He Xiao's Provocation

Jiang Yan soared through the air, quickly making sense of the city's tangled layout from high above.

"Now, I just need nine more Marked Items to leave."

Jiang Yan's flying ability was absurdly overpowered; he solved the evacuation route problem in just a few minutes, making the three-day exam window look ridiculous.

Soon, he spotted another Marked Item—a backpack with the character "武" boldly printed on it.

But the backpack wasn't easy to claim. It hung from a withered tree, and beneath that tree lay a python four or five meters long.

The python was pitch-black, as thick as a bucket, with eerie green vertical pupils tinged with red.

A late Second-Order Fierce Beast: the Black Blood Python.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yan gripped his alloy blade, faint arcs of lightning flickering along its edge.

With Abyssal Thunder Annihilation Slash at the proficient level, he could coat the blade in lightning, sharply boosting its power.

While the Black Blood Python was still dozing, Jiang Yan slashed down at its vital spot, seven inches from the head.

The blade sank into flesh without resistance—clean, decisive, perfect. The polished steel didn't even get blood on it.

He took the backpack from the branch and slung it over his shoulder.

"Perfect, I can use this to carry the rest of the Marked Items."

Jiang Yan leaped back into the air.

Outside, people began speculating about Jiang Yan's next move.

Some thought he should play it safe, grab two or three more Marked Items, and evacuate—after all, the city was a maze that would take ages to navigate.

Others believed Jiang Yan would collect all ten Marked Items, clear the city at top speed, and snatch first place.

Jiang Yan's own thinking clearly leaned toward the latter.

Case in point: he ran into another examinee who had a Marked Item.

Without a word, Jiang Yan went straight for the snatch.

Every second counted now; any pointless chatter would only slow him down.

"That's not right!"

"I don't care if it's right or not."

Another Marked Item in the bag. Jiang Yan had already hit 30% of his target, and less than thirty minutes had passed.

Meanwhile, other examinees in the same map as Jiang Yan were doing the exact same thing.

He Xiao, a Modu Prodigy, SS-rank talent Blazing Wildfire, Second-Order Perfection Realm. He had a solid reputation online, known for punching above his weight—he'd even fought Third-Tier Innate Martial Artists to a standstill.

His talent was strong enough that he could have long since drawn in qi and broken through to Innate, but geniuses lived in a different world from ordinary people.

Someone like him aimed to perfect every step, forging his body to the absolute limit as a Postnatal Martial Artist before seeking out the most powerful "qi" to absorb.

That was why many Prodigies could fight above their rank—no one dared underestimate their cultivation level.

He Xiao snatched a Marked Item from an examinee who'd just gotten it, then ruthlessly stomped him underfoot.

"What's yours is mine now."

"That's mine! Give it back!"

He Xiao's eyes sharpened, and he kicked the man in the stomach.

The man's eyes bulged as he spat out a mouthful of bile.

"You should be grateful this is an exam venue."

He Xiao turned and left, not wasting time on such trash.

The comments in He Xiao's livestream cheered his domineering move, while any negative remarks were drowned out, just like in Jiang Yan's stream.

: Awesome! That's how you do it.

: Go find that Jiang Yan—he's on the same map as He Xiao and already has three Marked Items. If He Xiao takes him out, first place is basically locked.

: What? That first-place guy already has three Marked Items? I thought he was just lucky. Guess he's got some real skill after all.

: Of course He Xiao's the strongest—he's not even afraid of Third-Tier Innate Martial Artists.

: Jiang Yan's at the map center, and He Xiao's heading his way!

The comments on Jiang Yan's side were also heating up.

: That Modu S-rank genius is coming! Jiang Yan, run!

: What's there to be afraid of? Jiang Yan has SS-rank talent—it's the Modu guy who should be running.

: The guy above has no clue. Those Modu kids grow up with the best training resources. Jiang Yan's talent only awakened recently—how could he possibly match up?

: Guys, I checked the other stream—everyone's saying He Xiao can fight above his rank against Third-Tier Martial Artists!

: Damn, then it's hard to say if Jiang Yan can win.

The citizens of Linjiang City started worrying for Jiang Yan.

It made sense. Linjiang wasn't big, and every now and then, an S-rank genius would pop up, but in the College Entrance Exam, they rarely matched up to the Prodigies from the big cities. That had planted a common mindset among the people of Linjiang and similar towns.

Small-city martial artists can never beat those from big cities—let alone Modu, the sacred land of martial arts that countless examinees dream of!

Could someone from Modu be simple?

They hoped Jiang Yan would avoid He Xiao, at least until he'd earned enough Points to go head-to-head with the geniuses from the two metropolises.

But reality rarely plays along.

The two finally clashed!

He Xiao spotted Jiang Yan crossing the sky.

Unlike the others gawking in shock, he smirked with a sidelong glance. "Flight-type talent? Watch me shoot you down."

He picked up a head-sized rock from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and hurled it with a sudden snap.

The stone screamed through the air, tearing a straight line that predicted Jiang Yan's flight path.

Speed, power, accuracy—all flawlessly controlled.

But then, the unexpected happened.

Jiang Yan's body twisted at a bizarre angle midair, deftly dodging the strike aimed at his vitals.

He turned around. Their eyes met. He Xiao sneered and flipped him off, dripping with provocation.

He wasn't brainless—he was baiting Jiang Yan into coming down.

And Jiang Yan, far from being provoked, figured this guy probably had a ton of Marked Items.

So he flew down.

"No!" Jiang Yan's livestream chat wailed in unison.

He Xiao let out a cold laugh. "Heh, idiot. Fell for it that easily."

His talent involved pyromancy, but with Jiang Yan flying in the sky, He Xiao couldn't do a thing to him.

Now, though—prey hooked. Time for the hunter to step up.

No words exchanged. Only the hunger for Points in their eyes.

The fight began without a single line of dialogue.

Whoosh!

He Xiao tossed his shirt aside, his whole body igniting in an instant. The livestream chat, ever thoughtful, blurred out his private parts.

"Ahhh hubby so big... no, so hot!"

The chat climaxed again.

He Xiao—number one borderline-streamer on the exam grounds.