It's Over!

Night, like a pale purple petal, slowly dissolved into a faint white glow. Dawn was breaking.

Chang Ping wasn't used to getting up early. The reason he'd woken so soon was hunger.

After a whole night of intense exertion, he was so hungry he could've eaten leaves.

The cafeteria wouldn't open for another half hour, but his stomach was already tied in knots and his vision was swimming. He couldn't take it anymore.

There were snack vendors on the streets outside the academy, but he didn't have a penny in his pocket. He couldn't exactly eat and run, could he?

"No, I have to find something to eat. My body is already sending out a warning. If I go hungry any longer, I'll pass out." Chang Ping quickly pulled on a red vest and blue shorts, then left the dormitory, steadying himself against the wall.

He thought of a place in the academy where he could help himself to a meal.

The Trial Ground.

He'd seen this place in comics and anime. It was basically a zoo, except it housed ferocious Bronze demon beasts that were extremely aggressive. New students without any real strength were better off not going in alone.

The Trial Ground not only let students hone their fighting skills and improve their chances of surviving a beast tide, but also provided them with a substantial income.

Speaking of beast tides, the current situation in the Glory City was worth mentioning.

The Glory City lay deep within the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range. It was one of only two surviving human strongholds in the area, and every year it endured attacks by tens of thousands of demon beasts, causing heavy casualties.

Especially in early summer and at the beginning of winter, when the demon beasts couldn't find enough food, they attacked the Glory City more frequently, hunting the humans who lived there to fill their bellies.

Chang Ping knew the story well. He knew that several years later, the three Legendary-ranked Blizzard Demon Beasts sleeping in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range would awaken. As if they'd received some kind of order, they would lead hundreds of millions of demon beasts in an attack on the Glory City.

After the Sacred Family defected, the west gate fell, allowing the demon beasts to pour into the city. Ye Mo, the only Legendary Demon Spirit Master, was attacked from both sides and died a tragic death.

However, Chang Ping wasn't worried. Even at his current rate of growth, he could become a peak Legendary warrior within a year.

Several years would be more than enough time for him to redeem several world-destroying Legendary weapons.

Based on the Exchange Shop's refresh schedule, once he became a Legendary warrior, he would probably be able to redeem a machine gun or a cannon.

When the time came, he'd set up a machine gun with unlimited ammo on the city wall. No matter how many demon beasts came, they wouldn't stand a chance.

A towering wall appeared in Chang Ping's field of vision. The Trial Ground was just ahead.

The guard yawned as he checked Chang Ping's identity token.

He asked in confusion, "You're so muscular. How could you be a Warrior Apprentice?"

"What else would I be? If I were a Silver-rank warrior, I'd already be in the Genius Class. Only an idiot would waste time in the Beginner Warrior Class." Chang Ping flexed his arm and patted his solid bicep. "I'm just chubby. My family is poor, and eating too much guanyin clay has done this to me."

He lied because students who'd reached Silver rank weren't allowed into the Trial Ground. It was full of Bronze demon beasts. If they let Silver-rank students go in and beat up the weaklings, what would the other students do?

"Poor kid. Go on in!" The guard looked at Chang Ping sympathetically as he handed back his identity token, reminding him several times to be careful.

Chang Ping thanked him and staggered through the entrance to the Trial Ground on unsteady legs.

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

The Desert Eagle was a Silver-rank weapon, powerful enough to easily kill Bronze demon beasts, no matter how thick their hides were.

The rank of a cultivation technique was determined by the minimum requirements for learning it, while a weapon's rank was determined by its attack power.

Silver Weapons could kill Bronze demon beasts in one shot and injure Silver demon beasts, but they couldn't harm Gold-rank demon beasts.

Demon beasts had thick hides and tough bodies, like warriors wearing armor, so they were very difficult to deal with. Without advanced weapons, there was no way to kill them efficiently.

The Desert Eagle in Chang Ping's hands was an advanced weapon for dealing with Bronze demon beasts.

It didn't take long for Chang Ping to find his prey.

A herd of frenzied Horned Sheep roamed a clearing in the woods. They looked much like antelopes, but were bigger and stronger, as well as more aggressive. They would ram any intruder who stepped into their territory until the poor fool was left with the brains of an idiot.

The horns on their heads were used to make pen barrels. In a civilized city like the Glory City, paper and pens were in high demand, so the horns were worth a decent amount—about five Demon Spirit Coins.

Horned Sheep were only one-star Bronze demon beasts. Apart from the useless apprentices in the Beginner Class, practically anyone could beat them senseless. So five Demon Spirit Coins was already a pretty good price.

"Dear little lambs, your king, Big Bad Wolf, is here!" Chang Ping sauntered out of the bushes and opened fire.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Desert Eagle spat out a fierce burst of flames, and in the blink of an eye, all seven or eight Horned Sheep were dead.

"Exchange Shop!" Chang Ping thought, redeeming a Bronze Skinning Knife.

500 Strength Value consumed.

The weapon came with instructions. The moment Chang Ping gripped the handle, he mastered the techniques for butchering his prey.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Chang Ping's knife flashed like a streak of light. In no time at all, he'd butchered every Horned Sheep with ease.

The heads, legs, hooves, hearts, testicles... everything was neatly arranged on the blood-soaked hides.

Chang Ping gathered a pile of firewood nearby, then got a Nuclear Torch and a grill from the Exchange Shop. He lit the wood and started grilling.

The grill was cheap, costing only 10 Strength Value. It would pay for itself in just a minute.

After all, it was made of stainless steel, so it made sense that it cost more than a torch.

Most of the things 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.

The only problem was that without seasoning, the mutton tasted bland.

Chang Ping wasn't picky, though. As long as it filled his stomach, he'd even eat it raw.

"Crunch, crunch!" Like an African hyena, Chang Ping chewed the bones to pieces and swallowed them, wasting nothing.

Just as he stood up to check whether the grilled lamb testicles were ready, someone walked past nearby.

Chang Ping froze.

It was none other than Xiao Ning'er, who'd been secretly coming to the Trial Ground at night to train her Soul Force.

She glanced at the grilled lamb testicles and penis on the grill, and a look of disgust immediately appeared on her face. Pinching her nose, she darted away like a startled little horse.

Before she left, she shot Chang Ping a furious glare.

"It's over! Ning'er is going to hate me!" Turning his grief into appetite, Chang Ping grabbed a grilled lamb testicle and swallowed it in one bite.

He didn't want things to be this way, 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 eat and run. The only thing he could do was come to the Trial Ground and find some wild game.