The greatest characteristic of the Golden-Haired Monkeys is their reverence for royalty; they worship authority above all else. Any injury to the Monkey King will greatly agitate the troop, and the tuft of red fur on the King's forehead is considered utterly sacred by the Golden-Haired Monkeys. If the Monkey King’s red fur is damaged, the entire troop will enter a frenzied, berserk state.

Even the general of the City Patrol forces, that Rank Nine warrior, would not dare provoke a troop of Golden-Haired Monkeys alone. Their speed, combined with their strength and claws, grants them astonishing destructive power.

Such a trial mission was something even third-year students couldn't undertake as a group. A first-year Warrior-class student? Qian Jin shrugged indifferently. The trial slot that Teacher Rodriguez had fought so hard to secure couldn't be wasted by disappointing the teacher who genuinely cared for him. As for Kellar? There would be plenty of time for a good talk after he returned.

“Magic class students, bring back a Fire Phoenix egg.”

The hand holding the trial slip trembled suddenly when Biluo took it.

Qian Jin’s brow furrowed deeply. If he hadn't been waiting to obtain the Wind and Cloud Dou Qi, he would have beaten Kellar right there for this request, disregarding all school rules.

A Fire Phoenix? This difficulty level was no different from the Golden-Haired Monkey trial. In fact, for Biluo, this was even harder than the monkeys.

Fire Phoenixes possess a certain resistance to magic, especially low-level fire spells, against which they have strong immunity, and they are incredibly swift.

Asking a magic student to steal an egg from a Fire Phoenix nesting on a cliff face, a creature somewhat resistant to magic?

“Director Kellar,” Qian Jin looked at Kellar very seriously, “I heard that at your age, you still don't have any children? As your student, I must kindly remind you of something. If your wife ever does get pregnant one day, and it’s confirmed to be your child, not someone else’s, then once that child is born, you must pay close attention! I seriously suspect your descendant might be born without an anus.”

“You!”

Without even glancing at the enraged Kellar, Qian Jin reached out, snatched the large satchel next to Biluo, slung it over his shoulder, and declared, “Let’s go! We need to start our trial. (WWW.)”

Biluo trotted quickly to catch up with the long-striding Qian Jin and whispered timidly, “This… maybe I should… carry it?”

“I am a Warrior; you are a Mage. According to Warrior codes, in the absence of supply troops, the Warrior should temporarily take on the duties of the quartermaster.” Qian Jin slipped the sheath of his sword through the strap of the bag and hoisted the luggage, saying, “I’m the captain for this trial, any objections? Good! Since I’m the captain, that’s settled then!”

Kellar watched Qian Jin’s retreating back with intense hatred, spitting forcefully onto the ground. “I don’t believe you can complete the mission! Daring to mock me? Excellent! When you fail this trial, I will find an excuse to expel you from the academy!”

In the quiet training ground, Kellar twisted his fat head, glanced around, then quickened his pace, hurrying out of the academy gates and vanishing into the night. His destination was Lucas’s Blacksmith Shop.

“Respected Mr. Kellar, how did it go?”

Under the dim yellow lamplight, Lucas looked gloomily at the sweaty Kellar. His demeanor lacked its usual arrogance; even though his cheeks were flushed with anger, a flicker of awe remained in his eyes.

“Do you still doubt my ability to handle things?” Kellar snatched the white towel offered by the serving maid and wiped the sweat from his brow. He then pulled the maid into his arms, his thick, short-fingered, fat hands groping over her body. “I’ve given Qian Jin the map for the trial. If the assassins you hired still can’t kill him this time…”

“Absolutely not!” Lucas gave a cold, confident laugh. “According to what you pried from the student, Qian Jin is only a Rank Seven Warrior. I’ve spent a fortune this time! I hired three Rank Nine Warriors!”

Kellar’s hand, busy exploring the maid, paused slightly. He sucked in a sharp breath and stared at Lucas. Three Rank Nine Warriors! Lucas really spared no expense. There were only three people above Rank Nine in all of Oakland: Zhang Mubai, the General of the City Patrol; Sabonis, the City Lord; and Fabredis, the City Guardian!

Lucas going so far as to hire three Rank Nine Warriors brought a pleased smile to Kellar’s face. Qian Jin was certainly doomed this time! Forget that he was only a Rank Seven Warrior; even if he were a Rank Nine Warrior, facing the combined assault of three Rank Nines, death would be his only end. (WWW.)

“This is a token of my gratitude to you, Mr. Kellar.”

Lucas pushed a small wooden box filled with gold coins toward Kellar. No matter how much gold it cost to kill Qian Jin, it was worth it!

After Qian Jin caused trouble and left that afternoon, Lucas immediately sent people to investigate. They found that apart from delivering the batch of goods for Xiao Chang, Lei Ming, and the others yesterday, the Flinn Blacksmith Shop hadn't taken on much business or made contact with many people lately.

Lucas boldly inferred that the kitchen knife had a very close connection to Qian Jin. While it was unlikely the young man forged it himself, it was probably made by the master who taught him smithing.

A master capable of forging Battle Weapons! If Qian Jin wasn't dealt with soon, the Lucas Blacksmith Shop in Oakland City would rapidly become a mere footnote in Oakland’s history.

Although offending a Forgemaster was a dangerous prospect, as long as the matter was kept confidential… Lucas was confident there would be no danger.

“Mr. Lucas is too kind,” Kellar opened the box of gold coins, took a look, and his face instantly bloomed with happiness. “Believe me, Qian Jin will very soon disappear from your life forever.”

“That is all thanks to Mr. Kellar’s assistance,” Lucas sneered. The leader of the three hired Rank Nines was an experienced warrior who wouldn’t rush into action. They possessed the same map Qian Jin had; everything would be much simpler! He just wondered if they had found an immediate opportunity to strike yet?

“Number One, why are we following this target? Don’t we have the map? Wouldn’t it be better to take a detour around him?”

“Yes, Number One. Even if we track him, do we need to stay this far behind? Do we really need the far-sight lenses…”

On the bell tower of Oakland City, two warriors, one fat and one thin, looked at their leader with clear dissatisfaction. They were all Rank Nine Warriors, yet Lucas insisted they obey this 'Number One'! In a one-on-one fight, who knew who would win.

“What if he doesn't follow the map? Would our ambush be wasted? Tracking? Can’t you feel it? This target is very peculiar. He seems highly sensitive. A few days ago, I was hired to kill him, yet the moment I got slightly close, he detected me with uncanny sharpness.”

“That capable?” The thin warrior pursed his lips, looking at Number One, who had only one eye, the other covered by a black eyepatch. “He’s just a Warrior student. Could it be your stealth skills are just poor?”

One-Eyed Number One didn't reply. He walked lightly toward the bell tower stairs, saying, “Let’s go. He does seem to be following the map; he’s adhering to it even within the city. We’ll follow them for a while longer. If they continue to stick to the map, we’ll transition to an ambush.”

“Number One is right. I suddenly feel this kid might be tricky too,” the fat man patted the bow on his shoulder. “We’ll set up a perfect trap this time. The moment he’s momentarily distracted, I can lock on and shoot him dead! I absolutely won’t give him a chance to escape.”

Number One nodded again. He held great respect for Number Two’s (the fat man’s) archery skills. Even if the target wasn't a Rank Seven Warrior but a Demon-Slaying Warrior, if he momentarily lost focus, Number Two’s arrow would pierce his throat! This member of the Yi Yu (Divine Arrow) lineage, despite his efforts to conceal his identity and origins since his first appearance, had his archery skills betray his heritage.

The Yi Yu lineage was renowned as the foremost divine archery family in the True Strategy Dynasty. When the archery bloodline of their family members awakened, their skill in pure archery was rivaled only by the Heavenly Demon Eye bloodline of the Demon race's Demon Mages or the Purple Vein bloodline of the Barbarian Warriors.

Even members of the Yi Yu lineage whose bloodline had not awakened dedicated themselves to rigorous archery training from childhood. Putting aside all else, in terms of sheer archery prowess, aside from the True Strategy Dynasty’s own divine archery bloodlines, the Demon race's Heavenly Demon Eye and the Barbarians' Purple Vein bloodlines, unawakened Yi Yu members had no equal in the True Strategy Dynasty!

Once an arrow was loosed, it was guaranteed to find its mark! The saying, "Yi Yu lineage: the arrow never misses!" was widely spread, even across the lands of the Demon and Barbarian races.

Number One also believed that once the arrow from this member of the Yi Yu lineage was loosed from the bowstring, the target would certainly die.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely create a moment for him to be distracted,” the thin warrior, Number Three, held his head up proudly, sweeping a disdainful glance at the leader, Number One. “The moment I appear before him, he will certainly be thrown off guard.”

Number One nodded lightly again in agreement. Although this arrogant, unlikable skinny warrior, Number Three, was difficult to be around, his skills in stealth, concealment, and trap-setting were superb!

Those emerging from the True Strategy Dynasty’s Phantom Bloodline family, even if their bloodline failed to awaken, remained outstanding in specific fields, much like those from the Yi Yu lineage whose bloodlines hadn't awakened.

With this lineup, Number One felt fully confident. Even if Number Three was annoyingly arrogant, when the three combined, they possessed a hundred percent certainty of killing the target and completing the mission, even against a Demon-Slaying Warrior who had broken through Rank Ten!

: It’s been over a month of writing, and Highrise’s book is finally about to go on sale. Highrise is a professional writer; he relies on everyone’s VIP subscriptions to feed his family. Many peers have spoken about the hardships of writing, so I won’t repeat them here. I sincerely ask all brothers and sisters for your support and subscriptions. Highrise thanks you. If nothing unexpected happens, Highrise will officially go on sale precisely at midnight tonight. If you enjoy this novel, please support it with a subscription if you can afford it, and give a recommendation vote if you cannot. Clicking the public version of the book every day and voting helps with promotion, which is also a form of support. Highrise thanks you deeply. Well, I’ll call for monthly tickets early. Please cast your December monthly tickets for me tomorrow. A new book launch needs support. Bowing deeply, thank you, thank you.