Martial Exam!

The day of the Martial Exam arrived as scheduled.

The streets were filled with Martial Dao students hurrying toward the same destination—

River City's outskirts.

The Martial Exam was not held in some ready-made venue inside a stadium, but in the wilderness outside River City.

Among Martial Artists, strength reigned supreme.

And strength here did not refer merely to one's Martial Dao realm. It encompassed one's realm, martial arts, combat experience, and many other factors.

To test all of that, only real combat would suffice.

Thus, the core of the Martial Exam was practical combat.

Chen Yu mingled alone among the many Martial Dao students, sensing the strength of each one.

"There should be around three thousand Martial Dao students in River City. Most of them are around the fourth or fifth layer of Body Tempering."

"Based on previous years' experience, the minimum passing score should be around the fourth or fifth layer of Body Tempering as well."

Including Crimson Radiance Star and the Three Elite Universities, there were thirty-six Martial Universities in total.

Not every Martial University had standards as harsh as the Three Elite Universities. Most had fairly low admission thresholds.

Still, out of River City's three thousand Martial Dao students, fewer than a thousand would likely make it into a Martial University.

That was the cruelty of Martial Dao.

Becoming a Martial Dao student already meant being among the best of the best—calling it one in a hundred would not be an exaggeration.

Yet even so, not everyone could enter a Martial University.

"Out of three thousand Martial Dao students, even if I fight only half of them, and only half of those yield Talents I can copy, that would still be nearly seven hundred Talents."

"But they'll most likely all be White or Gray Talents. There won't be many Yellow-Quality Talents either. That's just a drop in the bucket for upgrading a Green-Quality Talent."

"So during this Martial Exam, I still need to fight as many experts as possible."

Chen Yu began setting the core objective for this Martial Exam.

He was already at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer. Once he reached the Body Tempering Peak, he could begin his Qi-Blood Limit Break.

And since he was going to undergo a Qi-Blood Limit Break, Chen Yu naturally wanted the very best.

The Ninefold Limit Break was his goal.

Reaching that stage was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. According to Fang Xiong, it required extraordinarily high Martial Dao Talent.

Across the entire Human Race territory, among countless trillions of living beings, very few could accomplish it. The difficulty was self-evident.

"So the Talent I most need to fuse and improve right now is my Martial Dao Talent."

"If I can raise [Martial Dao A-grade Bone] to Purple Quality, it will undoubtedly be of the greatest help for my later Qi-Blood Limit Break."

"All Talents obtained during the Martial Exam should be used to fuse [Martial Dao A-grade Bone], raising it to Purple Quality as quickly as possible."

Chen Yu was not actually sure whether he could succeed.

There were many people taking the Martial Exam, but only a dozen or so would possess Blue-Quality Talents.

Among the rest, even Yellow Talents were scarce.

And to fuse and upgrade a Green-Quality Talent, the most efficient materials were naturally Green-Quality Talents of the same grade.

Unfortunately, there were not many such geniuses.

At least, there should be none in River City at present.

So he could only make up for it with quantity, using Talents of White, Gray, Yellow, and Blue Quality as materials.

By the time he arrived at the Martial Exam site, many Martial Dao students had already gathered there, poised and ready.

Yet ahead of the crowd, two conspicuously empty spaces had been left open.

There were only a few people in each of those areas.

On one side were River City's local geniuses, led by Hao Xi, Zhao Tianyi, Wang Qianjun, and the others.

On the other were the visiting geniuses, led by Yu Guihong, Wang Zhe, Mi Ya, and the others.

At that moment, the two groups were locked in confrontation, like fire and water.

However, after their crushing defeat a month ago, Hao Xi, Zhao Tianyi, and the others were clearly at a disadvantage in terms of morale.

At the same time, they knew perfectly well that, with their Body Tempering Eighth Layer strength, it would be difficult for them to defeat those three at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.

But just then, the sea of Martial Dao students suddenly and voluntarily parted, opening a path.

Then a figure casually walked toward them.

"Martial Madman, Chen Yu."

Wang Zhe spoke those five words, then wiped the mocking smile from his lips as his expression turned somewhat solemn.

Mi Ya's delicate brows furrowed, and goosebumps rose across her body. "As expected of River City's number one. This guy really is strong."

Both of them could clearly sense Chen Yu's power—a kind of power that utterly disregarded everyone else.

Chen Yu did not look at them as though he had encountered formidable rivals. To him, they seemed more like goods lined up for inspection.

It was an aura born of confidence taken to the extreme.

"Yu Guihong, can you handle him alone?" Wang Zhe asked quietly, beginning to doubt the decision they had made earlier.

This Chen Yu did not seem like a problem any one of them could handle alone.

"A mere Biohuman..." Yu Guihong also sensed that things were troublesome, but his pride as a Natural Human from the Imperial Capital kept him unwilling to lower his head.

But Mi Ya understood Yu Guihong's temperament very well, so she reminded him, "Remember, the plan comes first."

Hearing that, Yu Guihong stopped being stubborn and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry. I know what matters most."

"If I can't deal with him alone, you two need to come help immediately."

Compared to their solemnity, Zhao Tianyi and the others were far more excited.

"Chen Yu, why have you been so quiet lately? We haven't seen you at Heaven-Bearing Estate at all."

"Luo Ming left. What would I go there for?" Chen Yu shook his head and explained.

"Luo Ming went to the new..." Zhao Tianyi suddenly caught himself and immediately shut his mouth.

On the other side, Hao Xi lifted her chin in indication.

"Chen Yu, this lot doesn't seem willing to let you off. Want us to help?"

Anyone could see that Yu Guihong's group was clearly hostile toward Chen Yu.

Once the Martial Exam began, they would definitely make things difficult for him.

"Help me?" Chen Yu's gaze swept over Yu Guihong, Wang Zhe, and Mi Ya.

He could tell that all three were at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.

Their Talents were excellent. He would certainly be able to copy Blue Talents from them.

As Chen Yu's gaze passed over them, Yu Guihong and the other two immediately felt uncomfortable all over. It was as though he did not regard the three of them as people at all.

Chen Yu smiled, withdrew his gaze, and said calmly,

"There's no need."

Arrogant!

Chen Yu had not deliberately lowered his voice. Everyone present had achieved something in Martial Dao, so how could they possibly fail to hear him?

"As expected of the Martial Madman. You're arrogant enough." Wang Zhe crossed his arms, deeply displeased. "I hope your strength lives up to that arrogance."

"Biohuman, you should be clear about your place." Yu Guihong warned in a low voice.

As for Mi Ya, she said nothing. Only her once-bright eyes gradually grew darker.

Just then, a voice sounding from all directions shattered the silence.

The source of the voice came from the dense forest not far ahead of them.

It was clearly an announcement broadcast through loudspeakers.

"Everyone, this Martial Exam will be scored based on your hunting of Mixed-Blood Exotic Beasts. Your final ranking will be determined by the total points of the Exotic Beasts you kill."

"The examination area has been marked on your Terminals. Leaving the designated area will count as a violation, and your results will be invalidated."

"Other points requiring attention have also been sent to your Terminals. Read them promptly."

"Now, you may select your weapons."

As the announcement ended, the doors of a warehouse not far away slowly opened, revealing all manner of weapons arranged within.