The teleportation light faded, leaving Team Zero gasping for air on the marble plaza of Star-Sea University.
They had escaped the Council's kill zone, but they weren't safe yet.
"Intruders detected!"
The University's automated defenses activated. Four Rune-Golems, each standing twelve feet tall and glowing with arcane script, marched toward them.
"Halt! Identification!" The Golems' voices boomed, vibrating the very bones of the students.
"We are... freshmen!" Lin Qingxue panted, holding up her battered ID card. "We are here for registration!"
The Golems paused. Scanners swept over them.
[Scanning...]
[IDs Verified. Lin Qingxue. Gu Linger. Wei Hao.]
[Scan Complete.]
Then the red light fell on Jiang Chen.
[Scanning...]
[Warning: High Threat Energy Detected. Demonic Qi Resonance.]
[Alert: Potential Hostile.]
The Golems raised their massive stone fists. Mana cannons in their shoulders charged with a high-pitched whine.
"Wait!" Fatty Wei screamed. "He's with us!"
"Standard Protocol," the Golem droned. "Unregistered Demonic Entities must be purged."
Jiang Chen stood up slowly. His shirt was gone, revealing the torso wrapped in bloody bandages. His right arm, where the Netherworld Fragment lay dormant, twitched.
"Purged?" Jiang Chen spat a mouthful of blood onto the pristine white marble. "I just fought an army to get here. You think four rocks are going to stop me?"
He gripped his heavy sword. The veins on his neck bulged like cords.
"Jiang Chen, don't!" Lin Qingxue grabbed his arm. "If you fight the school defenses, they'll expel us before we even start!"
"Let them try."
Just as the Golems prepared to fire, a lazy voice echoed from the sky.
"Stand down, tin cans."
A figure descended on a flying sword. He was a young man with messy hair, wearing a loose robe and drinking from a gourd.
Instructor Lu. (Disciplinary Elder).
He landed between Jiang Chen and the Golems. He waved a hand, and the Golems powered down instantly.
"Interesting," Lu looked at Jiang Chen. "Demon arm? Heavy sword? And a bounty of 1 Million Credits?"
He took a swig of wine.
"You brought a lot of trouble to my doorstep, kid."
"I brought talent," Jiang Chen looked him in the eye. "And a desire to kill the Council."
Lu laughed. "Hah! Honest. I like that. Star-Sea University welcomes trouble. As long as you can survive it."
He tossed a badge to Jiang Chen.
"Welcome to hell, freshman. Try not to die in the dorms."
The Freshman Dorms.
Star-Sea University didn't believe in luxury. The dorms were brutalist concrete blocks located on the edge of the floating island, overlooking the endless sea of clouds below.
Jiang Chen's room was 303.
He entered and collapsed onto the hard bed. He didn't care about the view. He needed to check his gains.
[System Status]
[Host: Jiang Chen]
[Realm: Body Tempering 9th Stage (Peak)]
[Condition: Critical (Meridian Damage 40%)]
[Loot: Black Box, 49 Spirit Stones, Beast King Core (Level 9)]
"Beast King Core..." Jiang Chen pulled the glowing red orb from his inventory. It pulsed like a heart.
"If I consume this, I can break through to Qi Gathering."
But he hesitated.
"No. My foundation is unstable. If I break through now, I'll be a weak Qi Gathering cultivator. I need to perfect my body first."
He put the core away.
"I need to enter the Second Continent."
He closed his eyes.
The Myriad Heaven's Grave.
He bypassed the Mortal Dust Battlefield and walked toward the massive gate shrouded in Green Fog.
[Continent #2: The Beast King Realm.]
[Unlock Requirement: Offer a Level 9 Beast Core.]
"Here," Jiang Chen tossed the core into the gate.
RUMBLE.
The gate groaned open. A primal roar blasted out, shaking Jiang Chen's soul.
He stepped through.
He was in a jungle. But the trees were the size of skyscrapers. The grass was as tall as a man.
In the distance, he saw the skeleton of a Dragon, its ribs forming a mountain range.
[Welcome to the Beast King Realm.]
[Current Zone: The Valley of Fangs.]
[Objective: Survive.]
SNAP.
A twig broke behind him.
Jiang Chen spun around.
Standing there was a Sabre-Tooth Tiger. But it was 20 feet tall. Its fur was steel wire. Its teeth were obsidian blades.
[Enemy: Iron-Wire Tiger (Ancient Species)]
[Strength: Equivalent to Qi Gathering 3rd Stage.]
"A mob here is stronger than an Elite outside?" Jiang Chen grinned savagely. "Good."
The Tiger pounced.
Jiang Chen didn't use his sword. He wanted to test his body.
He activated Demonification: 10%. His right arm turned black.
He punched the Tiger in the face.
CRACK.
The impact felt like hitting a train. Jiang Chen was slid back ten meters, his feet carving trenches in the dirt. The Tiger shook its head, barely dazed.
"Tough bastard," Jiang Chen laughed.
The Tiger swiped. Its claws tore through Jiang Chen's Qi shield like paper. Three deep gashes appeared on his chest. Blood sprayed, hot and red.
"Pain..." Jiang Chen licked the blood from his lip. "It wakes me up."
He charged again.
This time, he didn't aim for the head. He aimed for the throat.
He ducked under a paw swipe, ignoring the wind pressure that cracked his ribs. He drove his armored fist upward.
SQUELCH.
He punched through the Tiger's throat.
Warm, sticky blood showered him. The Tiger thrashed, its claws raking Jiang Chen's back, tearing strips of flesh.
"Die!" Jiang Chen roared, ripping his hand out. He grabbed the Tiger's windpipe and pulled.
RIP.
With a wet, tearing sound, he ripped the throat out.
The massive beast collapsed, twitching in a pool of gore.
Jiang Chen stood over it, covered in blood and viscera. He was panting. His body screamed in pain, but his spirit was soaring.
[Enemy Defeated.]
[Reward: Beast Blood Essence.]
[Absorbing...]
The red mist from the corpse flowed into his wounds. The gashes on his chest stopped bleeding. The broken ribs knit together.
His muscles grew denser. His skin toughened.
[Body Tempering: Limit Broken.]
[Hidden Realm: 10th Stage (Perfect Body).]
"10th Stage?" Jiang Chen looked at his hands. "The legends were true. The Ancient Gods cultivated a stage beyond the 9th."
He looked deeper into the jungle. Thousands of red eyes were watching him from the shadows.
"I'm not done," Jiang Chen raised his bloody fists. "Come on! Who's next?!"
For the rest of the night, the Valley of Fangs echoed with the sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones.
Jiang Chen didn't fight like a human. He fought like a beast. He bit, he clawed, he smashed.
By the time he woke up in the real world, his bed was soaked in sweat, but his eyes were clear.
He was ready.
Ready to conquer Star-Sea. And ready to make the Council bleed.