You Really Are a Master of Both Blade and Sword?!

The Goblin Lord's corpse bore two charred palm prints on its chest, the lines of the palms unusually clear.

They were marks left by the scorching heat of Ji Ruo's Iron Sand Palm, which had reached the Mastery level.

Strictly speaking, Iron Sand Palm wasn't a palm technique with a specific set of forms.

At its core, it was a buff-type Martial Technique.

It granted traits such as high temperature, hardness, and increased strength. Once the buff was active, you could slap however you liked.

You could even use it to slap someone across the face.

"What a pity."

As Liang Shixian recorded the Wild Martial Exam Score, he sighed. "The materials on these Monster Beasts and Demonic Beasts could fetch quite a bit if we sold them. What a pity we don't have the time or energy to collect them."

After a chaotic night, the area was littered with corpses in a gruesome state, and the stench of blood hung thick in the air.

Picking up points was one thing, but collecting materials would take a great deal of time. While they did so, no one could be sure whether the reeking blood would attract Monster Beasts or Demonic Beasts, so they couldn't stay here for long.

"It's fine. We still have six days in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Secret Realm. We'll have plenty of chances."

Ji Ruo grinned. There were more than two hundred Monster Beasts and Demonic Beasts of all kinds here, and some of them were still barely alive. Patiently, Ji Ruo went down the line, giving each one an Iron Sand Palm.

He even made sure to greet each one before slapping it to death. As a result, the bonus effect of his Diplomatic Spokesperson title increased by five percent.

Liu Neng and Zhang Quan had more or less gotten used to the blood-soaked scene. They recorded their scores while chatting and laughing with Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian.

Zhang Quan said, "I never dreamed the Martial Exam could be this easy."

Liu Neng said, "Right? We get to eat Blood Rice, and there are wild points just lying around for us to pick up. Haha! 'Wild points'—that's a funny way to put it!

"Ji Ruo, we really have you to thank for this!"

Ji Ruo smiled, about to reply—

The five percent 'safe direction' correction from Absolute Sense of Direction suddenly grew terribly vague.

Ji Ruo froze. A five percent correction wasn't much, but it was still a correction.

Why had it suddenly become so vague?

"Bzzzz—bzzzz—bzzzz—"

At that very moment, a dense buzzing filled the air, and Ji Ruo's expression changed drastically.

Hundreds of head-sized yellow hornets swarmed toward them from the distance, flying at incredible speed!

"Forget the points. Run!"

Ji Ruo shouted and began spinning in place, frantically choosing a direction.

In the blink of an eye, Ji Ruo had roughly compared the 'feel' of each direction and chosen the one that seemed relatively safe.

"This way!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ji Ruo broke into a run.

The other three weren't as quick to react. By the time they did, the head-sized hornets had already flown within a hundred meters.

"Tail-Stinger Demon Bees?!"

Liang Shixian cried out in shock and turned to run.

Tail-Stinger Demon Bees were low-level Demonic Beasts. An adult one had an average strength ranging from a second- to a third-level Martial Apprentice.

Their defense was weak, but they were incredibly agile!

And they were also a highly social species.

What's more, as flying Demonic Beasts, their main means of attack was firing their stingers. They had an 'ammunition depot' inside their bodies, storing six to nine stingers.

The stingers were as thick as an adult's little finger and coated in deadly poison.

Unlike ordinary hornets, which fed on pollen and nectar, these Demonic Beasts were omnivorous. Liang Shixian was almost certain the hundreds of Tail-Stinger Demon Bees had been drawn by the strong stench of blood!

The four of them raced in a certain direction behind Ji Ruo.

They didn't know which direction it was, but with such a huge swarm of Tail-Stinger Demon Bees behind them, turning back was out of the question.

"Don't be afraid. Their target should be the corpses over there, so they probably won't attack us just yet. We just need to get farther away."

Ji Ruo shouted as he ran. The wind roared in his ears, and he didn't know whether the other three could hear him.

And just as Ji Ruo had said, the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees were after the corpses of the Monster Beasts and Demonic Beasts strewn across the ground. Though there were hundreds of them, each the size of a human head, their wings couldn't support much weight.

So as they passed the corpses, more than ninety percent of the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees landed and divided up the work of carrying away their blood-filled prey.

But a dozen or so didn't stop, continuing to chase after Ji Ruo and the others.

"Damn! These bastards want fresh meat too!"

Ji Ruo glanced back and swore aloud.

The four boys ran along the ground. Even a sixth-level Martial Apprentice could move fast, but they still couldn't match creatures flying through the air.

And once Tail-Stinger Demon Bees got close enough, they would fire their stingers.

The four boys' fate seemed sealed.

Suddenly, Liang Shixian gritted his teeth and stopped, growling, "I've studied Iron Cloth Shirt. You go on ahead. I'll cover the rear!"

Ji Ruo shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? You think your Iron Cloth Shirt can withstand those stingers? Hurry up and run!"

But Liang Shixian stood his ground and turned to face the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees. "They can fly, and we have no ranged attacks. If we just keep running, we'll all die beneath those poisoned stingers. We can't all die here, can we? If even one of us can escape, that's enough. Someone has to cover the rear.

"When the exam is over, tell our Class Teacher for me. I'm afraid I won't be able to turn in the final assignment..."

At that, Ji Ruo gritted his teeth and stopped. "Then it won't be you covering the rear!"

"Why can't it be me?" Liang Shixian took a deep breath. A faint gray hue spread across his skin—that was his Iron Cloth Shirt at the First Glimpse of the Path level.

With a determined gaze, Liang Shixian faced the dozen or so Tail-Stinger Demon Bees and said gravely, "After all, I'm the class monitor!"

As he spoke, the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees flew within range of their stingers. They raised their poisoned barbs and fired a volley!

"Run!" Liang Shixian roared.

Ji Ruo turned and sprinted back, drawing the Standard Issue Sword on his back for the first time.

"There aren't even any girls here. Who are you trying to look cool for?"

Ji Ruo growled, recalling the description and demonstration of a certain sword technique he had seen in a novel and on television in his previous life.

The demonstration on television hadn't been a real sword technique, but Ji Ruo still remembered the description in the novel. And he had the Sword Dao Favor buff, which had raised his aptitude for the Sword Dao to its limit. Even though his Sword Dao Favor was only at the First Glimpse of the Path level, it was enough!

In an instant, Ji Ruo comprehended and mastered the sword technique. First Glimpse of the Path!

Seeing Ji Ruo return to his side, Liang Shixian froze, then snapped in anger, "Why did you come back? Hurry up and go! I said I'd cover the rear!"

"I told you, you're not the one covering the rear!"

Ji Ruo listened to the wind to pinpoint their positions, staring intently at the dozen poisoned stingers shooting toward him as the sword in his hand traced one mysterious arc after another.

"Besides, what kind of martial artist is afraid of dying?"

"Arrow-Breaking Style!"

Clang, clang, clang!

The mysterious sword technique formed a Three-Foot Sword Perimeter around Ji Ruo, blocking every single stinger. Not one could break through!

Liang Shixian saw this and subconsciously let the Iron Cloth Shirt fade, staring in stunned silence.

He looked at the sword in Ji Ruo's hand, then at the blade on Ji Ruo's back. Remembering what Ji Ruo had said earlier, he gaped. "Ji Ruo, you—you—you really are a master of both blade and sword?!"

This wasn't the Basic Sword Technique taught at school!

And what was Arrow-Breaking Style? He'd never even heard of it!