NOVEL WEB Chapter 35: The Trial Begins
The teaching hours of Bai Yunxuan were from 3 PM to 6 PM, which did not overlap with Chen Ziran's teaching hours, so there was no conflict.
Since it was still morning, Kent could only watch some archery tutorials and practice shooting at targets in the training field.
However, since it was his first time learning archery, he found it fascinating and became so absorbed in it that he practiced until noon. Afterward, he had a meal. As a super member, he had his own room for temporary rest.
At 3 PM, the official archery lessons began.
"New students, please introduce yourselves," Bai Yunxuan, a man in his thirties with sharp eyes and large hands, said. He held a strong bow in his hand. Originally, he had nine students, and with Kent, there were ten. These students, all over twenty years old, looked at the newcomer with curious eyes.
Kent stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Hello, Instructor. Hello, everyone. My name is Kent. Please take care of me from now on."
Bai Yunxuan nodded. "Today, everyone will practice freely for half an hour. I'll teach Kent the basics first, so he doesn't fall behind."
No one objected, as everyone had gone through the same process.
Then, Bai Yunxuan began teaching Kent how to string the bow, how to exert force, how to quickly retrieve and shoot arrows, and how to aim at the target, aligning three key points.
After that, Bai Yunxuan began teaching the other students the Spiral Arrow technique, explaining it in detail. Kent stood by and understood some of it.
After class, Kent ate some high-energy food to replenish his massive physical energy.
Then, he headed to the fifteenth floor to study Dragon Breath Blade Techniques. The essence of this sword technique lay in battle intent—only with high battle intent could one unleash an unstoppable, invincible style.
"The first move, Hidden Dragon Emerges from the Abyss."
After some explanation, Instructor Chen Ziran flicked his arm, and the battle blade shot out like a poisonous snake, striking straight ahead.
Kent followed the moves, but after several attempts, he still couldn't grasp the force. It felt elusive, and he couldn't fully master it.
Seeing this, Chen Ziran began to explain in more detail, breaking down every action and its key points. Kent couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was for others to join the Easy Sky Club, where services were top-notch, which made the club so successful.
…
For three consecutive days, Kent spent all his time in the Easy Sky Club, learning swordplay and archery.
Swords were easy to get started with, but they were a fourth-tier battle skill, so Kent had only made basic progress, grasping the general concept. Archery was the same—he became somewhat proficient, and could barely shoot at a target 100 meters away.
It was time for the trial in the secret realm.
On this day, the four hundred students ranked from Saint Stone High were divided into ten groups. Each instructor led forty students.
Kent arrived on time and found himself assigned to the first group, led by Class One's Head Teacher, He Ban, and was surprised to find Zhao Mengxi among the students in his group.
When all the students in the first group arrived, He Ban handed out some supplies and said:
"This trial will take place not far outside the city, in Nylon County. While the danger isn't significant, be cautious."
Afterward, everyone boarded the chartered bus heading towards the southern city gate.
Coincidentally, as Kent sat down, a fragrant breeze greeted him, and a graceful figure sat next to him with a charming smile.
"Kent, hello," Zhao Mengxi greeted sweetly.
"Hello, Zhao Mengxi," Kent replied, a little flustered, then subconsciously shifted closer. He stared at her in awe. Her eyes were like pools of ink, her nose delicate, and her long hair cascaded like a waterfall. She was breathtakingly beautiful, a vision of grace that made him catch his breath.
"Why are you staring at me? Do I have flowers on my face?" Zhao Mengxi asked.
"No, I was just thinking that I'm so lucky to be sitting next to a goddess," Kent said, rubbing his nose.
"Looks like you're afraid of being my shield," Zhao Mengxi pouted, looking quite cute.
For the sake of pursuing Zhao Mengxi, Leng Zimu had transferred from a prestigious school. However, in the final beast-taming preliminary competition, he was defeated by Zhao Mengxi and humiliated.
Now, Leng Zimu was also in the first group, and he was glaring at Kent from across the aisle, filled with hatred, wishing he could tear Kent apart.
Kent shrugged nonchalantly. "The goddess is underestimating me. I'm not afraid of these people. What I'm worried about is, if I'm not careful and end up liking you, then I'll be just another person for you to avoid, like Leng Zimu."
"Hehe, I wouldn't do that. You don't have the kind of face that I'd hate," Zhao Mengxi giggled, her laughter like a thousand flowers blooming, making everything else pale in comparison.
"That's good. Can I interpret this as a hint that if I can afford to take care of you, I can pursue you without being rejected?" Kent asked seriously.
"Uh... why would you think like that? In fact, we're still young, and we should focus on our future. Discussing these topics too early, especially in front of so many people, is a bit hard to respond to," Zhao Mengxi said, glaring at him.
"Ah... I get it. This is our little secret. It's better to develop things privately, since public displays of affection are a taboo in the martial world."
Zhao Mengxi's mouth opened in surprise, realizing Kent's words were rather cheeky. But strangely enough, she didn't feel repulsed, instead, she felt an odd sense of enjoyment.
"Hey, you! Seriously, if you keep talking like that, I'm worried you won't live long," she said, subtly gesturing towards Leng Zimu.
Kent nodded. "Alright, our pleasant conversation ends here." He lazily closed his eyes and stopped speaking.
Zhao Mengxi frowned slightly, wanting to pinch this guy. He truly was an oblivious straight man who had a sharp tongue but no understanding of girls' feelings.
…
An hour later, as Kent was half-asleep, he suddenly heard someone shouting.
"Look, that's the city wall of Microglow!"
"Yeah, every time I see it, I'm amazed. It's a miracle."
Kent opened his eyes and saw a massive, towering city wall, hundreds of feet high, standing solidly between the monsters and humans, keeping them in separate worlds.
The high city wall was dark gray, and on the top, tiny guards were patrolling with weapons, their figures barely visible against the backdrop of clouds and the strong wind.
As the bus approached the city gate, it stopped. He Ban led the forty students off the bus and walked toward the ten-meter-high steel city gate, showing the exit permits to the gate guards.
"Recently, many schools have been sending students for trials, but I still need to remind you: don't take your life lightly. Stay together, and remember, improving your strength is one thing, but keeping your life is the most important. You can only be of use if you're alive," He Ban said repeatedly.
He Ban nodded, leading the students through a small door on the large city gate.
Kent noticed that the steel city gate was three meters thick, and the outer surface was covered in sharp iron spikes to prevent monster attacks.
Once outside the city, everyone looked around in curiosity. The land was desolate and ruinous, with overgrown weeds. Various traces of human activity and tools were scattered about, and rusted cars were half-buried in dirt. Collapsed houses lay all around, and monster carcasses, white bones exposed, could be seen everywhere.
He Ban led them onto this land. Despite being only a wall away, it was as though they had entered two completely different worlds—one full of desolation and decay, the other full of life and vitality.
Suddenly, a dark shadow darted across their path. In the next moment, the shadow appeared beside a piece of decaying flesh and bone, quickly grabbing it before fleeing.
"Wow, I didn't expect a mere groundhog to be so nimble, and its size is as big as a hunting dog," one of the students commented, visibly amazed.
Kent used a long-range scan, quickly retrieving the creature's data.
Monster Name: Flashing Shadow Groundhog
Monster Rank: Bronze Intermediate
Monster Level: 26
Abilities:
Digging and underground movement, a master at it.Extremely fast, like a shadow.Eats carrion and carries a large number of bacteria; once it injures someone, the wounds can be fatal.
Kent immediately realized the danger, realizing that even a seemingly small creature near the city gate was so formidable. It seemed this trial wouldn't be a simple outing but rather a dangerous mission where lives were at risk, and the city guards' warning made perfect sense.