Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Steel of the Heart

In a fully enclosed train carriage

A large screen is playing promotional videos from various factions.

At this moment, Xiang Bei showed absolutely no interest in these promotional materials.

As early as when Xiang Bei's golden touch was activated, he had already determined his future development direction.

The elite training camp is a must-attend; the resources there are too abundant. Even with a heart full of steel, Xiang Bei is still unwilling to give up the rich resources of the elite training camp.

Of course, given his connection with the old man, he certainly couldn't switch to Extreme Martial Arts School or Thunder Martial Arts School.

If he successfully graduates from the elite training camp, he will most likely choose to take a sinecure in the military and then continue to focus on his cultivation.

Of course, all of this is still a bit far from what Xiang Bei said.

The most important thing now is to pass this preliminary martial arts assessment.

Over the past month, under Zhang Qiu's rigorous training, Xiang Bei has fully mastered the first level of "Po Jun" and is now moving towards the second level.

The halberd technique has also successfully reached the level of specialization.

Only his body technique remains at the basic perfect level.

But there's nothing that can be done about it; the Xiang family's fighting style is head-on combat. They're not particularly skilled in movement techniques.

In just over a month, Xiang Bei had reached the limit of an intermediate warrior, and was only one step away from becoming an advanced warrior.

This speed was actually far from meeting Xiang Bei's expectations.

However, there was no way for him to leave the base city for the wilderness area before becoming a formal martial artist.

This means he can't use the core skill, "Giant Devour".

He couldn't use this skill indiscriminately on the people around him.

His ability to reach near-advanced warrior strength is entirely due to his diligent study and hard training during this period.

Of course, there's also the unwavering support and resources from the family.

In the past month or so, the total amount of resources spent on my body alone has exceeded two million.

This is only because he is currently at the Warrior level; if he were to reach the General level, the cost would definitely be much higher.

During this time, the old man also returned and personally guided Xiang Bei's cultivation for a few days. Then he received news of a small beast tide attack and hurriedly left.

It's a bit of a pity for Xiang Bei. With the old man, the creator of the "Po Jun" manual, guiding him, his progress was incredibly fast.

The armored train gradually slowed down.

Xiang Bei's thoughts were gradually pulled back from his memories.

"Attention all prospective martial artists, the train is about to arrive at the station. Please prepare to disembark." Shortly after, the loudspeaker in the carriage sounded, and the armored train slowly came to a stop.

wow

The carriage doors opened, and all the prospective martial artists, including Xiang Bei, stood up and disembarked in an orderly fashion.

As the crowd disembarked, they entered a large military camp. The camp was vast, with numerous heavy firearms scattered around its perimeter, their cannons pointed directly outwards. Many soldiers carried a variety of sophisticated weapons.

In the distance, Xiangbei can also see some hills of varying heights, covered with lush vegetation.

Every now and then, you can faintly hear the roars of beasts coming from afar.

"Quiet!"

Just then, a deep voice rang out from the military camp, and the people who had gotten off the vehicle immediately stopped talking and looked up involuntarily.

A middle-aged military officer in uniform was standing on a high platform.

"First of all, welcome to the Northwest Military District of Kyoto Base City. Next, you will complete your martial arts combat assessment in my Northwest Military District."

"I hope that the vast majority of you will pass this martial arts combat assessment, and I also hope that all of you will emerge alive from the assessment."

The officer spoke in a relatively flat tone, but everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

The martial arts combat assessment includes a death penalty, since it involves a life-or-death battle with monsters.

If they are not careful, or if the military personnel are unable to rescue them in time, these people may end up dead or seriously injured or disabled.

"Alright, everyone, don't be too nervous. The military has prepared lunch and the standard equipment for this assessment for everyone. After lunch, please proceed to the Armory in an orderly manner to collect your supplies."

After speaking, the middle-aged officer walked straight down from the platform, without intending to linger for even a second longer.

In the afternoon, after having lunch, Xiang Bei went directly to the Armory to collect the equipment needed for the assessment, following the instructions.

The equipment is actually quite simple: standard combat uniform, combat boots, combat backpack, and a communication watch.

The only difference was the weapons; Xiang Bei received a halberd and a tactical dagger.

However, it is still standard equipment, and it is a bit too light for Xiang Bei's current physical condition. It feels flimsy and not very suitable for him.

However, since this was the assessment site, Xiang Bei was not given the opportunity to choose.

After receiving his equipment, Xiang Bei found a quiet place to rest and recuperate while patiently waiting for the start of the practical assessment.

In fact, Xiang Bei was initially worried that other forces might try to poach him, or that some big shot might want to have a talk with him.

But as it turned out, Xiang Bei was overthinking things. No one bothered him until the practical assessment began.

Evening

Having learned all the rules, the aspiring martial artists entered an abandoned town one by one.

The rules for the preliminary martial artist assessment are almost the same. To pass, one must survive in Monster Town for twelve hours and kill at least three monsters, cutting off their ears as proof.

As we entered the town, it was already getting dark.

There was no light in the town, and only the occasional roar of beasts foreshadowed the unrest in the town.

Xiang Bei swaggered through the town without making any attempt to conceal himself.

Looking at the dilapidated town, Xiang Bei could still see the words "Authentic Tongguan Roujiamo" on some of the shop signs.

Great, it doesn't look very appetizing.

As the night grew dim, Xiang Bei looked around in the light, unaware that a figure had already crept up behind him in the darkness.

"Aww~!"

A figure, resembling both a cat and a leopard, darted out from the shadows, uttering a strange roar.

However, the moment this figure appeared, Xiang Bei's halberd seemed to have eyes, piercing directly through the figure's throat.

Bang

The body fell to the ground

A huge cat-like creature appeared before Xiang Bei's eyes.

It is Shadow Cat, one of the monsters in this Monster Town.

Although the types of monsters produced in different regions of the world are very different.

However, monsters such as the Iron-haired Wild Boar, Tiger Mastiff, and Shadow Cat are among the most common monsters.

There are large numbers of these low-level monsters all over the country.

Therefore, these three types of monsters are often used as assessment targets in practical tests.

The same was true for this assessment, where thousands of monsters filled the entire town.