Chapter 33: Self-Selected Trait

[System Log Updated]

“Congratulations on your breakthrough to a Third Rank Innate Martial Artist.”

“You have gained one opportunity for a Self-Selected Trait.”

Jiang Yan opened his eyes, a sharp golden glint flashing within them.

Boom!

The entire room was swept up in a merciless storm, instantly reduced to dust amidst the endless sharpness.

Standing on the bare ground, Jiang Yan finally realized what he had done.

“I broke through?”

That state just now was profoundly mysterious; Jiang Yan had no memory of it at all.

Closing his eyes, Jiang Yan quietly sensed a golden flow coursing through every part of his body.

He extended his hand, and a small golden vortex appeared at his fingertip.

It resembled a sharp saber, yet also seemed like a solid wall.

From it, Jiang Yan sensed both destruction and resilience.

“So contradictory—is it ruin… or protection?” Jiang Yan pondered endlessly.

“Why both destroy and protect? What do I want to destroy, and what do I want to protect?”

Jiang Yan had never heard of Qi that could influence its master’s mind, yet this golden Qi had done just that.

It was truly baffling.

Unable to comprehend it, Jiang Yan stopped overthinking. Seeing its golden hue, he named it [Geng Metal Primordial Qi].

At that moment, the broadcast sounded again.

“The first round of testing has concluded. The number of qualifiers this round: 5,000,000.”

Out of ten million examinees who began, only half remained.

The brutal selection had not yet stopped.

“All examinees, please rest on your own for two hours. The second round of exams will commence two hours later.”

Those who failed to reach the summit within the allotted time wore expressions of agony.

“Ahhh! I was just two steps away! Just two more steps and I would have reached the top! If only I had a little more time, I could have advanced!”

“Sigh, this College Entrance Exam is truly inhuman. Forget it, I’ll just go tighten screws.”

“Wahh… I thought I could make it through the first round… wahh…”

…

Sighs filled the air endlessly.

No matter how much regret they felt, they had no choice but to leave.

A single round eliminated half the participants. These individuals had lost even the chance to enter university; no school would take an interest in them.

Yet reality was this cruel, and no matter how hard it was to believe, they had to accept it.

The alternate space knew no day or night; even after twelve hours, there was no sign of darkness.

Jiang Yan took advantage of the two-hour rest period to sit cross-legged on the ground, his consciousness entering the Divine Martial Space.

Outside, the live stream resumed, and Jiang Yan’s figure reappeared in the live stream room.

After half a day of external buzz, Jiang Yan’s reputation had become known to most.

As soon as the stream resumed, the viewer count quickly climbed to over 100,000, with the actual number reaching a million.

Bullet comments scrolled rapidly across the screen, all discussing Jiang Yan’s feats.

Not only citizens of Linjiang City but people from other places had also found Jiang Yan’s live stream room using the [9527] number.

It could be said that Jiang Yan’s flying technique had elevated his popularity above all other examinees.

: Finally, the stream is back on. I’ve bought snacks and drinks, ready to stay in the stream until the exam ends.

: True fan above. But Jiang Yan’s performance is indeed impressive. I wonder how he managed to fly.

Some began discussing Jiang Yan’s flight.

: I heard that only Fifth Rank Comprehending Mysteries Martial Artists can possibly communicate with heaven and earth to walk on air. Could it be that Jiang Yan is actually a Fifth Rank Martial Artist?

: Don’t exaggerate, how could anyone be a fifth-grade Martial Artist right after the College Entrance Exam? I think Jiang Yan’s Talent has the ability to fly.

: That’s right, only that explanation makes sense.

: Wow, is this Jiang Yan’s Live Stream Room? I came here after seeing clips online.

Since the exam hasn’t started yet, most of the Audience in the Live Stream Room were casually discussing the morning’s exam.

Jiang Yan was alone, as if he had just arrived in a different dimension.

Divine Martial Space.

“You have broken through to the third-tier Innate Martial Artist and have gained one opportunity for a Self-Selected Trait.”

“Begin selection?”

Jiang Yan: “Yes!”

An electronic screen unfolded before him, lines of text appearing before Jiang Yan.

【Combat Module】: Your body will be equipped with a mechanical module. The more severely injured you are in combat, the stronger your combat power becomes, up to 200% of your original strength.

【Multiple Casting】: In combat, each of your attacks has a 30% chance to trigger an additional repetition.

【Immortal Firmament】: Upon use, you gain three seconds of invincibility. Cooldown: 60min.

【Holy Chant】: Your singing has a powerful inspiring effect on others.

Jiang Yan looked at the four Traits before him, thought for two seconds, and decisively made his choice.

“I choose Multiple Casting.”

A 30% probability might seem low, but in the world of gamblers, it’s 100%!

Jiang Yan firmly believed that those who smile often have good luck.

He kept mentally reinforcing himself:

“You now have 100% Multiple Casting.”

“You now have 100% Multiple Casting.”

“You now have 100% Multiple Casting.”

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up, as if he had realized something: “So I do have 100% Multiple Casting!”

When it comes to self-hypnosis, he was a master.

Of course, choosing Multiple Casting wasn’t just because of Jiang Yan’s gambler nature—there was another important reason:

Frequency.

It wasn’t the low-probability Multiple Casting of skill releases, but one that included basic attacks. Every attack you make in combat will have a shadow-like entity Copy your attack.

Multiple Casting would increase the frequency of Jiang Yan’s Saber strikes. Imagine the flurry of Saber lights and Sword shadows in combat—it would look incredibly cool, right?

After selecting his skill, Jiang Yan didn’t linger in the Divine Martial Space and returned his consciousness to the real world.

Outside, it was still empty.

Jiang Yan didn’t idle around and began to contemplate the Geng Metal Primordial Qi within his body.

He lifted his Alloy Long Saber, Geng Metal Qi enveloping the blade, an aura of extreme aggression lingering in the Void.

“Not bad.”

Without deliberately using Blade Momentum or activating any Martial Skill, Jiang Yan casually swung the Saber.

Hum—

A sharp, piercing sound echoed in the sky. Golden Sword Qi tore through the air as if trying to slice it apart, producing a noise like tearing cloth. Immediately after, the golden Saber light solidified into substance, swiftly slashing forward.

The ground shattered with a deafening roar, carving out a deep fissure. The Saber’s path extended into the distance until it connected with a massive boulder.

The boulder split into two smooth halves, and the golden Saber light vanished.

“Hmm, it seems this little thing has some use after all.”

Jiang Yan had figured out one of the functions of Geng Metal Primordial Qi.

Slaughter, extreme destruction.

What Jiang Yan didn’t know was that online, people were already editing clips of his daily life into videos for clout, each video gaining immense attention.

And the video of him swinging his saber was naturally among them.

Releasing Saber Qi out of thin air, seemingly without using any Martial Skill—what kind of person could achieve such a feat?

Netizens began analyzing it frame by frame.

When one’s strength or status reaches a certain level, even the slightest action draws widespread attention from society, much like the celebrities in Jiang Yan’s previous life.

Jiang Yan neither understood nor cared much about such matters, simply waiting for the next round of the exam to begin.