This monster was as big as a small mountain!
No wonder it rewarded 100 points for a kill.
Li Yang even thought 100 points was too little and suggested the warrior who took it down should get 200 points!
None of the candidates dared approach; only one person charged forward.
Zhong Kun turned pale and muttered, “Is he trying to get killed?”
Indeed, the person challenging the mutated dahlia was Zhong Qian.
Finally, Li Yang got to see the strongest student from the 301st class in Donghua Province.
Zhong Qian was tall, at least 1.85 meters, but not particularly muscular—more lean, with neatly kept black hair and tanned skin.
He wore black combat gear and held a special long sword.
He moved swiftly, dodging the dahlia’s attacks while looking for its weak points.
No wonder he was the top student in Donghua Province. He was indeed exceptional.
Though Zhong Qian hadn’t entered the “Star Seeker” state, his hand-to-hand combat skills were enough to overpower most others.
Physical strength is fixed, but skills are dynamic.
With the same 90 physical strength, the difference was in combat technique.
Li Yang had seen many candidates using swords, but most of them were just showy.
Zhong Qian was different.
His sword was special, probably custom-made by the Zhong family, and his long-term practice showed.
His sword techniques were methodical, with deadly precision.
No wonder he aimed for first place.
He truly had the strength to claim it!
However, this second-tier dahlia was beyond the students’ abilities.
Using the “Starshine” as a reference, one second-tier dahlia was equivalent to five first-tier high-level man-eating flowers and dozens of first-tier low-level mutated plants.
Zhong Qian was strong, but even he would struggle to defeat this second-tier dahlia.
Li Yang had fought man-eating flowers before.
Alone, she couldn’t even defeat them, let alone this dahlia.
Zhong Qian was strong, but without being a Star Seeker, he couldn’t take down this second-tier mutated plant on his own.
Zhong Kun, with his keen eyes, spotted the girl standing carelessly in the crowd.
Lin Zhaoqin was casually sucking on a lollipop, leisurely watching Zhong Qian battle the dahlia.
Zhong Kun: “Lin Zhaoqin! Why aren’t you fighting the second-tier mutated plant?”
Lin Zhaoqin, startled by Zhong Kun’s shout, quickly returned to her lazy attitude and said, “I can’t get first place anyway, so why bother?”
Zhong Kun: “Don’t you want to get second place?”
Lin Zhaoqin grinned and said, “Anyway, I’m not first, so second or third doesn’t matter. Don’t try to provoke me, I won’t help Zhong Qian. Besides, the first-place person hasn’t even stepped in yet. Why should I?”
Zhong Kun tried to provoke her again: “You’re just afraid!”
Lin Zhaoqin: “Yep, I’m scared. If the first-place person is scared, why shouldn’t I be scared?”
Zhong Kun, feeling a bit helpless, realized that since he couldn’t help, he might as well try to persuade Lin Zhaoqin.
She was strong, and if she stepped in, there was a chance that she and Zhong Qian could take down the dahlia.
However, Lin Zhaoqin was too clever.
She was waiting for the first-place hidden expert, Li Yang, to make her move.
If she didn’t, Lin Zhaoqin wouldn’t either.
Let Zhong Qian do the hard work.
After all, this was an exam, and with so many people watching, nothing too serious would happen.
Zhong Kun, realizing he couldn’t provoke Lin Zhaoqin, started looking for Li Yang again.
He shouted, “Li Yang! I know you’re here. Don’t you want to come out and challenge this second-tier mutated plant?”
The students watching laughed, and some recognized Zhong Kun, teasing him, “Kunzi, don’t just shout. Go help your brother.”
Zhong Kun ignored them and continued, “Li Yang! Do you really think you can secure first place? If my brother kills this second-tier mutated plant, you’ll be second!”
Someone interjected, “If I were Li Yang, I wouldn’t step in either. Why help someone else? She might as well go kill some low-level mutated beasts to grab points.”
Zhong Kun responded, “There are no more mutated beasts in Group Six! With only half an hour left, she won’t have time to gather points elsewhere!”
“Then what? If she doesn’t step in, Zhong Qian might not be able to kill the second-tier mutated plant either.”
Zhong Kun raised his voice, “Li Yang, I don’t believe you’re a coward! Are you willing to leave your fate in someone else’s hands? Are you willing to watch this only second-tier mutated plant be killed by someone else? Do you want your hard-earned first place to go to someone else?”
Zhong Kun’s speech was pretty convincing, and his passionate expression stirred people’s emotions.
Li Yang, standing nearby, felt a bit embarrassed.
Zhong Kun kept shouting, “Li Yang! Are you really a coward? Even if you win first place like this, it won’t feel right! This is a once-in-a-lifetime practical exam! Don’t you want to leave behind an indelible regret?”
Zhong Kun continued, “Why did the top three students gather in Group Six before the second-tier mutated plant appeared? Because it was a test aimed at you three! We are future military academy students, the formal army of China. We need to be brave, decisive, and have team spirit!”
After speaking, he turned to Lin Zhao Qin and said, “Countless teachers are watching this scene, and in the future, footage will be spread across all of China! Do you want to embarrass yourselves and…”
Lin Zhao Qin couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, “Zhong Kun, stop with the moral blackmail, I’m not falling for it!”
Zhong Kun’s goal was clear—if the three of them worked together, they had a chance to kill the second-grade Dalihua, and the final blow would determine who gets the 100 points.
Since Zhong Qian had the highest physical strength, Zhong Kun was creating an opportunity for him.
As long as the output was in place, the final strike would most likely be Zhong Qian’s.
However, after calling for so long, Li Yang hadn’t even shown up.
What a dog!
No wonder this godlike person had managed to deplete a non-grade plant.
Zhong Kun’s mind was working fast.
He quickly scanned the crowd, not seeing any familiar faces.
There were plenty of experts in this test, but they were scattered in other remote areas and might not be able to get to Group 6 in time.
Other participants would just get in the way… wait, there was a small expert by his side.
Zhong Kun reluctantly turned to “Fang Chuyun” beside him and said, “Fang, can you go up and help my brother?”
Li Yang: “……”
Zhong Kun lowered his voice and said, “You only need to go up and help with the output. I’ve seen your strength. It’s not worse than Li Yang’s, and with my brother’s distraction, you can withdraw anytime if things go south. I know you don’t care about the 100 points, but after the match… “
He made a gesture, indicating three Star-Attracting Pills.
Li Yang: “Isn’t that inappropriate?”
Zhong Kun replied, “Don’t worry, it’s not against the rules, and it’ll be good for you. You know, there are a lot of teachers watching now. Once you step up, you’ll at least earn some performance points, and maybe after entering the school, famous teachers will fight to mentor you!”
Li Yang was slightly tempted.
She didn’t care about the points and didn’t want famous teachers to fight over her, but Zhong Kun was offering a lot.
Three Star-Attracting Pills were worth 300,000 in the market.
Li Yang weighed it in her mind, then said, “What if I accidentally land the final blow?”
Zhong Kun just thought she was joking.
Come on, how could anyone steal the final blow from Zhong Qian?
Even Li Yang, ranked first on the points board, couldn’t do it.
Zhong Qian’s 93 physical strength was the highest in Donghua Province!
Zhong Kun said, “If you get the final blow, then you earned it, no one can say anything!”
Li Yang: “Don’t be mad at me later.”
Zhong Kun replied, “Why would I be mad? If you go up and help, you’re my iron buddy! No matter what happens, I’ll always have your back.”
Li Yang emphasized again, “Just so you know, I’ll either go up or not. If I do, I’ll give it my all, so…”
Zhong Kun made a serious offer, “Go all out! If you get the final blow, I’ll give you another one!”
Li Yang:
There was no way around it.
Rich people were just too rich, and she was just a regular person who couldn’t resist the temptation.
Li Yang agreed, “Alright.”
She didn’t underestimate the Dalihua, so to be safe, she quickly summoned the system panel and invested a year’s worth of effort into her physical strength.
She didn’t have the techniques like Zhong Qian, so she could only rely on “brute strength.”
System: [You’ve exercised for a year. Due to the limitations of the human body, your physical strength has increased to 93 points.]
Li Yang: “?”
What limitations?
Was it because she hadn’t yet drawn the stars into her body?
Li Yang didn’t think it was a bad thing.
Although gaining 3 points in a year seemed slow, it reassured her.
At least she wasn’t one of those “freaks” with 100 physical strength before drawing the stars into her body.
Li Yang decided to invest another year.
System: [You’ve exercised for a year and reached the human limit. Your physical strength has increased to 95 points.]
At the same time, a note appeared: [Physical strength can’t be increased further. Please draw the stars into your body as soon as possible.]
Oh, the system knows about drawing stars into the body!
But Li Yang didn’t have time to research this now.
She drew out the axe from her waist and focused on the dense starlight, then leaped into the battlefield.
The others hadn’t noticed what Zhong Kun and Li Yang had been talking about.
They only saw a tall, slender girl charging at the second-grade Dalihua, raising an axe to strike it hard.
“Who is that?”
“Is that Li Yang?!”
“Of course, who else would be interested in this second-grade exotic plant?”
“She’s really tough. She came up to steal points.”
Zhong Kun had been right.
Time was running out, and all of Group 6’s first-grade creatures had been cleared.
Even if Li Yang went to kill a non-grade exotic plant, it would be hard to find, so it was better to come up and chop this second-grade exotic plant!
“Exciting! Zhong Qian also saw her. His attacks got fiercer, and wow, he unleashed over 200 damage!”
The surrounding students were buzzing, and Lin Zhao Qin raised an eyebrow, turning to Zhong Kun and asking, “Who is she?”
Zhong Kun naturally heard the crowd’s commotion.
He raised his head and said, “Li Yang!”
Yes, he let Lin Zhao Qin think that Fang Chuyun was Li Yang, so she would also join in and fight the exotic plants.
Zhong Kun glanced at her mockingly, “Li Yang’s up, what about you?”
Lin Zhao Qin furrowed her brows, “Is she really Li Yang? Didn’t you two come together? If you knew she was Li Yang, why were you yelling like that…”
Clearly, Lin Zhao Qin was hard to fool.
She was sharp and sensed that something was off.
Zhong Kun said, “I didn’t ask her name earlier. After calling for a while, she tugged on my sleeve and whispered that she’s Li Yang.”
Lin Zhao Qin:
Zhong Kun deliberately added, “Alright, I know you’re timid, but this is the battlefield for first and second place. As for you, third…”
Finally, Zhong Kun’s provocation worked.
Lin Zhao Qin threw away her lollipop and grabbed her family’s sword, stepping onto the field.
The students gasped again, “Wow! Lin Zhao Qin is going up too!”
“That’s the Lin family sword! So imposing!”
“Now the output’s enough. I wonder who will get the final blow.”
“Li Yang, go for it! If you get the 100 points, you’ll be the undisputed number one in Donghua Province!”
“Zhong Qian, go! You’re the top scholar in Donghua Province!”
“Lin Zhao Qin, go! If you get the 100 points, you… well, you’ll surpass Zhong Qian!”
Zhong Qian and Lin Zhao Qin were both famous in Donghua Province.
The former was from the Zhong family, and the latter was from the prominent Lin family branch.
Though neither had become Star Executors yet, they had both been trained from a young age and were skilled in swordplay and knife techniques.
Physical strength represented destructive power.
Zhong Qian and Lin Zhao Qin had 93 and 91 points of physical strength, respectively.
Combined with their techniques, they often dealt at least 200 points of damage.
For students who hadn’t drawn the stars into their bodies, they were truly top-tier.
In comparison, Li Yang didn’t have much technique, but she brought a visual shock to countless students.
Her body was actually lean and slender, but because she wore a relatively loose yellow city uniform, she looked somewhat thin and baggy.
But despite this, she wielded a large iron axe with both hands, swinging it with great force and dominance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She struck the same spot on the Dalihua three times, clearly angering it.
A roar sounded, and one of the Dalihua’s heads rushed toward Li Yang, its dense petals like sharp swords stabbing at her.
Li Yang was prepared.
Her high mental strength played a crucial role, allowing her to keenly sense the starlight’s movement.
She jumped ahead of time, avoiding the Dalihua’s attacking head.
“Impressive!”
“No wonder she’s number one on the leaderboard. Li Yang is really something!”
Seeing this, Zhong Kun was also a little surprised – this Fang student really had hidden skills.
Zhong Qian and Lin Zhao Qin were both stimulated by the fight, not willing to lose, and each attacked the Dalihua’s body or its other head.
The three of them fought fiercely with the Dalihua, stirring the crowd of students into a frenzy.
Who would get the 100 points?
Who was the true number one in Donghua Province?
Li Yang was fully focused on the battle.
She hadn’t underestimated the second-grade Dalihua.
As she had told Zhong Kun, if she went up, she would give it her all.
Everything around her disappeared.
The only thing in her eyes was the dense starlight.
The starlight wasn’t fixed but kept shifting.
She couldn’t see it clearly but could only make out some major trends.
Slowly, Li Yang detected a pattern.
The concentration of starlight meant the Dalihua was charging up, and its main attacks were the “Thousand Sword Piercing” from its two heads and the crashing attack from its two vines.
The Dalihua’s trunk, rooted in the ground, was exceptionally tough.
It would need defense value at least equal to that of a four-leaf clover.
How to kill it?
Li Yang suddenly narrowed her eyes and said, “Be careful of its trunk!”
Zhong Qian was nearby and quickly glanced at her.
Lin Zhao Qin also heard but didn’t detect any anomalies.
Whoosh!
The Dalihua’s trunk suddenly surged upward, releasing toxic fog in all directions.
Lin Zhao Qin quickly held her breath, and Zhong Qian retreated.
Li Yang had already moved to another side, avoiding the toxic fog attack.
Lin Zhao Qin quickly arrived beside Li Yang and asked, “What’s your mental strength?”
Li Yang:
Lin Zhao Qin then urgently added, “You can see its ‘weakness,’ right? You guide us!”
But before Li Yang could speak, Zhong Qian already attacked a spot where the Dalihua’s starlight had shifted, exposing a “weakness.”
Li Yang could tell Zhong Qian’s mental strength was also high, but Lin Zhao Qin seemed to be at odds with him and didn’t want to follow his command.
Lin Zhao Qin urged her again, “Hurry!”
Li Yang didn’t waste time and said, “Follow me.”
Lin Zhao Qin: “Ah… you can’t do mental resonance… Fine, fine…”
Li Yang swung her axe toward the Dalihua’s “weakness.”
Lin Zhao Qin was quick, and her strike was precise and forceful.
With a clang, her blade hit the same spot as Li Yang’s axe.
A piercing scream sounded, and the Dalihua was severely injured.
Lin Zhao Qin said, “Feels good. The ‘weakness’ really works!”
Meanwhile, Zhong Qian leaped up and aimed for the Dalihua’s head.
Li Yang squinted and said, “The other head…”
Lin Zhao Qin: “Got it!” She quickly advanced, though Li Yang was a little slower. But both of them struck at the same time and managed to chop off one of the Dalihua’s heads.
Zhong Qian landed swiftly and drove his sword into the Dalihua’s trunk.
Li Yang also focused her gaze.
She discovered two more weaknesses.
Because she couldn’t pinpoint the weaknesses on the trunk, she pointed out the Dalihua’s head for Lin Zhao Qin to strike, while Zhong Qian attacked the second “weakness” in the trunk.
Li Yang raised her axe again, saying, “The back of the head!”
Lin Zhao Qin rushed to strike the third “weakness.”
Meanwhile, in the control room, the examiners were also watching intently.
Although Star Executors no longer needed to fight in such a primitive way, watching the young students go head-to-head like this still had an impact.
“These three kids have a bright future!”
“Though I don’t know who will get the final blow.”
“We’ll need a detailed analysis.”
The three of them hit the Dalihua’s “weakness” simultaneously, and it seemed like they killed the second-grade exotic plant at the same time.
But with professional analysis, they could determine who dealt more damage.
The final blow’s damage would decide who got the 100 points.
In the examiners’ minds, the outcome was clear.
It all came down to physical strength.
Zhong Qian’s 93 physical strength gave him a huge advantage.
The three of them delivered the same attack on the weakness, with three times the damage, but Zhong Qian’s 93 points clearly outshone Lin Zhao Qin’s 90.
Looking at it this way, the provincial top scholar would still be Zhong Qian.
The examiners felt a bit regretful inside.
Li Yang, this dark horse, truly had the potential to be the top scholar.
Unfortunately, she was just one step behind and missed out on first place.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.