My Arts Evolve When Perfected

For a full day and night of non-stop travel, the long, black dragon formed by over two hundred armored vehicles from Gao Yuan City thundered across the roads, crossing sandy wastes and hilly mountain ranges.

Looking out the dusty, yellow-tinted window, the light of the crimson sun bled into the inky sky, the brightness gradually fading on the road ahead.

A long line of construction debris stretched out before them, slowly drawing closer as they approached.

"Kunlun City is at least as big as our Gao Yuan City. It’s a shame such a huge place was destroyed by the Demon Race."

"Who could have guessed a Secret Realm would awaken in the Kunlun Mountain Range? It was too close, and they were caught completely off guard. The city was wiped out even without a Demon King appearing."

"Yeah... Wait! Look, over at that fork in the road! It looks like several hundred more armored vehicles just cut in ahead of us!"

At the sudden cry of surprise, a dozen or so people in the vehicle crowded to the window. Jiang Qiu turned to look as well and saw another convoy of armored vehicles merging onto the national highway from a provincial road, causing their entire procession to slow down. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Are they also here for the college entrance exam?"

"Which city are they from?"

As noisy chatter filled the air, Jiang Qiu’s eyes narrowed. He could faintly make out the white painted words on the black hulls of the armored vehicles: Sanliang City Military Department.

It was a city located to the east, relatively close to the provincial capital, Yongjiang City. Sanliang City was considered a powerhouse for the college entrance exam, ranked second overall in the province.

The two cities were separated by hundreds of miles. To meet here meant they must have coordinated their departure times. It also indicated that, just like Gao Yuan City, their Initial Land for the exam was in Kunlun City’s Southern District.

Once the exam officially started, they would most likely run into many of Sanliang City’s examinees and have to vie for supremacy.

RUMBLE—

After a brief period of merging and jostling for road space, the vehicles from both cities entered the temporary exam base in Kunlun City’s Southern District. Over ten thousand examinees disembarked to undergo inspection, where they were fitted with exam wristbands, video recorders, audio recorders, and more.

"Quiet!"

Suddenly, a shout like a clap of thunder boomed out, suppressing the cacophony of voices. All eyes converged on the front of the assembly.

An elderly man in a dark blue uniform stood ramrod straight, flanked by several executive committee members. A full head of white hair couldn’t conceal the sharp glint in his eyes, nor could the deep wrinkles on his face erase the killing intent brewing in his scars. "I am Gao Yang, a Major General of the Sanliang City Military Department and a member of the exam committee. I am responsible for security in the Kunlun City Southern District for this year’s examination."

"The exam will begin at 10 AM. Your school administrators should have already briefed you on all prohibited activities during the journey here, so there’s no need to repeat them."

"I will emphasize only two points. First, many Secret Realms within Kunlun City are currently active. Do not, out of curiosity, set foot in the areas marked as dangerous. We have a limited number of Secret Realm Experts, and if you get into trouble, we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to get in and save you immediately."

"Second, Kunlun City is vast. The exam committee does not have enough Martial Artists to cover every corner. Do not stray from the proctor-monitored zones marked on your map. Otherwise, you may encounter remnants of the Demon Race or even Top Tier Demon Beasts that haven’t been cleared out."

"Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear!"

The deafening reply was powerful enough to make dust dance on the shattered concrete slabs. Gao Yang nodded, his sharp, eagle-like gaze slowly sweeping over the more than ten thousand examinees.

Every student from Sanliang City wore a full set of Middle Level Armor, their long spears pointing skyward. They stood with their heads held high and chests puffed out, resembling the Forbidden Army of old. A grim, murderous aura radiated from them, and their student leaders stood at the fore, like commanders leading their troops.

In contrast, the students from Gao Yuan City wore a variety of Armor, but their eyes held a similar sharpness, and their presence was by no means weaker. One person, however, was particularly conspicuous. He stood at the very front of a team from one of the Outer City High Schools, his black shirt fluttering in the wind as he stood there, perfectly composed.

’A student leader not even wearing Armor?’

’What does he take this exam for...?’

Gao Yang grunted in disapproval and looked away, waiting for the signal to begin the exam.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP—

A dozen minutes later, the information receiver in his pocket buzzed. He took a deep breath and roared like a lion, "Begin—"

THUD-THUD-THUD...

Over ten thousand examinees surged out from the temporary base built amidst the rubble. Like a flood splitting against a mountain peak, they fanned out into the ruined streets. Within moments, they had all disappeared into the Southern District.

"Brother Jiang, are we going to South City Square now?"

Zhang Shan said, shouldering his long spear. He was staring at the vertical virtual map projecting from his exam wristband. It was a meter square and displayed all of Kunlun City.

Large swathes of the city’s periphery were marked as white zones of collapsed buildings. These areas were dotted with a dozen or so small red circles, all clustered around a large black circle at the very center.

The red dots were small Secret Realms, each about the size of a thumbnail on the map—similar to Cyan Mountain Town. The black one was a Medium-sized Secret Realm, which still appeared as large as a soup bowl on the vast map.

South City Square was situated right between two of the small Secret Realms. To its north lay a stretch of area not monitored by proctors, and beyond that was the Medium-sized Secret Realm.

It was easily accessible and close to a cluster of small Secret Realms, making it a point of vital strategic importance.

Jiang Qiu had targeted this prime location from the start and had already discussed it with the others before the exam. He now nodded. "First, we’ll head to South City Square and secure a temporary base. This exam is thirty days long. We’ll be spending at least half of that time there, so we need a decent place to sleep."

"You got it!"

Zhang Shan broke into a wide grin, switched off the virtual map, and ran proudly behind Jiang Qiu.

In his eyes, the figure of the young man ahead was as resolute as ever. Following behind Jiang Qiu were the legendary prodigy Sun Yongsheng and Li Juefeng, who had just achieved Mastery in the Spear Dao. The sense of security within their group far surpassed what they’d felt back in Qingmu Town.

Everyone knew that by following Jiang Qiu, they had a real shot at getting into Northwest Martial University. They might even bring glory to Eighth Middle School by establishing it as an official recruitment base for Gao Yuan City’s Outer City students, which would come with school rewards!

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Shan adjusted his Middle Level Armor—bought with the funds he’d earned during the training hunt—with his left hand. He gripped the heavy spear in his right and, along with eighty-two other students, followed closely behind Jiang Qiu.

THUD-THUD-THUD...

The sound of their staggered footsteps faded as they ran down the buckled concrete roads. The top students of Eighth Middle School weaved through the ruined streets, occasionally swerving to avoid massive, bizarrely-shaped craters.

Gradually, ruined walls began to rise from the rubble along the streets, and the silhouettes of buildings grew taller. Looking down the road, a skyscraper dozens of stories high stood at the far end, in South City Square. On its rooftop hung a broken hotel sign, its two massive characters fractured and dangling.

"See that hotel? We’re going there!"

Jiang Qiu pointed from a distance, his words ringing with conviction. "It’s on high ground with a good vantage point, which will make it easier to spot and hunt Demon Beasts. Plus, in a big hotel like that, we can rest securely!"

"Alright, we’ll all listen to Brother Jiang!"

"Right... Holy shit, I hear footsteps from another direction! Some other high school is heading for South City Square!"

As cries of alarm went up, Jiang Qiu glanced several hundred meters away. Figures were flashing through the narrow gaps between crushed walls at incredible speeds. There were at least a thousand students, and the thudding of their footsteps suggested they were also racing for the same hotel.

The hotel was clearly the tallest building in sight. Its rooftop would likely offer a view into the two nearby small Secret Realms, making it an ideal base of operations.

If another group got there first, it wouldn’t be so bad if they were from another Gao Yuan City high school. After all, the students he’d met during the Prodigy Project were all leaders from their respective schools; they were familiar faces who shared the camaraderie of being from the same city.

But if it was a group from Sanliang City, negotiating would be a major headache. They would have every right, both in principle and in practice, to occupy the hotel and refuse to yield.