I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

Li Suisui gave them a strange look, “Do you even need to ask? Capture him alive, hand him over to the higher-ups, and while you’re at it, make a suggestion for them to use Xue Jing and that person in a trade, to see if we can exchange him for the Wind of All Beginnings… Anyway, what happens after that has little to do with us. Whether Xue Jing lives or dies is the result of their own games.”

Someone hesitated, “Capturing him alive… isn’t that a bit against the rules?”

Originally, their plan to kill Xue Jing in the form of participating in the Martial Arts Examination was because it was within the ‘rules,’ a justified ‘legitimate way to kill,’ not just showing up outside arbitrarily without reason, which would be breaking the rules.

And here was an odd question: killing Xue Jing was permitted within the rules, but capturing him alive seemed to be a step outside of the rules.

Once the Martial Arts Examination ended and Xue Jing was still alive, there would be no reason for them to continue to deal with him. If they still bound and captured Xue Jing to hand him over to their superiors at that point… that would be a move outside the rules. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

“Half and half, not completely by the rules but also not completely outside of them, more like a gray area… Would you rather kill Xue Jing and offend that person or break these minor rules and distance yourselves from the issue? Surely you don’t need a kid like me to teach you what to choose,” said Li Suisui.

Zhou Yinglin muttered reluctantly, “… Xue Jing is not easy to deal with.”

“I know, he’s a Blessed One… this time the higher-ups have given me a Wind of All Beginnings to deal with him. On the battlefield, when he is only able to use his physical martial arts, he’s not a concern,” said Li Suisui.

“What we need to pay attention to are the Reformists…”

He glanced in the direction of Wei Yuzhao, seeing the tall man radiating an aura of blood.

“The True Red Lineage has indeed shown up… This group can use their overflowing blood aura to intercept the Wind of All Beginnings, reducing the influence of the Power of Return to the minimum, making them the ones least restrained by the Wind of All Beginnings.”

“Our focus in this operation should instead be on how to deal with him.”

“Therefore, we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” Li Suisui continued.

“If our plan against Xue Jing fails, we need to have a safety measure in place.”

“If he succeeds in leading students to good results in the Martial Arts Examination, he would be replicating that person’s path. Under the veneration of the Venerables, the old men of the Conservative Faction will not be able to openly target him anymore.”

“Therefore… we must first sabotage his students’ scores.”

…

Xue Jing didn’t pay attention to the group obviously plotting against him. Instead, he just curiously glanced at the kid named Li Suisui and then withdrew his gaze.

Calculating the time with his precise biological clock, he murmured to himself,

“It’s about time…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, an official person at the entrance of Steel Tree Sea immediately stood up, grabbed a megaphone, and yelled to the whole venue,

“All examinees, come here to collect your examination materials!”

Dozens of officials began distributing piles of materials to all the examinees who approached.

As an examiner, Xue Jing didn’t crowd forward but glanced at the things each student received.

A green backpack containing food and water looked to be of modest quantity, barely enough for one to eat for two days… that is, if they didn’t expend too much energy.

A black wristband, a tight-fitting Tactical Suit… The material seemed very similar to what the White Crow and Cease-Blades personnel wore.

After Cao Sini received her examination materials, she changed into her clothes in the provided booth, walked up to Xue Jing, and pushed a button on her black wristband.

A holographic image appeared above the wristband, displaying some information.

[Examinee Name: Cao Sini]

[Members of the same team: Undefined]

[Current Mission: Undefined]

[Current Score: 0]

“`

“…Teacher, I’m ready.”

Cao Sini looked at Xue Jing, her elongated and sharp eyebrows and eyes softened, and she spoke in a low voice.

Her tight black Tactical Suit showcased her fine figure to its fullest, causing some classmates who usually steered clear of her fierce expression to take a few extra glances.

Xue Jing glanced at her and smiled, “This time, you’re going to have a tough job, Student Sini.”

Cao Sini nodded, “…I won’t let you down, Teacher.”

Xue Jing turned his head to look at the students who had mostly finished changing into their clothes, had put on their bracelets, and had taken up their small backpacks: “Is everyone ready?”

“Ready!”

The crowd responded.

Xue Jing nodded, waved his hand, and then led the students towards the entrance to the Steel Tree Sea.

There were nearly twenty examination halls participating in the large-scale joint examination this time, each entering different portals, dispersing the people to prevent a situation where they ended up in intense battle at the very beginning.

At the entrance, official personnel were checking with devices, and apart from the issued supplies, no personal belongings were allowed to be brought in.

One after another, the students were inspected and entered the Intersecting Boundaries through the twisted gateway of light.

Xue Jing walked at the end… He took a white bracelet from an official’s hand, put it on his wrist, and under supervision, changed into a set of official clothes provided. After a thorough full-body check, he was allowed through and slowly stepped into the Intersecting Boundaries.

This wasn’t his first time entering the Intersecting Boundaries… His vision blurred for a moment, and the world drastically changed.

What emerged before his eyes was—Steel Land.

The color of metal covered the whole world; in the leaden sky above, black clouds that gave a sense of heaviness floated… These were metal clouds formed from iron mist.

The taste of rust, akin to blood, filled his nostrils; the land was of steel, as were the trees, flowers, and even—the creatures made of steel.

“Roar—!!”

A hoarse, metallic clangor of an odd call came through as a large bird, made entirely of steel feathers, skimmed past the sky. The sharp and resilient feathers produced a crackling sound, puzzling over how this seemingly heavy creature could possibly fly.

“Wow, this place is freaking awesome.”

He Han exclaimed in amazement, taking a step forward, his foot making a ‘puff’ sound as it landed on the metal ground.

“…My feet feel so heavy!”

He shouted, startled, and began to walk with some effort on this land of steel.

“The gravity is really completely different from the real world… It’s amazing!”

“Walking for a while makes the soles of my feet hurt… This ground is too hard!”

“I’m getting a bit short of breath… It feels like there’s a big rock pressing on my organs.”

“Hahqiang—!! I think… Hahqiang!! I might be a bit allergic to metal!”

“Come on, what’s going on with you guys, feeling like you’re about to keel over just after we got here…”

The students marveled and laughed as they experienced a world they had never seen before.

Ye Jingqiu had been watching at the entrance the whole time, and as soon as she saw Xue Jing’s figure appearing, she immediately pretended to be unable to adapt to the gravity, took a stumble, and her body toppled toward Xue Jing as she exclaimed,

“Ah, Mr. Xue!”

Xue Jing glanced at her and reached out to support her shoulder.

But he hadn’t expected that she seemed prepared this time… Her body twirled around in a mess.

…

“`