Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive

Chapter 382: Chapter 266: Full-Speed Development (Part 2)

They were all adults. She couldn’t be bothered to catch anyone cheating.

Time would separate the strong from the weak. No one could fake their way through.

...

Behind the stone table, Han Ning focused all his attention on a Gray Demon Whale bone, which was as thick as an adult human’s waist.

This piece of bone seemed to be just a fragment of a small spine from a Gray Demon Whale, but even so, it was still immense in front of a human.

To inscribe the Array on Grey, he had to experiment on the bones of its deceased kin beforehand. Only then could he ensure a one-hundred-percent success rate.

The small Spiritual Pen looked insignificant before the massive bone, like a tiny toothpick.

He raised his hand and recalled the key points of the Dark Load Array.

After quickly running through most of the Spiritual Energy Circuits in his mind, Han Ning finally put pen to bone.

The primary purpose of the Dark Load Array was to absorb Dark Spiritual Particles and form a highly defensive Spiritual Energy Shield outside the Array.

If this Array was carved onto some of Grey’s bones, it could protect them from sudden, immense pressure or impact. It would also counter the high, cumulative external pressure that squeezed its body, alleviating the burden on Grey.

In short, it was an incredibly important Array.

The Spiritual Pen scraped against the bone, a grating sensation traveling up from its tip.

This batch of Gray Demon Whales used for the test were all around the Early Stage War General level, similar in strength to Grey.

Despite the erosion of time, the bone’s durability remained very high. The difficulty of inscribing it was nothing like working on the stone slates from before.

Although everyone had practiced on Gray Demon Whale bones before, those were from juveniles whose strength didn’t exceed the Extraordinary level. This was the first time they had worked with a War General Level bone.

Therefore... using the Spiritual Pen to pierce the bone’s surface was no easy task.

Considering some of the weaker members of the group, Hom had even soaked this batch of bones in acid beforehand to soften their surfaces. This was to ensure that even the Power of a Tier One Beastmaster could successfully penetrate the surface.

As Han Ning began to draw, faint Dark Particles emerged from the void and gathered at the tip of his pen.

His right hand paused for a moment, and a slender arc appeared on the ivory-white bone, which was tinged with black.

Wherever the arc passed, Dark Particles clung to it, shimmering with a faint, black-purple glow.

’Whew... The force is a little hard to control. I wonder how everyone else is doing.’

Han Ning felt the difficulty from the very first stroke.

He had no inclination to observe the others. After successfully completing the first stroke, the subsequent Spiritual Energy Circuits were already etched into his mind. The rest flowed naturally, his pen gliding across the bone, carving one smooth curve after another.

Gradually, more and more lines appeared. The overlapping strokes on the long, thick bone formed the shape of a triangular pyramid.

The pyramid began to automatically absorb the surrounding Dark Particles. A dull, black-purple Light Shield slowly materialized over the upper part of the bone.

’Whew... It’s done.’

Han Ning breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing the Light Shield form.

The feeling was a lot like taking his driver’s test. He had aced all his practice runs, but when it came to the real exam, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

As he finished, Hom, who was standing at the front, seemed to sense it and fixed her gaze on his desk.

"A little slower than I expected. Did you have some reservations?"

Hom wasn’t surprised that Han Ning had finished, but she was a little puzzled.

"Better to be careful. I took a moment to prepare at the start," Han Ning replied using his Spiritual Power.

"It seems that servant of yours has run into some trouble."

Hom abruptly changed the subject, her gaze sweeping nonchalantly over Ah Yu, who was sitting at the very back.

Since Han Ning was sitting in front of Ah Yu, he kept his head down to avoid distracting the others, communicating privately with Hom via Spiritual Power.

"How is she doing?"

"She’s stuck on the 342nd circuit. You know that one—it involves 23 Spiritual Power frequency shifts. Since she just switched to the Spiritual Meditation technique, she’s having a hard time adapting. It’s not just her; all these Dragon Blood People are affected to some degree."

"And... her initial stroke was poor. Hmph. The Hexagon Race, what a worthless Race. With a body nearing Tier Two in strength, it still took her three tries just to make the first mark," Hom said with utter disdain.

"It’s only been a week, and she’s been working incredibly hard... I heard she only sleeps for half an hour a day, using all her remaining rest time to practice inscribing Spiritual Arrays. Also... Teacher Hom, you seem quite concerned about her?"

"To be frank, I despise Beast Masters who carry the Abyssal Bloodline. I will hold her to the absolute strictest of standards."

’Of course, except for Fei Lin.’

Han Ning silently added, then continued his query,

"If she doesn’t meet your standards, are you going to have her removed?"

"That’s a matter of course. At the very least, I will no longer teach her. You can hand her over to Lord Sage." It was clear Hom’s attitude wasn’t just an act; she truly detested Ah Yu and was trying to use high-pressure teaching methods to force her into making a mistake, thus giving her grounds for removal.

This gave Han Ning a massive headache. But, considering Hom’s tragic past, he chose to remain silent.

’If Ah Yu really fails the test, I’ll have to find another way.’

「Time trickled by.」

As the end of the test approached, strained expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

Even though the bone’s hardness had been softened by acid, the physical strength of a Tier Two Beastmaster was only between the Entry Level and Awakening. It was still extremely difficult to continuously apply pressure with the pen to break through the hard surface.

Not only did their fingers and wrists have to exert constant force, but their Spiritual Power also had to ceaselessly shift frequencies to accommodate the changes in the Spiritual Energy Circuit.

It was a trial of both mind and body.

Some of the physically weaker humans, from exerting force for so long, already showed signs of their wrists beginning to tremble.

"The last half hour."

Hom, who had been staring blankly at the wall, finally spoke for the first time since the test began.

Her gaze swept over everyone, instantly assessing their conditions. She advised,

"If you’re feeling strained, take a few minutes to rest. Relax your muscles and your mind. Don’t let excessive tension and fatigue cause you to fail the inscription."

Han Ning raised his head slightly and saw his classmate, Xu Jingjing, sitting to his front left. Her wheat-colored cheeks were already covered in sweat. She was clenching her jaw, struggling to maintain the precise force from her wrist, completely absorbed in the inscription test.

Nia, who sat behind her, seemed much more relaxed. Perhaps because she was an Insect-man, her body was strong, so wrist strength wasn’t an issue. The problem was... her Spiritual Power control had stumped her.

While she wasn’t drenched in sweat, her brows were tightly furrowed, and she had yet to make a move.

His gaze shifted again to his two roommates. Like Xu Jingjing, their foreheads were beaded with sweat, and their wrists were trembling like they were having a seizure.

’This situation... isn’t looking good.’

If their wrists couldn’t exert the proper force, it would be difficult to maintain the accuracy of the Spiritual Energy Circuits. Han Ning couldn’t help but worry for his two roommates.

As for Leon, who was sitting in front of him, he had already finished the test, just like Han Ning.

A slightly dim Light Shield quietly pulsed with a black-purple halo.

Leon had successfully broken through to Tier Two Spiritual Power three days ago. Though he was nearly forty, he now looked like a young man of twenty-eight or twenty-nine, brimming with vigorous energy.

While everyone was focused on the test, time ran out.

"Time’s up. Everyone, pens down. We will now begin the evaluation."

The two-hour test had passed in a flash. Hom announced its conclusion with precise timing.

Unlike previous exams they were familiar with, this test would be graded on the spot by Hom, who would announce the results immediately.

This face-to-face process, having their scores announced in front of everyone, made most of the students break out in a cold sweat.

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