I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 569: The Examination Begins

Seeing Gong Feiyu cry with his head in his hands, the girl felt a twinge of heartache and stopped mentioning her uncles’ and aunts’ hopes for Gong Feiyu to take part in the International Security Council’s assessment.

In fact, when it came to family backgrounds, Gong Feiyu’s and her family were on vastly different levels. Although the girl’s family was not an ancient Star Martial Warrior lineage, they were indeed a contemporary military family. If the girl hadn’t been so determined to be with Gong Feiyu, her family certainly would not have supported their relationship.

The girl asked for nothing else. If only Gong Feiyu could be a bit more outstanding, she wouldn’t have to bear such immense pressure. At the dinner table, when she heard Wang Lan invite Gong Feiyu to participate, her heart had been full of anticipation. She just hadn’t expected...

The New Year’s holiday passed quickly. After New Year’s Day, the International Security Council’s selection examination was set to begin. Xie Sisi and Xu Xiangwen boarded the train to Jin City on the last day of the holiday, while Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu bid them farewell and drove back to Modu City.

「January 6th, clear skies.」

At the Modu City airport, a group of young men and women in the uniforms of the Modu City Star Martial Academy formed a stunning sight. Many tourists stopped to watch, and quite a few foreigners raised their cameras to capture this rare moment.

In this world, powerful Star Martial Warriors were the true superstars, and the Modu City Star Martial Academy was their cradle. Twenty students, carrying their suitcases, set off together, either to provide support abroad or to participate in international events.

Because the assessment site for the International Security Council was located at a military base in the Amazon Basin, Wang Lan and his group traveled by charter flight.

After flying for more than a dozen hours, the small plane landed at an open-air airport. The aircraft stairs were deployed, and Wang Lan followed the crowd off the plane. Instantly, he felt numerous gazes shooting toward him from all directions.

The International Security Council’s recruitment assessment involved over two hundred countries worldwide, but the majority were there mainly to participate; the real show was expected from the five permanent member nations.

It wasn’t that there were any secrets in the assessment’s content, but rather that the difficulty of the International Security Council’s examination was such that only the top talents from the five major powers could handle it. Smaller countries weren’t without geniuses, but it was rare for them to produce one even in several years.

Naturally, as students from Modu City Star Martial Academy, one of the four great academies of Jade Country, they were inevitably the center of attention.

The Modu City Star Martial Academy contingent had departed neither too early nor too late. By the time Wang Lan and the others landed, several dozen planes—which had arrived around the same time—were already parked at the airport. Above, other aircraft were circling.

After Wang Lan and his group disembarked, the examiners simply tossed them some tents and other supplies, then turned and left without a word. Seeing tents already pitched on a distant grassy area, the examiners’ intentions were not hard to guess.

"Don’t tell me they haven’t prepared any dormitories and just expect us to live in tents?" a female student asked in surprise.

It wasn’t that this female student was pampered; after all, by their senior year, they had experienced real battlefields and endured even harsher environments. But for such a high-profile examination to merely provide tents for the contestants was rather unexpected.

"What’s the point of saying so much? I’m just afraid it’s not even one tent per person."

"What’s the big deal? Forget tents, why not just build some treehouses? Wouldn’t living in a big villa be awesome?"

"No way, let’s keep a low profile. Everyone’s quietly setting up tents. I don’t think it’s that simple. If you can think of it, can’t others?"

Everyone unpacked the tents, and one by one, the simple tents were quickly pitched. The tents were of a classic triangular design, quite spacious, and there were plenty of them.

After Wang Lan and the others had set up their tents, the planes from Jin City Star Martial Academy and Zezhou Star Martial Academy also landed. Wang Lan’s four-person squad was reunited, but they were somewhat disappointed not to see Gong Feiyu among the candidates from Zezhou Star Martial Academy.

As the sun set and the last ray of light vanished over the horizon, a person in camouflage gear who looked like an instructor appeared in the center holding a megaphone.

"The airport is now closed, and the examination area is sealed! All students participating in the assessment are in position. Latecomers will be disqualified!"

While the instructor spoke, Wang Lan glanced up. Several planes were still circling in the sky. Perhaps, having received notification, they changed course and departed with regret.

"Attention all contestants! The first official assessment begins tomorrow. Tonight, you will all have to make do in the tents. Furthermore, this is a special zone formed by the explosive impact of a fragment from a Different Dimensional Space, which has since been assimilated by our world. However, its bizarre weather, volatile climate, and geographical features—inexplicable by science—still retain characteristics of a Different Dimensional Space. I hope all of you have sweet dreams tonight."

That night, Xie Sisi and Jiang Xinyu shared a tent, while Wang Lan and Xu Xiangwen joined their two tents together. Some Modu City Star Martial Academy students who were watching Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu wore looks of dejection.

Knowing that these two were also participating in the assessment, many students from Modu City Star Martial Academy had started to get ideas. The first two examinations focused on individual performance, and as long as one’s abilities weren’t a major hindrance, advancing wasn’t too difficult.

Only the final team test was a truly brutal elimination round. However, teaming up with Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu was considered an almost guaranteed win. The ideal scenario would be to split the pair up, with each leading a separate team.

The students from Modu City Star Martial Academy had long wanted to secure spots with them. Yet, these two, often looked down upon, would shamelessly flaunt their public displays of affection around the academy. Sometimes, even when others deliberately tried to avoid them, they would be subjected to their PDA. Then, just when everyone wanted to ride their coattails, the pair would vanish.

By the time they reappeared, it was only the day before departure. On the plane, some had approached Wang Lan about teaming up, and even their supervising teacher had tried to put in a good word, but Wang Lan had stated he already had a team.

This deeply disappointed those who had harbored such high hopes, and they discussed who could have acted so quickly and secretly.

Seeing them now only made it worse. Why wasn’t it someone from their own academy, but from Jin City Star Martial Academy?

But regardless, whether Wang Lan was willing to carry them to success was his decision.

The night deepened, and one by one, the examinees drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, Wang Lan’s eyes stealthily opened. He tapped on the adjacent tent; Xu Xiangwen was already awake. At that moment, Xu Xiangwen’s Heavenly Eye was radiating a bright light.

"Xiangwen, what’s the situation?"

"There are high-level Star Martial Warriors monitoring us. Far away, a large number of artillery units are setting up positions. From the looks of it, they seem ready to wipe us all out!"

"Is it part of the exam, or...?" Jiang Xinyu’s voice suddenly interjected.

"I’d guess it’s part of the assessment, but the instructor didn’t mention anything beforehand. We can totally treat it as a real enemy attack," Wang Lan said, stroking his chin with a sudden mischievous grin. "How about we strike first?"

"Won’t the chief examiner be furious and disqualify us? They’re still setting up, seven kilometers away. I estimate they can launch a surprise attack in half an hour at the earliest."

"If we know the enemy is planning a sneak attack on our camp, a counterattack should be fine, right?" Xie Sisi said, somewhat excitedly.

"Then let’s round up all the contestants. If we get eliminated, we all get eliminated together!"

TWEEET—! A sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air.

The camp was instantly startled by the shrill sound. Then, Wang Lan’s voice rang out in perfect English, "Seven kilometers to our northeast, the Mysterious Legion is setting up an artillery position! Our camp is within their firing range. I suspect they are an anti-human armed force. Rather than wait like sitting ducks, we should strike first!"

"What? They can sense that from seven kilometers away?"

"Isn’t the internationally recognized maximum sensory range for perceptive Star Martial Warriors five kilometers?"

"Don’t forget, we’re all top talents from academies around the world. Every country has its hidden masters. Sensing something seven kilometers away isn’t that hard to accept."

"But what if this is part of our assessment?"

"Everyone, there are five hundred of us here. If five hundred of us can’t deal with an Artillery Legion of fewer than a thousand soldiers and ensure zero casualties, then we might as well withdraw voluntarily. That would be too humiliating!"

"That makes sense! Well then, brothers, what are we waiting for? Charge!"

Given such a disparity in strength, there was no need for coordination or tactics. The enemy numbered one thousand, while their side had five hundred. These five hundred had an average strength at the pinnacle of the Star Cloud Stage, and this average was only so low because competitors from smaller countries were weaker. In reality, there were at least one hundred and fifty students at or above the Galaxy Stage.

With such a powerful lineup, who needed tactics? A direct assault was all that was required.

Wang Lan didn’t even need to act. He and his companions just watched the dark mass of contestants surge forward, merely needing to keep a close eye on developments.

At the International Security Council’s examination command center, updates on the contestants’ movements were, of course, relayed immediately.

"What’s going on? How were the contestants suddenly alerted?"

"There must be Star Martial Warriors with extraordinary sensory abilities among the students. They sensed us setting up the artillery bombardment site."

"Are you kidding me? The bombardment site is seven kilometers away! The maximum sensory range for a perceptive-type Star Martial Warrior is five kilometers. Besides, the artillery crews are all ordinary people. Have you ever heard of a perceptive-type Star Martial Warrior sensing ordinary people?"

"Perhaps this perceptive type is quite special. So, what now? Originally, one round of bombardment would have eliminated at least half the contestants. Now, not a single one will be eliminated; instead, our artillery emplacements are about to be completely wiped out!"

"It’s fine. This round is just an ’entry ticket’ test, not an official part of the examination. It’s not a major issue if they all pass."

Xu Xiangwen stared with his Heavenly Eye, continually making "tsk tsk" sounds.

"So brutal, yet so spectacular... An entire artillery regiment, thrashed by a group of Star Martial Warriors... Utterly tragic."

"Weren’t there Star Martial Warriors hiding in the shadows? Why didn’t they intervene?"

"That group of Star Martial Warriors numbered only a hundred. Faced with the overwhelming might of those brutes, how could they dare show themselves? Once they learned the surprise attack was exposed, they immediately retreated from deep underground.

However, those brutes still showed some restraint. Although the gun emplacements were destroyed and the soldiers were beaten black and blue, all the injuries were superficial. Helicopters have arrived; it looks like the examination authorities are handling the aftermath."

"Alright then, let’s get some sleep," Wang Lan said once he knew the situation was resolved, and he lay back down.

Using a Buddha Sect Cultivation Technique to seal off his five senses, he could fall asleep almost instantly. Not even the commotion from the returning contestants could wake the already snoring Wang Lan.