Thirteen bandits enter the mountain

  Dean Tao announced the start of Beifeng Academy's graduation assessment, and then accompanied Zheng Zhicheng to leave the martial arts training ground, followed by the high-level officials of the academy.

  More than 200 students from the Upper House dispersed with a loud noise, leaving in groups of three or five to make their own preparations.

  The students who passed the assessment were overjoyed, while those who failed were disheartened. The most talked-about topic among the crowd was undoubtedly Ma Ruyuan's arrogance and Ye Chen's miraculous passing of the assessment, as well as the Blood Essence Ring crafted by a mysterious cultivator that had captured everyone's attention.

  Ye Chen was just about to leave the martial arts training ground when he suddenly felt a pair of fierce eyes staring at him.

  "Ma Ruyu!"

  Ye Chen suddenly turned around and looked over, seeing ten zhang away, wearing a martial arts robe with a sturdy figure, Ma Ruyuan.

  "Ye Chen!"

  Ma Ruyuan glared at Ye Chen with a resentful gaze, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

  Beixue Academy had more than 200 students, and He Maru Yuan was the most outstanding one. Born into one of the five great martial families of Wuguo, he possessed the highest innate talent for martial arts. Using only eight months' time, he passed the strength assessment of the Upper House in one go, and it seemed that he would become this year's most dazzling sixth-layer Martial Body Cultivator in the entire Beixue Academy.

  But this glory was suddenly shattered by the emergence of a commoner, Ye Chen. This matter became the greatest shame and laughing stock for Ma Ruyuan at Beifeng Academy. From then on, whenever other warriors mentioned today's events, they would mock him, saying that the son of the great General Hu Guo couldn't even compare to a lowly commoner.

  "Just you wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

  Ma Ruyu left a ruthless remark and walked away with his few younger brothers.

  Ye Chen's icy eyes watched them leave, with disdain in her heart.

  Compared with Bi Xiwei, he is as good as Ma Ruyuan. In terms of martial arts skills, Ma Ruyuan is far inferior to him.

  He originally only spent two months learning the third move of "Tiger Leaping Knife Method", which could instantly unleash a force of 1,200 catties, enough to defeat Ma Ruyu's "Eight Gates Golden Lock Knife".

  Moreover, he spent three months in the deep mountains to cultivate the fourth move "Tiger Leaps Three Successive Slashes" with all his might. On the basis of two successive slashes, another heavy slash was added, and its power was even more astonishing. However, the success rate of this move is currently low, with a 50% chance of being able to perform it.

  This time at the Beifeng Academy's strength assessment, Ye Chen didn't use his more terrifying "Triple Slash", but instead chose to conceal his true power.

  Although Ma Ruyuan's father was a first-class general of the Martial Nation, he was not easy to mess with in this deeply rooted Beimang Academy. Even if Ma Bo personally came here, he wouldn't dare to be presumptuous. Moreover, it would take only another month before graduating from the academy, and he would go out to travel and find the treasure that could restore the ancient painting's vitality. What could Ma Ruyuan do to him?!

  Ye Chen was certain that if there was another student in the Northern Mountain Academy whose martial arts skills were more powerful than his, it would only be Yan Han. Four months ago, Yan Han could occasionally display "Tiger Leap Triple Slash", and after four months had passed, the success rate of displaying this move should be higher than his.

  A whiff of fragrance floats in from a young woman.

  Ye Chen suddenly shivered and turned his head to look aside, a girl wearing a bright green uniform appeared silently beside him.

  Ye Chen was taken aback, it turned out to be Wei Xuan Yu.

  Wei Xuan Yu appeared beside Ye Chen, smiling faintly as if unintentionally, "Ye Shidi, you should be careful. Ma Ruyuan doesn't dare to do anything to you in the Beimu Academy, but outside of it, who knows? This time for hunting, it's best not to go alone into the deep mountains of Beimu. Try to find a few companions to hunt the gray wolf together and avoid Ma Ruyuan as much as possible."

  Ye Chen's expression was shocked, he had no relationship with Wei Xuan Yu. Wei Xuan Yu was a member of the Wei family, one of the top ten aristocratic families in Wu Guo, and should have been close to other young masters from wealthy families, so why did he remind him?

  "Thanks, Wei Shijie!"

  Ye Chen's heart was still warm.

  The next day, Ye Chen tied the ancient painting scroll to his body inside his clothes. This Xianfu ancient painting scroll was indeed very mysterious, he had carefully tried it before, and even knife guns and punches couldn't leave any marks on it. Tied to his body inside his clothes, it could also serve as a top-grade soft inner armor.

  Ye Chen prepared a bag of dry rations for the road, brought a steel knife, left the North Hill Academy gate, and was ready to enter the North Hill Mountains.

  "The graduation assessment of Beifeng Academy lasts for a month, and the task is to kill an adult gray wolf and bring back its skull as proof. ...However, killing a gray wolf can be quite troublesome!"

  Ye Chen felt somewhat worried in his heart.

  He had previously cultivated on the outskirts of Beifeng Mountain for three months and was familiar with the situation in the mountains.

  It is rare to see the tracks of gray wolves in the outer hundred miles of the mountain range, and they can only be found by entering the deep mountains. Gray wolves almost never act alone, but are always in groups of more than a dozen, sometimes dozens.

  There are also a few isolated lone wolves, which are relatively easy to deal with, but it's too difficult to find a lone wolf in the deep mountains of Beiyue.

  In the depths of the northern mountain range, there are rare high-grade herbs above seven grades that are extremely valuable. However, due to the presence of the Gray Wolf Pack, even mid-stage martial artists rarely dare to enter the deep mountains.

  Ye Chen chose a mountain alone because he couldn't find familiar companions.

  It's really helpless, since he got the ancient painting scroll after being promoted to the upper house, Ye Chen has been avoiding getting too close to other students in order to avoid exposing the ancient painting he carries with him. As a result, during the graduation assessment, others have already formed groups and gone to hunt the gray wolf, but he doesn't have any familiar partners and can only go up the mountain alone to think of a solution.

  Ye Chen walked out of the gate and saw two young warriors sitting on the stone steps at the gate entrance. One was unarmed, while the other had a longbow slung over his back.

  Those two saw Ye Chen appear alone with a knife and couldn't help but feel delighted.

  "Ye Chen, you've entered the mountain alone, didn't you bring any other companions?!"

  The two of them stood up one after another.

  "Wei Zhen Shixiong, Zou Yi Shixiong, I'm just about to head up the mountain. Who are you two waiting for?!"

  Ye Chen looked at them strangely.

  Ye Chen recognized them, Wei Zhen and Zou Yi were also commoner disciples who had been promoted to the Upper Academy very early on. It took them three or four years of hard work to cultivate to the sixth layer of the Refining Body stage, and they passed this time's academy strength assessment.

  Only a handful of commoner disciples can pass the strength assessment, about ten or so, all of whom have worked hard to get there.

  Because they were all from commoner backgrounds, even on ordinary days when they met at the academy, they would still exchange greetings.

  "Wei Zhen smiled straightforwardly, 'We're discussing how to kill the Grey Wolf. The strength of an adult Grey Wolf is similar to that of a 4th or 5th layer Body Refining martial artist, not too powerful, but they travel in packs. Even a small group of over ten Grey Wolves can leave us with nothing but bones. We also wanted to find more fellow disciples to enter the mountain together, but no one wants to team up with us.'"

  "Oh, is that why?"

  Ye Chen felt strange.

  "I'm short and weak, but agile and quick on my feet. I've learned the 'Lingyuan Body Method', which focuses on body technique supplemented by short blades and daggers, suitable for stealthy attacks. Zou Yi has learned archery, specifically the 'Chuanyun Arrow' technique. Neither of our martial arts is suited for direct combat, we need someone to hold off the enemy in front while we attack from behind. This way, if we team up with other brothers, we'll only be taking advantage of them. And the graduation exam only rewards the top three with superior weapons, with the first place winner receiving a Blood Jade Seal Law instrument forged by an immortal... who would willingly let us take advantage of them? Isn't this what's been worrying me?"

  Wei Zhen smiled bitterly, and from his right sleeve slid out a dagger with a black glow, playing with it for a moment.

  Zou Yi carried a cow tendon bow on his back and stood aside, looking at Ye Chen with one eye and nodding slightly.

  "Ah... I'm a knife wielder, using the terrain to my advantage, enough to take on one or two gray wolves head-on. We partner up to go up the mountain and kill some gray wolves, targeting small packs of them, that way it's easier to get our hands on them. But I'm taking the biggest risk, so I get the first wolf's skull. The rest will be divided among us, one each."

  Ye Chen hesitated for a moment.

  "Alright, no problem!"

  Wei Zhen and Zou Yi looked at each other with great joy.

  When Beifeng Academy conducts a power assessment, the content of the assessment varies depending on the martial arts each student has cultivated.

  The knife method requires identification of speed and strength, requiring cutting off a copper stake that can withstand thousands of pounds of force to prove one's knife method power. However, Wei Zhen practiced body methods, identifying speed and agility. Zou Yi's archery identified speed, accuracy, and long-range shooting at targets, none of which required the same level of strength as cutting a copper stake.

  "They are not suitable for a head-on confrontation, but if they can restrain the gray wolf, they might be able to exert their strength. As for how to capture and kill the gray wolf, we'll have to go into the depths of the northern mountain and come up with a plan after assessing the situation."

  Ye Chen thought in his heart.

  No matter what, three Body Refining Stage sixth layer warriors would have a much higher chance of winning against a small pack of gray wolves. The problem is whether this graduation assessment can become one of the top three to receive the Academy's reward of a high-grade treasure-level weapon, or even first place to receive the Blood Spirit Ring's artifact. This is the real difficulty.