Martial Artist Assessment? Newbie Village, Here I Come!

"Clang, clatter..."

A train with fully enclosed, windowless carriages sped along, the interior buzzing with the noise of a crowd.

"Attention, prospective warriors. The train is about to arrive at the station. Please prepare to disembark."

The voice echoed from the carriage speakers as the train gradually slowed to a halt.

Li Qingxu followed over a thousand other prospective warriors as they stepped into a massive military camp.

Looking around, the camp covered an immense area. Especially along the perimeter, various heavy thermal weapons were visible everywhere, their muzzles aimed outward beyond the camp walls.

Almost instantly, the roars of monsters erupted from outside the military base.

High in the azure sky, dense swarms of hundreds of avian monsters shrieked as they soared past.

"I didn't expect my next battle to be against a pack of E-grade or H-grade monsters. This is rather amusing."

Li Qingxu stood frozen for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his face.

His last battle had taken place during the Dark Turmoil after the Road to Immortality opened.

Back then, as a Quasi-Emperor of the Ninth Heaven possessing the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, he had forced two Supremes to sublimate to their peak, ultimately being blasted apart himself while taking one of those Supremes down with him.

Yet, he never imagined that a single drop of his remaining Sacred Body essence blood, containing his consciousness, would be cast out by Ye Fan—who had transcended the Sacrificial Dao—into the future.

He had arrived in the world of Swallowed Star!

Although his cultivation realm was gone and his Bitter Sea had yet to be opened, the techniques and laws he had practiced in the Covering Sky world remained fresh in his memory.

Moreover, his current body was still the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body!

"What a beautiful world this is."

Li Qingxu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

With no suppression from the Will of Heaven and countless treasures to extend one's lifespan, this was nothing short of a blessed land for him.

To quote that famous saying from the Covering Sky world, even a pig could become an immortal if it cultivated for a million years!

Not to mention that this was a world where lifespans were measured in reincarnation eras; anyone from the Covering Sky world would be rendered speechless by that!

As for whether he could practice the Covering Sky Method in the Swallowed Star world?

The Supreme Rules forbade him from speaking of it!

"Everyone!"

At that moment, a booming voice rang out across the military region.

"Welcome to the Jiangnan City North Military Region. Your Warrior Combat Assessment will be held here. I hope that all of you will survive this assessment."

The military region was bustling with activity, and they had prepared a hearty lunch for the prospective warriors who had come to participate in the assessment.

By the afternoon.

All the prospective warriors stood in a vast, open plaza, while high-ranking officials from various major factions stood on the stage at the front.

"When your name is called, come up to receive your combat uniform and weapons."

"Xiao He."

"Wang Meng."

Over a dozen officers on the stage were calling out the names of the prospective warriors, and those called went up to collect their gear.

"Li Qingxu!"

Hearing his name, Li Qingxu stepped out from the back of the crowd and walked to the front to claim his combat uniform and weapon.

It was a two-meter-long alloy spear weighing 100kg, with the head and shaft forged as one piece, resembling a silver-white iron rod.

He was indifferent toward weapons; he had no particular preference.

After all, his previous guardian weapon had been the Myriad Mother Qi Pagoda, refined from three types of ultimate-grade materials.

For this Warrior Combat Assessment, a blade would actually have been a better choice for him.

But then again, men are born as masters of the spear!

Li Qingxu walked to an empty spot at the edge of the plaza and donned his combat uniform and equipment.

He crossed his arms, leaned back against his alloy spear, and scanned the crowd, as if searching for someone.

"Luo Feng!"

As the voice rang out from the high platform, a young figure ran out from the crowd.

In an instant, Li Qingxu's eyes narrowed as he focused on that figure, teasing inwardly.

"Greetings, future City Lord Luo."

At that very moment, Luo Feng on the high platform seemed to sense something and turned his head to look over.

Who is he?

Luo Feng felt a flicker of doubt in his heart.

But seeing the long-haired youth smiling and nodding at him, Luo Feng smiled back in polite acknowledgment.

"A spiritual master, his consciousness is indeed sharp."

Li Qingxu retracted his gaze with a sigh of admiration; he had no intention of approaching him for a conversation just yet.

There would be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future, and as for some of Luo Feng's fortuitous encounters, he had no desire to snatch them away.

This was not entirely because of the future City Lord Luo, but rather because he intended to walk the path of Shrouding the Heavens.

However, he was determined to steal the spotlight in this combat assessment; the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body was still in dire need of resources.

As time passed, all the Quasi-Nine candidates on the plaza were distributed various cold weapons suited to them.

This was a requirement of the Warrior Combat Assessment; the use of firearms was strictly prohibited during the actual combat phase.

"All Quasi-Nine candidates participating in this combat assessment, please gather at the front of the plaza."

Following the shouts from the loudspeakers, the crowd converged in a massive, surging wave.

Led by the military camp commander, they arrived at the perimeter of a small town.

The outskirts of this town were enclosed by barbed wire, with numerous soldiers patrolling in strict order, weapons in hand.

It was already dusk.

"Roar!"

The heart-stopping roars of various monsters drifted out from within the town.

The expressions of many candidates on the spot shifted; they had never engaged in a life-or-death struggle with monsters before.

The waves of roars reaching his ears made Li Qingxu's eyes brighten, and the blood within his body seemed to boil slightly.

But in an instant, he returned to his usual calm and indifferent demeanor.

Having once been a Quasi-Nine, if his former enemies knew that he would develop a fighting spirit toward a group of low-level monsters, they would surely laugh him to death.

"Hurry, the number of monsters inside is insufficient. Transport another 1,200 Iron-Haired Wild Boars, 300 Shadow Cats, and 500 Tiger Mastiffs over."

Following the commands echoing from the town, heavy trucks carrying monsters soon pulled up to the town's perimeter.

Once the weakest H-Class monsters were transported into the town, the number of monsters inside reached a staggering figure.

"Everyone!"

An officer stood atop a small building on the town's perimeter, looking down at the candidates gathered for the assessment and shouting.

"This combat assessment begins at 6:30 tonight and ends at 6:30 tomorrow morning!"

"Slaying monsters will earn you points; you must cut off the left ear of the monster as proof."

"Mutual slaughter is prohibited during the assessment. All your activities are under surveillance; those who violate the rules will be executed on the spot!"

"Candidates who rank in the top 60% of points will pass the assessment. Based on previous assessments, slaying three monsters is generally enough to pass."

"Remember, if you are severely injured, you can press the distress button on your communication watch, and someone will rescue you immediately, but that moment also signifies your failure in the warrior assessment."

"Good luck!" the officer commanded.

Nearly two thousand candidates surged into the Monster Town.

The Warrior Combat Assessment had officially begun!

As night fell, large searchlights positioned at the edges of the enclosed town illuminated the area.

This made many parts of the town quite bright, yet many areas remained shrouded in darkness.

Li Qingxu held an alloy spear, walking alone into the town.

His calm pace seemed measured by a ruler; if one observed closely, they would find that the distance of every step was precise to the millimeter, seemingly imbued with a strange, rhythmic charm.

This town was filled entirely with the weakest H-Class monsters, known as Primary Beast Soldier Level, which were equivalent in strength to a human Primary Warrior.

The Wheel Sea Secret Realm had not yet been opened, and with his current physical constitution, he had not yet reached the Warrior level.

However, in terms of self-control, technique, and the Dark Turmoil he had once experienced, this was nothing more than a super beginner village.