First Echelon!

It's not just Bai Mujie.

The countless examinees around, who had been stunned by what they had just witnessed, also began to react.

They watched Lin Qiye's figure, which was like a bulldozer, unstoppable in clearing the way forward, their eyes filled with awe and a hint of fanaticism.

"Keep up with him!"

"Follow that person in front!"

Someone immediately made the wisest choice.

In an instant, countless candidates spontaneously followed the "bloody path" opened up by Lin Qiye, forming a new and even more unstoppable torrent that surged wildly toward the sluice gate!

Lin Qiye swept through the enemy lines with unparalleled dominance.

Any examinee who dared to stand in his way was smashed aside by him with the most direct and purest force.

Gradually, he broke out of the most crowded and chaotic middle section.

The closer you get to the front, the more spacious you become.

Those truly capable candidates had already distanced themselves from ordinary people, and were now moving at an astonishing speed, closely following the examiners' steps as they swiftly traversed the wide underground passage.

They maintained a safe distance from each other, a sign of both vigilance and tacit understanding.

While everyone was moving forward at full speed, they were also keeping a watchful eye on their competitors out of the corner of their eyes.

The situation was the same for Lin Qiye.

As the examiner ahead sped up, Lin Qiye had no choice but to accelerate if he wanted to keep up.

The other candidates who were originally following behind him gradually fell behind Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye greeted Bai Mujie behind him, and Bai Mujie watched as Lin Qiye slowly walked away.

There was nothing he could do.

If you lack the strength, you can only follow from afar and pray that you don't go astray on the side roads ahead.

At the very front, Lin Qiye's appearance was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, immediately attracting the attention of the first group of examinees.

These people are all the chosen ones from various cities.

Those closest to Lin Qiye were naturally the few students from the same city's top high school's gifted class.

"Um?"

The cold-faced young man named Lei Qianjun glanced at Lin Qiye with lightning-fast eyes, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.

"A new face, interesting."

Su Qingying, who was standing next to him, also noticed Lin Qiye, and a hint of curiosity flashed in her sharp phoenix eyes.

"Judging from his move just now, he was very strong, but his style was very unorthodox. It doesn't seem like he has been taught by a famous master," she commented softly.

"Whoever he is, just don't block our way." Yan Feilong snorted coldly, and his pace quickened even further.

These privileged individuals, though noticing Lin Qiye as a "dark horse," did not truly take him seriously.

In their view, perhaps this was just a lucky break or some kind of extraordinary encounter—a "wild" path.

No matter how strong one is, without systematic training in techniques and combat skills, one will never truly stand out.

Lin Qiye was also observing them.

He could clearly sense that the powerful aura emanating from those individuals in the genius class was in no way inferior to his own.

In some aspects, such as the refinement and control of his aura, he is even more refined than this "quick-learned" martial artist.

"These guys... are not to be trifled with." Lin Qiye thought to himself, on high alert.

He is well aware of his current strengths and weaknesses.

The advantage lies in possessing genuine martial arts-level strength and physical attributes.

The disadvantage is a complete lack of combat skills.

He possesses immense power, but he doesn't know how to use it most effectively.

There were no boxing techniques, no footwork, and no body movements.

If he were to truly confront these geniuses who have received top-tier education since childhood and have mastered various advanced techniques to perfection, he would likely find it difficult to gain the upper hand at the same level.

"This is just the first hurdle; there's no need to fight them for it..."

Therefore, Lin Qiye deliberately controlled his speed, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the students in the genius class, as well as a few other strong individuals he had secretly observed.

He neither lagged behind nor rashly rushed to the front to steal the spotlight.

His goal is to pass the exam smoothly and get good grades.

Instead of going head-to-head with these top-tier prodigies from the very beginning.

……

At this point, Bai Mujie could no longer see the first group or the examiners.

He was already panting heavily and his face was pale.

Although he was competitive, he was also aware of his own limitations.

Being able to keep up with Lin Qiye and reach the front of the second tier was already his limit.

Bai Mujie gritted his teeth, took out the most basic "energy drink" from his pocket, and gulped it down in one go.

A surge of heat entered his abdomen, restoring some of his depleted strength.

He roared and took another step, following closely behind.

Meanwhile, examiners Li Sen and Deng Hong led the first group of examiners into a side road.

The entire underground city resembles a giant anthill maze, with countless crisscrossing passages leading to the unknown depths of darkness.

……

An hour later, Lin Qiye was still steadily following at the back of the first group.

The wide underground passage seemed endless, with cold alloy walls on both sides. Every so often, a dim industrial light cast long and short shadows on everyone.

Lin Qiye was filled with astonishment. Just how big was this underground city?

At their current speed, they could cover hundreds of kilometers in an hour, but ahead lay only deep, endless darkness.

He couldn't help but turn his gaze to the imposing figure at the very front.

The examiner, Li Sen, a giant like a moving hill, still carried the leisurely red-haired female examiner, Deng Hong, on his shoulder.

An hour-long high-speed run felt like just an after-dinner stroll to him; his breathing remained steady and long, his steps were firm and powerful, and he showed no signs of fatigue.

"Just how strong is this guy?" Lin Qiye thought to himself, speechless.

Just then, changes finally began to occur within the first tier!

Running at full speed for a long time takes a huge toll on physical strength and endurance.

Some of the weaker candidates began to breathe heavily, and their breathing slowed down noticeably.

Some people started secretly taking out the medicine and drinking it as they ran.

The more insidious ones, however, set their sights on the people around them!

Suddenly, a candidate not far in front of Lin Qiye slowed down abruptly.

Instead of drinking the potion, he suddenly twisted his body, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, and unleashed a powerful punch that had been gathering strength for a long time, accompanied by the sound of wind breaking, without warning, towards Lin Qiye who was following closely behind!

He was very shrewd in his calculations.

I'm already falling behind, so before I slow down completely, I'll drag the people behind me down with me!

As long as the speed of those behind him is affected, he can buy himself precious time to catch his breath and drink his medicine.

However, he chose the wrong target!

Faced with this sudden attack, Lin Qiye's eyes instantly turned cold!

During that hour, he wasn't just running mechanically; he was constantly thinking and observing!

He had already taken in the state of everyone around him and had anticipated this situation.

Running at high speed, whether you take the attack head-on or stop to counterattack, it will disrupt your rhythm and is not the optimal solution!

The only option is to dodge! And to overtake!

Just as his opponent turned around, Lin Qiye anticipated this and shifted his body to the right, narrowly avoiding the punch!

At the same time, he suddenly exerted force with his feet!

"Whoosh!"

His speed increased rather than decreased, and he became a blur, instantly passing by the attacker and overtaking him!

The examinee missed his punch, staggered due to the excessive force, and his speed decreased sharply again. He watched helplessly as Lin Qiye's figure got further and further away from him, roaring in anger, but he was helpless.

Lin Qiye's actions were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, immediately triggering a chain reaction.

The candidates in the latter half of the first group, seeing that they were running out of energy, followed suit.

In a short time, all sorts of sneak attacks and ambushes emerged one after another.

The wind of punches, the shadows of kicks, and even someone secretly throwing out tiny hidden weapons!

However, Lin Qiye's perception was incredibly sharp at this moment!

After becoming a martial artist, his mental energy became highly concentrated, and every move within a radius of tens of meters was clearly reflected in his mind.

Over the next few minutes, he moved with the ease of a butterfly flitting among the various attacks.

veering left, dodging right, ducking, accelerating...

He always manages to evade all attacks with minimal movement and maximum speed.

He's like a slippery eel, making everyone who tries to drag him down fail.

"These guys are probably just quasi-martial artists, with a genetic potential of around 8% or 9%." Lin Qiye thought to himself. "Although they are not weak, in terms of endurance, they are still a bit lacking compared to me, a true martial artist."

He even has the energy to accelerate now!

After dodging three or four waves of attacks, Lin Qiye no longer held back.

He took a deep breath, his martial arts power surged, and his legs burst forth with tremendous force!

His speed increased again, completely leaving behind those with ulterior motives and catching up with the core team of the first tier, steadily following behind the genius class.

Lin Qiye's sudden burst of power naturally caught the attention of the geniuses in front.

Su Qingying, with her neat short purple hair, glanced back discreetly between runs.

When she saw Lin Qiye, who was following closely behind her and whose breathing was still steady, a genuine look of surprise appeared in her sharp phoenix eyes for the first time.

"It was him..."