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

The morning sun was shining brightly, illuminating everything in the neighborhood.

A hovercar was parked at the entrance; it was arranged by Shenlong Martial Arts School.

The driver, a middle-aged man, immediately opened the car door when he saw him get out.

"Mr. Song, please get in the car."

Song Chen got in, the car started, and headed towards the Third Martial Arts High School.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the school gate.

Song Chen pushed open the car door and got out, and the scene in front of him made him pause for a moment.

A large crowd had already gathered at the school gate—a sea of ​​students, parents, and teachers.

Colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and a banner read "Martial Arts College Entrance Examination Practical Assessment" in large characters.

As soon as he appeared in the crowd, someone recognized him.

"Song Chen is here."

"Heavenly Thunder Blade!"

"The city's number one has arrived."

"The Shenlong Martial Arts School sent their vehicles to deliver it in person. What a show of respect."

The crowd automatically parted to make way for him. Countless gazes fell upon him, some with admiration, some with nervousness, some with curiosity, and some with mixed feelings.

Song Chen walked through the crowd and entered the campus.

On the playground, 1,300 students had already lined up according to their classes.

There were originally more than 3,000 senior high school students at No. 3 Middle School, but only one-third of them signed up for the practical assessment.

Lin Qingxue stood in the front row of the class of Senior Three, Class Three.

Today she was wearing a white combat uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking very heroic.

Upon seeing him, she smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"morning."

"Good morning." Song Chen walked over and stood next to her.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"I'm doing alright, how about you?"

She honestly replied, "I was a little nervous, but I'm not nervous anymore when I see you."

Song Chen paused for a moment, looked at her outstretched hand, and gently patted her shoulder: "Keep it up."

"Um!"

Class teacher Li Guohua stood at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping over each person before finally settling on Song Chen.

He cleared his throat, his voice a little hoarse.

"Students, today is the day of the practical assessment. I won't say anything more, just one sentence: Come back alive."

Thirteen hundred people remained silent; no one laughed.

The playground quieted down. On the platform, officials from the Education Bureau, leaders from No. 3 Middle School, and representatives from the Garrison Command took their seats in turn.

Among the crowd, a few people had particularly sharp eyes, scanning the candidates below the stage with scrutiny and expectation.

On the platform, a middle-aged man in a black uniform asked in a low voice, "Whose child is that one in white?"

The people next to him came closer and followed his gaze: "The Lin family's daughter, Lin Zhengyang's daughter."

The middle-aged man nodded and said nothing more. His gaze continued to move, then suddenly stopped.

"That guy in the trench coat..."

"Song Chen," the person next to him answered immediately.

"A core member of Shenlong Martial Arts School, ranked first in the city in cultural exams, with a Qi and Blood value of 15.4, a C-level lightning ability, and his swordsmanship is said to have reached the pinnacle."

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow: "Da Cheng?"

"Yes, someone saw it with their own eyes."

The middle-aged man was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly: "Interesting."

On the stage, a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the garrison commander's office stood up.

His voice was amplified and carried throughout the entire playground.

"Students, I am Zhao Tieshan, the deputy envoy of the Anning City Garrison Command, and the commander-in-chief in charge of this combat assessment."

"The rules for martial arts combat in this city are very simple: hunt down exotic beasts at the Changqing City test site within eight hours."

"The scoring rules are as follows: 1 point for a low-grade first-level product, 3 points for a mid-grade first-level product, 5 points for a high-grade first-level product, 100 points for a low-grade second-level product, 300 points for a mid-grade second-level product, and 500 points for a high-grade second-level product."

"Attacks between candidates are prohibited. Violators will be disqualified and banned from taking the exam for life. If you are in mortal danger, you can crush the SOS talisman and someone will come to your rescue, but the exam will be terminated."

"Now, let's begin the draw."

One thousand three hundred people stepped forward one by one and pulled out a slip of paper from the box.

Song Chen was in the middle of the line. When it was his turn, he reached in, grabbed a card at random, and unfolded it.

"Outskirts of Changqing City, District 7."

The staff member nodded and stamped his hand.

He walked back to the group, and Lin Qingxue came over to look at him: "I'm in the third section."

She said it with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Song Chen looked at her and said, "Do your best on the exam."

"The same to you."

"Now, collect your equipment!" Zhao Tieshan's voice rang out again.

The candidates stepped forward one by one to receive their uniforms and weapons.

The C-level combat suit is gray and has no markings.

C-grade standard combat knife, 3 feet 7 inches long, standard weight.

Everyone, regardless of their strength, wielded the same sword and wore the same clothes.

Song Chen picked up the standard combat knife. The knife was very light, and the blade was not very sharp. It felt light and flimsy in his hand.

He swung it a couple of times to get used to the feel. It was alright, although far inferior to Thunderclap, but sufficient.

Half an hour later, 1,300 examinees were loaded onto 130 armored vehicles and driven towards Changqing City.

Song Chen sat by the window, watching the scenery rushing past outside.

Fields, hills, forests, and then that familiar ruin.

A month ago, he came here for the first time with a Qi and Blood value of 0.6, not even a martial artist.

Now he has returned here, a second-tier martial artist, a B-level superpower, and a master of swordsmanship.

Armored vehicles stopped on the outskirts of Changqing City.

The car door opened, and Song Chen jumped out.

Before me lay a vast, empty wasteland, with collapsed buildings and twisted steel bars in the distance.

The air was filled with a familiar scent: psionic energy, dust, and the stench of alien beasts.

A staff member came over, checked his signature number, and then pointed in a direction.

"Seventh District, follow this road for three kilometers. There will be signs when you get there."

Song Chen nodded and set off.

He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and looked back.

Behind them, countless examinees were getting off armored vehicles and scattering like ants, heading in all directions of Changqing City.

In the distance, the bigwigs on the platform were already seated, their eyes piercing as they watched the ruins that were about to become a battlefield.

Further away, his parents, her parents, and countless other parents stood outside the cordon, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Song Chen withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked towards the Seventh District.

The Thunderclap Blade wasn't at his waist, but he didn't need it; true power never comes from a blade.

Before long, candidates from other cities also arrived.

The practical assessments for the entire Nanjiang Province were all conducted at the Changqing City test center.

Twenty-three thousand seven hundred students from across the province flooded into this abandoned city like a tidal wave.

A black hovercar slowly came to a stop.

The car door opened, and a young man stepped out. He was tall, with a cold and stern face, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.

"Who is that?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Zhou Jin, the eldest son of the Zhou family, has a blood energy value of 21.3 and is said to have awakened a B-level superpower."

"Rank B? Tier 2?"

"Yes. He's a strong contender for the top scorer in this year's college entrance examination."

Zhou Jin scanned the crowd expressionlessly.

Soon, another car stopped.

This time it was a girl, wearing a fiery red combat suit, with long, flowing hair and sharp, piercing eyes.

As she got out of the car, a wave of heat emanated from her, and the people around her instinctively took a step back.

"Fire Phoenix, Zhao Lingxi of the Zhao family. Health value 13.8, fire-type ability B-level, hot-tempered, not to be trifled with."

Soon, a tall, thin boy arrived at the examination hall. He wore glasses and had a refined and scholarly demeanor.

His steps were steady, and the distance of each step was precise.

"Zhou Wenyuan has a Qi and Blood value of 45.2, which is said to be the highest in this competition."

……

One after another, the most outstanding talents from Anning City and the surrounding areas arrived.