Chapter 22: The Sharpshooter

The city lord exclaimed, "This year's college entrance exam has brought forth many outstanding prospective martial artists. In the future, each of them has a considerable chance to become a commander, galloping across the battlefield and defending the dignity of our race."

At this moment, several main screens each displayed an examinee. There were more than twenty in total. Fang Qingyun and Zhou Yi stood out among them, the most prominent two. Besides them, quite a few other candidates performed exceptionally and were individually locked onto by a single monitor. Zhao Junhong was one of them. After surviving the first tide transformation, his constitution had evidently grown stronger; relying on agile footwork, he managed to wear down and kill a half-demon, half-devil beast.

Two rays of light burst from the creature’s body and entered Zhao Junhong. The city lord’s secretary had already marked numbers on each screen. Fang Qingyun was twenty-seven. Zhou Yi was twenty-one. Zhao Junhong was eleven. These numbers represented the secretaries’ estimated levels of spiritual power within each candidate. Since the candidates entered the secret realm, their actions could be monitored and reviewed at any time—only the blessings received in the secret realm remained undetermined. The secretaries could only guess based on their experience. Still, the numbers were fairly reliable; the secretaries were seasoned, and compared to the candidates’ real figures, their estimates would only be lower, never higher.

This made Principal Zhang’s expression increasingly grim. Fang Qingyun’s twenty-seven was a clear lead, leaving Zhou Yi, the second place, far behind. He had just boasted confidently, and now his old face could barely hold up. Normally, a single tide transformation would only increase spiritual power by three points. Of course, the more spiritual power one possessed, the faster it grew during each tide transformation. When Zhou Yi reached twenty-one, the next transformation would surely grant him more than three points. This was precisely why, after three tide transformations, one would surely become a martial artist.

But Fang Qingyun’s spiritual power was even greater. If he survived the next tide transformation, how much more would he gain? How could such a monster exist?

"Haha, Principal Zhang, what are you thinking?" Principal Sun looked at him with a proud, mocking smile.

"Hmph!" Principal Zhang snorted coldly. "I was thinking that it’s a pity about that little Fang Qingyun. Who knows how much longer he can hold on?"

Principal Sun’s smile faded. "I believe he can survive to the end—through the third tide transformation!"

Principal Zhang replied meaningfully, "If Fang Zhi Heng were alive, or if Fang Qingyun were born into a noble family, I’d absolutely believe you."

Principal Sun’s face darkened. "Let’s wait and see."

The city lord smiled, watching the pair as if their rivalry was nothing more than two children venting their tempers. When both finally stopped, he turned his gaze back to the screens.

Fang Qingyun and Zhou Yi were both hunting half-demon, half-devil beasts. Zhou Yi relied on his superior combat skills; he had already mastered his family’s martial techniques, making him adept at dealing with these creatures. Fang Qingyun, meanwhile, wielded an astonishing marksmanship.

Just moments ago, a half-demon, half-devil beast appeared in his line of sight, more than two hundred meters away. Fang Qingyun fired his gun. A bullet entered the creature’s mouth and killed it instantly. That shot shocked the entire city lord’s mansion. To achieve such a feat in the secret realm’s environment! If this happened outside, the implications would be immense.

The most excited was the military officer, who sprang to his feet and shouted, "This child—I want him!"

No one replied. Most of those present were principals of the city’s high schools or members of Flower City’s elite. They weren’t the ones fighting to recruit; that would be up to the admissions offices of the martial arts schools. If you want him, go and fight those recruiters!

Meanwhile, Principal Sun’s phone kept buzzing with messages—all about Fang Qingyun. Some appealed to sentiment. Others promised great rewards. He casually scrolled through them, and one offer nearly made his eyes pop out. Was someone insane to offer such a price? Even genuine martial artists weren’t worth that much! And at this time... Fang Qingyun had just begun his first tide transformation, hadn’t he? How highly did they rate him?

Principal Sun’s expression grew hesitant.

Time passed slowly. Within the secret realm, one student after another reached their limit or ran into bad luck, encountering a half-demon, half-devil and being teleported back to their respective schools. The number dwindled.

Zhou Yi, Zhao Junhong, and others gradually quieted. There weren’t many half-demon, half-devil beasts left in the secret realm, and hunting them carried a risk of elimination.

Only one person stood out: Fang Qingyun! He was deep in the forest, where the concentration of half-demon, half-devil beasts was particularly high. Using the blood and flesh of eight giant wolves as bait, the results were extraordinary.

Bang!

A bullet traced a beautiful arc and pierced through the eye of a half-demon, half-devil beast. It exited through the back of its skull. The creature crashed heavily to the ground, lifeless.

[Spiritual Power +1]

[Spiritual Power: 34]

Fang Qingyun holstered his gun, exhaled deeply, and caressed his sniper rifle, a faint smile on his lips.

He was becoming more and more proficient! His marksmanship was improving rapidly.

His maximum range was now approaching three hundred meters. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to channel spiritual power yet. If he could, like a martial artist, infusing it into the gun and bullets, the power would surely explode exponentially. He wouldn’t need to aim for vital points—any shot would obliterate a half-demon, half-devil beast.

"If I joined the army, I’d definitely thrive. I’m already looking forward to becoming a martial artist."

Long-range sniping—military experts would absolutely love it.

"I’d thrive, definitely thrive!" The city government’s military officer nearly leapt for joy when he heard Fang Qingyun’s words. As a frontline soldier, what he liked best were masters of long-range assault.

The others just rolled their eyes. Sometimes, it didn’t matter what you wanted, or what Fang Qingyun wanted; things wouldn’t go your way. A young prospective martial artist like Fang Qingyun, who had surpassed thirty spiritual power after his first tide transformation, attracted far too much attention. His own will, if not directed, would at least be influenced.

If he survived the second and third tide transformations and continued to impress, well, neither of them would have much say—he’d end up following orders from above.

...

A wolf’s howl echoed.

"Again?" Fang Qingyun tugged at the corner of his lips, set up his sniper rifle, and prepared eagerly to reap another harvest.

This time, the scene in his scope made him gape. One giant wolf after another appeared in his sight.

"One, two, three, four... damn!"

"Fifteen!"

"How can there be so many?"

"Is this forest cursed? A pack with more than twenty wolves? Is this your mating season?"

The eight giant wolves he’d hunted earlier looked exactly the same as these fifteen. Wolves were pack animals; to claim they weren’t together would be hard to believe.

Fang Qingyun checked his sniper rifle magazine. Five bullets left.

His brows furrowed. Despite his increasing stats, Fang Qingyun’s combat ability hadn’t improved much compared to when he first entered the secret realm. The weight he bore had also increased. When he first arrived, he endured around four hundred pounds of gravity. Now, it was over two thousand.

His only advantage was his marksmanship.

He glanced at the time; most of the hour had already passed.

"Gotta go for it!"

"If it gets too tough, I’ll add points!"

Fang Qingyun raised his rifle and aimed at the lead wolf.