When Apollo heard that the second test was about to end, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
He had spent the past two days cultivating, mainly studying and learning the Battle Techniques stored in his mind. He didn't learn all of them, only a few, and decided to stop when he started to get bored. Besides, some of the techniques weren't flashy enough, or he simply didn't like them.
Apollo found that the Battle Techniques were actually not that hard to learn; he only needed a few hours to reach the Beginner Stage for each one. The fastest took three and a half hours, while the longest took around five to six hours.
But when he saw the Stone Slabs on the platform vibrating and glowing, he began to worry. Apollo remembered that these stone slabs had a special inscription made by an Array Master, ensuring that students could only retain what they had genuinely learned.
Wait! Suddenly, the Beggar's eyes lit up. Did I become too d*mb after I got transmigrated into this body? Apollo thought with a bitter smile. As long as he learned the techniques, he would retain them, but those he didn't fully learn would vanish from his memory due to the Memory Alteration Mechanism on the stone slabs.
Apollo crossed his fingers; he wasn't a hundred percent sure. He waited for the effects to take place, and when the Stone Slabs stopped glowing, he felt like something was missing in his life.
This made him raise an eyebrow. He tried to recall the techniques that he had only memorized but not learned. Nothing. They were gone. Then he recalled the techniques he had fully learned, which brought a smile to his face.
Fortunately, they remained, Apollo thought, letting out a sigh of relief. It seems like it was a good choice to learn them when he had the time. No, it was definitely a brilliant idea.
With these techniques, he wouldn't have to buy anything from the System at all.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel smug. How'd you like that, System? Although the System remained silent, Apollo was still satisfied.
"If you realize that you've forgotten your chosen technique, you may now go back and go home," Master Popo said, glancing at each student who displayed a disappointed expression. "You don't have to stay, or else you'll only make a fool of yourself. And for those of you thinking of using a technique you already learned beforehand, it won't work. How? We will know."
As his words fell, it didn't take long before someone started walking toward the stairs. Soon, others followed, and out of the hundreds of participants, only about 300 Martial Students were left.
Oh? That many? Apollo raised an eyebrow. Is it really that hard? He could even see some noble-looking martial students crying while others only gritted their teeth. Their backs were hunched with loneliness and defeat.
After those who hadn't managed to learn left the mountain, Master Popo clapped once more. The platform started shaking, and the stone slabs were absorbed by the platform.
At the same time, two dragons pulling a golden chariot arrived, and the visitors, along with the Mayor, ascended to the floating platform. After taking their seats, they didn't cause a scene and simply watched the exam.
Master Popo glanced in their direction before looking up toward the sky, where he saw Axton and Elmo flying toward them. They landed on the floating platform and also took their seats.
No one interrupted him, so he continued.
"One by one, come up on stage and show your chosen technique," Master Popo said.
Here it goes, Apollo's eyes brightened with anticipation. He was also curious to see how the others would fare in the second test.
The Martial Students around him visibly tensed up—some relaxed, others nervous.
"But don't be too confident. If you get cold feet and fail to demonstrate that you've achieved the Beginner stage on this platform, you'll have to say goodbye," Master Popo smiled. Even if all of them had reached the Beginner stage, failing to show it would mean failing this Advancement Examination.
Since some techniques require intense concentration, it's possible that some students might not be able to execute them if they're too nervous or interrupted.
"Come up on stage one by one; there's no specific order, but we only have until tonight. Let the Showcase of Techniques begin!" Master Popo declared, his voice loud enough to reach every corner of the mountain.
The Martial Students looked at each other, waiting for the first person to step onto the stage.
It didn't take long before someone began walking toward the platform, and everyone recognized the person.
"Arke," Apollo muttered, his eyes turning cold. His prey walked with confidence, relaxed with every stride, though he appeared arrogant to the onlookers.
Arke ascended the stage, glancing at the platform along the way. His eyes landed on the Mayor, who looked back with a cold expression. Seeing Clown's face irritated him; if he didn't care about his life, he would have jumped at that pig's face. Just thinking about it made his blood boil, but fortunately, he was still rational enough not to do anything that would cost him his life.
Although there was a smile on his face, the pressure of his two missions weighed heavily on his heart. First, he hadn't found that Leone heir, who was definitely dead by now or probably in another city, already acting as a slave. Still, he had some confidence in his plan. From what he knew, only a handful of people had seen that kid's face.
Since the kid was sheltered at home, Arke was quite confident he could fool them.
As for his second mission—killing that b*tch, Bel Helflick—it was definitely going to be hard, but he didn't have to worry about the consequences. He decided to place his trust in Butler Holst's word. And if they didn't keep their promise to protect him, it wouldn't be cowardly to escape, right?
"What technique are you going to show us?" Master Popo asked.
"Wind Descend and Serpent Roar," Arke replied. Although his voice wasn't loud, everyone could still hear him.
"Oh?" Master Popo raised an eyebrow. The Martial Students below exclaimed when they heard what the first participant said. "Then show us."