Practical Assessment

Two days later, Chen Daolin and the family of Ji Xuan moved into the Mingyue Residential Quarter, where their villas stood right next to each other.

On a blue, clear afternoon, the sun shone brightly as a gentle breeze blew. Along a lush, tree-lined path, beneath the dappled shade of the trees, Ji Xuan pushed Ji Han in her wheelchair while Chen Daolin walked alongside them, the three of them chatting and laughing.

Seeing the smile on her younger sister's face grow more frequent with each passing day, Ji Xuan felt a deep sense of contentment.

It felt as if time had returned to the days before her sister lost the use of her legs, when the three of them played together without a care in the world. Ever since her sister's car accident, an invisible shadow had hung over their home. Back then, Ji Xuan had sworn that she would do everything in her power to help her sister stand up again, become a healthy person, and live a happy, fulfilling life.

This was the driving force behind all her efforts.

Every day, aside from spending time with her family, she focused on cultivating Genetic Origin Energy and training, never slacking for a single moment.

As for Chen Daolin, he spent even more time in the training halls of the General Hall or his own private training room, making him a rare sight to behold.

Time flew by, and soon it was August 1st, the day Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan were to participate in the Martial Artist Practical Examination.

"Clack-clack~ Clack-clack~" The train, loaded with a large number of prospective martial artists heading to the practical examination, rattled along the tracks. Inside the carriage, Chen Daolin, Ji Xuan, and other prospective martial artists sat in their seats, some chatting, some closing their eyes to rest, and others watching the large screen on the carriage wall. Representatives from various global powers were broadcasting advertisements, trying to recruit martial artists to join their ranks.

Currently, the world was divided into five major nations: Huaxia, the Soviet Russia, America, India, and the European Union. Beyond these five, there were three super-powers with influence spanning the entire human world: the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, and the HR Alliance.

The HR Alliance, also known as the Underground Alliance, was formed by a coalition of ancient and powerful families from the Great Nirvana era, claiming to be the most powerful, wealthiest, and largest group of martial artists in the world.

The train pulled into the military camp of the Northern Military District of Jiangnan Base City, and a large number of martial artists poured out, discussing the scenery around them.

"Awoo~ Roar~"

"Croak~ Croak~"

The sounds of monsters could be heard from afar. Outside the military camp, monsters wandered freely on the ground and flew through the sky. The camp was heavily guarded, filled with various light and heavy weapons, and swarming with fully armed soldiers.

Humans could only survive within the base cities; only martial artists had the capability to venture into the wilderness to fight and hunt powerful monsters alone.

"Where is Zhuge Qing?" After getting off the train, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan stayed together. According to their agreement, they were supposed to meet Zhuge Qing at the military camp station, but after searching for a long time, Chen Daolin could not find her.

"Let's go inside and look for her," Ji Xuan suggested.

Chen Daolin frowned. This young miss was truly a handful. All he wanted now was to pass this examination safely and smoothly, and never have any dealings with such a willful girl again.

The military camp was vast and bustling with people. After searching for a long time, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan finally spotted Zhuge Qing in a corner, standing and chatting with a young, handsome man.

"Miss Zhuge." Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan walked over.

Zhuge Qing had actually seen them long ago but had deliberately pretended not to. Now, hearing Chen Daolin's voice, a look of impatience crossed her face. "You two can just go do your own thing. I don't need you to worry about me; I can protect myself." She hated these people her father had arranged for her, always treating her like a child who couldn't grow up.

"Qingqing, who are these two?" the young, handsome man asked curiously.

"Oh, Brother Lei, they are the people my father arranged to protect me during this martial arts examination," Zhuge Qing said nonchalantly.

As for the fact that Chen Daolin and the others were specially recruited geniuses, she had intentionally or unintentionally ignored it. In reality, out of the more than one thousand people in this examination, only four had been recruited in advance by the Thunder Martial Arts Hall and the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

"Oh." The young man immediately lost interest in Chen Daolin and his companion, a perfunctory smile hanging on his face. "You two, I am Han Lei. With me here, Qingqing will be fine. You can leave now."

Chen Daolin ignored him and spoke directly to Zhuge Qing: "Miss Zhuge, the Martial Artist Practical Examination is still dangerous. It is not safe for you to be alone."

If not for the favor he owed Director Zhuge Tao for the fifty million, Chen Daolin would not have wanted to deal with such a willful girl at all.

Han Lei felt a bit displeased at Chen Daolin's words; the other party had completely ignored him. He, Han Lei, was an elite of the younger generation of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City, yet he was being ignored by some unknown nobody.

"I will explain it to my father when I get back. You guys go; I'll be fine with Brother Lei." Zhuge Qing crossed her arms, making her uncooperative attitude clear, leaving Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan feeling helpless.

Facing such a brat who seemed to be in a rebellious phase, what else could they do? After a quick discussion, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan decided to follow behind Zhuge Qing to protect her throughout the practical examination.

"We've actually become babysitters." Watching Zhuge Qing and the man walking ahead, laughing and talking, Chen Daolin felt indignant. Ji Xuan's expression, however, remained calm as she walked quietly by his side.

After eating and resting, in the afternoon, nearly two thousand martial artists from various places gathered on the military camp square to collect their weapons and equipment. This included weapons, combat uniforms, combat boots, and communication watches. Chen Daolin's weapon was a spear nearly two meters long, weighing over one hundred kilograms, while Ji Xuan received a blade and a shield.

In his previous life, Chen Daolin had loved playing with spears and staves since childhood, and that hadn't changed in this life.

When he first gripped the spear, the joy that welled up from his heart made him instantly fall in love with the weapon.

Many martial artists at the scene also carried blades and shields, as this configuration was flexible for combat and provided both offense and defense, making it the most common setup for martial artists in the wilderness.

Zhuge Qing received a sword, while Han Lei carried a sword and a shield.

Led by soldiers, the group of over a thousand people spent half an hour reaching the outskirts of a small town by dusk. The town was surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by a large number of troops, with the roars of various monsters echoing from within.

"This practical examination begins at 6:30 tonight and ends promptly at 6:30 tomorrow morning. You have 12 hours to fight..."

"Among you 1,882 prospective martial artists, those whose scores rank in the top 60% will obtain martial artist status! The bottom 40% will be considered failures and must wait for the next practical examination..."

"Internal fighting is strictly prohibited..."

After the military announced the rules of the practical examination, the martial artists flooded into the town.

While Chen Daolin and the others were setting off, in a conference room on the second floor of a quiet courtyard in the military camp, Director Zhuge Tao was drinking tea and chatting with a burly man wearing a dark purple combat suit.

"Zhuge Tao, both your Extreme Martial Arts Hall and our Thunder Martial Arts Hall have specially recruited two people for this examination. I wonder who will perform better." The burly man laughed heartily. "I also heard your daughter is in this examination. You wouldn't have those two geniuses following her to protect her, would you? Though, that does sound like your style."

"Wang Heng, you don't need to worry about how I do things," Zhuge Tao said with a faint smile. "I, on the other hand, heard that the son of Han Shan, the head of your Thunder Martial Arts Hall's Jiangnan General Hall, is also here. I heard his talent is quite good, yet he isn't among those two geniuses. I'm quite surprised that your Hall Master Han would be willing not to put his own son on the special recruitment list."

Wang Heng couldn't miss the sarcasm in Zhuge Tao's words regarding the lack of talent in Han Shan's son. He snorted coldly, "Our Thunder Martial Arts Hall has always done things by the book; we aren't like you people in the Extreme Martial Arts Hall who love to abuse power and play so many dirty tricks."

"Actually, it's not easy for any of us. We have a Hall Master above us and a group of people competing below us. One slip-up and we could be dragged down," Zhuge Tao suddenly sighed.

For a high-level official like Zhuge Tao, who had cultivated for many years only to reach the level of an "Advanced War General," it was nearly impossible to climb any higher unless he had the potential to become a God of War.

As one of the top figures in the Jiangnan Base City Extreme Main Hall, second only to the Hall Master, there were indeed many people eyeing the director's position beneath Zhuge Tao. This was one of the reasons he tried so hard to recruit talent and cultivate his own faction.

"Hmm?" After chatting for a while, the burly man Wang Heng suddenly received some news and smiled. "The practical examination has started. Alright, I won't bother you anymore; I'm going to find my brothers to drink."

Not long after Wang Heng left, the large screen on the wall next to Zhuge Tao, who had been quietly drinking tea, suddenly lit up, displaying clear images from inside the town.

"Let's see if we can find any new talent in there this time." Zhuge Tao set down his cup, his gaze filled with interest as he looked over.

After watching for a while, Zhuge Tao suddenly locked onto a camera, took a look, and frowned. "Why is Qingqing walking with that Han Lei again?"

On the screen, the figures of Han Lei and the other three appeared on a dilapidated and desolate street.