Monthly Examination Rewards

"Come on! Harder!"

Lin Mu looked at her and said directly.

Chu Miaomiao was slightly stunned. "Harder?"

"Mm."

"Do what?"

"Fight me! I need to see your strength!"

Chu Miaomiao snapped back to attention. "Alright!"

She let out a soft breath, a surge of aura rising from her body, and with a flicker of movement, she charged at Lin Mu.

Facing her assault, Lin Mu remained extremely composed.

His figure shifted continuously, easily dodging her attacks several times.

Chu Miaomiao was left panting from exhaustion.

But she didn't stop. She persisted for over twenty minutes, only halting when Lin Mu called for it.

A system notification rang out in Lin Mu's mind.

His eyes rested on Chu Miaomiao as countless thoughts surfaced within him.

"Stand up."

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know what your problem is?"

Chu Miaomiao shook her head.

"Your Movement Technique is quite good, but many parts lack precision. Over the next hour, I'll be giving you pointers." Lin Mu said.

"Mm!" Chu Miaomiao nodded.

Lin Mu picked up a bamboo rod from the side. "Start. First, execute your Movement Technique."

Chu Miaomiao's figure moved, but before she could take a few steps, Lin Mu's rod struck her.

Smack!

A sharp pain shot through her.

Chu Miaomiao couldn't help but let out a soft cry.

"Your arc is too wide. Tuck your hips in."

"Yes!" Chu Miaomiao adjusted her posture.

Smack!

Another sound rang out.

"Your ankle power is insufficient!"

Smack!

"Your left hand is too high!"

Smack!

"Your chest arc is too large!"

"Ah! How do I fix that?!"

"..."

About an hour later, Chu Miaomiao had quite a few welts on her body, and the look she gave Lin Mu carried a touch of pitiful charm.

Lin Mu's guidance was indeed effective.

In such a short time, she had already spotted many of her own issues.

But Lin Mu was too strict.

And his strikes hurt far too much.

She could barely take it anymore.

Yet, she understood clearly—advancing as a martial artist was no simple matter.

If Li Yan could endure it, why couldn't she?

"The hour is up. Go back and cultivate." Lin Mu said at that moment.

"Mm!" Chu Miaomiao nodded, then turned and left.

Lin Mu let out a soft breath, adjusted his state, and soon immersed himself in cultivation.

Time flowed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, over ten days had passed.

During this period, aside from helping Li Yan and Chu Miaomiao with their training, Lin Mu spent most of his time cultivating inside the Cultivation Room.

In just over ten days, he had successfully cultivated all three martial techniques, and his overall attributes had undergone a noticeable change.

"Name: Lin Mu." "Blood Qi Value: 2.78 points." "Skills: Fist Technique (Black Iron Grade 56%), Movement Technique (Black Iron Grade 97%), Blade Technique (Black Iron Grade 19%)." "Cultivation Method: Five Hearts Facing Heaven Art (Minor Success 65%)." "Martial Techniques: Dragon Roar Fist (Perfection), Flowing Dragon Steps (Perfection), Dragon's Thousand-Mile Stride (Beginner 99%), Immovable Rock Golden Body (Beginner 77%), Berserk Strike (Beginner 59%)." "..."

Compared to before, his Blood Qi Value had increased by 0.88, Fist Technique skill by 16%, Movement Technique skill by 40%, Blade Technique skill by 19%, Five Hearts Facing Heaven Art by 13%, and Dragon's Thousand-Mile Stride by 76%...

Feeling this change, a look of relief spread across Lin Mu's face.

He knew that with these numbers, he absolutely had a chance of reaching a Blood Qi Value of 7.0 in two months.

"But the expenses are way too high!" Lin Mu thought to himself.

Although he had the six hundred thousand from Chu Miaomiao, the one hundred thousand from the Duel Hall, and over one hundred thousand he had saved up before, during this period of cultivation, the money left in his hands was less than two hundred thousand.

Because right now, he needed to consume one and a half D-grade Supplies every hour.

The cost was around seven thousand five hundred.

Training seven to eight hours a day meant sixty thousand.

And this was with restraint; if he used C-grade Supplies, the expenditure would be even more terrifying.

"Even though I have the system's help, and one session of cultivation is worth a hundred or a thousand times what it used to be, I'm still far from having enough resources!" Lin Mu thought quietly to himself.

His two disciples each had a daily allowance of ten to twenty thousand for living expenses, with cultivation resources calculated separately.

Compared to them, he was extremely poor.

But he had no choice; born into this kind of family, he could only rely on his own efforts.

"I still need to make money!" Lin Mu thought to himself.

It had been a while since he last participated in a match.

Given his current situation, he still couldn't do without the Virtual Duel.

Just as he was about to head to the virtual space, his phone rang.

Lin Mu took out his phone—it was his best friend calling.

"Hey!"

"Why aren't you here yet?"

"What?"

"The Monthly Examination! Don't you plan on taking the Martial Arts Exam?"

Lin Mu snapped back to reality.

Although he had requested an extended leave from his teacher, he had to attend the Monthly Examination.

Because missing the Monthly Examination twice in a row would result in disqualification from the Martial Arts Exam.

"I'll be right there!" Lin Mu said.

"You're really careless!" Huang Da couldn't help but say.

Lin Mu hung up and quickly left the Virtual Duel Hall.

Half an hour later, he arrived at school.

Having not been to school for an entire month, seeing it again stirred some emotions in him.

It felt as if he was no longer a part of this school.

Entering the classroom, familiar faces came into view.

Everyone greeted him politely when they saw him.

Although Lin Mu was a poor student, not many looked down on him.

Because most people were more focused on themselves.

The homeroom teacher, Li Yu, walked in, swept her gaze across the room, and immediately said, "This Monthly Examination simulates the format of the Martial Arts Exam and carries some danger. If anyone doesn't want to participate, you can choose another method."

As her words fell, the expressions of many in the room changed noticeably.

Li Yu didn't waste time and directly played a display on the virtual screen: "This Monthly Examination will be held in the wilderness, which has been cleared in advance by martial artists from the Ministry of Education, with many low-rank Fierce Beasts released there!"

"Your task is to hunt these Fierce Beasts. If you don't want to participate, speak up now and follow the previous Monthly Examination process."

For a moment, fear appeared on some faces.

Fierce Beasts!

All humans share a common enemy.

Born of heaven and earth, they possess overwhelming strength from birth.

At the same level of cultivation, two or three martial artists may not necessarily be a match for a single Fierce Beast.

More importantly, fighting them comes with a risk of death.

Although these were only low-grade Fierce Beasts, and a Second-Order Martial Artist would be protecting them, many still didn't want to take the risk.

The Martial Arts Exam was coming up soon—if something went wrong, what then?

Noticing the expressions on her classmates' faces, Li Yu frowned slightly.

She had long anticipated this outcome.

But seeing it with her own eyes still brought some disappointment.

Human martial artists were not flowers raised in a greenhouse; they would need to step onto the battlefield one day.

With such timid and hesitant behavior, how could they ever defend their homes and country?

She let out a soft breath and spoke slowly: "As long as you participate in this Monthly Examination, you'll receive one Low-Grade Healing Potion. If you make it into the top ten, you'll get fifteen C-grade Supplies. And if you take first place, you'll receive fifty C-grade Supplies..."