I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

A beating cured it.

Zhuang Qiu had indeed helped Xue Jing this time, inadvertently establishing his authority, gaining recognition from all the personnel at the Silver City Cease-Blades base and invisibly avoiding many subsequent troubles.

After checking into the Cease-Blades base and being allocated a detached villa, Xue Jing went with Ning Yuantai to the 'No. 9 Examination Hall'.

This time, Ning Yuantai drove a black SUV with a special military license plate; the brand was unknown, but it looked very upscale.

On the road, Ning Yuantai casually asked while driving,

"Xue, the specifics of the exam should have been sent to you, right? What's the situation?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xue Jing nodded as he scrolled through his phone and replied,

"It's been sent... just like you guessed, it's a 'Joint Examination'."

Ning Yuantai scratched his head: "Figures... I just knew your transfer to the Seventh Metropolitan Circle wasn't good news."

A Joint Examination puts students from multiple examination halls together in a controlled Intersecting Boundaries for an activity resembling a battle royale.

Although each Joint Examination has different rules, without exception, they are all tests of high casualty rates and extreme danger.

"This time for the Martial Arts Examination, there are a total of seventy-nine examination halls in Silver City. Among them, Number Nine, Number Twenty-Nine, Number Thirty-Six, Number Forty-One, Number Fifty-Two will join other city examination halls in the Inner Ring for the inter-city Joint Examination."

"The location is... at G651 Intersecting Boundaries—'Steel Tree Sea'."

Xue Jing read from the data sent to his phone.

"What? That place?" exclaimed Ning Yuantai in surprise.

"No way... the government of the Seventh Metropolitan Circle is really playing hardball this time."

Not having flipped to the information about the 'Steel Tree Sea,' Xue Jing looked at Ning Yuantai and asked,

"What, is this place special?"

Ning Yuantai nodded and explained, "To be precise, every Intersecting Boundaries is quite unique... but the Steel Tree Sea has an especially harsh environment."

Xue Jing rested his hand on the car window and tapped with his index finger, "Tell me about it."

"That place... although the environment isn't as extreme as the 'Burning Garden' with constant temperatures over three hundred degrees and even the climate is quite suitable for human survival."

"But the key is, there's nothing edible there for humans," sighed Ning Yuantai.

"The Steel Tree Sea is a world covered in 'iron'... the ground is an aggregation of metal minerals, and the wildlife there is made of iron-based life forms which people find hard to comprehend; everywhere is filled with Transformers-like creatures..."

"Even the plants are all 'Iron-based Plants,' you can easily see the miracle of iron trees blossoming there, which is the origin of the 'Steel Tree Sea' name."

With an odd expression, Xue Jing said, "If they're 'iron-based,' can they still be called 'plants'?"

Ning Yuantai explained, "After all, their external manifestation resembles the plants on Earth Star... Currently, there is no other suitable name for them."

"In short... that place is not suitable for humans to stay."

"Or rather, any carbon-based life form needing metabolic cycles wouldn't suit the Steel Tree Sea, as there's nothing there they can eat or digest."

Xue Jing pondered thoughtfully, "I see."

He vaguely understood what the designer of this exam was aiming for.

"Since the Steel Tree Sea has been chosen as the examination site, there must be a rule against bringing too much food in."

Ning Yuantai asserted.

"I bet it's going to be a situation where each person can only bring one portion of food, which will be quickly consumed, and then they must fight for others' food."

"This is forcing the students to fight each other... The Martial Arts Examinations of the Seventh Metropolitan Circle really hasn't changed its flavor."

Xue Jing scrolled a few more pages in the information, and sure enough, he saw the rule stating 'each examinee and invigilator is only allowed to carry one portion of food distributed by the officials, no concealing any edible substance allowed, a thorough search will be conducted before entry.'

Xue Jing pinched his chin, his gaze flickering as he thought of something...

But for the time being, he didn't dwell on it and said,

"This arrangement is quite interesting."

"The situation with nowhere near enough food will exacerbate many difficulties."

"It's not just about how to get enough to eat but also about various decisions that test one's character and wisdom, very good for training people. Indeed, the Martial Arts Examination of the Seventh Metropolitan Circle has got something.
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Martial Artists have quite an exaggerated appetite.

Energy, as a concept, doesn't just disappear or appear out of nowhere. The power of a Martial Artist, formidable enough to rival a superhero's performance, requires an immense supply of energy.

Some highly skilled Martial Artists can survive without eating, drinking, or sleeping for days, weeks, or even months, but they can do so only on one condition—not expending energy.

Meaning, they must not engage in combat.

Once they engage in battle, the energy within a Martial Artist's body depletes rapidly. No matter how strong a Martial Artist is, if you make them fight with all their might and then attempt such ascetic practices, they'll starve before long.

Under normal circumstances, one could make do with some high-energy, nutrient-rich special pills or potions, but the exam rules forbid students and examiners from carrying any edible substances.

Thus, the candidates in the Steel Tree Sea are faced with a choice.

Facing other candidates, one has to consider whether the food obtained from attacking is worth the energy spent in battle.

And if you choose not to fight, what are the others thinking?

Food, energy consumption, scoring, suspicion... various complicated situations ensure that even the most straightforward students from the Seventh Metropolitan Circle start scratching their heads in thought.

"However... my situation is a bit different."

Xue Jing's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"We'll see when the time comes... Let's meet this group of students first."

The car smoothly made its way toward No. 9 Examination Hall.

Based on the information Xue Jing had seen, the joint exam would begin tomorrow.

After the start, examiners will have three days to train the students, building a rapport and discussing and making plans, among other arrangements.

After three days, it will be time to officially enter Intersecting Boundaries' Steel Tree Sea, where a seven-day-long examination will take place.

At this point in time, the students who take the Martial Arts Examination seriously should have already arrived at the examination hall.

...

Silver City, Martial Arts Examination No. 9 Examination Hall, Xuanwu Mansion.

This is an official residence built by Silver City, specifically for the Martial Arts Examination candidates to live in. At the entrance, a three-meter-tall Xuanwu Stone Statue, entwining turtle and snake, imbued with Artistic Conception and seemingly crafted by a master, stands.

At this moment, in Xuanwu Mansion's training ground, a group of young boys and girls had gathered.

"How about my plan?" asked a round-faced boy, looking around at everyone.

"Are you sure it will work? That one outside is known as 'the strongest in history'. Isn't that going to be tough to deal with?" a girl with thick eyebrows said worriedly.

"Hmph, it's just a title of 'the strongest' in a competition. No one in our Seventh Metropolitan Circle would even spare it a glance. It's not worth mentioning."

"This exam is crucial for us, yet they suddenly arranged an outsider to be our examiner, and a minor at that... It's insane. I thought at least it would be Wu Yinglong or Gongsun Cheng... or even Ye Tianling if worse came to worst!" The round-faced boy complained discontentedly.

"Without a good examiner, we definitely won't get good scores and won't make it to those top universities... This is practically a joke at the expense of our futures!"

"We have to prove that this Xue Jing lacks the ability to lead us, forcing those above to change our examiner, otherwise our entire lives will be delayed!"

His gaze shifted toward another boy, who looked a bit shifty, and he asked sternly, "He Han, what do you think?"

The boy named He Han appeared innocent: "Can I, like, not participate?"

After a pause, he explained, "It's not that I'm scared, it's just that 'Bode 3' just started a new cycle, and it's really pressing. Can we do this tomorrow instead?"

The round-faced boy narrowed his eyes and said, "What nonsense are you spouting... Forget it, I never counted on you anyway. If you don't want to do it, just leave."

Upon hearing this, He Han didn't hesitate to stand up and head for the exit: "Then I'll be off, brothers~"

"Hold on."

The round-faced boy watched his retreating back and narrowed his eyes:

"You're not going to snitch, are you?"

He Han turned around, his face full of righteous indignation: "What are you saying? My mouth is very tight, tighter than Zhou Gongjin's, and I have a sterling reputation in the Rivers and Lakes. How could I do such a thing!"

The round-faced boy nodded: "That's good."

...