Chapter 34: 4880, The Eternal Peak

The college entrance examination has ended!

Countless parents from Tianhe gathered at the exit of the Blood Sea combat zone, craning their necks in anticipation of their children's return. Official recorders had also assembled there, ready to announce the combat scores as soon as the students emerged.

"Hey, how was it? It felt so simple, didn't it? There weren't any particularly difficult demon tribes," said one student, stepping out of the Blood Sea with a satisfied smile.

"I know, right? Based on previous years, the Blood Sea combat is supposed to be dangerous, but this?"

"I fought my way into the Extremely Dangerous Zone, and I didn't even encounter any demons above the fifth stage of Qi and Blood."

"Haha, same here. I snuck into a demon nest in an Extremely Dangerous Zone and found that all the high-level demons were already dead. It didn't matter, though; I smeared some demon blood on my blade, so that should count toward my score."

Nearby, a massive screen displayed everyone's scores in real-time, scrolling continuously. However, the recorders seemed distracted.

Jiang Zixun was also in the crowd. She had originally intended to charge directly across the Great Wall, but the roar of her McLaren’s engine had led the garrison soldiers to intercept her.

"What's the panic? So many big shots headed outside the Great Wall—who do you think they were saving?" Old Man Jiang said, holding his teacup with an air of indifference.

Jiang Zixun looked back, her expression conflicted, yet she felt a sense of relief. Now, they just had to wait for the scores.

"Look, Xia Jun and the others have returned, which means Yin-er is fine. Let's just wait."

"Yes!"

Xia Changsheng, the King of Dahan, and the old dean had already returned, gathering atop a section of the city wall. Finally, Lin Yin appeared at the Great Wall’s massive gate, his body drenched in blood.

"Whose child is that?"

The sight nearly stunned the parents. Surely it wasn't necessary to be covered in that much blood. Yet, they were unaware that the reason their own children had returned safely—some even unscathed—was that a blood-soaked figure had been at the very forefront, charging into the fray.

"Phew! Finally back!" The chief examiner let out a breath of relief. He called over two recorders and rushed to Lin Yin. Combining his data with the backend system, they began to quickly tabulate his score.

"Fifth-stage Qi and Blood high-level demons: 13, at 20 points each, for a total of 260 points."

"Sixth-stage Qi and Blood high-level demons: 7, at 30 points each, for a total of 210 points."

"Fifth stage... Seventh stage: 5; Eighth stage: 3; Ninth stage: 11!!"

Upon reaching the ninth-stage tally, even the chief examiner looked up, staring at Lin Yin in utter astonishment.

Good heavens, did you wipe out every single Extremely Dangerous Zone, kid?

Lin Yin smiled slightly and nodded, signaling them to continue.

"First stage... four demon prince heirs!?"

Seeing the final item, the chief examiner was completely dumbfounded. He immediately contacted high-level officials to ask how to score the heirs of demon kings, as such a situation had never occurred in the history of the college entrance exam.

The high-level officials held an emergency meeting and contacted Xia Changsheng. A grading standard was quickly established: regardless of their specific cultivation level, any heir of a demon king would be worth 500 points each.

"Understood!" With that, the examiner added 2,000 points to Lin Yin’s total.

At this moment, many students noticed Lin Yin and began to grow restless and excited.

"Who is he?" the parents asked curiously.

A student from the Third Academy of Tianhe replied with immense pride, "He is the strongest face of our martial arts school, a ruthless super-genius with a Qi and Blood value of 998!"

The giant screen began to display Lin Yin's specific data. Gradually, the once noisy and chaotic exit fell silent. Countless people shivered, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

A brilliant, piercing score seared itself into the eyes of every student and parent: 4,880 points!

This four-digit score stood like an insurmountable mountain peak, abruptly looming before the world.

"Is this real?" a parent muttered, dazed.

"Eleven ninth-stage demons—that's 2,200 points alone!!"

"No wonder the Extremely Dangerous Zones were empty; it turns out our brother Yin killed his way through them all!!!"

Countless students felt their blood boil, trembling with excitement.

"It’s not just that! Demon prince heirs! Four of them! They weren't in the combat zone! Definitely not!"

"Could it be that brother Yin didn't just clear the exam's Extremely Dangerous Zones, but fought his way outside the exam grounds too!?"

"Brother Yin is a legend!"

"Born with a brother like him, our path of martial arts feels like a long, eternal night."

"I think I can already see that in my future, there will always be someone standing at a level I can only look up to."

The one who said this was Wang Yang. As he watched, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.

He felt a sense of release. In the moment he saw Lin Yin clear the Extremely Dangerous Zones and slay the demon king's heirs, he realized how ridiculous and trivial his obsession with ranking had been.

"You are like a scorching sun rising in an eternal night—dazzling."

Wang Yang wore a look of liberation. Lin Xuetao did as well. He realized that it was no longer a disgrace to have been felled by a single strike from Lin Yin. Understanding that they were not on the same level, he stopped clinging to his pride. To continue would only make him a clown.

"Legendary!!" Lin Xuetao couldn't help but shout.

In an instant, a roar of acclaim swept through the crowd. That brilliant, piercing score of 4,880 would forever hang at the very pinnacle of the college entrance exam results, not just in Tianhe City, but across the entire Great Xia Kingdom.

Not far from the crowd, Lin Zhengyang gazed at the giant screen. Even with his usual composure, he could not hide his excitement. Was he really that powerful?

Yang Huier exclaimed, "We were right to come. Quick, hurry, go meet our son!"

When someone shouted, "The Lin Family Martial King Mansion from the Great Xia Imperial Capital," a path cleared before Lin Zhengyang, Yang Huier, and the rest of the Lin family. The students and parents, full of curiosity and perhaps guessing the truth, stepped aside to let them pass.

"The Lin family is here again?" A cold glint flashed in Old Man Jiang's eyes. "They never care about him when things are normal, but the moment he succeeds, they rush to offer warmth. How hypocritical."

"Lin Zhengyang?" On the city wall, Xia Changsheng frowned slightly. "The Lin family? Lin Yin? Could it be..."

Lin Zhengyang rode his highly recognizable Great Sun Qilin Beast, stepping toward the exam exit. The beast's breathing sounded like muffled thunder, its massive frame accentuating Lin Zhengyang's powerful aura.

Lin Yin looked back, his expression calm but tinged with weariness. Why, why must they always come to disturb me when I am trying to live a normal life?

He glanced at them, turned away, and walked toward Old Man Jiang and Jiang Zixun.

"Lin Yin, is it so difficult for you to even greet your father when you see him?"

Lin Zhengyang's low voice struck like a violent gale, slamming into the ears of everyone present.