Grateful for Nature's Gift

When the old man saw the records on the machine, his mouth couldn't close. Was this person really only at the First Rank?
[Name: Shen Yi]
[Point Record: Killed Jackal Tiger, obtained 25 points; killed Green Python, obtained 10 points...]
Each kill record made the old man suspect that this person was a High-Rank Ability User.
He gave Shen Yi a deep look and said nothing more, returning to his original position.
After registration, the teacher told them to wait and forbade any troublemaking; otherwise, Xie Pengwu would have already gone to deal with those who had mocked him earlier.
Not long after, more people arrived one after another. This time, the people arriving were bare-chested and their clothes were in tatters.
Their hair was a mess; they clearly looked like beggars.
Among these people was Shen Yi's old acquaintance, Zou Yunliang. How on earth did this guy make it here?
The newcomers registered and found a place to rest.
Zou Yunliang also saw Shen Yi and glared at him fiercely.
Shen Yi ignored Zou Yunliang's appearance, closed his eyes to rest, and called up his Attribute Panel.
[Name: Shen Yi]
[Talent Level: A-Rank]
[Spirit: 16 (+)]
[Strength: 21 (+)]
[Ability Level: First Rank, Seven Stars]
[Ability Type: Fire (Hidden Ability: Awakening (99/100))]
[Ability Skill: Scout (Proficient (15/200))]
[Free Attribute Points: 2]
There were two more attribute points to distribute. Shen Yi roughly understood that for every star gained in Ability Level, he would receive two free attribute points.
He added one point to each attribute as usual.
Adding one point to Strength and one to Spirit made him feel much stronger.
After waiting for about half a day, the time for the first stage of the trial was almost over.
The teacher was preparing to pack up the registration machine when three figures covered in mud emerged from behind, their lower bodies wrapped in branches and leaves.
All the students were startled when they saw these three figures.
"Holy crap, Savage Men!" someone shouted.
Everyone turned to look at them. Seeing everyone staring, the three instinctively covered their lower halves with their hands.
"Everyone, hurry! I heard that the Savage Men in the Secret Realm are a special tribe. They like to eat people. These three must be their scouts!" Shen Yi recognized them immediately—it was Ye Lintian and his group. But weren't there four of them? Why were there only three now?
He didn't think much of it and shouted to the staring students in a strange tone.
"Don't let them escape! If they get back to report, we might be in trouble!" The students here, hearing someone shout, immediately followed suit, fearing these really were some "Savage Tribe."
Like a swarm of bees, they rushed forward and pinned the three down, delivering a brutal beating. Ye Lintian and the others didn't even get a chance to speak.
Ever since they were chased by the snake swarm, they had discarded their scented clothes. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight, but the opponent was too strong; the snake chasing them most relentlessly was the leader of the pack.
During their escape, Zhao Zikang had fallen off a cliff due to exhaustion, his fate unknown.
The snakes behind them still pursued relentlessly. Finally, at the edge of a swamp, they covered their entire bodies in mud to escape the pursuit.
In the following days, they thought about going back the way they came to find Zhao Zikang, but they found they were lost.
In desperation, they could only pray that Zhao Zikang had survived.
Looking at the position on their wristbands, they struggled toward the destination. Fortunately, the wristbands were high-tech and hadn't been damaged.
But the three of them suffered. They had thrown away all their supplies earlier, and none of them had a Fire-type Ability. Along the way, besides a few wild fruits, they hadn't eaten anything.
Li Zhihiong, who was originally very sturdy, had visibly thinned down.
They had finally reached the destination with great difficulty and didn't even have the strength to speak, but Shen Yi didn't give them the chance. They were intercepted and beaten by the other students.
"Everyone, make some room! Don't push! I've never seen a Savage Man before, let me get a couple of kicks in too!"
"Me too! It's my first time seeing a Savage Man. Before, I only saw reports on TV about unsolved mysteries."
"Damn it, who pushed me? I only got two kicks in!"
"I saw you kick them several times already! Move aside, let me get a kick in to share in the good luck!"
Ye Lintian and the others wanted to die. Damn it, how did getting kicked become "sharing in the good luck"?
The surrounding students were in a mess, pushing and shoving; it was incredibly lively.
The teachers in front of the stone platform didn't recognize them at first. Who would have thought the student council would be covered in mud?
Two of them even started to believe the students' words about some "Savage Men."
After all, the Secret Realm was vast, and not every place had been explored. They couldn't be sure if these were Savage Men or not.
They simply ignored the students below, treating it as practical combat training.
The three were stubborn and were beaten for over half an hour before they lost consciousness.
Seeing them pass out, the students stopped. Those who got to join in looked happy, while those at the back who couldn't squeeze in looked disappointed.
"Teacher, what should we do with these three Savage Men?" someone asked the instructors on the platform, looking at the unconscious trio.
"Wait, something's not right!" a student suddenly shouted.
"What's not right?" someone nearby asked.
"Look at their bodies, they're molting!" The student pointed at one of their thighs. The mud that had been caked on was peeling off due to the brawl.
"Wow, first time seeing Savage Men who molt!" Someone cautiously approached and looked closely. Sure enough, where the mud fell off, fair skin was revealed.
"I have to say, these Savage Men are quite high-class, they're so white!" a female student said enviously, looking at the patch of white skin.
"Everyone move back, let me see what this is." A brave male student, holding a stick, began to peel the black stuff off one of their faces bit by bit.
"This Savage Man is amazing! After molting, he turned out to be quite handsome. Nature is truly mysterious."
"Grateful for nature's gift!" Some female students, seeing the fair face, even felt a bit moved, pressing their hands together and whispering.