It looked as though he were staring at some priceless treasure.
Li Ziyu nodded.
Unaffected by the discussions below, he fixed his gaze on the Test Target before him.
He calmed his breathing and focused his mind, drawing in a deep breath.
Then he drove off with his feet and suddenly lunged forward.
He twisted his waist and threw a punch. A tremendous force surged from the soles of his feet to his waist, then traveled from his waist into his right fist.
With a bang, his fist slammed into the target before him, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.
The Martial Arts Association staff member hurriedly looked toward the number on the target.
"620. So his qi and blood and Combat Power increased by roughly ten percent?"
The middle-aged Martial Arts Association staff member turned to glance at Li Ziyu. Seeing his expressionless face, as though he had expected this all along, the staff member nodded thoughtfully.
"Looks like you're a qi-and-blood-talented awakened one. Your qi and blood value is quite high because you've just awakened, but you haven't had time to hone your martial skills yet."
"But this is still impressive. With qi and blood at 5.99, even with low-level martial skills, you'd be stronger in actual combat than ordinary martial artists."
The Martial Arts Association staff member praised him aloud, but inwardly, he felt a faint sense of regret.
If this young man's martial skills could keep pace as well—
Then Xujiang City would definitely have produced a genius!
What a pity that he merely had high qi and blood.
Alas...
I really was getting carried away. Having high qi and blood is already outstanding, all right? And I actually expected his martial skills to be just as high. How could that be possible...
The Martial Arts Association staff member could not help shaking his head.
"As expected, he's a qi-and-blood-talented Martial Artist. He must have just awakened. He has qi and blood to spare, but his martial skills haven't caught up yet."
"What a pity. I thought I'd get to witness the birth of a super-genius. Alas, looks like I was overthinking it."
"But he's so young, and his qi and blood value is so high. He's already extremely impressive. He can train his martial skills slowly."
"Martial skills aren't that easy to train."
The spectators below could not help sighing softly and whispering among themselves.
Many of them revealed looks of regret.
The brawny man and Xia Lin remained calm, as though they had expected this, and their minds were somewhat put at ease.
If Li Ziyu had high qi and blood and powerful martial skills as well, that would truly be heaven-defying.
A purely qi-and-blood-talented awakened one was rare too, but this made them feel a little more balanced.
"Looks like Li Ziyu just got lucky and awakened a qi-and-blood talent."
"Tch. He's merely lucky, with slightly higher qi and blood. He's not a true genius. He's nothing special."
In a corner below the stage,
Xu Mengyao spoke sourly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
For her, this could be considered a good outcome.
If Li Ziyu really were the kind of monster who excelled in every aspect, she would have been sick with misery.
"Brother Bai, you..."
Xu Mengyao turned around, just preparing to say a few words disparaging Li Ziyu and, incidentally, bolster Bai Haoran's confidence.
Then she heard a thunderous boom beside her ear.
Bai Haoran, standing before her, suddenly leaned forward as though he had seen something unbelievable.
His mouth hung open, and his eyes stared fixedly in the direction of Li Ziyu on the stage.
Xu Mengyao turned her head in confusion and followed Bai Haoran's gaze toward the center of the stage.
Then her eyes instantly widened!
Her red lips opened directly into an O, as though they could swallow an egg. Her face was filled with shock and disbelief.
On the stage,
Li Ziyu was calmly performing the finishing motion of sheathing his blade.
Before him, the humanoid Test Target, which could withstand a Level 2 Martial Artist's full-force attack, seemed to have been blasted by some terrifying force.
Its upper body was bent and twisted, drooping backward at a ninety-degree angle.
On the already shattered display screen of the humanoid target, a glaring crimson number was shown.
999!
Staring at that number, Xu Mengyao felt as though someone had smashed an iron rod into her brain. A wave of dizziness surged through her mind.
That attack just now had been made by Li Ziyu??
999!
This value had already surpassed the Combat Power of a Level 1 Advanced Martial Artist, hadn't it?
Xu Mengyao was not the only one stunned.
Beside Li Ziyu, the Martial Arts Association staff member who had been assisting with the test was even more horrified, his mind utterly blank.
Just now, he had asked Li Ziyu whether he wanted to test again. Then he had seen Li Ziyu draw the man-high War Blade from his back. Before he could react, Li Ziyu had already slashed the target beside him.
He had moved so quickly that even the staff member could barely see him.
Then the humanoid target, which could withstand a Level 2 Martial Artist's strike, had ended up in this ghastly state.
The Martial Arts Association staff member swallowed, then stiffly turned his head and said in shock,
"Y-young man, what you used just now... was that a battle art?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it should have been Gale Slash, right? Your blade technique has already reached the intermediate level?"
As someone who worked at the Martial Arts Association, he had some understanding of battle arts.
The speed and method of Li Ziyu's move just now had undoubtedly been those of the Level 1 battle art Gale Slash!
To cultivate Gale Slash, one first had to master intermediate blade technique.
In other words, Li Ziyu's blade technique had already reached the intermediate level!
At such a young age, he had mastered intermediate blade technique, and he had even mastered a blade-technique battle art like Gale Slash.
With the realm of a Level 1 Intermediate Martial Artist, he had unleashed Combat Power surpassing a Level 1 Advanced Martial Artist and rivaling a Peak Level 1 Martial Artist!
A genius!
The young man before him named Li Ziyu was absolutely a genius!
"Uncle, does this count as passing the Level 1 Martial Artist examination?"
Li Ziyu slung the long blade back behind him and looked at the Martial Arts Association staff member standing before him, whose face was filled with inexplicable thoughts. He waved his hand and asked.
Only after being called twice did the Martial Arts Association staff member come back to his senses. He hurriedly said,
"It counts! The strength you just demonstrated is completely comparable to that of a Peak Level 1 Martial Artist. You applied for Level 1 Beginner Martial Artist certification, right?"
"I'll apply to issue you a Level 1 Advanced... No, I'll apply for a Peak Level 1 Martial Artist Medal for you!"
"Uh, is that allowed? After all, I applied for Level 1 Beginner Martial Artist certification," Li Ziyu said.
"Why wouldn't it be allowed? It's completely within the rules!"
"Besides, the rules are meant for ordinary people. Geniuses like you all enjoy special privileges!"
"Right, normally, after successfully obtaining Martial Artist Certification, the Martial Arts Association issues a Level 1 Body-Tempering Battle Art. But for a young genius like you, issuing a Level 1 Body-Tempering Battle Art would be a little inappropriate."
"I'll also apply to the president on your behalf and have them issue you a Level 2 Body-Tempering Battle Art directly!"
The Martial Arts Association staff member spoke rapidly.
"Wait here. I'll go get it for you right now!"
Li Ziyu's eyes lit up. There was actually such a good thing?
If purchased outside, a Level 1 Body-Tempering Battle Art would cost at least a million.
As for a Level 2 Body-Tempering Battle Art, the price would at the very least double or even triple.
"I didn't expect to gain an unexpected reward from coming here this time."
Li Ziyu thanked the Martial Arts Association staff member. The staff member also said a word to Li Ziyu, then turned and jogged toward the floor where the president was.
While he waited after finishing the test, Li Ziyu stepped down from the testing platform and walked toward the seats, preparing to find somewhere to rest.
Just after he stepped down,
when he passed in front of the brawny man named Wang Donglang, Wang Donglang suddenly sprang up from his seat.
Li Ziyu was startled and thought Wang Donglang was about to attack him, so he hurriedly gripped the hilt of his blade.
But Wang Donglang merely looked at Li Ziyu with an excited expression, extended his large right hand, and gazed at him expectantly.
So he wanted to shake hands.
Li Ziyu smiled.
He had seen clearly just now that Wang Donglang ignored everyone else who greeted him. He had thought Wang Donglang was just aloof by nature.
Who would have thought that he would now take the initiative to shake hands and show goodwill?
Li Ziyu smiled and extended his right hand, shaking Wang Donglang's once.
Wang Donglang looked excited, as though he had received an immense honor.
After obtaining Li Ziyu's agreement, he even took out his phone and snapped a photo of the two of them shaking hands.
The other test participants present stirred at the sight and also surged forward, scrambling to shake hands and take photos with Li Ziyu.
Given Li Ziyu's performance just now, his future achievements were absolutely limitless!
At the very least, he would become the president of one Martial Arts Association or another. Now that they had a chance to interact with such a future great figure, it was certainly an immense opportunity and honor!
Seeing the eager crowd, Li Ziyu was startled and hurriedly strode out of the testing room.
"Li..."
Seeing how popular Li Ziyu was, and how even a Level 1 Intermediate Martial Artist she could only look up to was humbly taking the initiative to shake his hand, Xu Mengyao's expression turned somewhat bitter.
When Li Ziyu passed in front of her, she instinctively called out to him, wanting to say something.
However, Li Ziyu did not pay her the slightest attention. He did not even cast her a sidelong glance, passing in front of Xu Mengyao expressionlessly like a stranger.
Xu Mengyao was left speechless for a long time.
"Whew, I'm finally out. I was almost trapped in there."
"Being a celebrity doesn't feel good either."
Looking at the people behind him, who kept sighing regretfully that they had not thought to befriend him sooner, Li Ziyu wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
The Martial Arts Association building had a designated rest area downstairs.
After leaving the building, Li Ziyu took the elevator to the rest area on the thirteenth floor of the Martial Arts Association.
Before you continue