8: award

"We really won?" Xu Yao said in disbelief. After all, there was a massive level gap between them and the Fusang Dark Guard.

Though she knew it was partly because the Fusang Dark Guard had already been heavily injured during the fight with the Spirit Guard Army.

If he had been in perfect condition, no matter how many methods they used, it would have been impossible to break through his defense and make the poison take effect.

"Cough... cough... I am Wang Cheng from the Seventh Squad, Third Detachment of the Eastern Corps of the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army. Thank you for saving my life," said the heavily injured Great Xia Spirit Guard as he limped over.

He was covered in blood, and he was even coughing up blood as he spoke, showing how severe his injuries were.

The bright silver spear in his hand had reverted into a long snake with green eyes and silver scales. Most of its scales had fallen off, and it flicked its tongue weakly.

"Not at all. If Brother Wang Cheng hadn't stood in front of us, we would have died at the hands of this Fusang man long ago," Su Ze said, immediately going over to support him.

Xu Yao chimed in, "That's right. We should be the ones thanking Brother Wang Cheng for saving our lives."

But Wang Cheng immediately said solemnly, "A Great Xia Spirit Guard should be the first to die! This has been our ironclad rule since the day we joined the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army!"

"As members of the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army, we must always stand in front of the common people, so there's no need to thank me for such a thing."

He coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood before continuing, "You killed a Fusang Dark Guard who infiltrated our country. This is a great achievement. When the leaders return, I will help request a reward for you!"

Just as he finished speaking, two white-haired old men suddenly appeared in the hall of the Beast Tamer Association.

Standing in mid-air, their powerful auras instantly enveloped the entire scene.

One of the old men shouted, "Which blind fool dares to cause trouble in my association? Are you tired of living?!"

He was none other than the president of the Beishan City Beast Tamer Association, Yu Shenghuo, known as the White-Haired Angry Lion.

Despite his advanced age, he had a fierce temper that far exceeded that of an average young man.

Beside him was Guo Linshan, the Detachment Commander of the Third Detachment of the Eastern Corps of the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army.

Except for the principal of Azure Dragon Beast Taming University, the three strongest figures in Beishan City had all arrived.

Being the strongest, they had naturally rushed back as quickly as possible.

The principal, however, did not return with them as he was responsible for the Beast Taming College Entrance Examination venue.

Upon his return, Guo Linshan happened to see the heavily injured Wang Cheng and asked, "I remember you're a member of the Seventh Squad. Tell me what happened here."

Wang Cheng quickly recounted everything that had occurred.

"What? Two young Gold-rank Beast Tamers appeared here? And they killed a Fusang Dark Guard whose strength far exceeded theirs?!" the two said, looking at Su Ze and Xu Yao in surprise.

They were shocked by Su Ze and Xu Yao's talent, and even more amazed that two newly awakened Beast Tamers could actually counter-kill a Fusang Dark Guard.

Or rather, 'excited' would be a more accurate description of their current mood.

Yu Shenghuo asked, "Looking at your age, are you here to test your beast taming level because you want to participate in this year's Beast Taming College Entrance Examination?"

Su Ze looked up at the two men standing in the air and said, "We are both graduates of Beishan City No. 1 High School this year. Greetings, Captain Guo and President Yu."

Flight was an ability that could only be mastered after reaching Level Sixty.

Of course, some beast taming armor transformed from flying-type beasts came with wings, granting Beast Tamers the right to enter the sky early.

The two also realized that flying in the air wasn't very convenient for talking to the people below, so they landed on the ground.

Yu Shenghuo sized up Su Ze with great pleasure and said, "Young man, no need to be so formal. You can just call me Old Yu and him Old Guo."

The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, saying, "Good, very good!"

Yu Shenghuo personally presided over Su Ze's unfinished test, then took two badges from the testing platform and pinned them on the two of them.

After he finished all this, Guo Linshan stepped forward and said, "Alright, Old Yu's business is done, now it's my turn."

"You bravely used your wisdom to kill a Fusang Dark Guard. This not only saved your own lives but also the lives of my Great Xia Spirit Guard soldiers and other citizens."

"Therefore, in the name of the Detachment Commander of the Third Detachment of the Eastern Corps of the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army, I grant you this commendation."

He then took out two egg-sized quenching thought beads and handed them to the two.

Both the size and quality were superior to the one Su Ze had won from Lin He.

These were high-grade quenching thought beads exclusively for the military. They were rarely seen outside and were the type that couldn't be bought even if one wanted to.

Su Ze and Xu Yao glanced at each other and bowed together in excitement, saying, "Thank you, Captain Guo!"

They had originally only intended to save their own lives and hadn't expected to receive such a great reward.

Guo Linshan smiled and shook his head, "No need to thank me; you earned this. I look forward to the day you join the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army!"

Students graduating from Beast Taming Universities are all assigned to national organizations, and the Great Xia Spirit Guard Army is a major recruiter, with a significant number of graduates joining every year.

Some exceptionally talented individuals even work part-time in the Spirit Guard Army while still in school.

Of course, the Spirit Guard Army doesn't just take anyone.

Strength is only one aspect; they value character more, specifically the courage to be the 'first to die'.

Afterwards, Guo Linshan and Yu Shenghuo also had to get busy dealing with the damage the Fusang Dark Guards had caused to the city.

After obtaining their badges and quenching thought beads, Su Ze and Xu Yao also left the Beast Tamer Association.

Yu Shenghuo was busy cleaning up the association hall damaged by the fight, while Guo Linshan walked out of the association.

Wang Cheng followed behind Guo Linshan and said, "Reporting to the Detachment Commander, the number of Fusang Dark Guards appearing in the city this time is large. The Spirit Guard Army stationed in the city can only split up to capture them."

"I chased one to the Beast Tamer Association during the capture process."

Guo Linshan stopped and frowned, "Those Fusang fellows come to cause trouble every year during our Great Xia Beast Taming College Entrance Examination, but it seems the scale this year is exceptionally large."

But he also found it a bit strange, "There are still about ten days until the Beast Taming College Entrance Examination. Why did these Fusang Dark Guards expose themselves so early?"

Wang Cheng said from the side, "Perhaps... it wasn't that they were willing to expose themselves, but rather they were seen through by our people and had no choice but to expose themselves?"

Guo Linshan shook his head, "You just graduated and joined the Spirit Guard Army recently. It's normal to think that way since you haven't dealt with Fusang Dark Guards much."

"This bunch might not be great at other things, but their sneakiness is the best in the world. If they really wanted to hide, they wouldn't be discovered so easily."

Then he looked into the distance and instructed, "The environment for the Beast Taming College Entrance Examination venue chosen by the higher-ups this time is quite harsh, and with so many outstanding students appearing, nothing must go wrong!"

"Pass down the order: concentrate all forces to protect the examination venue on the day of the exam! I'll go find Old Yu to borrow some people; he has quite a few experts under him. Along with the principal and teachers of Azure Dragon Beast Taming University, there must be no mistakes!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang Cheng stood at attention, saluted, and then quickly withdrew to deliver the message.

But even after concentrating so much power, Guo Linshan still felt like he was overlooking something, and he felt somewhat uneasy.