Edward was slowly moving towards the deeper parts of the forest. While walking, he was feeling very refreshed and energetic. After walking for a while, he thought of something and suddenly stopped walking. He sat on that place in a meditative position and focused on checking something.

"It seems my guess was correct. ferocious beast meat is indeed useful for cultivators, especially low-level cultivators like me. When the exam began, my eighth physical essence ring was only 70% complete. Now, it is 94% complete. I am almost about to break through to the 8th level of the Physical Essence realm. It seems that the meat from that ox contained vital energy of that beast, and helped as nutrition to further improve my eighth physical essence ring. Not just that, by fighting that ox, I hunted a ferocious beast for the first time, and it has created an experience for me. Now I have more battle experience. For the first time, I was in a real fight, and it has helped me learn to utilize my strength and properly hone my skills. Now I am finally ready for the fights that I will have to fight in the near future.", Edward came to a realization.

"Well, now that the eighth physical essence ring is almost complete, I should cultivate for a while and break through the eighth level of the Physical Essence realm before I make my next move.", he thought. Then, he closed his eyes, deep in meditation, concentrating physical essence to complete the eighth physical essence ring.

*******

One hour later, Edward suddenly opened his eyes. He was now looking a bit different, quite more powerful than before. He slowly stood up. He patted off the dust from his clothes. Then he started to do some stretching. Then he jumped, side jumped, threw punches to the air, and finally came to a halt.

"It seems with this breakthrough, my strength has taken a leap forward. I was quite strong, to begin with, and with this breakthrough, I don't have to worry while facing any of the participants except the top three. Well, it will be interesting if I face any of the top three in battle. Let's just keep moving and see how things unfold.", with this thought in my mind, he started running towards the deeper parts of the forest.

*******

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*******

Soon, two days passed. Only 18 hours were left for the second round of the exam to finish. By then, Edward had hunted a lot of beasts. Counting the ox he hunted first, there were a total of 53 beasts he hunted. Among them were 21 level-5 beasts, 12 level-six beasts, 15 level-seven beasts, and 5 level-eight beasts. Counting the points, he got 1700 points in total. This point was more than enough to move onto the third round. But he wasn't satisfied with just this. There was still almost one day remaining and in this remaining time, he wanted to hunt a level nine beast. He knew it was easier to get 500 points by hunting 5 level-eight beasts instead of a level nine beast, but he didn't want to do it just for points. He wanted to test the limits of his strength, as well as prepare himself for the future by fighting a stronger foe. This was a kind of training for him, also a proof of his determination, his determination to stand side by side with Snow one day.

"I will face stronger foes, adapt to them, and grow stronger, faster than everyone else. My goals aren't just limited to Green Veil country. They are not just limited to any one place or continent either. I know Snow comes from a strong clan, the place she comes from is on a league of its own, and her fiance, Julian is currently the most talented person in the world of martial arts. But I will rise even above that. I will surpass all, and stand atop the Nine Paragon World, no the whole universe. So, no matter how many hardships I have to face, I will and definitely will overcome them.", he took an oath. He was determined. He didn't know why, but he felt a deep connection with Snow. This connection surpassed the ages, and it was as if it even surpassed the boundaries of life and death as if he was born to yearn for her. The more time he spent with her, the stronger this feeling became.

Not only that, although he knew he was just a mortal with no specialty or bloodline or inherited power, deep inside, he felt as if there was another personality inside him. It was as if that deep inside, he was a paragon in deep slumber, waiting for the right moment to wake up, and conquer the heavens. Sometimes, he was even scared of himself. He was scared to face what he truly might be. But at the same time, he was also excited, waiting to see what he truly might be. This was so contradictory. He didn't even properly understand himself, but he knew that only by walking the path of martial arts can he unravel his true self.

"Is it my destiny?", he thought. "If it really is my destiny, then who wrote my destiny? The heavens? Gods? Or maybe it was the real me who was writing my destiny all along?", he was terrified by the implications of his own thoughts, and yet he was excited.

In reality, what was he? Was he a mortal, foolishly dreaming on journeying on the martial path, or was he a paragon, writing his own destiny, like stories of legends?