Chapter 36: Perfect Withdrawal

A third-grade Innate realm cultivator versus a second-grade Blood Coagulation realm cultivator.

Jiang Yan had never fought such an overwhelmingly favorable battle.

The silver saber blade surged with violent thunderous radiance. With fierce Blade Momentum, Jiang Yan slashed through the air.

He Xiao’s body blazed with towering flames, actually using his own flesh to block the attack.

Vaguely, the single slash Jiang Yan unleashed transformed into two.

System Log updated: You have triggered Multiple Casting.

Two streams of Saber Qi overlapped as they struck He Xiao’s hand.

Thud!

Jiang Yan sheathed his saber and calmly walked over to He Xiao, who was curled up on the ground bleeding profusely. His expression carried a hint of helplessness:

“I thought you were supposed to be impressive.”

Jiang Yan had truly just casually swung his saber earlier, not even using his Talent or Martial Skills. Yet He Xiao, who had seemed so invincible moments ago, was now completely incapable of resistance.

He pondered inwardly: “Have I really become this strong already?”

The Live Stream Room fell silent. The Bullet Comments that had been boiling over when the two met were now completely subdued.

They had imagined that He Xiao, being from Demon Capital, would utterly suppress Jiang Yan.

They had also imagined Jiang Yan, the latecomer, rising to the occasion and defeating He Xiao through sheer perseverance.

They had even imagined the two fighting to a draw, ending with both severely wounded.

But what they never expected was that Jiang Yan, with merely a single swing of his saber, would instantly defeat He Xiao, who had appeared to possess an invincible aura.

This sense of unreality made it seem as if Jiang Yan wasn’t cutting down a Prodigy from Demon Capital, but rather some roadside weeds.

Effortless and casual.

Jiang Yan raised his saber, his face icy cold.

A flicker of terror appeared in He Xiao’s unfocused pupils: “No… don’t…”

Jiang Yan brought the saber down.

He Xiao closed his eyes in despair.

“What are you thinking? This is an examination hall. Do you really think I’d kill you?” Jiang Yan simply used his saber to lift He Xiao’s clothes and retrieve the marker.

A flute and a jade token. Jiang Yan directly stored them in his backpack before once again taking to the skies.

In He Xiao’s vision, that majestic figure grew farther and farther away.

He struggled to his feet, looking bitterly at the deep, bone-exposing wound on his hand.

With such a severe injury, he feared he would have no chance at those two schools from now on.

“There is always someone better~”

Faced with such an opponent, He Xiao couldn’t even muster the energy for something as taxing as hatred.

Jiang Yan continued hunting his targets.

Now, with five markers in his possession, he was undoubtedly ahead of everyone in terms of speed.

And indeed, that was the case.

Conscientious netizens were updating the Live Stream data of various Geniuses online in real-time, even creating a Ranking based on the data.

Jiang Yan, having obtained five markers in less than an hour, unquestionably became the number one on the Leaderboard.

If the first round of the exam could be explained by luck or a special Talent, what about this second round?

The voices of doubt grew quieter, replaced by the admiration of countless people.

Jiang Yan’s Live Stream Room became even livelier.

Lucky bags were sent one after another, and Bullet Comments scrolled incessantly.

Amidst the eager anticipation of the masses, Jiang Yan descended upon the territory of a third-tier Fierce Beast.

Two saber strikes later, the third-tier Fierce Beast met its end in the northwest.

The Martial Examination was not only designed for Geniuses but also had to accommodate those of average ability. Therefore, in this second round, Jiang Yan hardly encountered any existence surpassing a third-tier Fierce Beast.

With his high-altitude, super-wide field of vision, Jiang Yan successively slew several Monster Beasts, bringing his marker count directly to nine.

Just one more, and he could directly evacuate from the map, once again securing first place in the second round of the exam.

Soon, he spotted a massive Silver-Horn Rhinoceros from high above.

Generally, this map wouldn’t randomly place Fierce Beasts within it. If you encountered one, there was no doubt—a marker was likely hidden nearby.

Jiang Yan dove downward, his saber shimmering with lightning, Geng Metal Qi enveloping his entire body as Purple-Gold Electric Light transformed into a meteor streaking straight down.

A Celestial Strike from Beyond!

The Silver-Horn Rhinoceros was cleaved in half, utterly lifeless.

Jiang Yan searched around and soon spotted the “martial” character mark on the rhinoceros’s silver horn.

“Tsk, they really picked a clever spot for this.”

With that, the number of markers Jiang Yan had collected reached the limit.

Once again, he stepped into the Void and headed toward the evacuation exit.

“Congratulations to examinee [9527] Jiang Yan for being the first to perfectly evacuate from the map.”

“Congratulations to examinee [9527] Jiang Yan for being the first to perfectly evacuate from the map.”

“Congratulations to examinee [9527] Jiang Yan for being the first to perfectly evacuate from the map.”

The announcement repeated three times, etching Jiang Yan’s name into everyone’s memory.

He was once again transported to a room resembling a luxurious hotel, where he began tallying the points he had earned.

First to reach the summit in the first round: 300 points.

First to evacuate in the second round: 300 points, plus eight markers brought out, each worth 50 points, totaling 400 points.

Total points: 1000.

Far ahead of the rest!

Jiang Yan had earned every possible point across both rounds of the exam, making him the undisputed first place.

Meanwhile, other examinees were either being hunted down by ferocious Monster Beasts or, if lucky enough to obtain a marker, were being robbed by fellow examinees, watching all their efforts go to waste.

Others chose a steadier approach, lying low to search for evacuation points after collecting just two markers.

Within the labyrinthine city streets, examinees were like grasshoppers trapped within walls, struggling to find a path leading outward.

Unlike an ordinary city, the space in this map was highly constrained. Ideas such as:

“Why not just climb over?”

“With enough strength, anywhere can be an exit.”

had long been anticipated by the authorities.

A layer of air walls blocked all such devious thoughts, forcing examinees to painstakingly search for evacuation points.

For the examinees, the three-day period was a tremendous test—requiring them to collect enough markers while successfully locating an exit.

Along the way, Fierce Beasts, fellow examinees, and disorientation all served as obstacles.

A glimpse of the Law of the Jungle was applied to these naive and foolish examinees.

Half a day later, the broadcast announced the second examinee’s successful and perfect evacuation.

Unfortunately, it garnered far less attention than Jiang Yan’s achievement.

People only remember the first; who comes second hardly seems to matter.

Lying on the hotel bed, Jiang Yan gave a thumbs-up to the exam designer who had crafted this scenario.

To this day, he believed that once the exam ended, he could simply return to the hotel.

Little did he know, this was a privilege reserved solely for the first-place finisher.

However, as long as he remained first forever, privilege would simply become routine.

His consciousness returned to the Divine Martial Space.

Jiang Yan approached the Battle Space. After his Breakthrough to the Innate realm, he officially launched his campaign against the Thousand-Vine Flower Demon.

The Thousand-Vine Flower Demon possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. To kill it, a single, decisive strike was essential.

“Initiate battle.”

Countless vines surged from the Flower Demon’s body, attacking Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan severed the vines and shifted his position, evading while searching for the right moment to strike with his saber.