Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

Lin Haozhe, still unwilling to give up, continued to argue, "But you weren't poisoned, were you?"

"What a joke! Isn't attempted murder a crime?" Lin Ran laughed angrily.

Lin Haozhe lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked again, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Actually, you don't need to do anything, just be yourself! But..."

Lin Ran looked at Lin Haozhe with a dangerous glint in his eyes: "I don't want poisoning to happen again."

After saying that, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snapped!

The sound was crisp and clear, but it didn't have any offensive power.

However, Lin Haozhe, who had shown no signs of distress, suddenly clutched his head, arched his back, and let out a scream.

"what!"

He felt as if his brain was being pierced by countless red-hot steel needles at the same time, and the pain spread from the inside of his skull outwards, tearing at every nerve.

He fell to the ground, his back knocking over the dining chair behind him, and he curled up into a ball.

"Spare...spare me! Please...spare me!" His voice was squeezed out of his throat, broken and intermittent.

"I absolutely... I will never dare to let it happen again!"

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers again.

Snapped!

The pain in Lin Haozhe's mind vanished instantly.

He lay on the ground, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and the back of his clothes soaked through and stuck to his back.

After a long time, he slowly stood up, supporting himself on the ground. His legs were still trembling, and his eyes were full of fear as he looked at Lin Ran.

The pain I just felt was worse than death!

"You're a monster!"

Lin Haozhe couldn't help but tremble as he spoke.

"If you keep talking nonsense like that, I might sue you for defamation!" Lin Ran said seriously.

Then, he changed the subject: "Remember how you felt just now. If you don't want to experience it again, learn to be a proper traitor."

Lin Haozhe lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "I understand... Brother Ran."

"Great! Keep it up!" Lin Ran reached out and patted his shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

Having resolved Lin Haozhe's issue, Lin Ran then said to the Lord of Xuan Chen, "The illusion can be dispelled."

The surrounding air vibrated slightly, and the real scene returned to everyone's eyes.

The steam from the food on the table had mostly dissipated.

Lin Haozhe stood beside the dining table, his face pale and his forehead still damp with sweat.

Broken porcelain shards were scattered all over the floor at his feet, and soup was splashed everywhere.

Song Yishu was the first to stand up: "Oh dear, child, how could you be so careless? Did you get burned?"

Lin Haozhe lowered his head: "No, it's nothing."

"Sister Zhang, bring the mop and mop the floor."

Song Yishu called out towards the kitchen, then turned to Lin Haozhe and reached out to touch his forehead: "Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Maybe he hasn't been sleeping well these past two days," Lin Haozhe said, lowering his eyelids.

Song Yishu nodded: "The martial arts exam is tomorrow, it's normal for you to be stressed. Get some rest early tonight."

Everyone was unaware of what had just happened; they only noticed that the food had cooled down a bit too quickly.

At five o'clock the next morning, Lin Ran opened his eyes from the Spirit Gathering Array.

The spiritual energy in his meridians circulated for a complete cycle and then slowly stopped, leaving him only one step away from the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, he can no longer focus on his cultivation, because he has to take the martial arts exam today.

Song Yishu specially prepared ginseng soup to replenish the qi and blood of Lin Ran and Lin Haozhe.

After breakfast, Lin Hongbo and Song Yishu personally escorted Lin Ran and Lin Haozhe to the school gate.

Song Yishu pulled Lin Ran and Lin Haozhe aside and gave them a few words of advice, which they nodded in agreement.

Before parting, Lin Hongbo patted Lin Ran on the shoulder: "Do your best!"

"Don't worry!" Lin Ran replied with an OK sign.

A row of buses was parked at the school gate. Qin Hanzhong stood at the door of the first bus, checking the list one by one with an electronic recorder.

Lin Ran and Lin Haozhe got into the car and waved to the two of them through the car window.

As the vehicle started, Chu Xining chattered in Lin Ran's ear.

"Brother Lin Ran, are you thirsty?"

"Brother Lin Ran, would you like some cookies?"

"Brother Lin Ran, are you nervous?"

"Brother Lin Ran..."

Xinhai Martial Arts Training Center.

Tens of thousands of senior high school martial arts students from across the city gathered, filling the square outside the training hall to capacity.

The building is divided into more than a dozen areas according to the school, and each area is equipped with an independent security checkpoint and holographic capsule array.

The giant screen on the dome scrolled through the precautions for the martial arts exam, and the broadcast repeatedly announced the exam rules.

Of all the students present, only the top ten will qualify for the National Martial Arts Examination Tournament.

At 8:30, candidates entered the venue with their identification documents.

After passing through security, I underwent a talent test and a martial arts realm test.

Lin Ran's talent remained at the F-level strength level, with nothing unusual about it.

However, his martial arts realm has changed from that of an ordinary person to that of a Xiantian realm martial artist.

After all, he had already revealed his identity as a Xiantian martial artist, so there was no need for him to continue pretending to be an Inner Breath Realm cultivator.

When he displayed the aura of a martial artist at the Innate Realm in the testing area, the expressions of the proctors were quite interesting.

The combination of F-level strength talent and a martial artist at the Innate Realm seems quite unusual.

After completing the test, Lin Ran walked out of the testing area and saw the brothers Sun Jinghuan and Sun Jingyao standing at the other end of the crowd.

Sun Jingyao's expression was inscrutable as he whispered something in Sun Jinghuan's ear.

Their gazes met Lin Ran's in mid-air, revealing resentment.

Lin Ran's lips curled up slightly as he slowly withdrew his gaze.

At this moment, Zhao Meng leaned over from the side and said, "Brother Ran, if you're not planning to go to the martial arts academy, why are you even participating in the martial arts exam?"

"Of course, it's for showing off!" Lin Ran said seriously.

Zhao Meng rolled his eyes and gave Lin Ran a thumbs up: "Great! You're something else!"

The exam is about to begin. All candidates will enter the holographic cabin according to their exam numbers to perform equipment self-checks.

These devices have all been repeatedly inspected by professional maintenance technicians, and students are asked to check them again themselves, mainly to avoid accidents.

Lin Ran had only been in the martial arts class for a little over two months, and his understanding of the holographic pod was limited to knowing roughly what each button did.

He tried it out briefly, swung his fist to check the sensitivity, and didn't see any problems, so he pressed the confirmation button.

The hatch closed, and blue light began to play.

An electronic female voice sounded in my ear.

"Virtual scene loading. This martial arts exam uses a points-based competition system and lasts for a total of six hours."

「一阶变异体10~50积分，二阶变异体100~300积分，三阶变异体1000~2000积分。」

"Candidates may compete against each other, with points awarded based on the final kill. Note: Attacks between candidates are invalid."

"Rules reiterated. Countdown: three, two, one. Simulation begins."

A flash of white light.

Lin Ran opened his eyes and found himself in front of a huge valley.

The mountain walls on both sides soar into the clouds, and the exposed rock layers gleam with a bluish-gray luster under the virtual sunlight.

The valley floor was covered with gravel and low shrubs, and a stream flowed through the center of the valley, with a thin layer of mist floating on the water.

Tens of thousands of candidates were scattered throughout the valley. Some had already run into the depths of the dense forest, while others were still moving their limbs to adapt to their bodies.

Lin Ran walked upstream along the stream, dealing with any mutants he encountered along the way.

In order to ensure that he can enter the top ten, he cannot waste his time on Sun Jinghuan.

Therefore, he could only accumulate points while searching for Sun Jinghuan's location.

A first-tier acid slug wriggled at my feet; I stomped on it and crushed it, gaining 20 points.

The Rock Crystal Lizard darted out from the crack in the rock and was cleaved in two with a single stroke, earning +40 points.

A second-tier Gale Wolf darted out from the side and beheaded the enemy with a single strike, earning +200 points.

The miasma-patterned python coiled on the tree trunk, spewing poisonous mist. He circled around to the side and slashed off its seven-inch mark, earning +300 points.

When he encountered a Tier 3 Abyss Blade Beast, he finally realized that something was amiss.