In the game "High Martial Arts," players start with the blessing of the Martial God.

Chapter 105 First Place in Points

It's already late at night at the Crimson Dragon Primordial Human Base, and most of the students have returned.

First, we need to rest and recuperate, and replenish our supplies.

Secondly, the points leaderboard is refreshed at 24:00 every day, and everyone wants to see how well they perform.

In the main building of the Crimson Dragon Base, a huge screen hangs in mid-air, displaying a dense stream of information, while many students below crane their necks in anticipation.

With only ten minutes left until midnight, they waited here for the final rankings to be announced, while also being curious about the abilities of the other trainees.

Several young people were chatting at a table downstairs in the main building, including Xu Yuan from Tianyi Star Palace.

"Heh, Old Xu, you actually didn't go outside the base's safe zone today?" a young man with a thick beard laughed.

"Ugh!"

Xu Yuan shook his head. "I was originally planning to go, but something went wrong along the way, so I came back to check on things."

"Oh? What?" The young man's expression shifted.

"Crimson Flame Demon!" Xu Yuan said, enunciating each word clearly, his expression extremely solemn.

The young man stood up and hurriedly asked, "You also encountered the Crimson Flame Demon Clan?"

Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback. Seeing his expression, he nodded and sighed, "It seems I was right. The Crimson Flame Demon Clan really did come out specifically to hunt us."

"So this is also part of the trial assessment?"

"It should be!"

Xu Yuan said in a deep voice, "The Crimson Flame Demon Clan lives up to its name; their strength is indeed formidable. I encountered a squad of three level 25 Crimson Flame Demons, and I almost didn't make it back!"

The young man looked at him in surprise. Three? He had only encountered one and was severely injured. How could Xu Yuan have returned? Had his strength improved again?

Stop looking!

Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly. "The Crimson Flame Demon bloodline is powerful. We humans generally need to be at least at the fourth level to be able to match them at the same realm, and only at the seventh level can we overpower them."

"I was able to come back because of Shen Tu Feng, he saved my life!" Xu Yuan's grateful gaze fell on the silver-clad youth drinking alone not far away.

The young man glanced at it as well and whispered, "Has he really finished creating the three additional Heavenly Veins?"

"I don't know!" Xu Yuan shook his head. "Anyway, he's stronger than me. He killed two of the three level 25 Crimson Flame Demons, and the last one escaped with serious injuries."

"hiss!"

"That strong?" The young man took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's think about how to deal with the Crimson Flame Demon!" Xu Yuan sighed, looking somewhat worried.

"Heh, it's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes our way!" the young man said nonchalantly. "Since they know this is part of the trial, the base certainly won't send us to our deaths. The Crimson Flame Demons coming won't be too strong; the outcome is still uncertain!"

"Haha, that makes sense!" Xu Yuan also showed a confident smile.

"Someone's coming back at this hour?" The young man looked at the base gate and raised an eyebrow.

Xu Yuan looked over upon hearing the voice, smiled, and said, "It's Junior Brother Ji Ming."

"This is Ji Ming?" the young man asked with interest. "I wonder how strong he is?"

"Junior Brother Ji Ming comes from a modest family and started later, so we shouldn't be too harsh on him. It's only a matter of time before he surpasses us!" Xu Yuan

He waved his hand and said.

The young man was somewhat unconvinced. He admitted that Ji Ming was extremely talented, but he didn't believe that he could be easily surpassed.

"Stop talking, they're here!"

Xu Yuan patted the young man on the shoulder. "He went to the points verification area. Hey, storage equipment? Holy crap! So many beast materials!"

"What?"

The young man turned his head and looked over, his mouth agape.

At the same time, other students around also noticed this scene. Because it was so conspicuous, Ji Ming waved his hand, and the materials of the alien beast filled the table, almost as tall as a person!

"A classmate? You killed all of these people?" the points verification officer asked in surprise.

"Um!"

Ji Ming nodded and handed over the mini video recorder clipped to his chest. The verifier had no more doubts and quickly began to examine it.

"Can you recycle materials directly here?" Ji Ming asked.

"Yes, you can pay for the materials directly with merit points or elemental liquid," the verifier replied while cleaning.

Ji Ming nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Junior Ji?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

Ji Ming turned around, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Hello, Senior Xu!"

"Ha ha!"

Xu Yuan walked over with the young man, smiling, and introduced him: "This is my friend, Liu Haihui, a sophomore in the Immortal Dao Department."

"Hello, Senior Liu!" Ji Ming nodded.

Liu Haihui returned the greeting, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at the materials on the table. The money wasn't worth much, but these were all points!

"Junior Brother Ji Ming has gained a lot!" Xu Yuan exclaimed with deep emotion.

"I was just lucky; I encountered a few groups of strange beasts," Ji Ming said modestly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan was filled with envy. There were too few beast tribes that they could deal with within the safe zone, which was why they were all running away.

He didn't encounter many strange beasts all day. The area within a thousand miles was too large, and it was constantly being cleared out. Ji Ming actually managed to find more than one group. His luck was truly amazing!

Ji Ming smiled, naturally understanding their thoughts. After the protagonist's halo was restored, he had indeed been extremely lucky lately. The effects of his luck increasing tenfold were obvious. Throughout the day, he had not encountered anyone he was completely unable to contend with.

"This is... the Crimson Crystal Armor?"

Suddenly, the verifier looked up and exclaimed.

"What Crimson Crystal Armor?" Xu Yuan and Liu Haihui looked over at the same time, and Shen Tufeng's ears twitched as he also turned his gaze over.

"This is from the Crimson Flame Demon Clan?" Xu Yuan was stunned after just one glance.

"That's right!"

The verifier nodded, and the instrument scanned the four pieces of crimson crystal armor, all from a level 23 Crimson Flame Demon.

Level 23?

Xu Yuan and the other two were shocked and looked at Ji Ming, "Junior Brother Ji, you've also stepped into the second step of the Ascension to Godhood?"

"Not yet?" Ji Ming shook his head in denial. "I'm just at the peak of the Jade Purity Realm."

Xu Yuan was not at all dismissive upon hearing this; on the contrary, he was even more shocked. This meant that Ji Ming possessed the combat power to kill a Crimson Flame Demon of the same level, and that he was at the peak of the Jade Purity Realm.

How long has it been since the seventh level of Jadeite was last revealed? That's too fast!

"Junior Brother Ji, you're quite skilled!" Xu Yuan said seriously, his mindset quickly changing, and he truly regarded him as an opponent of the same level.

"Alright, all cleanup complete. The other materials are worth a total of 20 merit points. Does anyone have any objections?" the verifier said, putting down the instrument.

"No!" Ji Ming shook his head. These strange beasts would be cannon fodder in the battlefield of myriad realms. No one would pick up the materials on their bodies. If it weren't for a pair of third-tier wolf claws, a third-tier snake skin, and a third-tier bull horn, the rest of the trash would probably be left uncollected.

Compared to these physical materials, essence blood is more valuable. Of course, it's different for those above the fourth rank, where every part of them is a treasure.

Unfortunately, apart from that wolf king, he didn't obtain any more beast essence blood.

"Excuse me, do you sell the Crimson Crystal Armor too?" the verifier asked again.

"Sell! What price are you willing to pay?" Ji Ming nodded.

"One Crimson Crystal Armor is worth 20 Merit Points!" the verifier said matter-of-factly.

Ji Ming thought for a moment, then nodded, "Okay!"

There's not much to haggle over with these things; they all have a fixed price.

"Let's collect these essence blood as well!" Ji Ming took out the essence blood of the Wolf King and the Crimson Flame Demon.

"Six drops of early-stage Tier 3 Crimson Flame Demon essence blood, totaling 150 merit points, this—"

After scanning, the verifier exclaimed in surprise, "Mutant gray wolf essence blood? It has some research value. I can give you thirty merit points per drop."

o

"good!"

Ji Ming readily agreed, which was a pleasant surprise.

"Okay, keep the merit card safe!"

After some steps, the verifier handed over an anonymous merit card.

Ji Ming took it and frowned. "Why is it only 288 merit points?"

The verifier explained casually: "The essence blood plus all materials total 310 merit points. After deducting 20% ​​tax, it's 248 merit points. Killing two Crimson Flame Demons grants an additional 40 merit points."

"So that's a total of 288 merit points, is there a problem?"

"We have to pay taxes?" Ji Ming asked in surprise.

"You want to evade taxes?" The verifier's gaze turned dangerous.

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood!" Ji Ming quickly waved his hand.

"Junior Ji, the construction and maintenance of the base requires resources, including military spending, student training programs, and so on. How can the country sustain it if it doesn't collect taxes?" Xu Yuan explained with a smile.

Ji Ming understood; he had simply been momentarily confused, and it was indeed true that taxes should be levied.

"When we kill enemy races, in addition to our own gains, we also receive an extra merit as a reward. This merit serves as an incentive and support for those who are willing to fight for humanity."

Xu Yuan laughed and said, "However, this support only lasts until the fourth level. After breaking through to the fourth level, you will no longer receive extra merit points, because the fourth level is already a strong level. At this point, you should even be supporting the weak. If everyone keeps clinging to civilizations and sucking their blood, even the most glorious race will gradually decline."

Ji Ming nodded. That made sense. If the Xuanhuang Civilization needed national rewards to fight even after reaching the fourth rank, it would not have been able to overcome so many crises.

It is only right to provide some resources and merit support to the lower three tiers, but once you become powerful, you must rely on your own efforts.

"Okay, no problem!" Ji Ming put away the merit card. Earning 300 merits a day is difficult even for a fourth-tier player. This is the hidden bonus of the [protagonist halo].

"I wonder how many points my junior has?" Xu Yuan asked the verifier with some curiosity.

See for yourself!

The verifier pointed to the large screen behind him; it turned out that it was exactly midnight.

The leaderboard scrolled, then stopped at the last second, displaying the rankings one by one.

[Points Leaderboard]

First place: Ji Ming: 2513 points; Second place: Shen Tu Feng: 2258 points; Third place: Xu Yuan: 1235 points; First place?!

Xu Yuan was shocked. Shen Tu Feng had actually surpassed him. He knew that Shen Tu Feng had killed two level 25 Crimson Flame Demons, which would be worth 600 points at five times the score!

But none of that compares to Ji Ming?!

He looked at the large pile of materials and certificates that the verifier had collected and organized, and he understood again. Although Ji Ming hadn’t killed any of the stronger ones, he had killed a lot of them!

100 level 16 beasts also give 600 points, which is much easier than killing the Crimson Flame Demon, but the key is that you can't encounter them!

suddenly

Shen Tu Feng stood up, and just as everyone was lost in thought, imagining a dramatic showdown between the first and second place winners, he walked directly toward the base gate in full view of everyone and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Depend on!

Everyone cursed under their breath. So it wasn't a competition, but rather the opening of a book?

After glancing at the leaderboard, everyone lost interest. The top two were far ahead of the leaderboard, with Shen Tu Feng being the strongest and Ji Ming—no one thought he was just lucky.

After all, being able to kill two level 23 Crimson Flame Demons was enough to prove their strength, but they were still somewhat unhappy.

If Ji Ming knew what they were thinking, he would understand. Since he didn't have overwhelming strength, everyone was naturally only outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful.

"Alright, it's time to go!"

"Well, I was originally planning to stay in the safe area for another two days to familiarize myself with it, but now it seems like I should just forget about it. In another two days, I won't even be able to smell their exhaust fumes anymore."

"Let's go, leave the safe zone. There are still plenty of beast hordes that can catch up."

As the students waiting for the leaderboard to refresh left one by one, let's roll it up!

"etc!"

Suddenly, Ji Ming stepped onto the platform, holding up a mirror. "Fellow students, this is a tracking mirror. It can reflect the aura of our human race. It's a method used by the Crimson Flame Demon Clan to search for us. Please be very careful!"

Upon hearing this, the group that was heading towards the base gate stopped abruptly and quickly ran back.

"Damn! So that's what it is. No wonder that damned Crimson Flame Demon was chasing me around!"

Xu Yuan was the first to curse.

"Yeah, that damn thing! If the Crimson Flame Demon I encountered hadn't been too weak, I would have been done for today!"

"Huh? You all encountered the Crimson Flame Demon?" Some people looked confused and didn't know about this. That's normal. The Crimson Flame Demon didn't lay an inescapable trap. It's normal for most students not to encounter it.

But they were lucky; if they had rushed out recklessly again today, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Ji Ming raised the tracking mirror high, "The Crimson Flame Demon Clan is hunting us. All of you students, please be careful. It would be best if you could prepare a prop to conceal your presence."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Few of them could defeat the Crimson Flame Demon in a head-on confrontation. Although it had high points and merits, those who were not strong enough should stay away!

"Thanks for the reminder, Ji. I, Wang Ming, owe you a favor!"

A young man broke out in a cold sweat upon learning of the Crimson Flame Demon. If he hadn't been prepared at all, running into him today would have been a certain disaster.

There is no chance of survival.

"Thank you, Ji!"

The students present all bowed to him, and Ji Ming responded solemnly, "Please remind each other!"

"May you all complete your assessments and return safely!"

"Ji, too!"

The way people looked at him now held a newfound respect and gratitude.

"Let's go, let's get a concealment item before we go out."

"Yes, that's right, staying alive is the most important thing!"

Ji Ming watched them walk towards the inner perimeter of the base and felt relieved. The tracking mirror was just a low-level item, and low-level concealment items weren't expensive. Once he got his hands on it, he should be able to block the tracking mirror.

Of course, if that's not possible, there's nothing he can do but wish them good luck.

He wasn't making the reminder for any particular reason; he simply hoped that more people would gather here in seven days.

They weren't competitors in this assessment, so there was no need to deliberately hide anything to sabotage them.

Ji Ming looked towards the base gate. Was that Shen Tu Feng who just left? He must have walked so fast without needing to be reminded, right?

Anyway, this guy is strong enough. The highest level of the Crimson Flame Demons that come to hunt him is only level 26, and they might not even be able to beat Shen Tu Feng!

"Thank you!"

Xu Yuan also expressed his gratitude, saying that he didn't know about the tracking mirror either, and that Shen Tu Feng had dealt with all the Crimson Flame Demons he encountered.

Thinking of Shen Tu Feng, he also looked at the base gate—Shen Tu Feng should—know about it, right?

Hearing the commotion below, Zhao Wenlong, who was on the main building of the base, chuckled. "Ji Ming? That kid's got good intentions!"

"Pass down the message: Due to a significant increase in the difficulty of the assessment, the previously announced ranking rewards for all merit points will be doubled!"

"Also tell them that our base will stop any top-tier third-tier powerhouses among the Crimson Flame Demons."

Although the Crimson Flame Demon's intervention has increased the difficulty, it is not a hopeless situation. After the Crimson Flame Demon conceals its aura, it will not be so easy for it to find people. The Crimson Dragon Realm is very large, and with these thousands of students scattered, they may not encounter a single Crimson Flame Demon for seven days.

The reason why the Education Department and the Military Department let the Crimson Flame Demon go unchecked was to let these geniuses get used to surviving under high pressure. If they were to go to the Battlefield of Myriad Realms, this kind of crisis would be nothing.

"clear!"

The adjutant saluted and then quickly relayed the message.

Soon, everyone, including Ji Ming, received the news.

"Double the merit rewards?"

Ji Ming was thrilled. This meant that entering the top ten would earn him 2000 merit points and a chance to choose a treasure, while the top three would receive 3000 merit points!

If he can get this huge sum of money, he won't have to worry about resources for the time being after breaking through to the Divine Realm!

He's not far from breaking through, and once the three Heavenly Veins are fully formed, he definitely won't stay in the Jade Purity Realm anymore, so this kind of money-making opportunity shouldn't be missed.

The resource consumption of the Divine Realm is inevitably much higher than that of the Jade Purity Realm, and there are many places where money is needed.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Ming went directly to the base's official exchange counter.

"What's the cheapest type of semen you offer here?"

The staff at the exchange point smiled and explained, "That's naturally the essence blood of the Crimson Dragons, the native race of the Crimson Dragon Origin!"

"Red Dragon? Is it related to the dragon race?" Ji Ming asked curiously, having initially thought it was just a name.

"Perhaps there's a trace of dragon blood?" The exchange clerk shook his head. "Anyway, the Crimson Dragon Clan is considered the overlord of this primordial realm. Their bloodline is quite powerful; they can condense essence blood. There are many rumors that there might be fifth-tier powerhouses among the Crimson Dragon Clan!"

"Fifth rank?!" Ji Ming was shocked. A powerhouse of this level was truly invincible in the Crimson Dragon Origin Realm.

"So powerful, the base dares to hunt them down?" Ji Ming frowned. This didn't seem to fit the base's usual low-key approach!

The exchange clerk explained, "The Crimson Dragon Clan is inherently cold-blooded and doesn't care about the lives of its members. Moreover, there are many Crimson Dragon Clan settlements throughout the Primordial Realm. As long as you don't provoke the most terrifying ones, there won't be any problems."

Ji Ming understood and then asked, "What's the price of Crimson Dragon Essence Blood?"

"Early stage of Tier 2, two drops of merit for every point!" the exchange clerk chuckled. "This is the price in the Origin Realm; it would never be this cheap outside."

Ji Ming naturally understood that a drop of essence blood had to go through countless procedures from its place of origin to reach them, which naturally caused the price to rise all the way up.

Many essence bloods are worthless in the local area. For example, the essence bloods of the Myriad Realms Battlefield is at least ten times cheaper than that in the Xuanhuang Realm. Buying them in the Myriad Realms Battlefield and then selling them in the Xuanhuang Realm can make a fortune.

However, this business can only be done by the military, which is also a major source of military expenditure. It doesn't matter if other people bring back a small amount of essence blood, but selling a large amount of essence blood is smuggling, which is punishable by death!

Previously, he had acquired the Crimson Flame Demon and Wolf King Bloodline Base at the highest price, which he himself might not have been able to sell for. This should also be considered a benefit of this assessment.

"Okay, give me 140 drops at this price!" Ji Ming nodded. Low-level concealment items cost at least a hundred merit points, but he only needed 70 merit points to use his essence blood to change his aura as a Crimson Dragon for six days.

He won't be able to use this low-level concealment item after buying it, and he'll definitely lose a lot of money if he sells it later. It's better to make do with his essence blood for now!

The key is that it's safer to change your aura by loading your identity. Surely a mere tracking mirror can't see through a simulated aura with myriad characteristics, right?

However, if he uses a concealment item, he cannot guarantee that he will not be seen through. Since his own safety is involved, Ji Ming is never careless. He can only feel completely at ease by changing his aura using his identity card.

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