Chapter 1: Guaranteed Admission Qualification

The purple sun shone down on the barren land of Donglu Town, seemingly adding a trace of vitality to this small town on the edge of a quasi-safe zone.

Standing on the yellow earth playground built atop a great rift in the center of Donglu Town, one could see the sky in the distance, cracked like shattered glass, and the faint outline of colossal mountains looming behind it.

Those mountains do not exist within this void—this is the conclusion of the scientists!

That is the Devil's Mountain. If you misbehave, you'll be thrown onto the mountain! That's what adults say to scare children.

That is the Mountain of Wealth. If you can climb it, you'll gain endless riches! That's the fevered talk of adventurers!

That is the Soul-Severing Mountain. Countless widows and orphans, when gazing at those wild mountains, have eyes full of resentment, for their fathers or husbands all lie buried within those vast ranges.

"Brian Sullivan, 354 jin, qualified!"

"Mark Carter, 261 jin, not qualified!"

...

"David Bennett, 542 jin, excellent!"

On the playground, leveled with blackish-purple soil, as the boy in blue coarse cloth—his face not exactly handsome, but delicate—swung his fist and struck the punching target, a cheer erupted.

"David Bennett is a real monster. In just one month, his strength has increased to 500 jin. Maybe he really can become a martial artist."

"Yeah, he's only fifteen. By the time he's twenty, his strength should reach 1,000 jin. Becoming a martial artist will be easy for him!"

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend. Someone's already got a crush on him!"

As the crowd chattered, another boy stepped forward. His clothes were the same color as the others, but the fabric and workmanship were two grades higher. He was very handsome, but his sharp eyes and the smirk at the corner of his mouth made him hard to like.

"Heh, 542 jin is a lot, but compared to me, it's still far behind!"

As he spoke, the boy strode quickly to the punching target and delivered a heavy punch.

"Ethan Foster, 783 jin, outstanding!"

The sudden appearance of this number shocked even the teacher in charge of the assessment, let alone the students.

"How is that possible? Last time, Ethan Foster only scored 324, not even as much as me. How did he jump to 783 in just half a month? He must have cheated!" The chubby Brian Sullivan shouted in frustration.

Half the students clamored in protest, but some remained silent. Still, many instinctively glanced at David Bennett.

Dressed in a blue linen school uniform, David Bennett's face darkened. A thought arose in his mind.

"Stop making a fuss. Let me tell you, ten days ago, Brother Ethan took a body-tempering potion. Now, this is his true strength." A skinny boy said proudly.

Body-tempering potion—at these words, not only were the noisy students stunned, but even the teacher standing by looked utterly shocked.

"A body-tempering potion worth a hundred thousand yuan. Ethan Foster's family is really generous."

"I heard the potion is made from the true blood of ferocious beasts. I’d only heard rumors before, but I didn’t expect it to really exist."

Ethan Foster ignored the chatter. He strode arrogantly up to David Bennett and declared confidently, "I told you, the guaranteed admission spot from Donglu Town is mine."

"Your talent is decent, but you’re just a pauper who eats level-one energy bars every day. What right do you have to compete with me?"

"A noble child from a poor family? Pah!"

Watching the swaggering Ethan Foster walk away, David Bennett clenched his fists tightly, his heart full of unwillingness. All his hard work over many days was still no match for a single vial of potion.

"David, that guaranteed spot at Qitian Martial Academy is your reward for winning first place in the Dongshan County League on behalf of Donglu Town. No one can take it from you!" The chubby Brian Sullivan came over to comfort David Bennett.

Before David Bennett could reply, the head teacher William Grant, whose hair was already thinning into a basin shape, called out to him, "David Bennett, come here for a moment."

William Grant usually greeted David Bennett with a smile, but now his face was extremely serious.

"David Bennett, the guaranteed spot at Qitian Martial Academy can only go to the strongest student in our school. If you don’t make progress for a long time, don’t blame the school for being unsentimental."

David Bennett's face flushed instantly. He was always polite to others, but that didn’t mean he would let himself be bullied!