Finished!

The night melted away like a pale lavender petal into a white glimmer, and the sky began to lighten.

Chang Ping wasn't accustomed to waking up early. The only reason he was up so soon was hunger.

After a whole night of intense exertion, he felt like he could eat leaves right now.

There was still half an hour until the cafeteria opened, but he was already so hungry his stomach was tied in knots, his vision blurred, and he couldn't stand it any longer.

There were food stalls on the streets outside the academy, but he didn't have a single cent in his pocket. He couldn't exactly dine and dash, could he?

"No, I have to get something to eat. My body is already sending out warnings. If I go hungry any longer, I'll pass out." Chang Ping quickly threw on his red vest and blue shorts and left the dorm, leaning against the wall.

He thought of a place in the academy where he could get a buffet.

The Trial Ground.

He had seen this place in comics and anime. It was essentially a zoo, but one that housed fierce Bronze Demon Beasts, all highly aggressive. New students without sufficient strength were best advised not to enter alone.

The Trial Ground not only honed the combat skills of the students and increased their chances of survival during beast tides, but it also provided them with a considerable income.

Speaking of beast tides, one couldn't help but mention the current predicament of the City of Radiance.

The City of Radiance was located deep within the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range and was one of the only two survivor strongholds in the area. It suffered attacks from tens of thousands of Demon Beasts annually, resulting in significant casualties.

Especially during the early summer and the onset of winter, when Demon Beasts struggled to find sufficient food, they would attack the City of Radiance more frequently, preying on the humans living within for sustenance.

Chang Ping knew the plot well. He knew that in a few years, three Legendary-class Blizzard Demon Beasts, slumbering in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, would awaken. As if receiving some command, they would lead hundreds of millions of Demon Beasts in an assault on the City of Radiance.

Due to the betrayal of the Sacred Family, the west city gate fell, allowing the Demon Beasts to pour in unimpeded. The only Legendary Demon Spirit Master, Ye Mo, was caught between enemies and died tragically.

However, Chang Ping wasn't worried. Even with his current rate of Strength growth, he would become a peak Legendary warrior in a year.

Several years were enough for him to exchange for several world-ending Legendary weapons.

Based on the refresh patterns of the Exchange Shop, once he became a Legendary warrior, he would most likely be able to exchange for a heavy machine gun or a cannon.

At that point, if he mounted a heavy machine gun with infinite ammunition on the city walls, no matter how many Demon Beasts came, it would be futile.

A magnificent high wall appeared in Chang Ping's vision; the Trial Ground was now within sight.

The guard, yawning, checked Chang Ping's identification tag.

He asked doubtfully, "You're so strong, and you're a warrior apprentice?"

"What else? If I were a Silver warrior, I'd have joined the Genius Class long ago. Only an idiot would waste time in the Beginner Warrior Class." Chang Ping flexed his arm, patting his firm biceps. "This is just a deceptive appearance. My family is poor, and I often ate clay to survive."

The reason he lied was that the Trial Ground did not allow students who had already reached the Silver level to enter. Since the beasts inside were all Bronze-class, if Silver-level students were allowed in to easily defeat them, how would other students play?

"Poor child, go ahead!" The gatekeeper looked at Chang Ping with pity, returned his identification tag, and repeatedly warned him to be careful.

Chang Ping thanked him and, with unsteady steps, staggered through the entrance gate of the Trial Ground.

As soon as he entered the woods, he pulled out his gun.

The Desert Eagle was a Silver-grade weapon, capable of easily killing Bronze Demon Beasts, no matter how thick their hides.

The grading of cultivation techniques was based on the minimum requirements for practice, while the grading of weapons was based on their offensive power.

A Silver weapon could instantly kill a Bronze Demon Beast and injure a Silver Demon Beast, but it could not inflict damage on a Gold Demon Beast.

Demon Beasts had tough hides, equivalent to warriors wearing armor, making them very difficult to deal with. Unless higher-grade weapons were used, they could not be killed efficiently.

The Desert Eagle in Chang Ping's hand was a high-grade weapon for dealing with Bronze Demon Beasts.

In a short while, Chang Ping found his hunting targets.

In a clearing in the woods, a group of agitated Horned Sheep roamed. They resembled antelopes in appearance but were more robust and aggressive, capable of headbutting intruders who stepped into their territory into a stupor.

The horns on their heads were raw materials for making penholders. Paper and pens were in high demand in civilized cities like the City of Radiance, so sheep horns were quite valuable, selling for about five Demon Spirit Coins.

Horned Sheep were, after all, only Star-1 Bronze Demon Beasts. Apart from the insignificant apprentices in the beginner classes, almost everyone could easily defeat them. Selling for five Demon Spirit Coins was already quite good.

"My dear little fat sheep, your Great Grey Wolf has arrived!" Chang Ping swaggered out from the bushes and began shooting.

"Bang bang bang!"

The Desert Eagle spat out fierce flames, and in a single exchange, the entire group of seven or eight Horned Sheep were down.

"Exchange Shop!" Chang Ping muttered, and exchanged for a Bronze Skinning Knife.

It consumed 500 Strength Points.

The weapon came with instructions. The moment Chang Ping gripped the handle, he mastered the art of dissecting prey.

"Swish swish swish!"

Chang Ping's knife moved as fast as lightning, and he effortlessly dissected all the Horned Sheep.

The sheep heads, legs, hooves, hearts, testicles... all were neatly arranged on the bloody sheepskins.

Chang Ping gathered a pile of dry firewood from the surroundings, then got a Nuclear Torch and a grill from the Exchange Shop. He lit the firewood and began to grill.

The grill was cheap, costing only 10 Strength Points, and could pay for itself in just one minute.

It was stainless steel, so it was normal for it to be more expensive than the torch.

Most items obtained from the Exchange Shop came with instructions, and the grill was no exception. As soon as Chang Ping picked it up, he naturally knew how to use it.

However, there were no seasonings, so the mutton tasted bland.

However, Chang Ping wasn't picky. As long as it could fill his stomach, even raw food was fine.

"Crunch, crunch!" Chang Ping chewed the sheep bones into powder like an African hyena, swallowing them whole without wasting a bit.

Just as he stood up, ready to check if the grilled sheep testicles were cooked, someone walked by.

Chang Ping froze.

This person was none other than Xiao Ning'er, who he'd seen sneaking into the Trial Ground at night to cultivate her Soul Force.

She glanced at the grilled sheep testicles and sheep penis on the grill, and a look of disgust immediately appeared on her face. Pinching her nose, she ran off quickly like a startled pony.

As she left, she shot Chang Ping a fierce glare.

"I'm done for! Ning'er's going to hate me!" Turning his sorrow into appetite, Chang Ping grabbed a grilled sheep testicle and swallowed it in one gulp.

He didn't want this either. He was just too hungry. The cafeteria wasn't open, he had no money in his pocket, and he couldn't bring himself to dine and dash. His only option was to come to the Trial Ground for some wild game.