Subject Three

Subject Three

"The third exam is about capturing escaped criminals..."

"The exam site is Bewildering Peak, one of Ningyuan Mountain's three main peaks. Its terrain is complex and densely wooded, and three hundred supernatural criminals who have been arrested are hidden inside."

"These criminals have all been placed under restrictions. They cannot leave their designated activity areas or open their Hundred Treasure Boxes. Each criminal carries a Score Plate worth one to five points, depending on their strength."

"Your task is to enter Bewildering Peak, find these criminals, and seize the Score Plates in their hands."

"Candidates of different ranks need to seize different Score Plates. White Wristbands correspond to one point, while Gold Wristbands correspond to five points. Candidates must seize the corresponding Score Plates. Gray Wristbands do not need to seize Score Plates; as long as they protect their wristbands on the mountain and survive until the exam ends, they will pass."

"The exam runs from ten in the morning until ten at night, for a total of twelve hours. No communication devices may be brought into the exam site. Once the exam ends, candidates who have obtained the required Score Plates will pass."

"There are several things you need to note during the exam."

"First, only one Score Plate will be counted for each candidate when scores are tallied. Therefore, seizing low-difficulty Score Plates is meaningless, and the academy does not encourage such behavior."

"Second, whether or not you obtain a Score Plate, you may not leave the site before the exam ends. Your wristbands have pulse-monitoring and tracking functions. If you are found to have left the examination area early, you will be disqualified."

"Third, while you hunt the prisoners, the prisoners will also attempt to seize your wristbands. After this exam ends, if a prisoner keeps their own Score Plate while obtaining your wristband, they will receive a corresponding sentence reduction."

"Fourth, the exam site is divided into four areas from top to bottom. The higher a prisoner's score, the smaller their activity range and the closer it is to the mountaintop. Therefore, after entering the site, choose an appropriate area based on your own circumstances. If you enter an area beyond your rank, your wristband will issue a warning."

"Fifth, and most importantly, no combat methods are restricted within the rules of this exam. Both candidates and prisoners may face mortal danger. The prisoners are participating voluntarily, and candidates must also sign a Life and Death Contract to take the exam. Of course, if you fear the danger, you may choose to withdraw. It is entirely voluntary."

The difficulty is finally going up... Luo Jun smiled faintly.

The first two subjects had been little more than child's play. Subject Three was where things got real. After all, Explorers were professionals who lived alongside death year-round. An entrance exam without some risk to life and limb would hardly make sense.

Clearly, the candidates present understood that as well. In the end, only two Gray Wristbands who had unfortunately fallen ill chose to withdraw.

Come to think of it, Cultivators of Vital Energy rarely got sick. For one thing, their enhanced physiques gave them immune systems far beyond those of ordinary people. For another, the Vital Energy circulating through their bodies could regulate the body and dispel illness and impurities.

The candidates who agreed to take the exam all signed the agreement. After collecting them, the student acting as staff member went to Yu Qiudi's side, only to find that the official examiner was asleep against the wall, a transparent snot bubble expanding and contracting with her soft snores...

Is this guy really a teacher?

In the end, the awakened Yu Qiudi led everyone to the foot of Bewildering Peak.

Unlike the steep Trial Peak, Bewildering Peak had relatively gentle slopes but covered a much larger area. Strange rocks, trees, ravines, and streams filled the mountain, creating exceptionally complex terrain. Ordinary people could easily get lost after entering it, hence its name.

The base of Bewildering Peak was surrounded by a circle of wire fencing, with surveillance cameras and sensors at intervals to keep unauthorized people from entering or leaving. Only a few entrances had been left open. The candidates were gathered at the largest one, waiting.

The moment ten o'clock arrived, the candidates entered the exam site on schedule.

For this exam, Bewildering Peak was divided into four areas: top, upper, middle, and lower. The mountain summit corresponded to five-point prisoners, the hunting targets of Heart Refining Realm candidates. The upper area held three- and four-point prisoners, prey for Foundation Establishment Realm candidates. The middle area corresponded to two points and was for Green Wristbands at the third layer of the Body Refinement Realm or above. The lowest area contained one-point prisoners, corresponding to Ordinary Persons and White Wristbands who had just entered the Body Refinement Realm.

Whether among candidates or prisoners, those in the Body Refinement Realm made up the majority. Thus, the middle and lower areas occupied a large portion of the mountain and were divided more finely.

After entering the exam site, candidates with Green Wristbands or above immediately began climbing upward. There was no point in them staying at the very bottom, and before long, nearly half the candidates had vanished.

As for the rest, they were either Ordinary Persons or rookies who had only just come into contact with Vital Energy, so no one was in a hurry to disperse.

"Gray Wristbands, listen up!" A bespectacled boy stepped forward. "We're different from those who can use Vital Energy. We don't have the pressure of earning points; we only need to survive until the exam ends! So I propose that we Gray Wristbands stick together. Then those prisoners won't dare hunt us!"

There were more than two hundred Gray Wristbands among the candidates. Though their individual Combat Power was weak, their numerical advantage when gathered together was enough to make the one-point prisoners in the Lower District think twice.

The proposal immediately won the support of many people. Right, they did not need to hunt prisoners anyway. They could simply band together, find a place to hold, and wait it out... They did not even need to choose a spot. They could just stay at the entrance and walk straight out when the exam ended. Wouldn't that be perfect?

Still, some Gray Wristbands were unwilling to wait in place and chose to leave the main group to find their own hiding places.

As for the White Wristbands, they envied the Gray Wristbands who had no performance pressure while beginning to explore the forest.

Luo Jun was among them.

"Brother, want to team up?" A somewhat familiar voice came from behind him. Luo Jun turned and saw the red-haired guy who had spoken to him yesterday while climbing the Trial Stone Steps.

To be honest, Luo Jun did not remember his face very well. The only reason he remembered him was that head of red hair.

"Team up?" Luo Jun was stunned.

"Yeah!" The red-haired guy ran over. Today, he wore a purple T-shirt and was accompanied by a cute girl with twin ponytails and a burly man over six feet three inches tall.

"Let me introduce us. I'm Chen Ran, this girl is Su KeKe, and this big guy is Cheng Yan. We're all at the second layer of the Body Refinement Realm. Cheng Yan has even reached a bottleneck. If he hadn't been worried about delaying the exam, he could have broken through last week!"

"Luo Jun, second layer of the Body Refinement Realm. I just broke through."

After they introduced themselves, the red-haired Chen Ran smiled. "Brother Luo, remember me? We talked during the first exam. I also saw you defeat that Advanced Mechanical Puppet in the second exam. You're one of the strongest at our level, so let's join forces."

"Don't we each need to hunt one prisoner?" Luo Jun asked curiously. "What's the benefit of teaming up?"

Chen Ran sized him up. "You're a Rogue Cultivator who hasn't been in contact with Vital Energy for long, right?"

Luo Jun nodded frankly. "How could you tell?"

"Well, they're prisoners because they're all vicious bastards." Chen Ran shook his head. "Those who commit crimes with supernatural abilities are far beyond ordinary criminals in both methods and brutality. The academy may have arranged opponents with strength close to ours, but in an actual fight, those prisoners are stronger than us."

Luo Jun thought about it and realized that made sense. Even if both sides were Ordinary Persons, an average person would be in serious danger facing a criminal.

Seeing that Luo Jun was somewhat persuaded, Chen Ran continued, "Besides, these criminals entered the exam site before us. They've definitely had time to familiarize themselves with the terrain and set traps. They may even form teams to hunt us. Under those circumstances, fighting alone isn't wise."

"And if we team up and coordinate with each other, it'll be easier to find prey too!" said the cute twin-tailed girl, Su KeKe. She wrinkled her little nose. "For example, my nose is very sensitive. After concentrating Vital Energy, I can smell very subtle differences in scent."

"And me." The tall Cheng Yan had a deep voice as he pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "I'm very sensitive to vibrations. If anyone is moving nearby, I can sense it immediately."

After hearing their introductions, Luo Jun was somewhat confused. "Aren't those just senses that can be enhanced by concentrating Vital Energy?"

"It's different." Chen Ran became even more certain that Luo Jun was a rookie who had just started out, so he patiently explained, "Concentrating Vital Energy in the corresponding body part can indeed strengthen its functions, but different people have different talents."

"Take KeKe, for example. With Vital Energy enhancement, her sense of smell is much stronger than that of an average Body Refinement Realm cultivator. That's her talent. As one's realm rises, such differences are continuously magnified. By the Heart Refining Realm, they may develop into unique abilities of their own."

"Conversely, many Heart Refining Realm experts showed the first signs of their signature techniques back in the Body Refinement Realm." Chen Ran smiled and flexed the muscles in his arm. "As for me, my specialty is explosive power. Compared to Cultivators at the same realm, the boost I get when I activate Vital Energy is much stronger, but I consume more Vital Energy too..."

So that's how it is... Luo Jun thought about it. He really had not noticed anything special about himself. Mainly, he had never compared himself to others at the same realm, and his Master had never mentioned it either.

"I... don't think I have any special talents."

"Don't be modest!" Chen Ran laughed and patted Luo Jun on the shoulder. "Isn't your Lightness Skill a specialty? I've never seen a Body Refinement Realm cultivator so nimble!"

It seemed Luo Jun's performance on the Trial Stone Steps had left a deep impression on Chen Ran. That leap, achieved purely through strength, had been interpreted as some kind of Lightness Skill technique.

"Fine, I'm in." Luo Jun felt that Chen Ran made a lot of sense. He considered himself stronger than others at the same realm, but he had never truly fought anyone, especially not in a life-or-death struggle against supernatural criminals. Better to be careful in all things.

"Great! Then our four-person team is officially formed!" Chen Ran laughed. "As long as we work together, we'll definitely pass the exam!"