Chapter 60: The Test

“Welcome, I am the captain of the Wildfire Squad, my name is Li Qing.”

Jumping onto the platform, a man in his thirties with short hair, thick eyebrows, and big eyes stepped forward first, extending his left hand and speaking.

This man wore a Black Iron Grade chainmail, held a Black Iron Grade Short Blade in his right hand, and had a shield strapped to his left arm, which surprisingly was of Silver Quality.

At this stage, having just one piece of Black Iron Grade equipment was enough to hunt the Insect Race alone. Most people hadn’t even seen Silver equipment, let alone owned any. If someone had a Bronze item, they would be overjoyed and lose their bearings.

Xu Feng smiled slightly, stepped forward, and shook hands with him, saying, “Hello, I am Xu Feng!”

“You’ve already met Xiao Yun,” Li Qing said, pointing at Xiao Yun, then introduced the two teammates behind him: “These are Guo Lan and Guo Yong, they are siblings.”

Guo Lan was the only female in the Wildfire Squad. She had short hair and looked like a tomboy, but her delicate face made people want to take a second look. She held a longbow in her hand and had a quiver of arrows on her back, appearing to be an archer.

Standing next to her was a boy slightly shorter than her, whose features resembled hers by about seventy to eighty percent. He had two daggers tucked at his waist, their surfaces gleaming with a Bronze-colored light. When he noticed Xu Feng looking at him, he nodded slightly, a friendly smile on his face.

Apart from Captain Li Qing, who was older, the other members of the Wildfire Squad were quite young, looking like high school students. However, their equipment was ahead of most people’s. Although they tried to hide it, Xu Feng could still keenly sense that sharp, blade-like killing intent. Most importantly, all of them had Two-Star Strength, and not just one attribute had broken through to Two Stars.

“The person you were waiting for has arrived. Can we start the test soon? What’s the point of keeping us hanging like this?”

“Exactly, hurry up and start. What are we waiting for?”

…

Li Qing took two steps forward and said loudly, “The test begins now. This time, we are selecting three people. There are two simple testing methods: one is to force me back a single step, and the other is to go to that gas station and collect the most Insect Crystals. The one with the most will be chosen.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Li Qing made it sound simple, but it wasn’t easy to accomplish. Forcing Li Qing back just by looking at the Silver Quality shield on his left arm showed how difficult it would be. As for going to the gas station to kill monsters, it wasn’t particularly hard for so many people, but only the one with the most Insect Crystals would be selected. Choosing the second method meant everyone would be competing against each other. The real challenge wasn’t the monsters at the gas station, but the other competitors.

Soon, a man holding a one-handed hammer pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

“I choose the first option.”

Li Qing raised his left arm to guard his upper body, slightly lowering his stance, and said, “Come on. If you can make me step back, or even just shift my feet slightly, you pass.”

The man took a deep breath, suddenly stepped forward, and swung his one-handed hammer at Li Qing. With a dull thud, Li Qing’s body didn’t move at all.

The man’s face flushed slightly. He shouted, spun his body sharply, and a faint milky white glow appeared on the surface of the one-handed hammer. Clearly, the man had used a skill. The heavy hammer whistled through the air and struck the shield again, but the result was no different from the first time.

The man gasped for breath; those two hammer blows seemed to have drained a lot of his stamina.

He looked up at Li Qing’s calm eyes, shook his head, and without a word, turned and left.

Next, several more people came forward, all confident in their Strength Attribute, but none could make Li Qing take a step back.

Soon, fewer and fewer people were willing to give it a try. Some had already given up on the test, standing with their arms crossed to watch the excitement, while others who still hoped to join turned and headed toward the gas station.

“Xu Feng, would you like to give it a try?” Li Qing invited with a smile.

Xu Feng did not refuse. He drew his longsword and walked up to Li Qing.

While the others were testing, Xu Feng had been observing carefully from the side. Li Qing was very skilled with his shield. When blocking, his legs, waist, and arms made slight adjustments to maintain balance, keeping his center of gravity low. Moreover, at the moment the shield made contact with the opponent’s weapon, Li Qing would tilt it at a small angle to dissipate some of the force. The shield seemed like an extension of his body, as if it were his primary weapon, while the Short Blade in his right hand was secondary.

Xu Feng raised his arm level, pointing his longsword directly at Li Qing.

“I’m coming!” Xu Feng said.

Just as Li Qing was about to nod, a flash of sword light swept before his eyes.

Clang!

The longsword struck the center of the shield.

Li Qing’s body jerked backward.

“Something’s wrong. This attack power definitely exceeds Two Stars,” Li Qing thought in surprise, quickly adjusting his posture.

Clang!

The second sword was even faster than the first.

Li Qing slightly shifted his right foot, gritting his teeth to hold his ground. In reality, he had already lost.

Clang!

For the third sword, Li Qing didn’t even see when Xu Feng struck; the longsword was already hitting the shield.

This time, Li Qing had no time to adjust. He was forced to take a large step backward.

Boom!

As soon as Li Qing steadied himself, before he could speak, an explosion sounded from the shield, throwing him completely off his feet.

“My Health Points dropped by more than a third!” Li Qing exclaimed in amazement, looking at Xu Feng with a trace of fear.

Against someone with a Silver Quality shield, Xu Feng’s single strike had taken nearly half his Health Points. If it had been any other member of the Wildfire Squad, that one hit might have killed them instantly.

“Indeed, worthy of having an SR talent. So strong,” Guo Yong said admiringly, looking at Xu Feng with a hint of worship.

Xiao Yun and Guo Lan also nodded, inwardly acknowledging Xu Feng’s ability.

“So, did I pass the test?” Xu Feng asked.

“Passed, passed! If this doesn’t count as passing, then no one can pass. Haha, welcome to the Wildfire Squad. I truly hope that after this mission, you’ll become a permanent member,” Li Qing said with a hearty laugh.

“Captain, look at your shield!” Xiao Yun exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the shield on Li Qing’s left arm.

There was a small dent on the front of the shield, with several fine cracks extending a few millimeters outward from it. If one didn’t look closely, it was hard to notice that the shield was damaged.

“My shield!” Li Qing cried out in distress, hurriedly removing the shield from his left arm. He held it in both hands, examining it carefully, a pained expression on his face. Then, he looked up at Xu Feng with a resentful gaze.