Yi Rui's words unexpectedly shook everyone. They had never really paid attention up until this point, immersed in the satisfaction of considering themselves geniuses.
But their talents, when viewed on the Federal or even the national level, were only average.
Chen Chu contemplated this issue as he walked to the logistics department.
Under normal circumstances, with the synchronized reinforcement of the avatar, his strength would inevitably surpass the geniuses of his year. He estimated that he would be able to pass even An Fuqing if he persisted for just over a year.
After the second evolution, the armored beast’s evolution points were increasing significantly due to abundant food. At the same time, however, the energy required for its body to grow was also increasing. With a daily increase of 5 points, it would take around two months to meet the requirements for the third evolution.
What about the fourth evolution? Would it take around half a year?
While his physique was strengthening, those geniuses were also making rapid progress in their cultivation. By the Fourth and Fifth Heavenly Realms, sheer strength and speed alone might not necessarily make him a match for true martial artists.
After all, upon reaching the Fifth or Sixth Heavenly Realm, the ability to confront firearms head-on would become possible. After advancing to the Seventh Realm, the potency of true power would become even more formidable.
In such a situation, he would only be comparable to high-level experts if his physical body reached a point where he could withstand missiles head-on.
Choosing to undergo the trial would entail facing certain dangers, but at the same time, the rewards could be significant. Slaying those cultists would yield a substantial amount of contribution points, which could then be exchanged for Life Crystals. With those, his strength would skyrocket at a rapid pace.
At the same time, his current actual combat strength had already reached the Third Heavenly Realm, surpassing the survival rate of all of his classmates. As long as he was cautious, there shouldn't be any issues. This was a freshman trial, after all, not an attempt to actually harm them. The school and authorities would do their best to control the risks, as much as they would be capable of doing so.
After analyzing the pros and cons, Chen Chu temporarily refrained from making a decision. He planned to wait for a few days and assess the situation further before deciding.
"Sir, I would like to exchange for two level 1 Life Crystals."
"Input your student ID... verification successful. You have 8 contribution points this month, with a twenty percent discount on the exchange. Confirming the exchange of 8 points for two Life Crystals?"
After a short wait, Chen Chu walked out of the logistics department with two Life Crystals. Along the way, he converted them into attribute points, and with some luck, he gained 9 points in the process.
"The Dragon Elephant Art requires 20 attribute points to be enhanced to the third stage. The current attribute points are insufficient, and the enhancement cannot be performed."
In the personal cultivation room, Chen Chu's gaze paused as he saw the text appearing before him, unsurprised. "Indeed, breaking through to the third stage of the Dragon Elephant Art would require even more attribute points."
After some contemplation, Chen Chu chose to strengthen his saber art.
"Using attribute points to enhance the Insightful Blade."
The 10 attribute points on the screen instantly vanished. At the same time, a special energy surged in his mind.
Chen Chu's consciousness roared, and his entire perception seemed to explode, spreading throughout the entire cultivation room. It felt as if his soul had left his body, and he was perceiving the outside world from a different perspective.
At the same time, a torrent of information about saber art surged into his mind, and subtle changes began to take place in his body. His arms became more powerful, and his palms roughened, resembling the hands of someone who had been practicing swordsmanship for years. A sharp aura gradually emanated from his body.
After an undetermined amount of time, Chen Chu opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp, seeming to possess a subtle edge.
"The enhancement is quite peculiar this time."
Chen Chu's hands, shaped like a blade, rose, and with a swift motion, an imperceptible edge emerged between his palms, creating a subtle tearing sound in the air.
Unlike the breakthrough in the Dragon Elephant Art, breaking through in the Insightful Blade made Chen Chu feel as if he had forcibly compressed and absorbed the future years of his swordsmanship experience.
He currently resembled an old swordsman who had wielded a blade for many years. Not only did he possess the instinctive memories of saber art, but even his body seemed to carry the muscle memory of years of training.
The greatest gain from this breakthrough, however, was the complete entry into the Insightful Eye Realm. Even with his eyes closed, he could perceive the entire cultivation room and even a little ways beyond the walls.
This perception wasn't an outward projection of spiritual force. Rather, it was a mysterious form of intuition, akin to a sixth sense. In the depths, there was an additional pair of Insightful Eyes on the lookout for danger and murderous intent.
Silently savoring the changes from this breakthrough, Chen Chu then summoned the attribute page.
In the following days, Chen Chu kept a close eye on the international situation.
On the second day after the Federation's meeting, a group of federal cultivators had boldly descended from the sky, launching an extermination campaign against the demon Cults and rebel forces in the major cities of Kyrola. This surprise attack immediately killed the majority of the rebel forces and high-ranking members of the Demon Cult.
Simultaneously, elite federal forces had also extensively airdropped into the cities, as the air force and navy launched a total of tens of thousands of fighter jets and bombers. In just two days, they had successfully captured all major cities.
Meanwhile, the army’s armored units, which had previously assembled around Kyrola through both sea and air transportation, initiated their attack at the same time, performing a coordinated assault to encircle and eliminate the remaining rebel forces.
With this overwhelming force, the complete occupation of Kyrola was achieved in just three days.
It was evident that the Federation had already been mobilizing its forces for suppression for a while now; the meeting had merely been a formality.
It looked trial was going to be even less dangerous than anticipated. At the same time, the Federation’s immense power was demonstrated in this conflict. The annihilation of an entire nation's influence had been effortless, despite the country being an allied nation.
"Mom, the school is organizing an external trial for freshmen. I might have to go on a long journey next week." During dinner, Chen Chu spoke to Zhang Xiaolan about the upcoming trial.
Having achieved a breakthrough to the Insightful Eye Realm and obtained the ability to sense danger with a heightened intuition, Chen Chu had ultimately decided to partake in the trial after a thorough analysis of the advantages and disadvantages.
As a cultivator, if one dared not participate even in a low-level trial under the protection of the school and authorities, what courage would they have to face the ferocious mutated beasts during the mandatory trials in the second year?
If his classmates from the Second Heavenly Realm dared to participate in these trials, but he who had strength comparable to the Third Realm still hesitated, he would feel a bit embarrassed about his own reluctance. He was certainly not timid, merely composed and low-key.
Everyone only has one life, what’s there to be afraid of?
What ultimately tipped the decision for him was the power demonstrated by the Federation. In just three days, they had pacified the entire Kyrola region, and suppressed the majority of both the rebel forces and the high-level practitioners of the demon cults. The remaining few were being pursued relentlessly by the formidable federal cultivation experts, leaving them with no way to escape.
Zhang Xiaolan paused for a moment, then inquired with concern, "The trial, is it dangerous? How long will it take?"
Chen Chu shook his head. "Not much danger. We’re just freshmen. A trial arranged by the school shouldn't be too difficult. It's not like facing mutated beasts like in the second year. The place we’re going is quite far, though, so it might take one or two months."
Zhang Xiaolan nodded. "As long as it's not too dangerous, but you’ll be gone for so long."
Observing the radiant young man opposite her, Zhang Xiaolan had a sudden realization. Ever since her son had started practicing martial arts in high school, his transformation had been increasingly profound. Now, he was on the verge of setting out on a solitary journey. This would be his first time being away from home for such an extended period.
"Bro, is everyone going on this trial?" Chen Hu asked curiously.
Chen Chu shook his head, then realized he hadn’t mentioned something to his family yet. "Only the top hundred in the grade are eligible. By the way, the school held a ranked competition for the freshmen recently, and I got the 49th position."
"Big bro, you're really amazing!" Chen Hu became excited and filled with admiration. "I've heard that this year’s batch at Nantian has many geniuses, but you managed to get 49th. Truly, you're my older brother."
"Uh... how do you know that there are many geniuses this year?" Chen Chu asked, a bit puzzled.
"Hehe... my classmates told me. They even mentioned that in your year, there's a girl named An Fuqing who single-handedly overwhelmed the entire grade. They said she's incredibly formidable."
Chen Chu was baffled. "Where did you learn those adjectives?"
In contrast to Chen Hu's excitement, Zhang Xiaolan's face brightened with an even warmer and more tender smile, along with a sense of pride at Chen Chu's outstanding academic achievements at school.