The Dead, What Achievements to Speak Of

After cleaning up the dishes together, Su Qi called for Liu Yuan to get ready to head out.

Liu Yuan slurped down the last mouthful of milk unhappily, then licked her lips.

She was so close to leveling up!

But her stupid brother just wouldn’t cooperate!

All she wanted was to see what effect her special talent would have after another upgrade. Was it wrong to pull out all the stops for that?

Definitely not.

So, Su Qi was the bad one here, and she was the good one.

Their place was indeed a bit remote, and on top of that, they happened to hit the morning rush hour. It took them nearly forty minutes on the subway to finally arrive at the martial exam venue.

The arena test consisted of three rounds, mainly to prevent candidates from underperforming due to psychological factors.

So the process was nothing new.

Liu Yuan smoothly found her exam number, then weaved through the crowd, tugging at Su Qi’s arm. "Brother, I checked the grouping list. I’m assigned to Arena D, seventh match."

Su Qi glanced at the time. "Alright, we’ve got a while. Let’s wait in the rest area first."

Pretty good luck.

They’d be heading back by morning again.

The two found a relatively quiet corner to sit.

Around them, small groups of candidates eagerly discussed yesterday’s test results.

Occasionally, someone would sneak a glance at Liu Yuan, then quickly look away, continuing their hushed whispers.

Before long, the broadcast announced the staff’s voice: "Arena D, seventh match candidates, please prepare and proceed to the waiting area."

Liu Yuan stood up. "It’s almost my turn, Brother. I’m heading in."

Just as Su Qi was about to say something, a staff member in formal attire hurried over.

"Are you Candidate Liu Yuan?" the staff member asked.

Liu Yuan nodded. "That’s me."

"I’m here to inform you that your opponent for the second round of the arena test has forfeited."

Liu Yuan blinked. "Why did they forfeit?"

The staff member gave an awkward smile. "Well… your performance yesterday was too outstanding, so…"

"The rules allow it. It’s rare, but it happens."

The main reason was that the candidate scheduled to face Liu Yuan this round was downright terrified.

Though he had the potential to break into Jiangxia’s top ten this year…

The question was—

Was Lin Han weak?

Definitely not.

With Lin Han’s strength, as long as he didn’t mess up, he could easily rank in Jiangxia’s top three.

This candidate knew he couldn’t compare to Lin Han.

And what happened?

Despite multiple call-outs today, Lin Han never showed up—he was a no-show.

The staff had to call to inquire, only to be told by his family that he was withdrawing from this year’s martial exam due to psychological issues.

So, honestly speaking—was this candidate stronger than Lin Han?

Nope.

And his family wasn’t wealthy either. They’d only prepared five cards for him, and losing even one would be heartbreaking.

Rather than humiliating himself on stage and risking his cards getting wrecked—or worse, ending up like ‘Yellow Water Guy’—it was better to just forfeit.

There was no room for him to shine anyway, and his score would probably be abysmal.

The three-round test took the average score.

Might as well forfeit outright, accept the ‘cowardice’ penalty, and settle for his previous round’s score minus ten.

What else could he do with such bad luck?

Sacrificing a pawn to save the king was the smart move.

The staff member continued, "Additionally, since Candidate Lin Han was absent today and we’ve confirmed his withdrawal, the third round will have an odd number of participants, making proper matchups impossible. So, your third round will be a bye."

"Your scores for the second and third rounds will both be recorded as 131. You can proceed directly to the Origin Realm test the day after tomorrow."

"If you have any objections, we can arrange for a staff member to conduct the test."

And just like that, Liu Yuan found herself inexplicably done with the arena test.

---

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

The aftertaste of breakfast lingered.

After much pleading and exhausting all her tricks, Liu Yuan had finally convinced Su Qi to switch to a higher-quality brand of milk.

Supposedly, it was fermented with three billion probiotics, making it easier on the stomach.

The only regret was that she was still just a tiny bit short on the upgrade experience for her special talent.

[When Longing Overflows into Sickness]

[Growth Condition: Accumulate 15 billion ‘specific target’ upgrade points (14.91234/15 billion)]

---

The gathering point for the third round of the martial exam was set in a mountain range over a hundred miles west of the residential area.

The usually dusty grounds had been decorated with a somewhat ceremonial atmosphere today.

Huge banners fluttered in the wind, bearing the emblem of Jiangxia.

By the time Liu Yuan and Su Qi arrived, the area was already packed.

Looking around, the crowd was filled with boys and girls around Liu Yuan’s age.

They huddled in small groups, whispering in hushed tones, their expressions varied.

Liu Yuan took a spot at the edge of the designated area, idly grinding a small pebble under her foot.

She kept at it for half an hour, yet there was still no sign of the Jiangxia Guardian announcing the start of the exam.

Su Qi looked up. The sunlight was glaring, stirring an inexplicable irritation in him.

It didn’t feel like a good omen.

"Why hasn’t it started yet? Dragging things out like this is so inefficient," he muttered under his breath, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

Liu Yuan, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as restless.

She kept playing with her pebble.

Su Qi thought his silly little sister was being childish. "What’s so fun about that?"

The silly little sister grinned triumphantly. "Training, duh~!"

Just then, several figures stepped onto the central platform at the front of the gathering point.

At the forefront was the Jiangxia Guardian, his presence as steady as a mountain.

Behind him were several assistants, including a familiar face—Su Muxue.

The others, Su Qi didn’t recognize.

He rarely interacted with official personnel.

On the platform, the Jiangxia Guardian cleared his throat.

His voice, unaided by any amplification, carried clearly across the entire gathering point, brimming with unquestionable authority.

"All candidates, quiet!"

The murmuring crowd fell silent almost instantly.

Every gaze fixed onto the platform.

"I am the Jiangxia Guardian, Jiangxia."

A Guardian was one who abandoned their name to stand with their city unto death.

He cut straight to the point.

"Welcome to this year’s martial exam. Unlike previous years, this year’s exam will take place within the ‘Origin Realm.’"

Even though most had already heard the news, a wave of hushed whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd.

For the majority of candidates from ordinary backgrounds, the term still carried an air of mystery, even something fantastical.

Many leaned in, trying to glean more information from their peers.

"Though most of you already know, I’ll explain once more," the Jiangxia Guardian said with a slight nod.

"It is a special space, independent yet closely linked to our real world. To ensure your smooth entry into the Origin Realm and completion of the exam, you will each receive this."

As soon as he finished speaking, an assistant behind him stepped forward, carrying a tray.

On the tray lay neatly stacked rows of thin wristbands.

The wristbands appeared to be made of some unknown metal, their surfaces shimmering with a faint, rippling glow, giving them an almost otherworldly appearance.

"These are derivatives of the tenth-tier special wristbands—'sub-rings,'" the Jiangxia Guardian said, picking up one of the wristbands to show the crowd.

"They are linked to the 'mother-ring' and serve as the most crucial tool for this martial examination."

"They function as your identification, status monitor, score recorder, and—most importantly—an emergency rescue device."

He emphasized the words "emergency rescue device," his tone turning grave.

"Once you encounter a life-threatening situation in the Source Realm that you cannot withstand, it will generate a defensive shield capable of resisting an ordinary seventh-tier powerhouse for half an hour."

"Within five seconds of activating the shield, you can report your situation, transmitting the information to the 'mother-ring.' Professional personnel will then be dispatched to rescue you."

"However, remember this well—once the shield is triggered, it will be considered a failure in the martial examination. No matter how outstanding your performance was before, your score will be reset to zero!"

"Because, if this weren’t an examination, you’d already be dead."

"And the dead don’t get to keep their scores."