4: Martial Arts Examination Begins

The Blood Calamity, Blood Butcher Guie, that was created, can it speak?

Lu Yuan looked at this grimacing, wolf-headed, human-bodied giant. Spirit energy condensed into a blood-red thread and merged into Blood Butcher's body.

Up and down, left and right, back and forth... Lu Yuan easily controlled Blood Butcher to perform various actions and poses, but Blood Butcher did not speak like it did when it was first created.

Without much thought, Lu Yuan checked Blood Butcher's abilities.

Blood Calamity: Blood Butcher

SSS-Rank Guie

Realm: Body Tempering Realm One Star

Spirit Skill: Taste of Blood, Bloody Storm, Blood Mist Confusion, Blood Armor...

Note: The vengeful spirit of an ancient barbarian general who slaughtered cities was resurrected by the Calamity, craving endless slaughter!

That Guie and Practitioner realms were the same did not surprise Lu Yuan.

What surprised Lu Yuan was that Blood Butcher could actually use Spirit Skills, and each Spirit Skill was incredibly powerful.

Among them, the Spirit Skill, Taste of Blood, could even increase its strength by killing fierce beasts, demons, and even humans!

Currently, the most common way for Practitioners to increase their strength is by absorbing demon crystals. Spirit Skills like Blood Butcher's are unheard of!

"Does that mean I can increase my strength by killing fierce beasts from now on?" Lu Yuan was eager to try.

This was much simpler and more direct than arduous cultivation!

After successfully creating Blood Butcher, Lu Yuan turned his attention to the Nine Great Marionette Corps he had obtained.

Each of the Nine Great Marionette Corps had its own unique characteristics, and each corps had different abilities, but they required materials to be purchased for crafting.

Fortunately, the materials weren't too expensive; crafting a Ghost Puppet Soldier cost about a thousand huaxia coin.

"I need to make more ghost puppet soldiers during this time, and ideally build a Puppet Corps for my own use!" Lu Yuan thought, then opened his bedroom door and went to the living room.

"Done?"

Lu Yeli asked.

"Yeah."

"What's done? I didn't do anything at all!" Lu Yuan realized.

"Still hiding things from me, huh? When you yawn, I know you're about to fart the next second. Lu Yuan, even if you're young now, you should exercise restraint; too much isn't good for your body."

Lu Yeli's expression was meaningful as she earnestly advised him.

"Go away, go away." Lu Yuan, long accustomed to Lu Yeli's constant teasing, went out to buy materials for making ghost puppet soldiers.

As for the money, it was his small savings from years of frugality, totaling over forty thousand.

The Martial Examination was seven days after the Awakening Ceremony, and getting into a top university offered many benefits.

Whether it was social welfare or access to cultivation resources, it was unimaginable. Take Lu Yeli, for example; her annual subsidy alone was as much as 500,000!

In just two short years at Imperial Capital University, she had leaped from the Body Tempering Realm to the Divine Power Realm, becoming a respected Practitioner wherever she went!

In the following days, Lu Yuan's life became monotonous and dull.

Cultivating with demon crystals during the day, crafting ghost puppet soldiers at night, a repetitive cycle!

Body Tempering Realm Two Star, Three Star, Four Star... Six days passed in a blink of an eye!

In the bedroom, Lu Yuan looked at the Xuan Gang Realm demon crystal, half of its energy absorbed, and forcefully swung his fist, emitting a sharp whoosh!

Body Tempering Realm Eight Star!

With the terrifying absorption ability of his SSS-Rank Talent, combined with the demon crystals Lu Yeli gave him, Lu Yuan crossed seven minor realms in just six days, directly breaking through to Body Tempering Realm Eight Star!

The tall and burly Blood Calamity, Blood Butcher, stood beside Lu Yuan, with hundreds of miniature Blood Slaughter Soldiers standing around.

They were all clad in dark red armor, holding long knives and shields, quietly awaiting Lu Yuan's command.

"Broken through again?"

Night fell.

Lu Yeli looked at Lu Yuan, who was breaking through one or even several minor realms a day, feeling incredulous.

Her own breakthrough speed in the Body Tempering Realm was nowhere near as fast as Lu Yuan's. She could only say that SSS-Rank Talent was too terrifying!

"It's alright," Lu Yuan said, not telling Lu Yeli that he was only a hair's breadth away from Body Tempering Realm Nine Star.

"Tomorrow is the Martial Examination. Are you confident?"

Lu Yeli asked.

Despite her playful nature, she was still very concerned about her younger brother.

"One hundred percent," Lu Yuan said solemnly.

"One hundred percent confident of getting into a first-rate university?"

"No, a top academy!"

Lu Yuan corrected.

"You're just bragging. Be careful during the Martial Examination." Lu Yeli first disbelieved him, then said seriously.

Tonight was exceptionally long. Countless students who had just awakened their professions and their parents were caught in a dilemma.

China's college entrance examination is divided into a liberal arts examination and a martial arts examination, conducted simultaneously.

Choosing which one to take became a difficult problem for them, especially for students who awakened a combat profession but had low talent!

The next morning, Lu Yuan walked alone on his way to Yunhai High School.

As for Lu Yeli, who had promised to go to school with him, she was still sound asleep at home after staying up late watching dramas last night.

The sports field was already filled with students, and many parents stood outside the fence, giving instructions to their children.

"If you don't score 300 points and reach the second-rate university cutoff, don't even think about coming back!"

"Old Wang, can you stop scaring the child? Son, don't listen to your dad. The score isn't important; safety is the most important thing."

Lu Yuan sat on the steps, waiting for the Martial Examination to begin.

There were many people on the sports field, but fewer than on the Awakening Day. Those who dared to participate in the Martial Examination were either those who had awakened combat professions or auxiliary professions.

Their talents were generally above C-rank. Lu Yuan roughly estimated there were about four or five hundred people.

"Quiet!"

At exactly eight o'clock in the morning, Principal of Yunhai High School appeared in the center of the stage.

"The number of students participating in the Martial Examination this year is even more than I estimated, which makes me very happy." Principal of Yunhai High School scanned the audience, then changed his tone.

"The Martial Examination is different from the liberal arts examination; participating in it carries a risk to life. While I explain the examination content, you still have a chance to back out!"

The four words, "risk to life," hung over the students on the sports field like a sharp sword.

Many students felt like retreating, hesitating whether or not to participate in the Martial Examination.

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. Becoming a powerhouse was never easy; if he retreated now, he would only live a mediocre life.

Several students stood at the front of the stage. They were the combat Practitioners from Tianhai High School who had awakened A-rank or higher talents.

Lin Shuying stood at the forefront, and Qin Shousheng was also among them.

"Body Tempering Realm Six Star." Lu Yuan looked at Lin Shuying, who possessed S-Rank Talent; among the few students, her realm was the highest.

However, it was much lower compared to his Body Tempering Realm Eight Star.

"This year's Martial Examination will take place in Taian City, a city that was once destroyed by fierce beasts and later recaptured by the military. Taian City is still fraught with danger, with various fierce beasts lurking!"

Principal of Yunhai High School's voice was strong and clear as he meticulously explained this year's Martial Examination rules.

"You will need to survive in Taian City for seven days. Each of you will receive ample water and compressed dry rations, so there's no need to worry about that. The key lies in the protective device." Principal of Yunhai High School took out a blue wristband he was wearing.

"If you encounter an unconquerable fierce beast, simply press the protruding button on your wrist to activate a barrier, which will block the beast's attack. This also means forfeiting your Martial Examination qualification!"

Lu Yuan looked at the blue wristband in his palm, which had '91' written on it, indicating that he was assigned to examination room 91.

Although activating the wristband could block fierce beast attacks, every year there were still candidates bitten to death by fierce beasts during the Martial Examination; it was not absolutely safe.

Not all candidates had strong psychological fortitude. Before the blue wristband was introduced, the death rate in the Martial Examination was as high as six percent!

"Finally, I remind everyone, there are countless paths, but life comes first. I hope everyone achieves good results!" Principal of Yunhai High School said, nodding to the middle-aged man from The Authorities beside him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The middle-aged man waved his hand.

In an instant, hundreds of black lights shot into the sky, activating the Teleportation Array leading to Taian City!