Liu Qi gave a few orders. The non-commissioned officers continued to stand guard, waiting for the support team to enter the mountains and carry out the bodies of their fallen comrades. Meanwhile, those with extremely severe injuries were carried out of the mountains by their fellow soldiers.

"Jiang Qiu," Yang Yu said, flashing him a light smile before returning to her squad. "I’ll be sure to repay you for saving my life."

"..."

As he watched her slender figure walk toward the Inner City prodigies, Jiang Qiu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and let out a soft sigh.

He glanced over at Sun Yongsheng, Qiu Hu, and the others, who were staring wide-eyed from a short distance away. "You guys not leaving?"

"Oh, oh, right. We’re coming."

Sun Yongsheng nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face as he followed. Qiu Hu and the others exchanged a knowing glance.

’Yang Yu is nothing if not persistent. She lost her chance to become an Optimizer, so now she’s latching onto someone who can.’

’She’s said more to Jiang Qiu in the last few minutes than she has in a whole year at Tianjiao Base, and it looked like she wasn’t done talking either.’

’Most importantly, she actually smiled...’

As this thought solidified, the Outer City prodigies furrowed their brows, their gazes profound. They reached a conclusion: "The rumors are true. Yang Yu can smile."

"Getting Yang Yu to act like that on their first meeting... that’s Jiang Qiu for you. Prodigies really are in a league of their own."

Qiu Hu clenched his fists, his blood burning like a pot of water on the verge of boiling.

He strode toward Jiang Qiu and Sun Yongsheng, a broad smile on his face. "Brother Jiang, can I come with you?"

"Mm."

Jiang Qiu gave a casual grunt of assent, and the ten Outer City prodigies fell in behind him like streams flowing into a river. Occasionally, the bolder ones would curiously ask about his Spear Skills.

"Brother Jiang, can I ask what type of Martial Arts Talent you have?"

Qiu Hu asked in a low voice, and several other Outer City prodigies leaned in to hear. Sun Yongsheng also snuck a glance at Jiang Qiu’s profile, his mind replaying the scene of King Niu’s sudden assault.

Just as King Niu was about to kill Yang Yu, a cold light had flashed. A Gale had howled, and a blood-red dragon shadow had charged forth.

Before he could even recover from the shock, Jiang Qiu had unleashed an explosive spear thrust that collided with King Niu’s right fist. A raging storm of blood energy formed into the phantom of a dragon’s head, sending the massive King Niu flying.

Each strike was stronger than the last—tyrannical and swift!

The moment King Niu was sent flying, Sun Yongsheng’s blood ran hot. It was as if he had truly seen a dragon from the deepest abyss soaring unstoppably into the heavens.

The feeling of that Spear Skill—so perfectly aligned with his own Martial Arts, so fierce and fearless in its execution—was like a master engraver using his spear as a chisel and a demon as a stone tablet, carving an epic of Martial Arts.

This momentary insight shook him to the core, and his myriad thoughts converged on three words: Martial Arts Talent.

At this thought, Sun Yongsheng licked his lips and drew in a sharp breath. ’To improve with such Divine Speed,’ he sighed to himself, ’Jiang Qiu must have a Martial Arts Talent. For whatever reason, he just never showed it before.’

’Otherwise, how could he have waited until his senior year of high school to join the Tianjiao program?’

"..."

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Qiu, the interface of his Metamorphosis Talent reflected in his eyes, shook his head. "I don’t have a Martial Arts Talent. I just trained step by step to get where I am."

’Martial Arts Talents are innate,’ Jiang Qiu thought. ’Mine shouldn’t count as one. To be precise, I just trained my way from Spear Sense to Spear Stance.’

’If I really had a Martial Arts Talent, wouldn’t I have joined the Tianjiao program back in middle school? Why would I have had to fight so hard until now?’

Qiu Hu’s eyes lit up, and he fell deep into thought.

’Anyone with a Martial Arts Talent, as long as they don’t die prematurely, is destined to be a legendary figure of their era. It took Gao Yuan City several years just to produce one Lin Wei.’

’Right now, Lin Wei, with his strength-type Martial Arts Talent, ranks first in every single Optimizer test in the Tianjiao program. The resources he gets are a cut above what the other Optimizers receive.’

’If Jiang Qiu really had a Martial Arts Talent, it’s true that he shouldn’t only be making a name for himself now.’

’So... can you really master a Spear Skill just by training hard? A skill powerful enough to overcome a massive difference in level and cripple the arm of a Top Tier Demon Beast?’

’And a never-before-seen Spear Skill at that—one he created himself!’

’Could I also have a chance to do that?’

At this thought, Qiu Hu suppressed the fire burning in his chest and licked his dry lips. "Brother Jiang, what’s the name of that Spear Skill you used to wreck King Niu’s right arm?"

"Furious Dragon Ascending to Heaven."

...

As they walked, they talked. Aside from the most proactive one, Qiu Hu, the other Outer City prodigies also asked a few questions about his Spear Skills or Bow Skills. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Along the way, they all introduced themselves. He’d heard some of the names before or had spotted them on the Tianjiao program’s selection lists, ranked first or second in their respective districts.

’Hearing them now gave him a strange feeling. Things really were different.’

It was still early when they returned to the temporary assembly camp. The full moon had not yet completely faded into the dawn sky. Liu Qi was organizing everyone to pack up their tents and belongings, preparing to ride back to the city.

Staring at the boxy, army-green tent he had slept in for a night, Jiang Qiu furrowed his brow slightly.

He didn’t know how to pitch a tent; Liu Qi had asked Sun Yongsheng to set this one up for him. It had looked simple enough to assemble, but taking it down seemed to be another story.

He turned his head to see how the others were doing it, but a sudden CREAK from a collapsing frame made him look back. Sun Yongsheng was already dismantling the very tent that had stumped him.

"Qiu Hu."

With a shout, several steel poles with a metallic sheen went flying through the air, landing with a CLANK in the distant Qiu Hu’s hands. Cradling a large armful of poles, he shot Sun Yongsheng a glare and strode toward an armored vehicle with its back doors open.

RRRIP—

Sun Yongsheng ripped the army-green tarp off the tent and tossed it to another Outer City prodigy. The person shot him an annoyed look, glanced over at Jiang Qiu, then silently walked away with the tarp.

In a flash, it was done. Sun Yongsheng put his left hand on his hip, used his bare right arm to wipe non-existent sweat from his forehead, and let out a long breath. "All set."

"All set, my ass! Helping Brother Jiang with his tent is one thing, but you expect us to carry the parts from your own?" Qiu Hu retorted, scowling. "You lazy slacker!"

"Hmph. Exactly."

The other prodigies nodded in agreement, feigning dissatisfaction. Sun Yongsheng just shook his head helplessly. "It’s no big deal to give me a hand. Besides, I’m the one who both put up and took down Brother Jiang’s tent."

Sensing the hint of sly pride in Sun Yongsheng’s otherwise plain gaze, Jiang Qiu felt a warmth spread through his chest and smiled freely. "Thank you. And thanks to all of you."

"Haha, it was nothing! Don’t mention it, really."

Qiu Hu puffed out his chest and laughed heartily, waving his hand. A hint of anticipation glinted in his eyes. "Since we’re all packed, Brother Jiang, why don’t you ride with us? There aren’t many of us from the Outer City, so there’s plenty of room for one more. What do you say?"

"Alright."

Jiang Qiu smiled faintly and followed Qiu Hu and the others into an armored vehicle. Soon, the long steel convoy departed, its wheels kicking up a cloud of dust that trailed behind it like a shadow.

He watched the rolling mountain ranges rise and fall outside the window. As the rugged mountain path gradually smoothed out, he let out a long sigh.

’The Military Department’s test is over. I’ve most likely secured a spot in the Tianjiao program. Next, the payment from the Demon Beasts I killed during the test should be transferred over.’

’However, I’ve heard that getting paid for killing Demon Beasts in the Tianjiao program is different from how it works at school. While it’s also based on a percentage of the kills, they don’t just sell all the Demon Beasts in a batch and then transfer the money.’

’Apparently, the reward for a Low Tier Demon Beast or a Middle Tier Demon Beast is a fixed amount. For High Tier and above, their value is much higher, so there’s no standard price.’

’I killed 2,099 Iron Feather Birds and Cyan Feathered Birds, plus one High Tier One-eyed Owl. How much money will I get for all that?’