Chapter 53

A Class F alloy armored vehicle stopped at the foot of the mountain. This type of armored vehicle, comparable in size to a tri-environmental tank, was one of the standard military armaments. The vehicle's outer shell could withstand missile attacks, making it an almost invincible mobile mini-fortress.

More astonishingly, around the Class F alloy armored vehicle stood eight special forces soldiers. They stood like javelins, but if not seen with the naked eye, their presence would go unnoticed.

Each of these special forces soldiers was a martial artist of at least the fifth level.

In other words, at the entrance of each of the ten thousand paths of Ten Thousand Paths Mountain, there was one Class F alloy armored vehicle and eight special forces soldiers.

For the traditional trial of new students each year, the military could dispatch such equipment, which first showed the college's emphasis on students and, secondly, demonstrated the military's respect for the Imperial Wind College, highlighting the college's unique and exalted status.

Throughout the Odin star region, although each administrative planet had formidable strength, none could compare to the massive military. No other college offered such treatment for new students.

Sun Yan walked over, looked up at the alloy armored vehicle, and before he could appreciate it up close, a special forces soldier approached, verified his identity, and opened the rear door.

"Classmate, please get in the car. Sit down, scan your student ID, and the optical brain will provide detailed instructions."

Stepping into the vehicle, Sun Yan noticed a young man sitting in the corner, holding a black military knife and carefully wiping the blade with cotton.

This young man was extremely handsome, with jet-black hair reaching his shoulders, rosy lips, and white teeth, and a sharp, blade-like expression.

"Hello, classmate, I'm Sun Yan."

Sun Yan smiled and introduced himself in a very friendly manner. However, the young man did not look up and completely ignored him.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Sun Yan touched his nose but did not mind. He walked straight to a seat and placed his left hand on the designated spot.

Ding!

A screen immediately popped down from the ceiling, and an electronic voice said, "Student ID: 27034567, Name: Sun Yan, preliminary confirmation of Imperial Wind College student status."

"By completing the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor speed trial, the final confirmation of Imperial Wind College student status will be completed."

Sun Yan was startled. According to the optical brain, one must pass Ten Thousand Paths Mountain to truly become a student of Imperial Wind College. In other words, if new students did not successfully pass the annual Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor speed trial, they would lose their admission资格.

The electronic voice continued, "Ten Thousand Paths Mountain has an altitude of 673 meters and covers an area of 1,200 square kilometers. It has ten thousand mountain path entrances and one exit. The terrain inside is complex, with dozens of second- and third-level wild beasts and exotic creatures, as well as several rare aggressive plants."

"The Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor speed trial will begin at 14:00. There are 35 minutes and 42 seconds until the start. Please listen carefully to the instructions."

"The trial will last 48 hours and end at 14:00 the day after tomorrow. Students who do not exit Ten Thousand Paths Mountain on time should not panic; the college rescue team will assist. However, students who fail the trial will lose their admission to Imperial Wind College."

"The top 20 new students who complete the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor speed trial the fastest will receive 10 credit points as a reward."

"Here is a serious warning to all new students: During the outdoor speed trial, all private duels are strictly prohibited. Any such incidents will be automatically recorded by your student ID. Please do not act rashly."

"Your student ID is in a preliminary confirmation state. During the outdoor speed trial, if you encounter life-threatening situations, the student ID will automatically activate a protection mode to ensure your safety. However, once the protection mode is activated, you will lose your admission to Imperial Wind College."

"Finally, I wish all new students a successful admission. Please now choose your weapons, combat suits, and nutritional fluids for the outdoor speed trial."

After listening quietly to the optical brain's instructions, Sun Yan was secretly astonished. He originally thought that receiving the Imperial Wind College admission notice meant everything was fine. Now, it seemed far from simple. If the final exam of a mid-level college was the first hurdle to entering Imperial Wind College, then the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor speed trial was the second hurdle.

Eliminating all the incompetent students was the strict and rigorous attitude of Imperial Wind College, which was the source of its reputation as the top college in the South Wind Domain.

"During the trial, new students are prohibited from any bloody conflicts to avoid life-threatening situations. They must pass Ten Thousand Paths Mountain within 48 hours." Sun Yan summarized three key points in his mind.

Next, he saw a cabinet next to his seat, containing various weapons, combat suits, and nutritional fluids, all G-grade military equipment. Opening this cabinet also required his student ID.

Lifting his left hand, Sun Yan examined the back of his hand again. The student ID number was faintly visible. He had previously thought it was just a symbol of student identity, but now it seemed to have multiple uses.

Sun Yan looked at the young man in the compartment again, curious about his situation. At this moment, a green message appeared in front of his eyes: "Student ID: 27031156, New Student: Lin Tianwang."

Damn! What a cocky name. Sun Yan cursed inwardly. He had seen cocky people before, but this was the first time he encountered someone with such a cocky name.

"Lin Tianwang seems to be a very proud person," Sun Yan concluded inwardly.

Opening the cabinet, he found all kinds of military equipment inside. Sun Yan's eyes were dazzled. He had been a military enthusiast since childhood, and now seeing so many real items, he wished he could take them all.

However, the rules of the trial clearly stated that new students could only choose one weapon, one combat suit, and six nutritional fluids.

After some consideration, Sun Yan chose two pairs of boxing gloves, a modular combat suit, and six nutritional fluids as his equipment for the outdoor speed trial.

These two pairs of boxing gloves were G-grade military equipment, entirely black, matte, and appeared quite heavy, but when held, they felt light. The combined weight of the two gloves was less than 1KG, causing no burden to the user.

Each glove had three inch-long spikes with three fine grooves, filled with bristle-like barbs. These were mesh bleeding grooves, and once the spikes penetrated the target, they could easily cause severe subcutaneous bleeding, which was quite terrifying.

The modular combat suit consisted of a vest, shorts, elbow guards, knee guards, and gloves. Sun Yan felt this suit was more flexible and convenient for combat.

Putting on the combat suit, Sun Yan, like the young man Lin Tianwang, began wiping the surface of the gloves with cotton. For a moment, the entire compartment was extremely quiet, as if no one was there.

After another 15 minutes, three more students entered the compartment. Through their student IDs, Sun Yan learned their names: Jin Liangliang, Zheng Nan, and Zhou Zhihao.

Jin Liangliang was a tall, thin young man, quiet and reserved. After entering the compartment, he sat down silently, just like Sun Yan and Lin Tianwang, and did his own thing.

Zheng Nan was different. When he entered the compartment, he looked around cautiously, as if everyone around him was an enemy.

As for Zhou Zhihao, he was the most normal of the four. When he got on the vehicle, he greeted everyone enthusiastically, regardless of their age, calling them "Brother."

Sun Yan also noticed that all five people in the compartment were martial artists of at least the second level, indicating that the average level of new students at Imperial Wind College was generally second-level martial artists. His current internal energy cultivation was just at the average level.

After the five people got on the vehicle, another 10 minutes passed before the alloy armored vehicle started. Although it moved very smoothly, with no vibration, Sun Yan's keen senses detected that the vehicle's speed was likely over 200 km/h.

The compartment remained quiet, with only Zhou Zhihao and Sun Yan chatting. From their conversation, Sun Yan learned that Zhou Zhihao was from Nanmu City in the eastern part of the South Wind Domain.

"Bro Sun, are you from Luoshan City? I heard there are many beautiful women there!" Zhou Zhihao's words revealed his true nature as a man.

Since he was called "Bro," Sun Yan naturally had to be a bit reserved. He nodded and said, "Yes, Luoshan City has beautiful mountains and water, and indeed, there are many beautiful women. But I haven't really paid much attention."

"Ah..."

Zhou Zhihao shook his head and sighed, his baby face full of regret. "Bro Sun, with your face and physique, you would definitely be a heartthrob on the streets. In three years at a mid-level college, didn't you have dozens of romantic stories?"

Sun Yan shook his head and said innocently, "Not one. I didn't have the time." This was true. During his three years at Nan Ying College, he had a monotonous life of sleeping and watching adult movies.

"Too bad, too bad," Zhou Zhihao lamented, as if hearing a tragic story.

Sun Yan couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What about you, little brother Zhou? How many girls threw themselves at you during your three years at a mid-level college?"

Zhou Zhihao immediately showed a pained expression, pointing to his baby face and saying, "Because of this cute and irresistible face, no female classmates were willing to date me. Even in my third year, as the top student in the college, first-year girls were unwilling to walk with me. They said it was too demoralizing and made them look old. Can I be blamed for that? Ah, it's so unfair!"

Looking at Zhou Zhihao's face, Sun Yan laughed and was about to speak when a loud voice came from the speaker: "1 minute until the 7777th mountain path entrance. All students, please prepare."

"Are we there already?" Sun Yan muttered.

At this moment, Zhou Zhihao, still not satisfied, blinked and smiled, "Bro Sun, I'm glad to meet you. We should communicate more in the future. Are you in the Elite Department?"

Sun Yan was taken aback and said, "No, I'm in the Regular Department."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhihao blinked and said, "Bro Sun is in the Regular Department? That's strange! I think you should be in the Elite Department. But it doesn't matter; we'll be in the same school, so it's easy to meet."

---

(End of the page)