Chapter 77 – Might of a Single Sword, Sweeping the Battlefield

In a massive conference room on the campus of Second High.

The teachers from the three schools and the ten observers from the Dao Academies were all gathered here, intently watching the students’ performance in the examination field on the screens.

“Ten days in the simulated battlefield is equivalent to one day in reality. Who do you think will last until the end in this joint exam?”

A teacher from Second High looked at the examinees struggling bitterly on the screen and asked a teacher from Third High beside him with a smile.

The teacher from Third High thought for a moment before replying, “Mu Xiaoye and Bian Shouyi from No. 1 High, Chu Gucai and Jin Shanli from your Second High, and Liu Zhaodao from our Third High. These few should all have a chance.”

“After all, not only have their cultivation levels reached the Peak of the Qi Condensation Stage, but they each have their own unique skills.”

“Mu Xiaoye has awakened an Innate Divine Ability, Bian Shouyi has an Innate Sword Physique, Chu Gucai and Jin Shanli both come from Cultivator Families, and as for our school’s Liu Zhaodao, there’s even less need to mention him.”

“If he weren’t our Principal’s biological grandson, he would have already been granted early admission to one of the Four Great Academies. The college entrance exam is just a formality for him.”

The Second High teacher nodded in agreement with the Third High teacher’s assessment.

Although many students in this joint exam had reached the Peak of the Qi Condensation Stage, as people who had been through it themselves, they naturally understood that even among those at the Peak of Qi Condensation, there were still disparities.

After all, according to the Immortal Alliance, reaching a Spiritual Power value of ten thousand was considered the Peak of Qi Condensation.

But for many Geniuses, the upper limit of their Spiritual Power in the Qi Condensation Stage was not just ten thousand.

For example, the likes of Mu Xiaoye and the others they had just mentioned were that small handful of heaven’s favored children whose Spiritual Power limits far exceeded those of ordinary people.

But just as these teachers were focusing their attention on these long-famous Geniuses like Mu Xiaoye, a Dao Academy observer who had been silent all along keenly discovered a potential dark horse who was not originally on his list.

He watched Lu Chen actively seeking out Nether Fiends on the screen, inwardly astonished.

He had personally witnessed how Lu Chen had killed four Nether Fiend Spider-faced Humanoids in a single instant.

Although many other examinees in this batch could also accomplish this, since Spider-faced Humanoids were considered mere grunts among the Nether Fiends and posed little threat, to be able to instantly kill these four Spider-faced Humanoids so cleanly in a completely dark environment not only required the examinee to possess outstanding strength but also a resilient Heart-Nature, unaffected by the harsh surroundings.

Heart-Nature—a quality that couldn’t be seen from data on paper but was equally crucial for a Cultivator.

All things considered, Lu Chen, who could pull this off, appeared quite remarkable.

What’s more, judging from the data alone, this examinee named Lu Chen’s potential didn’t seem the least bit lacking.

Strange, how come I didn’t receive any information from the Ministry of Education about an examinee like this beforehand? Could it be that he only recently rose to prominence due to some fortuitous encounter?

The investigator lowered his head and carefully examined the data on Lu Chen he had just looked up on his phone.

【Name: Lu Chen】
【School: Luocheng High School】
【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage Nine】
【Spirit Root Aptitude: Supreme-grade Five Elements Spiritual Roots】
【Evaluation: Suspected to possess exceptional Comprehension Ability and a very high level of Sword Path mastery】

Supreme-grade Spirit Root, exceptional Comprehension Ability, outstanding Sword Path mastery, plus that steady Heart-Nature… No, how could I have had no news at all about a child with such outstanding potential? Could he be a hidden ace that No. 1 High has been concealing for a long time? They didn’t want him to miss the college entrance exam by getting early admission, but instead wanted him to shine brightly in the exam to build a name for Luocheng High School?

At this thought, the Dao Academy observer secretly noted down Lu Chen’s name and prepared to observe him closely.

After all, if he could unearth a candidate worthy of early admission to the Four Great Academies, it would be a considerable achievement for him!

Three-School Joint Exam, Yushi City Ruins.

A full ten hours had passed since the start of the joint exam.

Although these ten hours in the exam were only one hour in reality, in just this short span of time, more than two hundred of the original 875 examinees had already been eliminated, leaving only over 600.

Furthermore, this number of eliminations was still continuously rising, showing just how difficult this exam was.

After the baptism of these ten hours, many examinees had begun to adapt to the environment of this alien battlefield. They understood how to better exert their own strength.

If at the beginning some people were foolish enough to move around on the streets in broad daylight, after today, most examinees would choose to act with caution.

“It’s getting dark soon. It’s about time for me to make a move…”

Lu Chen stood before the window of an apartment room in a building above an underground garage, quietly observing the scene on the street.

Although he had already confirmed that he could gain experience points by slaying fiends in this joint exam, as the saying goes, haste makes waste.

If he acted too rashly and attracted a large number of Nether Fiends from the start, getting trapped in a vast army of fiends, he would surely die, no matter how many trump cards he had.

Not to mention there were even Foundation Establishment Stage beings among the fiends.

Therefore, his best method was undoubtedly to ambush lone fiends as much as possible, hitting and running. His main strategy was a guerrilla tactic: when the enemy advances, I retreat; when the enemy retreats, I harass.

Only by doing so could he last longer in the joint exam and gain more experience points.

After all, he was planning to harvest enough experience points in this joint exam to raise the skill “Dragon’s Roar Sky-Piercing Strike” to the “Dao-Grade” level.

【Dragon’s Roar Sky-Piercing Strike: Breakthrough 1/30,000】

“Thirty thousand experience points. I wonder if I can reach that this time…”

Lu Chen looked at the sky outside the window, which had now completely darkened, and turned to walk out of the room.

The hunt… had begun!

Nine o’clock at night, on a street in the Yushi City Ruins.

“Zheng Liu, haven’t I told you countless times not to use Crimson Flame Talismans so casually? You’re making it too easy to expose our position and attract nearby fiends!”

Chai Xi pulled his long spear from the head of the Spider-faced Humanoid in front of him and spoke to Zheng Liu at his side with some dissatisfaction.

In response, Zheng Liu had her own explanation.

“Don’t use Crimson Flame Talismans, don’t use Crimson Flame Talismans… Chai Xi, do you think this Young Miss is a crude Body Cultivator like you? I’m a Talisman Master, understand? A Talisman Master!”

“Besides, if I don’t use Crimson Flame Talismans, what am I supposed to use? It’s already the most powerful offensive talisman I can use right now.”

“But we don’t need your little bit of talisman damage. You just need to focus on giving us support talismans.”

Faced with Chai Xi’s scolding, Zheng Liu grunted and turned her head away.

In truth, she knew she had been a bit reckless just now. She shouldn’t have used a talisman like the Crimson Flame Talisman, which produced a significant amount of light and a loud explosion, in the dead of night.

But it wasn’t entirely her fault!

Who could blame her when that Spider-faced Humanoid was so terrifying, suddenly breaking through Chai Xi and Xu Jianliang’s encirclement and charging straight at her? It was just an instinctive reaction, okay?

Seeing Zheng Liu’s slightly aggrieved expression, Xu Jianliang, the third member of their group, immediately stepped in as the peacemaker.

“Alright, alright, Chai Xi, don’t say any more. It’s my fault for not stopping that fiend, which caused Xiaoye to overreact a bit.”

Seeing that Xu Jianliang had spoken up, Chai Xi said no more.

After all, for a three-person team, unity was extremely necessary.

It was a rare stroke of luck that the three of them had managed to meet so early in such a large examination field.

As long as they didn’t act as blindly as they did during the mock exam at No. 1 High and provoke a monster like Lu Chen, with their current excellent configuration of ‘one body, one talisman, one spell,’ they would definitely be able to achieve a good score in this joint exam.

After all, in this joint exam format, it was very normal for examinees to cooperate with each other. Or rather, on such a chaotic battlefield, only by cooperating could they maximize their respective advantages.

“Alright, the fiends here are mostly cleared out. We’d better…”

Just as Xu Jianliang was about to tell the other two about their next plan, Chai Xi, who was beside them, seemed to have discovered something and suddenly tackled the two of them to the side.

The instant he pushed them away, a giant worm burst out from the spot where the three of them had just been standing.

The group rolled on the ground for several turns before coming to a stop.

After getting back up, Xu Jianliang and Zheng Liu stared at the massive, ten-meter-long monster. Their minds felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer, instantly losing the ability to think.

A… a Peak Qi Condensation Giant Armored Worm?!

【Name: Giant Armored Worm】
【Race: Nine Hells】
【Strength: Qi Condensation Stage Eight】
【Characteristics: A very common worm in the Nine Hells. Although it has no sight, its hearing and sense of smell are extremely sharp. Its body is hard and impervious to blades and spears.】

“What do we do now?”

Zheng Liu’s face was pale as she looked at the behemoth.

“What else can we do? Run!”

As soon as the words fell, Chai Xi was the first to sprint towards the other end of the street.

Zheng Liu and Xu Jianliang also snapped back to their senses and immediately followed Chai Xi in their escape.

As for the option of turning back to fight the Giant Armored Worm, the thought didn’t cross their minds for even a second.

Fight? What could the three of them possibly use to fight this Giant Armored Worm! Turning back would just be delivering themselves as a meal. Running was the only option!

On the street, the three of them sprinted wildly while the Giant Armored Worm pursued them relentlessly from behind.

The Giant Armored Worm’s train-like body moved through the street as if it were an uninhabited land. Abandoned vehicles in its path were like fragile toy cars, crushed with ease.

Seeing this, the trio had no choice but to run into the surrounding alleys and corners, hoping to use the complex terrain to slow the Giant Armored Worm’s pursuit and shake it off.

But ideals are beautiful, while reality is harsh.

The Giant Armored Worm’s incredibly hard body made it like a bulldozer. It basically smashed through anything that blocked its path.

As a result, not only were the three unable to pull away, but they were about to be caught.

Feeling the commotion behind her growing louder, Zheng Liu, who was running at the very back, subconsciously glanced back.

That one glance nearly made her scream on the spot.

The Giant Armored Worm was now a mere dozen meters away from her. At this distance, she could even see the scraps of flesh remaining on its teeth, a truly visceral sight.

She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she were bitten by this thing!

Even though it was just a simulated exam and she wouldn’t really die, Zheng Liu had long forgotten all that. She only saw this as a real battlefield.

“What do we do, what do we do? You guys, think of something, quick!” Zheng Liu cried out as she ran.

Hearing this, Chai Xi quickly analyzed their current situation.

“This is bad. If we keep going like this, none of us will escape!”

“Then what do we do?!” Zheng Liu shouted again, her voice choked with tears.

Just as Chai Xi was about to shout for them to split up, Xu Jianliang suddenly spoke.

“I’ll hold it off. You guys go on ahead.”

“Huh?!”

Zheng Liu and Chai Xi stared in astonishment at Xu Jianliang, who had voluntarily stopped to face the Giant Armored Worm alone. They were stunned on the spot.

The more sentimental Zheng Liu, seeing this tragically heroic scene, was so moved that tears streamed down her face.

Even the usually calm Chai Xi couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

Although he guessed that Xu Jianliang was trying to show off in front of Zheng Liu, playing the hero with a display of machismo, he had to admit, Brother Xu, you played this hand beautifully. When push comes to shove, you really step up! Go for it, bro, I’m rooting for you. Your brother is leaving first!

Moved was one thing, but running was another. Not only did Chai Xi not stop, he actually ran even faster.

After all, an old fox like him was all about cautious development. He never did things he knew were impossible.

As for Zheng Liu…

Although she was also very moved, because she was timid and terrified of bugs, she also kept running without stopping.

On the street, Xu Jianliang, who had stayed behind alone, took a deep breath as he watched the rapidly approaching Giant Armored Worm.

In Xiaoye’s eyes, I… must look really cool right now, right?

He then calmly looked at the Giant Armored Worm not far away and suddenly roared, “Come on, you monster!”

Faced with the provocation of this weak human, the Giant Armored Worm immediately accelerated, ready to happily enjoy the meal that had delivered itself to its mouth.

Once the Giant Armored Worm got within a certain distance, Xu Jianliang slammed his hands on the ground, his wood-attribute Spiritual Power pouring out without reservation.

A large number of wooden spikes emerged from the ground, blocking the Giant Armored Worm’s path.

If it were another Nether Fiend with a weaker Physical Body, it might have chosen to avoid Xu Jianliang’s dense wooden spikes.

But the Giant Armored Worm, with its hard armor, was completely fearless.

After all, it could crash through cars and concrete walls without a second thought, let alone the earthen spikes conjured by a mere Qi Condensation Stage Seven Cultivator?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the end, Xu Jianliang’s wooden spikes posed no threat to the Giant Armored Worm and were instantly smashed to pieces.

Before long, it rushed up to Xu Jianliang and opened its blood-red maw to bite down on him.

Watching this scene, Xu Jianliang’s heart was very calm.

From the very beginning, he never thought he could hold off this Giant Armored Worm for long. His true goal was to buy time for his crush, Zheng Liu, to escape, at the cost of his own life!

Never underestimate a man’s determination to protect the girl he has a crush on!

Watching the Giant Armored Worm’s gaping maw get closer and closer, Xu Jianliang calmly closed his eyes.

It’s all… about to end. I hope Miss Zheng can escape safely.

But almost at the same instant he closed his eyes, a familiar and resounding dragon’s roar echoed beside his ear.

Swish!

A strong gust of wind brushed past his ear, and Xu Jianliang only heard a piercing cutting sound.

A moment later, he heard two heavy thuds beside him.

Then, Xu Jianliang felt a warm sensation on his face, as if some liquid had splashed onto it.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the once-enormous Giant Armored Worm had been split in two by someone. Its two halves had fallen on opposite sides of the street, and a large amount of black blood covered the ground.

Gazing at this scene, Xu Jianliang’s mind went blank.

Wh-what happened?

“Classmate Xu, being a simp is a dead-end road…”

Xu Jianliang turned his head and saw Lu Chen walking out from a nearby alley, the Magic Sword in his right hand still vibrating continuously.

He finally came back to his senses.

Without a doubt, the person who had suddenly appeared, slain the Giant Armored Worm with a single sword strike, and saved him was none other than Lu Chen.

But Classmate Lu… when did you become so powerful?!

Seeing the still-dazed Xu Jianliang, Lu Chen didn’t say much, instead turning to look in the direction Chai Xi and Zheng Liu had fled.

The two of them, who should have been far away by now, were actually rushing back in their direction.

And behind them, a new Giant Armored Worm was in pursuit!

Those two unlucky souls had just escaped the tiger’s den only to enter the wolf’s lair!

Chai Xi shouted as he ran for his life, “Seriously, Zheng Liu, why didn’t you say you were on your period? You’ve totally screwed us over!”

Beside him, Zheng Liu retorted loudly through her tears, “How was I supposed to know this holographic helmet was so realistic that it could even perfectly replicate the timing of my period!”

As the two were forced to run back while blaming each other, they suddenly saw Lu Chen and Xu Jianliang standing next to the Giant Armored Worm’s corpse.

Wh-what’s going on?!

With a hint of shock, the two ran to Lu Chen and Xu Jianliang’s side and, by some strange impulse, stopped.

What confused them even more was that the second Giant Armored Worm, which had been attracted by the smell of blood on Zheng Liu, had also stopped for some reason, standing warily a dozen meters away from them. It looked as if it had been intimidated by something.

Chai Xi looked at the Giant Armored Worm’s corpse next to Lu Chen and Xu Jianliang and finally came to his senses.

He pointed at the corpse and said in disbelief, “Classmate Lu, you did this?”

Lu Chen had no time to answer his question. He walked right past him and proactively approached the other Giant Armored Worm.

With such a rich source of experience points right in front of him, how could he have the time to answer Chai Xi’s question?

Watching Lu Chen actively approach, the Giant Armored Worm, which had been invincible in the eyes of Chai Xi and the others, actually began to back away continuously.

Although Lu Chen could suppress his own aura, once the distance was close enough, the Giant Armored Worm, with its keen hearing and sense of smell, could still immediately sense that he was not to be trifled with and was thus very wary.

As Lu Chen continued to approach, the Giant Armored Worm finally couldn’t take it anymore.

Before the shocked eyes of Chai Xi and the others, the second Giant Armored Worm that had been chasing them suddenly turned its head, wanting to burrow into the ground and escape.

Seeing this, Lu Chen’s expression turned cold.

“Did I… say you could leave?”

As his words fell, Lu Chen took a step forward.

In the next moment, his figure transformed into an afterimage, instantly appearing above the body of that Giant Armored Worm.

At this point, the Giant Armored Worm had already burrowed one-third of its body into the ground.

In response, Lu Chen’s eyes sharpened, and the Magic Sword in his right hand once again let out a clear and resounding roar like that of a dragon.

Sword Art… Water Dragon’s Roar!

“Roar!”

(End of Chapter)