Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

Among the crowd, a black-haired boy carrying a battle sword stood quietly, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on the azure dragon sculpture that coiled around the main building.

It was Luo Feng.

Three months ago, during the rat swarm in County 0231, he witnessed firsthand that dark figure descending from the sky, crushing the beast tide with lightning speed, and killing the Rat King with a single spear thrust. At that moment, a seed was planted in his heart: he must become that kind of powerful being.

Today, he finally stands here.

"All candidates, proceed to the testing venue according to your assigned number! The first physical fitness test is about to begin!"

A loud voice blared from the loudspeaker, and the crowd began to surge. Luo Feng took a deep breath and followed the flow of people into the main building.

Inside the testing facility, hundreds of precision instruments were operating simultaneously.

Punching power testing machines, speed skating tracks, and neurological reaction testing devices were neatly arranged in rows. Talented individuals from all over the world stepped forward one by one to complete the tests under the guidance of staff.

"Li Yang, punching power 58963KG, speed 142m/s, nerve reaction speed excellent (beginner-level warrior) – eliminated!"

......

"Candice Pollenas, punching power 64000KG, speed 420m/s, neural reaction speed excellent (Advanced Warrior level) – Pass!"

......

"Chu Qiang, punching power 108000KG, speed 500m/s, nerve reaction speed beginner-level War God level perfect—pass!"

The test continued, and most of the martial artists passed smoothly. Those junior warriors who tried to cheat were exposed by the data, and more than twenty of them left the stage in disappointment.

When it was Zhou Lie's turn, he stepped onto the punching power testing machine, took a deep breath, and threw a punch!

"Zhou Lie, punching power 72500KG, speed 435m/s, nerve reaction speed Elementary War God level Excellent—Pass!"

The data immediately drew the attention of the students waiting for the test. This seemingly unremarkable young man had actually achieved data close to that of a beginner-level War God.

Zhou Lie remained expressionless and silently stepped off the testing platform.

For the past three months, he has been cultivating diligently day and night, using up the 500 million yuan sponsored by the family head and the inheritance left by his parents, in exchange for the best nutrient solution and cultivation resources.

In just three months, he has gone from an intermediate-level warrior to the threshold of a beginner-level war god. He has given it his all and must seize this opportunity!

"Luo Feng, punching power 32500KG, speed 245m/s, neural reaction speed excellent (Advanced Warrior level) – Pass!"

Luo Feng remained calm. His stats were average, top-tier among mid-level warriors, but unremarkable compared to those god-level geniuses. He knew his advantage had never been physical prowess, but rather his trump card: mental power!

......

"Candidates who have passed the first assessment, please proceed to the virtual practical assessment area. The second assessment is about to begin!"

In the main building of the training camp, huge virtual space cabins are lined up in a row, each cabin can accommodate ten people to enter the virtual space at the same time.

Staff quickly assigned numbers, and the candidates entered the cabin one by one, putting on consciousness-sensing helmets.

Luo Feng was assigned to cabin number 37, and coincidentally, Zhou Lie was in the same cabin.

The two exchanged a glance and then put on their consciousness-sensing helmets.

.......

When Zhou Lie opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast grassland.

Welcome to the practical assessment scenario!

[Rules: Your physical attributes have been set to the standard of a beginner warrior. The assessment lasts one hour and requires you to kill 50 beginner-level beast general-level wild bulls. There are no restrictions on the method of killing; you may use any weapon or movement technique. After the assessment, the system will give you a comprehensive score based on your killing efficiency, combat performance, injuries, and other factors, with a maximum score of 100 points.]

【通过考核者可选择加试更高难度：B级考核——30分钟内击杀100头初级兽将级莽牛；A级考核——30分钟内击杀200头兽将级莽牛，其中包含190头初级兽将级、10头中级兽将级。】

Zhou Lie gripped his spear tightly and looked around.

On the grassland, a group of massive black bulls, each as big as a truck, are approaching.

Without hesitation, he raised his gun and charged forward.

Five minutes later, the last bull fell.

[Congratulations on completing the C-level assessment. Time: 5 minutes and 17 seconds. Killed without taking damage. Score: 100 points.]

[Would you like to take on the Level B assessment?]

"challenge!"

Eleven minutes later, Zhou Lie slammed his spear on the ground, panting heavily. He had completed the Level B assessment with a score of 97.

[Will you attempt the Level A assessment?]

Zhou Lie remained silent for a second.

He knew his limits; with his current strength, he would most likely fail to challenge an A-level difficulty level.

But he decided to give it a try anyway, "to keep taking on the challenge."

Twenty minutes later, Zhou Lie, covered in blood, knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his gun, surrounded by the carcasses of wild bulls.

He killed 172 low-level beast soldiers and 6 mid-level beast soldiers, and the remaining 4 mid-level beast generals surrounded him.

Zhou Lie mustered his last bit of strength and pierced the first head with his spear, but was knocked away and crushed by the other three heads.

[A-level assessment failed. 178 beasts were killed, including 6 mid-level beast generals. Time taken: 21 minutes and 46 seconds. Score: 47 points.]

[Second assessment total score: 264 points, current ranking 132rd.]

Zhou Lie exited the virtual space, took off his helmet, and gasped for breath.

He failed the A-level assessment, but he realized his shortcomings and saw the direction to move forward.

......

In cabin number 37, Luo Feng's assessment was also taking place simultaneously.

With his perfect agility and second-level mastery of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade, he easily and unharmed completed the C-level and B-level assessments, earning a perfect score.

Faced with the A-level assessment, he chose to accept it without hesitation.

Two hundred wild bulls and ten mid-level beast generals.

Luo Feng gripped the Blood Shadow Battle Blade tightly and charged into the herd of cattle.

In the first seven minutes, he killed 87 low-level wild bulls with his perfect agility.

In the seventh minute, the speed unleashed by the ten mid-level beast generals far exceeded his expectations, and their coordination was even more tacit, like ten tanks rushing in from all directions at the same time, blocking all his escape routes.

Luo Feng swung his sword and charged forward, unleashing the full power of the third level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade.

clang!

The blade struck the neck of a mid-level beast general, a wild bull, unleashing three layers of hidden force, yet it only penetrated an inch.

At the same time, several other animals pounced on them.

Luo Feng dodged to the side, but was still scratched on the arm by the bull's horn. Blood gushed out, and the burning pain stimulated his nerves.

By the twelfth minute, he had already killed 132 novice-level bulls and 3 intermediate-level bulls, but he was also covered in wounds and his stamina was nearing its limit.

A mid-level beast general seized Luo Feng's opening and stabbed his shoulder blade with its horn.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Luo Feng, and his vision went black; he almost fainted.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

A scene suddenly flashed through his mind:

Three months ago, during the rat swarm in County 0231, that dark figure descended from the sky.

One shot.

With just one shot, the lord-level rat king was pinned to the ruins and broken walls.

That shot was too fast, so fast that Luo Feng couldn't even catch it at the time, but under the immense pressure now, the trajectory of that shot is now crystal clear!

It's not fast,

It is power.

The moment the spear thrust out, Luo Feng vaguely sensed that the power did not come from muscles or bones, but from something deeper, as if it burst forth from the very core of life!