Translator: CinderTL
In the dimly lit streets, waves of shadows surged relentlessly.
Thwack! Thwack!
Jiang Ye's expression was icy as he wielded a golden dagger, stellar energy surging from within him as he slashed fiercely.
"Kill!" he roared, his voice low and guttural. Dark blood splattered, staining his face, yet only accentuating his rugged determination.
Was he tired?
Undoubtedly, yes!
Jiang Ye wasn't made of iron. After six hours of continuous combat, and without having achieved his first breakthrough, he was far more exhausted than the others.
But he understood his position perfectly.
"Compared to the others, I have no inherent advantage in strength."
"My edge lies in my Martial Dao Will."
"Only by persevering—by making the examiners see my resolve—can I increase my chances of passing the Reserve Star Professional Assessment."
Jiang Ye glanced upward.
Above the market square, several military drones hovered, recording every moment without pause.
Clearly, the Unified Examination Bureau was monitoring all sectors in real-time.
Jiang Ye had no idea how the final rankings would be determined.
Without a doubt, those who performed best in this slaughter would attract attention.
"I don't know any sword techniques," Jiang Ye thought, "I can only swing wildly."
"But if I integrate boxing techniques into my swordsmanship, could I unleash even greater power?"
Suddenly, a conjecture flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.
However, he had no time to test it now.
"Die!"
Jiang Ye thrust his sword forward with savage force. A faint sonic boom echoed through the air as golden light pierced through the body of a Shadow Clan warrior.
"Roar~!"
The Shadow Clan warrior roared in agony before collapsing slowly.
From all directions, more Shadow Clan warriors surged toward him.
Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged as he plunged into the tide of shadows.
At that moment, a massive shadow silently merged into the swarm, its presence unnoticed.
Whoosh! It rapidly closed in on Jiang Ye.
In the blink of an eye, it appeared behind him.
Whoosh!
The shadow suddenly reared up, revealing a towering Shadow Clan warrior nearly three meters tall!
A Shadow Clan warrior of such size meant it was nearing the strength of a first breakthrough!
Silent as death yet swift as lightning, it lunged at Jiang Ye's back with lethal intent.
"Country bumpkin!" The Cat-Eared Girl's expression shifted as she shouted at Jiang Ye from nearby, "Watch out behind you!"
Though she looked down on the two hicks from Ancheng, her instincts kicked in at the critical moment, and she couldn't help but warn him.
Whoosh!
To her astonishment, Jiang Ye moved even faster than the nearly three-meter-tall Shadow Clan warrior!
Whoosh! With a graceful flip, agile as a startled dragon, Jiang Ye dodged the lethal strike.
Then, gripping his blade in a reverse grip, he slashed a blinding golden arc through the darkness, striking the Shadow Clan warrior with the force of a thunderbolt.
[Tilting at Windmills: When facing an opponent with a higher cultivation realm, there is a chance to increase damage by 100% and inflict a continuous bleeding effect.]
100% critical damage!
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed through the air.
The blade flashed like lightning, piercing through the Shadow Clan warrior!
Aowww! The nearly three-meter-tall Shadow Clan warrior roared in agony.
A gaping, twenty-centimeter-wide bloody hole had been torn through its chest!
Pitch-black blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound.
[Sustained Bleeding Effect]
This effect was clearly more than just bleeding; it continuously tore at the wound.
"Awwoo!" The Shadow Clan creature howled in agony.
"Die!"
Jiang Ye's eyes turned icy as his golden dagger flashed like lightning, stabbing over a dozen times in rapid succession through the darkness.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Under the barrage of heavy blows, even the nearly three-meter-tall Shadow Clan creature, with its formidable vitality, couldn't withstand the assault.
Thud!
The massive corpse collapsed, dissolving into shadow and vanishing.
"Kill!"
Without pausing, Jiang Ye charged toward his next target.
"This guy!"
The Cat-Eared Girl's heart pounded. That was a Shadow Clan creature nearing its first breakthrough! Even she might not have reacted in time to such a surprise attack from behind. Yet Jiang Ye had slain it so effortlessly?
"His combat skills are incredible," Song Wanbai, the girl in white, said, equally astonished. "He's not much weaker than someone nearing their first breakthrough."
"Could he really be from a backwater like Ancheng?"
The other two girls shared their disbelief.
Nearby, Lin Yushu grinned, "So you all looked down on Ancheng? Now you're stunned by Brother Jiang's strength, aren't you!"
He roared with laughter, brandishing his cleaver as he charged into the Shadow Clan horde.
"Brother Jiang, I'm coming to help you!"
Unified Examination Bureau Headquarters
High-Level Conference Room
At the front of the room, an enormous screen displayed real-time projections from over a hundred Stellar Void Passage zones.
The high-ranking officials in the conference room watched intently, their eyes glued to the screen.
"It seems Qingyang High School will once again monopolize the Reserve Star Practitioner slots," a silver-haired middle-aged man at the head of the table said with a shake of his head and a wry smile.
The others around the table nodded in agreement.
"Six hours into the assessment, Su Tong'er and Wan Yaoyang from Qingyang High School have shown the most outstanding performances among the thousand participants."
"The students from the other high schools are clearly a step behind."
No one was surprised.
Qingyang High School, as the best school in Qingyang City, ranked among the top five in West Mountain Province, though it couldn't compare to Yuncheng Middle School in the provincial capital.
The participants in this assessment were all from schools in the Qingyang City area.
Naturally, no one could compete with the Qingyang Academy students.
"Ye Xiuluo from Qingyang University is also showing remarkable promise," someone remarked.
The silver-haired middle-aged man shook his head. "A pity he's already a university student."
"Director Li," Tang Huochang suddenly murmured from beside him, "I've discovered a promising candidate from another city."
"Oh?" Director Li's eyes widened with curiosity. "Who is it?"
"Jiang Ye." Tang Huochang pointed to Zone 21. "From Ancheng Third High School."
"Ancheng?" A flicker of doubt crossed Director Li's face. In his memory, even Ancheng's best high school didn't rank among the province's top fifty.
Ancheng Third High School? He had no recollection of it whatsoever.
However, as he watched Jiang Ye's combat footage on the projection, he nodded slightly. "Decisive strikes, excellent practical combat skills."
"Hmm?" Suddenly, a strange expression appeared on his face. "Jiang Ye's combat power is remarkably unstable. One moment he's nearing the first breakthrough, the next he's far below it."
As the director of the Unified Examination Bureau, Director Li possessed a keen eye. He could instantly assess Jiang Ye's destructive potential.
At that moment, Tang Huochang handed over a file.
"Director Li, this is Jiang Ye's information," she reported. "Currently, he hasn't reached his first breakthrough and has only undergone cosmic tempering once."
This information wasn't what Jiang Ye had submitted himself. Instead, Tang Huochang had obtained it through Zhang Jianwu, meaning no one else in the room had access to it.
"Oh?" Director Li glanced at the file, a glint flashing in his eyes. "Primitive innate talent? Martial Bone Awakening?"
A flicker of confusion crossed his face.
While Martial Bone Awakening might be a niche term to most, with few understanding its true significance, Director Li was acutely aware of its rarity and value.
Typically, only those with innate talent at the dao bone level or higher could achieve Martial Bone Awakening.
Primitive innate talent with Martial Bone Awakening? Unheard of.
Yet Jiang Ye's demonstrated combat prowess certainly suggested Martial Bone Awakening.
"This Jiang Ye is quite the talent," Director Li murmured, nodding slightly. He smiled. "Tang Huochang, you're remarkably diligent. Discovering such a promising candidate so quickly is impressive."
Among the many people at the conference table, Tang Huochang was the first to recognize Jiang Ye's exceptional qualities. This alone was proof of her keen judgment.
Tang Huochang secretly rejoiced, but her expression remained composed as she replied with a smile, "After working under Director Li for so many years, I've learned from the best."
"Ah, learning from me requires more than just observation—it demands the ability to execute," Director Li chuckled.
Director Li waved his hand, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.
He continued, "Keep a close eye on Jiang Ye. If he maintains this performance, prioritize his admission."
"Yes, sir."
Time flew by like an arrow.
In the hundred-plus Stellar Void Passage zones across Qingyang City, the slaughter continued unabated.
The Shadow Clan poured forth from the Stellar Void Passages in endless waves, seemingly inexhaustible.
Amidst the relentless carnage, many examinees began to falter, their stamina failing. They were forced to withdraw from the passages to catch their breath.
Yet in Zone 21, not a single examinee had retreated.
Twelve hours had already passed.
"Brother Jiang, why won't you stop?!" Lin Yushu thought bitterly, gritting his teeth as he watched Jiang Ye.
He had wanted to rest long ago.
But how could he possibly stop when Jiang Ye, who hadn't even achieved his first breakthrough, showed no signs of slowing down?
The other four female examinees were equally stubborn, their faces set with determination as they refused to yield.
"Hold on!"
"Keep going!"
Unbeknownst to them, Jiang Ye himself was teetering on the brink of exhaustion.
After twelve hours of relentless combat, his body was nearing its limit.
But just as his energy was about to give out, a notification flashed across his vision:
[You have unlocked a new achievement: The More You Fight, the Stronger You Become!]
(End of the Chapter)
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