Chapter 607 - 250: The Selection Begins, Dragon Blood Shows Its Might
Chapter 607: Chapter 250: The Selection Begins, Dragon Blood Shows Its Might
Zhu Mingyi took a deep breath, about to protest that the difficulty was simply absurd.
But Hou Guanghe, as if reading his mind, waved a dismissive hand. He instructed Yi Jiugao at his side, "Jiugao, send them the mission."
"Yes."
Yi Jiugao nodded.
A moment later.
Aboard the seventeen ferries being battered by the storm.
The specialized wristwatches worn by all the young geniuses participating in the selection—Lin Ye included—vibrated in unison.
A clear mission briefing materialized before their eyes.
[Assessment Mission Issued!]
[Mission Objective: Protect all civilians on board and repel the attacking Deep Sea Dragon Beast, all while ensuring the vessel does not sink.]
[Evaluation Criteria: For each civilian casualty resulting from a candidate’s actions or errors, the final mission evaluation will be lowered by one tier.]
[If civilian casualties reach or exceed three (3), the candidate will fail the selection and be eliminated immediately.]
Staring at the cold, unforgiving mission parameters, Zhu Mingyi’s jaw went slack. He stood there, speechless, for a long moment.
’These requirements...’
’Not only do they have to fend off a terrifying Deep Sea Dragon Beast at the Divine Realm Great Perfection stage, but they also have to protect dozens of unarmed civilians during the fight?’
Zhu Mingyi sucked in a sharp breath.
’This isn’t just difficult.’
’It’s absurdly, inhumanly difficult!’
The atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.
Sun Lie stroked his chin, his voice booming. "Divine Realm Great Perfection? Aren’t we overestimating these kids a little? And they have to protect civilians on top of that? How are they supposed to fight?"
Hou Guanghe simply maintained his smile, saying nothing.
Yi Jiugao, standing beside him, explained in his usual monotone, "This year may have an abundance of talent, but our resources have not increased to match. The threat from the Celestial Abyss grows more terrifying by the day. We can only afford to select the best of the best."
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the monitoring screens suddenly lit up.
In that region of the sea, the sky had become overcast with dark clouds. Raindrops the size of beans hammered down, and silver serpents of lightning writhed madly within the cloud cover. It was like the dawn of the apocalypse.
’It’s that kid, Dongfang Zhen...’
Zhu Mingyi’s eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly.
On the screen, Dongfang Zhen stood on the violently pitching deck, letting the wind and rain lash against his tall, straight figure.
He tilted his head back, his gaze fixed on the Deep Sea Dragon Beast that had thrust its grotesque head from the center of the whirlpool. There wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes—only boundless fighting spirit.
The thunder power within Dongfang Zhen’s body suddenly erupted!
Blinding electrical light burst from his body. Behind him, a majestic, five-meter-tall Dharma Aspect clad in lightning armor and wielding a Thunderlight Halberd materialized in an instant!
The Thunder Monarch Dharma Aspect!
Dongfang Zhen stomped hard, his entire body transforming into a streak of lightning as he shot into the sky, merging as one with his Thunder Monarch Dharma Aspect.
The Dharma Aspect opened its eyes—orbs of pure thunder.
It raised Mjolnir high and thrust it viciously down toward the Deep Sea Dragon Beast below!
RUMBLE—!
A terrifying pillar of thunder ripped through the dim sky, striking the Deep Sea Dragon Beast’s head with pinpoint accuracy and the force of divine judgment!
The sea’s surface instantly exploded, throwing up colossal waves several meters high!
However, from the center of the lightning and sea spray, the beast’s tyrannical roar echoed unabated.
It violently shook its head. The attack had only left a scorched mark on its dark blue Scale Armor; it hadn’t even managed to pierce its defenses.
"ROAR!"
Enraged, the Deep Sea Dragon Beast opened its gaping maw and spat a jet of black water as thick as a barrel, which shot out faster than the speed of sound!
Dongfang Zhen controlled the Dharma Aspect, shifting it a hundred meters to the side in a hair’s breadth dodge.
But the jet of water, as if it had eyes of its own, swerved in mid-air and continued its pursuit.
At the same time, the beast’s massive tail, like a sky-propping pillar, swung toward the ferry’s hull with cataclysmic force!
Dongfang Zhen’s expression changed.
’I can’t dodge this. I have to block it!’
The Thunder Monarch Dharma Aspect instantly abandoned its evasive maneuver. Its colossal body moved to intercept, positioning itself in front of the ferry. Crossing its arms, it braced for the unstoppable impact of the dragon’s tail!
CLANG—!!!
The thunderous impact sounded like two mountains colliding.
The blow sent the Thunder Monarch Dharma Aspect stumbling backward. Its massive form flickered violently with electrical energy, growing faint and unstable.
Dongfang Zhen himself let out a muffled grunt as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
The disparity in their power was clear after a single exchange.
...
"A minor injury, but he saved the boat. No civilian casualties. A good performance," Hou Guanghe commented calmly.
However, not everyone possessed Dongfang Zhen’s formidable strength.
In the few seconds after he spoke, three other screens on the light curtain went dark almost simultaneously.
On one screen, a prodigy specializing in fire-based abilities had his flames instantly doused by a massive wave from the beast before being slapped into the sea.
Just as the Deep Sea Dragon Beast was about to devour him, a flash of white light enveloped both him and his ferry, and they vanished without a trace.
This was clearly the work of Longyin.
After all, they couldn’t allow an assessment to result in actual injury or death.
On another screen, a candidate who specialized in speed attempted to harass the Deep Sea Dragon Beast with high-speed maneuvers. However, the beast predicted his position with a deceptively slow-looking tail swipe and swatted him out of the air like a fly. His bones shattered on impact. A flash of white light, and he was eliminated.
A third candidate failed to put up any meaningful resistance at all. Terrified by the beast’s overwhelming aura and horrifying appearance, his will broke. Less than a minute into the assessment, he voluntarily forfeited.
[Eliminated]
That single, cold word appeared simultaneously on the three darkened screens.