High-Level Martial Era

Li Yuan listened quietly.

The entire video was very long, lasting a full 22 minutes.

"Note, this file is confidential and is for the internal viewing of Jiangbei Martial Arts University only, and must not be leaked." The video ended there.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and silently recalled.

He then clicked to start over, observing again, mostly at a fast-forward pace, but revisiting a few sections several times... until he confirmed he had remembered all the information in the video.

His strong mental power gifted Li Yuan with an exceptional memory.

"Delete source file."

"Delete chat history."

"Delete local network records." Li Yuan performed a three-fold deletion, eradicating the evidence.

Of course, there would certainly be traces left on the virtual network.

But with Li Yuan's novice level, this was all he could manage.

"If someone really wanted to investigate, why even bother with the strict secrecy?" Li Yuan mumbled to himself, "Besides, it's only a secret of Jiangbei Martial University, not a state military secret."

Li Yuan figured that as long as he didn't distribute it himself, even if it was discovered, the impact should not be significant.

"However, it seems somewhat unethical to have watched this video in advance," Li Yuan murmured.

It wasn't as if he had directly copied the answers.

But it was like knowing the scope and types of questions for a test in advance, which would naturally lower the difficulty.

"But, if Lin Lanyue could get her hands on the video, then people like Wu Dongdong could probably do the same," Li Yuan shook his head.

Li Yuan was no moral saint, and this was just a combat assessment, not a university entrance exam.

"Given the current situation, I might as well make good use of this informational advantage."

"I'm not aiming for the top spot, but I'll try to take down a few more Star Realm Creatures and see if I can push my Spiritual Nature to 10% in one go," Li Yuan determined silently.

Exiting the virtual network.

Li Yuan stepped out of the rest area, took out his long spear, and continued his Martial Path training for the day.

...

"Li Yuan, do you ever rest? Training again?"

Gu Qianghan, holding a can of cola, walked out of the therapy room.

He stared at Li Yuan, gobsmacked, "I haven't seen you take a day off in the last four days."

"You're already training at four in the morning."

"You train for another two hours after lunch."

"When you come back in the evening, you train until midnight, can your body handle it?" Gu Qianghan couldn't help but say, "You really are a monster!"

"I don't have high-rank Cultivation Methods, so how can I catch up to others without training?" Li Yuan responded with a smile.

"I'm impressed."

Gu Qianghan gave a thumbs-up, sincerely saying, "In the past, my dad told me that real supreme fighters, like Dongfang Ji, train at least sixteen hours a day."

"I never believed it, thinking it was Dongfang Ji hyping himself up after he became famous," Gu Qianghan said casually.

Li Yuan: "..."

"Having seen you, I believe it now."

"But don't you have any hobbies or fun?" Gu Qianghan looked at Li Yuan, "Training is so tiring, how do you keep it up?"

"Hobbies?" Li Yuan thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Why would training be tiring? Isn't it a joy to watch oneself improve bit by bit?"

"If I really had to say a hobby..." Li Yuan said with a laugh, "training is my hobby."

Perhaps, when Li Yuan first started practicing with the spear and cultivating, it was tedious and painful.

But as time passed, if one couldn't adapt to this lifestyle, if one couldn't find passion in the tedium, then even if one persisted reluctantly, progress would be slow.

Passion is the best teacher.

Nowadays, Li Yuan truly enjoyed the process of gradually becoming stronger through training.

"Training? A hobby?" Gu Qianghan fell silent for a while, then suddenly sighed, "Li Yuan, honestly, you'd be quite suited to being my dad's son."

"My dad would definitely like you."

"How about I introduce you to my dad and make you his godson?" Gu Qianghan seemed somewhat reluctant as he spoke, "I might as well reluctantly take you as my sworn younger brother."

"Come on, call me 'brother' and let me hear it."

"Get lost, brat!"

...

Perhaps influenced by Li Yuan.

Gu Qianghan, who usually trained for only an hour at night, unusually trained for an extra 10 minutes.

...

The next day, to ensure he had plenty of energy for the combat assessment, Li Yuan did not rise early to practice with the spear.

He lay in bed and slept for two hours.

For over a year, this was the first time Li Yuan had laid in bed to sleep, but perhaps because his spirit was too strong, the quality of his sleep was quite average.

"It seems that as my strength grows stronger, there will come a day in the future when even simple sleep may become a luxury," Li Yuan sighed to himself.

... After eating breakfast sometime past six in the morning.

Assemble at seven.

On a playground not far from the War Fortress, over a thousand students gathered.

Dozens of Jiangbei Martial University students, grouped in threes, were gradually checking the identity information of each student.

There were also dozens of Jiangbei Martial University teachers and military base officers standing in the distance.

Professor Ming was there too.

"Very good," the burly man from yesterday, still in blue, said with a cold voice that echoed across the playground, "There are 976 of you willing to participate in the combat assessment. I am proud of your decision."

"What is Martial Path? The Path of Killing! How can one claim to follow the Martial Path without killing?"

"What does the nation train Martial Artists for?" the burly man's voice thundered: "To kill the enemy! To protect the country!"

"If we're to speak grander, Martial Artists are the sharpest blades of human civilization."

"When the Combat Saber is drawn, it's meant to draw blood."

"You are all elite students from the province; from the first year of junior high to senior high, you've practiced for six years, and your strengths have all approached that of an Entry Rank Martial Artist. Some may even be on par with Entry Rank Martial Artists."

The burly man's voice was robust: "I hope that six years of cultivation, numerous simulated battles on the Starry Skies Fighting Network, and countless physical confrontations at school have prepared you well."

"I wish you all, to complete the assessment and come back alive."

"Collect your equipment and depart!"

...

Inside the armory, students collected their equipment in order.

"Li Yuan, this is for you: a full set of First Rank lower-grade body protection clothing, First Rank lower-grade soft armor, First Rank boots, and a helmet." This junior student handed over the protective gear box to Li Yuan: "Try it on to see if it fits. If it doesn't, come back and exchange."

"This is your exclusive positioning ring watch. At the assessment location, your smart ring watch will have no signal."

"The positioning ring watch has few functions, only crucial ones like positioning, calling for help, and monitoring your life signs," the junior student advised, "But its biggest feature is that it's very durable."

"Durable?" Li Yuan was puzzled.

"Unless it's a Second Rank creature's strike, it absolutely won't break," the junior student said with a smile: "You should know, the more precise, the easier it is to damage."

"The simpler it is, sometimes the more durable."

Li Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Produced in Ross Country?"

"Smart, the original is developed by the military of Ross Country! This is our imitation... iterated product; cough, cough, it's cheaper and performs better," the junior student said, grinning.

Li Yuan was speechless, holding the protective gear box and entering the changing room next door.

...

Having changed into his new gear, Li Yuan felt that it fit very well and was comfortable.

The body protection clothing in no way hindered bodily flexibility.

Clearly, with over a hundred years of war as a test, the equipment for Martial Artists had only gotten better.

"First Rank lower-grade body protection clothing is made of materials that are sufficiently strong, flexible, and do not restrict movement," Gu Qianghan, who had also changed, said with a smile while standing to the side: "It can withstand attacks from Level 11 Martial Artists without breaking."

"Like a First Rank medium-grade, it can withstand attacks from Level 15 Martial Artists."

"First Rank upper-grade body protection clothing is enough to withstand attacks from Level 19 Martial Artists," said Gu Qianghan, who knew these details by heart.

Li Yuan listened; he was not very familiar with this Martial Artist equipment, having never considered killing Star Realm Creatures before university.

"However, the body protection clothing has its weaknesses," Gu Qianghan said: "It's durable against tearing and biting, but it isn't hard enough to withstand impact forces well."

"That's why we wear an extra layer of soft armor and helmets," he continued: "It gives extra protection to important organs in the torso and the head without greatly impacting bodily flexibility. When facing Star Realm Creatures with lower levels of civilization, in an equal rank confrontation, we Martial Artists, armed with weapons, have a very large advantage."

Li Yuan nodded slightly; he had seen many documentaries.

Most Star Realm Creatures in various Star Realms had very low levels of civilization.

"It will be different once you become a Prime Warrior," Gu Qianghan said excitedly: "Second Rank Battle Garments, namely the Origin Power Battle Suit, must be activated with Origin Power. They're not only durable but also significantly dampen various impact forces, truly unafraid of heat-based weapons..."

"You know so much," Li Yuan remarked.

"Of course," Gu Qianghan said, more excited: "I'm a military and equipment enthusiast."

Feeling accomplished in his role as 'teacher' to Li Yuan, Gu Qianghan was quite pleased.

"It's just that your strength isn't quite there," Li Yuan said earnestly.

"Damn it!" Gu Qianghan felt depressed: "Weren't we supposed to be brothers?"

...

"Weapons." Li Yuan took his time picking out weapons in the armory.

In the end, he chose a black long spear over two meters, along with a half-meter short sword and a dagger.

Holding the long spear in hand, he placed the dagger at his waist.

The short sword was kept in the weapon pouch strapped to his soft armor.

This was to ensure he had short-range weapons in case he accidentally lost the long spear.

As a Fourth Level expert, even with unfamiliar weapons, he could wield more power than a Third Stage martial artist at the peak of Perfection.

...

Once everything was ready, all the students entered an inconspicuous large building in order.

Following, they went down into the building's basement.

The basement revealed a different world, incredibly spacious—it was a massive underground subway station.

Several fully enclosed trains with their doors wide open had already been waiting for a while.