Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Gap

Seeing Fang Chen safe and sound, looks of pleasant surprise and relief immediately appeared on everyone’s faces, as if they had finally found their anchor.

Fang Chen walked briskly into the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the exhausted faces and the wounded on the ground. "What happened after I left?"

Wang Pan struggled to stand, but Fang Chen pressed him back down with a gesture. Panting, with a bloody scratch still visible on his face, Wang Pan explained, "Boss Fang, not long after you left, we were pursued and intercepted by several waves of Demon Beasts. We fought several tough battles. Su Zhe and the other True Martial Artists took the frontline and suffered some injuries. A few students were heavily wounded, and the energy in their Spiritual Crystal Stones was almost depleted... We were on the verge of collapsing, but then..."

A look of confusion appeared on his face. "But then, about fifteen minutes ago, the Demon Beasts besieging us suddenly turned around without any warning, as if they had received some command. They all ran toward the depths of the forest, which gave us the chance to retreat here and briefly rest."

Wu Jun chimed in from the side, lingering fear in his voice. "Yeah, it was so strange. The fighting was fierce, and then they just all ran away, as if something over there was attracting them."

Hearing this, Fang Chen understood what had happened. He nodded calmly. "As long as everyone is fine. The sudden retreat of the Demon Beasts might be our chance."

He squatted down and carefully examined the heavily injured. Most of them had suffered internal shockwaves or bone fractures. Fortunately, their Combat Suits had blocked the majority of the lethal damage, so their lives were not in danger, though they were clearly unable to fight any longer. As for the rest, most had overexerted their True Qi and sustained superficial wounds.

"Those who can still move, help support each other. For the heavily injured, find a few people to take turns carrying them." Fang Chen stood up, his voice clear. "We shouldn’t stay here for long. Although the Demon Beasts have been temporarily lured away, there’s no guarantee we won’t face other dangers. We must make it out of this forest as soon as possible."

Though these were just a few simple words, even spoken in a commanding tone, they instantly cleared away the gloom and panic that had pervaded the group.

"All right!"

"Listen to Boss Fang!"

"Come on, I’ll help you up!"

"Careful, I’ll carry you for a bit!"

There were no complaints and no hesitation. Those who were still mobile immediately stood up, enduring the pain of their own injuries to proactively support the companions beside them. The heavily injured students were also carefully carried on backs or hoisted by their arms.

Although the entire group still looked battered, they radiated an entirely different Essence, Qi, and Spirit than before. With a reliable leader anchoring them, their will to survive had been reignited. With Fang Chen here, they finally saw the hope of pressing on and making it out alive!

The group set out once more.

Along their journey, they didn’t encounter any more large-scale Demon Beast attacks. The occasional one or two stragglers that darted out were swiftly dispatched by Fang Chen, Su Zhe, and the others. Although their exact route was unclear, their general direction was correct.

Finally, just as the light in the forest grew increasingly dim and only a trace of crimson remained on the horizon, the path ahead suddenly opened up! The dense woods had come to an end. A cleared stretch of open ground appeared before their eyes, brightly lit and dotted with temporary tents and facilities!

Quite a few people had already gathered in the clearing. There were personnel in uniform, as well as batches of students who looked just as exhausted but seemed to have arrived even earlier than they had.

"Are we... are we here?"

"It’s the exit! We made it out!"

"Thank God! We finally made it out!"

"Ah? Oh no, a ghost! I saw a dead instructor come back to life!"

"Ghost my ass! Don’t you get it yet? Isn’t it obvious? This is the first round of the martial exam. Everything before this was just the test content."

"Ah... crap. I don’t think I contributed much this whole time. I’m doomed!"

Cheers and sobs erupted from the crowd. Many people practically collapsed onto the ground, their tightly strung nerves finally loosening completely.

At that moment, a figure stepped forward from the crowd. It was Huai Yongge. His gaze swept over the group, pausing on Fang Chen for a fleeting second with a hint of approval before he announced loudly, "Congratulations on successfully crossing the Xiajiang Forest."

He turned sideways and gestured toward the personnel in white uniforms standing by in the rear. "This is the medical team. All injured students, head over there immediately for examination and treatment. The rest of you, rest where you are and replenish your water and food."

Fang Chen also followed the group to get checked. The military doctor found that apart from a few minor soft tissue contusions and some superficial wounds, he was perfectly fine. After a simple cleaning and disinfection, he was signaled to leave. He collected some rations and clean water, then found a relatively quiet corner to sit down and slowly recover his stamina.

It wasn’t long before Huai Yongge appeared before the crowd again. The somewhat noisy clearing swiftly quieted down. All the surviving students, whether injured or not, watched him nervously.

"Let me introduce myself," Huai Yongge said in a steady voice that echoed clearly across the venue. "I am Huai Yongge from the Supervisory Office of the Southwestern Province Martial Arts Association, in charge of coordinating and judging the first round of the Jinchuan City martial exam."

His gaze swept over the young faces, which were worn out yet filled with expectation. "First, congratulations on successfully crossing the Xiajiang Forest. This proves your courage and your strength. You have all worked hard." His tone then shifted. "However, I regret to inform you that the martial exam is a selection process. It is a competition. According to the rules, only the top thirty candidates in the point rankings from this first round will qualify to enter the next phase."

A low uproar and a flurry of murmurs immediately broke out below. Nervousness and unease appeared on many faces.

Huai Yongge ignored this and directly began announcing the scoring rules. These simply comprised specific point values for killing Demon Beasts, gathering specific resources, rescuing companions, making correct decisions, and so on. As the rules became clear, many students started calculating their points secretly. Their expressions varied; some rejoiced that they hadn’t completely chickened out at critical moments, while others were consumed by regret, feeling that they could have done much more but missed out on opportunities due to fear or poor choices.

"Now, I will announce the top thirty list and their points." Huai Yongge took out a roster and began to read it aloud.

"Thirtieth place: Jia Lan, 18 points."

"Twenty-ninth place: Liu Kang, 18 points."

"Twenty-eighth place: Ke Shuang, 18 points."

...

As the names and scores were read out one by one, the crowd realized that from thirtieth place upward, the scores were extremely tight, mostly clustering between 18 and 25 points. These scores were largely earned by completing one or two clear objectives within the forest. Perhaps it was finding and utilizing Water Mist Fruit or Purifying Sponge Grass, or perhaps it was contributing a crucial strike or assisting a companion in a certain battle. It could be taking on nursing duties within a team, or maybe even just not falling behind at a critical moment and making the right choice to stick with the main group.

None of these points were particularly difficult to earn. Many students who ranked lower or failed to make the list felt even more regretful. If they hadn’t merely hidden away—if they had just participated in one more battle or found one more herb—the outcome might have been completely different.

The reading of the roster continued, and the point gap gradually widened.

"...Third place: Sun Xuan, 38 points."

"...Second place: Su Zhe, 56 points."

When Su Zhe’s name was read, quiet murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd. As a True Martial Artist, he truly had played an important role in the battles.

Finally, Huai Yongge paused, his gaze landing on the figure sitting alone in the corner. Everyone’s gazes involuntarily followed his, their hearts already holding the answer.

"First place," Huai Yongge’s voice rose a notch. "Fang Chen—2,853 points!"

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