Martial Arts Academy Assessment

The whole day's plan began in the morning.

Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, Li Changqing had already left the hotel and arrived at a greenway in the city.

With the development of Psionic Energy and martial cultivation, greenways and parks furnished with fitness equipment had spread throughout nearly every corner of the city.

Purple qi came from the east.

Watching the rising sun, Li Changqing closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.

Those who ate meat were brave and fierce; those who ate grain were wise and clever; those who ate qi were divine and long-lived; those who ate nothing were deathless and godlike.

At sunrise, Psionic Energy between heaven and earth was at its calmest and purest.

High-Rank Martial Artists usually chose this time to breathe in and out, drawing Psionic Energy into themselves.

Although Li Changqing could not sense the existence of Psionic Energy at all, exercising at sunrise still produced far better results.

Chengtian Martial Arts School stood at the end of this greenway, roughly five kilometers away. By the time he ran there, he would be just in time for the assessment he had booked today.

After setting the pace on his wristwatch, Li Changqing started running.

His chest rose and fell rhythmically, maintaining a fixed breathing cadence.

He did not open his mouth, doing his best to breathe through his nose so that the cold air could pass through airways lined with mucus and nasal hairs. That filtered particles from the air while giving the outside air room to warm up, preventing irritation to his lungs.

That was why many running enthusiasts often tasted blood in their throats during long-distance runs.

The greenway was paved with a professional running track. As he ran, Li Changqing saw quite a few people entering the greenway, including office workers carrying bags.

On Blue Star today, even ordinary people without the talent to become Martial Artists were deeply devoted to physical training.

Psionic Energy affected everything.

Soon, he passed the two-kilometer mark.

Li Changqing's breathing remained steady. He took long strides, ensuring with precision each time that his entire sole landed on the ground, allowing the impact to spread smoothly through his body.

Back then, to correct his bad habit of landing on his heels, he had specifically bought running shoes with thin heels to physically help himself adjust.

Huff—inhale—

After passing two kilometers, Li Changqing held his head high and his chest out. The Vitality within him flowed long and steady, while the still-powerful muscles in his thighs told him that the increase in physique and Vitality from last night had not been an illusion.

Otherwise, at this pace, his breathing should already have become ragged, his legs weak, and his whole body light and floaty.

It really worked!

The body never lied. If you could do it, you could do it. If you could not, you could not.

Even a genius born with Vitality Condensation as dense as mercury could not significantly improve their physique just by running a few kilometers.

Another two kilometers passed.

The greenway became straight, and an enormous building appeared at the end of the road.

Less than a kilometer remained.

His long, steady Vitality was beginning to falter. The built-up lactic acid reminded Li Changqing through his nerves that he was nearing his limit.

Yet instead of slowing down, he began accelerating.

Accelerate!

Once again, Li Changqing felt his limit approaching.

His thighs ached as though filled with lead, yet his body seemed ready to take flight, every step taking forever to land.

His powerful will squeezed his physique dry, while the faint Vitality within him let out a roar.

Sprint!

Li Changqing crossed the greenway. The risen sun cast gentle rays over him, warm and soothing.

At the same time, a warm current flowed through Li Changqing's body, which had broken past its limit.

Physique +1

Vitality Concentration: 32%

In an instant, the lactic acid was cleared away. His failing Vitality filled once more, crying out within Li Changqing's body.

Thump, thump, thump—

His heart pounded with the force and weight of drumbeats.

He stretched his limbs, and faint but noticeable lines of muscle appeared on his raised arms.

His physical talent was mediocre. Muscles he had barely managed to develop over four years of university had formed faint outlines in merely two days.

Amazing!

His fatigue was swept away, and abundant strength flooded into Li Changqing once more.

It made him want to turn around and run another five kilometers.

Looking at the broad gates of the martial arts school before him, Li Changqing took a deep breath, then strode forward with his head held high and chest out.

His eyes shone brightly, all traces of despondency swept away.

His Vitality had actually risen another 2%. At this rate, it would not be long before his talent charged into the Vitality Condensation stage, completely casting off mediocrity.

Chengtian Martial Arts School.

This was one of only two martial arts schools in Rong City that had produced Psionic Users. Other than the government's Psionic Academy, this was the best place for martial cultivation.

"Hello, I'm Li Changqing. I booked a Martial Arts Academy assessment last week."

"Li Changqing?" The receptionist entered Li Changqing's name, and a form immediately popped up.

"Qingzhou Psionic University?" The receptionist instantly thought of Jiang He, who had also arrived in Rong City last night.

But the next second, when he saw Li Changqing's D-Class evaluation, he immediately lost interest.

"Here's your number tag. Just give it to the coach in the training hall."

Li Changqing accepted the number tag and turned to enter the training hall.

From beginning to end, he did not ask a single question about the phone call from last night.

Martial arts school assessments were not held collectively. When Li Changqing entered the training hall, he saw two coaches warming up and chatting off to one side.

"Hello, I'm Li Changqing, here for the Martial Arts Academy assessment."

One of the coaches hurried over, took the number tag, and scanned it with a machine.

"Li Changqing, D-Class?" The coach raised his brows.

D-Class was considered the lowest university rating, only slightly better than ordinary people.

"Student, are you sure you're ready?" He glanced at the obvious sweat stains on Li Changqing's clothes.

"You just finished exercising, didn't you?"

"It's fine. I've already rested enough," Li Changqing said calmly.

"Alright, as long as you're sure." The coach nodded and extended his right hand toward Li Changqing.

"My name is Kang Tianchen. Just call me Coach Kang. No matter what, I still hope you pass the assessment smoothly."

The assessment requirements for Martial Artist Apprentices were simple, with only three physical tests.

First came squats, then push-ups, and finally a three-kilometer weighted run.

They only needed to be completed within the allotted time.

When selecting apprentices, martial arts schools valued Vitality Concentration. Strength could rise rapidly after entering martial cultivation and coming into contact with Psionic Energy, while physical tests best reflected one's physical talent and willpower.

"Ready?"

Seeing Li Changqing nod in confirmation, Kang Tianchen pressed the electronic timer.

"Begin!"

The moment he spoke.

Li Changqing immediately began doing squats beneath the laser scanner.

Every movement had to precisely follow the lasers' instructions. Cutting corners did not count.

Squats tested the lower body, push-ups tested the upper body, and the three-kilometer weighted run was the most balanced test of Vitality Concentration.

It was not enough to finish. He had to do it both quickly and well.

Li Changqing cast aside every distracting thought and focused all his attention on the movements.

Up, down, up, down.

Again and again.

Outside the testing area.

Kang Tianchen looked at Li Changqing's build, which was a size smaller than his own.

"Do you think he can pass?"

Zhang Yang shook his head slightly, his brows faintly furrowed.

"I doubt it. His rating is only D-Class, so his Vitality Concentration must be thin. Look at his build too—he doesn't have much muscle mass, so his physical talent definitely isn't great. And did you notice his movements?"

"This kid has no idea how to conserve energy. It feels like he isn't taking a test at all—he's aiming to break through his limits."

Kang Tianchen considered it for a moment and picked up the intercom in his hand.

"Try to maintain an even pace during the test. You need to calculate how much stamina you have left. Don't just keep your head down and charge forward. Your university martial arts teacher should have taught you this, right?"

His voice echoed through the training room, but after several seconds.

Kang Tianchen and Zhang Yang discovered that Li Changqing showed no sign of slowing down.

"Another stubborn bull." Kang Tianchen shook his head.

"That's fine too. There's more than one road in life. This kid graduated from Qingzhou Psionic University, so he's from a prestigious university. If he can't become a Martial Artist, he can still do something else."

Zhang Yang idly played with the keys in his hand.

"Hey, how about we make a bet?"

"Bet on what?" Kang Tianchen lifted his eyelids.

"Let's bet on when this kid runs out of strength."

As they spoke, Li Changqing had already finished the squats and begun the push-up portion.

Kang Tianchen withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and held up three fingers. "I'm betting on the third lap."

Zhang Yang held up two fingers instead. "Heh, I'm betting on two laps."

They never even considered whether Li Changqing could finish the test. In their eyes, his way of squeezing out his strength was far too amateurish.

Huff, huff—

Inside the training room, Li Changqing clenched his teeth.

The combination of squats and push-ups was even more exhausting than he had imagined.

"195, 196, 197..."

Sweat poured down like rain. His arms had begun to tremble. Anaerobic exercise made his muscles give out far more severely than long-distance running.

"199, 200!"

At last, he completed the final push-up.

The feeling of weakness nearly made him collapse to the floor. Li Changqing swiftly dropped to one knee and used the strength of his legs to push himself back up.

Now, only the hardest part remained—the 3,000 meters.

He glanced at his wristwatch. There was still time.

Opening the door, Li Changqing quickly put on the weighted vest and strode onto the track.

"Looks like I won." Zhang Yang grinned at Kang Tianchen.

"This little guy is nearly out of strength."

The latter nodded. Of course he could see it too. Li Changqing's Vitality was weak and floating, and he could collapse at any moment.

"But the kid's willpower is pretty good."

"What use is willpower? His physique is too poor. With that Vitality Concentration, he can't meet the threshold for a Martial Artist Apprentice at all."

On the track.

Li Changqing had no choice but to open his mouth and breathe through it. Before he had even run one lap, a fishy-sweet taste of blood welled up in his throat.

He swung his arms hard, driving his legs that had gone numb from the squats.

First lap.

He had used up a great deal of time. The time he had saved during the first two stages was not only completely spent, but he had even fallen behind.

He crossed the starting point, catching sight of Kang Tianchen and Zhang Yang from the corner of his eye.

"You stubborn little bull, refusing to listen to advice. Coach Kang already told you to conserve your energy. Now look at you—you can't run anymore, can you?"

Zhang Yang shook his head. Li Changqing's chances had already been slim, and after this, he had completely lost any possibility of passing.

This time, the depletion of his Vitality was more severe than ever.

Li Changqing's vision had begun to blur. He staggered and nearly fell onto the track.

Seeing that it was about time, Kang Tianchen stepped forward, preparing to end the test.

His stamina was exhausted, his Vitality thin, yet Li Changqing's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

His body was like a spring now.

The tighter it was compressed, the faster it rebounded.

Now!

Suddenly, he raised his head and charged forward.

The movement startled Kang Tianchen. He was just about to grab Li Changqing.

But Li Changqing's right foot suddenly landed firmly on the ground. Then, as if he had been pumped full of chicken blood, he ran the three-kilometer weighted course with the momentum of a hundred-meter sprint.

Kang Tianchen: ???

Zhang Yang: !!!