Opening-Semester Martial Test

Zhou Leng spread his legs slightly and slowly walked down the mountain.

The village elders saw the way Zhou Leng was walking and came over one after another to ask.

"How did you end up training yourself into this state?"

"Where did you injure yourself?"

Zhou Leng hurriedly said, "I did too many frog jumps and strained my legs. I'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Then you need to go home and get some proper rest."

After leaving Xiaoru Village, Zhou Leng could no longer run and slowly walked home.

Along the way, martial artists who saw Zhou Leng's walking posture all revealed knowing smiles.

After leg training, everyone ended up looking this pathetic.

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Leng opened the "Martial City" app. The latest combat merits and rewards had already been updated.

Hunting the Ice Crystal Demon Lion earned 11 combat merit points.

Because he had participated in battle under a Level-Five Alert, it counted as officially participating in a Level-Five Ten Realms War.

For every increase in Ten Realms War intensity, additional combat merit increased by 50%. Level Five added 250%.

Total combat merit: 5.

Killing three Blue-Backed Demonic Wolves earned a total of 3 combat merit points.

Zhou Leng looked over his personal information.

Military rank: Trainee.

Combat merit: 5.

Once combat merit accumulated to 100 points, a trainee could be promoted to private.

He still had little combat merit now, but once he amassed more, he could exchange it for many precious resources.

Some of the most precious resources could only be exchanged with combat merit.

Zhou Leng then looked at his earnings.

For hunting three Blue-Backed Demonic Wolves, his allocated share was 32 yuan.

For the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's corpse, his allocated share was 5,000 yuan.

For the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's Demon Crystal, his allocated share was 67 yuan.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's meat could not be eaten and could only be used as demonic beast feed. Only some materials from its body were valuable, so despite being far stronger than a Blue-Backed Demonic Wolf, it was worth only 30,000 yuan.

Still, he had been lucky enough to find a Demon Crystal. It had broad applications and was the primary material for making demonized batteries. One was worth 100,000 yuan.

His total harvest from Water Continent Demon City came to 99 yuan.

Zhou Leng chose to withdraw all of it.

Seeing his new balance, Zhou Leng let out a breath of relief.

His living expenses for the coming months were more than covered.

Zhou Leng looked through Wuxin's many messages.

"Zhou Leng, contact me once you're done cultivating, and I'll transfer your payment to you." The speaker was Xue Chengsong.

"I'm home now."

Before long, Xue Chengsong replied.

"The base payment is 35,000, and the extra bonus we agreed on is 10,000. I'll transfer it today. As for your four years of Martial University expenses, send me the exact amount after you report to the school, and I'll transfer it all at once."

"Alright."

Xue Chengsong transferred the money, and Zhou Leng received 45,000 yuan.

One trip to the Demon City had earned him nearly 100,000 yuan.

Zhou Leng slowly browsed through his chat logs and group messages.

Hu Yi was working at Pioneer Corporation and was once again complaining that Deputy Team Leader Jiang Yan was no good, forcing him to work overtime all night. By the time he got home, both his arms and legs were shaking.

Jiang Yan had left Zhou Leng another message yesterday, saying that the company had received another large batch of demonic beasts and asking him to help out as much as possible.

Zhou Leng ignored him.

After some time passed, he would go to Pioneer Corporation and handle his resignation procedures.

His money now was enough to support him until Qi-Nourishing Perfection. There was no need to waste time at Pioneer Corporation.

Once he reached Perfection, he could break through into the Blood-Circulating Stage.

After advancing to Blood-Circulating, whether he became a tutor or a sparring partner, his income would far exceed slaughtering demonic beasts.

Zhou Leng searched online for some solar-powered outdoor cooking equipment, chose an online store in Ru City, and placed an order.

Zhou Leng then browsed through meat. After thinking it over, he bought some duck and chicken, along with some high-energy pork.

Zhou Leng kept looking for cheap beef, but after searching for a long time, he ultimately gave up on buying any.

Then, in Martial City's Martial Dao Mall, he bought four portions of beginner Meat Medicinal Diet.

An hour later, the delivery rider arrived.

The beast meat and medicinal ingredients had already been proportioned. He only needed to put them into a clay pot and start stewing.

Zhou Leng went online again to check his admission status.

There was still nothing.

Tomorrow would be the supplementary admission examination for Martial Universities. After that, supplementary admission notices from Affiliated Martial Academies would be sent out.

Zhou Leng sighed softly.

Sun Xiong sent him a message.

"Principal Lu is too embarrassed to face you and asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. He never expected West Sea Martial University to give up such an outstanding seedling as you. He said this matter isn't over! You must attend the No. 8 High School Commendation Ceremony on September 8! If you don't go, he won't be able to rest easy for the rest of his life."

Zhou Leng replied, "Please tell Principal Lu that I'll definitely go. Also tell him that it's actually nothing. I've always liked Ru University, and now I've gotten what I wanted. It's quite good."

After finishing the chat, Zhou Leng glanced at the front door.

He could repay Uncle Li now, but with that man's temperament, unless Zhou Leng had made a great fortune, he would not accept even a single cent.

Zhou Leng thought it over. He would use part of the money to buy Meat Medicinal Diet, keep part for daily expenses, and save the rest. Once he gathered 100,000 yuan, he would buy an Origin-Replenishing Pill.

For martial artists, the most important thing was taking three Origin-Replenishing Pills to eliminate hidden bodily ailments.

He was still short two pills.

Once the Meat Medicinal Diet was ready, Zhou Leng dug in with great gusto.

Genuine demonic beast meat was more tender than scraps and trimmings.

After eating, Zhou Leng sat in meditation and circulated his qi, driving the medicinal effects throughout his body.

Fine beads of sweat emerged and ran down his body.

After finishing his cultivation, Zhou Leng felt the heat in his body. After some thought, he headed straight downstairs.

He walked beneath the horizontal bar and looked up at the smooth steel pole above him.

During the Qi-Nourishing Stage and Blood-Circulating Stage, a martial artist's bodily strength was limited.

Only upon reaching the Body-Refining Stage would bodily strength undergo a qualitative leap.

Before the Body-Refining Stage, there were many popular methods of testing physical strength. The most famous among them was the one-arm pull-up.

One-arm pull-ups without circulating qi were a rather difficult movement.

During the era of Technological Civilization, the world record for uninterrupted one-arm pull-ups was 30.

In the Martial Dao era, someone with that kind of physical quality would nearly possess the makings of a Grandmaster.

Half a year ago, Zhou Leng could do 15 in one go, but no matter what, he could not pull himself up for the sixteenth.

That freak Zhang Xinglie had casually managed 54.

Zhou Leng took a deep breath, lightly jumped, and grabbed the bar with his right hand.

The exposed muscles of his right arm tensed. His skin gleamed with a faint luster, smooth as polished granite.

The major muscle groups in his arm, shoulders, back, and abdominal core acted like a car engine, exerting force together.

Zhou Leng's body abruptly rose. His arm bent, and he lifted his head slightly. The instant his chin cleared the bar, his body dropped.

His muscle groups exerted force once more, and his body rose again...

One, two, three...

By the twentieth, Zhou Leng had not slowed down.

By the thirtieth, his breathing had grown slightly heavier.

By the fortieth, his movements slowed, and his entire body was sweating.

Fifty-one...

Zhou Leng exhausted all his strength to bring his chin over the bar, then landed lightly on the ground.

"Phew..."

Zhou Leng panted heavily. Fifty-one one-arm pull-ups without true qi had broken his personal record, making him second only to Zhang Xinglie at No. 8 High School.

"Fifty-one. Not bad..."

Zhou Leng looked at his right arm and slowly walked home.

After showering, Zhou Leng walked to the sink.

He turned on the faucet, caught some water in his hand, then withdrew it.

True qi spread across his right hand, and not a drop of the water diminished.

Zhou Leng gently shook his hand up, down, left, and right. Under the effect of true qi, the water in his palm swayed like jelly without spilling the slightest bit.

Zhou Leng tried tossing it lightly and catching it.

Splat...

Part of the water splashed away, while part remained in his hand.

Zhou Leng kept trying. After several dozen attempts, he could easily toss and catch it without letting a single drop splash out.

Water held in his palm, tossed and caught at will.

Over the next few days, Zhou Leng traveled back and forth between the Frost Giant Tree and his home as usual.

He also exchanged all his remaining pill vouchers.

Before long, Zhou Leng received a supplementary admission notice from the Ru City Martial University Affiliated Martial Academy.

Early in the morning, Zhou Leng ran to the examination site outside the Ru University Affiliated Martial Arts Academy.

As he waited, he edited a new Martial Dao journal.

I. Realm.

Blood Qi Realm.

Qi-Nourishing Stage.

II. Divine Abilities.

1. Racial Divine Ability: Seed of True Qi.

2. National Divine Abilities: Everlasting Legacy. Martial Path Perception. United Will Forms a Fortress. Medicinal Supplementation.

III. Martial Arts:

1. Internal art: Mystic Tide Art—Great Accomplishment, Fifth Heaven.

2. Fist art: Mountain-Punching Fist—Minor Accomplishment, First Heaven.

3. Palm art: Wave-Stacking Palm—Great Accomplishment, Fifth Heaven.

4. Leg art: Cloud-Flying Leg—Minor Accomplishment, First Heaven.

5. Footwork: Eight Trigrams Step—Great Accomplishment, Fourth Heaven.

6. Movement art: Wandering Cloud Movement—Minor Accomplishment, First Heaven.

IV. Four Extraordinary Bodies.

Qi: Mortal Qi.

Blood: Mortal Blood.

Body: Mortal Body.

Strength: Mortal Strength.

V. Martial Will.

No perception.

VI. Combat Awareness.

No perception.

Zhou Leng looked at his martial arts attainments and felt much more at ease.

All of them were at Minor Accomplishment or above.

Zhou Leng reached out and tapped the screen. Beneath "6. Movement art," there was now a 7, blank.

Zhou Leng thought for a moment, then deleted it.

Then he silently added it in his heart.

7. Training method: Ten Inverse Beast Fist—First Layer, First Form, Establishing the Image.

I'm getting closer and closer to Perfection.

As Zhou Leng thought this, he heard a burst of familiar horseplay.

Turning his head, he saw that it was actually those people he had met in the Demon City.

The leader was tall, thin, fair-skinned, and reasonably handsome. He wore his long hair slicked back, glossy with oil.

Chang Luan. Back at the Demon City camp, he and Xue Chengsong had exchanged a few sarcastic remarks.

Zhou Leng turned back and continued playing with his watch.

Those people looked over as well.

After the two groups had moved apart, a blue-haired student beside Chang Luan said quietly, "Young Master Chang, that kid was one of the people behind Xue Chengsong that day."

"Mm, they should be part of the same Martial Path Study Team," Chang Luan said.

"That's not right. The people Xue Chengsong hires are all top students, so why is he here for supplementary admission?"

"He could also be a helper. After all, every team needs someone to handle the odds and ends." Chang Luan continued walking forward indifferently.

"Oh, then should we..." The blue-haired man gave Chang Luan a meaningful look.

Chang Luan said calmly, "His relationship with Xue Chengsong may not be that close. Even if it is, there's no need for me to start trouble. If he passes the supplementary admission, we'll be classmates from then on, seeing each other without having to raise our heads or lower them. There's no need. Of course, if he overestimates himself and stands up for Xue Chengsong, that will be another matter."

"Young Master Chang is magnanimous."

As soon as the time came, the many examinees entered the venue.

The supplementary admission exam had no written test, only two major sections: the physical test and the martial examination. Its content was no different from the college entrance examination.

Because there were few people, the examination process went very quickly.

In just one day, Zhou Leng finished his exams and left alone.

Along the way, quite a few supplementary admission examinees looked at Zhou Leng.

Tao Bing, a blue-haired supplementary admission examinee, watched Zhou Leng's retreating back and said, "Young Master Chang really has an eye for people. This kid is fierce."

"I misjudged him too. Barring any surprises, he should be first among this batch of supplementary students."

Tao Bing said, "With those results, he won't just rank among the supplementary students. Even among the regular examinees at the Affiliated Martial Academy, he's probably in the top few. Then your position as senior disciple..."

Chang Luan narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "I'll be entering the Martial Guard Department in the future. Limited by my talent, I won't be able to obtain statuses like elite student. That senior disciple credential is especially important. If I can't get it, the old man will curse me for four years."

"Don't worry. I'll handle things for you. I can't let you lose face." Tao Bing grinned.

"No rush. Before the Opening-Semester Martial Test, I'll have a chat with him."

"Anyway, your cousin is in the Student Council. If it really comes down to it, ask him for help. Once you have Student Council status, those people competing for senior disciple will have to weigh their options."

"Hard to say. Let's go. We should try to secure the class monitor position first."

Zhou Leng returned home and continued his two-point routine: training, training, and endless training.

The supplementary admission results came out quickly. He ranked first in the Ru City Martial University Affiliated Martial Academy supplementary admission examination.

On the day he received his admission notice, Zhou Leng thought for a moment and sent Xue Chengsong a message.

Among everyone Zhou Leng knew, Xue Chengsong had the most information channels. Even Zhang Xinglie could not compare.

"Young Master Xue, do me a favor. I'd like to ask about the Opening-Semester Martial Test and the monthly examinations."

Xue Chengsong invited you to a video call...

Zhou Leng directly switched it to a voice call.

"Zhou Leng, you... how are you?"

"I'll be reporting to the Ru University Affiliated Martial Arts Academy in a few days."

"Mm, alright. What exactly do you want to ask?"

"At the Affiliated Martial Academy, how can I maximize the martial dao resources I obtain?"

Xue Chengsong fell silent for a moment, then said, "There are some things you should try not to spread around."

"I understand."

Xue Chengsong said, "Whether it's a Martial University or a martial academy, you need to decide your future direction first. Based on that direction, choose what you should do now. In the future, will you enter the Martial Guard Department, the Demon City Army, the Martial Government, Pioneer Corporation, or pursue Extreme Martial Arts?"

"Give me a brief rundown of each."

"The Martial Guard Department is mainly responsible for internal security on Blue Star. It primarily deals with the Demon-Worshiping Cult, Demonic Beasts that infiltrate from Demon City, and hostile nations. Only under special circumstances will it enter Demon City to assist the Demon City Army."

"The Demon City Army is comparatively straightforward. It mainly deals with the Demonic Beasts of Demon City, and occasionally cooperates with the Allied Worlds to fight in other worlds."