The doors slid open.

The air shifted the moment Lin Fang and Feng Xiu descended into the Training Facility.

The deeper they walked, the heavier the atmosphere became. Soldiers saluted as Feng Xiu passed. Their eyes flickered toward Lin Fang’s wolf mask with a quiet curiosity, some respectful, others wary, none indifferent.

The base of the stairwell opened into a vast arena of reinforced alloy flooring.

Just then, an explosion occurred as a Level-50 Wyvern crashed across the tiles, its talons scraping a scream of metal. A bare-chested man—broad shoulders, sculpted muscles, and a presence that felt like compressed thunder—shot forward in a blur.

His punch landed on the beast, and the Wyvern let out a strangled cry and crumpled, sliding several meters before going unconscious.

Lin Fang slowed, observing the scene. The aura around that man felt… overwhelming, feeling like meeting another Xuenyi…

Feng Xiu then called out, “Mr. Jin…”

The man wiped the blood on his knuckles with a casual flick before turning. He didn’t smile—he bared his teeth, a grin made of intensity rather than warmth.

“Master Feng,” he greeted loudly. Then his gaze slid toward Lin Fang. His pupils contracted.

“An innate soul… with a spirit king contract?”

Lin Fang stiffened beneath the mask.

He could sense that?

His eyes darted briefly to the felled Wyvern. The dent in its skull made it clear Jin Di was not someone to underestimate.

Feng Xiu crossed his arms. “This is the one I mentioned earlier. He killed a King Tier, and I want to reevaluate his skills.”

Lin Fang felt his stomach drop for a moment. How in the hell did Feng Xiu find it out? The drone was smashed when he fought the anaconda… And then… he shut his eyes in realization.

Of course… he summoned the Undead Anaconda. It was obvious to anyone.

Jin Di clicked his tongue. “So you want to test if he’s capped at A-rank… or if he has the bones of an S-rank.”

His eyes gleamed like someone staring at a new weapon to break in.

“And who’s testing him?” He jabbed a thumb toward Feng Xiu.

“You? Or me?”

Feng Xiu shook his head firmly. “I’m not suited to test someone like him. Your abilities fit the requirement.”

Jin Di’s grin widened, almost feral. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He stepped forward and cracked his neck, the sound echoing like splintering stone. Then he lifted a hand and curled two fingers toward Lin Fang.

“Alright, kid. My warm-up’s done anyway.” He planted his feet, the ground shivering beneath him. “Come.”

Feng Xiu rested a hand lightly against Lin Fang’s shoulder—steadying, reassuring, but also quietly urging.

“Go ahead.”

Lin Fang inhaled.

Behind the mask, his eyes sharpened.

His heartbeat steadied into that calm, singular rhythm he’d developed in the wild—just before he threw himself into death battles.

Lin Fang stepped into the arena’s center with the quiet resolve of someone walking into a deep forest with his shapened and steadied gaze. Feng Xiu retreated to the edge, hands clasped behind his back, face unreadable beneath the cool glow of the overhead lights.

Jin Di rolled his shoulders, muscles coiling and flexing under the tattooed lines etched across his back. “Before we tear each other apart,” he said, “how should I call you?”

Lin Fang didn’t hesitate. “Alpha.”

The name settled in the air like a blade placed on the table—simple, sharp, deliberate.

It was the same codename he used during the mask he had when he saved Nianxi.

My codename from now on, he decided right then as he spoke that word for the second time, introducing himself.

Jin Di nodded in approval.

“Good. My test has three parts. First four minutes, you’re on offense. Second four, you defend. Last two…”

His grin sharpened. “We fight for real.”

Lin Fang nodded firmly.

“As for the rules…” Jin Di paused and stared at Lin Fang and let out a feral grin. “There are none.”

Feng Xiu’s voice then cut through the tension. “Clear the hall.”

Soldiers filed out swiftly. The metal door hissed shut. Only the lofty ceiling, reinforced walls, and the cold eyes of CCTV lenses remained as witnesses.

The overhead timer blinked 00:10:00 in red.

“Thirty seconds before the start of battle,” Feng Xiu announced from far away, but since it is empty facility, his voice was loud enough for Lin Fang and Jin Di.

Lin Fang inhaled, proceeded to gather and sharpen the Mana that swirled at his fingertips. Jin Di lowered his center of gravity, his right foot sliding back, anchoring his weight. It was a professional stance that typical martial artists who use fists would use.

Once the 30 seconds are up…

Feng Xiu reached out to the whistle.

*Frrrrr*

Lin Fang acted instantly the moment 10 minute timer started.

“Activate Skill: Rise of the Undead.”

Five commander-tier undead hyenas clawed their way from the shadows, forming a semicircle around him. Their hollow eyes glowed faintly; patches of their skin hung loose, like a typical undead…

Jin Di blinked. “A necromancer? That’s rare.”

He didn’t flinch, didn’t step back. Instead, his stance loosened—almost welcoming.

Lin Fang’s finger flicked.

“Go.”

At his order, the hyenas sprinted forward, claws screeching against the alloy floor. Their howls echoed like broken horns.

Jin Di didn’t move.

Good, Lin Fang thought.

He wanted him focused.

Lin Fang then murmured. “Activate, Spectral step.” And then in that instant, he vanished.

He reappeared behind Jin Di, silently, while the undead were still charging from the front. Jin Di’s head turned a fraction. A single eye caught Lin Fang’s silhouette.

“Assassin Guild’s Flash step?” he murmured.

Lin Fang didn’t give him time to adjust.

Mana burst through his arm in a spiraling rush as he compressed nearly half his active reserves into a dense sphere that hummed with cutting pressure.

“Activate, Wind Blast.”

*Ding!

[50,000 MP were deducted.]

The orb detonated outward as Lin Fang thrust his palm. The blast didn’t roar—it sliced as a whirling cyclone erupted point-blank toward Jin Di’s exposed back, bending the air around it into a lethal corkscrew designed to tear through armor, bone, and breath alike.

The cyclone smashed into Jin Di’s back with all the force of a collapsing storm column.

The shockwave rippled outward, flattening dust, rattling the steel tiles beneath their feet.

Jin Di’s body skidded forward several meters, boots screeching as he barreled straight toward the incoming undead hyenas.

The beasts leapt, claws wide, jaws snapping.

Jin Di didn’t tense. He didn’t brace.

He simply exhaled.

A faint pulse of golden-white energy rippled from his skin…

Boom.

The arena floor cratered under the force of his Energy Eruption. The hyenas disintegrated mid-air—no struggle, no dramatic last roar—just bone fragments scattering like dry petals caught in a gust. Their remains skittered across the tiles like rain droplets.

Lin Fang froze mid-step. “Wha…”

The Wind Blast didn’t even bruise him…

Jin Di turned his head slightly, brushing dust from his shoulder where the cyclone had landed. The fabric was wrinkled; the man, however, was untouched.

He grinned, teeth sharp with excitement rather than aggression.

“Good. Very good.” His voice vibrated with genuine approval. “At this rate, you’re easily stepping into B-rank territory.”

Lin Fang frowned behind the mask. “B-rank? Then… you must be an A-rank or even a S-rank hunter?”

Jin Di laughed—loud, unrestrained, almost joyful. “No. I’m not an S-rank.” He wiped the corner of his eye as if amused by a private joke. “I’m not even D-rank.”

Lin Fang’s eyebrows shot up.

Alpha’s voice then slithered into his mind, “Kiddo… I can’t sense any mana from him. None. The man is a Sage—he carries a Sage Core. According to this world, if you don’t have mana, you should have a contracted monster companion. If you are none, then you can’t become an official hunter.”

Lin Fang accidentally blurted, “Sage core?”

Jin Di’s eyes gleamed. “So you recognize the term? Interesting… not many people know about Sage cores. Even if they do, they couldn’t recognize it at one glance. Your origins might be more complicated than Feng Xiu hinted. “

Lin Fang internally cursed. *Dammit* He controlled his voice and said, “I don’t know what it means. My spirit companion told me.”

Jin Di nodded as if that explanation made perfect sense. “Having conversations with your contracted spirit… I see… You have gained acknowledgement of your spirit king companion, too, huh. No wonder Feng Xiu is interested in grooming you.”

At that comment, Lin Fang couldn’t help but glance at Feng Xiu, standing far away.

And when he returned his gaze to Jin Di, the latter slid into a stance again—this time lower, more grounded with his center of mass perfectly aligned.

Lin Fang sprinted forth.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep