The battlefield required no cleaning; all remnants of the ferocious beasts and traces of blood had vanished.
Only Luo Yu sat alone, cross-legged at the center of the battlefield.
His body continually emanated vast red blood energy, akin to a furnace of the world, even from afar atop the city walls, one could feel waves of heat rolling in.
All the soldiers gazed at this scene, with gratitude and reverence flickering in their eyes, for soldiers value strength above all, and Luo Yu's strength, beyond any doubt, had earned the respect of everyone—earned through his own fists, hence no one regarded him as a mere freshman.
Soldiers are also most grateful and value camaraderie; Luo Yu descending like a deity, effortlessly crushing the tide of ferocious beasts, unquestionably saved them all, preventing a bloody disaster. The profound gratitude in everyone's hearts was beyond expression.
Not to mention the ordinary citizens within the city, who, having survived the ordeal, slumped onto their sofas and beds, drenched in sweat, having experienced extreme joy and sorrow in just a few short hours. Many looking at the farewell messages they'd sent from their phones suddenly laughed.
Their laughter grew louder, and as they laughed, they cried, sending their sincerest wishes to the figure on the screen undergoing a breakthrough.
Luo Yu, still in the process of breaking through, seemed to sense a power bolstering his body, yet when he sent out his Divine Sense to probe, he could detect nothing inside his body, which led him to suspect he might be having a hallucination. For now, it was crucial to fully absorb the blood pills refined from the ferocious beasts.
Contained within were the essence of an entire army of beasts, and the reason for their formidable strength was the excessive absorption of nature's spiritual energy, mutating as a result. Hence, the blood pill was not only vast in blood energy, but also rich in concealed Spiritual Power.
Luo Yu's physical body and the aura of his Spiritual Power surged higher and higher.
Long ago, he had discovered that his Cultivation Level seemed to be increasing too rapidly, and did not find the process of breakthroughs as difficult as others had described.
Luo Yu had puzzled over this for a long time. Wasn't a breakthrough akin to eating and drinking, as natural as channeling Water, achieved through practice?
After encountering some of Great Xia's experts and their cultivation experiences, he could not help worrying that breaking through too quickly might lead to an unstable foundation.
But it seems... there was no such sign, right?
"Hiss—"
City Lord Qian Han and Kong Wu, among others, stood at the outskirts of the city, looking at Luo Yu's rising momentum, grimacing, not knowing what to say.
"If the freshmen of your school are all of this standard, then calling it Chuan Province Martial University might be a bit of an understatement. It should be called World Martial Arts University, no, Universe Martial Arts University, "
Kong Wu and the brothers behind him exchanged glances, lips quivering, but they couldn't utter a word.
They had initially thought Luo Yu, who spoke little, was just being overly reserved upon meeting older students like them, perhaps shy or nervous.
Well, damn it.
It was clear he hadn't taken them seriously at all.
Monk and Old Ghost recalled the embarrassment of acting the big brother in front of him, offering to look after him, and their faces turned red with shame.
This was akin to showing off one's tiny skill before an expert.
Monk touched the burn scar on his head from a cigarette butt and felt relieved, "Thank goodness this big shot didn't take it seriously with us; otherwise, we'd have been done for in minutes."
"Scared the hell out of me, now even a native monk starts speaking foreign languages, haha." Old Ghost chuckled from the side.
Monk gave a look that said, "I see right through you."
"Don't hide your unease behind your smile, I know you're afraid too."
The smile on Old Ghost's face faded away like the tide, his already pale complexion grew paler, looking as if he was mourning a dead child.
"You think... this little brother, no, this big shot won't hold it against us, will he?"
"This..." Monk felt a tide of apprehension, afraid of possible retribution.
Vixen spat disdainfully, "Would a Giant Dragon bother with an ant? If he wanted to deal with you, would you still be standing here breathing?"
Facing Vixen's mockery, Monk and Old Ghost had no time to get angry but instead heaved a sigh of relief.
"That's good."
"That's really good!"
Kong Wu couldn't bother with those two, after all, he hadn't provoked anyone, so he felt no guilt.
"Money City Master, how do you reckon his Cultivation Level is?"
"I should be asking you!!" Qian Han retorted, shooting a look, "Please, he's from your school and came out with you. Is it appropriate to ask me about his Cultivation Level?"
Kong Wu smiled wryly and shook his head: "Our squad is usually out in the field, only back for defense missions, and the student council arranged for us to bring two freshmen. Who knew a freshman could be so impressive."
Qian Han understood and his face relaxed considerably.
"I can't tell what his Cultivation Level is."
"Huh?" Kong Wu was perplexed.
Monk interjected, "Being able to defeat three Second Rank ferocious beasts so easily, it must be a Second Rank Peak or, undoubtedly, First Grade."
Qian Han glanced at Monk and said slowly:
"The characteristic of a Third Grade Strongman is having their own Domain, which all of your Martial University's bright students must surely know."
"A Second Rank individual comprehends their own path, the path they are to follow—some are the blade, others the spear, and still others are fire."
"The distinction lies in whether someone cultivates a single path, or simultaneously cultivates multiple paths."
"To break through to First Grade, they must integrate the comprehended path into their Domain, turning it into a small world of the Way."
"There's a world of difference between a First Grade who breaks through with a single path and one who breaks through multiple paths simultaneously."
"Although those who break through multiple paths are stronger post-breakthrough, the actual breakthrough is hardest, as they need to merge the rules of multiple comprehended paths into one Domain. A single misstep could cause the Domain to collapse, unable to evolve into a small world of the Way."