Leaving the City

"Chuyi? Fifteenth Day?" Old Yin's expression turned a little strange, then he looked at Zhu Ping'an with even greater approval.

This young fellow really suited his temperament!

To keep Yan Shubing from causing trouble for him, Zhu Ping'an handed her the Blood Enhancement Pill as soon as he left the Martial Artist Association.

Hearing Yan Shubing call him "Ping'an Ge" in that syrupy-sweet voice gave him goosebumps, but for the sake of his plans, he still comforted her in a gentle tone.

The days that followed were incredibly full.

During the day, he studied at school and worked on boosting his Qi and Blood Value. After class, he ran to the Martial Artist Association to seek guidance from Old Yin and Old Yang, practicing the Immortal Devil Sword Technique and the Nine Mountain Divine Sword.

Although Old Yin and Old Yang hadn't agreed to take him as a disciple, they held nothing back when teaching Zhu Ping'an. They answered nearly every question he asked, and under their guidance, his strength had improved by leaps and bounds.

His busy days flew by. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and only two days remained before the College Entrance Examination began.

"Second stance of the Nine Mountain Divine Sword, One Sword Shakes Mountains!"

Holding the Chuyi Sword, Zhu Ping'an brought it down in a slash. The long sword in his hand became a streak of cold light that cut toward the space ahead, as if it had the power to split mountains and shake peaks.

"Gah hah! Bring it on!" Old Yin let out a strange laugh and raised his hand, forming half a Taiji Diagram to block the strike.

Before, Zhu Ping'an's sword hadn't been able to budge that half of the Taiji Diagram in the slightest. But this time was clearly different! Zhu Ping'an had entered a strange state.

In his eyes, that half of the Taiji Diagram had become a towering mountain. He brought his sword down hard against it.

A clean cut appeared in the half of the Taiji Diagram. It took several breaths before the halves slowly drew together again. A wisp of Old Yin's already-sparse hair fell from his forehead.

"Good lad! No wonder the Sword Spirit of this sword sought you out on its own. You really are a sword-training prodigy!" Old Yin nodded in satisfaction.

Zhu Ping'an wiped the sweat from his brow, unable to hide his delighted expression.

The Nine Mountain Divine Sword had nine stances, and each additional stance added the power of another mountain. Every stance required an enormous amount of Qi and Blood to support it. With his current Qi and Blood Value, performing the second stance was already his limit.

"You've got two days left. Go take a mission from the Mission Hall and head outside the city," Old Yin said calmly.

"Outside the city?" Zhu Ping'an asked in surprise.

"Mm. You've trained your Nine Mountain Sword Technique to the second stance, but no matter how much more you practice, it's still just armchair theory. The College Entrance Examination doesn't just test who's better at martial techniques or who has stronger Qi and Blood. It tests a warrior's overall combat ability. Every year, there are geniuses who rise against stronger opponents."

"You've only got two days, and the area outside the city is the best place to rapidly improve your combat ability. Aren't you afraid of dying?" Old Yin chuckled.

"Yes, Master Yin!" Zhu Ping'an nodded.

"I told you, don't call me Master. I'm not your master. Now get lost, get lost!" Old Yin said impatiently, shooing Zhu Ping'an away.

"All right, Master Yin. Goodbye, Master Yin!"

"Hmph, brat." Old Yin snorted, but a faint smile touched his face as he turned his back to Zhu Ping'an.

Zhu Ping'an went to the Mission Hall and dutifully looked over the missions suitable for a First-Rank Warrior. In the end, he settled on a mission to hunt Fire Cicada Snakes.

The Fire Cicada Snake was a First-Tier Mutant Beast with a Fire Attribute. Its gallbladder was a great tonic for warriors who practiced Fire Attribute martial techniques.

As a result, Fire Attribute warriors were very fond of Fire Cicada Snake gallbladders.

According to the mission description, each Fire Cicada Snake gallbladder was worth five thousand yuan, and he needed at least four to return and complete the mission.

In other words, after accepting the mission, Zhu Ping'an would have to hunt at least four Fire Cicada Snakes outside the city.

Since this was his first mission, the Martial Artist Association thoughtfully gave him a copy of the Wilderness Survival Guide.

It covered various taboos and preparations for venturing outside the city.

The very first taboo inside read: "Warriors below the Third Rank are advised not to venture outside the city alone, or they may be in danger of losing their lives."

Zhu Ping'an rubbed his nose, then tossed the Wilderness Survival Guide into the trash.

This book was terrifying. He'd barely opened it before learning his life was in danger. He couldn't read any more.

It had to be said, people protected by the plot really could do whatever they pleased.

Before long, Zhu Ping'an reached Green City's gates. Inside Green City, people lived in peace and comfort, as if the years were standing still. But once you stepped outside, it was a terrifying apocalypse overrun by demons and Mutant Beasts. Out there, human lives were as worthless as weeds.

The city was peaceful because the warriors guarding it bore the burden and pressed on.

Tall walls surrounded Green City. As soon as Zhu Ping'an reached the exit, a soldier stopped him.

"Ordinary people are forbidden from leaving the city."

The soldier's face was stern, and he carried an air of bloodshed. He had clearly seen combat.

Ordinary people who ventured outside the city would be nothing more than a snack for the demons and Mutant Beasts. That was why every city forbade ordinary people from leaving.

"Hey, I'm no ordinary person." As he spoke, Zhu Ping'an picked up a stone and crushed it to rubble right in front of the soldier.

The soldier looked surprised, then his expression turned respectful.

"A warrior this young? You're taking this year's College Entrance Examination, right? Sorry, I'll have to report this!"

The Human Race's upper ranks valued warriors immensely, especially young warriors who broke through to the First Rank before the College Entrance Examination. They had boundless potential, and every death was a tremendous loss.

After the soldier reported the matter, a middle-aged man with a thick, bushy beard soon came out.

"The College Entrance Examination is the day after tomorrow, and you're heading outside the city now?" Whiskers asked, looking at Zhu Ping'an in surprise.

"Mm. I'm doing a mission." Zhu Ping'an nodded.

"You young people really know how to make trouble..." Whiskers looked a little exasperated, then smiled in resignation. "Oh well. You'll have to face the world outside the city sooner or later, so you might as well get a look at it early. Just don't wet your pants when you get scared!"

"Hey, what's your name again... Oh, right, Leng Tianjiao. You can come along too."

Whiskers beckoned to someone behind him, then explained to Zhu Ping'an.

"This girl's taking the College Entrance Examination too."

Whiskers showed great patience toward these talented young people who had already become warriors.

A girl in a long, ice-blue dress stepped forward. Her beautiful face was like a block of ice that would never melt, clearly spelling out four words: "Keep your distance."

Zhu Ping'an glanced at her, then looked away. The girl hadn't looked at him once, as if he were nothing but air.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm one of the commanders in the Green City Garrison. My name's Gu Xuan. You can call me Commander Gu or Brother Gu."

Whiskers spoke on his own, then his expression turned utterly serious.

"I understand that you want to go outside the city to train yourselves, but I have one condition. Once you're out there, neither of you can stray more than ten meters from my side. Understood?"