Combat Space.
Twenty Giant Armored Lizards lined up in formation, like a thick oppressive wall, slowly advancing.
Meanwhile, twenty Thunder Sound Birds soared high into the sky, scattering and searching for optimal positions to attack.
Han Zhan cradled the Fu Xi Zither in one arm, aiming at the center of the battlefield.
Twang!
Another zither note resounded, and the crescent-shaped blade was unleashed once more, slashing toward the Giant Armored Lizard.
Boom!
The Zither Sound Air Blade struck a thick layer of scale armor, causing the Giant Armored Lizard to recoil half a meter.
However, aside from a deep white mark, there were no other wounds on the Giant Armored Lizard's body.
It was blocked!
For some reason, seeing this, everyone watching breathed a slight sigh of relief.
They had seen too many Black Bull Insects get instantly killed and were truly afraid that if the Giant Armored Lizard couldn't withstand the damage from the Zither Sound Air Blade, how would the situation be managed?
Seeing the Giant Armored Lizard block the damage, Han Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, the Thunder Sound Birds seized the opportunity to strike.
Scree! Scree! Scree!
Shrill cries echoed around, as streams of azure lightning burst forth from their mouths, converging fiercely!
The Thunder Juice surged, connecting into a vast net of electricity, falling towards Han Zhan's head from afar.
Is the assessment over?
No, it's only begun!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Han Zhan's right hand switched techniques, changing the stroke of the strings on the Fu Xi Zither, and the zither notes suddenly became much more powerful.
In an instant, at an unimaginable speed, he extricated himself from the overbearing net of electric attack.
The battle continued.
Pinching, flicking, striking, plucking, sweeping.
Different techniques, different zither notes, intertwining and interweaving, forming a tune.
For the first time, the crisscrossing Zither Sound Air Blades were fully exhibited to everyone, and along with them, Han Zhan's zither tune "Array Breaking" was also revealed!
Despite the formidable defense of the Giant Armored Lizard, after being hit by three consecutive Zither Sound Air Blades, it would still be ruthlessly slain.
The Thunder Sound Birds, reputed for their agility, couldn't even capture Han Zhan's figure.
The scales of victory gradually began to tip.
Five minutes later.
"Han Zhan, successfully completed Combat Assessment - Difficulty Level Three!"
Upon hearing the examiner shout out this line, Wang Luma, who was watching from the side, turned pale green.
"Who said they'd eat excrement standing upside down earlier?"
"Nowadays, even though the Insect Race occupies most areas of Blue Star, there's still plenty of excrement to eat as much as desired."
"Day in and day out, people only know how to bluff for free meals."
"If you can't eat excrement, perhaps I should look at my own efforts, whether in recent years I've tried to scam for excrement, look at him!"
The sarcastic voices increased, making Wang Luma's face turn even greener.
Inside the command center.
Apart from the three still fiercely battling guys, two more people stood up from their seats.
To be precise, as soon as Han Zhan dodged the lightning net attack by retreating, they stood up.
The elder and Lin Jingxuan.
"The zither's tune has changed." Lin Jingxuan still wore that calm and unbothered expression, but his frequency of adjusting his glasses revealed his internal unease.
"There are two zither tunes. One should be the 'Array Breaking' he mentioned, and the other new tune appeared for the first time."
"'Array Breaking' possesses immense killing power, able to emit Zither Sound Air Blades. While the other tune seems to amplify himself! After it played, his speed increased at least tenfold compared to before!"
Lin Jingxuan quickly grasped the subtlety within Han Zhan's technique, yet he couldn't underestimate him.
On the contrary, his shock was greater than when he saw Han Zhan instantly kill ten Tier One Black Bull Insects!
The elder had clearly seen something too, standing up and echoing Lin Jingxuan's sentiments.
"More than one zither tune means that his contracted spirit has more than one attack method."
"Array Breaking signifies assault; the unknown tune signifies self-amplification. Could there be other tunes with different effects?"
"This is truly just an E Level contracted spirit? Certainly not!"
As a few individuals at the peak of Great Xia, their knowledge far surpassed other Spirit Contract Masters, hence their profound shock and even loss of composure!
Given their insight, with this level of talent in a contracted spirit, at least S Level, no, SS Level, potentially even — SSS Level!
"Ah Fu, come take a look." As soon as the elder spoke, a figure emerged from his shadow.
Ah Fu was his bodyguard and also his butler.
His contracted spirit possessed an extremely special ability: True Identification, able to identify the grade of contracted spirits, akin to a living Awakening Stone, yet stronger.
Owing to this ability, he could repeatedly discern those disguised as ordinary people drawing near, protecting the elder's safety.
Upon hearing the elder's words, Ah Fu nodded, vanishing once more.
After a while, Ah Fu returned to the command center, and shook his head, stating, "I've investigated, but cannot identify the grade of the other party's contracted spirit."
"Cannot identify?" The elder raised his tone slightly.
If Ah Fu's contracted spirit was SS Level, and even he couldn't determine it, it could only be an SSS Level contracted spirit.
However, how to explain Xia Youwei's awakening at the ceremony, only being assessed as E Level talent by the Awakening Stone?
"Perhaps, this girl's situation is like the young lady's."
"You're suggesting she, like Lingzhen, was evaluated with E Level talent by the Awakening Stone, yet your abilities couldn't reach the same conclusion. Her strength arises from contracting with this young man named Han Zhan?"
"It's a possibility." The elder fell silent again after hearing his butler Ah Fu's words.
His purpose in coming to Deep Blue City this time was for his granddaughter Lingzhen, who had awakened only an E Level talent; from a hereditary family standpoint, this was inconceivable.
Nevertheless, similarly, Ah Fu hadn't been able to determine the talent of his granddaughter's contracted spirit.
Clearly an E Level talent, yet with a mysterious grandeur comparable to an SSS Level talent, even an SS Level contracted spirit couldn't decipher the truth.
The elder had been utterly helpless regarding this issue.
He had encountered countless Spirit Contract Masters and contracted spirits, but not one with similar circumstances like his granddaughter.
But now, he witnessed another contracted spirit with similar conditions, currently performing brilliantly during the assessment, causing astonishment.
"It seems it's time to arrange a meeting between Lingzhen and this young man Han Zhan; perhaps he has a solution."
"By the way, what was the name of the contracted spirit talent Lingzhen said she awakened with from the Awakening Stone?"
Butler Ah Fu thought briefly, then replied:
"It was E Level contracted spirit, Shennong Cauldron."