High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

The teacher who was registering the students paused for a second, then nodded frantically.

"We're...we've got enough time! We still have half an hour!"

Song Chen nodded.

He turned around, looked at his stunned classmates, and suddenly smiled.

That smile held weariness, relief, and a touch of pride.

Song Chen started filling out the form, and the registration teacher handed over the blood circulation monitor.

"Song... Song, come and have your Qi and blood levels checked."

He casually placed his left hand on it, stimulating the flow of qi and blood within his body.

The teacher who was registering the students glanced at the numbers on the form, and her pupils constricted slightly.

"Song Chen, your Qi and Blood levels..."

Her voice trailed off.

"How much?" asked the staff member recording the data.

"15.4".

The entire hall fell silent once again.

Someone dropped their pen on the ground, making a crisp sound.

Someone opened their mouth wide and forgot to close it.

Some people sat directly on the ground, their faces filled with disbelief.

Lin Qingxue stared blankly at Song Chen, her mind completely blank.

Song Chen took the registration confirmation and turned around.

His parents rushed over, and Li Xiuying hugged him tightly, crying uncontrollably.

"Son, you scared me to death! How did you get hurt like this..."

Song Chen patted her back: "Mom, it's nothing, just a superficial wound, it'll be fine soon."

Song Zhengye stood to the side, looking at his son's wounds, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he said, "Well done."

It was just three words, but Song Chen understood them.

He smiled and said, "Dad, I'm back."

Golden sunlight bathed the playground, and in the distance, the rune cannons on the city wall stood silently.

Tomorrow is the martial arts college entrance examination.

……

The next morning at six o'clock, Song Chen opened her eyes.

Outside the window, the morning light was just beginning to break, and birds sang sweetly.

In the cultivation room of his new home, he sat cross-legged on a futon and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

After a night of meditation and medication, his injuries have healed.

The wound on his left shoulder had scabbed over, and the broken ribs no longer hurt. The recovery ability of a second-level martial artist, combined with the effects of the healing pill, allowed him to recover to his best condition in the shortest possible time.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Downstairs, the residential area was quiet, but in the distance, on the inner city streets, groups of two or three test takers and their parents could be seen heading to various test centers.

Today is the first day of the martial arts college entrance examination.

It was a cultural examination.

After he finished washing up, he put on the dark blue B-grade battle armor, not to show off, but for safety.

Who knows if that bastard Zhao Wei will cause trouble today? It's better to be safe.

With the Thunderclap Blade hanging at his waist, he stepped out of his house.

Downstairs, Li Xiuying had already prepared breakfast.

The table was laden with food: porridge, steamed buns, eggs, and a large plate of braised pork.

Li Xiuying put food into his bowl: "Son, eat more. The academic exams are mentally taxing, so you need to eat your fill!"

Looking at her mother's nervous expression, Song Chen almost laughed: "Mom, it's just a written exam, not a real test."

Li Xiuying glared at him: "A cultural exam is still an exam. You were good at academic subjects when you were young, so you'll definitely do well this time too."

Song Zhengye sat beside him, slowly sipping his porridge. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of pride.

After finishing his meal, Song Chen walked out of the residential compound.

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance.

They were all members of the Shenlong Martial Arts School, young and old, and they all greeted him when they saw him come out.

"Good luck, Xiao Song, today!"

"Song Chen, did you do well on the academic exam?"

"I heard your Qi and Blood score is 15.4? Holy crap, you could easily pass that test!"

Song Chen responded to each question, then flagged down a hovercar and headed straight for the Third Martial Arts High School.

The car traveled through the streets.

Through the car window, he saw candidates everywhere.

Some were nervously flipping through the documents, some were talking quietly with their parents, and others were in groups, encouraging each other.

The entire city was shrouded in a special atmosphere.

The martial arts college entrance examination is the most important thing in the world, at least for these teenagers.

Twenty minutes later, the hovercar stopped in front of the Third Middle School.

The school gate was already packed with people, with candidates lining up in long queues to pass through the security checkpoints one by one.

Parents waited anxiously outside the cordon, some holding banners, some carrying drinks, and others with their hands clasped together in silent prayer.

As soon as Song Chen got out of the car, he felt countless eyes on him.

"Song Chen, it's Song Chen!"

"The Heavenly Thunder Blade, which traverses the wilderness, has arrived."

"Is that him? That monster with 15.4 HP?"

"I heard he fell from the sky yesterday, covered in blood, and looked incredibly cool!"

……

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

Song Chen walked through the crowd toward the security gate.

Along the way, countless candidates cast admiring, jealous, or complicated glances his way.

Some of the bolder ones walked right up, respectfully called out "Brother Chen," and then ran away quickly.

He felt somewhat helpless, but there was nothing he could do; fame was something he couldn't avoid.

He put down the Thunderclap Blade, passed through the security gate, and entered the campus.

On the playground, the assembly points for each class were already lined up.

In the class of Senior Three, Lin Qingxue and the others were waving at him: "Song Chen! Over here!"

He walked over.

"Good morning, Qingxue!"

Lin Qingxue looked at him, her eyes sparkling: "Good luck."

Song Chen nodded: "You too."

After everyone had assembled, homeroom teacher Li Guohua began taking attendance.

Finally, his gaze fell on Song Chen, his expression complex.

"Song Chen, you..."

He paused, then suddenly laughed.

"Study hard and bring glory to our No. 3 Middle School. We've been ranked third every year for years, and the principal scolds us every day."

Song Chen nodded: "Yes."

At 7:50 a.m., the candidates began to enter the examination room.

The examination venue was located in the teaching building, and each classroom had been specially modified and equipped with anti-cheating arrays.

The candidates found their seats according to their admission ticket numbers and waited quietly.

Song Chen's seat was on the second floor, by the window.

After he sat down, he looked around.

Thirty students, both male and female, were sitting in the classroom, all wearing their respective school uniforms.

Some people were nervously flipping through the documents, some were resting with their eyes closed, and some were even trembling slightly.

The proctor walked in; he was an elderly man in his fifties, wearing the martial arts association's uniform and a second-tier martial artist's badge pinned to his chest.

"Students, quiet down."

He cleared his throat and began to read out the examination rules.

"The martial arts college entrance examination consists of a total score of 200 points and lasts for five hours."

"The content includes four parts: psionic theory, mythical creature encyclopedia, combat strategy, and basic culture. Among them, psionic theory and mythical creature encyclopedia are worth 100 points, combat strategy is worth 60 points, and basic culture is worth 40 points."

Cheating is strictly prohibited. Anyone found cheating will be disqualified from taking the college entrance examination and banned from taking it for life.

"Now, let's start curling."

Try curling my hair.

The cultural exams of the martial arts era were completed in one go.

This is because martial arts are more important in this era of threat from strange beasts, and also because the candidates have strong mental fortitude and can withstand the test and finish it in one go.