hsntnovel Chapter 63: Accumulating GPA
Chapter 63: Accumulating GPA
After the swordsmanship class, Ning Yan kept Lin Yun behind.
Only the master and apprentice remained in the training room. Ning Yan leaned against the window, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Lin Yun, and remained silent for a moment.
"Lin Yun, there's something I need to remind you of." Ning Yan's tone was much more serious than usual. "You're a newcomer who joined in June. According to the training camp's rules, newcomers have a special privilege—they can choose any day within their first month of joining the camp to take the Trial Tower level assessment, and their scores will be directly included in that month's ranking."
Lin Yun nodded. He had seen this rule in the trainee handbook. Newcomers were unfamiliar with the Trial Tower, so the training camp gave them a "no-exam" opportunity, allowing them to take the test when they were in their best condition.
"I suggest you save this privilege for the end of July." Ning Yan's eyes were filled with a hint of fanaticism. "Your movement technique is currently at the perfect level, the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade is at the fourth level, and the Phantom Blade Technique is at the second level. With your current overall strength, you can at least reach level 3 in the Trial Tower, and you might even reach the threshold of level 4."
He paused, then continued, "Your current ranking is NO.180, an even number. According to the training camp rules, on even-numbered days you will go to the wilderness to hunt monsters with the other trainees, and on odd-numbered days you will stay in the training camp to train. In July, you will have a full month to calculate your points and ranking."
"If you can achieve a high level by the end of the month using the Trial Tower privileges, and combine that with the kill points you accumulate in the wilderness, breaking into the top 100 will be no problem at all, and you might even be in the top 50!" Ning Yan's voice was filled with excitement. "You've only been here for a month, and you're already in the top 50. That's rare in the history of the training camp."
"Yes, teacher." Lin Yun nodded solemnly. He knew that Ning Yan meant well, and this suggestion was indeed the best arrangement.
Ning Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Go ahead, prepare well. We'll see how you perform in July."
July 1st, 6:00 AM.
This was Lin Yun's first month in the training camp, and also the first day he began calculating his ranking points.
Before dawn, nearly a hundred trainees had already gathered in the training camp's square. They were dressed in uniform combat gear, carrying various weapons on their backs. Some were talking in hushed tones, while others were silently checking their equipment. Each of them had a grim and menacing air about them.
Lin Yun stood in the crowd, with Shi Jiang beside him. He Lingruo stood at the front of the group, having changed from her white Hanfu into a silver-gray combat uniform. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and she looked capable and aloof.
"Everyone's here." A deep voice came from the front of the square.
Lin Yun looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a black uniform. He was burly, with a stern face and a gold badge of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy pinned to his chest. He was one of the instructors at the training camp, responsible for leading the hunting teams.
"I'm the instructor leading the team today, my surname is Zhao." The middle-aged man's gaze swept over everyone. "I'll repeat the rules once, listen carefully, if anyone breaks them, don't blame me for getting angry."
The square fell silent.
"First rule: anyone found trading monster materials privately and giving them to other trainees to increase their battle points will be expelled." Instructor Zhao's voice was like a hammer striking. "Battle points are earned through your own ability, not by being given them by others. Anyone who tries anything underhanded will be kicked out of the training camp immediately."
"Second rule: anyone who kills another trainee will be executed upon discovery." Instructor Zhao's gaze grew even colder. "You can spar in the challenge room and compete for rankings, but anyone who dares to harm a fellow trainee in the wilderness will be personally sent on their way."
The square was completely silent.
Lin Yun stood in the crowd, firmly memorizing these two ironclad rules. The training camp's system was stricter than he had imagined, but also fairer. Here, everyone had to prove themselves through their own abilities.
"Today's mission is City 1001." Instructor Zhao took out a communicator from his pocket, pressed a button, and a map appeared on the huge screen in front of the square. "City 1001 is 300 kilometers away from the training camp. It was a medium-sized city during the Great Nirvana period, with a population of about two million. Now it is a paradise for monsters, with a high density of Beast General-level monsters, and occasionally Lord-level monsters appear."
He marked several areas on the map: "Your activities are limited to the eastern and southern districts of the city. Lord-level monsters roam the northern and western districts, and no one is allowed to enter without an instructor."
"Each person must hunt at least three Beast General-level monsters to complete the mission. The more you hunt, the more battle points you will earn. You all know how battle points are calculated—1 point for a low-level Beast General, 10 points for a mid-level Beast General, 100 points for a high-level Beast General, and 1000 points for a low-level Lord."
Instructor Zhao closed the map and said one last thing: "Let's go."
Armored vehicles set off from the training camp and sped through the wilderness for nearly two hours before finally arriving at the edge of City 1001.
Lin Yun jumped out of the car, and what came into view was a desolate ruin. Collapsed buildings, broken streets, rusted vehicles, and ubiquitous vines and weeds. A damp, rotten smell permeated the air, and occasionally a few monstrous roars echoed through the empty city.
"Form pairs, teams up freely." Instructor Zhao stood on the roof of the vehicle, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Meet at the assembly point before sunset. If anyone gets stuck, send a distress signal immediately. Remember, coming back alive is more important than anything else."
Lin Yun glanced at Shi Jiang, who nodded in return. The two naturally formed a team.
"Is this your first time in the wilderness?" Shi Jiang asked.
"It's not my first time, but it's my first time here as a training camp participant," Lin Yun said.
Shi Jiang smiled and said, "Then you should know the rules. I'll clear the way, and you'll keep watch. If you encounter a lone beast general, fight if you can, and run if you can't. Don't be reckless."
"clear."
The two chose a direction and headed towards the eastern part of the city.
Lin Yun's mental energy silently spread outwards, covering an area of about one kilometer in radius. This was his advantage, but he did not unleash it completely, using only about 30% of his mental energy, just enough to perceive the surrounding situation without being too conspicuous.
"Eight hundred meters ahead, in a red building, there are three Beast General level beasts," Lin Yun whispered. "Two beginner level and one intermediate level."
A hint of surprise flashed in Shi Jiang's eyes: "Your perception range is that wide?"
"Talent." Lin Yun smiled, offering no further explanation.
Shi Jiang didn't ask any more questions. The two quickened their pace, heading closer to the red building.
The first floor of the building was an abandoned supermarket, with shelves overturned and rotting goods and dried bloodstains scattered on the floor. Three Mastiffs were tearing at something in a corner, and they turned around abruptly when they heard the noise.
They were about the size of calves, covered in coarse mane, with bone spurs on their backs gleaming coldly in the dim light. The two smaller ones were novice beast generals; the largest one had dark red bone spurs on its back, a mark of an intermediate beast general.
"I'll take the two beginner ones on the left, and you can have the intermediate ones," Shi Jiang said in a low voice.
"it is good."
Lin Yun didn't waste any words and directly drew his battle blade. He didn't use the full power of the Ninefold Thunder Blade; he simply slashed out with a single strike.
The blade tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound. The leftmost ironback mastiff didn't even have time to react before its head was severed. Blood gushed out, staining the ground red.
The second Ironback Mastiff reacted slightly faster, leaping to the side the instant Lin Yun drew his blade. But Lin Yun's blade was even faster—the second strike followed closely, precisely slashing at its neck.
Two slashes, two novice beast generals, clean and swift.
On the other side, Shi Jiang's battle also ended. His swordsmanship was more steady; he severed the spine of the intermediate Ironback Mastiff with a single strike, then finished it off with a final blow.
"Not bad." Shi Jiang looked at Lin Yun. "Two cuts, two kills, clean and efficient. Your swordsmanship is even better than I imagined."
"My senior brother is no less impressive," Lin Yun said.
The two crouched down and began processing the monster's materials. Fangs, bone spikes, fur—these were all evidence of battle points.
"This is too slow." Lin Yun stood up, spreading his mental energy again. "If we search for them one by one, we won't be able to kill many in a day."
"So what do you mean?"
"Come with me."
Lin Yun led the way, with Shi Jiang close behind. The two swiftly traversed the city ruins, Lin Yun's mental energy acting like an invisible net, covering an area of a kilometer in all directions. He knew exactly where the beast generals were and where the danger lay.
In one morning, they hunted down more than a dozen beast general-level monsters. Most were low-level, with the occasional mid-level. Lin Yun's swordsmanship became increasingly fluid in actual combat. Although he didn't use the power of the fourth level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade much, he had already mastered the third level.
"Are you sure you're just a high-level warrior?" Shi Jiang couldn't help but ask as he watched Lin Yun cleanly and efficiently take down a mid-level beast general.
"Confirmed." Lin Yun sheathed his sword. "Senior brother, let's continue."
In the afternoon, they encountered a high-level beast general.
It was a mutated shadow cat, a full size larger than a normal shadow cat, covered in black fur, making it almost invisible in the ruins. Its speed was astonishing, and its claws gleamed with a metallic sheen.
"Advanced Beast General, 100 points." Shi Jiang's eyes lit up. "Be careful, the Shadow Cat is very fast."
"I'll do it." Lin Yun gripped his battle sword tightly.
The mutated shadow cat seemed to sense a threat, arching its body and letting out a low growl. Its eyes were golden, like two lanterns in the dim light.
Lin Yun did not wait for it to make the first move.
With a swift movement of his feet, his body shot towards the mutated shadow cat like lightning. The third level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade unleashed its power on the blade, the triple force combined to create a power far exceeding its usual strength.
The mutated shadow cat reacted extremely quickly, leaping aside the instant Lin Yun charged forward. But Lin Yun's second strike had already been unleashed—this time, he used the fourth level of force.
"boom!"
The four forces erupted simultaneously, and a dazzling blue light burst forth from the blade. The mutated shadow cat had no time to dodge and was slashed in the side. Blood gushed out, its body tumbled twice in the air, crashed to the ground, struggled a few times, and then lay still.
Shi Jiang stood there, looking at Lin Yun with shock in his eyes.
"The fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade?" His voice trembled slightly. "When did you break through?"
"About two weeks ago." Lin Yun squatted down and began processing the Shadow Cat's materials.
Shi Jiang remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "You're a monster."
As the sun began to set, Lin Yun and Shi Jiang returned to the meeting point.
A number of trainees had already gathered in the square. Some were counting their spoils, some were bandaging their wounds, and some were talking in hushed tones. Everyone's face showed exhaustion, but their eyes shone with excitement.
Instructor Zhao stood on the roof of an armored vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the returning trainees, counting their numbers. After confirming that everyone had returned, he nodded.
How was your day?
The trainees reported their kill counts. Most reported around ten, while a few reported more than twenty. Lin Yun and Shi Jiang reported thirty-seven kills, including thirty novice beast generals, six intermediate beast generals, and one advanced beast general.
Instructor Zhao glanced at them, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more.
"The battle points have been recorded. You can check them in the system when we get back." Instructor Zhao jumped out of the car. "Get in, let's go back to the training camp."
The armored vehicle sped through the twilight, the ruins outside the window gradually receding into the distance, replaced by the desolate landscape of the wilderness. Lin Yun leaned against the window, his eyes closed, replaying every battle of the day in his mind.
His swordsmanship improved further in actual combat. Although the fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was not yet stable enough, it was already effective against high-level beast generals. He did not use the Phantom Blade Technique because it was not necessary yet.
"What are you thinking about?" Shi Jiang sat down next to him and handed him a bottle of water.
"I'm thinking about how to make it faster." Lin Yun took the water and took a sip.
"You're already very fast," Shi Jiang said. "Thirty-seven beast generals—that's a top-fifty score in the training camp. You've only been here a month; it's already quite remarkable."
Lin Yun shook his head: "It's not enough."
He needs more battle points, a higher ranking. Dragon blood, ancient civilization ruins—these are all beckoning him. He can't stop.
It was already dark when we got back to the training camp.
Lin Yun first went to the materials processing room of the Nine-Story Building and handed over all the materials from the monsters he had hunted that day. After the staff finished counting them, they entered the battle points into his student file.
「林云，七月一日，战绩点：初级兽将30只×1=30点，中级兽将6只×10=60点，高级兽将1只×100=100点。总计190点。」工作人员报出数字，然后将材料收进了仓库。
Lin Yun nodded, turned around and walked out of the materials processing room.
He stood in the square in front of the Nine-Story Tower, looking up at the black tower. Moonlight shone on his shoulders, casting a long shadow.
Today is July 1st, and this month has just begun.
He has thirty days to prove himself.
Lin Yun turned and walked towards Jiangnan Pavilion. Tomorrow was an odd-numbered day, so he didn't need to go to the wilderness area and could train in the training camp for the whole day. He needed to use this day to consolidate the fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade and continue practicing the second level of the Phantom Blade Technique in preparation for the Trial Tower assessment at the end of the month.
The road ahead is long, but he's not in a hurry.
Take it one step at a time, and you'll eventually reach the end.