Chapter 75: Heavily Guarded

Chapter 75: Heavily Guarded

Next, everyone followed the eight proctors into the cave.

These eight proctors were clearly all Martial Artists, their movements fluid and coordinated.

It was likely that even if all the Martial Artists in Dongning City were gathered, there wouldn’t be many more than this.

Yet here in Ningzhou, so many had been mobilized just for a single examination.

Large cities, with their superior education, infrastructure, and healthcare, often exerted a siphoning effect on talent from surrounding regions. What was rare in Dongning—Martial Artists—was not exactly commonplace in Ningzhou, but there were still hundreds, if not thousands, more here than in Dongning.

……

The cave was enormous, roughly estimated to span tens of thousands of square meters, like a massive plaza.

On each side, four Infantry Armored Vehicles and one Medium Tank were parked in an alternating formation, with five soldiers stationed near each vehicle, clearly prepared for emergencies.

A faint scent of gunpowder lingered in the air.

As the crowd reached this point, voices instinctively quieted, and the atmosphere grew tense.

For those who had lived in peace, such a scene was utterly unfamiliar.

The imposing gun barrels made people worry that they might suddenly unleash terrifying attacks, tearing the crowd apart.

Chen Shouyi averted his gaze and noticed a massive iron gate at the front of the plaza, flanked by four fully armed soldiers standing rigidly at attention.

The passageway was likely inside.

One of the proctors stepped forward and handed over a pass and a document.

The soldier flipped through the pages, saluted, then pressed a nearby button. With the hum of an electric motor, the iron gate slowly parted, revealing a passage.

The passage was about six to seven meters wide and tall—enough for tanks to pass through—and entirely lined with thick steel, emitting a dull metallic sheen.

The defenses inside were formidable. Walking through, Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear.

Every few meters, he spotted a Surveillance Camera and a Machine Gun Port, while the ceiling was dotted with small holes.

He guessed these were likely for releasing poison gas.

And there was more than one iron gate!

The group passed through three consecutive iron gates. The first two were illuminated by incandescent lights, but by the third, the lighting had switched to Gasoline Lamps, and the power system had been replaced with Steam Mechanical Transmission.

At the same time, Chen Shouyi sensed a power stirring deep within his body—his innate ability was awakening.

The passage was right ahead!

……

"Before entering, let me make one thing clear. There are a lot of people this time, and we proctors can’t oversee everyone. For safety, we’ll proceed in batches—the first group of two hundred. Each of you will receive a Bow and a melee weapon," the lead proctor announced loudly. "Now, form eight lines. Anyone who disrupts order will be disqualified from the exam."

The crowd buzzed with movement as people hurried to line up.

Under the sharp gazes of the eight Martial Artists, no one dared to cut in line.

Chen Shouyi roughly counted the people ahead and realized he’d have to wait for the second batch.

"Good! The first twenty-five in each line, follow us to collect your weapons."

The invigilator unlocked a metal door beside the gateway, and the crowd behind filed in one after another.

When everyone emerged again, each person was already armed.

These weren’t wooden swords or training knives, but real swords and real knives. The arrows weren’t practice ones either—they were metal-tipped arrows.

What was this about?

Chen Shouyi had a vague feeling. Ever since the invasion of Otherworldly forces, the Great Xia Nation seemed to be preparing for something.

This sudden change in the assessment method for Martial Arts Apprentices was likely just the tip of the iceberg.

A few soldiers standing guard at the front pulled down a massive lever together. With the dull, grating sound of gears meshing, the final iron door slowly opened, revealing a faint, hazy glow within.

……

As soon as the invigilators left, the crowd immediately broke into murmurs and restless chatter.

"This is the Otherworld! I’ve never been there before. I heard the gravity is threefold."

"Are they making us kill barbarians?"

"Don’t overthink it. At our level, we’d just be slaughtered by barbarians!"

"Actually, there shouldn’t be much danger. If lives were lost, it’d be a huge deal. The invigilators would have to take responsibility."

……

"Aren’t you nervous?" A young man in his twenties standing beside Chen Shouyi asked, his legs trembling slightly. Seeing Chen Shouyi standing there lost in thought, he couldn’t help but find it strange.

"Ah, nervous? Of course!" Chen Shouyi snapped back to reality and turned to reply.

Nervous? Seriously?

He’d spent so much time in the Otherworld already, even killing twenty or thirty barbarians. Compared to that, a spatial gateway that had been explored multiple times posed no danger at all.

"You looked like you were spacing out!"

"It’s a stress-relief method. Just empty your mind, let your thoughts wander, and think of nothing. Then you won’t feel nervous," Chen Shouyi lied through his teeth.

"Really? Let me try!"

The young man took it seriously and immediately mimicked Chen Shouyi, emptying his mind.

"Did it work?" Before long, a middle-aged man nearby couldn’t resist asking eagerly.

Zhou Xue’s ears perked up as well.

"I just cleared my mind, and you woke me up. But… it does seem a little effective."

……

To Chen Shouyi’s surprise, his offhand nonsense had inspired many nearby to imitate him. A quick glance around revealed numerous people with vacant stares, standing like wooden statues.

It was as if they’d caught some poultry disease.

Even Zhou Xue, who usually acted aloof, was among them.

Could it actually work?

Chen Shouyi himself was starting to doubt.

……

Just over a minute later, someone limped out of the gateway.

He looked disheveled, with bloodstains on his hands and knees.

"Bro, did you pass?"

Shaking his head gloomily, he replied, "Just bad luck. Tripped over a vine and fell. My arm’s fractured."

Only then did the crowd notice the unnatural bulge on his exposed arm.

After all, with threefold gravity, even the bone strength of a Martial Arts Apprentice couldn’t save you from a bad fall.

"That’s rough. What’s it like inside? And is the test still the same as before?"

"This time there aren't so many tasks. The passage leads to what seems like an island, and the assessment only has one requirement—hunting down a highly aggressive seabird. Killing just one is enough to pass, though I came back without even seeing it."

Listening to the young man's reply, Chen Shouyi thought to himself, "It seems the requirements for Martial Arts Apprentices have been simplified this time, no longer as strict and comprehensive as before. Killing the bird can be done with either a bow or a melee weapon—just one method is enough to pass. Being able to move in the Otherworld and kill a seabird is proof enough that one's physical fitness meets the standard."

...

Before long, people began emerging one after another. Some were pale-faced, others excited; some were covered in blood, while others came out clean.

Fifteen minutes later, when five Martial Arts Apprentices with fractured leg bones were carried out by several Instructors, the atmosphere grew tense for a moment.

"A final warning—this assessment carries risks. If you wish to withdraw, now is the time."

But no one backed out. After all, the injured were few—less than one in ten—and the pass rate appeared extremely high, nearly 30%, something unimaginable in the past.

More importantly, there hadn't been a single fatality among the candidates.

"Next group—still the first twenty-five from each row."

Finally, it was Chen Shouyi's turn.

His spirits lifted; he had long grown impatient.

Without delay, he and Zhou Xue followed the crowd forward.