She had clearly seen, through the hidden surveillance footage near the snowy mountains, how Gu You entered the snowfield and arrived at the camp.
Her first judgment after watching the recording was simple:
Too fast.
He was more than five times faster than she had been when she first came here. The boy barely seemed human. Without using soul power, he had thrust his hands into solid ice, and that final stretch of climbing was nothing short of astonishing.
Curiosity had driven her to personally conduct his assessment.
Under normal circumstances, the examinee would be given a general introduction to the test beforehand. But she deliberately chose not to. She wanted to see just how much potential this young man could unleash.
The results proved one thing clearly:
Gu You was the most terrifying recruit in recent years.
Each of those four-clawed bats could generate impact forces up to 500 kilograms. Even well-trained three- or four-ring Soul Masters would struggle against them.
Yet before Gu You, they could only shatter into corpses—dissolving into streams of air that quickly scattered.
By the time she jumped down again and reached the center of the cavern, more than half of the four-clawed bats had already been killed by him.
Abyssal Creatures?
Are these abyssal creatures? Gu You wondered.
As the majority of attacking bats were eliminated, he could now see clearly in the dim light: threads of airflow rose from their shattered bodies, gradually gathering before drifting back toward the holes in the cavern wall.
Gu You turned to the major.
"That's it?"
A faint smile curved at her lips.
"You're thinking too simply."
At that moment, a deep growl suddenly echoed through the cavern.
From a medium-sized hole, a massive bat burst out.
This bat was more than twice the size of the previous ones. Beneath its body were six claws. It spread its wings and let out a piercing scream.
The air rippled visibly with layered waves.
Gu You's eyes sharpened.
A sonic attack?
He immediately released his spiritual power. He knew sealing his ears would be useless against this kind of attack.
At the same time, he pulled the major into his arms, wrapping his left arm around her waist. Purple-gold light bloomed within his eyes.
Because she was suddenly pulled into his embrace, the major couldn't see the glow radiating from his pupils.
This recruit is completely disrespectful!
That was her only thought at that moment. Strong, yes—but this was too much—
Her heartbeat accelerated abruptly.
Yet the expected sonic impact never struck her. It felt as if something invisible had shielded her completely.
The six-clawed bat shrieked sharply. Its wings snapped inward, and it shot toward Gu You like an arrow, unleashing wave after wave of sonic assaults.
Gu You snorted coldly.
His gaze focused—
Two streaks of violet lightning shot from his eyes.
At that exact moment, the major looked up and saw the purple light erupting from his pupils.
The six-clawed bat gave one final shriek. Its descending body froze midair, then plummeted lifelessly to the ground, dissolving into radiance.
The major's mind nearly stalled.
Without soul power… he killed a six-clawed bat in a single strike?
Gu You released her waist and said apologetically,
"Sorry for the offense. I didn't mean anything improper. But that bat's sonic attack—if we were too far apart, I might not have been able to protect you properly."
She said nothing, but the way she looked at him had changed.
Her curiosity deepened.
At first, she had thought him arrogant.
Now she admitted she had been wrong.
But the Blood God Legion's assessment wasn't merely about strength. More importantly, it tested character.
The legion was small in number, but its members were true comrades who could entrust each other with their backs. The requirement to protect another during the exam existed to test whether, in danger, one could sacrifice oneself for others.
But how could that be tested without real danger?
She could not terminate the exam—even though Gu You had already reached the passing threshold.
So she remained silent.
After the six-clawed bat was killed, the four-clawed bats stopped emerging.
But only briefly.
Then—
Three enormous six-clawed bats crawled out from the cavern holes.
Three of them.
Their strength was not merely tripled. These creatures resembled bats not only in appearance but also in combat style. They were powerful individually and excelled at coordinated attacks.
Let's see how you handle this, the major thought expectantly.
But Gu You had already moved.
In just a few seconds—
Before she could even finish blinking—
The three giant creatures in the sky had turned into light and vanished.
And then—
A black shadow flashed.
With a soft puff, something lunged directly toward the major.
Her eyes widened in shock.
This is it…
She thought she was finished.
But—
Boom!
She opened her eyes.
Gu You stood before her.
Purple light continuously flowed around him.
"Get lost!"
He kicked the massive shadow, sending it flying dozens of meters away.
Shrill screams echoed within the cavern.
The gigantic serpent-like shadow he had kicked suddenly froze midair.
Then—
From the largest hole in the cavern wall, a colossal claw—over six meters in diameter—shot out.
It seized the serpent creature and violently dragged it back inside.
The creature vanished amid miserable shrieks.
Gu You's expression tightened.
What was that?
That claw alone exceeded six meters across. Logically speaking, its owner should not have been able to pass through those holes.
He pulled the major behind him and fixed his gaze on the wall of openings.
After a brief pause—
The entire cavern began to tremble faintly.
Then—
A plume of mist erupted from all the holes simultaneously.
The major's eyes flashed with shock.
She clearly recognized what this was.
But she had never expected it to appear in this assessment.
The mist was yellow.
As it spread, Gu You felt the cavern's temperature fluctuate violently—not rising or falling, but shifting erratically.
An invisible pressure surged outward from within the fog.
What is this thing?
Its combat power is definitely extraordinary.
Gu You reloaded his firearm and prepared to strike first at any moment.
The mist rapidly condensed.
Forming a massive—
(End of Chapter)