32: Rules, the martial arts exam begins!

As Li Ziyu was bored, several more buses drove up the mountain path leading to the platform, and hundreds of chattering students disembarked.

At this moment, a buzzing sound echoed from the sky.

Li Ziyu felt a strong gust of wind blow overhead, and he squinted as he looked up at the sky.

"It's nine o'clock, close the entrance to the examination hall!"

A massive helicopter, completely painted in camouflage, appeared above everyone in the sky.

A middle-aged man, also dressed in camouflage, stood on the helicopter.

The middle-aged man had bronze skin, a resolute face, and a large scar extending from his neck to the corner of his eye.

The voice came from this man's mouth.

He didn't seem to exert much effort, yet his voice, like rolling thunder, spread throughout the ears of tens of thousands of examinees on the entire platform.

Li Ziyu was the closest and most affected by the sound, his ears buzzing.

As for the other examinees, needless to say, their faces all turned pale.

In just an instant, the vast examination hall, the platform with tens of thousands of examinees, became completely silent.

Only the buzzing of the helicopter's propellers in the sky and the middle-aged man's voice remained.

"So strong!"

"Just based on this shouting technique, his Blood Qi must be at least over one hundred! He is very likely a Third-Level Martial Artist!"

Li Ziyu stared at the middle-aged man in the air, his gaze solemn.

Seeing the venue quiet down, the camouflage-clad middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction.

As his words fell, the only passage to the platform was directly blocked by a fence.

After a pause, the camouflage-clad middle-aged man continued:

"I will only state the rules for the upcoming Martial Exam once!"

"The place you are in is the entrance to the Wilderness Area of Ma'an City, the venue for this Martial Exam."

"The fierce beasts inside have been specially treated, so you don't need to worry about being invaded by fierce beast consciousness after killing them."

"You only have one thing to do! That is to kill fierce beasts!

Kill fierce beasts desperately! Use all your methods to kill fierce beasts!"

"It is divided into four major areas: the Central Area, Core Area, Outer Area, and Edge Area, and the levels of fierce beasts also vary."

"Killing different levels of fierce beasts will earn you different points; we have a specialized method for point tabulation, so you don't need to worry about tabulation errors."

After a pause, the camouflage-clad middle-aged man said expressionlessly:

"As for the admission requirements of the various martial arts academies… they will be announced after your Martial Exam, but I can tell you in advance that the required scores will be higher than in previous years!"

"So, if you don't want to be eliminated, work hard to kill fierce beasts!"

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he waved his large hand, and then a group of people resembling Soldiers, also dressed in camouflage, walked out, holding packages of items.

"Now come and collect the supplies you will need for this Martial Exam, one per person, do not take more."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, the students on the platform began to orderly step forward to collect supplies, and Li Ziyu was no exception.

He opened the package, which contained five popsicle-shaped items, a silver-white wristband, and a portable sleeping bag.

"The technology of this era is indeed advanced; not only the sci-fi-looking helicopter but also these energy bars and wristbands are much more developed than the world I lived in previously."

Li Ziyu looked up at the helicopter in the sky, which resembled a drone but was thousands of times larger.

He glanced at it and then withdrew his gaze, lowering his head to put the wristband on his hand.

He tapped it, and a 3D virtual projection appeared out of thin air.

This wristband was used for scoring, and it could also display the scores of the students participating in the Martial Exam; currently, everyone's score was displayed as zero.

The admission scores for the various martial arts academies were to be announced after the Martial Exam, and they varied each year compared to the previous one.

Li Ziyu understood the martial arts universities' intention in doing this: they wanted the examinees to exert their full strength in the examination hall and not hold back.

However, although not announced, one could roughly infer the scores based on previous admission scores.

500 points could get one into an undergraduate martial arts academy.

800 for a first-tier martial arts academy.

2000 points, on the other hand, could get one into the four famous academies.

Li Ziyu packed the five energy bars; these energy bars were also a testament to technology.

One bar could replenish two days' worth of energy and water consumption for a First Grade Warrior, making it extremely convenient.

"Damn! Why is it harder every year than the last?! It's messing with people's minds!"

"Sigh, who isn't saying that? Raising the difficulty might not be a big deal for geniuses like Nangong Ao, but it's tough for ordinary examinees like us."

"Damn it, and the fierce beasts in the Central Area and Core Area, why do they give so many more points than killing fierce beasts in the Outer Area? This is unfair!"

"Hmph, fair? This society has never truly been fair. If you're strong, you can also go to the Central Area to kill fierce beasts; no one's stopping you."

"However, there are many fierce beasts in the Outer Area and Edge Area, and they are densely populated and easy to find. If you're lucky, your points won't be low either."

While Li Ziyu was packing his supplies, he heard classmates around him complaining indignantly.

Li Ziyu listened quietly, feeling a bit emotional.

He didn't know what was going on with this Great Xia, but the Martial Exam was indeed getting harder year by year.

However, the conversation of a few people gave him a bit of inspiration.

Li Ziyu's eyes flickered with thought.

He had originally intended to go directly to the Central Area to hunt fierce beasts.

The fierce beasts in the Central Area gave high points.

But similarly, the fierce beasts in the Central Area were more scattered and limited in number.

His purpose for coming this time, taking the Martial Exam, was only one of his goals.

The main purpose was to kill fierce beasts and improve his strength.

The fierce beasts in the Edge Area and Outer Area were densely located and numerous.

So, why not start from the Edge Area and push towards the Central Area!

Anyway, the Martial Exam lasted for five days, and with his current strength and speed.

Five days were enough for him to kill many fierce beasts!

"Tsk, they're numerous and you don't have to worry about fierce beast consciousness invasion; the fierce beasts in this Martial Exam venue are truly a treasure!"

"I just wonder how much my strength will improve in five days!"

At the position of First High, Nangong Ao stood with his arms crossed, listening to the discussions and complaints of those around him, a look of disdain on his face:

"Hmph! They're complaining already just because the difficulty increased? What a bunch of trash."

"If I, Nangong Ao, can't even get first place in an environment full of trash, then that would truly be a joke!"

Wang Long had been observing Nangong Ao's movements, and seeing his confident expression of disdain, a surge of fighting spirit welled up in his heart, and he let out a sigh of admiration:

"As expected of the opponent I, Wang Long, have designated, the strongest examinee in Xu Jiang City. Just this attitude alone makes him worthy of being my Wang Long's whetstone!"

After the supplies were distributed, the camouflage-clad middle-aged man wasted no time, acting decisively and waving his large hand again.

Around the platform, several massive steel gates slowly rose under the operation of the Soldiers.

The middle-aged man's voice spread throughout the venue:

"The Martial Exam begins!"