After bidding farewell to Bai Li and Xiaxia, Lin Yuan dove headlong into the forest, his mind racing as he traveled.
That girl, Bai Li, was indeed quite different from when she was a child.
Back in their first year of high school, she was as thin as a bean sprout, but now...
Lin Yuan quickly snuffed out the thought. Stop it. What are you thinking?
You’re here for an exam, not to think about things like that.
...
The second day of hunting went even smoother than the first.
The reason was simple: Lin Yuan had figured out the layout of this forest.
He already had a route mapped out in his head—which areas spawned which monsters, which paths were shortcuts and which were dead ends, which monsters were too tanky to be worth the effort, and which ones gave high points despite being weak.
He basically stopped touching Tier 1 monsters. Killing ten of them wasn’t as good as killing one Tier 2, so he now focused exclusively on hunting Tier 2 prey.
A Tier 2, Level 2 Green-maned Wolf King, a Tier 2, Level 3 Shadow Leopard, a Tier 2, Level 4 Rock-armored Great Lizard, and a Tier 2, Level 3 Wind-winged Python.
To the examinees on the outskirts, these were things you ran away from immediately upon sighting. To him, they were nothing more than walking bundles of exam credits.
His Ability Points were rising uncontrollably.
【Killed Tier 2, Level 2 monster Green-maned Wolf King, Ability Points +72, Exam Credits +10】
【Killed Tier 2, Level 3 monster Shadow Leopard, Ability Points +90, Exam Credits +12】
【Killed Tier 2, Level 4 monster Rock-armored Great Lizard, Ability Points +110, Exam Credits +14】
【Killed Tier 2, Level 3 monster Wind-winged Python, Ability Points +90, Exam Credits +12】
【Killed Tier 2, Level 4 monster Red-eyed Wolf, Ability Points +115, Exam Credits +14】
...
The tip of Purple Lightning didn't dry from morning until night.
His proficiency with Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens rose steadily through battle after battle.
The defenses of Tier 2 monsters were like iron walls to ability users of the same level, but to him, they were like paper.
It wasn't that the monsters were too weak; it was that his spear was too fast and too precise, striking only at their most vulnerable points.
By evening, his Ability Points balance had skyrocketed from 246 all the way to 2,180.
His proficiency in both Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens and 【Sands of Time】 had seen significant and minor improvements, respectively.
His exam credits had jumped from 286 to... well, he didn't even know how many points he had anymore.
Whenever his source energy was depleted, Lin Yuan would retreat to the outskirts to rest.
It wasn't that he couldn't keep fighting, but taking too many Source Recovery Pills built up a resistance. Shen Man had warned him about this back in Hangzhou.
Source Recovery Pills were great, but five a day was the limit. Taking more would make his source energy core dependent on them, slowing his natural recovery rate in the future.
He didn't want to end up with source energy ED at such a young age.
The outskirts were crowded—very crowded.
Every time he retreated, he saw examinees huddled in groups of three to five at the edge of the safe zone.
Some were cooking over fires, some were bandaging wounds, and others were bragging about how they almost soloed a Tier 2 monster. The listeners looked skeptical, while the storytellers looked guilty.
Lin Yuan found a spot against a tree and pulled some dry rations from his storage bag to chew on.
Suddenly, he heard someone nearby mention his name.
“Has the leaderboard updated? Is that Lin Yuan guy still in first?”
“Duh. Look at his score. Second place is Han Feng with 482 points. First place is Lin Yuan with 712.”
“Holy crap, a 230-point gap? That’s a massive lead.”
“Didn’t they say he’s an F-rank lightning user? An F-rank can get a score like that? You believe that?”
“Like hell I do. I bet he’s cheating.”
“How? The point trackers are issued by the testing center, and the kills are verified by the examiners. Show me how you’d cheat.”
“Well, I don't know. Regardless, an F-rank lightning user shouldn't be able to get that score.”
“He’s just rich. That Tier 2, B-rank spear costs at least a million. Add in eating Source Recovery Pills like candy, and anyone could stack up points like that.”
“Tch, just a pay-to-win player.”
Lin Yuan leaned against the tree with his legs crossed, picking his ear while munching on a compressed biscuit, not saying a word in response.
A pay-to-win player? He almost laughed out loud.
When I was out in the wilderness killing monsters for ten days straight, you lot didn't even know where to go to enjoy yourselves.
It was true he’d spent money on Purple Lightning, but he’d earned that money himself, monster by monster.
The five million Shen Man had advanced him was for his S-rank benefits; it wasn't a handout from the heavens.
However, he didn't say any of this. Even if he did, no one would believe him.
That was just how the world worked—if you were slightly better than someone, they’d be jealous; if you were vastly better, they wouldn't even be able to comprehend you.
And when they couldn't comprehend it? They’d attribute it to cheating, money, or luck.
Anything to avoid admitting they just weren't good enough.
Human nature. Having lived for thirty-six years across two lifetimes, he had seen through it long ago.
As the sun was about to set, Lin Yuan retreated to the outskirts again.
This time, his source energy was truly empty, and he’d hit his daily limit for Source Recovery Pills.
Lin Yuan finished the last bite of his compressed biscuit, took a swig of cold water, and was about to close his eyes for a nap when a sudden spark of inspiration hit him.
Wait.
He sat up straight.
He was first on the leaderboard with over seven hundred points, a massive 230-point gap ahead of second place.
The whole field thought he was just a rich kid with a good weapon; hardly anyone respected him.
What happens when people don't respect you? They want to challenge you. And what happens then?
The rules were stated clearly: if both parties press their combat buttons simultaneously to enter judgement mode, the winner takes thirty percent of the loser's current points.
Thirty percent.
Lin Yuan had over seven hundred points. Thirty percent was over two hundred points.
If someone won once, they’d snatch over two hundred points from him—but that wasn't the point.
The point was that challenges were mutual. He could initiate them, or others could challenge him.
If people came to challenge him and he crushed them, it was perfectly legal. Even the examiners couldn't find fault with it.
So, what if he made everyone who wanted to challenge him pay an entry fee first?
A wide grin slowly spread across Lin Yuan’s face.
“Jie jie jie.”
He slowly stood up and walked toward the busiest clearing in the outskirts.
Dozens of examinees were gathered there, some resting, some exchanging intel, and others bragging. When they saw him approaching, many stopped what they were doing.
Lin Yuan picked the tallest, largest rock, hopped onto it, and cleared his throat.
“Ahem.”
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
“Fellow students, examinees, and all you brothers who find me an eyesore.” He spread his arms wide, a smile on his face that made people want to punch him.
“I know you all think an F-rank lightning user like me doesn't deserve first place.
You think I’m relying on my weapon, on pills, and on luck. It’s fine, I understand.
After all, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be convinced either.”
The examinees below looked at each other, wondering what he was up to.
“Therefore...” Lin Yuan raised his left hand and pointed to the point tracker on his wrist.
He continued, “I’m giving you all a chance. Anyone who wants to challenge me can sign up now.
One-on-one, a fair duel.
And, to put your minds at ease, I won't use my weapon. I’ll fight you all with my bare hands.”
Rate on N.U.
