The Examination Grounds

"Brother, don't go any farther."

A man in a security uniform walked over and stopped Song Chen.

A First Rank martial artist badge was pinned to his chest, and his attitude was fairly polite.

Song Chen had long since removed his Divine Dragon Martial Hall core member badge. It was better to keep a low profile in the Wilderness.

He pointed ahead. "What's going on?"

The security guard followed his gaze, then smiled.

"You don't know? Evergreen City has been selected as one of the examination sites for the Great Xia Martial Arts College Entrance Exam."

Song Chen froze for a moment.

"A college entrance exam site?"

The security guard nodded. "That's right."

"It was decided only a few days ago. I heard it was because of that Beast King from before. Experts from Anning City and several surrounding cities joined forces to sweep through Evergreen City. The high-rank mutated beasts inside either died or fled. The ones left are all First Rank and Second Rank, making it perfect as an examination site."

He paused and pointed at the busy workers.

"These people are making preparations now—setting up the examination grounds, establishing safe zones, transporting mutated beasts..."

"See those airships? The cages are packed with mutated beasts transported from other places. There are all kinds, to ensure every examinee draws a different opponent."

Song Chen fell silent. Evergreen City—the place where he had stayed for so long, where he had killed thousands of mutated beasts—was now going to become a college entrance exam site.

"Can we still enter it now?"

The security guard shook his head. "No. It's been completely sealed off since yesterday. No one is allowed inside. If you want to enter, you'll have to wait until the college entrance exam is over."

Song Chen nodded without saying anything more.

He turned and headed back, but after taking a few steps, he stopped again.

Turning back, he asked, "By the way, how many examinees will be coming here for this year's college entrance exam?"

The security guard answered, "Examinees from all across Nanjiang Province will be coming. Probably tens of thousands."

"Thanks."

After offering a simple word of thanks, Song Chen turned and left. Now, he had to find another place for special training.

If he couldn't go to Evergreen City, he would go somewhere else. Mutated beasts were everywhere; he wouldn't have to worry about finding them.

He took out his phone and opened the map.

Around Anning City, aside from Evergreen City, there were several other places suitable for hunting mutated beasts.

The closest was over a hundred kilometers away, while the farthest was more than three hundred kilometers away.

His gaze settled on a name.

Vast Wild Mountain.

It was a mountain range stretching for hundreds of kilometers, located northeast of Anning City, roughly two hundred kilometers away.

It was said that the mountains were teeming with mutated beasts, from First Rank to Third Rank. There were even rumors that Fourth Rank creatures lurked in the depths.

Ordinarily, few martial artists dared venture deep inside. Only powerful teams dared operate around the outskirts.

Two hundred kilometers. At his current speed, if he ran at full force and rested along the way, it would take around three to four hours.

That was enough.

He put away his phone, turned around, and headed northeast.

Behind him, the security guard watched his retreating figure and suddenly called out, "Brother, you aren't thinking of going to Vast Wild Mountain, are you?"

Song Chen looked back.

The security guard's expression was somewhat complicated. "That place is dangerous. The outskirts are manageable, but if you go deeper, it's easy for something to happen. Going alone..."

"It's fine. I'm just taking a look around the outskirts."

He continued onward.

The security guard stood where he was, watching that figure vanish into the night. He shook his head. "Young people these days really have guts."

Song Chen sped through the Wilderness. He had already been running for over an hour.

The power of vitality surged through his body, sustaining his speed.

A Vitality Value of 9.6 gave him endurance and explosive power far beyond what he had before. He could maintain this speed for three or four hours.

After another hour of running, the terrain ahead began to change.

The flat Wilderness gradually gave way to rolling hills. The trees grew more numerous and denser, while the air became damp, carrying the scent of rotting vegetation.

Song Chen slowed down and began walking. He had already reached the outskirts of Vast Wild Mountain.

He glanced at the map. There were still roughly ten kilometers to the foot of the mountain.

Just then, a deep roar rang out from afar. The sound was heavy and powerful, carrying an oppressive force.

The aura of a Second Rank mutated beast.

Song Chen's eyes lit up. He had encountered one this quickly?

He made his way toward the sound.

Passing through a patch of forest, he found an open clearing before him.

Under the moonlight, three enormous wild boars were gnawing on an animal carcass. The leader stood nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, its tusks a full meter long, its body covered in thick mud armor.

The aura of a Mid-Second Rank.

The other two were smaller, but they were still Upper First Rank.

Song Chen stood in the shadows of the trees, watching them.

Three wild boars: one Mid-Second Rank, two Upper First Rank.

He drew his blade. Purple lightning coiled around its body, illuminating his face.

All three wild boars raised their heads and looked at him.

The leader let out a warning snarl, its tusks aimed in his direction.

Song Chen did not waste words. He charged forward.

The blade flashed, and the Second Rank wild boar's head flew into the air.

The night in Vast Wild Mountain was darker than anywhere outside the city.

Dense canopies blocked out the moonlight. Only a few scattered rays barely pierced the gaps between branches and leaves, casting mottled fragments of shadow across the ground.

The air was thick with the damp scent of humus, mixed with the rank stench left behind by unknown mutated beasts, instinctively making one feel oppressed.

Song Chen leaned against the roots of an ancient tree so thick that two people could barely wrap their arms around it, panting heavily.

Three tears had been ripped into his combat suit, and a bloody wound ran across his left shoulder.

That was left by a Peak Second Rank Mutated Lynx half an hour ago. That beast had been terrifyingly fast. If he had not reacted in time, that claw would not have left a wound—it would have gutted him.

"Damn it..." he muttered, exchanging for a healing pill from the System Shop and crushing it over the wound.

The sting of medicinal powder seeping into flesh made him suck in a breath, but he did not even groan.

From the afternoon until now, he had fought continuously for more than five hours.

The gains had been extremely abundant.

He closed his eyes and summoned the system interface.

[Current Killing Value: 2150 points]

2150 points. That was the result of five hours of fighting.

He had come to the right place.

That was Song Chen's first thought.

The outskirts of Vast Wild Mountain truly had an astonishing number of mutated beasts.

In just a few hours, he had encountered more than thirty First Rank mutated beasts, over a dozen Second Rank ones, and even several Peak Second Rank creatures.

Those mutated beasts came in every variety: Mutant Wild Boars, Mutated Lynxes, Mutated Giant Pythons, Mutated Poison Bees...

Every kind had its own characteristics, and every kind required a different response.

More importantly, there was truly no one else here.

For five whole hours, he had not encountered a single martial artist team.

The entire mountain was like his personal hunting ground. He could kill however he wanted, without worrying about anyone stealing his prey or exposing his strength.

But the price was danger.

It was far more dangerous than the ruins outside the city.

On the outskirts of Evergreen City, although there were many mutated beasts, most were First Rank, while Second Rank beasts only appeared occasionally.

The ruins were also relatively open, with good visibility, making it easy to spot danger in advance.

This place was different. The forest was too dense. Many times, mutated beasts could be just five meters away from you, yet you would not see them. By the time you discovered them, it was already too late to run.

Even more terrifying were those mutated beasts skilled at hiding: Mutated Lynxes, Mutated Venomous Snakes, Mutated Spiders.

They lurked in the darkness, waiting for the right moment. If one strike failed, they immediately fled far away.

The wounds on Song Chen's body had been left by sneak attacks.

There were also poisonous insects.

Poisonous mosquitoes the size of palms, poisonous bees the size of fists, centipedes as thick as ankles...

One by itself was nothing to fear, but when they gathered in swarms, even Third Rank martial artists had to retreat three steps.

Song Chen had just encountered a swarm of poisonous bees, more than a hundred of them. He had run over two hilltops before finally shaking them off.

After catching his breath, he looked up at the canopy overhead. "This place... really isn't fit for humans."

But now, he faced a choice.

Should he go back, or stay?

If he went back, at his speed, he could return to the city in a little over two hours by running at full force.

He could lie in a comfortable bed, sleep, and return tomorrow.

If he stayed...

He looked around.

From the darkness came faint, scattered sounds.

There were insects chirping, beasts roaring, wind rustling through leaves, and the soft scraping of something crawling across the ground.

Every sound could mean danger.