During the final two days before his departure, Lin Yuan headed back into the depths of the wilderness, specifically targeting monsters at Tier 1, Level 8 or higher.
It wasn't for the money—he had enough to last him a while—but for ability points.
Over those two days, his lightning ability steadily advanced from Tier 1, Level 7 to its absolute peak, leaving him just one step away from Level 8.
His space-time ability also circulated on its own during combat, quietly breaking through to Tier 1, Level 3.
【Current Status】
【Host: Lin Yuan】
【Weak Spark: E-rank, Tier 1, Level 7 (Peak)】
【Space-Time Ruler: S-rank, Tier 1, Level 3】
【Bone Tempering: 9 rounds (89% progress)】
【Ability Points: 1147】
What level did Tier 1, Level 7 Peak represent among the examinees in Hangzhou?
He didn't know, but judging by the levels of Jiang Ran and the others, Tier 1, Level 4 was already enough to be notable among the local students. If he revealed his true realm, it would likely terrify people.
So, he claimed to be Tier 1, Level 4.
Song Zhiyi glanced at him. Her gaze lingered a bit longer than before, settling on the long spear on his shoulder before she looked away.
“Lightning system!” Jiang Ran’s eyes lit up.
“We’re the same type! And the marks on your spear... holy crap, how many battles has this thing been through? Why is it covered in scratches?”
“I’ve killed a few monsters outside my hometown.”
“A few?” Jiang Ran leaned in to inspect the claw marks and tooth indentations on the shaft. “You call this a few? This spear has been scratched to ribbons!”
Song Zhiyi suddenly spoke up. “Did you practice your spear techniques on your own?”
Lin Yuan looked at her.
“The marks on the spear shaft are all on the front,” she said. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.
“There are almost no marks on the sides. That means you never dodge; you meet the enemy head-on. Schools don't teach habits like that.”
Lin Yuan gave her a second look.
Wind ability users had sharp perception.
She had reached the exact same conclusion as Shen Man through observation alone.
“I practiced on my own,” he admitted.
Song Zhiyi nodded and didn't press further.
The maglev car stopped at the entrance of the West City Combat Base.
When Lin Yuan stepped out, he was stunned once again.
The scale of the combat base was far larger than he had imagined.
It wasn't just a single building, but a massive complex. The main structure was a five-story grayish-white building, its surface covered in some kind of metallic material that shimmered with a cold light under the sun.
Behind the main building was a vast area enclosed by high walls. From the entrance, he couldn't see what was inside, but he could hear the faint sounds of abilities exploding and the roars of monsters.
A long queue stretched out from the base's entrance.
It was filled with teenagers around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing various school uniforms and carrying all sorts of weapons.
The line reached from the entrance all the way to the street corner, consisting of at least four or five hundred people.
Dedicated staff members were maintaining order, using megaphones, though their voices were mostly drowned out by the noisy crowd.
“So many people?” Lin Yuan couldn't help but remark.
“This is just one testing site,” Jiang Ran said, looking like it was perfectly normal.
“Hangzhou has three testing sites, and West City is the largest. There are about three thousand applicants here this year. Nationwide, the total number of applicants for the National Ability User College Entrance Exam is 1.2 million.”
1.2 million.
Lin Yuan fell silent for a second.
1.2 million high school seniors who had awakened abilities were competing for fewer than eight thousand total admission spots across the Four Great Academies.
And that was just for the top four...
It was even more brutal than the college entrance exams of his past life.
“But you don’t need to worry,” Jiang Ran said, patting his shoulder.
“At Tier 1, Level 4, you’re at least in the top hundred among all the examinees in Hangzhou.
In previous years, the average realm at the Hangzhou testing site was Tier 1, Level 2. Those at Tier 1, Level 4 or higher made up less than five percent. Your results are practically guaranteed.”
Lin Yuan nodded, saying nothing.
The four of them joined the back of the line, slowly shuffling forward with the flow of people.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the front of the queue.
Some people stood on their tiptoes to see, while others let out hushed exclamations.
Jiang Ran reacted the fastest, grabbing an examinee running back from the front. “What’s happening? What happened?”
A boy in a Hangzhou No. 1 High School uniform was running back, his face filled with excitement as he gestured to his acquaintances.
“Tier 1, Level 5, A-rank weapon system,” Jiang Ran reported back after gathering intel from the front row.
“He’s from Hangzhou No. 1 High School, named Han Feng. He uses a blade. Apparently, he awakened an A-rank spirit blade called ‘Iron-Cutter.’ Combined with his Tier 1, Level 5 realm, he’s likely in the top three of all Hangzhou examinees.”
“Weapon system?” Lin Yuan asked.
He had looked into this world’s systems. The directions for ability awakening were roughly divided into four major categories.
The element system was the most common, including fire, water, wind, lightning, ice, earth, light, and dark. It accounted for over sixty percent of awakened individuals.
The weapon system was next. They didn't awaken elemental energy, but rather a spirit blade, spear, sword, halberd, axe, or some other spirit weapon bound to themselves.
These spirit weapons would evolve as the master's realm increased, allowing for a unity of person and weapon that produced incredible power.
The summoning, beastification, and special systems were the rarest. The summoning system could call forth contracted creatures from dimensional spaces.
The beastification system allowed users to partially transform into beasts, gaining the power of corresponding monsters. The special system included mental types, space types, and so on...
Among the Four Great Academies, Kyoto and Magic City accepted all types. National Martial Arts favored the weapon system and fortification system, while Shencity took everything but placed more emphasis on practical combat ability.
“Right, weapon system,” Jiang Ran nodded.
“I heard that when he awakened that blade, all the metal objects in the entire awakening room resonated. It was a crazy scene.
Hangzhou No. 1 High School treats him like a treasure. The amount of resources they pour into him isn't much different from what an S-rank gets.”
Lin Yuan nodded.
In his mind, he thought about how Su Qingyue was an S-rank Ice Phoenix at Tier 1, Level 5.
This Han Feng was an A-rank weapon system at Tier 1, Level 5.
Meanwhile, he was an E-rank lightning system at Tier 1, Level 7 Peak, with a Tier 1, Level 3 space-time system.
Combined with Nine Rounds of Bone Tempering and 《Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens》, his true combat strength should allow him to walk over anyone below Tier 2.
However, he didn't say it out loud.
The line continued to move forward.
Jiang Ran continued his non-stop analysis of this year’s Hangzhou rankings, rattling off the top twenty candidates like he knew them personally.
Who was Tier 1, Level 5, who was Tier 1, Level 4 Peak, and who had a unique ability despite a lower realm.
Lin Yuan listened, nodding occasionally, while his mind was on something else.
Magic City Academy’s term started in half a month.
Shen Man had gone to be an exam proctor, and Instructor Zhou Xi wouldn't arrive in Donghai City for another four days. Meanwhile, he was currently in Hangzhou with a four-hour wait for his transfer.
Four hours.
And then he would go to Magic City and just wait for half a month?
He glanced at the long queue at the entrance of the combat base.
The young men and women carried their weapons and wore their school uniforms, their faces showing nerves, excitement, or forced composure.
“Jiang Ran,” Lin Yuan suddenly said.
“Yeah?”
“For the National Ability User College Entrance Exam, can out-of-town candidates register?”
Jiang Ran froze for a moment, then turned his head to look at him. “You’re not here to register?”
“I’m just passing through on a transfer. I didn't plan on taking it, but it looks quite interesting,” Lin Yuan said honestly.
Jiang Ran’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to a complex look that seemed to say, “Are you serious, man?”
Rate on N.U.
