Chapter 12: Truly a name that fits the person!

Lin Li glanced at the name tag on the man’s chest. The examiner’s name was Hao Zhuang—truly a name that lived up to the man!

“Gulp.”

Lin Li, who had never even been in a fight with a person, let alone a beast, subconsciously swallowed hard when he saw that his examiner was such a fierce-looking man exuding an aura of brutality.

“Damn, is there some mistake? Why assign such a brute as my examiner? If a fight breaks out later and he accidentally loses control, he might just punch me into critical condition.”

The two-meter-tall examiner noticed the candidate was a young man in his early twenties with the air of a student, and his brows furrowed slightly. “You’re Lin Li, right?”

“Yes, Examiner Hao.”

Hao Zhuang said to Lin Li in a deep voice, “You must have just graduated from university this year, right?”

Lin Li nodded.

“Looking at how soft and tender you are, you probably haven’t been to a martial arts gym to learn or practice combat techniques, have you?”

Lin Li nodded again, while secretly muttering to himself, “My cultivation aptitude was terrible in the past, so I couldn’t become a practitioner at all. Later, my dream was to be a couch potato, so of course, I didn’t go to any martial arts gyms to learn or practice combat.”

Hao Zhuang asked two questions in a row, and seeing Lin Li nod to both, the expression on his face grew even more serious. “You don’t need to take the test. With your current state, you won’t pass.”

“Huh???” Lin Li was stunned by Hao Zhuang’s words. He quickly spoke up, “Examiner Hao, I haven’t even started yet. How can you fail me directly? That doesn’t follow procedure.”

Hao Zhuang said expressionlessly, “Someone like you, who doesn’t even have experience in a fistfight, would likely die nine times out of ten if you encountered a beast in the wild, even if you passed the Beast Hunter qualification exam and obtained the status.

You should go to a martial arts gym to learn some combat techniques first. Come back to take the Beast Hunter exam once you have some combat experience!”

Lin Li realized then that the man was worried he would lose his life in the wild after getting his license.

Although the man meant well, Lin Li had his own plans and intentions.

“I can get the Beast Hunter qualification first and then go to a martial arts gym to learn combat techniques! It’s not like I’m going to the wild to hunt beasts immediately.”

Hearing this, Hao Zhuang looked skeptical, but since the candidate had said so, as an examiner, he couldn’t stop him from taking the test.

He would just have to hit a little harder during the exam to make the boy realize the difficulty and give up.

The staff member who had brought Lin Li to the exam room went to a timer beside the ring, set the time, and said to Lin Li as he stepped onto the platform, “Mr. Lin Li, are you ready?”

“Hoo…”

Lin Li took a deep breath and said to the staff member, “I’m ready.”

“Beep.”

The staff member pressed the switch, and the timer began to count down.

“Young man, the profession of a Beast Hunter is very dangerous. One slip-up and you could lose your life. You should know that just by looking at the scars on my body,” Hao Zhuang said sternly, watching Lin Li, who was braced for action.

“Beauty clinics have superpower-based scar removal services now. Why don’t you get those scars removed?” Lin Li responded, trying to stall for time.

“Because keeping these scars serves as a constant reminder to stay vigilant when operating in the wild,” Hao Zhuang said.

“Fair enough! But I still suggest you go to a beauty clinic for scar removal. You’re not bad-looking, but keeping those scars might affect your chances of finding a girlfriend,” Lin Li advised kindly.

“…” Hao Zhuang hadn’t expected Lin Li to say that. He was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself, *Could the reason I can’t win over the girl I like be because of these scars?*

The staff member standing under the ring saw that twenty seconds had passed and the two on the ring hadn’t moved yet, so he reminded them, “Hao Zhuang, don’t forget your role as an examiner.”

“I know, I haven’t forgotten. I’m starting now.” Hao Zhuang, who had been wondering if his scars were the reason his confession was rejected, snapped back to reality.

*What’s it to you? Can’t you just stand on the side and watch the show quietly?* Lin Li thought, glancing at the meddlesome staff member.

“Here I come, be careful.” No sooner had Hao Zhuang finished speaking than Lin Li felt a figure appear before him. Immediately after, he saw a fist the size of a sandbag heading toward his stomach.

“Bang.”

At the last critical second, Lin Li quickly crossed his arms to block his stomach.

But the force of the man’s punch was simply too great. Even with his arms blocking, he was sent flying backward and landed heavily on the ground.

“Hiss… that hurts.” Lin Li gasped, feeling as if his right arm, which had taken the blow, was in excruciating pain.

“If you can’t even endure this much pain, you absolutely must not go to the wild. You should know that when you encounter beasts in the wild and fight them, getting injured is inevitable. The pain from those injuries will be far, far worse than the punch I just gave you,” Hao Zhuang said, retracting his right fist.

Rubbing his swollen right arm with his left hand, Lin Li climbed up from the floor. He glanced at the timer under the ring and saw there were still two minutes left.

*How has only one minute passed? Did that staff member mess with the timer?*

Hao Zhuang walked toward Lin Li. Seeing the brute coming his way, Lin Li immediately tried to retreat, but the ring was only so big; before long, he had nowhere left to run.

“When you encounter a beast in the wild, you must never expose your back to it. Your panicked, aimless running just now could very well cost you your life,” Hao Zhuang said as he lunged at Lin Li.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed across the ring. Although Lin Li had never fought anyone before, even a rabbit will bite when cornered! He might not have eaten pork, but he’d certainly seen pigs run!

Driven to a dead end, Lin Li swung his fists at Hao Zhuang. His offensive was fierce, but his punches were easily dodged, and he took another hit to the body.

“Damn it, again!” Lin Li’s face flushed red, and he charged forward once more.

Don’t let Hao Zhuang’s two-meter height and bulky frame fool you; his movements were incredibly agile.

He easily dodged the dozen punches Lin Li threw and immediately returned the favor with a dozen of his own.

…………

(End of chapter)