hotmtlnovel Chapter 39
Chapter 39
C39 – Successfully Reaching the Top
Frost had stealthily blanketed the uneven ground, and the treetops around were adorned with tiny ice crystals.
A gust of bone-chilling wind swept through, making Jin Haocan shudder involuntarily as he snapped back to reality.
His vacant eyes scanned the ground.
The corpse of the Gold Wilted Beast was gone; only the scattered ice shards bore witness to its former presence.
In that moment, Jin Haocan couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
A formidable third-rank, fifth-layer ferocious beast had been effortlessly slain by Xie Yang in a mere instant!
He had never anticipated such an outcome.
The fierce battle he had envisioned never materialized.
It took only one strike, and the Gold Wilted Beast was dead!
The sight before him delivered an unspeakable blow to Jin Haocan.
“This can’t be a third-rank pet!”
“Not even a third-rank, ninth-layer pet could instantly kill a third-rank, fifth-layer Gold Wilted Beast!”
“Only a pet of at least the fourth rank could achieve this...”
Jin Haocan swallowed hard, his eyes wide with shock and awe as he looked at Xie Yang.
Everyone had assumed Xie Yang possessed a third-rank pet like theirs.
But they were sorely mistaken.
Xie Yang had a pet of the fourth rank!
Now Jin Haocan truly grasped why Xie Yang could amass points so swiftly.
His strength was simply not on the same plane as theirs.
They had been oblivious to the caliber of genius they were up against.
“Against such a genius, I stand no chance!”
Bitterness tinged Jin Haocan’s expression.
He had always been hailed as a prodigy since childhood.
Though he never flaunted it, there was a deep-seated pride within him.
After all, owning a third-rank, second-layer pet at just eighteen, his strength was unquestionably top-tier among his peers.
Yet, his pride was utterly crushed today.
His accomplishments paled in comparison to Xie Yang’s.
His commendation was no small accolade, coming from a gold Beastmaster of high standing at Nightbay Academy.
The teachers were inwardly impressed, and a hush fell over the room.
To break the silence, one teacher ventured, “Do you think Xie Yang could score the 500 points from the stone tablet challenge?”
The room paused, then filled with quiet chuckles and head shakes, acknowledging the lofty challenge.
“How could that be?”
“For years, no one has ever scored these 500 points. I doubt Xie Yang can pull it off.”
“We didn’t create this reward with the expectation that candidates would actually achieve it.”
“Exactly. The academy introduced this rule to give the freshmen a taste of hardship. Nightbay Academy is never short on geniuses; anyone who enrolls must shed their pride and arrogance.”
“As such, this challenge isn’t meant to be conquered by a newcomer. Even with a fourth-rank pet, Xie Yang would fare no differently.”
A chorus of nods followed among the teachers, clearly resonating with the sentiment.
The teacher who had raised the question didn’t believe Xie Yang could do it either, responding with a smile and no objection.
The discussion ceased as everyone’s attention returned to the screen.
Time ticked away, and the scores on the leaderboard steadily climbed.
Notably, Lian Xia, Han Xuemei, Yun Ye, and Jin Haocan’s scores soared, far outpacing the other candidates.
Their rankings shuffled continuously as they vied to outdo one another.
Yet, no matter the shifts, Xie Yang securely held the top spot.
As the assessment drew to a close, the gap between them and Xie Yang didn’t shrink; it only grew wider.
With just ten minutes to go, they trailed Xie Yang by over 300 points.
First place: Xie Yang, 1,638 points
Second place: Lian Xia, 1,321 points
Third place: Han Xuemei, 1,295 points
Fourth place: Yun Ye, 1,263 points
Fifth place: Jin Haocan, 1,202 points
The battle for first place was no longer in question.
Even if Xie Yang were to stop there, the others couldn’t hope to catch up.
Yun Ye, Xie Yang’s biggest detractor, was forced to concede this point.
Reluctantly, they shifted their focus from chasing the leader to jockeying for second place.
Before long, the five-hour hunt concluded.
The surviving candidates naturally converged on the plains.