The news from Liu Si had stirred Lu Yuan's previously tranquil mind once again.

He threw the sticks from the two grilled sausages he had eaten into the trash can beside the bus stop.

When the bus home arrived, he spent the entire journey thinking about the archaeological team.

Only after getting off did he realize he had forgotten to scan his card or pay the fare.

No wonder people on the bus were giving me strange looks, and that one auntie kept looking like she wanted to say something but held back.

Lu Yuan subconsciously stopped in front of a shop selling handmade ornaments, looking at his current reflection in the clean, bright display window.

His physique aside (which he had already dwelled on), his current aura was indeed rather intimidating.

In the arduous process of training, Fighters constantly refined their bodies and willpower.

It was like a piece of raw iron being constantly ground on a whetstone, eventually honed to a cold, dazzling edge.

The intimidating aura that naturally emanated with his every move made ordinary people on the street wary of approaching too closely.

Their human instinct to avoid danger constantly warned them—this person was trouble.

School starts in a few days. I'd better not end up scaring the school security into calling the police... My aura has been too intense lately; it seems even Mom and Dad are afraid to speak loudly to me...

Reflecting on this, Lu Yuan attempted to slowly retract his aura.

This wasn't difficult for him; his Agility of 18 points allowed him to control himself with an ease others couldn't achieve.

The sharp, exposed blade was slowly returned to its sheath.

Once Lu Yuan had completely reined in his Fighter's aura, people finally started brushing past him again.

Just one last thing...

Lu Yuan moved closer to the display window to look into his own eyes.

His eyes were very "beautiful."

Clear, deep, and especially expressive.

It's often said that one can see a person's intelligence, wisdom, and spirit in their eyes.

Lu Yuan's Intelligence attribute was as high as 17 points, and he had even awakened Spiritual Power.

His thoughts were lightning-fast, his comprehension extraordinary; he could solve complex university-level advanced mathematics problems in mere seconds...

Therefore, his eyes were significantly more captivating than those of ordinary people.

I should get a pair of glasses to wear...

Lu Yuan recalled Sun Zhihua's appearance at the Sucuan Airport.

Sun Zhihua wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which he always removed before a fight.

His abilities were mediocre, but he was definitely a master of posturing.

Lu Yuan just wanted to slightly obscure his eyes, and doing so would also better fit his identity as a high school student.

Having made up his mind, Lu Yuan, backpack slung over his shoulder, continued towards home.

After retracting his aura, he blended naturally into the crowd, no longer standing out so conspicuously.

Upon reaching the front door of his family's small store, he saw Lu Jing, who had already "knocked off" work, sitting with Mom at the counter, eating sunflower seeds and watching TV.

The mother-daughter duo would occasionally make comments while watching.

"Ugh, this guy is so disgusting, totally callous and unfeeling."

"Exactly, exactly... Huh?!"

Lu Yuan glanced curiously at the TV screen; it was a historical romance drama.

Actually, it's good that Lu Jing is back.

At least Mom won't be so bored, and sometimes Lu Jing can even help with the cooking.

He decided not to tell Lu Jing about Liu Si's findings regarding Professor Xia Weimin, the archaeologist, for the time being.

Lu Jing had only just recovered; he didn't want this news to make her anxious all over again.

"Oh right, Yuan, you have a package," Lu Jing called out as Lu Yuan was getting a drink from the cooler by the door. She pointed to a small blue parcel resting on a stack of rice bags. "It came this afternoon. I signed for it."

Lu Yuan paused, quickly realizing who the sender was.

Nodding his understanding, he picked up the parcel and headed upstairs.

Lu Jing seemed curious, her eyes following him...

Back in his bedroom on the second floor, Lu Yuan picked up the parcel and inspected the exterior.

He found neither a sender's name nor a return address.

He squeezed it gently, then slowly unwrapped the package.

Inside, Lu Yuan found a folded paper document.

He unfolded it. The first page read: New Blood Trial Rules (Latest Edition).

Just as Lu Yuan had expected, it was the information on the Yellow Bear Organization's New Blood Trial rules that Gao Qing had mentioned.

What surprised him was that the information was a physical paper document, which was somewhat inconsistent with the Yellow Bear Organization's usual style...

Lu Yuan read further.

He discovered the document was far more detailed than he had imagined.

[Assessment Phase 1: Power Test

Twenty power-measuring targets will appear. Hit them one by one (Note: It is best to shatter them, as this can significantly improve your evaluation).

After all targets are hit, twenty moving power-measuring targets will appear; the same applies...

This first phase primarily tests strength. The speed of completion will provide a certain bonus to the final score, but the impact is not very significant.

Maximize single-burst power output as much as possible. Certain strength amplification methods can be used, recommended as follows: PVX Muscle Strengthening Liquid, Invisible Micro-Exoskeletons, One-time Muscle Blood Strengthening Needle...]

[Assessment Phase 2: Speed Test

The main objective of this phase is to test the New Bloods' explosive speed. However, an important and easily overlooked aspect is neural reaction speed (this carries a high hidden score value).

The specific rules are as follows...]

[Assessment Phase 3: Strategy Test]

...

Lu Yuan quickly skimmed through the entire document. It was over forty pages long and contained more than thirty thousand words.

Flipping to the last page, he found four large characters highlighted in red: [DESTROY AFTER READING!!!]

He couldn't help but frown.

What is Gao Qing playing at?

Lu Yuan's eyes turned cold.

What kind of assessment rules are these... This is clearly a walkthrough for the assessment, and a super-detailed, hand-holding version at that.

It even detailed which methods were considered prohibited and which weren't.

This has to be considered cheating, right?

Lu Yuan suddenly felt irritated.

This experience of being forced to cheat made him very uncomfortable.

He was, after all, a "good student" in both academics and martial arts. Since when did he need to rely on leaked questions to get good grades in an exam?

No, I have to keep this. I'll look for a chance to report Gao Qing later...

If Zhou Ling, who had saved his life once, had given him this "walkthrough," Lu Yuan might have hesitated.

But Gao Qing...

He wouldn't be lenient with her in the slightest.

A bad apple like her, hidden within the Yellow Bear Organization, should be rooted out as soon as possible!

Lu Yuan expressionlessly put away the walkthrough, making a mental note of this transgression.

「 」

WHOOSH—

A massive figure, radiating an intense, violent aura, suddenly materialized before the well-built, short-haired woman.

His right leg, thick as a doorpost, shot up, tearing through the air with a sound like ripping silk as it sped towards the woman's face.

The woman, expressionless, flicked her fair, slender arms.

Two daggers, glowing crimson, appeared in her hands, emitting a scorching HISS as they met the air.

She crossed her hands, the crimson blades scissoring towards the approaching pillar-like leg.

But the leg vanished abruptly.

Then, bypassing her knife technique, it reappeared out of thin air beside her temple.

BAM!

The woman's head snapped to the side, her temple deeply caved in from the terrifying kick, and her entire body was sent flying sideways like a broken sack.

Before she could hit the ground, a figure intercepted her trajectory. Another kick landed.

CRACK! CRACK—

Accompanied by a series of bone-cracking sounds, the woman's full chest caved inward, her body grotesquely twisting.

But a breath later, she was intercepted yet again...

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

The woman's body was kicked about like a ball by the elusive, ghost-like figure, finally thudding to the ground.

Her once-fine form was now a mangled mess, almost unrecognizable.

Lu Yuan calmly walked over and picked up one of the daggers, still radiating heat, from the ground.

Looking at its crimson, serrated edge, he gripped it without hesitation.

HISS—

A HISS sounded, followed by the smell of charred flesh.

Lu Yuan released his grip. His palm was slightly charred where he had held the dagger, the skin already broken and festering.

A cut, neither too deep nor too shallow, remained.

Pure physical defense is still insufficient against this New Martial Arts Technology. I wonder if things will improve once Vigor can be projected out of the body... The advantage Modified Humans and New Martial Arts have over Ancient Martial Arts is indeed too great; their offensive methods are on a completely different level...

Lu Yuan's eyes glinted as he thought quietly, But it's not entirely impossible to fight against them. Take my current self, for example... neither Zhou Ling, who follows the path of a Modified Human, nor Gao Qing with her New Martial Arts, are my match. The combat instincts and techniques honed by a Fighter through countless trials cannot be simply nullified by a few pieces of high technology.

Lu Yuan glanced at the mangled form of Gao Qing lying on the ground, then exited the Consciousness Space.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the deep blue night sky.

The moon was veiled by clouds or the city's smog, appearing dim and hazy.

The sound of car horns drifted up from below; Lu Yuan was standing on the rooftop of his building.

I need to find a chance to sort out those houses and shops... Practicing martial arts on the rooftop all the time isn't a long-term solution.

It was fine before, but as Lu Yuan's strength continued to grow, the rooftop felt increasingly restrictive.

Moreover, it easily attracted unwanted attention.

Lu Yuan stood at the edge of the rooftop, the cool night breeze washing over him, as he mentally reviewed the battles he had just experienced in the Consciousness Space.

First Zhao Qiancheng, then the Strong Divine Servant of the Crow God Sect, then Zhou Ling, and Gao Qing...

As his thoughts replayed the fight with Gao Qing, Lu Yuan suddenly had an epiphany.

It was as if a switch in his mind had been flipped; the inspiration that had been trickling like a small spring suddenly surged, multiplying countless times.

WHOOSH—

Lu Yuan, who had been standing on the edge of the rooftop, abruptly vanished.

An inexplicable gust of wind then swept across the entire rooftop.

SWOOSHING leg afterimages flickered across every corner of the rooftop, creating an elusive and chaotic impression upon closer look.

BOOM!

The concrete base beneath the rooftop water tank suddenly exploded. Its upper half was blasted away, flying several meters.

The loud explosion shattered the night's silence, lasting only a few seconds.

Lights in several nearby residential buildings flickered on, one after another. The sounds of security doors opening and hurried footsteps pounding up stairs could be heard from the corridors.

Lu Yuan quietly slipped into the shadows of the rooftop.

Amidst the brief commotion, his eyes shone brightly.

I've finally unlocked the last True Skill!

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the class panel that he had called up.

In the Sure-kill Skill section of the [Fighter] panel, a new skill from the Heaven Water Sect's Crane Style had appeared: Leg Skill Supreme True Skill — [Spirit Crane Skill: Penglai Vastness]!

Penglai Vastness...

Lu Yuan quietly murmured the name. He recalled Master Liudao Yuan once telling him about "dominating the martial world, unifying the martial fraternity, and overthrowing Penglai." The word "Penglai" had been mentioned then too.

He wondered if these two Penglais were the same.

Regardless, Lu Yuan had now comprehended all three True Skills of the Crane Sect.

All that remained was to gradually improve them and then unlock their True Intention.

From his first formal contact with Crane Sect martial arts to this point, just over two months had passed.

If word of this progress got out, it would truly be world-shaking.

Should I... find someone to test the power of this new Sure-kill Skill against?

Lu Yuan's gaze suddenly fell upon a crow perched on a nearby balcony. His eyes glinted as the thought crossed his mind.

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