Chương 163: War God — Chapter 163 - Qiongwu Trial, Qiongyun Island

The woman before him was Third Uncle's eldest daughter, Wang Shu. Several years older than Second Brother. She'd been training at Ba Hai Martial Arts University the whole time, one of the top institutions in the Eastern Frontier province. In Wang Xian's memories from his past life, Eldest Cousin had joined the military straight after graduation. Later, during the Eastern Frontier tsunami, she'd died in the rescue operation against two rampaging X-rank Beasts.

Wang Xian remembered that early on, Eldest Cousin and Third Uncle hadn't gotten along. Third Uncle hadn't wanted her joining the military, said it was too dangerous. They'd been at odds over it for years. Last year, her graduation year, she hadn't even come home for New Year because of it. This year she must have joined the military directly after graduating. The matter was settled, so it looked like she'd finally come back.

"I'm learning alright." Wang Xian nodded.

"Free lessons for three months? Third Uncle, what's this about..." Third Uncle shook his head helplessly.

"Three poor kids..."

"Their parents were both martial artists. Apparently they went out on a mission together when Malevolent Qi suddenly erupted in some ruin. Got heavily infected. Already contracted Beast Cancer." Third Uncle sighed.

"You go to that sanatorium in Rong City every year, you know how it is. Treating Beast Cancer costs a fortune. Basically just buying expensive foreign medicine to slow it down..."

"These three kids came from fairly well-off families. But when something like this hits, half a year and their savings are pretty much drained..."

"I figured now that the martial hall's grown, waiving tuition for three kids isn't a big deal..." Hearing this, Wang Xian fell silent.

"You waive fees for these three, what are the other students supposed to think?" Eldest Cousin's tone was rigid.

"Everyone else paid. It's not about scarcity, it's about inequality. Their hardships are their problem. You can't break the martial hall's rules just because they have difficulties."

"Otherwise, who'd still want to come to your martial hall? What if the other students feel it's unfair and all withdraw?"

"You..." Third Uncle looked furious, pointing at Eldest Cousin.

"My martial hall, I teach however I want! What's it to you? You finally come back after so long, saying you wanted to see Xiao Xian, and now you're meddling in my martial hall?"

"Don't bring that rigid, stubborn attitude to your old man!" Eldest Cousin looked exasperated, too tired to argue with Third Uncle. She simply turned to Wang Xian.

"Xiao Xian, you have no talent. University must be rough, isn't it?"

"Actually, it's alright..." Wang Xian laughed.

"It's Tiandu University after all. The school even found me an Old Martial Arts teacher specifically. They treat me really well!"

"You should've told me earlier, should've come to Ba Hai!" Eldest Cousin shook her head.

"Over there, I know a couple Old Martial Arts experts. Ba Hai's teaching resources aren't any worse than Tiandu's. I heard it was because of that little girlfriend of yours that you went to Tiandu..."

"You really are something. With such good Old Martial Arts talent, yet you're hung up on romance... Eldest Cousin isn't saying you can't date, but you can't stake your future on personal feelings, can you?" Wang Xian thought to himself. Eldest Cousin's forceful personality truly hadn't changed one bit.

"Ah, never mind." The corner of Eldest Cousin's mouth twitched.

"This trip back to Western Shu, I'm here on important business. When the time comes, Eldest Cousin will take you to broaden your horizons!"

"I'll tell you more when I come back for dinner." Having joined the military, she must have quite a lot to handle. With that, Eldest Cousin left in a hurry. No one knew where she was off to.

"That girl, with her Fourth Realm strength, now a soldier, has seen the big world out there. Simply doesn't understand ordinary people's hardships anymore." Third Uncle sighed heavily.

"She's forgotten how all those brothers of mine back in the day died." Wang Xian watched Eldest Cousin's departing figure, lost in thought. In her past life, Eldest Cousin had died during a disaster rescue. She definitely wasn't the kind of person who didn't understand ordinary people's hardships... Wang Shu stepped outside the martial hall, glanced left and right, and with falcon-like swiftness flashed forward, catching up to the three youths in an instant. With a single grab, she pulled them into an alleyway.

The three youths stared at the stern-faced woman in military uniform. Their expressions changed, and they hurriedly pleaded:"Big Sister, that... that... the three months of tuition we're short on, we'll make it up when we get back."

"Absolutely, absolutely won't short your martial hall..." Wang Shu swept her gaze over the three youths. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"You've been learning boxing from the hall master. How's it going?" The three youths looked at each other, then braced themselves.

"Learned a bit of the surface. That Stone-Stele Crushing Fist, we've just barely started."

"Dull talent." Wang Shu shook her head dismissively.

"You're not suited for learning boxing. The hall master's teaching you for nothing." She reached into her coat, tossed down a stack of cash, and gave a cold snort.

"He didn't teach you well. The tuition from the past few months, I'm returning it all."

"Take the money and go learn staff or spear at some other martial hall." With that, she left. The three youths stared at each other, momentarily dumbfounded. Only after a long while did they come back to their senses. But her figure had already vanished. That night, Wang Xian had a family gathering with Third Uncle at the martial hall. He listened to Third Uncle recount the past half year: how he'd recruited a few students with some talent.

How the martial hall's Extreme Path Stone-Stele Crushing Fist could finally be passed down. How that kid Wang Yan had gotten himself a girlfriend at school...

"His martial talent was already mediocre, and now he's dating..." Eldest Cousin scoffed.

"If he doesn't work harder, once he graduates university, he'll probably only be fit to come back and inherit this broken-down martial hall of yours."

"The Extreme Path Stone-Stele Crushing Fist, that kind of basic Old Martial Arts boxing, in a few more years, it's bound to be phased out." BANG! Third Uncle slammed the table.

"You might be phased out, but my Extreme Path Stone-Stele Crushing Fist never will be!" Eldest Cousin curled her lip, too lazy to say more.

"Xiao Xian, what's your current strength? Where are you at in the Second Realm?" Eldest Cousin asked, full of eager interest. Her impression of Wang Xian was still stuck on the title of 'Martial Exam Top Scholar.'

"I'm already at the Third Realm." Wang Xian smiled. Eldest Cousin froze. Third Uncle also froze.

"Xiao Xian... I remember... when you left..." Third Uncle's voice was tinged with confusion.

"You'd just reached the Second Realm, hadn't you?"

"This semester, isn't your progress a bit too fast?" No way. I've trained for most of my life, and I've only barely reached the Third Realm myself! Third Uncle felt utterly lost. That second kid, after several years in university, still hasn't reached the Third Realm, has he? Only the eldest, Wang Shu, could be considered somewhat talented. She reached the Fourth Realm right after graduation. But you...

"Good, good, good!" Eldest Cousin's cheeks flushed bright red, utterly thrilled.

"So much better than that worthless second brother of mine! If he had this kind of strength, I wouldn't care if he got himself a girlfriend. Even if he got several, I'd still call him impressive!"

"..." Wang Xian.

"..." Third Uncle. Reaching the Third Realm in freshman year. As someone from one of Dragon Nation's top five universities, she naturally understood the weight of that accomplishment. And what's more, he had no martial talent, which only made this realm even more difficult to achieve!

"In a few days... your big sister will take you to a good place!" Eldest Cousin said mysteriously.

"What good place?"

"Qiongyun Island. You'll know when we get there." Wang Xian paused slightly. He actually already knew about this place. The next day, Wang Xian received a phone call and went to the Western Shu Military Headquarters in Rong City, where he met the long-absent Chief Zhao.

"You kid, you're something else!" Western Shu Military Headquarters, Chief's Office. Chief Zhao stood up and patted Wang Xian's shoulder with approval.

"I heard about what happened over in the Northern Frontier from headquarters."

"Impressive!"

"It was all Senior Sister Yan's doing," Wang Xian said.

"She certainly deserves credit." Chief Zhao sighed.

"But others may not know. I, however, am well aware. That hidden danger at the Northern Tibet ruins, if something had gone wrong, especially with the remains of that Cloud Demon Dragon... I know a thing or two about that."

"Right now, quite a few martial research institutes are searching for the fragments of Yang Tianchan's divine weapon from back then. The real reason is precisely because the Cloud Demon Dragon is exceedingly troublesome."

"Once it went out of control, I'm afraid the Northern Tibet region, Yunhe City at the very least, would have suffered a great catastrophe." Wang Xian smiled but said nothing. In his past life, it wasn't just Yunhe City that suffered catastrophe. It was simply that Yunhe City was the most severely damaged.

"Alright, let's not talk about that." Chief Zhao said.

"The reason I called you here is mainly to discuss the 'Qiongwu Trial.' It was not easy for you to obtain this trial qualification."

"Because, generally speaking, this trial qualification is reserved for those within the military."

"It's rarely issued to martial artists outside the military." In other words, without joining the military, one ordinarily wouldn't have this qualification. Someone like Yan Zhaoxue, a genius of that level, didn't have it either. Not because her strength was lacking, but because she hadn't joined the military. Wang Xian understood the reason.

"What you'll be participating in this time is the 'Preliminary Trial' of the Qiongwu Trial."

"Limited to our three southern provinces: Western Shu, Tiannan, and Ba Hai."

"The Intermediate Trial above it is nationwide across Dragon Nation. The highest-level Qiongwu Trial is the General Trial initiated by the Blue Star Martial Alliance."

"As for its main purpose..." Chief Zhao paused in thought, then smiled.

"It's primarily to temper young martial artists like yourselves, while simultaneously providing outstanding performers with an extraordinary cultivation environment." Wang Xian smiled faintly, merely nodding. The Qiongwu Trial. It was not just for tempering young martial artists. This was one link in the 'Qiongwu Plan' initiated by Blue Star to deal with the 'Alien Star Battlefield.'

In essence, it was meant to prepare for the harsh environment of the Alien Star Battlefield, aiming to cultivate a large batch of martial artists with firm willpower and strong adaptability in advance to supply the Alien Star Battlefield. Of course, that was the purpose of the highest-level Qiongwu Trial. The preliminary Qiongwu Trial was generally a regional-level trial conducted by domestic military departments. To describe it as tempering young martial artists wasn't wrong either.

In fact, after changes occurred on the Alien Star Battlefield in later years, the Qiongwu Trial was no longer limited to military martial artists but opened to martial artists nationwide. Naturally, that was not yet the case now.

"Don't feel any pressure." Chief Zhao smiled.

"Though the trial is extremely difficult, there aren't many combat segments. Overall, it's a test of a martial artist's mental fortitude and adaptability."

"The specific details, I'll have the military department send them to your phone."

"Additionally, since you're an Old Martial Arts martial artist, one of the rewards for this trial is the chance to cultivate in the 'Star Marrow Pool.'"" Old Martial Arts martial artists can soak in the Star Marrow Pool, which will greatly enhance the strength of the physical body, marrow-cleansing and body-tempering. It's an excellent cultivation opportunity for you." Wang Xian was slightly taken aback. He hadn't been too clear on this point.

In his previous life, he had never participated in this trial, only heard about it.

'The Star Marrow Pool, a spirit marrow pool containing rich cosmic energy. If I soak in such a special cultivation environment, at the fastest, it should only take a day or two for the star bone in my foot to fully adapt.'

'A good place indeed!' Wang Xian developed a bit of interest in this trial.

"As for the trial location, it's at the border junction of Tiannan and the southwest of the Eastern Frontier: Qiongyun Island. Not too far." Chief Zhao said.

"When the time comes, I'll arrange for someone to escort you there. Or, you can go by yourself. Just present the Crimson Dragon Battle Order, and you'll be able to enter directly. Your qualification has already been registered."

"I'll go by myself," Wang Xian said after thinking it over.

"That works." Chief Zhao seemed to recall something.

"Oh, right. Old Bai asked me to pass along a message: once school starts, if you have time, go visit little Xi more often." At this point, he hesitated as if wanting to say more, but in the end just smiled. Wang Xian nodded slightly, inwardly speculating that there was always some secret about that little brat Xiao Xi... ➤ Next: Kid, You're Pretty Scheming, Huh