Chapter 7: Bickering Over Han Zhen

"Damn, that's freaking awesome!"

In the command room, Wei Qing saw this scene, slammed the table hard, stood up from his seat, and shouted reflexively.

"When I killed ten Black Bovine Beetles back in the day, it took me at least thirty seconds. This kid... only took one second?"

"This guy, we in District One must have him."

Wei Qing said as he prepared to leave the command room to go to the site and recruit the talent.

Before he could leave his seat, his shoulders were pressed down from both sides.

"Old Wei, your District One is all about suicide squads. Sending a rookie spirit contractor over there is no different from sending them to their death. It's better to come to our District Three and grow steadily first."

The speaker was Ye Qiu, the head of District Three. He pressed one hand on Wei Qing's shoulder, and the latter couldn't get up right away.

"Old Ye, are you serious with me now?"

Wei Qing felt the pressure on his shoulder. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a trace of madness with a reddish glint began to seep out.

"Heh, your wife isn't here today. Just you alone—I'm not scared."

"Hey, you brat. It's been a while since we last fought. Today, I'll teach you a lesson. With your wife not here, beating you black and blue won't look too bad."

"Wei-ge, Ye-ge, both your districts—one on the frontlines and the other specializing in fortification assaults—are dangerous places. I think it's better for him to come to my District Four and start with relic exploration…"

Shen Zheqi, the head of District Four, pressed down on the other side of Wei Qing's shoulder.

"Get lost!"

The other two spoke in unison.

The fiercest competition came from Districts One, Three, and Four, which were also the three main districts where combat spirit contractors were most frequently assigned, corresponding to the frontlines, fortification assaults, and relic explorations respectively.

As the three were deadlocked,

Chen Guangpu and Zhao Hu, sitting further back, had expressive reactions as well.

Chen Guangpu looked happy, surprised, and thrilled. He had thought Han Zhan was a lost cause, but now, not only was he not a failure—he was astonishingly good.

Zhao Hu, on the other hand, looked much gloomier, as if he'd swallowed a whole bottle of bitter medicine.

But he couldn't and didn't dare vent. All he could do was suppress his feelings.

On screen, the assessment continued.

In fact, even the examiners in charge of the test hadn't expected Han Zhan to clear "Difficulty Level One." They could only brace themselves and continue announcing:

"Testing Difficulty Level Two: Tier-1 Black Bovine Beetles, twenty."

When twenty Black Bovine Beetles appeared in the combat zone, the entire space became significantly more crowded.

Each Black Bovine Beetle was comparable to a calf. Twenty of them, densely packed, looked quite formidable.

The audience was completely stunned.

For so many years,

they had never seen any Tier-1 spirit contractor challenge twenty Black Bovine Beetles at once.

This completely broke the usual difficulty standards and reached an absurd level.

Han Zhan stood still, plucked the strings of his qin,

and finished it all in one stroke.

Another instant kill.

"Bring more of these—it's useless. Increase the difficulty." Suddenly, Han Zhan spoke in the field.

"Add difficulty again?"

"Wow, so arrogant!"

"This is slapping the officials in the face. Didn't you give me Difficulty Level One with ten Black Bovine Beetles? Now I'm telling you—keep increasing the difficulty."

"How cocky. Isn't the official going to respond? Are they just letting him show off?"

The officials were busy.

In the command room.

To secure Han Zhan for their districts, Wei Qing, Ye Qiu, and Shen Zheqi had already started fighting physically. They were battling within a special space created by Lin Jingxuan, allowing them to unleash their full power without worrying about collateral damage.

The other district leaders were watching the spectacle with interest.

Such a "lively scene" hadn't been seen since their graduation, when they all went their separate ways.

After all, Han Zhan was undergoing the combat assessment. It wasn't related to them, so they were in no rush.

Hearing Han Zhan's voice on the screen, the old man seated at the front suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Interesting."

"He's not wrong. This kind of assessment is meaningless." Lin Jingxuan adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose and continued.

"Tier-1 Black Bovine Beetles rely solely on their thick hides and numbers to win. Against his soundwave blade technique, they're completely powerless."

"Even if you increased the number of Black Mo Beetles to dozens or hundreds, the result wouldn't change—it would still be an instant kill."

"Unless it's a genuine Black Bovine Swarm."

A real Black Bovine Swarm consisted of millions of Tier-1 Black Mo Beetles, swarming like a black tide, one after another.

But that was no longer a Tier-1 spirit contractor assessment—it was a disaster scenario. Using such a disaster as a test wasn't feasible.

"Jingxuan, any suggestions?" It was the old man who asked again, and Lin Jingxuan replied.

"Let's use the highest standards of the combat test from our own time."

Lin Jingxuan had provided his answer.

The combat assessment during their era was vastly different from the current, watered-down version, as the objectives of the tests were entirely distinct.

For Lin Jingxuan to suggest using the standards from their era meant he had already acknowledged Han Zhan's strength.

"Good, let's do it. Prepare it. I didn't expect that this spontaneous visit to Deep Blue City—originally just for a family reunion—would result in such a pleasant surprise."

As soon as the old man gave the word, the on-site staff began running to relay the instructions.

Soon, the staff in the combat test area also received the updated directives from above.

When he saw the new test content, the staff instinctively swallowed hard.

'Is this really an assessment even now?'

'Isn't this just sending someone to their death?'

'Could it be that the higher-ups were angered and wanted to teach this young man a lesson?'

"Cough, cough. As you requested, the officials have made adjustments."

"Combat Test, Difficulty Level Three: Ten Tier-2 Giant Armor Lizards. Ten Tier-2 Thunder Soundbirds."

As soon as Difficulty Level Three was announced, the entire room exploded.

'Tier-2?'

'A Tier-1 spirit contractor being tested with Tier-2 beasts?'

'The officials has completely lost face.'

Tier-2 Giant Armor Lizards were essentially pro max versions of Black Bovine Beetles, significantly enhancing their strength and defense. Each one was akin to a heavy tank.

Tier-2 Thunder Soundbirds were mutated bird-like creatures capable of emitting piercing sounds and launching lightning strikes. Being airborne, they were extremely tricky to deal with.

This combination of "tanks" and "assassins" would give even Tier-2 contractors a headache.

"Fine. Bring it on."

To everyone's surprise, Han Zhan calmly accepted the challenge.

For him, the combat test was already meaningless. Han Zhan wanted to push his limits, to see where he and Xia Youwei's Fuxi Qin could go.

And then, with results, he'd slap everyone in the face, proving Xia Youwei was no trash.

"Arrogant fool," came an untimely voice from the crowd.

Wang Lümou and Xiao Mei, who had left the test earlier, hadn't left the scene. Watching Han Zhan show off, they felt worse than if they had failed the test themselves.

As soon as Wang Lümou spoke, everyone around gave him strange looks.

Those gazes seemed to say, "Idiot," "Moron," and "Clown."

Stiff-necked, Wang Lümou stubbornly insisted, "What are you looking at? If Han Zhan can pass this difficulty, I'll eat shit upside down."

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/ZenonTL

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.