21: The whole country was in an uproar

At exactly 12:00, Huaxia time.

In Taian City, candidates felt their wristbands vibrate and cheered aloud.

"It's over, it's finally over!"

After seven days and six nights, the annual Huaxia grand event, the Martial Examination, was officially declared over!

In this city destroyed by demon beasts, countless candidates panted heavily, walking under the sunlight, relaxing their nerves, and cheering with joy.

A breeze blew past, and many candidates chose to lie on the ground and fall into a deep sleep.

The reason they dared to do so was because they saw the fully armed Patrol Team.

Black armored vehicles sped through Taian City as the Patrol Team distributed water and steaming hot boxed meals to the candidates.

"Eat your fill, and we'll send you home!"

The candidates, who had been subsisting on compressed rations for a long time, had eyes that lit up as they devoured the boxed meals.

In the Technology Park, Ge Yanping, who had confirmed his national ranking as fifth, looked disheveled.

His school uniform was torn, and he had sustained varying degrees of injuries across his body.

"Man, I really burned out!"

Ge Yanping's eyelids were fighting each other as he struggled to lift his wrist to check his score on the wristband.

"What place am I actually in?"

Bang—

Jiang Tianxia, fighting bare-handed, finished off the last demon beast; her two-meter-long, pitch-black greatsword had long since shattered and become unusable.

"830,000 points." Jiang Tianxia shook her head.

Although she knew it would be difficult to surpass Lu Yuan in points, she still strove to hunt demon beasts.

"That guy probably has 900,000 by now." Lu Yuan's face appeared in Jiang Tianxia's mind, and she had a rough idea of the rankings.

First place in the nation is Chu Wushe, second is Lu Yuan.

As for third, it would likely be decided between her, Ge Yanping, and Wan Zichen.

Although Jiang Tianxia was confident she could reach third place, her goal was to secure second and fight for first to obtain the rewards for the top two in the Martial Examination.

"Monsters." Jiang Tianxia muttered to herself.

In her eyes, Chu Wushe and Lu Yuan were both monsters; even though all three of them possessed SSS-Rank Talent, there was still a gap.

In the demon beast-infested Technology Park, Chu Wushe, wearing a black and gold school uniform, was absorbing the blood of demon beasts.

Under the shocked gaze of the Patrol Team, his realm broke through from Qi Refining Stage Seven Stars to the Eighth Star!

"1,000,000 points!" A subtle smile curled the corners of Chu Wushe's mouth.

The highest score in the history of Huaxia's Martial Examination was 850,000 points; not only did he become the national number one, but he also broke the historical record for the highest Martial Examination score!

"Can Chu Wushe also break through without absorbing demon crystals?" The Patrol Team member responsible for escorting Chu Wushe felt surprised.

Over there, Lu Yuan had also broken through to the Qi Refining Eighth Star, but compared to Chu Wushe, standing beside Lu Yuan was a Qi Refining Eighth Star monster nearly sixty or seventy meters tall that exuded immense pressure!

To be precise, it was an army of Qi Refining Eighth Star monsters!

"1,150,000 points!" Lu Yuan checked his score.

He had hunted demon beasts so frantically not just for points, but more importantly, to raise his realm and allow his star-swallowing soldier to evolve!

Three armored vehicles drove out of the Technology Park, parting ways in three different directions.

Chu Wushe and Ge Yanping boarded the Teleportation Array heading to the Imperial Capital; Jiang Tianxia and Wan Zichen boarded the Teleportation Array heading to Modu University.

As for Lu Yuan, he enjoyed a single armored vehicle all to himself.

Inside the vehicle sat four Patrol Team members, eyeing Lu Yuan opposite them.

"Lu Yuan, what's your score?" asked a member, a Xuan Gang Realm Combat Class in his early thirties.

This was also what his teammates wanted to ask.

"1,150,000 points," Lu Yuan said.

"Awesome, your score alone is enough for 1,800 people to get into a first-tier university."

The Patrol Team member exclaimed.

Hearing 1,150,000 points, the captain driving the vehicle twitched his mouth.

He had just heard the news through his earpiece that Chu Wushe had 1,000,000 points, which meant Lu Yuan was this year's Martial Examination number one, and he had surpassed the second-place Chu Wushe by a full 150,000 points!

...

1,150,000 points, number one in the nation!

When the Martial Examination was officially declared over, and Lu Yuan's score surpassed Chu Wushe's in the final few hours, the entire nation was in an uproar!

They had witnessed the entire process of Lu Yuan's comeback.

Before the Martial Examination began, Chu Wushe was the candidate with the highest acclaim to be number one in the nation.

The name Lu Yuan was particularly unfamiliar!

If it had been Jiang Tianxia, Ge Yanping, or other equally famous candidates who had surpassed Chu Wushe, they wouldn't have been this excited!

But Lu Yuan was the strongest dark horse in the history of the Martial Examination, bar none!

In Tianhua City, over three million residents spontaneously gathered in squares, parks, and other open areas.

On the big screens, Lu Yuan's ranking and score were the focus of everyone's attention!

[National Ranking First: Lu Yuan, 1,150,000 points (Yunhai High School, Tianhua City, Hailan Province)]

[National Ranking Second: Chu Wushe, 1,000,000 points (Thunder Alliance, Imperial Capital)]

[National Ranking Third: Jiang Tianxia, 830,000 points (Affiliated High School of Modu University, Modu)]

...

"Lu Yuan!"

"Lu Yuan!!"

"Lu Yuan!!!"

The cheers grew louder wave after wave; the residents shouted Lu Yuan's name at the top of their lungs!

From rushing into the top three in Tianhua City to the top twenty in the province, then charging into the top three in the nation, and finally ascending to number one in the nation.

They had witnessed all of this!

At this moment, Lu Yuan was the pride of Hailan Province, and even more so the pride of Tianhua City!

"This is so satisfying! Our Tianhua City actually produced the number one candidate in the nation; the highest in the past was only the top fifty in the province!"

"Even without that demon beast that broke through to the Xuan Gang Realm, Lu Yuan's score still surpassed Chu Wushe's!"

"150,000 points! Lu Yuan's score is a full 150,000 points higher than second place, and he only fought more fiercely, becoming stronger with every battle!"

"Number one in the nation for the Martial Examination!"

In the City Government Hall, the Mayor, face flushed with excitement, pumped his fist hard.

Everyone in the conference room was very excited, whether from Yunhai High School or the other two high schools.

Just as the residents said, at this moment, Lu Yuan had truly become the pride of Tianhua City!

The Principal of Yunhai High School and the Teacher hugged each other, grinning from ear to ear.

For the Principal of Yunhai High School, he wanted Yunhai High School to leave its mark in the history of Tianhua City; he was older, and his cultivation realm could no longer improve.

At this age, all he cared about was fame!

For the Teacher, the first line of his resume would forever be this sentence.

"Once taught the national number one in the Martial Examination, Lu Yuan!"

Creak—

Just as everyone was extremely excited, the conference room door opened.

An old man, about sixty years old, wearing an administrative jacket, walked in.

The old man was full of energy, and more importantly, he possessed unfathomable strength.

"Provincial Governor!" the Mayor said respectfully.

The old man in front of them was none other than the Provincial Governor of Hailan Province, Chi Hongchang, also his former superior.

"Provincial Governor!" everyone in the conference room hall said in unison.

The atmosphere was serious; they had never encountered a leader of this level before, at most city-level leaders.

Chi Hongchang, who managed a vast province, had an imposing aura; just standing there made them unable to catch their breath.

Aura was important, but more importantly, Chi Hongchang was a Domain Realm Combat Class powerhouse!

"Hmm."

Chi Hongchang stood in front of the LCD screen, looking at Lu Yuan, who was riding in an armored vehicle and about to return to Tianhua City.

"What are you all still standing there for? Aren't you going to welcome the national top scholar of the Martial Examination from our Tianhua City, Hailan Province?" Chi Hongchang said, and the secretary beside him smiled.

Don't let the Provincial Governor's calm demeanor fool you; his laughter hadn't stopped the entire time they were traveling to Tianhua City.

During that time, he even received a call from the Great Elder of the Heavenly Sword Alliance.

Although the secretary didn't hear the content, Chi Hongchang's smile became even more intense after hanging up the phone, and he couldn't go three sentences without mentioning Lu Yuan.

"Right, let's go welcome the Martial Examination top scholar of our Tianhua City, Hailan Province!" the Mayor realized, and the group took a special vehicle to Tianhua High School.

Before long, the candidates from Tianhua City who participated in the Martial Examination would arrive at Tianhua High School via the Teleportation Array!