Blood is Drawn

Once inside Monster Town, the 2020 warriors scattered in groups of three or five, or went solo, each seeking out their own targets.

Ji Yun walked alone down the wide street—the broadest and brightest in the town. The supermarkets and shops on either side lay in ruin, some walls stained with blood, a grim reminder that this town had likely suffered a fierce monster assault.

"The monsters here are all the weakest H-Class, equivalent to Junior Warriors at best. No threat to me at all. And there are no pack monsters. Uncle Luo said this town only has three types: Tiger Mastiffs, Shadow Cats, and Iron-Haired Wild Boars."

"These three are just ordinary mutated monsters, but each has its strengths. Tiger Mastiffs have good power and speed but weak defense. Shadow Cats are extremely fast, even close to Intermediate Warriors, but their other attributes are unremarkable. As for Iron-Haired Wild Boars, only their defense is worth mentioning."

Ji Yun walked down the street without a care. The wide central avenue held only him, his shadow stretched long by the streetlights.

Scrape...

Ji Yun dragged the spear tip along the ground, pulling the weapon behind him as he headed toward the town center.

Monsters were highly sensitive to sound. After just two steps, a dark figure burst out from a dilapidated inn nearby, striking like an assassin leaping from the shadows, lunging at Ji Yun.

The moment the monster appeared, Ji Yun knew it was a Shadow Cat. Its claws were razor-sharp, its attack as lethal as an ancient assassin's.

Before the Shadow Cat could reach him, a sharp glint flashed in Ji Yun's eyes. He thrust his spear with force straight at the creature.

Pfft

The sound of the spear piercing the Shadow Cat's body rang out. The impact of the cat's pounce made the shaft tremble, but Ji Yun's strength was immense, and he steadied it in an instant.

Looking closely, Ji Yun's spear had gone straight through the Shadow Cat's heart, skewering it like a candied hawthorn on a stick. The cat's ferocious face froze on the spear shaft as blood spread, churning Ji Yun's stomach.

Ptoo

Ji Yun spat, pulled the Shadow Cat off his spear, cut off its left ear, and tossed it into his backpack.

"The war between humans and monsters—truly, it's to the death."

"And seeing that Shadow Cat pierced through... I actually felt sick. I have to get used to it! In the future, I'll be fighting monsters constantly, walking the line between life and death. In a critical battle, if I lose focus or let my mentality waver, I could easily die." Ji Yun understood one thing: the more crucial the moment, the more he had to stay calm.

"But it really is disgusting," Ji Yun thought with a bitter smile.

He took one last look at the Shadow Cat's corpse, then dragged his spear again and walked toward the town center.

Time ticked by. In every corner of this sealed town, bloody battles were unfolding one after another. Though these H-Class monsters were roughly equal in strength to the Quasi-Warriors, humans had one advantage: intelligence. The weakest H-Class monsters had little intelligence, only the instincts of wild beasts.

Around three in the morning, Ji Yun sat cross-legged on the roof of the tallest building in the town center—the Original Town Government Building. His spear lay horizontally across his legs, and he sat with eyes closed, waiting for Xia Jiang, who had challenged him earlier.

Ji Yun had surrounded the government building with the corpses of monsters he had killed along the way, about ninety or so. To be fair, his habit of aggroing monsters on the road had clearly drawn their hatred. Not only did they attack frequently, but several times, over a dozen monsters moved together. Obviously, these monsters weren't completely without intelligence—just low on it. When life was threatened, even beasts with little wit knew to band together.

Ji Yun had only collected the left ears of about a dozen monsters before stopping. So most of the corpses around the government building still had their ears. Perhaps some Quasi-Warrior could cut off three and pass the test. But passing that way would be an irresponsible gamble with one's own life.

Elsewhere.

A gloomy young man, his clothes stained with blood, walked arrogantly down the street, a Mountain-Cleaving Saber in hand.

"I wonder how many monsters Ji Yun has killed," the gloomy young man mused silently. He was Xia Jiang, one of the 2020 Quasi-Warriors, a genius recruited early by some faction, standing behind that effeminate supervisor. Though four people, including Ji Yun, had been recruited early this time.

Among those four, one had a flight talent, another was a firearms prodigy with unremarkable physical stats. Only Xia Jiang truly wanted to become a combat warrior.

"Counting the time, it's almost four. I wonder if Ji Yun has arrived yet. Hope he didn't get scared and not show," Xia Jiang chuckled darkly.

He didn't think Ji Yun would fail the practical exam. After all, being favored by Luo Hong meant his strength was likely considerable.

At 3:50 AM, Xia Jiang arrived at the government building. Suddenly, he saw a neat circle of monster corpses surrounding it.

Xia Jiang was stunned. "Who killed these?"

He walked around the ring of corpses and noticed that most still had their left ears. Strange. "Did the one who killed them not take the ears? Why?" Xia Jiang continued inspecting. "All these wounds are piercing injuries—caused by some kind of spear weapon."

"The only spear user I know who could kill this many monsters and is taking the Warrior Practical Examination is... Ji Yun!"

Realizing this, Xia Jiang was shocked. "Did Ji Yun get here that early? And he's been waiting for me?"

He looked around but didn't see Ji Yun. Then he looked up and saw a young man sitting cross-legged on the rooftop under the moonlight, spear in hand.

It was Ji Yun.

Ji Yun had sensed Xia Jiang when he was examining the corpses, but he didn't feel like moving. A young man with Intermediate Warrior-level physical stats didn't interest him much. Unless that person had a special understanding of the blade and footwork—that was the only reason Ji Yun had agreed to spar with Xia Jiang.

Otherwise, Ji Yun couldn't understand why those factions would recruit Xia Jiang early, just for Intermediate Warrior-level stats?

Ji Yun opened his eyes, looked at Xia Jiang, and said, "You're here."

"I'm here," Xia Jiang replied, licking his lips, seeming a bit nervous.

"I'll fight you using only Intermediate Warrior-level stats. Let me see what you've got."

"You're not an Intermediate Warrior? Are you a High-Level Warrior?"

"Maybe." Ji Yun gave his spear a shake.

"Let's begin."

Ji Yun wasted no words. He first assumed his most familiar stance—the Half-Horse Spear Stance—planting his lower body firmly, then steadily advanced step by step.

Xia Jiang's eyes flickered. He charged at Ji Yun with his saber. For a blade-wielding warrior, the first pursuit was speed. Be fast enough, and you could kill the enemy before they reacted. That was Xia Jiang's thinking. He believed his speed would let him strike a vital point before Ji Yun could block with his spear.

But if Xia Jiang was fast, Ji Yun was faster.

Ji Yun instantly changed his posture, flicking the spear tip. The vibrating tip cut through the air with a whoosh, slamming sideways into Xia Jiang's blade.

Clang

The clash of blade and spear tip echoed through Monster Town.

"This..." Xia Jiang was shocked and furious in his heart.

"Why is his spear so fast, yet also so heavy and forceful?"

Ji Yun furrowed his brow. He felt nothing particularly special about this Xia Jiang—the fact that he could block one spear strike proved his physical fitness was decent, but that was where it ended.

Ji Yun withdrew his spear and stood upright, then turned and walked away, saying, "Your blade technique is far inferior to my spear path's realm. I haven't even used a spear move yet."

"You—" Xia Jiang was furious. He struck out with his blade directly at Ji Yun's back. This strike was faster than before, the blade gleaming with a pale white edge under the moonlight.

Shing

Ji Yun thrust his spear from above his head, and driven by his waist and abdomen, he spun around in an instant. In that moment, the spear tip seemed wrapped in a whirlwind, like wind sweeping away the clouds, and came to rest at Xia Jiang's throat.

Though the spear tip didn't touch Xia Jiang's skin, the wind it stirred had already carved faint marks into his flesh.

"The Warrior Practical Examination forbids killing each other. If not for that rule, you would already be dead under my spear."

Ji Yun withdrew his spear and walked toward the town gate without looking back.

Inside the sealed town, slaughter continued unabated.

Some Quasi-Warriors, injured in their first battle with monsters, had no choice but to press the button on their communication watch to call for help, accepting defeat. Others killed monsters only to turn pale with fear. A few skilled Quasi-Warriors, after slaying monsters, grew excited and frenzied, brimming with exhilaration!

Not far from the sealed town, inside a large building, countless surveillance screens displayed everything happening in every area of the town.

"Such inexperienced methods!" In one room of that building, the directors and officers of several factions sat together drinking. On the wall beside them, a large screen played the slaughter unfolding in the town. The effeminate man sighed, "Watching these youngsters fight monsters takes me back to when we were young!"

"Mm, look at them—most are in their twenties, at their prime, yet also at their most green." Another man also sighed with emotion. "Old Zhou, in the blink of an eye, we brothers have grown old. Back then, we were considered rising stars of Kyoto Base City. Now you're the director of the Underground Alliance, a big shot in your own right, haha."

The effeminate man laughed heartily: "Xiang Sheng, haven't you made it to Major General yourself?"

"Hm?" That officer looked at the screen in surprise and said, "Old Zhou, take a look."

"Oh, Xia Jiang and that Ji Yun are going at it." Everyone clearly found it interesting.

"Hiss—" The effeminate man drew in a sharp breath and said, "With just one spear strike, he effectively shattered Xia Jiang's fast blade. The second strike was a Return Horse Spear where his whole body turned as one—this touches on Conception."

"Perfect Level Spear Path, no doubt."

"This is the realm of Man-Spear Unity. And look at that Return Horse Spear—he even stirred the air, creating wind. The wind drives the airflow, making the spear faster. This is already touching on Conception."

Weapon realms are similar to movement realms. Movement is divided into—Micro-Level, Perfect Level, and Conception Level. The Spear Path follows the same: Arm-as-Extension Level, Man-Spear Unity, and Unity of Heaven and Man.

"Pull up Ji Yun's earlier footage. I want to see how he did it." The many big shots in the room spoke one after another.

"Yes, sir," came a stern, forceful voice.

"Damn, this kid's arrogant—dragging his spear through the street like that, not afraid of being surrounded."

"He actually drew so many monsters into a siege and handled them so cleanly. His physical fitness is good too—at least a high-level warrior."

"Every spear strike is exceptionally steady. After piercing, his control over the spear is very high; the shaft doesn't waver at all. His spear fundamentals are rock solid."

"This Ji Yun is already a minor expert, not just a young prodigy anymore."

One burly man laughed: "Luo Hong, you've not only found yourself a good son-in-law, but also a treasure for the Limit Dojo."

"Of course. My Limit Dojo has always been sharp-eyed in judging people," replied another man with a rather lively temperament.

"No way. A talent like this is fit for the War God Training Camp. I'm going to snatch him up."

"Who dares to poach from my Limit Dojo?" The lively man glared, putting on a threatening face.