Contest

After leaving Limitless Martial Arts, Luo Feng and Cao Bing exchanged a few pleasantries before going their separate ways.

Cao Bing's move was simple. Living alone, he only needed to buy some daily necessities and bring along a few things he could not bear to part with before moving in.

As for his previous upscale apartment, the state would reclaim it according to regulations. After all, resources within the survival bases were still limited.

In less than a day, Cao Bing had moved into a detached villa in Mingyue Residential Area.

His villa was adjacent to the one Luo Feng's family had chosen. Cao Bing lived at No. 200, while Luo Feng lived at No. 199.

That evening, Cao Bing even went to Luo Feng's house to mooch a dinner. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Warrior Combat Assessment. During that period, Cao Bing had returned to the Stellar Transformation World once and made a tidy profit through trade between the two worlds.

Although selling secret manuals had earned Cao Bing quite a bit of money, he still did not think it was enough. The more starting capital he could accumulate, the better. Cao Bing was not one to turn down money.

Moreover, a month in Stellar Transformation was enough for Cao Bing to raise his saber techniques and movement techniques to another level.

On the morning of August 1st, under the guidance of a Martial Artist from the Limitless Martial Arts Hall, more than thirty Quasi-Warriors, including Luo Feng and Cao Bing, headed for the train station.

The faint clattering of the speeding train could barely be heard, while the carriage itself was filled with noise. The train car was completely enclosed, with no windows or anything else through which they could see outside.

At that moment, a figure appeared on the large screen in every carriage, introducing the organization he belonged to.

However, Cao Bing had no interest in listening. He had long since memorized the information about those Martial Artist organizations.

Rather than listen to them ramble, he would rather chat with Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and the others.

Soon, the train gradually slowed to a stop.

Cao Bing followed Luo Feng and the others off the train one after another.

"Can I say this is the first time in my life I've seen a military camp armed like this?"

Looking at the fortress-like defensive structures before him, the countless soldiers armed to the teeth, and the massive tank barrels and heavy artillery, Cao Bing felt deeply shaken.

"Who hasn't?" Yang Wu said in astonishment, swallowing hard.

"Everyone."

A resonant voice entered every Quasi-Warrior's ears. "Welcome to the Northern Military District of Jiangnan City. This time, the Warrior Combat Assessment for all 1,682 of you will be held in our Northern Military District. I hope most of you will pass the assessment, and I hope every one of you will survive this combat assessment."

Cao Bing followed the voice and saw a Martial Artist in military uniform standing atop the high wall.

Clearly, he was the one who had spoken just now.

"Now, all of you will rest under the guidance of your respective leaders. This afternoon, after everyone's information has been verified, the assessment will begin."

After saying that, the military-uniformed man stopped paying attention to Cao Bing and the other Quasi-Warriors and left on his own.

"So the assessment won't begin until tonight?" Yang Wu asked in surprise.

"Probably. They're most likely testing our ability to fight at night. After all, Martial Artists hunting in the wilderness cannot always operate during daylight. I heard that some hunting squads stay in the wilderness for several days at a time," Cao Bing said thoughtfully.

"That makes sense." Yang Wu gave him a thumbs-up.

That afternoon, Cao Bing collected his weapons from the military camp: a full Combat Suit, a Phantom-Series Saber, and a pair of gloves.

Not long afterward, Wu Tong from Limitless Martial Arts came looking for him and brought him and Luo Feng before the higher-ups overseeing this test. Zhuge Tao was among them.

"Zhuge, these are the two youngsters you mentioned? Compared to our Lightning Martial Arts, they don't seem all that impressive." Across from Zhuge Tao stood a burly man in dark purple combat armor. Even his voice seemed to echo from within his chest. "Lightning Martial Arts recruited two people early this time. One has physical qualities no worse than those two you recruited, while the other is a firearms genius."

The burly man looked toward the two young men at his side, and they immediately stood up as well.

"My name is Wan Dong." The gloomy young man with a purple birthmark on his face spoke.

"My name is Ma Xiao." The other young man wore a smile. He was exceptionally beautiful—yes, beautiful was indeed the right word to describe him. If he had been born a woman, he would likely have been the kind capable of toppling kingdoms.

"Luo Feng." Luo Feng's expression remained calm as he replied with a smile.

"Cao Bing." Cao Bing did not look at Ma Xiao. The man might have been beautiful, but he was still a man. Cao Bing had no interest in men.

Instead, he looked at Wan Dong. This guy isn't going to provoke us later, is he?

And, as Cao Bing expected,

"Luo Feng, Cao Bing." The gloomy young man, Wan Dong, spoke. "Do you two have the guts to compete in tonight's Warrior Combat Assessment and see who can take first place in points?"

"Not interested." Luo Feng shook his head.

With Luo Feng's temperament, he had no interest in inviting trouble.

But Cao Bing did not care!

What he needed now was attention. Although he had already caught Zhuge Tao's eye, he did not mind making Zhuge Tao think even more highly of him.

"What do I get out of it?" Cao Bing asked.

"How about one million?" Wan Dong said darkly.

"Fine." A million had once seemed like a great deal to Cao Bing, but now he did not care much about it. Still, no matter how small, money was money. Besides, making money was only a secondary goal.

"Hahaha, your Cao Bing has quite the spirit!" The burly man from Lightning Martial Arts laughed. Then he turned to Wan Dong and said, "Wan Dong, you started this yourself. Don't end up slapping your own face."

"Impossible!" Wan Dong declared confidently.

Zhuge Tao merely glanced at Cao Bing and said nothing. However, if one looked closely, they could see the smile at the corner of his mouth.

Luo Feng's calm and steady behavior was certainly not wrong, and Zhuge Tao did not dislike it. On the contrary, he appreciated it.

But while being steady was certainly good, it also meant fewer chances to stand out. And although Zhuge Tao did not say it aloud, faced with Lightning Martial Arts' provocation, he still hoped the trainees from his own martial arts hall could teach them a lesson.

After all, everyone wanted to save face.

"Let's go too. The Warrior Combat Assessment will begin soon." Zhuge Tao glanced downstairs and spoke.

By the time everyone was ready, the sun was already close to setting.

"Everyone."

A resonant voice entered every Quasi-Warrior's ears. Luo Feng and all the other Quasi-Warriors looked up to see an officer standing atop a ruined three-story building within the town, addressing them. "This combat assessment will follow the usual rules. It will begin promptly at 6:30 tonight and end at 6:30 tomorrow morning."

"The more monsters you kill, the more points you earn. For every monster you kill, cut off its left ear as proof."

"Remember, Quasi-Warriors are forbidden from killing one another. All your actions are under surveillance. Violators will be shot on sight."

"Among the 1,682 Quasi-Warriors, the top 60% by points will obtain Martial Artist qualifications. The remaining 40% will be considered failures and must wait for the next Warrior Combat Assessment." The officer's voice grew cold. "In other words, 1,008 of you will pass. The other 674 will be eliminated."