I became a god through frontier slaughter, and I crushed the academy's prodigies!

The abandoned commercial plaza was originally a fountain pool.

There's a huge black shadow lying there now.

A strong, pungent stench filled the air—the distinctive body odor of reptiles mixed with the smell of fermenting carrion.

"That's an armored lizard."

The one-eyed man lowered his voice, a greedy glint in his eye.

"Judging by its size, the armor plates on its back have completely turned black. This is a good piece of equipment; this set of leather armor could sell for at least 500,000."

Five hundred thousand.

For hunters who risk their lives in the wilderness, this is a fortune that could drive anyone mad.

The bald man swallowed hard; his palms, gripping the iron rod, were sweaty.

The monkey huddled in the back, its eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Shen Tian stood in the shadows, his spiritual power spreading out like a tide.

In his perception, the seemingly sleeping behemoth was actually surging with blood and qi, like a volcano about to erupt.

and.

Its aura was far stronger than the "late stage of first tier" recorded in the data.

"Get ready to act."

The one-eyed man made a hand gesture.

"Same as always, Shen Tian and I will hold it off head-on, Baldy will attack the left flank, and Monkey will attack the right flank. We'll look for an opportunity to strike its weak spot."

"Remember, don't be greedy with your attacks. This beast has high defense; let's slowly whittle it down."

Everyone nodded.

One-Eyed took a deep breath, drew a thick-backed cleaver from behind his back, and with a push of his feet, he shot out like a cannonball.

"kill!"

A loud shout shattered the silence.

The sleeping armored lizard suddenly opened its eyes, its vertical pupils gleaming with a cold, dark yellow light.

It has no morning grumpiness, only a furious rage at being provoked by its prey.

Roar!

The giant beast rose up, and the ground trembled.

A thick, scaly tail swept out with a sharp, whistling sound.

The one-eyed man's expression changed, and he blocked with his broadsword.

when!

A loud bang.

One-Eyed was slapped so hard he slid back seven or eight meters, his feet leaving two deep furrows in the concrete.

"Grass!"

The one-eyed tiger's mouth was split open, blood streaming down its face, its eyes filled with horror. "Something's wrong! This strength... this is peak first-tier power!"

Peak of Tier 1!

The bald man and the monkey turned deathly pale instantly.

Although there is only a small difference between the late stage of the first tier and the peak stage of the first tier, their strengths are worlds apart.

The former can also hunt.

The latter is something capable of wiping them out!

"The intelligence is wrong! We can't retreat... no, we can't retreat now!"

The one-eyed man, glaring at the armored lizard that had locked onto them, gritted his teeth. "This beast is faster than us. Running means exposing our backs to it! We'll fight!"

"Shen Tian! Hold on!"

One-Eyed roared and charged forward again.

If no one stands in front to absorb the damage at this point, everyone will die.

Shen Tian did not back down.

Instead, he took a step forward.

Faced with a first-tier peak beast, an ordinary mortal martial artist would have been terrified long ago, but the excitement in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

Just right.

I'll use you as a test subject.

Clang!

The boning knife is drawn from its sheath.

Instead of retreating, Shen Tian advanced, charging towards the giant claws that the armored lizard was about to strike.

[Talent: Innate Blade Bones] Activated.

The [Great Strength] effect is triggered.

Shen Tian's arm bones crackled and popped, and a pale blue sheen flowed faintly beneath his skin.

This moment.

His spine, like a dragon, seemed to transform into a peerless, unsheathed mad sword.

A 100% increase in arm strength!

A 100% increase in sword attack power!

"roll!"

Shen Tian shouted, and the ordinary boning knife in his hand suddenly unleashed a force capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

boom!

Blade and claw collide.

The scene that everyone had expected—Shen Tian being smashed into mincemeat—did not occur.

in contrast.

A terrifying shockwave erupted from the blade.

【Vibrating Knife】!

The armored lizard's hard, iron-like claws were momentarily numb from the shock, and its massive body involuntarily leaned back.

"A great opportunity!"

The one-eyed man was overjoyed.

He never expected that Shen Tian, ​​this seemingly weak high school student, would have such terrifying explosive power, actually able to directly confront a first-tier peak alien beast!

Is this what they call innate superhuman strength?

"Let's do it!"

The one-eyed creature roared and, taking advantage of the moment when the armored lizard was stiff, slashed its broadsword fiercely at its neck.

The bald man reacted quickly, grabbed the iron bar, rushed towards the left side of the armored lizard, and smashed it hard against its knee joint.

The battle quickly became intense.

Shen Tian and One-Eyed became the main force.

Especially Shen Tian.

With the aid of his mental power, he could always accurately predict every attack of the armored lizard. His movements were as slippery as an eel, and with each counterattack, the boning knife could precisely cut into the gaps in the scales, bringing up sprays of blood.

The armored lizard roared repeatedly, but it could not get rid of this annoying human.

Its attention was completely drawn to Shen Tian.

Just then.

The monkey that had been lurking on the right edge moved.

But he did not attack the armored lizard.

His gaze was fixed on Shen Tian's back.

now.

Shen Tian had just swung his sword and was in a state of stagnation, where his old strength had been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated.

Moreover, the armored lizard was roaring wildly, and the huge sound waves drowned out all the slightest movements.

This is a golden opportunity.

The only chance.

"Go to hell!"

The monkey's face was contorted, its eyes filled with a mixture of jealousy and fear that created a frenzied killing intent.

The dagger in his hand gleamed with a ghostly blue poisonous light, silently piercing towards Shen Tian's back.

This strike.

Fast, accurate, and ruthless.

If the stab hits, even if Shen Tian has extraordinary abilities, he will die on the spot.

"Monkey! What are you doing?!"

The bald man opposite him witnessed this scene, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he let out a heart-wrenching roar.

"Are you crazy?! He's tanking the monster! If he dies, we all die!!"

The bald man could hardly believe his eyes.

At this critical juncture of life and death, at this time when everyone is fighting desperately.

The monkey actually backstabbed the main damage dealer?!

Is this a death wish?

Upon hearing the roar, the one-eyed man instinctively turned around, his pupils suddenly contracting.

That's too late.

The monkey's dagger was less than half a meter away from Shen Tian's back.

Such a close distance.

Even a second-tier martial artist cannot dodge it if caught off guard.

It’s over.

One-Eyed felt a chill in his heart.

With Shen Tian dead, no one can withstand this peak-level first-tier armored lizard; they will all perish with him.

The monkey's mouth had split into a cruel arc.

He could almost see the thrill of a knife piercing flesh, and the image of the genius who terrified him falling.

however.

In the very next second.

The monkey's smile froze.

Because he didn't see the slightest bit of panic in Shen Tian's back.

even.

That figure didn't even tremble.

It was as if... I knew he would come all along.

hum!

An invisible wave suddenly descended.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment.

The monkey was horrified to discover that the dagger in his hand seemed to have been stuck in a clump of sticky glue, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not advance it an inch further.

What happened?!

Before he could react...

call out!

A barely perceptible whooshing sound rang out.

It was a rusty nut.

The thumb-sized trash, covered in mud and oil, is a common sight in the ruins.

But at the moment.

It hovered in front of the monkey's forehead, spinning rapidly and producing a teeth-grinding shriek.

The monkey's pupils reflected the shape of the nut.

And behind the nut, Shen Tianna, though his back was to him, seemed to be coldly watching his... "eyes".

Mental power.

Full view.

"In your next life, use your brain."

A detached voice exploded directly in the monkey's mind.

puff!

The nut transformed into a streak of light.

It pierced through the monkey's forehead in an instant, and with red and white matter attached, it shot out from the back of his head and slammed into the wall in the distance.

Clang.

The dagger fell to the ground.

The monkey stood frozen in place, its eyes wide open, its face still bearing the lingering traces of murderous intent and astonishment.

thump.

The body fell straight down.

Until then.

Shen Tian still did not turn around.

He swung his boning knife again, activating [Shaking Blade], and fiercely deflected the armored lizard's sweeping tail.

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

Killing someone is as easy as swatting a mosquito.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Apart from the heavy breathing of the armored lizard, the entire venue was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The bald man stood frozen in place, holding the iron rod, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a fist, and he even forgot that he was on the battlefield.

One-Eyed shuddered, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

What was that just now?

hidden weapon?

No.

Whose hidden weapon can curve? Whose hidden weapon can be launched without using their hands?

That is……

"A...spiritual master?!"

The one-eyed man's voice trembled, as if he had seen a ghost.

A legendary profession, one in ten thousand, whose awakening grants invincibility among those of the same rank, capable of killing without a trace?!

This seemingly harmless high school student who kept following him around...

He's actually a highly respected mentalist?!

One-Eyed felt his worldview had collapsed.

He actually wanted to use a mentalist as cannon fodder?

This moment.

His fear of Shen Tian even surpassed that of the first-tier peak armored lizard in front of him.

"What are you spacing out for?"

Shen Tian's calm voice came through, without any emotional fluctuation, as if he had just killed a zombie, not a teammate.

"If you don't want to die, then get to work."

"I want this lizard."