CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 80: CANDLE ARM

Zhou Leng sat at the table closest to where the food was served.

He was practically the reincarnation of a Taotie, an incarnation of the Hunger God, devouring with a storm-like speed, and chewing with rapid intensity.

After finishing a round, he turned back for more food, once, twice, three times...

Zhou Leng felt like his stomach and intestines were like a giant beast, frantically digesting and absorbing food.

After finishing the thirtieth plate, Zhou Leng felt it was about enough and stopped.

The cafeteria staff stared at Zhou Leng in disbelief.

"Thirty rounds of serving in one meal, you’ve broken the record of the Ruda cafeteria!"

Zhou Leng quietly left the cafeteria; it wasn’t something particularly glorious.

Coming out of the restroom, Zhou Leng felt refreshed and looked in the mirror.

Still skinny, but not as exaggerated as before.

Zhou Leng looked down at his stomach.

Ate so much, but didn’t expel much.

It seems the training from the Establishing Image Chapter enhanced not just muscles but even fortified the stomach and intestines.

"Could it be that the ’elephant’ in Establishing Image refers not to an elephant, but to a Demon Elephant or an even more powerful life form?"

October 6th.

The day of the Eighteen School Joint Examination.

Zhou Leng started his morning practice half an hour earlier than usual.

Running along the quick track, he stopped near Fifty-Ninth Middle School, then used martial arts senses to feel his body.

Heartbeat steady, breathing smooth, even blood flow was slow.

The body’s functions were much stronger than before.

A normal body in the early blood transport stage wouldn’t be this strong.

This phenomenon only appears after body refinement.

Zhou Leng turned around, running along the edge of the Longyou River Park towards the martial arts hall.

After a while, he caught sight of two familiar figures in the park just ahead to the right.

A tall old man full of wrinkles but radiating vigor.

The current principal of Fifty-Ninth Middle School, Rao Fuxing.

Beside Rao Fuxing stood a boy with a smiling face, Rao Mingxian.

Some well-dressed elders stood around them, speaking to Rao Mingxian about something.

Rao Fuxing’s face blossomed with a smile.

Zhou Leng recalled a rumor from middle school.

Rao Mingxian was often mediocre, causing Rao Fuxing embarrassment, leading him to frequently scold his grandson, and there were even rumors of Rao Mingxian being beaten so badly in the principal’s office that he cried out for his parents.

Before sophomore year, Rao Mingxian, much like in middle school, was inferior to Zhou Leng in various aspects, but after sophomore year, his martial arts performance improved rapidly.

He even got into Rucheng Martial Arts Academy, once again becoming schoolmates with Zhou Leng.

In the last assessment, he ranked third in Ruda, an astonishing feat.

Now, Rao Mingxian could finally bring pride to Rao Fuxing.

Zhou Leng’s relationship with Rao Mingxian was neither close nor distant; they occasionally played demonized basketball together in the past.

Seeing him grow stronger now, Zhou Leng was genuinely pleased for him.

With Rao Mingxian’s skills, there was a chance for him to join the first tier in this Eighteen School Joint Examination.

Zhou Leng ran back to the school, had breakfast, and boarded the bus with classmates, heading to Shuizhou Demon City.

Besides the thirty-seven students from the class, there were also some students from other classes in Ruda.

Some students pulled down their hats and continued sleeping.

Others sighed quietly, as not every student had the opportunity to participate in this exam.

The two classes weren’t familiar with each other, so the bus was initially quiet.

Zhou Leng looked out the window, his heart filled with anticipation.

Last time in Shuizhou Demon City, he only dared to battle demon wolves and managed to kill just one demon, leaving a bit of regret.

This time, the Martial Mansion and the Seventh Division would drive and release lower-rank demons, all in the early blood transport stage, for students to engage in combat.

He was sure he could fight demons to his heart’s content.

Zhou Leng pulled out his demonized watch, put on wireless headphones, and scrolled through his Moments.

Most seemed normal, except for Xue Tongming and Xue Chengsong, who were quite active.

Xue Tongming hadn’t posted in his Moments for three months, not even after winning a bet, but last night he posted a banquet video.

Adding a caption.

"Seated in the side hall, not the main hall, a slight regret."

Xue Chengsong posted several videos consecutively.

Videos of welcoming guests at the airport, shots of people entering banquets, and scenes from the banquet with dishes.

As the sky brightened, the students gradually became more talkative and started conversing.

Wei Hong lazily said, "I just got a notice from the student council; this Eighteen School Joint Examination might impact our Ruda’s university ranking. Let’s do our best to rank in the top five in the collective rankings, to give Ruda’s leaders some face."

"Ruda’s leaders are so polite, but it’s unnecessary."

"I just want to stay alive; people can die in the Demon City."

Wei Hong glared at those students and said, "Just keep that thought to yourself, don’t say it out loud, or how can I continue to be the class monitor?"

"Alright, let’s give some face to our class leader and strive to slay demons!" Feng Wenhao shouted.

"Alright..." the group replied weakly, some even using sheepish tones.

Wei Hong raised both middle fingers, sweeping them across the crowd.

Students from Ruda Class 03 also laughed.

Suddenly, a student softly said, "Everyone should be careful, this time, the Demon City Army guarding our Demon City might be fewer."

"What’s going on?" Wei Hong hurriedly asked.

"Did you guys not watch the news? Yesterday, the third son of the Zhao Family, Zhao Tong, came to Rucheng. I heard that the entire city’s elites attended the welcoming banquet, and there’s a rumor that he’s going into Shuizhou Demon City today."

"You mean, the Seventh Division would assign some people to protect him, thus reducing the protection for us?"

"Class leader, you’re a wise one."

"He must have masters from the Zhao Clan protecting him, at least four or five Innate bodyguards. Why take away our protectors?"

"Masters of the Zhao Clan are one thing, but the Seventh Division not protecting him would be a mistake."

"After all, he’s the own grandson of Saint Zhao, and the pomp he deserves must be there."

"When Saint Zhao came, he forbade banquets and blocked roads, not afraid at all. What’s there for his grandson to fear? Such pretentiousness."

"There’s a lot to fear. As soon as Tong Tianxia appears, the grander the grandson, the more afraid they become," a classmate said sarcastically.

Zhou Leng looked out the window and thought of Tong Tianxia, clad in bronze, and understood who Feng Chengsong and his son’s video featured.

The young man who first got off the plane in the video did somewhat resemble Saint Zhao, but not much.

Without knowing the identity, it’s hard to guess the relationship between the two.

Zhou Leng remembered the photo of the Three Saints of Mount Tai, feeling a slight regret because despite studying the "Miscellaneous Collection of Zhao Dongjun" for so many years, he’d never seen Zhao Dongjun himself.

He wondered when the elder would visit Rucheng again.

Wei Hong cleared his throat and said, "Let’s not talk about this, let’s discuss the joint exam topic instead."

"Class leader, what’s the reward for this joint exam? I’ve heard rumors about Embracing Essence Pills and Concentration Pills, only short of rewarding the Innate Realm."

"I asked the instructor about it, and it’s all rumors. For an exam at this level, they wouldn’t give such valuable pills. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be due to the exam but rather for merits."

"So is there no special reward for this joint exam?"

Lu Juncai said, "Don’t think about it; I asked a friend, and it’s the same as the regular joint exam."

At this time, a classmate from Ruda 03 class said, "I asked as well, it’s ordinary, the total value of the pills for each person in the first tier won’t exceed five hundred thousand."

"Oh, how boring, cracking our heads and getting nothing."

Wei Hong said, "Don’t just focus on the exam rewards; have you forgotten about the war merits from killing demons? War merits can exchange for anything, much more valuable than exam rewards."

"You’re right, the highlight of this joint exam is actually the war merits."

"If we’re lucky and encounter a world collision or spiritual energy ripples, or even a spiritual energy tide, we hit the jackpot."

"Where can you find such good luck? It’s already fortunate not to encounter a demon invasion."

"By the way, what is the most important artifact ever discovered in Shuizhou Demon City?"

"Celestial Ladder."

"Is Shuizhou Demon City really that formidable?"

"What did you think? It’s said that when the Celestial Ladder appeared in Shuizhou Demon City, major worlds connected to it went crazy, engaging in a massive battle that expanded the Demon City, and causing cities near Shuizhou Demon City to evacuate, with severe casualties."

"What was the outcome of that Celestial Ladder battle?"

"The coalition army of humans, demon spirits, dwarves, and tree-men didn’t seize it, letting it fall to the chaos army led by Demon Purgatory."

"Such a pity, what kind of Celestial Ladder was it?"

"It was an artifact Celestial Ladder, but the specifics are unknown. It was a third-tier Celestial Ladder, very valuable."

"Three tiers... How many Celestial Ladders do we humans have now?"

"I think it’s only seventeen tiers."

"Let’s hope there are more, as each new tier means more Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi on Blue Star, making humanity stronger."

"Yes, although we don’t know what exactly the Celestial Ladders are, the more the better for sure."

"It’s said that obtaining a Celestial Ladder creates something special. What it is, we don’t know."

"I really hope that as the rumors say, the Celestial Ladder can enable Martial Artists to ascend to divinity, and elevate the entire human race along with them."

"How many Celestial Ladders does Demon Purgatory possess?"

"Demon Purgatory is strong, with eighteen tiers, almost equivalent to eighteen worlds, and is older than humanity. It is rumored to have over 80 Celestial Ladders, though the exact count is uncertain."

"It’s said that those who obtain a Celestial Ladder receive its blessing, and even have a statue erected in the ’Celestial Tier Saint Hall’ for humanity to admire and remember."

"But all who acquire a Celestial Ladder face assassination by the Alien Race and Demon Worship Sect, usually having their identities revealed years later."

"That’s quite good actually, to develop stealthily without flaunting."

"I actually hope no treasured artifact appears in this joint exam. Should one appear, among the fifty thousand candidates from eighteen schools, at least half would die."

"Indeed, staying alive is the priority."

"You’re overthinking it. If a Celestial Ladder shows up, the exam will be immediately over, and the Seventh Division would escort us back; there’d be no place to die."

"That’s true."

The crowd continued discussing the joint exam, Shuizhou Demon City, martial arts, and the past and future of humanity.

In Shuizhou Demon City, Monitoring Room.

"Monitoring point 1053 detected abnormal space fluctuations, fluctuation level one, please send someone to investigate."

After reporting, the person sending the information slightly furrowed his brows, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

He immediately checked the history of monitoring point 1053, recalling that space fluctuations also occurred there at the end of July.

A few days later, it caused a moderate level demon invasion, which was swiftly eliminated by Chen Shouhu leading the Martial Arts Brigade.

"Let’s wait and see..."

Near monitoring point 1053.

A group of bizarrely shaped demons slowly advanced, totaling over thirty.

At the head was a person with pale skin, under which blue veins were clearly visible.

His arms hung down, covered with white candles made of flesh and wax, forming rings layered on top of each other around his arms.

The candles grew tumor-like on his arms, the flames flickering, with candle tears that oozed like pus and blood.

His head resembled an inverted pyramid, with no other facial features but two blood-red candles symmetrically growing from both sides.

The candle flames were his eyes and mouth.

The Candleholder.