I can receive unlimited protection; my parents handed me over to the state.

The bright sunshine disappeared, replaced by a dark red sky, as if it had been stained with blood.

The flat ground began to crack, and deep, bottomless ravines crisscrossed the area. Dark red lava flowed slowly at the bottom of the ravines, emitting a sulfurous and acrid smell.

The air temperature rose sharply, becoming scorching and dry, and inhaling it brought a burning, stinging sensation to the lungs.

"roar--!"

"Awooo—!"

Accompanied by a series of bloodthirsty and frenzied roars, a hundred enormous wolves, covered in dark red fur and with eyes burning with mad flames, crawled out from the cracks in the ground all around.

Each of them was a size larger than the Shadow Wolves Lu Yuan had encountered before. Their bulging muscles were full of explosive power, and their sharp claws and fangs still bore traces of the flesh and blood of unknown creatures.

【Rampaging Blood Wolf (Elite Star Beast)】

[Level: 20]

[Skills: Bloodthirsty Charge, Frenzied Bite, Group Frenzy]

[Weakness: Head; no obvious attribute weaknesses]

One hundred! A full one hundred level 20 elite monsters!

They surrounded Lu Yuan, their hundred pairs of blood-red eyes, filled with a frenzied killing intent, locked onto him as if he were a lamb to the slaughter.

The terrifying pressure, as if it were tangible, pressed in from all directions, making it difficult for Lu Yuan to breathe.

"Kid, did you see that?" Tang Long's voice rang out from outside the arena, like a demon's whisper, "This is the battlefield! There are no rules here, no mercy, only the most primal slaughter!"

"Now, pick up your knife! Kill them, or be torn to pieces! You choose!"

Lu Yuan's heart was pounding, and his palms were sweaty with nervousness.

His hand holding the knife was trembling slightly.

fear.

An unprecedented fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed him.

This is completely different from what we encountered in the Fallen Star Forest.

The monsters there, though ferocious, were at least within his comprehension and calculation range.

The pure, undisguised madness emanating from these ferocious blood wolves completely shattered his pitiful combat experience.

"roar!"

A ferocious blood wolf launched the first attack, transforming into a blood-red afterimage and carrying a heavy, foul stench as it pounced on Lu Yuan with lightning speed.

Lu Yuan's mind went blank. He instinctively tried to raise his knife to block, but his body was too stiff to obey him.

It’s over.

That was the only thought left in his mind.

"Useless! Is that all you've got?"

Just as that gaping maw was about to bite his neck, Tang Long's roar exploded in his ears like thunder.

"Your father, Lu Tianhe, defended an entire city all by himself back then! He faced a horde of tens of thousands of beasts! Did he ever retreat a single step?"

"Your mother, Lin Rou, was rescuing the wounded amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood! She was facing an energy core that could explode at any moment! Was she ever afraid?!"

"You have their blood in your veins! Are you fucking prepared to be scared to death here like a coward by a bunch of beasts?!"

Father... Mother...

These two words struck Lu Yuan's heart like a heavy hammer.

He remembered his father's hands, which trembled year-round due to injury and illness; he remembered his mother's eyes, which were always filled with worry and tenderness; and he remembered their earnest expectations when he left home.

He can't die here!

He can't let them down!

An unknown force surged forth from his limbs and bones in an instant.

At this moment, the blood that had been chilled by fear was completely ignited by a flame called "anger" and "resentment"!

"ah--!"

Lu Yuan let out a long-suppressed roar, and his pupils, which had been dilated with fear, refocused at this moment, bursting out with a terrifying light!

He stopped thinking about any moves or calculating any angles.

He relied solely on his most primal instincts, pouring all the strength in his body into the long sword in his hand, and with all his might, he slashed down fiercely at the gaping maw that was rushing towards him!

"Pfft!"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

The ferocious blood wolf's charge came to an abrupt halt. Its head was cleaved in two, and scalding wolf blood and brain matter splattered all over Lu Yuan's face.

Warm liquid with a strong, fishy smell slid down his cheeks.

Lu Yuan stood there, stunned, feeling the sticky sensation on his face and the real feedback from the long sword in his hand as it sliced ​​through flesh and bone.

Is this... the feeling of killing?

Instead of the nausea and discomfort I had imagined, a primal, bloodthirsty pleasure welled up from the depths of my heart.

"Good!" Tang Long, watching from the sidelines, gleamed with astonishing light. "That's the spirit! Remember this feeling! Pour all your anger, your resentment, your will to survive into your blade!"

The death of their companion completely ignited the wolf pack's ferocity.

The remaining ninety-nine ferocious blood wolves simultaneously roared to the sky, their eyes turning even redder, and their bodies subtly swelled up.

[Group Frenzy] Activated!

The next second, ninety-nine torrents of blood rushed towards Lu Yuan from all directions!

The earth trembled, and the air seemed to moan.

Faced with this terrifying offensive, which was like a tsunami and capable of crushing everything, Lu Yuan not only no longer felt fear, but instead grinned and revealed a ferocious, bloodthirsty smile.

He licked the wolf blood from the corner of his mouth, his once clear eyes now filled with a frenzied crimson.

"Come on, you beasts!"

He let out a beastly roar, and instead of retreating, he charged forward, heading straight for the crimson wave!

He abandoned all unnecessary dodging and blocking.

He had only one thought in his mind right now—kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill everything in sight!

His body was slashed repeatedly by the wolf's claws, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds.

His physical strength was rapidly depleted with each exertion.

But the knife in his hand became faster, more steady, and more ruthless!

Each slash was imbued with an unwavering determination and killing intent.

With each strike, the head of a ferocious blood wolf was inevitably severed.

He was wounded, so he used even more severe injuries to take the enemy's life!

He was like a wild beast driven to madness, waging the most primal and bloody battle in this blood-red purgatory!

Zhao Qingxuan, watching from the sidelines, had turned pale and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Several times he tried to rush in and pull Lu Yuan out, but Tang Long's mountain-like figure blocked his way.

"Don't disturb him." Tang Long's voice was deep, but it carried an undisguised excitement. "This kid is a born warrior. He's undergoing a transformation. What we need to do now is watch."

The battle continues.

Lu Yuan had lost count of how many wolves he had killed, and how many wounds he had sustained.

His consciousness was beginning to fade, sustained only by an indomitable will.

All he knew was to swing the knife, swing the knife, and swing the knife again.

Until they were right in front of them, there was not a single enemy standing.

When the last ferocious blood wolf was cleaved in two by his blade, Lu Yuan could no longer hold on. His long sword clattered to the ground, and he fell straight backward.

In the last moments before his consciousness faded into darkness, he seemed to hear Tang Long's approving laughter.

"Good lad...you fucking...a born soldier!"

……

I don't know how much time passed.

Lu Yuan woke up from a warm liquid.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in a huge medical tank filled with pale green nutrient solution.

All the terrible wounds on his body had healed completely, leaving not a single scar.

The physical fatigue vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and power.

He brought up his character panel.

Character Panel

Name: Lu Yuan

Codename: Master Craftsman

[Level: 15]

[Mental Strength: 42/42 (Starry Sea Meditation Technique - Second Level)]

Physical fitness: B-

Newly acquired skills: Mountain Splitting (Beginner), Basic Swordsmanship (Master), Killing Intent (Passive)

In just one battle, his level soared from level 5 to level 15!

His physical fitness level has jumped directly from D to C, reaching B-!

More importantly, he grasped the "momentum" that Tang Long spoke of, mastered the prototype of "splitting the mountain", and awakened a passive skill called "killing intent"!

"woke up?"

Tang Long's voice rang out from the side.

Lu Yuan sat up from the medical tank and saw Tang Long and Zhao Qingxuan standing beside him.

Tang Long handed over a set of clean clothes.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I could kill a bull." Lu Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and grinned.

"Hmph, killing a cow is nothing." Tang Long curled his lip, but he couldn't hide the admiration in his eyes. "Come brag to me when you can cleave a starship in two with one stroke."

He paused, then said, "Kid, you're pretty good. You have more guts than any of the soldiers I've ever led."

"Starting tomorrow, I will teach you everything I know."

"Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks... you brat, are you ready to face real hell?"

"I couldn't ask for more." Lu Yuan smiled, a smile that was incredibly radiant.

The two weeks flew by in this hellish training.

During the day, he underwent extremely high-intensity physical and combat training under the relentless torment of his two "devil instructors," Tang Long and Yan Ji.

His physical attributes and combat skills improved at a rocket-like speed.

At night, he would lock himself in the meditation room and frantically practice the "Starry Sea Meditation Technique" to enhance his mental strength.

Every three days, he would also enter the forging room to practice with those incredibly precious materials, familiarize himself with the properties of various materials, and the combinations and conflicts between different "enchantment" rules.

half a month later.

Character Panel

Name: Lu Yuan

Codename: Master Craftsman

[Level: 30]

[Mental Strength: 100/100 (Starry Sea Meditation Technique - Fourth Level)]

Physical fitness: A

Skills Mastered: Mountain Splitting (Master), The Art of War (Intermediate), Killing Intent (Intermediate), Combat Intuition (Beginner)...

His level has reached level 30.

Their physical abilities have reached a terrifying level of A-grade, which is equivalent to a B-grade Star Envoy specializing in physical prowess.

His mental strength also broke through the 100-point mark!

He is now completely different from the fair-skinned high school student he was just half a month ago.

His skin had a healthy bronze color, and although he still looked slender, his training clothes covered a layer of well-defined, explosive muscles.

His eyes became deeper and sharper. Although he was usually calm as still water, the occasional glint of light in his eyes carried a chilling sense of oppression.

That morning, as Lu Yuan prepared to go to the training ground for another round of "torture" as usual, Zhao Qingxuan stopped him.

"Good morning, Mr. Lu." Zhao Qingxuan smiled and handed over a notice. "The Supreme Committee has just issued an order. In view of your outstanding performance over the past two weeks, you are hereby granted a day off."

"A holiday?" Lu Yuan was stunned, hardly believing his ears.

"Yes." Zhao Qingxuan nodded. "You can leave the Celestial World and go to the capital city outside to relax. Of course, for your safety, a special operations team called 'Dragon Shadow' will secretly protect you throughout the trip."

"Today happens to be the early admission information session jointly organized by various Star Envoy Academies in the capital, and it's being held at the Capital First Sports Center. It's going to be very lively. You might be interested."

Lu Yuan took the notification slip and looked at the word "holiday" on it. Suddenly, a long-lost impulse surged in his heart.

He had been in the capital for half a month, and he had never properly looked at this capital of China.

It would be good to go and take a look.

By the way... let's see what those so-called geniuses look like now.

"Okay, I'll go take a look." Lu Yuan nodded.