Gao Wu: I became a saint through daily settlements

"The fourth level is the true interior of the secret realm," Xu Beihai said.

"Those of you who have made it this far from the outer three layers must understand to some extent the danger of this secret realm."

"In the inner three layers, there might be second-tier star beasts." Xu Beihai paused here before continuing.

"That is, the Spirit Intelligence level."

wow——

Many people looked surprised upon hearing this.

"A Star Beast of the Spiritual Intelligence Rank..."

"Is it really something we can fight back against?" someone asked hesitantly.

Star beasts at the Spiritual Intelligence level are already comparable to human martial artists at the half-step Martial Master level. If a star beast is highly aggressive, it will be even stronger. In a life-or-death battle, it may even slightly defeat a martial artist at the Martial Master level.

Most of the people present had a life energy level of 12.0-13.0, making it difficult for them to deal with even a low-level mortal beast, let alone a spirit-level beast.

"So, those who feel they are not strong enough can withdraw in advance," Xu Beihai announced.

As soon as these words were spoken, some people began to waver.

Most people come from ordinary families and are not strong enough to compete with star beasts. Their parents are also waiting for their children to make a name for themselves and earn money to support the family. Quitting early is actually a very wise choice.

"I'm quitting," someone said, raising their hand.

Withdrawing at this moment does not signify cowardice; on the contrary, it demonstrates careful consideration.

It would be a terrible loss to risk one's life for greater resources.

Rather than wasting your life here, it's better to quit early, save your life, and try harder later.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue pondered for a moment, showing no fear of intelligent star beasts.

"The Demon-Devouring Monkey King we encountered before was a Star Beast at the half-step Spirit Intelligence level."

"That Demon-Devouring Monkey was already capable of giving orders to the monkey troop, but it was only because it was slightly weak that it died at my hands."

The Devouring Monkey itself wasn't particularly aggressive, so even the Devouring Monkey King, who was at the half-step Spirit Intelligence level, was no match for Lin Yue.

Lin Yue asked himself honestly, if he had encountered a highly aggressive star beast like the Netherworld Wolf, let alone killing it, even escaping would have been extremely difficult.

The Nether Wolves are fast, aggressive, and usually appear in packs. Once you're targeted by one of them, it's very difficult to escape.

"However, now that my martial will has reached the second level and I have the divine ability of Heavenly Connection and Earthly Clarity, I might not be a match for a Star Beast of the Spiritual Intelligence level," Lin Yue thought to himself.

"If we only consider the destructive power against star beasts, my strength is no less than that of a Martial Master."

The power of a martial arts master is usually about twice that of a martial artist. In addition, Lin Yue practices ancient martial arts, so his power is stronger than that of a modern martial artist of the same level.

Therefore, with the added effect of Heavenly Connection and Earthly Clarity, Lin Yue's damage to star beasts alone is indeed no less than that of a modern martial arts master.

However, this only applies to killing Star Beasts. If Lin Yue were to encounter a Martial Master, he would have no chance against them.

What is the concept of Martial Master Realm?

Only those with a life energy level of 18.0 or higher can be considered to have entered the realm of Martial Master.

Lin Yue's current life energy level is only 15.4, a difference of 2.6 between the two.

Even if the difference is only 0.1, the Martial Master realm is not something that the Martial Warrior realm can easily exploit.

Why?

Because after becoming a mid-level martial artist, further advancement requires breaking through the limitations of Qi and Blood!

This means forcibly raising the upper limit of the body's Qi and blood, thereby cultivating to a higher level of life energy.

After reaching the Great Perfection of the Martial Artist Realm, one's own Qi and Blood have been developed to a great extent.

The next step requires using various martial arts treasures to nourish the body and break through bottlenecks.

This is the real reason why martial arts treasures are so rare and expensive on the market!

Blue Star's martial arts resources are limited to begin with, and ultimately, they simply cannot support so many cultivators at the level of martial artist or higher.

Therefore, most ordinary people, even if they work hard their whole lives, can only reach the Martial Master realm at most.

This is not because of a lack of effort; it's simply that the resources and talents available to ordinary people already determine this upper limit.

Human nature is such that resources will always be tilted towards those who are more talented and have greater potential.

With the continuous development of human martial arts civilization, human society as a whole has gradually begun to shift from the initial diverse and varied practice to a high-quality, less refined practice.

Major martial arts institutions and forces are focusing on cultivating those with outstanding talent, making it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to stand out.

Therefore, most people spend their entire lives immersed in the martial arts realm, and the martial arts, skills, and mentality they have honed are far beyond what Lin Yue, a high school student, can compare to.

……

Ultimately, after much hesitation, two people chose to withdraw from the team advancing to the fourth level.

"Take care, everyone!" the departing boy said, his tone tinged with reluctance.

"We hope everyone can successfully navigate the secret realm and emerge safe and sound, reunited with their families. We're heading back now!"

After saying goodbye to Lin Yue and the others, the two students evacuated through the emergency exit.

"Alright, everyone has their own ambitions, there's no need to feel sorry for them."

"Then, let's not delay and get started," Xu Beihai announced.

As soon as they finished speaking, the group began to advance at full speed toward the fourth level of the secret realm.

Outside the secret territory.

"Oh? Students from Jiang Province have already begun their collective march towards the fourth level of the secret realm?"

Zhao Tiejun, the teacher leading the team from Shandong Province, stared at the screen, raised an eyebrow, and spoke with a hint of surprise. He then turned to look at Guo Jingyao, the teacher leading the team from Jiangxi Province, who was standing next to him.

"Your Shandong province should be close to the middle of the fourth level, right?" Guo Jingyao turned to Zhao Tiejun and asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiejun nodded smugly:

"Of course! As the birthplace of the National Martial Arts League, Shandong Province has a profound martial arts heritage, and its students are all extremely outstanding. Dealing with a fourth-level intelligent star beast should not be a problem."

"Speaking of the National Martial Arts League, the provincial selection trials will begin in a month."

"By the way, has the candidate list for your Jiang Province team been released this year?" Zhao Tiejun asked.

The National Martial Arts League is a martial arts league for all ages, founded by the Martial Arts Federation. It is held twice a year, in June and October, and includes junior, youth, and adult groups...

"The lists for the youth and adult groups have been published, but the list for the junior group has not yet been finalized," Guo Jingyao replied.

For the youth and adult groups, you only need to register to be accepted, but it's different for the junior group.

Because most of the contestants in the junior group are high school students, their numbers are large and their abilities vary greatly.

The importance and purpose of the competitions differ among the three.

Most of the contestants in the youth and adult groups have already entered the workforce. Their main purpose in participating in the competition is to win large amounts of Blue Star Coins and various GG sponsorships, thereby increasing their fame and obtaining more cultivation resources.

The junior group, however, is of paramount importance.

As the saying goes, "You can tell what a person will be like at three years old," and this is especially true for martial arts training.

Selecting promising talents usually starts from a young age, and high school students are the stage where martial arts talent and potential are most likely to emerge.

Many martial arts university leaders will be present to watch the junior group competitions.

If a contestant performs exceptionally well, they might be directly admitted to a top martial arts university, which would be a rare opportunity for any high school student.

There are also opportunities to submit entries for district-level, city-level, and provincial-level competitions, but the number of places is relatively small, and the quality of the universities participating is not particularly high.

The National Martial Arts Competition may grant Tianjing Martial Arts University and Jinghua Martial Arts University the right to submit entries.

The prestige of domestically produced SsangYong products is self-evident.

The students who graduate from these two martial arts universities are basically all at least Grand Martial Masters, and it's not impossible for them to become Flying Martial Artists.

Being able to enter these two universities is equivalent to obtaining a ticket to the path of top martial arts.

"Has your Shandong Province already finalized its list of junior teams?" Guo Jingyao turned to Zhao Tiejun and asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiejun burst into laughter, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense:

"Hahaha, that's for sure—" he said, changing the subject with a laugh.

"no."

"However, I estimate that the list of junior groups will be pretty much finalized once this secret realm ends."

"After all, the Secret Realm Trials are the best place to demonstrate a martial artist's overall strength. Whether they are selected depends on their performance in the Secret Realm."

Guo Jingyao nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"Jiang Province is similar to you. When it comes to being selected for the junior group, the main criteria are the martial artist's strength, adaptability, and mental fortitude."

"The secret realm is fraught with danger, which is a perfect opportunity to test them in all aspects. A portion of the candidates for the junior group will most likely be decided within this secret realm."

As for students who have already reached the Martial Master level in high school, they have basically been reserved by major martial arts universities long ago.

However, this does not mean that students at the Martial Master level cannot participate in the National Martial Arts League.

Aside from the guaranteed admission qualification, this league is also the best platform to make a name for oneself.

Many high school students who have already been admitted to martial arts universities will also be included in the candidate list to represent their respective provinces and hone their skills.

Within the secret realm.

Zhao Tiejun nodded in agreement, saying, "I hope that this secret realm will produce some promising talents, so that our Shandong Province and Jiangxi Province can have a good competition in the national league."

……

Inside the secret realm, the six students from Jiangcheng Martial Arts Affiliated Middle School have already passed a quarter of the fourth level of the Nanyang Secret Realm.

To improve the efficiency of finding the treasure, the six people split into three teams.

The teams are Qin Jin and Yan Ziyue in one team, Zhou Minghao and Su Yu in another, and Lin Yue and Xu Beihai in yet another.

For safety reasons, the three teams were not too far apart, so that if any one team encountered an accident, the other two teams could immediately find out and provide support.

The fourth level of the secret realm is a barren mountain ridge, with jagged rocks, sparse vegetation, sharp stones, and deep ravines everywhere.

Suddenly, a series of heavy footsteps sounded, the ground trembled slightly, and accompanied by heavy breathing, a large group of round, large creatures were rushing towards the two people not far away.

The creature was entirely dark brown, with a rough and hard skin covered with irregular bumps, as if it were covered with a thick layer of rock. It had a huge head, two protruding tusks, and fierce eyes; it was the Brown Rock Boar.

"Oh no, it's a Brown Rock Boar!" Qin Jin's expression changed, and he whispered, his eyes instantly becoming alert.

"Yan Ziyue, watch out!"

While reminding Yan Ziyue beside him, Qin Jin kept his eyes fixed on the charging brown rock boars.

Although brown rock boars are not particularly aggressive on a normal day, they become extremely ferocious when provoked, with their attack and defense capabilities increasing significantly. Moreover, they mostly live in groups, making them very difficult to deal with.

At this moment, the group of brown rock boars seemed to be enraged by something, their eyes bloodshot, and they charged towards Qin Jin and Yan Ziyue like madmen.

The heavy footsteps grew closer, and the ground trembled more and more noticeably, as if they were about to shake the entire mountain ridge apart.

Qin Jin dared not be careless in the slightest. He raised the Guan Dao in his hand, bent his legs slightly, circulated his internal energy, and a powerful force instantly gathered in his arm, slashing at the brown rock boar charging at the front.

"Clang!"

The Guan Dao collided with the hard hide of the Brown Rock Boar, producing a loud metallic clang that made Qin Jin's arm go numb and his tiger's mouth ache slightly.

The brown rock boar only paused slightly before charging towards him again. It only had a tiny gash on its body, from which a small amount of black blood seeped out, causing no major damage.

"Be careful, this Brown Rock Boar has extremely high defense!"

Qin Jin shouted loudly, promptly informing Yan Ziyue of his discovery, and at the same time quickly retreated to avoid the charge of the Brown Rock Boar.

Years of experience in squad operations have instilled in him the habit of timely intelligence reporting and flexible response.

Upon hearing this, Yan Ziyue leaped up and landed on a stone pillar, barely dodging the first wave of attacks from the brown rock boars.

Watching the brown rock boars galloping past below, Yan Ziyue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, secretly rejoicing:

"That was close..."

These brown rock boars are all as big as four-wheel drive bread trucks, and they run very fast. If you were to get hit by one, you'd probably break several bones.

"It's impossible to break through the defenses."

Seeing that his Guan Dao (a type of halberd) couldn't do much damage to the brown rock boar, Qin Jin simply gave up the attack.

With a burst of energy from his feet, he leaped onto another stone pillar, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yan Ziyue, temporarily avoiding the brunt of the Brown Rock Boar and waiting for an opportunity.

Just then, two lithe figures swept over Qin Jin's head.

"Lin Yue, Xu Beihai?" Qin Jin called out loudly after recognizing the two men.

"Get out of the way! This Brown Rock Boar has extremely strong defense!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Yue's figure shot off like an arrow toward the nearest brown rock boar.

Lin Yue spotted his target, his arm muscles bulged, and he slashed down at the neck of the Brown Rock Boar.

"Clang!"

The impact was deafening, sparks flew everywhere, and the longsword struck the neck of the brown rock boar, producing a screeching sound.

"Pretty sturdy." A fighting spirit flashed in Lin Yue's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he delivered another slash so fast that its trajectory was impossible to see.

This time, Lin Yue channeled all his strength into his arms.

With a single slash, it was unstoppable.

"Splash!"

The blade severed the Brown Rock Boar's head, black blood gushing out and splattering across the ground. The Brown Rock Boar swayed, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

"Clang!"

The pig's head rolled to the ground, hitting the rocks with a series of intermittent sounds that were particularly clear on the open mountain ridge.

On the other side, Xu Beihai also launched an attack, activating his martial skill "Leopard Strike".

His body instantly became incredibly agile, and his speed increased dramatically. Like a cheetah, he charged towards another brown rock boar, his short knife precisely aimed at the boar's eye.

The dagger pierced the brown rock boar's eye and penetrated deep into its brain. The brown rock boar let out a shrill scream and struggled to shake Xu Beihai off.

Xu Beihai looked at Lin Yue on the other side and exclaimed in admiration:

"What amazing swordsmanship!"

Although his own Leopard Charge attack also caused considerable damage to the Brown Rock Boar, it was far less direct than Lin Yue's attack.

"Could it be that Lin Yue's swordsmanship has already reached the second level?" Xu Beihai wondered.

On the other side, Qin Jin was so shocked by the knife strike that he was speechless.

"So easy?"

[Slayed a Brown Rock Boar; current progress on Innate Martial Bone is 3/3]

Looking at the small print in front of him, Lin Yue whispered:

"Not enough, not enough!"

"Give me more!" Lin Yue whispered, brandishing his longsword as he charged towards the group of brown rock boars.

Seemingly understanding Lin Yue's provocation, the group of brown rock boars stared intently at Lin Yue, exuding an extreme frenzy.

"roar!"

……