Unawakened Higher Spirituality

"Am I seeing this right? Li Yuan's physical fitness is Level 6.5? He improved by 0.5 levels since the June finals?"

"He improved by 0.5 levels in less than three months?"

"Even Lin Lanyue, currently ranked first in the grade for martial arts and rumored to have a shot at Starry Sky University, wasn't this fast, was she?"

"Is the instrument broken?"

"We only ever see the school use it, never repair it. It'd be normal if it broke." More than a hundred students were shocked, their gazes shifting between Li Yuan and the screen.

Most of them understood perfectly well that the odds of the instrument malfunctioning were practically zero.

The key was that Li Yuan's rate of improvement in physical fitness was truly frightening.

Even in the Elite Class, students who had awakened Martial Arts Spirituality and came from wealthy families could hardly improve their physical fitness at such an absurd rate.

"I've worked so hard lately, spending the entire break soaking in the training room and taking all kinds of supplements every day. My physical fitness has only just reached Level 6.0. I thought I could narrow the gap with Li Yuan." Wan Xiao, built like a great bear, could not help thinking, And yet the gap has only grown bigger?

The two had a good relationship. Wan Xiao had always regarded Li Yuan as his goal, hoping to catch up to him.

"Level 6.5! Brother Yuan, 666!" Zhou Qi could not help shouting. He instinctively felt happy for Li Yuan.

Ten meters away.

"Level 6.5? How could Li Yuan's improvement rate be this fast?" Teacher Xu Bo was somewhat unable to remain calm as well.

Li Yuan had not awakened Martial Arts Spirituality during today's test, and Xu Bo had felt somewhat disappointed.

Wan Xiao awakening Martial Arts Spirituality, on the other hand, had been an unexpected delight.

Now, Li Yuan's physical fitness level was another surprise.

"If he had awakened Martial Arts Spirituality and cultivated an Advanced Cultivation Method, improving by 0.5 levels in less than three months would not be too rare... But he was tested at noon, and he clearly hadn't awakened Martial Arts Spirituality." Countless thoughts raced through Teacher Xu Bo's mind. "Besides, he had no time to train."

As an Entry-Level Martialist who had once crawled and fought through the military, Xu Bo's breadth of experience was beyond anything students could hope to match.

In just a few seconds, he had thought of several possibilities.

"Li Yuan." Teacher Xu Bo's voice was deep. "Don't rush to test your technical level. Get on the track first and test your explosive speed, then take another Punch Force Test."

"Yes." Li Yuan nodded. He understood Teacher Xu's intentions.

The Life Blood Detection Instrument had an extremely low probability of error, but there were methods of concealing oneself from its sensing system and distorting the data.

Faking was possible.

But the speed and strength a person could unleash could not be faked.

"This is a comprehensive test."

"Looks like Teacher Xu doesn't have absolute confidence either."

"How fast can Li Yuan's explosive speed get?"

"Hard to say. The Life Blood Detection Instrument detects comprehensive data, and everyone differs. Even at the same physical fitness level, some people are faster, some have greater punch force, and some have stronger endurance." All the students discussed it in low voices, with most of them watching closely.

They were all curious.

If Li Yuan's physical fitness truly was Level 6.5, how high would his Martial Arts Score rank in the entire grade?

"Authorize sprint speed testing and Punch Force Test. Record the data." Teacher Xu Bo's voice was cold, and a flicker of red light shone from his wrist.

"Buzz—" White light projected down from above the classroom, illuminating the dark-red metal track stretching roughly forty meters along the left side of the room.

Many faint lights flickered across the track.

That was why the Martial Arts Classroom occupied such a large area.

A great many technological instruments used to test physical data required space.

The Elite Class's Martial Arts Classroom occupied an even larger area, resembling a small stadium.

"Explosive speed test?" Li Yuan placed his spear on the silver metal floor, then walked to the entrance of the track. He took a deep breath and rapidly calmed himself.

Speed testing did not consist only of sprinting.

During the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, there would be speed tests for forty meters, one hundred meters, one kilometer, and ten kilometers in succession.

The forty-meter speed test carried the highest score weight, followed by the ten-kilometer long-distance run.

One tested instantaneous explosive speed, while the other tested endurance.

"When martialists fight, life and death are often decided in two or three moves, even in a single exchange. Life and death hang by a thread, so instantaneous explosive speed matters most." Li Yuan rapidly adjusted his condition. "But in war, one often faces more than one enemy, and battle can last a long time. Endurance is important too."

Li Yuan understood that the original purpose behind every Martial Arts College Entrance Exam event was closely tied to war.

In this era, Human Civilization on Blue Star and even the Seven Great Planets faced an enormous survival crisis.

War was the main melody of the entire society.

Huff!

Using a breathing technique to adjust himself, Li Yuan rapidly relaxed with each inhalation and exhalation. His Spiritual Power was powerful enough that he could faintly sense the beating of his internal organs, the trickling flow of blood from his heart, and the tiny threads of force running through his limbs and bones.

The next instant!

Boom! With his spine as the core, Li Yuan suddenly tensed and unified the force throughout his body, like a great bow violently drawing its string. The power passed directly through his waist and hips into his legs, and he shot forward in an instant like an arrow loosed from the bowstring.

The source of strength lay in the feet and began in the legs.

The instantaneous explosive force of the thighs far surpassed that of any other part of the body.

Whoosh!

Li Yuan crossed the forty-meter track in mere seconds, crashing directly into the Buffer Wall at the end.

The Buffer Wall resembled a sponge, but its material was more specialized. It had been specially made by the school to protect students.

Beep!

Data appeared on the screen mounted on the wall beside the end of the track—"14.2 meters/second."

This was Li Yuan's speed as he crossed the line, not his average speed.

"So fast."

"It looks like Li Yuan's physical fitness really has reached Level 6.5." The students watching exchanged words, now completely convinced.

They all knew that the Basic Cultivation Method Li Yuan practiced was the Rock Cultivation Method, a Basic Cultivation Method that excelled at strength.

If Li Yuan was already this fast, then what about his strength?

"14.2 meters per second? Not bad." Teacher Xu Bo nodded slightly and said directly, "Test your punch force next."

The Fist Strength Testing Ground was much smaller and located in an inconspicuous corner of the classroom.

Li Yuan stood within the testing area.

Whoosh—several white beams descended from the instrument overhead, enveloping Li Yuan to determine whether his movements were standard and qualified.

The Punch Force Test was not about pursuing ultimate explosive power. It measured the greatest force one arm could unleash while maintaining a stable stance in place.

If one could not even maintain one's stance while punching, then no matter how great the force unleashed, it was meaningless. In a fight to the death, an enemy would only seize the opportunity to kill them in one move.

"Relax first." Li Yuan adjusted his breathing. His taut body gradually loosened, his feet spread apart and knees slightly bent so that he could generate greater driving force by pushing off the ground the instant he punched.

Then, at the instant he exhaled, Li Yuan's spine moved like a great dragon. His left foot stepped slightly to the side while his right foot pushed off the ground. Through a twist of his waist and abdomen, he instantly drew upon the strength of his waist and back, sending the power of his entire body from below upward into his right arm.

His five fingers clenched into a fist!

His right fist was like a cannonball blasting from its barrel, smashing fiercely into the enormous hanging sandbag before him.

Bang! A dull explosive boom rang out.

In an instant.

The screen above the Fist Strength Testing Ground clearly displayed: "424 kilograms (movement qualified)."

"Holy shit!"

"424 kilograms! That's insane!"

"With punch force like that, he's not far from the Level 7 physical fitness standard. If I remember right, the standard for Level 7 physical fitness is 450 kilograms of punch force." An uproar broke out as Li Yuan's classmates were thoroughly stunned.

Martial arts was not about maintaining health. The Life Blood Detection Instrument's data could only ever serve as a reference.

What one could demonstrate in actual combat was what convinced people.

Across all of Blue Star and even the Seven Star Alliance, explosive speed and punch force corresponding to physical fitness levels were strictly defined:

\nLevel 5: 10 meters/second, punch force 200 kilograms

Level 6: 13 meters/second; punch force 300 kilograms

Level 7: 15 meters/second, punch force 450 kilograms

Level 8: 18 meters/second; punch force 800 kilograms

Level 9: 20 meters/second, punch force 1,000 kilograms

...

Although differences in personal talent and cultivation methods meant that everyone had different strengths, they would not differ too greatly from their level's standards.

The Life Blood Detection Instrument showed Li Yuan at Level 6.5, and his explosive speed was within the normal range.

But his punch force was already very close to the Level 7 standard.

"My punch force is still a little short of even 300 kilograms." Wan Xiao unconsciously tightened his grip on the battle saber in his hand. Has the gap between Li Yuan and me already become this vast?

"What he trains is relaxation within tension, and what he uses is tension within relaxation. Only true tension can unleash fierce and explosive force. It seems this student of mine has truly grasped the essence of the Basic Cultivation Method." Teacher Xu Bo's insight was sharp, and he saw straight through it.

Ordinary people found it difficult to unleash all their physical strength. Being able to bring out ninety percent was already quite impressive.

Only by thoroughly understanding the force throughout one's body and condensing it together could one unleash one hundred percent of one's strength.

Li Yuan had clearly achieved that, at least in essence.

"Not bad." A rare smile appeared on Teacher Xu Bo's face.

This sight secretly startled many students.

After all, Teacher Xu Bo had not smiled when Wan Xiao awakened Martial Arts Spirituality.

Li Yuan listened to the voices around him. His expression remained calm, but he felt somewhat dissatisfied inside.

"According to the Divine Palace Panel, my instantaneous explosive speed should be able to reach 14.4 meters per second, and my strongest punch force should be 426 kilograms." Li Yuan frowned slightly. "It seems I still haven't brought my physical fitness into perfect play."

At this moment.

Within Li Yuan's field of vision, there was an almost transparent light screen that no one else could perceive, visible only to him.

--

[Life Level: Level 6.6 (Unranked)]

Physical Fitness Index: 72 (a comprehensive measurement of explosive power, endurance, speed, constitution, Spiritual Power, and many other aspects.)

Punch Force: 426 kilograms

Speed: 14.4 meters/second

Spiritual Power: Level 12.4

Physical Cultivation Method: Rock Foundation Cultivation Method

Mental Cultivation Method: Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra

Technical Realm: Spearmanship (Third Stage 36%), Movement Technique (Third Stage 21%), Fist Technique (Third Stage 88%)

[Note: A certain unawakened Higher Spirituality lies dormant within the body]

--

As long as Li Yuan willed it, the entire light screen would appear before his eyes, clearly displaying his martial arts cultivation.

It had suddenly awakened after his physical fitness reached Level 5.0 during his second year of high school.

At first, Li Yuan thought it was something like the "system" or "data panel" from novels he had read.

Later, after repeated attempts and confirmation, he discovered that the light screen itself only possessed a detection function. It was like an incomparably precise "cultivation testing instrument."

It could not directly improve Li Yuan's martial arts cultivation.

"Still, the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra brought by the Mind Divine Palace has already helped me immensely." Li Yuan silently thought.

While considering this.

Li Yuan returned to the silver metal floor and picked up his black spear.

His gaze fell upon Teacher Xu Bo ten meters away. The panel before his eyes shifted, revealing a string of text:

[Target's Life Level exceeds sensing limit (current Life Level sensing limit: Level 16.6)]

"Teacher Xu, please instruct me." Li Yuan first cupped his hands, then suddenly lunged forward. Crossing several meters in an instant, he unleashed force as his spear shot out like a dragon, accompanied by a shrill whistle that tore through the air as it rushed toward Xu Bo.

"Hmm? This spearmanship!" Xu Bo's eyes lit up completely.

(End of Chapter)