3: Chapter 3

3

***

Whoosh—!

A dark shadow shot out from the nearby bushes, lunging directly for the back of Jiang Haojie's neck.

He stepped out with an erratic footwork almost by instinct. The dark shadow grazed the corner of his clothes and landed several steps ahead before it managed to halt its momentum.

Jiang Haojie turned around and finally saw the attacker clearly: a zero-order monster the size of a medium-sized dog, a Cat Demon.

No wonder its speed was so ghostly and swift; he hadn't even been able to capture its silhouette just now.

If he hadn't reacted in time, he would likely be heavily injured by now.

"Meow—!"

The Cat Demon's back arched high, its fur standing on end, its amber vertical pupils locked onto Jiang Haojie.

The next second, it launched itself again, so fast that it left behind a trail of afterimages.

Just in time.

Jiang Haojie's gaze sharpened.

He sidestepped, brushing past the afterimage while charging power in his right fist, then suddenly punched out—

With this punch, he wanted to test the true power...

...of the so-called "Critical Hit."

The Cat Demon moved so fast it was nothing but a blur.

Before Jiang Haojie's fist could land, it had already leaped away lightly, without even touching a corner of its fur.

Jiang Haojie's footwork shifted rapidly, his body drifting forward like willow catkins in the wind, barely managing to stay on that swift shadow. He threw another punch straight at the Cat Demon's neck.

"Meow—!"

A piercing cry sliced through the air.

The moment the Cat Demon twisted its body to dodge, its sharp claws had already swung back in a counterattack.

Jiang Haojie retreated quickly, his eyes locked onto the leaping dark shadow. His breathing gradually became slow and heavy as offense and defense alternated.

The struggle lasted for an unknown amount of time until, finally, a tiny flaw appeared—as the Cat Demon turned in mid-air, its back was exposed defenselessly for a split second.

Now.

Jiang Haojie's figure suddenly flickered behind it. His fist struck out, and the dormant power within his body surged forth.

The Cat Demon didn't even have time to turn its head.

The punch landed.

There was no dull thud of impact, only a soft 'pfft' sound, like a ripe fruit bursting open.

The body suddenly bloomed in mid-air, turning into a crimson mist that slowly dispersed.

Jiang Haojie retracted his fist in a daze. On his student ID, a faint light showing "×2" quietly emerged.

He blinked, his heart pounding in his chest with delayed realization.

He had read the description of the talent "Critical Hit" many times...

...but he never imagined that the "strength" described in the text...

...would be such a... devastating manifestation.

This power made his spine tingle.

...

The sound of wind breaking followed immediately after.

Jiang Haojie had just defeated a zero-order monster. Before he could catch his breath, several strands of sticky silver silk came flying at his face.

He pushed off the ground, his body sliding away like a fish. The attacks missed one after another, corroding the ground with sizzling scorch marks.

After several shifts and turns, the flow of Lingbo Microsteps had become almost instinctive.

He looked up. In the darkness ahead, a pitch-black spider the size of a millstone was resting quietly in the center of its web, its eight compound eyes coldly locked onto him.

A Rank One monster, the Giant Wolf Spider.

"Encountering a Rank One so soon..." A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Haojie's mouth.

He could still deal with zero-order, but Rank One was a completely different realm.

He had no chance of winning—at least, not through conventional means.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the urge to retreat and confronted those cold compound eyes.

Chiss!

The wolf spider raised its abdomen, and another cluster of spider silk shot forth.

Jiang Haojie used his footwork to dodge quickly while trying to close the distance.

The only chance for victory might be the instantaneous burst of a "Critical Hit."

But the wolf spider seemed to have seen through his intentions. Its eight legs scurried rapidly, and its massive body moved as fast as the wind, continuously spraying spider silk from its mouth.

Holes were constantly being corroded into the ground, with sizzling white smoke rising up.

Even with Jiang Haojie pushing Lingbo Microsteps to its limit, he could only barely keep pace with the wolf spider's speed.

He couldn't catch up, let alone touch its body to trigger a Critical Hit.

He suddenly stopped.

Chasing like this was just a waste of energy.

Seeing him stop, the wolf spider also went still. Its abdomen pulsed again as it prepared a new round of attacks.

Jiang Haojie's figure was like the wind, weaving through the dense spider webs and sharp claw strikes.

Every dodge was incredibly close. The opponent's offensive was relentless, leaving him almost no opening to counterattack.

Since he couldn't reach that massive creature through conventional means, he had to find another way.

A thought flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

Critical Hit... If that talent could increase the power of any of his attacks tenfold, could it also work on martial arts that didn't directly cause damage? Although Lingbo Microsteps primarily focused on dodging and moving, its essence was still an exquisite circulation of martial power.

The thought made his heart skip a beat.

There was no time for hesitation.

His footwork suddenly changed, and the profound steps unfolded once more. At the same time, the unique power belonging to "Critical Hit" was quietly triggered...

...and poured into the meridians of his legs.

The hideous Giant Wolf Spider watched the approaching human figure in its compound eyes but didn't pay it much mind.

Although that strange footwork had made him difficult to catch before, his speed was only on par with its own. It wouldn't be hard to shake him off.

Just as the thought of contempt emerged—

A sudden change occurred!

Jiang Haojie's figure suddenly blurred, and his speed increased by more than a level in an instant, as if breaking through some invisible shackle, turning into a true afterimage.

Before the wolf spider could even adjust the focus of its compound eyes, that figure had ghosted to its side. Immediately after, a fist wind condensed with terrifying power slammed heavily into its hard carapace.

This strike also carried the immense force of a "Critical Hit."

Boom!

The dull sound of the carapace shattering wasn't a crisp crack, but a heavy explosion.

The wolf spider's massive body exploded at the impact, with greenish fluids and severed limbs flying in all directions.

Almost simultaneously, the surface of the student ID Jiang Haojie was wearing shimmered with light, and a clear "×5" mark appeared.

Feeling the surging power that had yet to settle within him, a flicker of heat passed through Jiang Haojie's eyes.

With this talent at his side, who among those of the same rank could be his match? He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and prepared to go deeper into this trial ground.

At that moment, in the unique "System Space" deep within his consciousness, an item appeared out of thin air.

It was a mask with a soft silver-white luster. The design was simple, with a sharp-lined spider pattern engraved on the front, looking lifelike.

At the same time, a piece of information naturally surfaced in his perception:

[Wolf Spider Mask]

Rating: F (System Produced)

Trait: The wearer can always keep their face clean and fresh. No usage restrictions. Transferable.

Note: Weapons of this series have a chance to be generated only after the host successfully kills a Rank One or higher monster.

All system weapons are bound by the core protocol; the host can completely destroy them with a single thought.]

Jiang Haojie was slightly stunned.

The Martial God System... actually has this kind of ability? Doesn't this mean that, to some extent, I also have a way to create exclusive weapons similar to an "Enhancer"?

His original plan to accumulate resources and later ask an Enhancer master to custom-forge a weapon for him seemed like it could be put aside.

An uncontrollable smile spread across his face but was quickly retracted.

Destined by heaven? Perhaps it was too early to say, but this was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

With a thought, the silver-white mask appeared in his hand.

It felt cool to the touch. The texture was neither metal nor leather, yet it was exceptionally flexible.

He placed the mask over his face, and the edges automatically conformed to his facial contours, fitting perfectly.

A continuous sensation of gentle coolness came through. It was extremely comfortable, with no feeling of stuffiness or foreignness, as if it were a part of his skin.

Even with vigorous movement, there was no need to worry about it falling off.

Jiang Haojie was quite satisfied with this.

Although this mask had no offensive or defensive capabilities, it perfectly concealed his appearance. In situations where he needed to hide his identity, it could be called a divine tool.

He looked toward the depths of the dark forest, his gaze under the mask as sharp as a knife.

Well then, let the monsters here verify what kind of path this so-called "System"...

...can pave for me.

His pace quietly quickened.

***

(Continuing from above)

Dragon City, a conference room in a key high school.

A massive circular light screen floated in mid-air, scrolling in real-time with key data and ranking snippets of the students participating in this year's practical assessment, though more detailed information was encrypted.

Several school leaders and senior teachers sat around, the atmosphere serious yet filled with expectation.

"The prospects of this batch are indeed better than in previous years."

A white-haired vice-principal pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over several flashing names on the light screen. "There are a few children whose potential is quite startling.

I wonder who will be the first to complete all the assessment objectives."

A capable-looking middle-aged woman next to him added, "In previous years, we wouldn't have dared to hope, but this year... there might actually be a chance to win a top scorer spot in the college entrance examination for our school and for Dragon City.

It all depends on whether they can seize the opportunities and withstand the pressure in the coming time."

Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly, their gazes refocusing on the light screen, waiting for more information to be decrypted and for those young figures to create possible history.

On the high platform, the school leaders waited for the final news.

The internal situation of the secret realm for the national unified assessment could not be observed from the outside; they could only wait here for the results to be revealed.

At this moment, the tension in these teachers' hearts was perhaps even greater than that of the youths in the exam hall.

A gentle-looking male teacher was the first to speak: "In my opinion, Bai Yang has a great chance of winning.

He is exceptionally talented. Not only did he awaken with an S-rank rating, but he also has a highly offensive fire-type ability. His performance in this graduation trial should be outstanding."

He had originally been quite critical of Bai Yang's unruly nature, but after seeing the soaring flames at the awakening ceremony that day, all his prejudices had vanished.

Before his voice had even faded, the middle-aged woman in the adjacent seat softly countered: "It might not just be Bai Yang.

Su Qingxue from my class, although she Awakened a support-oriented wood-type spiritual energy, her talent is SS-rank. Her potential is by no means inferior."

A teacher on the other side also joined the discussion: "Xu Qing is also not to be underestimated.

Although her talent is A-rank, her ability 'Three-Clawed Ice Dragon Incarnation' is enough to rival an ordinary S-rank Awakened."

"Have you all forgotten Yan Chun from my class?"

A burly teacher laughed and said, "A Diamond Body paired with S-rank talent won't necessarily fall behind in actual combat."

Listening to the arguments of several class teachers, the Dean of Students couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, though ripples of gratification appeared in his eyes.

The quality of this year's student awakenings far exceeded the past: ten A-ranks, two S-ranks, and even one rare SS-rank.

With such results, even the Five Great Academies would likely take notice.

The only thing he felt was a pity was the boy named Jiang Haojie.

Everyone had once placed high hopes on him, but his Awakened ability was far too ordinary. Even with a SSS-rank talent rating, he was destined to struggle to stand out.

Otherwise, this year's glory would surely belong to this school.

At this time, a young teacher suddenly asked: "Dean, I heard that the Five Great Academies gave us a recommendation spot this year. How do you plan to allocate it?"

As the words fell, several gazes turned toward the Dean of Students.

In previous years, they might not have dared to think much of it, but with so many excellent prospects this year, it was inevitable that they would each have their own expectations.

The Dean of Students replied warmly: "The principal has already set a plan—based on the completion speed of the graduation assessment, the student who exits the secret realm first will receive this spot."

He knew that every teacher wanted to fight for their students' futures and understood how generous the accompanying rewards were.

Because of this, he and the principal had agreed on this method a month ago to avoid any disharmony caused by unfair allocation.

The teachers said no more, only silently rooting for the students in their respective classes.

But everyone knew that the threshold for recommendation to the Five Great Academies was extremely high, requiring a talent of at least S-rank.

Right now, those truly capable of competing were only those ten students ranked A-rank and above.

As for Su Qingxue, there was no need to worry at all.

No matter how high the threshold of the Five Great Academies was, it couldn't stop her SS-rank talent wings.

Which one she chose would just depend on her mood.

...

Deep in the forest, a Lions Roar exploded like thunder.

"Ga—"

Immediately followed by a shrill bird cry tearing through the air.

In the sky, dark shadows fell like rain, as if a flock of crows had been shot down.

Jiang Haojie looked down at the student ID on his wrist, the numbers on it quietly ticking up: ×88.

It had only been ten short minutes since that Giant Wolf Spider fell.

Over eighty monsters—this number was a bit of a surprise even to himself.

He had only encountered two Rank One monsters so far; things shouldn't have been this smooth.