Chapter 34: The Furnace Is Lit Again
Just as Xue Ruyan was thinking about their situation, the worst-case scenario she feared the most happened.
One figure after another suddenly appeared from the distance, rushing towards them.
Looking closely, the people approaching were wearing black combat uniforms with borders, clearly identifying them as examiners for this joint assessment.
However, instead of attacking the Flame Bird Clan, they slowed their pace at the edge of the battlefield, gradually closing in.
A total of seven new examiners arrived, their formation scattered, and from the aura they exuded, it was clear—
They were all Level 2 warriors.
Xue Ruyan took a deep breath and tried to persuade Jiang Tian.
"Jiang, you're strong, but there's no way we can fight these examiners. You should escape while you still have a chance."
"They want to use me, but they won't kill me. Your best option is to break through their siege and bring reinforcements."
Jiang Tian shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. I can fight!"
Seeing his stubbornness, Xue Ruyan became anxious.
"Jiang, don't think these examiners are weak just because they're in their forties and still stuck at Level 2."
"They've been at this stage for years, which means they have immense combat experience."
"They may lack talent, but their skills and power far surpass those of newly awakened students like us."
"And besides, your arms are—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in shock.
Jiang Tian's twisted, broken arms…
Had already healed.
Through the burned holes in his combat uniform, she could see the bruises fading rapidly.
Xue Ruyan was stunned.
His fractured arms were recovering right in front of her eyes.
She looked up at Jiang Tian, but his expression remained calm, his focus locked on the surrounding enemies.
Then he spoke.
"Don't worry. I'll take you back safely. And don't forget—"
"You still haven't given me your review on that last dish."
Hearing Jiang Tian's casual words and seeing the calm confidence in his eyes, Xue Ruyan's anxiety melted away.
She tightened her grip on her spear and nodded.
Since he said so, all she had to do was believe in him.
---
At that moment, the newly arrived examiners had already joined Wu Xianqing.
One of them asked, "What happened? Why did you suddenly send out an emergency signal?"
Wu Xianqing spoke seriously.
"There was an unexpected complication."
"The boy teamed up with our target is actually a terrifying hidden genius."
"He just awakened, but he kills Level 1 Flame Birds like they're nothing."
"Even after taking a direct hit from a Level 2, all he got was a broken arm. And now, even that is healed."
The examiner who had broken Jiang Tian's arm earlier suddenly grinned, looking at Jiang Tian mockingly.
"What's wrong, kid?"
"Did that punch crush your confidence?"
He raised his fists and taunted him, laughing as he turned to the other arriving examiners.
"No need to rush. Let me play with him a little longer."
However, one of the new examiners spoke coldly.
"We're here to get the job done, not play games."
"Finish him quickly. The rest of us will focus on securing the girl."
As he spoke, he slowly unsheathed an alloy knife from his waist.
The bright silver blade gleamed, stained with his own blood, exuding a sharp, lethal aura.
If one looked carefully, they would notice that even his simplest movements were unnaturally fast, revealing the extent of his mastery.
---
"Tch. You're no fun."
The examiner with iron fists sighed, then cracked his knuckles and leaped forward.
---
At that moment, Jiang Tian suddenly spoke.
"With that last fight, I've gotten a good feel for their power."
"I'm ready now."
Xue Ruyan, standing beside him, looked at him in confusion.
"Ready for what…?"
But Jiang Tian didn't answer.
His gaze locked onto the approaching examiners, and his eyes turned ice-cold.
That old, familiar feeling returned to him.
---
The feeling of standing on a battlefield, soaked in blood.
---
His previous fight had been just a test.
Even though he had sensed their strength, he wanted to confirm firsthand whether their power was as dangerous as it seemed.
---
Now—
He was certain.
---
No one here would be leaving alive.
---
Jiang Tian's teacher had warned him—
Hide your true strength. Keep your talents a secret.
Since that's the case—
There was only one way to keep a secret.
---
Kill every single enemy.
---
A low, rhythmic sound suddenly echoed from Jiang Tian's body.
Thump… thump…
His heart contracted, then—
BOOM!!!
It roared to life, beating violently like an engine revving up.
A surge of blood energy exploded within him, spreading throughout his entire body.
His stored blood energy circulated wildly, wrapping around him like a living aura.
Xue Ruyan, standing closest to him, gasped in shock.
She turned her head and saw—
Jiang Tian's body… was covered in a powerful blood-red glow.
And then—
---
The blood energy ignited.
---
A deafening roar burst from Jiang Tian's body, like the roaring furnace of a war machine.
His entire being seemed to be on fire.
It wasn't just his outer body that was burning—
Inside him, something else had ignited.
---
His Flesh Furnace was lit once more.
---
At that moment, Jiang Tian's presence shifted entirely.
---
A terrifying pressure erupted from his body, something that should not belong to a high school student.
Xue Ruyan, standing closest to him, felt paralyzed.
It was as if the person beside her wasn't a classmate—
But a volcano on the verge of eruption.
She felt like she was walking on the edge of death.
As if in the next moment, she would be swallowed whole.
---
It was terrifying.
---
Even the Flame Birds, known for their ferocity, trembled in fear.
The Level 2 Flame Bird leader's feathers stood on end, its instincts screaming at it to flee.
Wu Xianqing's face turned pale, his body paralyzed by fear.
The examiners who had just arrived froze in shock, their blood energy involuntarily bursting outward.
Even the two examiners who had been rushing toward Jiang Tian—
Suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.
---
BOOM!!!
---
Jiang Tian's blood energy surged violently once more, producing a roar like thunder.
Then—
It suddenly shrank inward, condensing into an even more terrifying form.
Jiang Tian, bathed in blood-red flames, clasped his fists together.
He looked toward his frozen enemies, then—
Smiled.
---
"I'll personally send you off."
"Have a safe journey."