It wasn't just Su Yuan, everyone in the Rainforest Secret Realm was pressing for time to hunt Star Beasts, especially students like Fang Kun, Chen Jiujun, Lv Xinghen, and Jiang Jun, who were targeting Weapon Cards at the Ninth Stage.
These individuals all had to hunt Bronze-level Star Beasts.
At that moment, in a certain part of the rainforest, Chen Jiujun was fiercely battling an Iron-Backed Ape over two meters tall. Judging from its size and the fluctuation of its Star Power, that Iron-Backed Ape was actually at the Bronze Early Stage!
The Iron-Backed Ape's Hardened Iron Armor was probably at the Great Success Stage, with over seventy percent of its body hardened. Coupled with its agile figure and astonishing strength, its combat power was even stronger than the Wind Beast Su Yuan had encountered in the Great Barbarian Forest!
At that moment, the Iron-Backed Ape unleashed its full strength and roared bizarrely as it swung its fists at high speed.
"Swoosh! Swoosh, swoosh..."
Even a Bronze-level Star Card Master would have a hard time taking a punch from that sandbag-sized hardened fist, let alone the Star Apprentices; they simply couldn't withstand it head-on.
However, Chen Jiujun had a way to counter it.
Two silver Thunder Snakes could be seen slithering and circling around Chen Jiujun. His entire body was wrapped in Thunder Light, moving like a silver electric leap, flashing past!
It was Chen Jiujun's innate Blue Soul Skill from his Soul Card, "Twin Thunder Snakes"!
Like White Thunder, Chen Jiujun constantly darted and shifted across the field. The Iron-Backed Ape couldn't even touch him and was played for a fool, growing more and more irate, frantically smashing and flailing around on the ground.
However, continuously using a skill like Twin Thunder Snakes actually consumed more energy than Instant Movement. Chen Jiujun was just a Star Apprentice, and it would not take long before he would be caught by the Iron-Backed Ape due to insufficient Star Power.
But Chen Jiujun wasn't just dodging, after a while, a bright idea struck him. He turned around to face the ferociously chasing Iron-Backed Ape and suddenly stopped moving.
If Chen Jiujun's opponent were a human, such a sudden halt would likely raise suspicion.
But the Iron-Backed Ape, already seeing red, was not concerned with caution and raised its arms to deliver a "Double Dragon Burst" to Chen Jiujun's head!
Just as the Iron-Backed Ape was about to reach him, suddenly, the two Thunder Snakes coiled around Chen Jiujun shot out like lightning, connecting from end to end and forming a Silver Electric Magic Chain that bound the Iron-Backed Ape!
The Twin Thunder Snakes were not just for speeding up; their stronger ability was to bind opponents!
"Crackle, crackle..."
Thunder Light surged heavily on the Silver Electric Magic Chain, and currents swirled violently.
The Iron-Backed Ape tried to break free but found the Silver Electric Magic Chain to be extraordinarily tough and couldn't escape for a long time.
Chen Jiujun sneered and formed a seal with his hands, "Eight-fold, Thunder Strike Array!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, palm-sized Thunder Runes suddenly lit up all around the ground.
Bursts of Thunder Spiritual Power leapt out from the runes, quickly gathering beneath the feet of the bound Iron-Backed Ape in just a moment.
Chen Jiujun bellowed, "Blast!"
"Boom!!"
Thunder exploded, and Electric Light surged!
The violent Thunder Light burst from beneath the feet of the Iron-Backed Ape, illuminating the surrounding sky for an instant.
Seconds later, the surge of Thunder Elements calmed down, and the Iron-Backed Ape, whose body was as tough as metal, was riddled with holes, bloody and unrecognizable, dead beyond any doubt.
"That's settled!" Chen Jiujun let out a long sigh. "Although the Thunder Strike Array takes a long time to prepare, once it's activated, its power is much higher than ordinary Green Skills of the same level."
The Thunder Strike Array was the only Green Skill Chen Jiujun had mastered. It involved placing Thunder Seals to store thunder and then triggering them all at once, combining the power stored in multiple Thunder Seals for a super-strong Thunder Element attack.
The more Thunder Seals placed, the greater the final power of the Thunder Strike.
An Entry-level can place up to four Thunder Seals, a Skilled Level eight, and a Master Level sixteen!
Even an eight Thunder Seal Thunder Strike Array could kill a Bronze-level Star Beast, and sixteen Thunder Seals...
In the special recruitment assessment at Wanzhou Academy, Chen Jiujun had managed to obliterate a Bronze Middle Stage Star Beast with a sixteen-rune Thunder Strike Array, which enabled him to catch the eye of an instructor from Wanzhou Academy and to narrowly pass the assessment.
"One is not enough, I need to hurry and kill a few more!"
Quickly cleaning up the aftermath, Chen Jiujun, despite his pale complexion, soon set off again.
It might have been enough before, but now, Chen Jiujun had to secure the first place.
Only the first place, not just the top three!
It wasn't for the Green Weapon Card but something he must achieve as a special recruit of Wanzhou.
In Chen Jiujun's view, the level of students from Guangchuan City was far beneath the talents he had encountered during the special recruitment assessment over the winter break.
Not to mention those who had passed the assessment, even those who had failed were almost all from cities of second level or higher.
Especially the individual who ranked first in the last special recruitment, that super-genius from the Capitol City!
Born into a prestigious family, possessing a mid-grade blue Soul Card talent and astonishing natural gifts, he was just a step away from reaching the Bronze Level!
Such a person was the rival Chen Jiujun aspired to compete against. As for this trial, it was merely a minor test before his journey to Wanzhou Academy.
As a special recruit of Wanzhou in Guangchuan City, if he could not claim the first spot, how could he compete with those geniuses in the academy?
Not to mention, the only person in this trial who posed a threat was Fang Kun, another special recruit.
Chen Jiujun's resolve was firm, "First, I'll secure the top spot in this trial, then compete with the students of Wanzhou Academy!"
...
In the command center of the secret realm camp, as Chen Jiujun powerfully slain the Bronze Level Iron-Backed Ape, murmurs rose among many team members.
"This Chen Jiujun is truly extraordinary, to have forcefully slain a Bronze Level Iron-Backed Ape head-on."
"It goes without saying, the offensive power of a Thunder Type Star Card Master really is strong!"
"His skill isn't ordinary either; it ranks quite high among Green Skills."
...
Xiao Yong, watching Chen Jiujun as he moved on to the next red zone, nodded slightly.
"Although they vary in quality, with the worst truly lacking, unable to even defeat a Seventh Stage Star Beast, there are quite a few with great potential, at least Fang Kun and Chen Jiujun are indeed impressive."
Xiao Yong was pondering when he seemed to notice some noise outside, and his brow furrowed.
"Someone from outside has come in? Are they the previous teachers, what's going on?"
Xiao Yong turned around, about to see who was so brash as to enter without reporting amidst the joint trial.
By then, a handsome middle-aged man dressed in a black suit had already appeared at the doorway.
When Xiao Yong saw who it was, his expression changed and he hurriedly paid his respects, "Director Wang!"
The working City Guard members were also taken aback and quickly stood up to offer their greetings.
The middle-aged man was none other than the Director of the Guangchuan Municipal Education Bureau—Wang Haiping.
Of course, his position was secondary; the primary reason Xiao Yong and the rest of the City Guard showed such respect was because the visitor was a powerful Shining Star Level Star Card Master!
The City Guard was under the military department, separate from the education department, but powerful Star Card Masters were respected everywhere, let alone a Shining Star Card Master among the Upper Three-Levels!
Xiao Yong had not expected him to personally come to observe the trial; it was a first in many years.