Wang Zhan never imagined that he, who hunted wild geese all day long, would one day be pecked in the eye by a goose.
"You... you... how could you steal my kill!" Wang Zhan was so angry he could barely speak coherently.
Hadn't he put in all that effort, even risking turning into an imbecile, just for those extreme attribute points?
Where did this girl even come from? Is no one supervising her?
"What do you mean, steal your kill? I saw the big guy wasn't dead yet, so what's wrong with me landing a finishing blow?" The girl looked puzzled, seemingly unable to comprehend Wang Zhan's anger.
"A casual finishing blow? How about I give you a casual stab? Where are you from? Did I ask for your help? Didn't you see me standing up with my dagger?"
He looked at the unknown beast at his feet, its neck pierced and blood gushing out.
Unwilling to give up, Wang Zhan stabbed it several more times with his dagger.
The System's notification didn't sound; his kill had truly been stolen.
"It's just one stab, why are you so angry?" The girl was puzzled, frowning slightly.
Wang Zhan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the indignation in his heart.
"Forget it." What else could he say? He couldn't explain it.
How could he explain it? Was he supposed to tell her that he gained attributes from killing the level 9 beast?
Having skillfully extracted the beast core, Wang Zhan said, "Let's go check on the soldiers. By the way, what's your name?"
"Xin Xiaoyan. And you?"
"Wang Zhan."
"You're Wang Zhan?" Xin Xiaoyan stopped in her tracks, surprise visible on her pretty face as she looked him up and down.
"What, you've heard of me?" Wang Zhan was also surprised but didn't stop, instead walking over to Song Dongming.
Song Dongming had already picked himself up by then and was sitting on the ground with his head lowered.
When Wang Zhan reached him, he suddenly realized that this fellow wasn't hurt at all!
Moreover, he was lowering his head to hide a smile. When he couldn't hold it in any longer, he burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! You scoundrel, always stealing other people's kills! It's finally your turn! HAHAHA!"
"Get lost! Go check on the soldiers." Wang Zhan's face darkened considerably.
The three of them split up to check on the soldiers.
The situation was much better than Wang Zhan had expected. Most of the soldiers had merely fainted and were already beginning to regain consciousness.
"The Deer Song Beast's sonic attack is very powerful, but its potency is greatly reduced if it's a wide-area, indiscriminate attack," Xin Xiaoyan explained.
"Deer Song Beast? Is that the name of the level 9 beast?" Wang Zhan asked curiously.
Much of the first-year curriculum focused on beasts. He was familiar with most soldier-level beasts and below, yet he didn't recognize this Deer Song Beast.
Xin Xiaoyan shook her head. "No, Deer Song Beast refers to a Beast Clan group."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Wang Zhan was slightly taken aback. This was the first time he had heard the term 'Beast Clan group'. "Is it like the Molten Lions?"
Wang Zhan remembered the last time he encountered Molten Lions. According to Song Dongming, there were quite a few of them, and they even had a dedicated clan territory.
"Molten Lions can only be considered a kindred group." Song Dongming shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the distant corpse of the Deer Song Beast, his expression somewhat solemn.
Xin Xiaoyan nodded and explained, "Molten Lions can't be considered a clan group. The term 'clan group' signifies that the Beast Clan group possesses a clear hierarchical division, and... adult beasts possess intelligence comparable to humans."
"Beasts with intelligence comparable to humans?" Wang Zhan was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
"What's so surprising about that?" Xin Xiaoyan said. "This is just the outer fringe of the wilderness. Humans occupy only a small part of this planet; the rest is all beast territory! Isn't it normal for beasts to possess human-like intelligence?"
"She's right," Song Dongming agreed. "We're currently dealing with only low-level beasts. The truly powerful ones are beyond our league for now."
"Listening to you, one might think we could actually handle them if they were our problem," Wang Zhan rolled his eyes.
The topic of beasts couldn't be explained in just a few words, and even Xin Xiaoyan and Song Dongming only had a superficial understanding of them.
With their combined efforts, all the soldiers on the scene quickly regained consciousness.
Cleaning up the battlefield wasn't their responsibility.
Yang Hu also came over.
Seeing Xin Xiaoyan, he seemed noticeably surprised.
"Xiaoyan, what brings you here?"
"Hmm? You know each other?" Wang Zhan and Song Dongming were curious.
Yang Hu nodded. "Xiaoyan is General Lin's junior. She arrived in Chang'an City some time ago. Her responsibilities are similar to yours, providing support everywhere, just on the other side of the battlefield."
"General Lin Yin's junior... Are you from Yanjing Martial Arts Academy?"
"Yes, and I know about you too! Wang Zhan, why didn't you come to Yanjing Martial Arts Academy?" Xin Xiaoyan questioned.
"Right, you also said earlier you'd heard of me. What was that about?" Wang Zhan remembered their unfinished conversation.
Xin Xiaoyan replied, "Because I'm also a first-year student, ranked first in Chang'an and fourth in the Federation! I'm ranked right behind you!"
The one who reacted most strongly to these words was Song Dongming.
"You're also a first-year? Are all new students such monsters these days?" Song Dongming asked in shock. "Junior, what level are you now?"
"Level 5 Martial Artist," Xin Xiaoyan replied.
Song Dongming heaved a sigh of relief, patted Wang Zhan's shoulder, and said, "Well, you're still more of a freak."
"However, I awakened my mental energy at birth. My current mental energy strength is roughly equivalent to that of a level 9 Martial Artist, and it can cover an area of about thirty meters around me."
Hearing this, Song Dongming instinctively looked at Wang Zhan.
Wang Zhan's expression remained unchanged.
"Mine is 15 meters."
Now, Song Dongming was truly at a loss for words.
Xin Xiaoyan left soon after. She was here because intelligence had reported the appearance of a Deer Song Beast, and as a mental power specialist, she was assigned to deal with it.
Unexpectedly, Wang Zhan had also been able to defeat the Deer Song Beast using his mental power, so she completed her mission without much effort.
She even stole Wang Zhan's attribute points in the process.
Because her mental power was naturally far superior to an ordinary person's, Xin Xiaoyan's mental energy detection range was much greater than the range over which she could resonate Spiritual Energy.
Thus, she could stroll through the wilderness in her white dress, detecting danger well in advance, and rarely encountered any true peril.
「By evening」
Wang Zhan and Song Dongming returned to the Military Camp, only to be notified to attend a meeting at the Command Center.
This was only the second time they had been summoned to the Command Center since their arrival a week ago.
"It seems something important has happened," Wang Zhan remarked.
"I hear small-scale Beast Tides are becoming more frequent. The real Beast Tide probably isn't far off," Song Dongming said with some concern.
When Wang Zhan and Song Dongming arrived at the Command Center, they found hundreds of Martial Artists already gathered.
Apart from the two of them, the weakest among the rest were at least level 7.
Among them were Warriors, Martial Masters, and even Martial Generals whose auras were no less powerful than Old Duan's.
Moreover, most of these Martial Artists were not in military uniform, clearly indicating they were external reinforcements, much like Wang Zhan and Song Dongming.
"Everyone, the decisive battle is about to begin." General Lin Yin stood at the forefront and said solemnly, "Just last night, the horde of beasts that had gathered three hundred kilometers away began advancing towards Chang'an City."
Lin Yin snapped her fingers, and the light screen behind her lit up, displaying a view of the wilderness.
In the footage, a dense swarm of beasts was slowly moving forward. Even through the light screen, one could sense the terrifying presence of the assembled beasts.
"How are there so many? Didn't we already experience a siege before this?" someone asked.
Lin Yin shook her head. "The previous Beast Tide was merely an appetizer. The strongest beasts we encountered were only General-level. Although it caught us off guard and we suffered considerable losses, the overall damage wasn't too severe.
"However! This time is completely different." Lin Yin's tone shifted, and she continued gravely, "According to intelligence sent by our scouts, this Beast Tide not only comprises dozens of General-level beasts and hundreds of soldier-level beasts, but there are also even stronger entities behind them."
"Stronger than General-level? Leader-level? King-level?"
"We don't know for sure, but rest assured, everyone, Chang'an City also has its own powerful experts."
As her words fell, Lin Yin gestured for those present to hold their questions.
"Based on the beasts' speed of advance, they will likely launch their final assault by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Therefore, please operate according to your previously assigned groups."
After a short pause, Lin Yin said earnestly, "This Beast Tide is war. Please, none of you are to act alone. This is not just for the sake of the larger strategy, but also for your own safety! Compared to sacrificing yourselves for humanity, I would rather all of you live.
"Please return and prepare. Anything you need can be requisitioned from the Military Supplies Center."
The numerous Martial Artists began to disperse. However, just as Wang Zhan and Song Dongming were about to leave, a guard stopped them.
"General Lin wishes to see you."
"Us?" Wang Zhan and Song Dongming were puzzled but followed the guard to General Lin Yin's office in the Command Center.
Upon entering the office, they were surprised to find Xin Xiaoyan also present, locked in a stare-down with Lin Yin.
"You're ordering me to return at a time like this?" Xin Xiaoyan fumed. "Lin! I'm not a little girl anymore! Do you have any idea how crucial a Martial Artist specializing in mental power is on the battlefield?"
"You dare call yourself a mental power specialist? Are you even worthy?" Lin Yin scoffed. "Go back to the academy and stay put! You're not yet qualified to participate in battles of this magnitude... No, this is war!"
As she finished speaking, Lin Yin turned her gaze to Wang Zhan and Song Dongming.
She took a letter from her drawer and said, "This is a letter from the Chu State Martial Arts Academy. I've been in communication with them regarding your activities in Chang'an City this past week. You will be awarded second-class military honors, so…"
"Is General Lin trying to persuade us to return?" Wang Zhan gave a wry smile, exchanged a glance with Song Dongming, and said, "Do you really think you can persuade us?"
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