Chapter 4

When Wang Baole woke up, a day had already passed in the dream maze. The venom from the snakes was not as severe as everyone had imagined, and one of the classmates was skilled in treating snake venom, which left Wang Baole's wish for a heroic moment unfulfilled.

Fortunately, with his awakening, Zhou Xiaoya, the little white rabbit, took care of him with great attention, and Du Min, unusually, did not argue with him. This made Wang Baole feel comfortable, and he began to think that his heroic actions would surely be seen by the teachers, and he would likely earn a lot of points in this assessment.

The only thing that bothered him was that in the following days, as the team traversed the jungle in search of other classmates, Liu Daobin, for some reason, seemed to feel guilty about the previous incident. Whenever they encountered small crises, he would always rush to take the lead, quickly resolving them, leaving the already weakened Wang Baole with no chance to show off.

Moreover, there were no major incidents like the snake attack, which made Wang Baole feel that his extraordinary abilities had no place to be used. Frustrated, he could only watch as Liu Daobin kept racking up points in the assessment.

"If Liu Daobin keeps this up, he might end up with more hidden points than me!" By the end, Wang Baole was anxious. However, this feeling did not last long. Late at night on the second day, while they were camping at the base of a narrow mountain pass, they heard a series of piercing wolf howls.

The sound seemed to penetrate the rocks, causing everyone's ears to ache and suddenly wake up. As they looked around, they saw pairs of blood-red eyes glowing in the endless jungle ahead.

Under the moonlight, countless fierce wolves formed a fan-shaped encirclement. Some ran on the ground, while others leaped from tree to tree, their howls and bloodthirsty eyes causing everyone to pale.

This scene created a suffocating wind, making Liu Daobin and the others pale with cold sweat and their scalps tingle.

"Run, there are wolves!"

"These are Bone Shadow Wolves, countless Bone Shadow Wolves!"

Du Min, who had grown a lot after the snake incident, immediately shouted, urging everyone to enter the narrow pass and use the mountain's natural barrier to block the wolves.

Liu Daobin's face changed repeatedly. Finally, he gritted his teeth and, instead of retreating immediately, called on the classmates to delay the wolves and buy time.

The little white rabbit, in a panic, supported Wang Baole, her body trembling, but she pulled him along with the crowd toward the narrow pass. However, Wang Baole was already anxious.

In Wang Baole's view, it was fine to let Liu Daobin take some small points earlier, but now that such a big opportunity had finally come, he couldn't let Liu Daobin take it away. His eyes seemed to ignite with a holy fire, and his body suddenly regained its vigor. He stopped abruptly.

"Xiaoya, you go first!"

Wang Baole said, then ran straight to Liu Daobin, grabbed him, and threw him toward the narrow pass before the other could react, shouting loudly.

"Brother, you retreat first, I'll hold them off!"

Liu Daobin was completely stunned. Before he could react, he saw Wang Baole charge toward the wolf pack without hesitation.

"Everyone, run, I'll cover you!" At this moment, Wang Baole's sense of justice and sanctity burst forth again. The little white rabbit, looking at Wang Baole, was deeply moved.

Some male classmates, who had already entered the narrow pass, were inspired by Wang Baole's bravery, their blood boiling, and turned back to follow him. However, Wang Baole, with red eyes, kicked them all back.

"Good brothers, you go first!" Wang Baole shouted with a righteous air, but in his heart, he was wary, afraid that others would steal his points!

In his view, these wolves, no matter how fierce they looked, were all assessment points.

As for those classmates he kicked back into the narrow pass, they were all deeply moved, their bodies trembling. To them, Wang Baole's self-sacrificing figure was tall and mighty, and a few of them, their blood boiling, rushed forward again.

Wang Baole was immediately anxious and quickly pushed them back. Afraid that they would come again, he bit his teeth and, at the entrance of the narrow pass, raised his hands and pressed them against the rock wall, forming a human barrier with his body, shouting anxiously.

"I'm poisoned by the snakes, I can't run. Don't worry about me, you all run."

These words, spoken with genuine emotion, made the few classmates tremble. At this moment, the wolf pack suddenly accelerated, charging in a group, their howls piercing and their bloodthirsty intent spreading in all directions, rushing madly toward Wang Baole.

This scene left the people retreating in the narrow pass deeply shaken.

"Wang Baole, come back!"

"Heaven, he's using his body to block the wolves so he doesn't become a burden to us!" The little white rabbit, Du Min, and all the other classmates in the narrow pass were deeply moved. At this moment, Wang Baole's round body seemed like a majestic mountain, becoming an eternal memory for them.

Liu Daobin was also deeply moved, his breathing rapid. He had been somewhat resentful of Wang Baole before, but now that resentment was completely gone, leaving only deep shock.

At this moment, Wang Baole, supporting the rock wall with his hands, forming a human barrier, seemed to be holding up the sky!

After this action, even Wang Baole was moved. He felt that if he were a teacher, he would also be deeply touched by this. But he still wanted more points, so he secretly flattered the academy and spoke resolutely.

"Being admitted to the Ethereal Dao Academy is my honor. Even if I die here, I, Wang Baole, am a Dao Academy person in life and a Dao Academy spirit in death!"

Wang Baole was secretly pleased with this statement, confident that the teachers would be moved!

However, this pleasure did not last long. Wang Baole, focused on earning points in the assessment, had unknowingly overlooked one thing: pain!

Although this place was a virtual dream, the pain was no different from reality. As the wolves howled and their mouths tore at him, in the eyes of the distant crowd, Wang Baole was quickly overwhelmed by more than ten fierce wolves.

"Pain!" Wang Baole's body trembled, his breathing heavy. All he could see were wolf mouths, and all he could smell was blood. The intense pain from the wolf teeth biting into his flesh almost made him forget that this was an illusion.

But his heart was firm, with no intention of retreating!

Even in extreme pain, even with his body torn and bloody, with many parts showing white bone, even with his consciousness fading, the sounds of tearing and howling in his ears, like the tolling of death, Wang Baole, who had many flaws but one prominent trait, remained resolute!

That trait was... persistence!

"Finally, I've encountered a big opportunity for points. I can't waste it. I'll add as many points as possible in one go!" Wang Baole roared in his heart, determined to hold on a bit longer. But at that moment, from the back of the retreating students, a red figure suddenly appeared in the jungle, moving at an astonishing speed!

The red figure was a short-haired teenager of about seventeen or eighteen, with a handsome face and a cold expression. He wore red martial attire and carried a large bow. His body moved like an old ape, leaping between trees. As he approached, he drew his bow and shot arrows in rapid succession.

Nine arrows in an instant!

The arrows were so fast that they whistled through the air, flying past the crowd and through the narrow pass, whizzing by Wang Baole's head and armpits, and hitting nine fierce wolves with their howls.

Every arrow hit its mark, and the force behind them threw the nine wolves away.

This sudden turn of events stunned the retreating students, and even Wang Baole was momentarily stunned. The nine arrows had almost grazed his body, giving him a big scare.

Before he could react, the red-clothed teenager, with astonishing speed, leaped into the narrow pass, landed in the air above Wang Baole, and shot another nine arrows!

The sound of the arrows was deafening, and with the howls of the nine wolves, the other wolves were startled and instinctively retreated. Seizing this opportunity, the red-clothed teenager landed, lifted Wang Baole, and quickly retreated.

Wang Baole's body shuddered, and despite the pain, his eyes were fixed on the retreating wolf pack, and he became anxious.

"Brother, put me down, I can hold on a bit longer!"

Hearing Wang Baole's words, even the cold red-clothed teenager was moved. At this moment, Wang Baole was bloodied and torn, almost falling apart.

"You've done enough. Leave the rest to me!"

Hearing this, Wang Baole became even more anxious. He felt that the other person had taken his lines. Just as he was about to speak, the teenager took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and his muscles swelled, becoming several times larger. He then struck the rock wall with his large bow, hitting it more than ten times in quick succession.

The force was so great that the rock wall cracked and collapsed, blocking the narrow pass with a loud rumble.

Wang Baole's eyes widened, looking at the teenager's muscular arm, and decided to keep his words to himself.

Everything happened so fast, and with the narrow pass blocked, the red-clothed teenager quickly returned to the crowd with Wang Baole.

Seeing this, the nearby students were all deeply shaken. Liu Daobin gasped and exclaimed.

"Second level of the Ancient Martial Realm, Body Sealing!"

"Not yet Body Sealing, just the Great Perfection of the first level," the red-clothed teenager glanced at Liu Daobin, put Wang Baole down, and explained.

"Even if not Body Sealing, you have the power of Body Sealing. Thank you for saving us!" Liu Daobin quickly bowed, and the other students followed suit. Many girls looked at the red-clothed teenager with admiration, and he was soon surrounded by the crowd.

As for Wang Baole, lying on the ground, he watched all this with frustration. He knew the other person had saved him with good intentions, but he still felt that his chance to earn points was lost. However, he understood that there was nothing he could do.

"Ancient Martial Realm..." Wang Baole sighed, reflecting on the fact that although the era of cultivation had arrived after the Spirit Yuan Era, for most people, it was still limited to learning the initial cultivation method called the Qi Nourishing Technique.

This technique allowed people to absorb spirit energy to extend their lifespan and use their bodies as a medium to condense spirit stones for sale, so it was widely spread.

As for true cultivation, the threshold was still high, making it difficult to enter directly. This required a foundation, and thus, Ancient Martial Arts were revived.

After the entire federation's归纳 and derivation, the Ancient Martial Realm was formed with three levels:

Qi and Blood, Body Sealing, and Pulse Supplementing!

Only those who reached the Great Perfection of the third level, Pulse Supplementing, were considered qualified to compete for the Dao Edges, like leaping fish through the dragon gate.

However, the cultivation methods of the Ancient Martial Realm were mostly controlled by the various forces within the federation. For most people, the most orthodox way to obtain them was to be admitted to one of the four Dao Academies. Otherwise, they could only join the various forces or noble families.

"He's about my age, probably from a noble family..." Wang Baole sighed, feeling that the limelight had been stolen. The pain in his body also intensified, and he couldn't help but groan, drawing the attention of the crowd, many of whom rushed over.

Seeing that he was still valued, Wang Baole felt better, but he thought he was in too much pain and had earned enough points, so he might as well die... He took a deep breath, his voice trembling.

"I can't make it. Classmates, when you become students of the Ethereal Dao Academy, you must..."

Wang Baole had already prepared his emotional speech, ready to deliver it with passion. But at that moment, the red-clothed teenager, with a solemn expression, stepped to Wang Baole's side, took out a pill bottle, and fed him a pill.

"Those willing to sacrifice for the Dao Academy, I, Chen Ziheng, will not let them die! Good classmate, you can rest now, everything is on me!" Chen Ziheng's words were firm and decisive, and combined with his combat power, they were highly convincing.

As everyone expressed their gratitude, Wang Baole was stunned, his mouth agape, looking at Chen Ziheng. He felt again that this person had stolen his lines.

He wanted to salvage the situation, but as the medicine took effect, Wang Baole felt his vision darken, and he was too weak to speak. He could only lie there, feeling bitter, and look at the bright sky, with only one thought in his mind.

"He must have cheated, just like me!"

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