Martial Arts Exam

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'? Just go to school tomorrow. The Martial Arts Exam is the day after," Bai Qiuyao said.

"Fine. But what about the task I accepted?"

"I'll withdraw you from it in the system. Someone else will pick it up later."

"Fine, I guess that's the only option. I just feel bad for the officers who've been working with me all these days."

"It's okay. Their efforts won't go to waste. When the next person takes the task, all this information will be a great help."

Bai Qiuyao handed Lu Hao a card and reminded him, "Don't forget to go to school tomorrow."

Lu Hao looked at the Martial Arts Exam Admission Ticket in his hand and nodded in agreement.

He'd originally planned to keep tracking down criminals, but after he returned today, Bai Qiuyao told him to gather at school tomorrow. The Martial Arts Exam was the day after.

Bai Qiuyao had also explained the exam process. The school would normally cover all of this, but the reason Lu Hao didn't know about it was because it had been explained at school during the first half of the year, when students registered for Martial Arts University.

Lu Hao hadn't gone to school at all during the first half of the year. He'd spent the whole time training in actual combat and completing missions.

Even his Martial Arts Exam registration had been handled by Bai Qiuyao at the school. Still, Lu Hao hadn't paid much attention to this so-called exam. With his strength, it'd be like fishing in a barrel.

He could probably get into Martial University without even taking it. But since everyone else had to pass the exam to get in, Lu Hao didn't want to show off, so he'd still take it.

Tomorrow, April 30, everyone would gather at school at eight in the morning. They'd then arrange for the students to head to Wanhui District and stay there.

On May 1, everyone would take their physical exams.

On May 3, the physical exam results would be released. The various martial arts schools and the Ministry of Education would receive the results, and the passing standards would be set that same day.

On May 7, the practical test would begin.

On May 10, students would take the nationwide martial arts subject exam...

After the subject exam, they'd only need to take the regular college entrance exam.

This was how it was arranged everywhere, which meant Lu Hao would have to spend ten days on it. Though it wasn't exactly a waste of time. He might not catch even one criminal in ten days, and the criminals who were still alive were all extremely sly.

Even in Wanhui District, there'd be Martial Arts Training Rooms. He could just rent one and use it to train. He'd devote most of those ten days to practicing Basic Blade Technique,

trying to gain control over his Vital Blood well enough to properly use his trump card, rather than relying on the stacks from Blood Battle Mad Blade to reach that level. He'd spend the rest of the time tempering his bones. In ten days, he could temper around four more.

By then, he'd reach the peak of Rank One and be ready to break through.

That evening, after tempering half his bones, Lu Hao went to rest.

The next day, Lu Hao headed to Beiding No. 1 High School.

As for Uncle Wang, Lu Hao had already told him the night before that he'd be taking the Martial Arts Exam, so there was no need for him to stay by Lu Hao's side during those ten days.

Come to think of it, Fang Ping had run into an attack by Evil Cult martial artists during this Martial Arts Exam, hadn't he? Could Lu Hao run into something like that, too?

Uh...

He was probably overthinking it. Fang Ping had been taking the exam in River City.

The martial arts forces there were relatively weak, which was why the Evil Cult had attacked the examinees.

But here?

This was Magic City. The head of the Detective Bureau in Beiding District—his own mother—was already Rank Five.

Maybe the head of the Detective Bureau in Wanhui District, right in the city center, was Rank Six.

After all, Wanhui District was the financial center of all Magic City. Its importance went without saying.

Besides, as long as no middle-three-rank martial artist showed up, he could hold off any lower-three-rank Evil Cult martial artist for a long time.

That'd be enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Before long, he reached Beiding No. 1 High School, the best high school in all of Beiding District. Below it were Beiding No. 2 High School and Beiding No. 3 High School.

Looking at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar entrance, Lu Hao walked in. He easily found his class by following his memories: Grade 12 Class 8.

Once inside, Lu Hao found his seat and sat down, watching his familiar classmates chat among themselves.

He'd always been an above-average student in the class. After all, he'd been stuck at the second bone tempering and unable to break through, while there were others in the class who'd tempered their bones twice.

He'd gotten along pretty well with everyone, but he wasn't particularly close to anyone.

"Lu Hao, you're finally back! I haven't seen you since the semester started. I heard you broke through your second bone tempering and shut yourself away at home to train. So, have you become a martial artist yet?"

A classmate sitting nearby asked him.

Lu Hao looked up, and the name came to him at once: Xiao Jun. He didn't look particularly handsome, though.

"I did break through. But these past few months have been pretty fulfilling. How about you?"

"I'm not as talented as you. I've only tempered my bones once, and I still haven't become a martial artist."

"That's not bad. Getting into Magic Martial University should still be doable."

"Lu Hao, I feel like you've changed. You seem a lot more spirited now."

His deskmate turned around and said.

"That's normal. I've been training hard for months, so of course I'm a little different," Lu Hao said.

The real reason was that his mindset was no longer the same as theirs. He'd nearly taken ten lives with his own hands.

Now, whenever he came to school, he deliberately kept his aura in check. Otherwise, the other students would've been scared senseless, and the teachers would probably have been wary of him, too.

The other students came over to chat with Lu Hao for a bit, but then no one else approached him. He felt like he could no longer fit in with them. That would only change if they, too, experienced bloodshed and killed someone. Then they'd finally have something in common.

Still, his changed temperament drew the attention of quite a few girls in the class, who talked about him in hushed voices. Their voices were soft, but Lu Hao's mental power had already reached 299 and was about to break through 300, so he heard every word.

But he had no plans to pursue any of them. Until the Earth Caves were pacified and the Three Realms were at peace, he wouldn't fall in love.

The first step to success was to cut ties with the one you loved.

If the Earth Caves and the Three Realms were ever pacified, Lu Hao wouldn't mind enjoying a sweet romance. But for now, sorry—romance would only get in the way of his path as a martial artist.

After the students chatted for a while, the homeroom teacher arrived. The teacher went over the schedule again, then briskly led the entire class onto a bus. They'd wait for everyone to arrive before heading to Wanhui District.

The school had already booked a hotel in Wanhui District for ten days. All the students taking the Martial Arts Exam would stay there.

It wasn't because the school was being generous. Each student had paid a Martial Arts Exam registration fee of twenty thousand.