Level 3 Rock Flow)

Although the Giant Rock Dragon’s display showed two solid black stars, the same as his own.

He didn’t feel like his physical abilities were on the same level as the creature’s at all.

At most, according to some esoteric theory, his "Realm" was the same as its.

Their species were different, and their base stats were worlds apart.

In a Xianxia World, the Giant Rock Dragon would be one of those prodigies with a terrifyingly solid foundation, capable of fighting above its rank.

The Giant Rock Dragon ignored Du Yu, Cao Biansheng, and Qin Ziwu, who had escaped the mire, and charged straight for the others who were still trapped.

"Block it!"

"Run!"

Even though they knew they could be revived after death, seeing this land-based armored vehicle of a creature charging at them, many people’s minds went blank, completely shutting down.

It revealed their true reactions.

Jin Hao gripped his Long Spear, his eyes wide with fury, and thrust it toward the Giant Rock Dragon.

"BANG!"

The spearhead bent violently, then shattered inch by inch! Shards of metal flew everywhere.

Jin Hao’s right arm collapsed backward, and with it, half of his chest caved in.

"PFFT~"

Blood gushed from his nose, ears, and mouth.

The lower half of his body was still embedded in the mire, but his upper half was already flying backward.

In the last row, Jiang Shan was sitting on the ground, leaning back and struggling to pull his legs out of the mire. He had just freed them.

The Giant Rock Dragon was already upon him.

Everything went black, and he lost all consciousness.

Watching this scene, Qin Ziwu’s throat tightened.

That whole row of men was mowed down like wheat.

"Kill!" Cao Biansheng roared, leaping into the air and thrusting his spear at the Giant Rock Dragon’s body.

It pierced two inches deep.

The spear shaft stopped abruptly, stuck in place.

The Giant Rock Dragon swayed, and the immense force nearly threw him off.

At the critical moment, Du Yu vaulted up and actually managed to climb onto the Giant Rock Dragon’s back.

He gripped his blade’s hilt with both hands and slammed it downward with all his might.

The blade scraped against the bones on its spine with a piercing shriek.

"BELLOW!"

The Giant Rock Dragon let out an enraged roar, then bent its knees, dropped to the ground, and rolled over.

Du Yu leaped away, but the moment he landed, the ground beneath his feet suddenly softened. His legs sank into it, and a second later, the ground hardened again, cementing his legs in place.

When he looked up again, the Giant Rock Dragon’s massive, thick tail was sweeping toward him.

"BANG!!!"

Qin Ziwen closed his eyes and turned his head away.

...

Three minutes later, the battle was over.

"BELLOW!!!" The Giant Rock Dragon’s back was riddled with craters, but they were mostly superficial wounds.

Meanwhile, the Hunting Team had been completely wiped out.

When the battle ended, the scene in the center of the arena reversed as if time were flowing backward. The bloodstains and severed limbs vanished, and the ground returned to its original state. Even their weapons and clothes were restored to pristine condition.

Qin Ziwu bent over, gasping for breath.

He had experienced death many times on the platforms of the Martial Arts Arena, but fighting the Giant Rock Dragon was a completely different feeling. It left him with a profound sense of powerlessness!

He realized that without a superweapon from the age of cold steel like the Car-Mounted Crossbow, it was almost impossible for them to hunt a Giant Rock Dragon on their own.

Du Yu was shaken. "Sir, this Giant Rock Dragon is completely different from the one we hunted yesterday. Its reaction speed, the strength of its ability... it’s like the difference between an old man and a prime athlete."

Qin Ziwen nodded. "Mm, it seems the Summon Card brings it forth in its peak condition."

He looked at the crowd, the corners of his mouth turning up. "You’ve experienced the intensity of a Third Gear mission. Care to try a Second Gear one?"

The expressions of the crowd changed drastically.

Qin Ziwu couldn’t help but complain, "Big Brother, are you some kind of demon?!"

"I also have a Tyrannosaurus and a Duck-billed Dragon as challenge options. Which one would you like to try?"

The men in the arena fell silent. Although the moment of being brutally crushed to death was despairing, savoring it in retrospect left a strange aftertaste...

This was way more thrilling than any bungee jumping or roller coaster.

Besides, they also wanted to see if they could handle these large dinosaurs by themselves, without the Car-Mounted Crossbow.

"Why don’t we... try them all?" Cao Biansheng asked tentatively.

"ROAR!!!"

In the center of the arena, the Tyrannosaurus descended once more.

As soon as it appeared, it eagerly looked around, sniffing the air frantically as if searching for something.

Then, its gaze locked onto the group of humans before it, a cruel glint flashing in its eyes.

Two minutes later.

In the center of the arena, only the Tyrannosaurus remained, its legs dripping with blood as it limped.

The battle ended, and the arena reset. The Tyrannosaurus still wanted to fight, but Qin Ziwen recalled it directly into its Card.

"How was that? Still want to try the Duck-billed Dragon?" Qin Ziwen asked.

"No thanks, no thanks."

The men waved their hands in a hurry. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Cao Biansheng said dejectedly, "If that were a surprise encounter, we’d stand no chance."

Du Yu added, "Not just in a surprise encounter. If you run into a Giant Beast like that in the wild without heavy weapons, the best option is to run and find a narrow cave to hide in. Also, for some reason, I feel like this Tyrannosaurus was much more aggressive than the Giant Rock Dragon."

Speaking of which, Du Yu felt a pang of regret. He had managed to dodge its stomps and drag his blade across its ankle several times, but its leg was too tough, and he couldn’t sever the tendon.

If only his blade were sharper, maybe there would have been a better chance.

The men filed out of the Blood Sand Arena. Several of them were unsteady on their feet, almost staggering as they walked.

Qin Ziwen noticed that the restless, cocky atmosphere that had previously filled the team was now mostly gone.

After leaving the Beast Fighting Arena, the group silently headed to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery or the Martial Arts Arena to train.

Du Yu walked at the back of the group. After the others had gone on ahead, he silently fell in step beside Qin Ziwen, and the two walked forward side-by-side.

Qin Ziwen remarked with feeling, "Even something as strong as a Tyrannosaurus will fall to a concentrated volley from the Car-Mounted Crossbows. And the Giant Rock Dragon was pierced through the spine by a single strike from the Staff of God."

Forget not being Extraordinary yet. Even if we break through to the Extraordinary Realm, that only means we’ve surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. There are far stronger beasts out there."

Du Yu smiled. "Sir, at least we’ve seen the view from higher up, haven’t we?"

"That’s true." Qin Ziwen agreed wholeheartedly. "All things are difficult before they are easy. We’ve taken the first step."

Speaking of which, Qin Ziwen’s thoughts returned to the crystals that had grown on the Giant Rock Dragon’s back.

"But I am rather curious about what those things were. The Giant Rock Dragon I just summoned didn’t have them on its back, which means they don’t actually ’belong’ to the Giant Rock Dragon."

...

...