Transformation

After handing in his paper, Lu PingAn walked straight toward the nearest exit, still smiling under everyone's watchful eyes.

That expression, as calm as ever beneath the gazes of tens of thousands, naturally drew even more attention and speculation.

It was foreseeable that he would receive special attention in the next few rounds of exams, perhaps even repeated supervision from Tier 2 and Tier 3 Secret Keepers.

"Something must be going on with him. Is he in direct contact with high-tier Scholars outside?"

"Probably not. Maybe his ability is unusual, something that gives him the answers directly?"

Most people suspected that he possessed some sort of communication or thought-based ability that allowed him to finish this clearly out-of-scope test in such a short time.

Suspecting that he carried a Secret Realm with him? That was impossible.

All the Secret Realms Lu PingAn had encountered so far were fixed regions or locations. Though they were independent Small Worlds, they were like buildings constructed on the earth and still required land to support them.

"Only self-circulating Secret Realms that can exist independently of the world, God-level Secret Realms capable of resisting external corruption, can move freely and take everyone away when the apocalypse becomes unstoppable."

Even without Chris repeatedly emphasizing it, Lu PingAn had increasingly come to understand the value of the Life Bank Secret Realm. No wonder she always complained that he had taken the most important thing from her.

A God-level Secret Realm required a "god" as its core. No matter how wild someone's imagination was, they could never guess that Lu PingAn possessed a "portable Secret Realm."

Since they could not guess the key, what was wrong with letting them speculate?

And did the attention and suspicious stares he attracted even matter?

Since he was here for the prize money, he would only become more outrageous from here on.

Keeping a low profile now would only make himself miserable.

Instead of sitting here for hours, I might as well go back and train some more. Tsk, Xue En should have arrived already. Can't keep him waiting too long.

Lu PingAn's departure, and the smooth exit of someone who had handed in their paper, became a signal.

Once someone took the lead in handing in early, the rest became much simpler.

Among those tens of thousands of people, there were plenty of all sorts. Over the next five minutes, papers were handed in at a peak rate.

Some had easily passed with 150 points, while others swaggered out with only five points.

But most of those who dared hand in their papers now were Scholars scoring between 130 and 145.

Or, even more ridiculously, genuine super geniuses.

Those directly challenging public execution were still a tiny minority.

"Is that Li DaoAn?! He really came."

A man stood up, drawing countless eyes, then walked straight toward the exit.

"As expected of a Tier 3. He's so confident."

Then the discussions among the onlookers abruptly froze.

0 points. Proctor's comment: Luckily, you remembered to write your name, Li Whoever. Otherwise, I'd really tear into you.

Well, he really was incredibly confident. He had handed in a blank paper.

But he certainly drew attention. After all, a wild Tier 3 professional choosing to enroll at Gu University was, in a sense, a benchmark.

As a Professional Keeper who had worked for several years and gained some minor fame, no one expected him to produce a passing score on the written exam.

The changes brought by the new policy were merely a microcosm. Better treatment and more available positions had naturally attracted greater civilian participation.

He and certain civilian professionals had chosen to enroll at Gu University at this time to obtain an identity and certificate. They would likely be joining the Special Task Force next month.

However, for some examinees hoping for prize money, that was obviously rather unfair.

"Let me be direct. As you are now, even against the weakest Tier 3, some blank-slate nobody, you wouldn't have the slightest chance of winning. And Li DaoAn is no ordinary Tier 3."

In the training room they had rented with money, Xue En mercilessly shattered Lu PingAn's dream.

The Young Man sighed. It was something he had expected, so he was not particularly disappointed.

"Honestly, using Tier 3 as your standard means you're thinking too far ahead. Even I wouldn't dare think that far. If all you want is the prize money and the overall ranking, though, he might not be your opponent."

Xue En's expression was subtle. He knew Li DaoAn and knew that the man would most likely fail the written exam, nor would he cheat.

But Xue En was even more concerned about Lu PingAn's own problem—a very serious problem.

"Lu PingAn, actually, your opponent right now isn't anyone else. It's yourself."

Senior Brother Xue En was extremely sincere. He had high expectations for the young man before him and truly wanted to see how far the Young Man could go.

"You probably don't know this, but even among the examinees, you're an extremely outrageous existence. I'm not talking about your three professions and abilities. Well, those things alone are already absurd enough."

Xue En's expression as he looked at Lu PingAn became even more subtle. Plenty of ordinary third-year students did not possess hardware at this level.

"You need to recognize the situation. You're strong—stronger than ninety-nine percent of the examinees. So a strong person needs the confidence of a strong person, and the Certain Victory methods of a strong person."

The harsher the praise, the sharper the "truth" that followed.

"I've noticed that you tend to favor Surprise Attacks and unconventional moves. You seem to lack confidence—the confidence a strong person needs to face any situation."

If it had merely been a psychological issue, Xue En would not have picked on Lu PingAn at this time. That was not something that could be resolved in the short term.

"You have a great many treasures, too many, but they're all scattered fragments that you use mechanically. You haven't integrated them. Your wildly imaginative fighting style sounds good when called adaptability, but put bluntly, it's just blind fucking flailing. Can you guarantee that every whim of yours will produce miraculous results?"

"What you lack is a conventional fighting method. Integration, integration. You have three professions and so many abilities—can't you piece them together into a combat style? Stop craving more. First, bring what you already have to one hundred percent."

"One ability combined with another, when paired well, doesn't produce twice the effect. It can be three, five, even ten times as effective. You need to consider your own possibilities. Don't use abilities mechanically like drawing lots. Once others know what to expect, even a full ability will only be half as effective."

Xue En did not state some things too directly, but he had seen the "lack of confidence" buried deep within Lu PingAn.

That was why Lu PingAn liked Surprise Attacks, constantly craved more abilities, and was still cramming during this period when he should have been conserving his energy for the exams.

It was not a psychological problem, but an unavoidable path from "ordinary person" to "warrior." Confidence needed to be accumulated through past experiences.

To possess the confidence of a strong person, Lu PingAn needed encouragement from more victories, more battlefield experience, and more cards in hand.

"Yes, get that flexible brain of yours working. Consider which of the many things you currently possess can give your opponent a surprise in actual combat."

Lu PingAn needed to integrate and organize everything he had gained and learned, then develop his own combat rhythm and fighting methods instead of waiting for others to make a move and then "adapting."

"Choosing the soldier profession was indeed a very wise decision. War Memory will help you. It will awaken your potential for war. I'll help too. I have some experience and insights from being a soldier."

Lu PingAn felt incredibly fortunate that he had invited Xue En, this "Veteran."

This experienced Tier 1 who had spent years among the low tiers, this unfortunate mercenary who had trained countless newcomers.

Big Cat and Xia Qin combined probably did not understand newcomers and Tier 1 professionals as well as Xue En did.

With his help, Lu PingAn began integrating and adjusting his abilities.

"When everyone is low-tier, there usually aren't many abilities to begin with. And because ability Costs are too high while their effects are too weak, conventional combat methods are still the main force. Swordsmanship and the like—you need to be prepared to deal with them."

"Compared to people your age, your greatest advantage actually isn't your three professions. It's your body, which has already undergone preliminary mutation and evolution. That's the hardware that crushes them. Go ahead and compete with them in close combat and brute strength. Those little chicks will definitely be the ones crying."

"Weapons. If you can use a weapon, never fight barehanded. Open up your imagination. Soldiers can use anything as a weapon, and we have All Weapon Proficiency! Don't let your 'common sense' bind your potential."

"Yes, yes, that's it. Use your hardware and abilities together. You're a strong person, so you should take the initiative, seize control of the fight, force them to keep clashing head-on with you. Those Little Guys will definitely be the ones who die."

"I told you to free your imagination, but this move is just too insidious. Too insidious. Anyone hit by it might be left with lifelong psychological trauma... But I like it! This is exactly how it should be! Come on, let's think of something even more interesting. Do you have any new plants?"

Over the next two days, apart from exam time, Lu PingAn spent all his time sparring with Xue En.

Under Xue En's guidance and through their sparring, Lu PingAn gradually integrated all of his abilities and found his own fighting style.

Reality was not a game. No matter how powerful the things on a status panel were, they only mattered once they were transformed into real combat power.

And Lu PingAn's conversion efficiency was somewhat absurd.

"...Honestly, I'm starting to regret teaching you. Too fast. It's really too fast. Even I might get killed by one of your dirty tricks if I'm not careful now. Remember, don't actually get someone killed in public. It'll be troublesome."

During their final lesson, Xue En sighed with lingering fear.

At that moment, his face was full of exhaustion, medical bandages wrapped around his body, blood seeping from his wounds.

Lu PingAn opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

"Thanks, Senior Brother."

"Heh. Go win the top spot first, then thank me."