Chapter 41: You're Amazing!

The next two days were a whirlwind for Lin Huang, leaving him somewhat frazzled. The ones Yi Yeyu sent over were all contenders who hadn’t been eliminated yet; their fighting power was generally at Blackiron Second Rank or higher, with some even reaching Third Rank.

This group, upon learning they’d have to follow Lin Huang’s arrangements for the next two days, naturally refused to comply. In their eyes, Lin Huang hadn’t even reached the Blackiron realm, and none of them respected his authority.

With no other option, Lin Huang summoned the Tyrant and gave a severe beating to a few of the troublemakers, leaving their faces swollen and unrecognizable. Only then did the group finally fall into line.

Although Lin Huang’s own strength was nothing remarkable, his rare profession as a Beastmaster was enough to make people wary. Once they learned he had two summoned beasts—something considered prodigious even among Beastmasters—they finally accepted his leadership.

Yi Yeyu, meanwhile, was even busier. Her relic, the Evergreen Gate, had a daily usage limit—it could only be activated ten times a day. As the assessment had progressed, there were still seventy to eighty participants not yet eliminated, scattered across various locations. She had no choice but to enlist the help of other staff members to gather participants who were relatively close together, barely managing to bring everyone in within three days.

After renting a conference room on the hotel’s first floor, Yi Yeyu gathered all the remaining candidates. Upon seeing a few with swollen, bruised faces, she immediately knew this was the result of Lin Huang’s forceful suppression. Noting that no one was missing, her opinion of Lin Huang rose several more notches.

Sweeping her gaze across the crowd, Yi Yeyu finally spoke. “I’m sure you all have many questions about why you’ve been gathered here and why you’re not allowed to leave. I’ll explain the reason now, and I ask that you not panic.”

“The situation is as follows: in recent days, we’ve observed unusual behavior among monsters stretching from the desert region all the way east to Snow Mountain Town—a range of several thousand kilometers. The monsters have been attacking humans in a frenzy, showing no fear of death. After investigating, we suspect that a Transcendent monster with bewitching abilities has appeared in the vicinity.”

At this, an uproar broke out among the crowd. A Transcendent monster was no trivial matter. The reason C-class medium strongholds required Transcendents to guard them was precisely because of the threat posed by such monsters.

A single Transcendent could lead a horde of monsters in a beast tide, destroying a medium stronghold with a population of over a million in a single night.

“There’s no need to worry,” Yi Yeyu continued, “The Association has already dispatched a Transcendent expert, who should arrive today. He’ll conduct a thorough search of the surrounding area to find the source of the anomaly. Once the issue is resolved, I’ll seek instructions from headquarters on whether the assessment will continue, or if all remaining participants will pass automatically. So please remain calm and wait patiently in the stronghold.”

Her words finally soothed the crowd. Everyone was here to become a reserve hunter, and if they could pass the assessment directly, it was the result they all hoped for. In fact, the Hunter Association’s management of reserve hunter assessments was never particularly strict—each examiner set their own rules and standards, and the number of people who passed was of little consequence. However, given the special circumstances, Yi Yeyu had to report to her superiors.

With their concerns eased, everyone’s mood settled. Still, someone raised a hand and asked, “Is this stronghold really safe? Can’t we take a Wind Roc to another stronghold?”

“It’s not necessarily safe to travel by Wind Roc right now,” Yi Yeyu explained.

“When I was climbing the snowy mountain, I was attacked by a flock of White-feathered Geese. Even though the Wind Roc is fast, if it’s intercepted by a flock, the chances of escape are slim,” Lin Huang added.

With Lin Huang’s input, the crowd quickly abandoned any thoughts of leaving by Wind Roc.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed, satisfied with the explanation and willing to remain in the stronghold. With Yi Yeyu and the other staff back, Lin Huang was finally freed from his temporary responsibilities.

As night fell, Lin Huang was practicing his swordsmanship in his room when he suddenly received a call from Yi Yeyu, asking him to come to her room.

Though somewhat puzzled, Lin Huang went as requested. Upon entering, he saw another man inside.

He was an unremarkable man, appearing to be in his early thirties, with tanned skin, a lean build, and standing about 1.8 meters tall.

As soon as Lin Huang entered, Yi Yeyu introduced him, “This is Lord Zhang Bo, sent by the Association to handle the monster anomaly.”

“Greetings, Lord Zhang,” Lin Huang said. He immediately guessed that this unassuming man was a Transcendent. It was his first time meeting someone of that level, and though he studied the man closely, he couldn’t sense any difference from an ordinary person—no overwhelming power at all.

“Lord Zhang Bo, this is the young man I mentioned earlier, Lin Huang,” Yi Yeyu added.

Zhang Bo placed a hand on Lin Huang’s shoulder, his face warm and friendly, exuding approachability. “Young man, please describe in detail the monster attack you experienced during the assessment.”

Lin Huang nodded and recounted the incident in full.

Yi Yeyu had previously only heard a rough version and was unaware of just how perilous it had been. Listening to the detailed account now, her fondness for the youth deepened.

It took over twenty minutes to recount the entire ordeal. At the end, Zhang Bo patted Lin Huang’s shoulder vigorously. “So accomplished at such a young age—excellent! I believe you’ll become an outstanding hunter one day!”

Lin Huang was a bit embarrassed by the praise, scratching his head.

“Based on your descriptions, it’s highly likely that a bewitching-type Transcendent monster is behind this,” Zhang Bo said with a hearty laugh. “I’ll go search right now and try to find and slay it before dawn!”

“No need to wait until morning?” Yi Yeyu asked.

She asked because many monsters became more frenzied at night, displaying even greater strength.

Zhang Bo understood this but didn’t care in the least. “No need to wait. The sooner it’s settled, the sooner we can be at ease.”

Clearly a man of action, Zhang Bo strode to the sliding window and leapt out, swiftly flying into the distance until he vanished from sight.

Watching him soar through the air, Lin Huang couldn’t help but feel envious.

Yi Yeyu, seeming to read his thoughts, teased with a smile, “Work hard at your cultivation. Once you reach the Transcendent Realm, you’ll be able to fly too.”

Lin Huang, slightly embarrassed, changed the subject. “So, who exactly is Lord Zhang Bo?”

“Zhang Bo, also known as Sky-splitting Spear, is a formidable gunslinger. He only advanced to the Transcendent Realm two years ago. Before that, he ranked 33rd in the Gold Hunter leaderboard for the Seventh District,” Yi Yeyu explained.

“Is 33rd that impressive?” Lin Huang thought that didn’t sound too high.

“What do you know? Do you realize how many hunters there are in the Seventh District? Just the gold-level hunters number in the hundreds of millions! Anyone in the top thousand is an elite among elites!” Yi Yeyu rolled her eyes and began explaining just how prestigious the ranking was.

“What about your ranking?” Lin Huang couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m currently ranked 998th,” Yi Yeyu replied, her face full of pride.

“Wow, that’s amazing, you actually made the top thousand,” Lin Huang said, though his praise sounded a bit insincere.

“Why do I get the feeling you mean, ‘Only 998th? That’s pathetic!’” Yi Yeyu glared at Lin Huang.

“Not at all! Here, let me try again.” Lin Huang exaggerated his tone comically, “Wow, incredible! You actually made it into the top thousand! That’s so awesome!”

“You’d better just go back to your own room,” Yi Yeyu replied, her expression darkening further.