In the warehouse.
Lin Xun sat before a tall workbench with a sharp rune brush in his hand. He gently dipped it in the jade water rune ink, and meticulously controlled the flow of aeth power into the brush tip as he began to carve on the blade.
His back was as straight as a pencil. There was a look of concentration, extraordinary composure, and confidence on his face.
“Have you ever seen someone who can craft an aeth tool at the True Martial stage?”
In the distance, Xiaoman dazedly stared at Lin Xun’s figure.
Old Mo pondered and said, “I’ve seen such people before, but they are far too rare. The empire’s three great rune clans do have a few super talented descendants who have achieved this.”
“Have you seen anyone like Lin Xun?” Xiaoman followed up with another question, her expression still somewhat dazed.
Before Old Mo could respond, Xiaoman said, “No. At the very least, I have never heard of a thirteen-year-old youth who is also a rune apprentice. If I did not personally witness this, I would have doubted if it was real.”
There was a sliver of unknown emotion in her voice.
Old Mo’s expression turned somewhat complicated, “This kid is indeed one-of-a-kind. I once met a student in Qinglu Academy called Feng Qingyou who was roughly the same age as this kid back then. She also had an unimaginable talent in runes and subsequently became a rune grandmaster several years later at the young age of nineteen. This shocked the entire Qinglu Academy and created quite a commotion in the imperial city. Many called her the genius young lady.”He paused for a moment before continuing, “I found out later on that her father was the Clan Leader of one of the three noble rune clans, the Feng Clan, and her master was the Qinglu Academy’s Rune Department Head. Hence, it suddenly made sense to me why she was able to become a rune grandmaster at the age of nineteen.”
Xiaoman suddenly asked, “Are you saying that Lin Xun and this girl called Feng Qingyou are different?”
Old Mo nodded, “Indeed. The rune mastery Lin Xun has shown is even greater than what Feng Qingyou had back then. At the very least…it was definitely impossible for her to suggest changes to the design of the Violet Hero Battleship aeth engine.”
Only by comparing two products would a person be able to better gauge their value. This concept applied to people as well.
Upon hearing this, Xiaoman’s heart could not help but churn wildly. Her gaze changed when she looked at Lin Xun’s back again, “In other words, his future accomplishments will not be below Feng Qingyou?”
Old Mo nodded without any hesitation, “I’ve suddenly become very curious about where he came from. Such a person should not appear in Blood Kill Camp!”
Xiaoman frowned, “Old Mo, you’d best not let anyone know about Lin Xun. He’s still young. If someone finds out about his capabilities, he might gain unimaginable honor, glory, and status in the future but he will always have to serve someone else and never have true freedom!”
Old Mo’s expression changed slightly because he was actually considering this notion. In his eyes, staying in Blood Kill Camp was a waste of Lin Xun’s talents. He should be in the Forbidden City’s Qinglu Academy instead where he would definitely be able to properly display his skill and become a shining star that was recognized by everyone.
Xiaoman swept a glance at Old Mo, “Don’t forget how you came here all those years ago.”
These few words caused Old Mo’s expression to change drastically. In the end, he bitterly said, “Indeed. Without sufficient power, even the greatest glory and status are merely akin to the reflection of the moon in the well. He will only be a chess piece for others to toy with.”
Xiaoman said, “Old Mo, I hope you remember what you said today. I will report every detail of today’s matter to Head Xu. I believe he will have the same opinion as me.”
Head Xu was Xu Sanqi.
Old Mo extinguished the last wisp of his fantasy and said, “Fine. I merely do not wish for his talents to be buried. Since you guys don’t agree, I can’t be bothered to say anything either.”
A buzzing noise suddenly interrupted their conversation as the ring of a blade filled the entire warehouse.
Old Mo and Xiaoman raised their heads and found that Lin Xun had already stood up and was carefully inspecting his blade.
The battle blade’s surface was suffused with ripple-like light. It gave off an azure-sea-like glow and a feeling of vastness.
Success!
Moreover, he succeeded on the first attempt!
As individuals with excellent discernment, Old Man and Xiaoman could instantly tell that the ordinary blade had undergone a complete transformation, becoming an aeth weapon―Jade Wave Blade!
The two exchanged a glance and saw the same unconcealable shock in each other’s eyes.
Success on the first attempt…moreover, it had come from the hands of a rune apprentice who was only at the True Martial seventh layer…
Such a feat would shock the world!
……
Although it was deep in the night, the 40th Campground was not very peaceful.
All thirty-nine students had been gathered in a hall where they listened to Instructor Savage Wolf’s analysis.
Savage Wolf was a thin man with unhealthily pale skin and long, narrow eyes. He gave off a stern and cold presence like a lone wolf prowling in the barrens.
“Instructor Xiaoke is very formidable. Among the teachers of the forty campgrounds, she is the one I would want to face the least.” Savage Wolf’s soft voice rang out like a hissing venomous snake. It still made several students shiver although they had already grown accustomed to it.
“You guys should know that the 39th Campground currently has the highest elimination rate. This means that their remaining twenty-four students are the cream of the crop. If you guys are not careful against them tomorrow, prepare to be eliminated!”
Savage Wolf’s analysis caused numerous students’ expressions to turn grave.
“However, there is no need to be overly wary either. Even if we disregard our numbers advantage, the overall battle power of our 40th Campground will not lose to anyone else!”
At this point, Savage Wolf suddenly pointed to a healthy-looking youngster who gave off an extraordinary aura, “Take Di Jun for example. He can match the 39th Campground’s Li Qiu, Wen Mingxiu, or Muo Lengxin!”
The youngster's eyes shone brightly as he cupped his fists together, “Di Jun will not disappoint the Instructor.”
Savage Wolf did not comment. He pointed to a valiant-looking young lady whose hair was tied up in a bun, “Lei Xinyue is also not bad. However, you must be careful if you encounter Ning Meng. Both of you practice lightning attribute cultivation arts and will most certainly have a miserable fight.”
Lei Xinyue slightly raised her chin. Contrary to expectation, she seemed to be looking forward to it, “It just so happens that I’ve been hoping to spar with him to see whether his Ning Clan’s Eight Wasteland ThunderBolt Art or my Lei Clan’s Dipper Thunder Sword Scripture is superior!”
Savage Wolf did not comment this time either. His gaze swept across the students and ultimately locked onto a very ordinary young man who had a very ordinary aura. After a long silence, Savage Wolf said, “Gong Ming, you should be aware that the most problematic individuals from the 39th Campground are Shi Yu, Ning Meng and Qi Can. I hope that you will do your best to defeat one of them.”
The rest of the students were shocked by these words and soon broke out into a commotion.
Gong Ming was the most ordinary person amongst them. He had average points, average performance, and a very easily neglectable existence.
No one had expected Instructor Savage Wolf to suddenly show such high regard for him at this juncture. It was just too surprising.
Only a handful of students who knew Gong Ming’s background were not surprised by Instructor Savage Wolf’s words. Very few people would dare to underestimate a descendent of the ‘Never Falling Geezer’ Gong Clan!
Gong Ming nodded and did not say anything else.
“To conclude, Shi Yu, Ning Meng, and Qi Can are the three top students from the 39th Campground, and anyone who encounters them must go all-out.”
“Besides them, Li Qiu, Wen Mingxiu, and Muo Lengxin should not be underestimated either.”
“As for the other students, there should not be a huge gap between them and any one of you. How you guys do tomorrow will depend on your individual performance.”
Savage Wolf took a deep breath and said, “Remember, tomorrow’s exam will not only affect everyone individually but also decide whether the 40th Campground will be disbanded. I hope that you guys will not disappoint me!”
The students displayed solemn looks as their eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Someone suddenly spoke out, “Instructor, I heard that there was quite a stir in the 39th Campground today. A guy called Lin Xun beat up Xin Wenbin till he fainted, causing quite a huge fuss. Do you think that we should take precautions against him?”
Lin Xun?
Numerous people were lost because it was the first time they had heard this name.
Savage Wolf was likewise unfamiliar with the name. He frowned and said, “Such things happen all the time in the forty campgrounds. There’s nothing strange about it.”
He was implying that the new name was not on the same threat level as Shi Yu, Ning Meng and Qi Can. In fact, Lin Xun wasn’t even able to compare to Li Qiu, Wen Mingxiu, and Muo Lengxin. The 40th Campground should be wary of Lin Xun while not placing too much focus on him.
Similar pre-exam analysis sessions were held in basically every campground. The atmosphere in Blood Kill Camp was like a fuse that was about to be lit.
Only the 39th Campground was silent and peaceful. When it was time to train, they would train. When it was time to sleep, they would sleep. There was no change to their regular schedule tonight either.
This was Instructor Xiaoke’s style.
The next morning.
A ship smashed through clouds as dawn approached and landed in the 39th Campground. Xiaoke, Lin Xun, and the other twenty-four students boarded and the ship rose into the sky again and swiftly disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, similar ships rose from the other campgrounds, creating a magnificent sight.
Today was the month-end exam!
After today, half of Blood Kill Camp’s forty campgrounds would be disbanded. In other words, it was going to be a mass elimination event!
The exam was held in various different venues. The clash between the 39th and 40th Campgrounds was in the exam district known as Poisonous Scorpion Ridge.
Poisonous Scorpion Ridge was a rare mountainous region in the desert which spanned over a hundred miles. Although it was not large, the terrain was complex and filled with numerous poisonous creatures, making it an extremely dangerous zone.
The contents of the month-end exam were very simple: students from the two campgrounds would be sent to random locations in Poisonous Scorpion Ridge where they would engage in a cruel, all-out battle!