Dark Moon Era - Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Yu
Orston’s performance carried a tide of excitement all over Safety Sector No. 17.
The exalted cheers from the crowd were to celebrate the discovery of a genius, hence bringing hope to Safety Sector No. 17.
Amidst the deafening cheers, the crowd raised their expectations and anticipation of Yu’s performance. What kind of a genius would the young man who Orston deemed as a rival be?
As for Tang Ling, he was automatically neglected.
Would a weakling’s examination draw attention?
The crowd was looking forward to Yu’s performance. Even the instructor was thrilled, but he did not forget his duty to call out the next candidate’s name.
It seemed like the crowd’s wish was answered when the number called was No. 1. It was Yu.
When the number was called, the excited emotions in the air were like oil being poured into the fire. The cheers brought out a high fever of anticipation.
While the whole square was cheering Yu’s name, Yu himself was not really affected. He quietly walked to the iron cage and turned a blind eye to Orston’s provoking gaze.
“Am I the last?” Tang Ling unintentionally glanced over at the instructor. He did not want to doubt it, but the coincidence was uncanny. He had been punched earlier and was now the last to take the exam.
Everything seemed to be a disadvantage for him. He had been standing for four hours straight and it was taking a toll on his stamina.
As for Orston and Yu, the two of them had surpassed the standard of common teenagers, so the instructor did not think that standing for a long period of time would affect them anyhow.
It was a habit embedded deep in humans’ bones. The moment the finale that appeared as the one saved for last came on stage, it must be the climax of the entire show.
As for himself?
Tang Ling lightly shut his eyes and inhaled deeply while his thoughts were tangled in a mess and lacked direction. The best way out of it would be to figure out what he wanted to achieve.
Therefore, regardless of what the instructor did to him, all he wanted to do was to pass the exam. It was that simple.
When he opened his eyes, Yu was already in front of the iron cage.
It was the first time the warriors, who were in charge of releasing the sealed wild beast cages into the bigger one, were so careful.
A shattering roar shook the entire square.
The strongest wild beasts of the exam had arrived. It was a primordial blade tiger.
The tiger was an authentic king beast, the strongest tiger among all the feline species in the wild beast category. It was said that it reverted back to its roots in terms of evolution, hence its teeth were as sharp and as long as blades.
On top of that, a row of blades grew out from its spine. While it was considered a small element of evolution, it had not completely evolved into a vicious beast.
With increased knowledge, Tang Ling now know that back in the settlement, he once thought the strongest king beast was a special rank in between wild beasts and vicious beast, including Orston’s ‘ride’.
However, since the tiger had not evolved into a vicious beast, it was still a wild beast in essence, so it was reasonable for the primordial blade tiger to appear in the exam.
Its appearance, however, did not bring fear to the crowd. They felt anticipation instead.
Since the candidate was the genius Yu, a weak opponent would not be much of a show, would he?
Yu’s performance lived up to everyone’s anticipation. When he saw the primordial blade tiger, he did not even flinch. He walked into the cage without any emotion and stood face-to-face in front of the tiger.
“Hmph!” Orston grunted in dissatisfaction, seeming to be complaining wordlessly why his opponent had not been the primordial blade tiger.
Of course, the thunder flower frenzy bull was no weaker than the primordial blade tiger by any means, but in terms of the limelight…
It was all up to luck. Orston could not throw a tantrum either, but just when he was about to have a serious look at the match, he strangely realized that Yu and the tiger had swapped positions.
‘That’s quite some dodging you got there,’ Orston thought in his head. The speed of the primordial blade tiger’s leap could be described as terrifying after all, and since Yu was able to easily dodge it, he must possess something.
It was only two seconds since Yu entered the cage, but he turned around without looking at the tiger and walked to the gate. “Open the gate.”
Orston was stunned instantly while the crowd went silent.
Did Yu want to forfeit?
Only the Purple Moon Warriors and the instructor remained calm.
Of course, there was Tang Ling as well. No, he was not calm at all. His heart raced, but he would not assume that Yu was going to forfeit the exam. In fact, he was sure that Yu had already won because he had killed the tiger.
Tang Ling’s judgment was right. His Precise Instinct blessed him with a nimble eye that allowed him to capture quick actions and details better than anyone.
Therefore, in the next second, following the clunks of the opening gate, the crowd saw a fountain of blood gush out from the primordial blade tiger’s belly like a blooming red flower.
The intestines fell out, obviously crushed. What about the organs?
Yu was already out of the iron cage. He simply swung his hand and painted a line of blood on the ground, but mottled bloodstains still covered his seemingly slender hand.
“How did he…?”
“Yu, he cheated! Impossible! You can’t cheat in the exam of the First Reserved Camp.”
“Oh, is Yu already this powerful? I’m so jealous.”
“Is Yu already a Purple Moon Warrior?”
At the same time, back in the headquarters of the Purple Moon in Glory Hall, the entire screen was playing Yu’s action in the exam in slow motion.
The hungry primordial blade tiger attacked first. As a larger mammal, its first move against a prey smaller than itself would always be to jump on top of it.
Then, Yu moved.
He ran two steps forward and suddenly knelt down on the ground. Using the momentum he accumulated from his sprint, he slid under the tiger right when it was jumping at him. It was at that moment when he extended his right hand, which appeared to be slender but felt as hard as iron, and stabbed the tiger in the chest.
Using the momentum from his slide, his hand was like the sharpest sword, cutting the tiger open from its chest down to its soft belly.
That was what happened in the cage. It was quick and decisive.
The short replay was repeated twice for everyone in the office before the masked Alan voiced his comment, “Outstanding battle reflexes, perfect battle tactics, and more importantly, his right hand…”
“Hmm, he is consciously tempering his right hand, meaning that he’s already at the entry-level of control over his spirit. He is considered a true genius.” The deputy speaker was very satisfied.
Fei Long admired Yu’s performance as well, but he was not as excited. He simply said, “Don’t forget about Yu’s family. He’s been granted the privilege of knowing something in advance, so controlling his spirit at entry-level should only be natural. Moreover, if there’s nothing astounding about his hands, he would shame his family. I think a real genius should go through the most primal and raw grinding.”
“Fei Long.” The deputy speaker sounded strict as his dissatisfaction toward Fei Long rose again. He cleared his throat before he said, “Are you saying that everyone is a flower in the greenhouse, even Yu?”
Fei Long puckered his lips, refusing to comment on it.
Yu’s training in the forest of the Secondary Safety Zone and even beyond those areas was an undeniable fact, but training with hidden protection was not comparable to a real life-and-death situation on the battlefield.
However, it was not entirely useless either. The battle instinct that Yu displayed was far stronger than anyone had shown in the exam.
At least, being able to stab the tiger’s chest accurately even under the protection of its rib cage did prove something.
However, at the same time, referring to ‘anyone in the exam’ clearly stated that Fei Long did not take Tang Ling seriously.