Ancient Civilization Sanctuary

Ancient Civilization Sanctuary

After washing the pots and bowls clean, Zhou Leng went home to gather some cultivation necessities, then ran back to Xiaoru Village.

Big Yellow was waiting at the village entrance.

Zhou Leng opened the plastic bag.

"Wooo..." Big Yellow's bark changed pitch. He clamped down on the lamb chop offered to him and chewed with loud crunches.

Zhou Leng observed carefully. Sure enough, Big Yellow's bite force had grown stronger too.

For many years, Big Yellow had only been able to eat meat and could not gnaw bones. But now he ate like a prime pit bull, the lamb bones turning to mashed meat in his mouth.

Besides the lamb chop meat, there were also some lamb spine bones. Big Yellow crunched them into bone fragments in just a few bites.

"Woof!" After finishing his meal, Big Yellow stomped all four paws wildly, eagerly expressing his gratitude to Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng patted Big Yellow's head and looked up toward Rugao Mountain.

"Let's head up the mountain!"

Once again entering the Mysterious Forest, once again cultivating beneath the Frost Giant Tree...

The Frost Giant Tree, Xiaoru Village, Imperial Dragon Bay Residential Area—three points forming a line.

Other than that, Zhou Leng went nowhere.

Cultivating, cultivating, cultivating again. Other than that, he did nothing.

Every time he sensed an improvement, Zhou Leng swung a fist.

The uninterrupted improvement made Zhou Leng unable to stop.

For the first time, Zhou Leng knew that cultivation could actually be this joyful.

Then continue, continue, and continue again!

July 13.

Sunny.

I. Realm.

Qi and Blood Realm. Qi Nourishing Stage.

II. Divine Abilities.

1. Tribal Divine Ability: Seed of True Qi.

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

III. Martial Arts:

1. Internal art: Mysterious Tide Art—Minor Accomplishment Ninth Heaven. +6

2. Fist art: Mountain Charge Fist—Mastery Fifth Heaven. +2

3. Palm art: Wave Palm—Greater Mastery Third Heaven. +3

4. Leg art: Flying Cloud Leg—Mastery Seventh Heaven. +2

5. Footwork: Eight Trigrams Steps—Greater Mastery First Heaven. +2

6. Movement technique: Flowing Cloud Movement Technique—Mastery Eighth Heaven. +1

IV. Four Wonders Body.

Qi: Mortal Qi.

Blood: Mortal Blood.

Body: Mortal Physique.

Strength: Mortal Strength.

V. Martial Will.

No perception.

VI. Combat Awareness.

No perception.

Zhou Leng sat before his desk, looking at the Martial Path Diary in front of him.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Just one week earlier, he had been frowning over his martial arts.

Now, not only had he fully recovered, but he was improving by leaps and bounds.

Just one step more, and the Mysterious Tide Art would reach Greater Mastery.

What other surprises could the Mysterious Forest and Frost Giant Tree bring him?

Zhou Leng rose and headed to Li Linhan's home.

"Finished the Qi Nourishing Pills?" Li Linhan asked.

"Mm." Zhou Leng answered while eating the meat medicinal cuisine.

"Good. The Martial Arts Examination carries the greatest weight in the college entrance examination. You've grown rapidly these past few days, so you'll definitely get into a martial university," Li Linhan said.

Zhou Leng nodded and continued eating the meat medicinal cuisine.

After eating a few pieces of meat, Zhou Leng picked up a piece of demon wolf meat with his chopsticks and said, "This batch of meat medicinal cuisine..."

"I added a little something—meat from a high-level demonic beast in the Qi and Blood Realm," Li Linhan said.

"Thank you, Uncle Li." Zhou Leng quietly continued eating.

The stronger the demonic beast meat, the more comprehensive its effects on a person.

This clay pot of high-level Qi and Blood Realm demonic beast meat was worth no less than five thousand. On the market, one would have to pay at least double that price to buy it.

"Digest it slowly and strengthen your entire body. Wait until tomorrow morning before circulating your art to refine it." Li Linhan explained the value of the high-level demonic beast meat.

"Mm."

"Let's go. I'll take you to the examination venue," Li Linhan said.

"The school sent a car for Zhang Xinglie. He's taking me along since it's on the way. We're both at the Ru City Martial Examination Venue," Zhou Leng said.

"Alright, then I won't go," Li Linhan said.

"Zhang Xinglie's aunt should be taking him there." Zhou Leng secretly glanced at Li Linhan.

Li Linhan did not say a word.

Not long after, Zhou Leng slung on his backpack and went downstairs.

A stretched Yangwang U8 was parked at the residential area entrance, its black body faintly gleaming.

The rear window rolled down, and Zhang Xinglie reached out to greet Zhou Leng.

Beside Zhang Xinglie sat a middle-aged woman wearing a red qipao.

"Hello, Auntie." Zhou Leng greeted Zhang Meiqin first.

Zhang Meiqin had voluminous wavy hair and a kindly expression. She had dressed up today, making her look even younger.

Zhang Meiqin looked Zhou Leng up and down, then smiled. "Xiaolie told me you'd recovered, but I didn't believe him. Now that I see you, this heart that's been hanging in the air can finally settle. Get in quickly—you'll definitely get good results today. What are you standing there for? Sit in the front."

Zhang Meiqin suddenly looked at Zhang Xinglie.

With a helpless look, Zhang Xinglie got out of the car before Zhou Leng could stop him.

The school driver gave Zhou Leng a surprised glance, then looked at Zhang Xinglie.

"Come, get in." Zhang Meiqin smiled and beckoned Zhou Leng over.

Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie exchanged helpless looks, then climbed into the spacious back seat.

Zhang Meiqin scrutinized Zhou Leng carefully and smiled. "Good, you've truly recovered your health. When I saw you a few months ago, tsk tsk, it broke my heart... By the way, did you bring everything? Check now."

"Alright." Zhou Leng took his backpack and pulled out his admission ticket, ID card, and all the other items needed for the examination one by one.

"Good, such a good child. Unlike my Xiaolie, who's so careless that he even forgot his admission ticket and needed me to remind him. By the way, didn't your Uncle Li come?"

"He has work today, so I told him not to come. But..." Zhou Leng glanced at Zhang Xinglie, who had turned around in the front seat, and said, "Knowing his temperament, he'll probably still go take a look at the examination venue."

"That's true. That man is just a gourd with a stuffed mouth." As she spoke, Zhang Meiqin looked toward the inside of the residential area.

Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie looked at each other, then lowered their heads together to hide the laughter in their eyes.

Zhou Leng shut the door, and the driver asked, "Are we leaving now?"

"Let's go." A trace of regret entered Zhang Meiqin's voice.

Along the way, the driver said nothing while the three of them chatted and laughed as they hurried to the examination venue.

On a July morning, the sun shone high in the sky.

The car stopped outside No. 3 Martial Arena at Ru City University.

Martial Guard police cars were stationed everywhere, while large numbers of people in police uniforms or camouflage patrolled the area.

On the large screen beside the martial arena, the majestic National Congress Hall appeared.

Zhou Leng recognized it after one glance. This was the famous promotional video for the "Ancient Civilization Judgment Declaration."

In the final year of the technological age, the Demon Prison World allied with several worlds to attack Blue Star, while the Demon Spirit World joined forces with other worlds to give Blue Star its full support.

Unfortunately, Blue Star was defeated.

At the brink of disaster, a powerful and mysterious peculiar being descended.

At the center of the National Congress Hall on the big screen stood a pure white luminous entity, a full ten meters tall. It resembled a white oval door, countless twisted white rays of light emerging around it.

To this day, humanity still did not know exactly what lay within that light.

Some said God had descended, while others believed it was an immortal.

The United Nations named it the Civilization Arbiter.

It was this Civilization Arbiter who formally announced the news that would save Blue Star's fate.

At Dragon Country's Dadiwan Site, there existed sixteen physical artifacts bearing carved symbols from roughly eight thousand years ago. Together with physical examples of Banpo Pottery Inscriptions from sixty-seven hundred years ago and an unbroken subsequent inheritance, the civilization had not been extinguished. Dragon Country met the standards for "Ancient Civilization Protection."

Thus, Blue Star received fifty years of "Ancient Civilization Sanctuary," and the Demon Prison army could not launch a full-scale invasion.

Because of its defeat, mysterious power descended and erased and locked away much of its technology. Blue Star could no longer manufacture technological weapons.

In order to survive, the United Nations voted to choose a new direction for civilization.

After long negotiations and arguments, most nations worked together with one heart, shattered the conspiracy of a small handful of countries, and staked humanity's future on Dragon Country.

Afterward, the United Nations announced that Blue Star had embarked on a new path: Martial Path Civilization.

From then on, the entire world began cultivating the Martial Path.

The Martial Arts Examination also became the most important part of the college entrance examination.

"Goodbye, Auntie." Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie waved to Zhang Meiqin as they walked away.

Quite a few women in qipaos stood nearby, and some little girls also wore qipaos as they cheered for their older brothers and sisters.

After the two had walked for a while, students from Eighth Middle School occasionally shouted, "Senior Disciple!" before coming over.

Before long, a small group had gathered around Zhang Xinglie.

There were quite a few girls among them.

"Eighth Middle School's senior disciple—is he that Zhang Xinglie?" A student from another school whispered nearby, looking curiously at Zhang Xinglie.

"What a powerful sense of oppression. He's practically like the Lion King. As expected of the Physical Exam's top scorer."

"I wonder whether he can take first place in the Martial Arts Examination."

The group arrived outside the martial arena and took out their admission tickets.

"I'm taking Passage Two to Zone Two. What about you?" Zhang Xinglie asked.

"I'm in Zone Two too!" A girl from Class Five raised her admission ticket and waved it, her eyes shining as she looked at Zhang Xinglie.

"I'm in Zone Four. I'm leaving first," Zhou Leng said.

"See you later," Zhang Xinglie said.

Holding his ID card and admission ticket, Zhou Leng passed the inspection and entered the martial arena through Passage Four.

As he emerged from the passage, an enormous venue opened before him.

The martial arena was generally similar to stadiums of the past, with tiered spectator stands around the perimeter and an oval field in the center.

But the martial arena was far larger than any stadium.

The field was divided by large temporary compartments. Every large white compartment was an examination room.

At the entrance to each compartment, one person in camouflage stood on either side, wearing earpieces and looking stern.

More and more students gathered toward the large compartments.

"Hahaha..."

Zhou Leng followed the sound and looked over. In the spectator stands, some students whose schools he could not identify were chasing and fooling around. Dressed head to toe in trendy brands, they stood out like cranes among chickens amid the majority of students in school uniforms.

Zhou Leng checked the time. There was still a while before entry, so he reviewed the Martial Arts Examination content in his mind.

The first test assessed Total True Qi, the second assessed True Qi Intensity, and tomorrow's third test would assess True Qi Control.

Zhou Leng touched the spot on his abdomen where his dantian lay.

Even at the same internal art realm, different cultivation methods and different people produced vastly different Total True Qi.

For example, Zhang Xinglie cultivated the Ten Directions Storm Art. The Total True Qi in his body exceeded that of ordinary people using the same art at the same realm by fifty percent.

However, Zhang Xinglie was not without weaknesses. His Total True Qi and True Qi Intensity were too powerful, which instead resulted in slightly weaker True Qi Control, though he was still outstanding.

Previously, Zhou Leng had tested his True Qi at school using the Demonic Qi Measurement Device. Thanks to the Mysterious Tide Art's unending, layer-upon-layer stacking nature, his Total True Qi was around ten percent greater than that of martial artists at the same realm, placing him at an upper-middle level.

After cultivating beneath the Frost Giant Tree, Zhou Leng could clearly sense that the Mysterious Tide Art's layer-upon-layer stacking property had grown stronger. By rights, it should add at least another five percent.

Before long, the martial arena's broadcast sounded.

"...In this blazing midsummer beneath the scorching sun, we welcome a new year's Martial Arts Examination..."

"...We hope every examinee can achieve outstanding results..."