End, Four Great Famous Schools

"The exam time is over. This year's Martial Arts Examination has concluded. All examinees, please exit the testing grounds."

"The exam time is over. This year's Martial Arts Examination has concluded. All examinees, please exit the testing grounds."

"Please exit the testing grounds. Killing demonic beasts at this time will not count toward your score."

A series of announcements echoed across Pig Head Mountain, marking the end of this year's College Entrance Examination.

At the same time, the Monster Suppression Bureau's martial artists, who had been standing by outside, entered the area to prevent any demonic beasts from charging at the withdrawing students.

On the large screen, the examinee rankings froze at this moment:

First place: Shi Yan (Baiyun No. 1 High School), 1000 points;

Second place: Qi Ziyue (Jiangnan No. 3 High School), 850 points;

Third place: Gu Hao (Jiangnan High School No. 1), 800 points;

Sixth place: Wu Qiang (Shennan No. 1 High School), 750 points;

"Principal Gong, you yield to me, heh heh."

Li Bihuang stroked his beard, his chin lifting slightly.

No. 3 High School had finally edged out No. 1 High School.

Gong Yanhua rolled her eyes. "Principal Li, is a turtle mocking a turtle for having no tail really that amusing?"

"Uh," Li Bihuang's expression froze for a moment, then he gave a wry smile. "Who knew an unexpected contender would come out of nowhere? Speaking of which, how did Shi Yan stay so hidden before?"

"Who knows? It might have something to do with Po."

"Po..."

A strange glint flickered in Li Bihuang's eyes.

The Supreme Hall Master of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, a legend who had long dominated the world's top five—if he were connected to Shi Yan, then Shi Yan's outstanding performance would make perfect sense.

"Let's go, let's go. Let's welcome our examinees. They deserve our pride."

Time passed.

The examinees filed out one by one, each carrying their own joys and sorrows.

Like every year's College Entrance Examination, some came out beating their chests and stamping their feet, some wept bitterly, and others beamed with smiles.

There were even those who took it lightly, seeing it as nothing more than a bit of wind and frost.

But after that, most began searching for classmates and friends, eager to vent and pour out their hearts.

"Damn, no wonder this was the toughest Martial Arts Examination in decades. The demonic beasts chased me so far I could've circled West Lake three times."

"The beasts this time were fierce, but kind of dumb. I set traps and killed five of them."

"My score's enough for a Martial Arts Vocational College. For my first choice, I'm planning to fill in Jiangnan Ophthalmology Martial Arts College."

"People really can't be compared. I scored a hundred points, and the first-place guy scored a thousand!"

"Did you see the top of the leaderboard? Baiyun No. 1 High School is going to make a name for itself this time."

"I don't hold any prejudice, but I just think a school like Baiyun No. 1, always at the bottom, couldn't possibly produce the Martial Arts Top Scholar."

"Look, the Goddess Qi Ziyue is out!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted.

She had always been popular, and having held the top spot for a long time, she naturally drew a lot of attention.

Hearing it was her, more people couldn't help but look in her direction.

You had to admit, she truly lived up to the title of Goddess. Qi Ziyue remained as cool and elegant as ever, her slightly torn long dress only making her shine even more brilliantly.

Only...

"Damn, why is she bringing a savage out with her?"

Sure enough, there was a "savage" beside Qi Ziyue at that moment.

He was barefoot, his waist wrapped in animal hide, and his upper body wore a "straw raincoat" woven from weeds—or it couldn't even be called a raincoat, since the weaving was so crude that many parts were exposed.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that this "savage" was standing too close to the Goddess.

That alone was enough to make many boys curse out loud.

Hearing the voices of so many, Qi Ziyue's face instantly flushed red.

Because what Shi Yan was wearing was her handiwork.

"So this is the Top Scholar you wanted to become."

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Liu Wang, watching the savage-like Shi Yan from the crowd, wanted to go up and congratulate him but held back.

Shi Yan wasn't the type to seek the spotlight, and he was practically invisible at Baiyun No. 1 High School, with few acquaintances. This outfit would almost hide his identity.

There was no real need for him to go and acknowledge him, so he slipped back into the crowd.

Before long, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the examinees boarded the vehicles that had brought them.

Some injured examinees were arranged onto medical transport vehicles.

Shi Yan parted ways with Qi Ziyue and boarded a vehicle as well.

It wasn't the bus that had brought Baiyun No. 1 High School's examinees, but a car from the Monster Suppression Bureau.

As luck would have it, he recognized this car—it was the same one from Jiangnan City he'd seen a few days ago when leaving the Bigui Residential Area.

"This is Xiao Li from the Jiangnan Monster Suppression Bureau, and this is Lin Ye. You've probably heard of him," Principal Li Shuogen introduced as soon as they got in.

Xiao Li was driving, the principal sat in the passenger seat, and Lin Ye sat in the back with Shi Yan.

"Hello, Principal. Hello, Sister Xiao Li and Senior Lin Ye," Shi Yan greeted them politely.

He naturally knew Lin Ye—the youngest Seventh-Tier Warrior in the history of the Jiangnan Monster Suppression Bureau. It had been all over the news, and word spread widely among classmates and teachers.

The reason he called him "Senior" was that Lin Ye had attended elementary school in Baiyun City.

"Come to think of it, we're practically from the same hometown. My mother is from Baiyun City," Lin Ye said.

At twenty-six, Lin Ye had handsome features and a tone that felt like a spring breeze. His opening words immediately closed the distance between him and Shi Yan.

"No wonder Senior Lin Ye is so handsome," Shi Yan replied with a smile, drawing a chuckle from Xiao Li at the wheel.

This year's Top Scholar sure was full of himself.

But he really was quite good-looking.

"Shi Yan, be serious. I called you in because Lin Ye is going to tell you about the Four Great Famous Schools," Li Shuogen coughed, reminding Shi Yan.

Given Shi Yan's results, the Four Great Famous Schools would definitely come to recruit him, so the principal had swallowed his pride and asked Lin Ye to explain things.

After all, Lin Ye was a graduate of one of the Four Great Famous Schools.

"Senior Lin Ye, I'm in your debt," Shi Yan said, adjusting his "Straw Raincoat" and turning sideways to face Lin Ye.

All he knew was that the Four Great Famous Schools were Kyoto Martial School, Modu Martial School, Tianfu Martial School, and Lingnan Martial School.

But he didn't know much about their specific situations or characteristics.

"No trouble at all. With results like yours, it's my honor to explain," Lin Ye said without any airs, as if chatting with a true fellow townsman.

"To put it simply: Jingwu has a strong official atmosphere; Modu Martial School has the most resources; Tianfu Martial School has military backing; Lingnan Martial School sees the most combat."

"If you want to join a family or gain some influence, consider Jingwu. At Modu Martial School, with your performance, Breathing Techniques, pills, equipment, money, and such—you'll have plenty. If you want to join the military, Tianfu Martial School is the best choice. At Lingnan Martial School, battles with demonic beasts are the most frequent. Their average combat rate last year reached 1.3, the highest in the world."

"One point three!" Shi Yan was slightly startled. That 1.3 meant each warrior fought an average of 1.3 demonic beasts per day!

Racking his memory, it seemed no globally renowned martial school had exceeded a value of 1. Lingnan Martial School had hit 1.3 directly, showing just how frequent the students' battles were.

Thinking of his Martial Virtue System, he felt there was no need to deliberate.

As if reading Shi Yan's mind, Lin Ye spoke up: "Junior, if I were you, my first choice would be Modu Martial School."

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Senior."

"Alright." Lin Ye nodded and continued, "Lingnan Martial School is close to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, so students get plenty of chances to face demonic beasts. But have you considered what high-intensity combat needs for support?"

Hearing this, Shi Yan frowned slightly, recalling his body's earlier inability to bear the strain.

High-intensity combat needed a strong body to support it. And where did a strong body come from? Breathing Techniques, Body Tempering Medicine, healing medicine, equipment, various natural treasures—all of them.

Seeing Shi Yan lost in thought, Lin Ye smiled faintly and went on:

"Junior, I don't know why you like killing demonic beasts, but if your family is wealthy, I'd first recommend Lingnan Martial School. If not, go to Modu Martial School and fight for every resource you can get."

"Besides, Modu Martial School doesn't lack opportunities to face demonic beasts either."

"Don't forget, it's by the sea."

"Even if you're not good at water combat, you can go elsewhere, even to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains."

"And also..."

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