I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

He Han's expression was inexplicably excited and passionate.

"Either we all fall together, or we all rise to the top... I didn't expect everyone to actually agree to this. This is about their future exams, aren't they even considering it?"

"There's nothing to consider, I trust Teacher Xue!"

"Yes, I believe in Teacher Xue, I'm sure he can lead us to great results!"

"Either we die together, or we enjoy ourselves together!"

Most of the students shouted and cheered.

For them, their own skill level wasn't particularly outstanding to begin with, and whether they could achieve good results in the martial arts exam was uncertain... Being able to form a team with powerful figures like Cao Sini, Zhao Longtu, and Yuan Baijing was a very worthwhile opportunity... Although having too many people in the team added a lot of risks, it was still worthwhile overall.

Given the mutual interests at stake, their interactions over the past three days have also made them emotionally inclined to support this plan... especially since it was a strategy devised by Teacher Xue.

The students, who almost regarded Xue Jing as a god, had already decided to obey his orders even before any self-interest came to mind.

Xue Jing looked at the cheering students, a smile in his eyes, and spoke gently:

“You have chosen to trust me, and now it is my turn to reciprocate that trust.”

He stood up, walked to the middle of the students, opened his arms and placed them on Cao Sini and Zhao Longtu's shoulders, looked around at everyone, and said softly:

"The final exam results are subject to too many uncertainties, and I cannot make any promises to you... But there is only one thing I can guarantee you."

"Believe me."

"I will not let any of you die; I will absolutely protect you."

"Everyone... will leave here safely, without any accidents."

The students were deeply moved: "Teacher Xue..."

Cao Sini's gaze softened as she looked at Xue Jing's fate, her expression becoming even gentler.

Zhao Longtu seemed somewhat moved, and his fierce, criminal-like expression became more complex.

Xue Jing looked at the students, whose expressions gradually calmed down as if they had been reassured, and nodded and smiled.

The strategy of grouping everyone together and letting everyone benefit is actually a rather unwise choice in such a complex exam involving hundreds of people.

Firstly, there will inevitably be students with insufficient strength who drag the team down. When all team points need to be distributed equally among everyone, it will only lower the total score of the strong students. Furthermore, there are mandatory movement tasks, and if they cannot be completed, the larger the team, the more points will be deducted.

The most fatal flaw is what happens outside the rules...

The most brutal aspect of this test wasn't written in the rules, but rather in the more fundamental issue of food and water.

Each person can only bring one set of supplies into the arena. In order to get more food and energy to defeat more people and get more points, a brutal battle for supplies is bound to break out.

Thirty-one people gathered in one small team not only consume resources at an alarming rate, but the large number of people also means less mobility, putting them at a great disadvantage in the struggle for resources.

But this is precisely the problem that Xue Jing was able to solve perfectly, and it was also the fundamental reason why he ultimately decided to implement the strategy of "raising chickens and dogs to heaven".

He stopped pretending and started driving.

The Beast of No Extinction's capacity of over 900 cubic meters was already crammed full of all kinds of survival supplies... Not to mention seven days, he could guarantee that all the students would be well-fed every day, even for seventy days, and they could hold banquets every day.

And... his ability to cheat might not only be limited to supplies.

"...I'll go check the surroundings first. All of you stay where you are and don't move."

Xue Jing spoke up.

The students immediately burst into laughter, saying, "Oh, don't think we don't understand! Teacher Xue, you're taking advantage of us!"

"Isn't it great... I really want to call Teacher Xue 'Dad'," a female student said with longing in her eyes.

With a smile, ignoring the students' teasing, Xue Jing vanished from the spot in a flash.

……

The leaden sky was slightly dim, with no trace of the sun, making it completely unclear where the Sea of ​​Steel's light source came from.

Xue Jing stopped under a silver-gray, metal tree that was over ten meters tall. He reached out and tapped the trunk, producing a dull metallic clang.

"This strength... looks pretty good." Xue Jing nodded.

He then placed his palm on the tree trunk, feeling the cold metallic touch, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Planting contract, activate!

Ever since he made a contract with the dragon cherry on the head of that true dragon cub in Roaring Falls, Xue Jing has never made a contract with a new plant.

Because Dragon Cherry is already powerful enough, not only is its strength far superior to that of ordinary plants, but it also has the ability to absorb and release life force. Ordinary plants are completely unnecessary for it, and signing them would be superfluous.

But now, the plants in front of us are anything but ordinary...

Steel Tree Sea Specialty - Iron-based Plants!

A peculiar existence made entirely of metal... even disregarding its specific strength, the fact that it is a metallic plant is enough to make Xue Jing collect it.

The only problem is, I don't know if it will succeed.

【Planting Contract】After all, it is a skill activated from the recipient of the Lord of a Thousand Reds and Myriad Beauties. This other god is said to have been born from the source of 'water' and 'earth', the source of all flowers, grasses and trees.

Whether this iron-based plant can even be considered a 'plant' is debatable.

Fortunately, Xue Jing did not experience any obstacles after activating the Planting Contract.

On this silver-gray metallic tree, a complex circular pattern the size of a coin instantly appeared, like a tiny magic circle.

The contract was successful.

"Huh? It really worked?"

Xue Jing was slightly surprised.

This is going too smoothly... Iron-based plants really are plants after all.

With a slight movement of his fingers, the silver-gray metal tree in front of him immediately responded, making a series of clicking and twisting metallic sounds as it gradually curled up and contracted towards the center. The metal tree roots that were rooted in the steel earth also snapped and pulled out, and the dense, sharp metal leaves fell off like thousands of needles, creating a rain of steel.

In just a few seconds, the entire metal tree transformed into a fist-sized, silver-gray seed, looking like a piece of fitness equipment used for special training.

"Interesting." Xue Jing held the seed in his hand, tossed it around, and felt that it was quite heavy, weighing at least seventy or eighty pounds.

In the void beside him, an invisible rift opened, and Xue Jing inserted the metal seed into it, causing the rift to close.

"There's a lot we can do next..."

Xue Jing stroked his chin and chuckled.

The examiners for this joint examination were subject to significant restrictions.

They are responsible for leading, guiding, and even protecting students.

There are only two situations in which examiners can intervene when it comes to matters related to students.

One option is to intervene and protect students when they encounter high-level boundary creatures that are clearly beyond their control.

One approach is to intervene and protect a student when it is determined that the student is unable to continue the exam.

The first scenario is an unexpected one and is permissible. In the second scenario, once the examiner intervenes, regardless of the student's opinion, the student will be forced to withdraw from the exam early, which is considered as being 'knocked down'.

And now...

It's that tree that went crazy, it has nothing to do with me.

……

Chapter 337 The terrifying Heavenly Cone, activating [Crimson], a stare-down with the Other God (4K)

When Xue Jing returned, the countdown for the half-hour preparation time before the start of the show was almost over.

"Teacher, Jingqiu still seems disoriented, what should we do?"

Fu Jiali reported to Xue Jing, pointing to Ye Jingqiu, who was half-reclining and leaning against a metal tree.

He still looked dazed and high after taking the drug.

Xue Jing thought for a moment and said, "Could you and Zhong Wei help her walk? A forced movement mission will be issued soon, and we don't know the exact time required yet, so we can't afford to delay."

Upon hearing this, Fu Jiali and another female classmate named Zhong Wei nodded together: "Yes, teacher."

After a while, Cao Sini came to Xue Jing's side and whispered:

"Teacher Xue, let's begin."

She held out her hand and showed Xue Jing the bracelet on her wrist that was constantly vibrating.

Current task:

Forced movement mission: Please move to area B2 with all squad members. Time remaining: 7:59:42

Upon seeing this, Xue Jing activated his examiner's white bracelet, manipulated it, and found the map.

The examiner's wristband shows the location of themselves and all the students under their supervision; they are currently all in zone C3.

It's not far from Area B2, which is required for the forced movement mission; at least on the map, it's only three areas away.

"Should we move immediately, teacher?"

Chen Xingyan, who was standing to the side, asked.

Xue Jing nodded: "Let's go straight there. We'll figure out the approximate distance once we get there... Everyone, move towards the target area in the pre-determined formation. If we encounter danger..."

After giving many instructions, Xue Jing nodded to Chen Xingyan, who then began to direct the students to move towards area B2.

ten minutes later.

"...This gravity is fine when you're still, but once you start moving, it's much more tiring than I imagined."

He Han spoke, slightly out of breath.

Most of the students were in a similar situation to him, all looking exhausted.

"If we were to fight with other teams, I can't imagine how exhausting it would be."

"Don't complain. Teacher Xue said that this is just because your body hasn't adapted to the environment yet. You'll feel much better once you adapt."

"Teacher Xue seems very experienced... Could he have undergone some kind of brutal training with dozens of times the gravity, like the protagonist in a shonen manga? Haha."

Following behind all the students, Xue Jing moved along the various tall metal plants, maintaining a distance from which he could see the condition of all the students.

Unlike the students who struggled to adapt to gravity, all his movements were effortless, just as they were on Earth. The nearly three times gravity of the Sea of ​​Steel was practically nonexistent for him.