Chapter 87: Baptism by Fire

Chapter 87: Baptism by Fire

What divine marksmanship!

A perfect shot, piercing the Giant's eye in a single lethal strike.

Compared to this Great Martial Artist, Chen Shouyi's archery skills felt like a grade-schooler facing a university student—utterly unimpressive.

He exhaled heavily, his earlier tension easing. In the heat of battle, he had nearly forgotten the three Notaries observing from behind.

Of course, this wasn’t a true life-or-death struggle but an assessment. They wouldn’t let these Martial Artist Apprentices die needlessly.

Had the Giant charged, casualties wouldn’t have been limited to one or two—total annihilation was a real possibility.

To their group, the Giant was an insurmountable force.

Its formidable Defense rendered nearly all attacks useless. Ordinary Martial Artists' arrows couldn’t penetrate, and even Chen Shouyi could only inflict negligible damage.

With its terrifying Strength, a single casual strike could reduce a Martial Artist’s fragile body to pulp.

As the Giant collapsed, everyone exhaled in relief, gasping for air.

Some slumped to the ground, faces ashen, as if completely drained.

For these greenhorn Martial Artist Apprentices, the ordeal had been overwhelming—like brushing shoulders with death at the gates of hell.

Chen Shouyi noticed one Notary jotting notes in a folder, meticulously recording their performance.

Suddenly, someone shouted:

"The Giant’s not dead yet!"

Instantly, everyone tensed, even those seated scrambling to their feet.

The Giant’s body pulsed with an erratic yellow glow, muscles bulging as a stifling, oppressive aura filled the air.

Slowly, it pushed itself up with its arms, swaying drunkenly before staggering upright.

Its remaining eye burned with fury as it scanned the crowd, snarling incoherently, as if preparing to charge again.

Yet after a few unsteady steps, it crashed back to the ground.

An arrow was buried deep in its eye, the fletching nearly submerged—clearly piercing its brain. Yet, it still clung to life.

Chen Shouyi glanced back and saw Director Fang lowering his Bow, seemingly deeming the Giant no longer a threat.

Looks like it’s up to us.

Chen Shouyi swiftly nocked another arrow, drawing the Bowstring taut.

He took his time aiming at the Giant’s remaining good eye.

Then, he released.

The arrow streaked like lightning, vanishing in a flash.

At just 20 to 30 meters away, even a Martial Artist Apprentice couldn’t miss such a shot.

The arrow pierced the faint yellow glow, striking the eyeball with a sickening splatter.

The Giant howled again, thrashing mindlessly, its movements sluggish now that its brain was damaged. It made no attempt to shield its eyes, only futilely trying to rise once more.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Shouyi swiftly drew another arrow, nocked it, and fired—all in one fluid motion. In less than 0.3 seconds, another arrow pierced the giant's eyeball, sinking even deeper into the flesh.

"Quick, attack!"

The others snapped into action, drawing their bows and releasing a volley of arrows.

Half a minute later, Chen Shouyi and a few others cautiously approached the giant. By now, the creature lay motionless, the pale yellow glow around its body completely faded.

Its massive frame sprawled on the ground, its skin rough as sandpaper, exuding a thick, bizarre stench that made them gag.

This creature seemed inherently terrifying.

Even in death, standing before its corpse, Chen Shouyi felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, his breathing growing labored.

Suddenly, he drew his sword and swung it hard at the giant's head.

The blade met immediate resistance, the flesh tough and unyielding. When it struck the neck bone, it could go no further.

He yanked the stuck sword free, then aimed for the gap between the vertebrae and hacked again.

This time, the blade cleaved through over 20 centimeters, severing the entire spinal column.

After a dozen more exhausting swings, he finally severed the head—basket-sized—from the body. Blood gushed out like a high-pressure water gun, splattering everywhere. Chen Shouyi failed to dodge in time, getting drenched in the spray.

Lu Weifeng, who had approached as if to say something, immediately covered his nose. "So pungent."

The giant's blood reeked intensely, and even Chen Shouyi found it unbearable. Yet he feigned indifference. "Pungent? I don’t smell anything."

"The one who shits never thinks his own shit stinks."

"Hurry and wipe off the blood. Some terrifying supernatural creatures have blood that’s highly corrosive or even invasive—extremely dangerous. Avoid contact whenever possible," Director Fang suddenly warned.

Startled, Chen Shouyi stripped off his blood-soaked clothes and scrubbed himself clean. To his relief, nothing happened—not even a hint of redness on his skin.

In truth, to some extent, he was already a supernatural being himself.

Leaving aside his weak ability to control the atmosphere, the Natural Healing granted by the World Tree alone was enough to protect him from most harm. If not for the fact that this ability wasn’t combat-oriented, in terms of sheer power, he wouldn’t be inferior to this juvenile giant.

...

"Barbarians approaching—three of them."

Someone sounded the alert.

Over three minutes had passed since the battle began. Only now did a few brave barbarians dare to investigate.

It was clear their fear of giants ran bone-deep.

But for Chen Shouyi and the others, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

The fight began swiftly.

Compared to the giant, the barbarians were far easier to handle, and the group’s morale was much lighter. Before the barbarians could get close, seven or eight arrows rained down, striking all three.

What followed was nothing short of a massacre.

The barbarians' means of attack were limited, with their only ranged weapon being thrown spears. Both in terms of range and accuracy, they were far inferior to these Martial Artist Apprentices who spent most of their days in rigorous training.

Moreover, the entire tribe had no real strong warriors to speak of. As slaves forced to provide for the Giants, the tribe clearly suffered from frequent food shortages. Even their warriors were thin and visibly malnourished. In such conditions, it was impossible for powerful fighters to emerge.

By the end of the battle, Chen Shouyi had exhausted all his arrows. He simply discarded his War Bow, drew his longsword, and charged into the tribe. Any barbarians who attempted to flee were swiftly caught and, despite their pleas for mercy, ruthlessly cut down.

……

The return journey was shrouded in heavy silence.

Some wore cold expressions, others looked pained, and a few seemed dazed. Not a single person had suffered serious injuries—the only casualty was someone who had tripped and scraped their skin. But the wholesale slaughter of an entire barbarian tribe, including men, women, the elderly, and even infants still at the breast, created a profound moral conflict with modern humanitarian values. The psychological shock was not something that could be easily overcome.

"Between races, there is no warmth—only survival. I hope you remember this and remain vigilant," Director Fang said solemnly. "After evaluation, the list of those who passed this time includes: Chen Shouyi, Wan Shaochun... Lu Weifeng, Qin Guokai—twelve in total. The full list will be posted on the official website later. Congratulations on passing the assessment and becoming Martial Artists."