It must be said, the collaboration between the Armed Police Department and the Criminal Investigation Department is remarkably effective.
They found a bait...
Lin Tao.
He was one of the sixteen students who participated in the sect's assessment. The two assumptions deduced then, regardless of which... he was among the targets relentlessly pursued by that demon beast.
Lin Tao also had his own considerations.
With no hope of entering a sect, he feared the Four Great Martial Mansions might not include him either.
Given this, he might as well find an alternate path for himself early on.
Although the Martial Investigation College is far less renowned than the Four Great Martial Mansions, it is not lacking in resources and cultivation techniques. As long as he successfully graduates, working at the Armed Police Department may be extremely risky, but it would still be a path of a martial artist, far better than being an ordinary civil servant.
The Armed Police Department promised him that if he was willing to come forward and proactively serve as bait, regardless of success, they would write him a recommendation letter to join the Martial Investigation College!
The two parties struck a deal readily.
In recent days, Lin Tao appeared on the streets and alleys of Qingzhou City every night.
The bait plan proceeded very smoothly.
They succeeded... the enemy indeed appeared.
Bone Splitting Lizard.
Sharp teeth, pointed claws, capable of easily snapping the bones of any demon beast, let alone humans?
Hence, it is named Bone Splitting Lizard!
A Level 4 Demon Beast, its massive and terrifying form almost comparable to an Imperial Crocodile, with icy skin; as a cold-blooded creature, it naturally fears no thermal imaging detection. Combined with its traits of color changing and burrowing, it is almost one of the most difficult demon beasts to capture.
"Deploy ground nets to prevent the Bone Splitting Lizard from burrowing, paint it, and surround all openings, be careful not to let it change color!"
Yuan Tianqing merely saw the Bone Splitting Lizard, and already commanded the most appropriate response... As he landed, he twisted his foot, spinning around like a top.
He had already dodged the sharp tail that was directly aiming at his chest.
Taking advantage of the beast's tail recoiling, he grabbed it directly... His feet deeply rooted in the ground, he shouted loudly, "Up you go!"
His entire skeleton emitted a series of cracking sounds, and with tremendous force surging!
The gigantic beast, weighing several tons, was directly flipped into the air by him, crashing violently to the ground, leaving the demon beast disoriented.
He further leveraged the momentum to stagger forward, his right fist, as large as a sand bowl, condensed with true qi.
A punch landed squarely on the massive bone on its forehead.
The bone remained intact... but the true qi penetrated inside, leaving the struggling Bone Splitting Lizard thrashing for a moment, before it stopped moving.
Its internal organs had been pulverized into a mush.
Early stage Hui Chuan.
This formidable strength ranks among the top in all of Qingzhou City; dealing with a mere Level 4 Demon Beast was a piece of cake.
"Dispose of the corpse, the lockdown can be lifted starting tomorrow."
Yuan Tianqing wiped the blood stains off his hands, only to feel a sharp pain in his well-tempered arms.
He frowned and remarked, "As expected of the Bone Splitting Lizard, its bones are truly hard, it even managed to rebound and injure me. However, if it were the Bone Splitting Lizard, it explains how it could hide for days before we discovered it."
The Bone Splitting Lizard is a type of lizard but with certain mutations; it can change color, sync its temperature with the surroundings, and burrow. If it wanted to hide, even standing still right in front of you, those high-tech detection devices would have no chance of finding its trace!
He turned to Lin Tao, laughed, and said, "Well done, young man. The Bone Splitting Lizard moves very fast and yet you managed to dodge its first strike. Once you graduate from the Martial Investigation College, are you interested in working under me?"
"Thank you, Director Yuan!"
Lin Tao's face flushed with excitement.
"Alright, alright, I'm not a director yet, but by the time you graduate, I probably will be."
Yuan Tianqing waved his hand, feeling the excruciating pain in his palm.
The Bone Splitting Lizard's strength might not have increased, aside from being good at hiding, its greatest characteristic is its incredibly tough bones.
Through numerous battles, he could clearly feel that his little finger bone had already broken.
Impressive indeed.
He got up and walked back, though he couldn't help but still wonder... Bone Splitting Lizards prefer marshy environments and are lethargic, why would it venture into a human settlement?
Anyway, it doesn't matter, it's dead now.
The next day.
With the lockdown lifted, the school returned to normal classes.
This time, Lin Tao replaced Li Lei and others, becoming the most talked-about figure in the entire school.
This also served as an excellent publicity opportunity for Qingyang High School.
Lin Tao, fearless in the face of danger, willingly entered perilous grounds, using himself as bait to lure out the Bone Splitting Lizard, thereby allowing the Deputy Director of the Armed Police Department to strike it down in one blow!
Moreover, he received an early exemption admission notice from the Martial Investigation College!
In an instant...
Almost every teacher and student in the school was discussing Lin Tao, and Wei Hua's parents even directly sent him a million Xia Coins in cash, thanking him for avenging their son greatly.
"But the Bone Splitting Lizard generally doesn't attack people proactively. Did you provoke it on your way?"
Xu Lingjun and the others could finally go out.
Though he was quite puzzled, Xu Lingjun asked Li Lei this question specifically during their farewell, "What kind of grudge would cause a beast to follow you all the way into human society?"
"Nonsense, if we really encountered that thing back then, we might not have made it back. How would we have the chance to join a sect?"
Li Lei was still full of spirit, but he also felt some lingering fear when facing Xu Lingjun's question.
One must know that the Bone Splitting Lizard is regarded as the most unique kind of demon beast... Only the most advanced cutting-edge technology can detect them.
That means Teacher Zhou and the others, although they helped drive away powerful demon beasts, probably didn't notice the presence of the Bone Splitting Lizard.
The Outer Realm trip was truly a brush with life and death for them.
Don't be deceived by how easily Yuan Tianqing killed the Bone Splitting Lizard; if they really encountered it, out of ten Body Tempering Ninth Rank students, maybe four or five would survive at best.
At this moment, on the playground of Qingyang High School.
The hovercraft that came to pick them up had already stopped here.
All the instructors and students had gathered on the ground.
The time for Ji Roufeng and the others to return had arrived.
Without the threat of demon beasts, all the students came to greet them.
"Principal Guo, our Sect Leader wants to speak with you."
Ji Roufeng politely approached Guo Xu and handed him a holographic imaging device.
Guo Xu smiled and nodded, looking back, and everyone immediately fell silent.
Along with many students, they all stood tall, showing no trace of lethargy.
A Sect Leader, a person only found in legends, meeting them was akin to being received by a monarch.
Guo Xu pressed the communication button.
A light projection appeared in the air ahead.
A head of smooth white hair, no beard on his chin, he appeared rather genteel, more like a civil official than a sect leader.
Wang Qingya showed a look of amazement, whispering, "Virtual reality converting imaging device, it's incredible. I didn't expect this technology to have become widespread within the sect."
The white-haired man also seemed to have heard the remark, glanced at Wang Qingya, and smiled, "You have quite a broad insight, young lady!"
"Greetings, Sect Leader!"
Ji Roufeng respectfully bowed and said, "Principal Guo is here!"
"Principal Guo, this is our second meeting."
The Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Bright Sect showed no arrogance but was rather humble and courteous, smiling at Guo Xu, "I specially contacted you through Feng'Er to express my gratitude for sending talents to us!"
Guo Xu smiled humbly, "Sect Leader Mingri's willingness to accept students from our school is already an honor for Qingyang High School!"
"Our sect, the Sun and Moon Bright Sect, greatly appreciates the addition of these five disciples; in a few years, our sect's strength will surely increase significantly, and Qingyang High School's reputation will also spread widely. This is a win-win situation!"
Sect Leader Mingri laughed, "I couldn't resist wanting to meet these five young talents in advance, Principal Guo, please have them step forward so I can get a good look."
Unexpectedly, a sect leader was so amiable.
Guo Xu's smile grew even more open, saying, "Li Lei, Liu Yun, Zhao Ziqi, Zhou Zheng, Yun Nuo, the five of you step forward and let your sect leader take a good look!"
Standing in front, Li Lei and the others took a few more steps forward.
All with expressions of being flattered and astonished.
"Hahaha, these are the pillars of my Ming Sect in the future!"
Mingri laughed heartily, looking back and saying, "Elders, come and see, these children are full of essence, qi, and spirit, just like uncarved jade... Well, Principal Guo, I intend to establish a long-term partnership with Qingyang High School, selecting five student spots from Qingyang High School each year to join my Sun and Moon Bright Sect. What do you think?"
Behind him, a dozen or more elders with white hair all stepped forward, their expressions extremely congenial.
Ji Roufeng's master was evidently among them, and everyone looked at Li Lei and the others with kind and approving eyes.
And Guo Xu, for one, was already beyond ecstatic.
Five spots each year?
What does that mean?
Doesn't this mean that Qingyang High School will soar starting next year?
Everyone will be eager to join their academy!
He was overjoyed.
Looking back at the instructors, excitement was evident in their eyes, just from Guo Xu's expression they knew... during the upcoming meeting, salary raises and bonuses would surely be the first topic he brought up!
Even the thousand or more students behind him had their eyes lit up as well.
So this means they also have a chance?
For a moment, the crowd was harmonious.
Between both parties, the atmosphere could not have been more harmonious.