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

Before Song Yishu could respond, Lin Ran had already disappeared outside the door.

Once outside the surveillance range, he used earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape through the earth) again and quickly headed to the seaside.

Over the next few days, Lin Ran's life settled into a routine.

They attend classes during the day, hunt for crystal cores at sea at night, and then set up a spirit-gathering array to cultivate.

His hunting range shifted from targeting third-tier mutated creatures to killing both third-tier and fourth-tier creatures together.

Although the fourth-tier mutated creature takes longer, it can also rapidly enhance his underwater combat capabilities.

Moreover, one fourth-order crystal core is equivalent to ten third-order crystal cores, so it's not a bad deal.

On Wednesday night, he broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Early Saturday morning, I entered the ninth level of Qi Refining.

By late Sunday night, his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The spiritual energy in his dantian was so thick it was almost condensed into a liquid, and each rotation of the energy vortex brought a feeling of fullness.

At the current pace, we can attempt foundation building in two more days.

Monday morning.

Xinhai No.1 Middle School Training Hall.

The school's ten senior martial arts classes, totaling 379 students, filled the entire training hall to capacity.

Each class's instructors stood in front of their respective classes. Qin Hanzhong stood with his hands behind his back, the scars on his face clearly visible in the morning light.

A sprightly old man walked onto the stage.

His hair was gray but his back was straight. His gaze swept over the students below the stage, and his voice was broadcast throughout the training hall through the loudspeakers.

"Dear teachers and all senior martial arts students, good afternoon! I am Bai Jingchuan, the principal of Xinhai No.1 Middle School."

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

"Three years of tempering and honing your skills, today you face the battle. Today, you will have the last and most realistic mock martial arts exam of your high school career."

"This simulation is completely aligned with the college entrance examination standards, providing you with the perfect last opportunity before the actual exam to identify and address any weaknesses, and hone your practical skills..."

"As a new generation of martial artists, we should live up to our arduous training and youthful aspirations..."

"In battle, one must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, remain calm in the face of danger; martial prowess determines one's potential, but temperament determines life and death..."

"Practicing martial arts is not just for the sake of getting into a better school, but also for protecting China and safeguarding our land..."

After a long speech, Bai Jingchuan paused before speaking again: "The sweat and toil of three years of hard training are the foundation for our confidence to unsheathe our swords today!"

"May you all concentrate your efforts, give it your all, and achieve great success in martial arts, displaying your full potential. I now declare the final mock martial arts exam for senior high school students officially open!"

The audience erupted in applause once again.

Each student was full of fighting spirit.

Then, all students entered the venue in order of their classes.

Lin Ran walked to his cabin, and Chu Xining waved to him from the cabin next to him: "Go for it, Brother Lin Ran!"

"Okay, keep it up!" Lin Ran replied with a smile.

Sun Jinghuan, standing at the other end of the queue, appeared much calmer than before.

Two members of the Sun family's collateral relatives followed behind him. The three of them exchanged a few words in hushed tones before entering their respective cabins.

Lin Ran glanced at it, then looked away and entered the virtual pod.

The hatch closed, and blue light began to play.

An electronic female voice sounded in my ear.

"Virtual scene loading. This mock exam uses a points-based competition format 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 dense jungle.

The trunk was so thick that it would take two people to encircle it, and the canopy blocked out the sun, with only a few sparse spots of light leaking through the gaps in the leaves.

The air was filled with the smell of damp, decaying leaves, and the soil beneath our feet was soft and muddy.

He stretched his limbs and took a deep breath.

The virtual scene maintains the same level of realism as in the real world, with bodily functions almost indistinguishable from those in reality.

He spurred himself on and sped into the depths of the jungle.

He encountered several low-level mutants along the way, which he dealt with easily.

He didn't pay attention to the numbers on the points panel that jumped a few times.

In his view, it didn't matter whether he did well on the exam or not; the main thing was not to let Sun Jinghuan do too well.

Tier 3 mutated beasts have high scores and are difficult to kill solo. If that guy wants to get high scores, he will definitely team up to challenge higher-tier mutated beasts.

As long as you follow him and wait until he's almost dead before striking to deliver the final blow, it saves both time and effort.

Lin Ran walked through the forest, ignoring the other students he encountered along the way, his goal clear.

After a search, in the middle of an open space, they finally found traces of Sun Jinghuan and two members of the Sun family's collateral relatives.

Lin Ran landed on a thick tree branch and peered down through the leaves.

A second-tier rock-backed sea lizard was being attacked by Sun Jinghuan and his two companions.

The lizard was over three meters long, with a thick layer of rock armor on its back, and its tail could snap a small tree with each swing.

Sun Jinghuan's flaming blade cleaved through the rock armor, sending sparks flying. The two collateral branches worked together quite well, one responsible for restraining the other for harassing from a distance.

The rock-backed sea lizard's health bar was almost depleted, and its movements began to slow down.

Sun Jinghuan seized the opportunity, his flaming blade slicing in from the side, aiming straight for the thinnest seam on the sea lizard's neck.

Just then, Lin Ran leaped down from the tree branch.

Bang!

He punched the sea lizard on the head, cracking its rocky armor in several places, and the lizard was forced to the ground by the enormous impact.

Before it could struggle, another punch was delivered, piercing straight through its skull.

Points +300.

Sun Jinghuan's flaming blade missed its target, and he froze on the spot.

After recognizing the person, his expression shifted from anger to ferocity: "Lin Ran!"

"What a coincidence, Young Master Sun." Lin Ran flicked the blood off his fist. "I just happened to be passing by, so I'll lend you a hand."

Sun Jinghuan gritted his teeth: "Do I need your help?"

"This lizard has thick, tough skin; I was worried you'd waste your time," Lin Ran said sincerely. "You're welcome!"

The two members of the Sun family's collateral relatives behind Sun Jinghuan exchanged glances, neither daring to utter a single word.

They also knew about Lin Ran's repeated beatings of the Sun Jingyao and Sun Jinghuan brothers, and naturally didn't want to be the first to stick their necks out.

"Fine! I'll take it as a concession!"

Sun Jinghuan took a deep breath, suppressed his surging anger, and turned to leave with the two of them.

Firstly, he couldn't beat Lin Ran, and secondly, this mock exam didn't allow students to fight each other.

His continued presence here will only bring him further humiliation.

Instead of getting bogged down in this, why not try scoring again in a different place?

"Young Master Sun is so generous. Where are you going next?" Lin Ran followed far behind.

He made no attempt to conceal himself, simply swaggering behind the three men for several dozen meters.

Sun Jinghuan looked back several times, and each time he could see Lin Ran waving at him from not far away.

"Could you please stop following me?"

"Is this island yours?" Lin Ran leaned against a tree trunk, arms crossed. "I can go wherever I want!"

Sun Jinghuan knew he couldn't dissuade Lin Ran, so he could only speed up and crawl into a denser thicket of bushes.

Two collateral relatives followed closely behind, and the three of them weaved through the bushes, trying to shake off Lin Ran.

After turning past a banana grove, a natural cave with a diameter of about two meters appeared ahead.

Standing at the cave entrance and looking inside, the stone walls were covered with slippery moss, and a fishy smell wafted out of the cave.

Scattered on the ground were numerous broken animal bones, some still bearing traces of dark red blood.

Sun Jinghuan's pupils contracted slightly. Not far in front of him, two fist-sized, scarlet vertical pupils were slowly rising.

A giant abyssal crocodile emerged from the depths of a cave. It was over six meters long, with sharp teeth, each half a foot long, interlocked between its upper and lower jaws.

Its limbs were as thick as stone pillars, and every time its claws scratched the ground, four deep furrows would be plowed into the rock surface.