Canglong, Ferocious Beasts, Points

Qin Hu did not remain there. He turned and went straight back to the Training Ground, leaving Gu Yang alone to follow Hong Tao into the Cultivation Room.

This Cultivation Room was roughly a hundred feet square and completely empty. Numerous holes dotted the ceiling overhead, and sunlight streamed through them, leaving countless patches of light across the floor.

There were no windows. The floor was laid with Black Steel Rock that gleamed with a black metallic sheen. When Gu Yang stepped onto it in his leather boots, it immediately gave off a series of thudding sounds.

Only Black Steel Rock could withstand the explosive force of a martial artist at Hong Tao's level. As for the Bluestone Floor outside in the Training Ground, Hong Tao would not even need to use his full strength—one stomp would shatter the slabs to pieces.

A moment later, the two sat cross-legged on the floor facing each other. Gu Yang heard Hong Tao say, "I know you have questions. Don't rush. I'll explain it to you slowly."

"Canglong Island... Trial Disciples... Life and Death Trials..."

As Hong Tao explained bit by bit, a vast and mystical world unfolded before Gu Yang's eyes.

Only then did he understand why, in Wan City, he knew only of Canglong Island and had never heard the name of any dynasty or emperor.

Because in this flourishing age of cultivation, cultivation sects controlled the world. Cangzhou had no unified dynasty at all!

Wan City, where he lived, the Yufeng Prefecture above it, and even all of Cangzhou belonged to the territory of an immensely ancient cultivation sect—Canglong Island!

Canglong Island had ruled all of Cangzhou for nearly a hundred thousand years. Every Prefecture City in Cangzhou, along with the government offices, armies, and Martial Academies of the cities beneath them, belonged to Canglong Island's peripheral forces.

Even the name Cangzhou had only been given after Canglong Island took control of this land.

It could be said that throughout Cangzhou, Canglong Island was the sky itself. Its commands carried even more weight than the imperial edicts of the emperors from the ancient dynasties of his previous life.

Because this world possessed peerless experts who could face ten thousand alone and sever rivers with a single palm.

Any resistance built on sheer numbers was nothing more than a flock of chickens and dogs before such cultivation powerhouses.

The so-called Trial Disciples were Genius Disciples carefully selected by the Martial Academy according to various standards. Through concentrated, focused training, their speed of condensing Blood Qi would be greatly increased.

Although Hong Tao did not say so outright, Gu Yang could already guess that Canglong Island must have assessment requirements for each Martial Academy.

And the focus of those assessments was the number of disciples who condensed Blood Qi and passed the Life and Death Trials each year.

As for the final Life and Death Trials, Gu Yang's expression gradually turned solemn as Hong Tao continued his account.

Why did the Martial Academy devote such care to nurturing its disciples?

Talented disciples had all fees waived, with unlimited meat supplied every day.

Canglong Island ruled all of Cangzhou, yet it had never sought to restrict the spread of martial power in order to stabilize its rule.

All because there was a powerful and vicious evil neighbor within the territory of the Human Race—the Ferocious Beasts.

Although several other races existed within Cangzhou, the greatest threat to the Human Race as a whole had always been the Ferocious Beasts.

Individual Ferocious Beasts were manageable. But once great numbers of them formed a Beast Tide under the leadership of a Beast King, they would inflict devastating destruction upon the surrounding regions.

Therefore, curbing the reproduction of Ferocious Beasts and preventing them from easily forming Beast Tides was the foremost task of Human Race martial artists.

The so-called Life and Death Trials were hunting operations carried out during the height of summer each year, when most groups of Ferocious Beasts had just given birth, targeting the Ferocious Beasts and their young.

Those who completed the trial objectives and emerged alive from the battlefield could directly join Canglong Island and study deeper Martial Path cultivation methods.

Otherwise, while their path in the Martial Path could not be called completely severed, their potential for future development would certainly fall far behind that of disciples who joined Canglong Island.

But those who killed would in turn be killed.

Hunting Ferocious Beasts would inevitably bring great danger.

Every year during the Life and Death Trials, fewer than one-tenth of the participating Trial Disciples emerged from the mountains without injury. One or two tenths of them even remained forever upon the trial battlefield.

Yet even with such a tremendous casualty rate, Canglong Island had never considered ending the trials.

From more than three thousand one hundred and fifty years ago, when a new round of Life and Death Trials began, until now, they had never been interrupted.

The reason was simple: if martial artists did not kill, then it would be the people under their protection who suffered.

Since martial artists enjoyed vast public resources from society, they had to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities!

After Hong Tao finished explaining the Life and Death Trials, he fell silent, giving Gu Yang time to digest it all.

Almost every disciple who passed the selection process went through this same ordeal upon arriving here. He had long grown accustomed to their reactions.

They were nothing more than excitement, fervor, hesitation, terror, or fear.

Yet Gu Yang showed him another reaction, one he had never seen before: resolve!

In Gu Yang's eyes, he saw an utterly calm and unwavering conviction.

Clearly, Gu Yang was not acting on a heated impulse. He truly possessed firm resolve.

This both surprised Hong Tao and filled him with gratification.

He had not expected this young man, at such an age, to carry such devotion to the great righteousness of the Human Race. It was truly rare.

But he had clearly misunderstood. How could Gu Yang possess such lofty sentiments?

Gu Yang's thoughts were actually very simple. The road of the Martial Path was blocked and long. Along the way, one would inevitably encounter danger, hardship, and even the threat of death.

Even without the threat of Ferocious Beasts, there would still be other perils, whether open or hidden.

But no matter what danger he encountered, as long as he was strong enough, he could crush his way through it all.

If he truly worried, panicked, and retreated over dangers he had not yet faced, then why was he still desperately practicing martial arts here? He might as well honestly earn money, marry a wife, take concubines, and enjoy himself.

To practice martial arts, one must first cultivate courage. Though he had yet to experience killing, he had already made his preparations.

Having descended into this world, he had only one goal: to walk step by step to the end of the Martial Path and live forever!

A moment later, Hong Tao led Gu Yang out of the Cultivation Room and into a secluded Training Ground near the Martial Academy's rear courtyard.

The surroundings here were no different from the Training Ground Gu Yang had been in earlier, apart from the row of weapon racks beside the wall to the left of the entrance, gleaming with sharp light.

The spacious grounds contained only a young instructor in his twenties, practicing some unknown fist technique. When Hong Tao saw him, he called him over and tossed his token to him.

"Wang Qi, take Gu Yang to register his information. While you're at it, explain clearly everything Trial Disciples need to know and pay attention to."

Although Hong Tao was the chief instructor responsible for teaching Trial Disciples, he was also the Martial Academy's vice dean, holding a position of great authority. Naturally, he did not need to handle such trivial matters himself.

After giving his instructions, he turned and left. Only Gu Yang and the young instructor named Wang Qi remained in the Training Ground, facing each other.

To be honest, Wang Qi had been an instructor at this Training Ground for five or six years, yet this was the first time he had seen a disciple as old as Gu Yang. For a moment, he was actually at a loss for words.

Of course, it was impossible for him to have nothing to say.

Seeing Gu Yang repeatedly glance toward the weapon racks, Wang Qi immediately smiled. "If you're interested, go pick one and give it a try. It's fine. Once you become a Trial Disciple, you'll definitely need to learn weapon techniques. Otherwise, how will you go out for training?"

"Training?"

Gu Yang asked whenever he had doubts, and Wang Qi answered him wholeheartedly.

"Dean Hong should have told you that the trials mean going to war. But before sending you onto the battlefield, they'll naturally have to let you see blood. So once you learn weapon techniques, Dean Hong will arrange for you to enter the mountains."

As he spoke, he walked to the weapon racks, drew a broad, straight-bladed saber around four feet long, and handed it directly to Gu Yang.

"Look at these weapons. Every one of them is heavy, because your opponents are Ferocious Beasts. Weapons that are too light are useless against those beasts with long fur and thick hides."

Gu Yang lifted the saber in one hand and swung it hard through the air before him.

There was an old saying from his previous life: weapons were extensions of fists and feet. That saying was not wrong.

Thanks to the Martial Technique Fish Dragon Dance, although this was Gu Yang's first time handling a weapon, he wielded it with the force of a tiger and the wind of a dragon, without the slightest stiffness.

Wang Qi watched quietly from the side. Only after Gu Yang had finished practicing with the saber, still wanting more, did he smile and step forward to ask, "How is it? How does this saber feel?"

"It feels pretty good." Gu Yang hefted the hilt again before answering.

"This saber is considered average among these weapons. It only costs ten points. So, what do you think? Want to buy it?" Wang Qi wore a kind smile, his face practically saying that Gu Yang had struck a bargain.

"Points?" Gu Yang's thoughts turned. Rather than taking Wang Qi's bait, he directly asked, "Instructor Wang, what are these points? And how can they be earned?"

"Fine, then. Older people really are harder to fool." Wang Qi helplessly pursed his lips, took the saber from Gu Yang, and returned it to its place on the weapon rack. Then he said, "Points are a kind of currency used in the Martial Academy to exchange for all kinds of cultivation resources."

"For example, a packet of Qi and Blood Powder needed for Blood Condensation cultivation can be exchanged for just five points. Weapons, leather armor, and other necessities for battle all have corresponding prices. In short, as long as you have enough points, you can exchange them for everything you need at your current stage of cultivation."

"And as a Trial Disciple who has just passed the selection, you have a credit limit of one hundred points. Of course, once you can earn points later, you'll still have to repay those hundred points. As for how to earn points, there is only one method: hunt Ferocious Beasts!"

After quickly running Wang Qi's words through his mind, Gu Yang considered them and asked, "Then can I use silver to buy weapons and medicinal pills?"

"No." Wang Qi refused without hesitation. Then, he suddenly revealed a strange smile and said to Gu Yang, "But you can exchange points for silver. One point for one tael of silver, with no limit on exchanges!"