Cultural Class Exam

The morning exams began soon enough. The first subject was God Transformation History.

The God Transformation Calendar began counting from God Transformation Day. It was now the year 986 of the God Transformation Calendar, giving it a history of nearly a thousand years.

Lin Zhen was extremely familiar with this period of history.

Nine hundred and eighty-six years ago, it was still the Anno Domini Era, the year 2026 AD, when a meteor shower from Leo descended upon Earth.

People who had eagerly gathered to watch the meteor shower soon realized something was wrong.

These meteors were unlike the flashes that streaked across the sky and vanished in an instant. They were headed straight for Earth. Countless meteors struck the surface, and there had been even more before they entered the atmosphere, smashing more than half of the communications satellites into fragments.

Some of the larger meteors were several kilometers in diameter. The impact triggered natural disasters—landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes—and countless calamities followed one after another.

Earth had no means of resistance. Humanity cried out amid the disasters, and the global population plummeted from its peak of seven billion to three billion.

After the disasters, people preparing to rebuild their homes made another horrifying discovery: Earth had undergone enormous changes.

Every living thing, whether human, animal, or even plant, had been infected by an unknown gas and transformed.

Human potential was enhanced, and people began to grow stronger. Some could leap onto rooftops, some could move cars with their bare hands, and some could even control the flight of bullets.

The changes in animals were even more shocking. Small insects died outright, while slightly larger creatures evolved all kinds of abilities and underwent drastic changes in size.

Rats grew as large as wild dogs and hunted humans in packs to devour them.

Swallows and sparrows grew as large as eagles and began feeding on flesh and blood.

Fish in the water grew sharp teeth and could even come ashore.

As for animals that had already been large, they became even more terrifying. Pythons dozens of meters long could swallow cars, while eagles in the sky became as large as fighter jets—even actual fighter jets were no match for them.

Tigers in the forests could overturn tanks, and towering Human Bears could not be killed even by artillery shells.

Moreover, these beasts' intelligence evolved greatly as well. They began attacking humans in packs, marking the beginning of the war between humanity and the beasts.

Humanity was once driven to the brink, with almost no room left to survive. Thermal weapons became less and less effective against the monsters. Only after people perfected the system of martial arts and powerful individuals emerged one after another did they gradually begin to turn the tide.

There were now fewer than two billion people on Earth. Most nations had been completely destroyed, and only seven countries remained: Huaxia, America, the European Union, the African Union, India, Tsarist Russia, and Brazil.

Of course, these nations were also filled with foreigners. For example, the India Zone had gathered people from many countries of the Anno Domini Era, with different ethnic groups living together, though Indians remained the dominant group.

Furthermore, none of these countries retained their former vast territories. People huddled within Base Cities, barely managing to survive.

The lands, skies, and oceans of the past had all become playgrounds for monsters.

People began to believe in the existence of gods. Humanity's evolution was divine grace, while humanity's plight was divine might. Thus, the day the Leo meteor shower descended was named God Transformation Day.

Over the thousand years of the God Transformation Calendar, countless wars had taken place, along with innumerable heroic and moving deeds. Historical knowledge became extensive enough to officially become a subject.

Lin Zhen sat in the examination room, his pen flying across the paper.

"The Northern Base was established in the year 475 of the God Transformation Calendar. The hero Yan Qi Ye slew the Crimson Flame Tiger King in the XiaoXingAn Mountains, then joined forces with Gun King Chen Chong to kill a water monster at Changbai Mountain Heavenly Lake, ensuring that the Northern Base would not fall..."

"In the year 398 of the God Transformation Calendar, the epoch-making Gene Evolution Fluid was successfully developed. Every Martial Artist must undergo genetic evolution, and the effects of that evolution depend on each individual's aptitude..."

"In the year 622 of the God Transformation Calendar, the first war between humans broke out. Tsarist Russia and the European Union fought the Black Sea War, with many God of War Level Martial Artists taking part."

He answered question after question at rapid speed. About half an hour later, Lin Zhen put down his pen.

"Done. I wouldn't dare say this paper earned full marks, but it should be at least ninety-five. Cultural Class isn't that important anymore, but it still can't be neglected. Being too ignorant is never a good thing."

After finishing the history exam, Lin Zhen left the examination room. He ate something along the way and ran into Meng Dong again.

Meng Dong did not seem to have done very well, but Lin Zhen knew he had passed, so he was not worried. Before long, the next exam began.

There were currently only two Cultural Class subjects. The second was knowledge of Mutated Beasts.

To become a Martial Artist, one had to understand Mutated Beasts. Though it might seem like mere armchair strategy, if someone did not even understand the basics, then when they truly faced a Mutated Beast in the future, they would definitely be the first to die.

As for his understanding of this subject, Lin Zhen dared say that even the school's instructors could not compare to him. After all, he had experienced too much and personally killed too many Mutated Beasts to count.

"Mutated Sheep: a low-level Mutated Beast, classified as E-Rank. Its intelligence is relatively low, and it attacks mainly by charging. It can initially resist handgun-type thermal weapons. Heavy firepower saturation is the best method. If a Martial Artist kills one, it is recommended to attack from the side with a bladed weapon. Its weak point is the abdomen."

"Mutated Wild Boar: a D-Rank Mutated Beast. It has strong resistance to thermal weapons and no obvious weakness. When attacking, it is recommended to start from beneath its neck. Severing the blood vessels yields the best results."

"Mutated Owl: a C-Rank Mutated Beast. It is fast and active at night."

Lin Zhen answered this exam even more smoothly. He quickly finished and left the examination room.

After a while, Meng Dong came out, and the two waited together for the results.

A little later, the results appeared on the electronic screen inside the examination hall.

First place: An Ning, total score 197. Ninety-nine in history, ninety-eight in Mutated Beast knowledge.

Second place: Lin Zhen, total score 195. Ninety-five in history, one hundred in Mutated Beast knowledge.

Seeing Lin Zhen's results, Meng Dong said excitedly, "Not bad, Lin Zhen! You actually came in second. Although this isn't the only criterion for Martial Hall recruitment, when scores are equal, those who rank higher in Cultural Class are still given priority. Besides, due to their physiques, girls basically don't take the Three Physical Tests. An Ning is also taking the Base City clerical examination, so you're actually first place."

Lin Zhen said, "You did well too. You passed both subjects, so you're qualified to take the upcoming Three Physical Tests."

"Hehe, I'm somewhat confident about the physical tests. These Cultural Class subjects give me a headache the moment I look at them. Now it's great—I finally don't have to memorize books anymore."

Soon, all the results were out. Most people had passed successfully, and the afternoon physical tests were about to begin.

Lin Zhen's expression also turned solemn. Having been reborn, the moment to change his fate had finally arrived.