91: A chance encounter in the woods—Shen Mengxuan!
Fourth Limit Break for a Martial Artist.
It wasn't that easy.
He entered the Ancient God Forest alone, wanting to find some Exotic Beasts to duel one-on-one, using them to enter his limit state.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Too weak."
Beast after beast was sent flying. At this moment, Gu Chen was like a thunderous Tyrannosaurus, galloping through the Ancient God Forest. These Exotic Beasts, comparable to the Third Limit Break or even the Fourth Limit Break, were basically no match for him in a single exchange.
Gu Chen's current strength was simply too formidable.
Every inch of his skin emitted a faint light of the Divine Rainbow.
It complemented the golden sunlight filtering down, making him appear extraordinary and divine.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, Exotic Beasts were flipped into the air by Gu Chen; by the time they hit the ground, they had already breathed their last.
"A Divine Strength Level Exotic Beast with very strong blood qi. It should be equivalent to a Martial Artist who entered Divine Strength after a Third Limit Break. Such a beast can be considered elite combat power." A look of anticipation flashed in Gu Chen's eyes.
Boom!
"Damn! So weak?"
Gu Chen unleashed his Divine Thunder Force, and the Exotic Beast's body was instantly torn apart by the biting lightning, which left Gu Chen feeling a bit depressed.
"Let's keep looking."
Gu Chen killed these Exotic Beasts with his full strength because he was looking for ones that could pose a threat and help him enter a limit state. Thus, he didn't leave their corpses intact. Besides, Gu Chen's need for money was no longer that great.
After all, he had twenty million on hand.
After going to the Martial Combat Gene Academy, he would have ten million in cultivation funds every year, so Gu Chen didn't need to worry too much about money... "Look at the tracks along this path. So many Exotic Beasts, most of them above the level of a third blood qi limit break, yet they were all killed cleanly and efficiently—almost all one-hit kills. Looking at the wounds, they should be marks left by a Martial Artist. Look, this should be a puncture wound from a spear."
"Our original plan was to follow this path into the heart of the northwest corner of the Ancient God Forest. This journey should have been fraught with danger, but unexpectedly, someone cleared this entire route for us in advance. This is simply unbelievable."
"Who did this? Could it be that a high-level Divine Strength Martial Artist entered the Ancient God Forest to do a mission at the same time as us?"
At this moment, a group in the forest was plunged into shock as they looked at the traces left by Gu Chen along the way.
In their view.
Someone who could sweep through a path in the Ancient God Forest with such overwhelming force was definitely no ordinary person.
This group was also composed of Divine Strength Level Martial Artists.
They continued forward in a somewhat somber atmosphere. Since they didn't know who was clearing the path ahead, they were still a bit worried.
When people are under considerable pressure, they can't help but want to discuss things to relieve the tension.
"I heard that the generation selected in this year's Martial Arts Examination is claimed to be the strongest in the history of the Xia Kingdom. What do you think?"
"Heh, supposedly they're going to push us old-timers aside. Due to the current situation, the Gene Academy's semester will start very soon. I want to see what's so special about this generation of freshmen. Do they really have three heads and six arms?"
At the mention of this, the group became somewhat indignant.
They were also students of the Gene Academy.
They were about to start their second year.
There were no such claims about their generation last year.
Now everyone was saying that this year's freshmen were the strongest generation in the history of the Xia Kingdom!
"But that top scholar of the martial arts examination is still worth noting. News says he joined the Martial Combat Gene Academy, so he'll be our junior soon. I watched some of the broadcast of his fight; even though it was blurry and specially processed, he's still a monster."
"By the way, what was that top scholar's name? It sounds familiar."
"His name is Gu Chen."
"Ah right, Gu Chen. Mengxuan, could it be the same Gu Chen who rejected your Poverty Alleviation Plan back then?" At this moment, everyone suddenly looked at the figure who had been silent all along. She was still as bright and moving as ever, with long flowing hair—a standard campus goddess.
"Probably not. There are so many people with the same name in the Xia Kingdom," someone nearby whispered.
However, someone shook their head with a bitter smile. "Don't be so sure. They say this top scholar of the martial arts examination is from No. 13 Middle School, the very same impoverished high school Sister Mengxuan went to."
"Ah?"
Everyone looked at Shen Mengxuan.
Shen Mengxuan's expression became complicated at the mention of this. She probably hadn't expected that the student from No. 13 Middle School would suddenly transform into the top scholar of the martial arts examination who was now famous throughout the Xia Kingdom.
Back then, she was certain that the proud boy wouldn't amount to much.
Giving up the Poverty Alleviation Plan for the sake of pride.
And now.
The facts were the most powerful response.
The three Martial Arts Examinees from her Poverty Alleviation Plan were at the bottom of the rankings in their war zones.
If it weren't for the Internal Support Plan, they probably wouldn't even have made it into a Gene Academy.
Meanwhile, Gu Chen had already joined the supreme academy in the Imperial Capital.
Actually.
She and Gu Chen had only met once.
So whatever happened had nothing to do with her.
They were just chance acquaintances.
But she still felt a persistent sense of shame and unease.
To think the top scholar of the martial arts examination could have been her cannon fodder.
If Gu Chen appeared before her, she would surely be so ashamed that she'd want to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
And just then.
"Look! There's a figure ahead!"
Amidst the dense trees, the screams of Exotic Beasts echoed from ahead.
Faintly, there were flashes of intense lightning.
"So young!"
"Hiss, is he a Gene Warrior? Such terrifying thunder power! A Second-tier Divine Strength Level Exotic Beast is being ruthlessly ravaged by him? That beast should have broken through after its first limit break, but for a Second-tier Divine Strength beast to be ravaged like this is just too exaggerated, isn't it?"
"To think the one who helped us clear all the obstacles along the way is actually a Young Man even younger than us?"
"At his age, could he be one of this year's Martial Arts Examinees?"
At this moment, Shen Mengxuan was dazed for a second.
Looking at that figure.
Although his temperament had undergone a world-shaking change since she last saw him, she could still recognize him.
He was Gu Chen!
They had just mentioned Gu Chen.
And now they've run into him?
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Shen Mengxuan was, after all, a fifth-tier Divine Strength Martial Artist who had broken through into Divine Strength from a Third Limit Break state. Her strength was extraordinary, yet now she felt an inexplicable urge to curl her toes in embarrassment.
"His change is so great. After the Third Limit Break, he's almost touching the boundary of the Fourth Limit Break..." Shen Mengxuan murmured to herself. Her eyes wavered, and her heart was far from calm. Going to No. 13 Middle School to select the three subjects for the Poverty Alleviation Plan felt like it was only yesterday.
But the Young Man who had rejected her.
Had already become the top Genius in the Xia Kingdom.