Floor 3 was hell. Literally.
The environment was a volcanic wasteland. Rivers of holographic lava bubbled and popped, releasing plumes of sulfurous smoke. The heat was oppressive, cranking the temperature up to 50°C (122°F). For a normal human, this was lethal. For a cultivator, it was merely miserable.
[Floor 3: The Lava Zone]
[Gravity: 2.0x]
[Enemies: Magma Lizards, Fire Bats]
Jiang Chen stepped onto the scorched earth. His pores opened, expelling sweat that evaporated instantly. The heavy guitar case on his back felt twice as heavy under the increased gravity.
"So hot," Jiang Chen muttered, wiping his brow.
He wasn't alone. A few dozen Elite students had made it up here, but most were huddling near the entrance, drinking cooling potions and looking miserable.
"Hey, look at that guy," a student whispered, pointing at Jiang Chen. "Is he carrying a coffin?"
"It's a guitar case, idiot. Maybe he's going to play a requiem for us."
Jiang Chen ignored them and marched forward. He needed to find Wang Lie, but first, he needed points.
A Magma Lizard (Level 6) burst from a lava pool. It was the size of a crocodile, its scales glowing red hot. It hissed, spraying a jet of liquid fire.
Jiang Chen didn't dodge. He swung the case.
BONK.
The lizard was swatted out of the air like a tennis ball. It crashed into a rock, twitching.
"Durable case," Jiang Chen noted, patting the lead lining. "Old Li sold me good stuff."
He continued deeper into the zone. The further he went, the fewer students he saw.
Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted through the sulfur.
Roast meat?
Jiang Chen followed the scent. Behind a large obsidian boulder, he found a strange scene.
A fat student with round glasses sat on a portable cooling mat. He had set up a small, smokeless grill powered by a fire-attribute Spirit Stone. On the grill, several skewers of meat were sizzling.
"A little more cumin..." the fat boy mumbled, sprinkling spice with the precision of a surgeon.
Jiang Chen blinked. This was the City-Wide Exam. People were fighting for their futures. And this guy was having a picnic?
The fat boy looked up, saw Jiang Chen, and froze. He eyed the massive case on Jiang Chen's back.
"Uh... don't kill me," the fat boy said, raising a pair of tongs in surrender. "I have zero points. I'm just here because my dad forced me. He said 'Survive on Floor 3 for an hour or no allowance.' So... I'm hiding."
Jiang Chen stared at the meat. His stomach growled. He had only eaten nutrient paste for days.
"Is that... Fire-Boar meat?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Yeah," the fat boy nodded nervously. "Imported. High energy. Good for cultivation. Want some? 500 Credits a skewer."
Jiang Chen checked his account. He had money from selling the pills.
"Give me two."
"Deal!" The fat boy beamed. "I'm Fatty Wei, by the way. Wei Clan. We own the biggest restaurant chain in District 8."
Jiang Chen sat down, unstrapping his case. He took a bite of the skewer. It was heavenly. The spicy meat melted in his mouth, sending a warm current of Qi into his stomach.
"I'm Jiang Chen."
"Jiang Chen?" Fatty Wei dropped his tongs. "The guy who one-shot Wang Teng? Whoa! I thought you'd be scarier. You look... kinda normal. Except for the coffin-guitar thing."
"It's a sword case."
"Right. Sword case." Fatty Wei looked around nervously. "Hey, you should be careful. I saw Wang Lie pass by here ten minutes ago. He looked pissed. He's gathering a team near the Volcano Mouth."
"A team?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow while chewing.
"Yeah. He recruited three guys from the Saber High School. All Peak 6th Stage. They're setting up an ambush."
Jiang Chen finished the skewer and licked his fingers. "Thanks for the tip."
He stood up, grabbing his case.
"Wait, you're going to them?" Fatty Wei gaped. "It's 4 against 1! And Wang Lie is Qi Gathering Realm!"
Jiang Chen smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a man who just realized his food delivery was waiting for him.
"4 against 1?" Jiang Chen checked the latch on his case. "Sounds like a target-rich environment."
"You're crazy!" Fatty Wei shouted. Then he paused. "Hey, if you beat them... can I loot their pockets? I need a new grill."
"Follow me. Stay ten meters back."
The Volcano Mouth.
This was the central arena of Floor 3. A massive crater filled with bubbling magma. A narrow stone bridge spanned the center.
Wang Lie stood on the bridge, arms crossed. His white uniform was pristine, protected by a thin layer of Qi. Behind him stood three hulking students holding heavy sabers.
"He's coming," Wang Lie said softly.
Jiang Chen walked out of the smoke. He stopped at the edge of the bridge.
"Finally," Wang Lie sneered. "I thought the heat melted you. Or maybe you stopped for a snack?"
"Actually, I did," Jiang Chen admitted, picking a piece of meat from his teeth. "Fatty Wei makes great barbecue."
Wang Lie's eye twitched. The disrespect.
"Kill him," Wang Lie ordered. "Toss his body into the lava. His emergency shield will trigger, and he'll be disqualified."
The three saber students charged. They were skilled. They moved in formation—left, right, and center.
"Saber Formation: Triple Kill!" they roared in unison.
Jiang Chen sighed. "Too noisy."
He didn't draw his sword. He didn't even open the case.
He grabbed the handle of the guitar case with both hands and spun.
Flowing Wind Sword Steps... Hammer Variant.
"SPIN TO WIN!" Jiang Chen shouted (mostly to annoy them).
He turned into a human tornado. The reinforced lead case, swinging at 100mph, met the three sabers.
CLANG-BANG-CRUNCH!
The sound was like a car crash.
Student A's saber shattered. The case hit him in the chest, launching him off the bridge. "I can flyyyyyy!"
Splash. (His shield triggered just before he hit the lava, teleporting him away).
Student B tried to duck. Jiang Chen angled the swing down. BONK. He was driven into the ground like a nail.
Student C froze. He looked at his friends, then at the dented guitar case, then at Jiang Chen.
"I... uh... I surrender?" Student C squeaked.
"Smart," Jiang Chen nodded. He kicked Student C in the butt. "Get lost."
Student C scrambled away.
Now, it was just Jiang Chen and Wang Lie on the narrow bridge.
Wang Lie was clapping. Slow, sarcastic claps.
" impressive," Wang Lie said, drawing his silver sword. "You treat them like toys. But they were just appetizers."
His Qi flared. A visible blue aura surrounded him.
Qi Gathering Realm: Qi Projection.
"My sword," Wang Lie said, running a finger along the blade, "is a Low-Tier Black Grade Artifact. It can cut through steel like butter. Your clumsy box won't stop it."
Jiang Chen finally set the case down.
"You talk too much," Jiang Chen said. He unlatched the case.
Clunk.
The lid fell open. The black, jagged slab of the Cold-Iron Heavy Sword lay there, radiating a chill that pushed back the heat of the lava.
Wang Lie frowned. "That's your weapon? A broken piece of scrap metal?"
Jiang Chen gripped the handle. He lifted it with one hand. His muscles bulged, veins popping against his skin.
"It's not scrap," Jiang Chen said, stepping onto the bridge. "It's a flyswatter."
Wang Lie narrowed his eyes. "Die!"
He dashed forward. He was fast—blindly fast. His sword was a silver streak aiming for Jiang Chen's throat.
Jiang Chen didn't try to match his speed. He remembered the girl in the rain.
Don't cut the wind. Break it.
He planted his feet. He watched the silver streak.
When Wang Lie was three meters away, Jiang Chen swung. Not at Wang Lie, but at the ground in front of him.
HEAVY SMASH.
BOOM!
The 300kg sword slammed into the stone bridge.
The bridge wasn't made of indestructible material. It was just rock.
The impact shattered the bridge instantly.
"What?!" Wang Lie's eyes bulged. The ground beneath his feet disintegrated.
He lost his footing, stumbling forward into the air. His perfectly aimed thrust went wide.
Jiang Chen didn't fall. He had already leaped backward to a stable rock.
While Wang Lie was mid-air, flailing like a panicked bird, Jiang Chen swung the flat side of his heavy sword like a baseball bat.
"Home run!"
WHAM!
The massive black blade connected with Wang Lie's side.
It was a perfect hit. Wang Lie folded in half. His Qi shield shattered instantly under the sheer weight of the blow. He was launched sideways, soaring over the lava pit with majestic velocity.
"Curse yoooouuuu!" Wang Lie screamed as he arced through the smoky sky.
Flash.
His emergency teleport triggered just before he hit the far wall.
[Elite Enemy Defeated: Wang Lie.]
[Points +1000]
[Hidden Quest Complete: Defeat the Hunter.]
Silence returned to the Volcano Mouth.
Fatty Wei peeked out from behind a rock, holding a half-eaten sausage. His jaw was on the floor.
"Holy crap," Fatty Wei whispered. "He batted a Qi Gathering expert out of the park."
Jiang Chen stood on the edge of the broken bridge, resting the heavy sword on his shoulder. He looked at the empty sky where Wang Lie had vanished.
"Batter up," Jiang Chen grinned. "Who's next?"