Chapter 53: Since You Came, Why Not Score Full Marks Before Leaving

【Ding! Successfully slain 1st-tier Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard ×1, your Immortal Exam score has increased!】

As the system prompt sounded, the last Patterned Arm Brother outside the cave let out an unwilling roar before collapsing heavily to the ground, dissolving into spiritual energy that drifted into the air.

Only after confirming not a single beast remained at the cave entrance did a shadow silently creep in from the darkness beyond.

“Perfect, my true qi is still mostly intact!”

Lin Mo said with a satisfied expression.

Just in the first wave of clearing, he’d slain over thirty beasts—five more than during his first passage through the dungeon.

If he settled now, his score would definitely be higher than before, but Lin Mo wasn’t easily satisfied.

"Since you're here, why not score a perfect mark before you leave?"

With his kill efficiency skyrocketing, Lin Mo’s confidence surged along with it.

But the number of Patterned Arm Brothers at the entrance was limited; to keep grinding scores, he’d have to go deeper inside.

He smirked, letting out a soft chuckle:

“Pathetic Patterned Arm brats, dare to block me?”

No sooner had he spoken than, with utmost honesty, he softened his steps and crept cautiously inward.

Moments later, thunder crackled, accompanied by a chorus of beast roars echoing from within the cave.

【Ding! Successfully slain 1st-tier Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard ×1, your Immortal Exam score has increased!】

【Ding! Successfully slain 1st-tier Patterned Steel-Toothed…】

【…】

Continuous kill prompts poured into Lin Mo’s ears.

His expression focused, one hand forming a Dao seal, he continuously unleashed the Heavenly Thunder Spell.

“Roar!”

One Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard finally spotted Lin Mo hiding in the shadows like a coward and let out a roar as it charged toward him.

“Heavenly Thunder, rumbling… take this!”

The second bolt shot out instantly, striking the leopard’s forehead dead center.

“Crack!”

The leopard’s skull shattered on impact, its head drooping like rotten meat, its body stumbling sideways two steps before collapsing with a thud.

【Ding! Successfully slain 1st-tier Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard ×1, your Immortal Exam score has increased!】

The system prompt came, but Lin Mo didn’t even glance at it—his expression grew steadily serious.

More Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopards had detected his position and were roaring as they charged toward him.

“Guess I can’t avoid it after all…”

He muttered inwardly, the last trace of frivolity vanishing from his eyes:

“Then let’s go all out!”

With one hand forming the Dao seal and the other gripping his Dao sword, he moved nimbly, weaving through the fray.

"Step of the God of Literature, Nine Turns of the Flying Stars, Northern Dipper's Drifting Dragon..."

With the 【God of Literature Stance】 skill fully mastered, his footwork was incredibly agile—even these ferocious Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopards struggled to get within meters of him.

Even if one or two sneaked up, he’d casually slash them aside with two swift cuts.

Most of these Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopards had just crossed into Qi Refining late stage; now at Qi Refining 8, his strength far surpassed theirs.

He could even use his nimble body movement to wear down some of them.

“Good—if I avoid being surrounded and manage my true qi well, I can still fight.”

The more he fought, the more confident Lin Mo became; his hand seals and Dao sword movements quickened, and he let out a loud laugh:

“Come on, Patterned Arm brats!”

As he raised his Dao sword to strike, one Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard instinctively tried to dodge—only to see a bolt of lightning shoot instantly from his fingertip.

“Crack!”

The lightning struck the leopard full-on, sending a numbing sensation through its entire body; before collapsing, it heard Lin Mo mutter:

“Fierce, sure—but seems kinda dumb…”

The leopard let out two weak whimpers, dying in bitter resentment.

After it, more of its kin rushed forward—only to meet a barrage of shimmering blue lightning…

One day later—

【Congratulations, examinee! You have successfully cleared the dungeon Yunyin Valley. Dungeon score: Jia (Mid), earned points: 480.】

Lin Mo stared silently at the system prompt on his panel, then suddenly exploded:

“Damn! Just a few more beasts!”

He clenched his fist in frustration—inside the entire cave, only a handful of three or four Steel-Toothed Leopards remained, each bearing deep gashes he’d carved into them.

Had his true qi not been completely drained, two more Thunder Spells would’ve finished them off.

“Even without Heavenly Thunder Spell—if my sword had been just a fraction faster… sigh!”

He sighed helplessly.

In the end, this was his first time fighting to the death—he lacked experience, and by the end he’d nearly collapsed, losing his rhythm.

Once his rhythm broke, the remaining Patterned Arm Brothers barely escaped with their lives.

But after this round of slaughter, the rules of the Immortal Exam dungeon were now clear.

The higher the score, the harder it becomes to earn.

In his first round, killing 28 Patterned Arm Brothers earned him 217 points.

This round, he’d slain over a hundred—but still hadn’t reached the maximum.

Clearly, only by slaughtering every single Patterned Steel-Toothed Leopard within the time limit could he achieve a Jia-Upper rating and the full score.

Lin Mo stared at the 480-point score on his panel, lost in thought.

It was nearly perfect, but missing twenty points felt like a thorn in his side.

“How many points did Chu Wange get…”

For some reason, he suddenly recalled the figure in crimson robes—the answer came instantly:

“Of course it’s full score. No question.”

Qi Refining peak, plus so many perfected sword techniques—she could probably clear the dungeon over and over again by herself with just one sword.

Maybe even multiple times, just to check for hidden stages… Lin Mo muttered inwardly.

“No. Full score is mandatory.”

He took a deep breath, made his decision, and immediately sat cross-legged to meditate—yet still subtly curled and straightened his index finger:

【Merit +1】

“If my Basic Sword Art proficiency improves further, it’ll be even more reliable.”

As he meditated, he calculated inwardly, then casually invested the merit points he’d quietly accumulated during combat into the technique:

【Ding! You invested 600 Merit points into Basic Sword Art. Technique experience +120】

【Ding! Basic Sword Art proficiency upgraded to Minor Mastery.】

Indeed, developing muscle memory was a good thing.

Even during battle, his index finger would occasionally twitch, completing the finger lock.

“But the finger used to cast Heavenly Thunder Spell is a bit repetitive—could I use a different finger for the Dao seal?”

He muttered to himself.

…

Early the next morning, Lin Mo woke up from his backpack.

He stood, stretched, and after fully restoring his true qi and resting for several hours, he now felt utterly energized, his condition at peak.

Lin Mo stretched his body, lifted his Dao sword again, and invested his accumulated merit points into the panel once more:

【Ding! You invested 1000 Merit points into Basic Sword Art. Technique experience +200】

【Ding! Basic Sword Art proficiency upgraded to Major Mastery.】

Each simple thrust, slash, point, and flick—clearly illuminated in Lin Mo’s mind—his Dao sword danced lightly in response.

He closed his eyes, mentally replaying yesterday’s battle: if that slash had been faster, that strike more precise, that final thrust cleaner…

Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes, a smirk forming:

“Got it!”

Lin Mo’s condition was now near his personal peak—he even felt he could defeat two “protagonists” with one hand!

He loosened his limbs, then selected 【Try Again】 on the panel once more.

As he confirmed, the air barrier vanished again, and familiar beast roars filled his ears.

He swung his Dao sword in a dazzling flourish, formed the Dao seal in his hand, and strode straight into the cave:

“Patterned Arm brats, fight me three hundred rounds again, ha!”