One Against Many

Watching Lin Mu's figure, Han Lin and the others had a hint of mockery in their eyes.

In their view, Lin Mu daring to fight them alone was nothing short of suicide.

Han Lin pulled out his weapon, a stream of arrows shooting toward him at astonishing speed.

The few beside him charged straight at Lin Mu.

At that moment, Lin Mu's form moved like a swimming dragon, dodging Han Lin's sneak arrows with extreme agility.

As one man reached him, Lin Mu swung his long blade.

The Dragon's Thousand-Mile Stride was unleashed.

The man raised his long staff to strike Lin Mu.

But Lin Mu's blade struck first, crippling him in a single exchange.

Another man came at him with a long sword, his technique erratic, attacking from an unusually tricky angle.

Yet Lin Mu's blade art was formidable.

The long blade danced!

The sound of air splitting rang out repeatedly.

Shiiing!

A fierce onslaught swept through.

The man's long sword flew away on the spot, a deep gash opening across his chest.

In just a few moments, two men lay fallen before Lin Mu.

Even Han Lin's eyes showed shock.

Both of them had a Blood Qi Value of 2.9.

With that strength, they couldn't even last a single move against Lin Mu?

He didn't know that Lin Mu had a system—though he'd only fought a few dozen real battles, under the system's boost, his combat count reached several thousand.

Coupled with his mastery of multiple martial techniques, he had no weaknesses.

In this situation, any martial artist with a Blood Qi Value under 3.0 could hardly withstand his assault.

Lin Mu moved, appearing before Han Lin.

His whole body was like a swimming dragon.

"You were pretty cocky just now, weren't you?"

Han Lin flinched and quickly said, "I'm one of Zhao Hai's men! If you lay a hand on me, he won't let you off!"

"Ridiculous!" Lin Mu said coldly.

The long blade fell, and a deep wound opened across Han Lin's body. The nearby drone flashed red.

Several teachers rushed over.

When they saw the scene before them, their expressions shifted noticeably.

But they said nothing, simply bandaging the wounded and leading them away.

They were only there to maintain order; as long as Lin Mu hadn't killed anyone, they wouldn't interfere.

Punishment was the Ministry of Education's affair.

Bai Mo watched the scene, her expression also changing visibly.

She'd seen Lin Mu fight Fierce Beasts before—clean and decisive.

She hadn't expected him to be just as ruthless against people.

His attacks just now, if they'd been a bit heavier, those men would have lost their lives.

That meant, if not for the rules, Lin Mu might actually have killed them.

"What has he been through?" A flicker of curiosity arose in Bai Mo's heart.

What kind of environment could forge someone like this?

But she didn't know that Lin Mu was so decisive simply because he'd done so many Virtual Duels; even facing real people, he felt nothing.

Lin Mu turned back, looking at the Violent Bear resting in the cave.

Its beastly eyes were fixed on him, carrying a faint hint of wariness.

Lin Mu leaped toward it.

Panic flashed in the Violent Bear's eyes, and it turned to flee.

But it was already injured, and its movements were no match for Lin Mu's.

Before long, Lin Mu caught up, and within minutes, his long blade struck it down.

Its breath faded.

Lin Mu let out a light sigh, a trace of thought in his eyes.

Bai Mo's figure appeared beside him.

"They're probably Zhao Hai's people. We should leave here first."

"What's Zhao Hai's strength?" Lin Mu asked.

"His Blood Qi Value is around 3.2. His family practices sword cultivation, and his swordsmanship is formidable. Most people at the same cultivation level are no match for him," Bai Mo explained.

"Then how many people does he have around him?" Lin Mu pressed on.

Bai Mo thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. But he's good at winning people over, and he's dead set on taking first place in this Monthly Examination. He probably has quite a few people working for him."

"Winning over that many people, just for fifty C-grade Potions?" Lin Mu asked back.

"Of course not. This Monthly Examination looks like a simple wilderness trial, but in reality, big shots from the Ministry of Education will be watching. They'll evaluate students from all schools comprehensively."

"The one who takes first place gets a spot to train in the Blood Qi Medicine Pool. It's a way for Li City to nurture more outstanding students and bring glory to the city in the Martial Arts Exam," Bai Mo explained.

"Only one spot for first place?" Lin Mu asked.

"First place is guaranteed a spot. As for whether others can go, it depends on their performance in the jungle. But there aren't many spots—our school only has three," Bai Mo said.

Lin Mu understood.

Zhao Hai was going to all this trouble to secure first place just for the Blood Qi Medicine Pool, because the champion was guaranteed entry.

As for the rest, they'd have to rely on their own performance and pass multiple evaluations.

"Is the Blood Qi Medicine Pool really that powerful?" Lin Mu asked.

"You don't know?" Bai Mo's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Not really."

"The Blood Qi Medicine Pool is brewed from the essence blood of various Fierce Beasts mixed with A-grade Potions. It has an extremely potent effect on martial artists."

"For an ordinary person, soaking in it once would extend their lifespan by at least ten years."

"And for a martial artist, a single soak commonly increases Blood Qi Value by 0.3 to 0.8. Tell me, is that important or not?" Bai Mo explained.

Lin Mu's expression shifted noticeably.

A Blood Qi Value increase of 0.3 to 0.8 in one go—that effect was absolutely astonishing.

Most importantly, he had the system.

With the system's help, his Blood Qi Value could skyrocket.

For a moment, a glint flickered in Lin Mu's eyes.

He didn't know if he could catch the favor of the Ministry of Education's big shots.

But if he could go, it would be a tremendous help to him.

"Who would've thought this Monthly Examination had such a reward," Lin Mu thought to himself.

A sudden idea surfaced in his mind.

With his current results, breaking into the top ten shouldn't be a problem. But taking first place would be quite difficult.

And Zhao Hai was planning to fight for that first place.

He could just eliminate Zhao Hai first.

That way, his chances of becoming champion would increase significantly.

With that thought, he walked outside, smeared some Golden Eagle blood on himself, then sat down in a pile of rubble. He let out a light breath, and his aura became extremely scattered, giving the impression that he was severely injured.

Bai Mo watched this with a puzzled look on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Zhao Hai wants to cause trouble for me, doesn't he? Then let him find out what happens when he picks a fight with me," Lin Mu said, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, sending a chill down one's spine.