Xu Sisi stepped onto the silver-white treadmill.
Rumble!
The silver-white treadmill roared to life.
"Second place. I have to hold on to second place so I can get ten thousand yuan in financial aid during my senior year."
"And if I can break into first place, I'll get thirty thousand yuan in financial aid!"
Xu Sisi kept encouraging herself.
According to federal regulations, any family with a monthly income below ten thousand yuan was classified as poor.
Her family was one of them.
She couldn't lose!
The girl broke into a run, her slender, long legs moving like lightning.
Perhaps her self-encouragement had worked.
This time, she felt her speed had made an unprecedented breakthrough.
The Hundred-meter test ended.
Her speed appeared on the electronic board:
"16.9 meters per second?"
Xu Sisi looked delighted. Usually, her top speed was only 16.5 meters per second.
The other students began their speed tests one after another.
"Wen Yuehui: 14.1 meters per second"
"Li Zhichao: 17.0 meters per second"
"Zeng Niu: 13.1 meters per second"
When it was Jiang Ye's turn, he instantly drew everyone's attention.
They all wanted to know whether this dark horse from the Punch Force Assessment could shine just as brightly this time.
Jiang Ye paid no attention to their stares. As far as he was concerned, doing his best was enough.
Rumble!
He sprinted across the silver treadmill.
A moment later, the treadmill gradually came to a stop.
The electronic board updated with his result.
Jiang Ye: 16.1 meters per second
"B-grade physique grants a greater boost to strength, but a weaker one to speed." Jiang Ye understood.
Below the stage, Xu Sisi breathed a sigh of relief.
She had undoubtedly held on to second place in the Speed Assessment.
"What a shame. I was this close to beating Li Zhichao."
Disappointed, Xu Sisi glanced at Jiang Ye as he walked off the stage and thought:
When it comes to speed, Jiang Ye really can't keep up with me.
Strength is his strong suit. I'll have to outperform myself in the upcoming combat assessment if I want to hold on to second place.
Could she do it?
Of course she could! Easily!
Xu Sisi took a deep breath, determination shining in her almond-shaped eyes.
Ten minutes later, the Speed Assessment ended.
Li Zhichao still held firmly to first place, Xu Sisi came second, and Jiang Ye was third.
Jiang Ye wasn't surprised. Xu Sisi had reached Great Accomplishment months ago and specialized in speed, so it was only natural that she had surpassed him.
"First place in the Second year final assessment gets thirty thousand yuan in scholarship money during senior year."
"Second place gets ten thousand, third place gets five thousand, and fourth through tenth place get three thousand."
Jiang Ye had a goal of his own.
The higher his rank, the more financial aid he would receive.
That money might not mean much to the rich, but it was crucial to Jiang Ye.
"In the next two assessments, I'll aim for second and fight for first,"
Jiang Ye thought.
He hadn't gotten carried away just because he had a B-grade physique. After all, the gap in their cultivation levels was right there.
At his current level, Xu Sisi was a formidable opponent.
After all, she was one of the few students in the class with a C-grade physique.
"The Martial Arts Third Trial: arena combat!"
Zhang Jianwu's voice rang out. "First up, Xu Sisi!"
Jiang Ye watched the stage, when a thought suddenly occurred to him: I wonder if fighting Director Zhang will unlock a new achievement?
The Martial Arts Class head teacher was much stronger than an ordinary teacher.
If Teacher Chen could be a Martial Arts Ancestor, then wouldn't someone like Director Zhang have to be at least a Martial Saint?
Jiang Ye waited expectantly.
Time passed.
At last, it was Jiang Ye's turn.
On the arena.
Zhang Jianwu watched Jiang Ye step onto the stage, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Miss Chen must have been talking about this kid. Let's see how he does in actual combat. If he's really decent, that condition might be worth considering."
"Teacher, please guide me."
Jiang Ye cupped his hands slightly toward Zhang Jianwu.
Then he stepped forward with his left foot and assumed the Tiger Pounce Fist Stance.
"Make your move."
Zhang Jianwu stood with one hand behind his back, his bearing steady. He would fight the students using only the level of a minor accomplishment in the Cultivation Method.
Even students at Great Accomplishment, however, had all been defeated within thirty moves.
The next moment, Jiang Ye pounced like a hungry wolf, his figure flashing forward at high speed.
His fist cut through the air like a meteor, slamming toward his opponent.
Zhang Jianwu leaned slightly to the side, dodging the blow with ease, while driving his right elbow toward Jiang Ye's chest.
In an instant, the two were locked in combat.
At the Great Accomplishment level and beyond, fights often erupted with tremendous noise.
The arena rang with repeated thuds, like iron and stone clashing.
Jiang Ye used offense as defense, launching fierce attacks with his strength advantage. Zhang Jianwu, however, turned hardness into softness, his force flowing endlessly and proving extremely difficult to handle.
Fortunately, Jiang Ye's fist technique was exceptionally seasoned. He unleashed one move after another, meeting force with force.
"A Ye's combat skills really have captured the essence of Teacher Chen's teachings."
Below the stage, Wen Yuehui murmured in amazement. "No wonder A Ye's looked completely drained lately. Seems like Teacher Chen's been filling him to the brim in private."
Nearby, Xu Sisi clenched her fist. She had performed normally in her arena match.
Now that she'd seen Jiang Ye's performance, she knew she couldn't hold on to second place.
Not far away, Li Zhichao was watching too, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
After more than twenty exchanges.
Zhang Jianwu forced Jiang Ye off the arena.
Jiang Ye steadied himself and cupped his hands toward the stage.
The electronic board displayed his arena combat ranking: "Second place, Jiang Ye."
Jiang Ye didn't pay attention to his ranking. Instead, he immediately opened his panel to check.
To his disappointment, this assessment hadn't unlocked a new achievement.
"Strange. Is Director Zhang actually weaker than Teacher Chen? Or is Director Zhang's strength also classified at the Martial Arts Ancestor level?"
Jiang Ye thought the latter was more likely.
As for the former... it didn't seem possible!
Half an hour later, the arena combat assessment ended.
The electronic board displayed the overall scores for the Martial Arts Three Trials.
Jiang Ye looked toward the board as well.
[First place: Li Zhichao, 295 points]
[Second place: Jiang Ye, 260 points]
"260 points?" Jiang Ye mused. "I only need 90 points in the final assessment to meet the Martial Arts University standard."
Going by previous years' results,
the entrance exam standard for an ordinary Martial Arts University was 350 points.
Of course, the Twenty-Five School Alliance demanded far more than that—at least 700 points.
As for the Top Ten Elite Schools, even the lowest-ranked one required 900 points.
The Martial Arts Four Trials had a maximum score of 1,200. Scoring 900 was an almost inhuman challenge.
But Jiang Ye still had a whole year. There was plenty of room for him to improve.
The fourth assessment—the Virtual Starry Sky Combat Assessment—wouldn't take place in a classroom. It would be held in a spherical building at the center of the school.
Led by Zhang Jianwu, the students from Class Nine made their way to the entrance of the spherical building.
Students from other classes were already lined up.
The school had a limited number of virtual devices, so classes that arrived late often had to wait a long time for their turn.
Fortunately, Class Nine was among the first to arrive.
By then, a group of students had already completed the virtual assessment and emerged from the spherical building.
"Students from the Key Class."
Jiang Ye's expression shifted slightly when he saw them.
The students from the Key Class were clearly different from those in the ordinary classes.
Thanks to their Nascent Talent, they all had a spirited, confident air about them, in both their expressions and their bearing.
At the head of this group of Key Class students was a cool, aloof girl, about 1.75 meters tall, dressed in a short top and hot pants, her long legs fair and striking.
Her waist was impossibly slender, her curves astonishing.
The cool girl glanced back at the students of Class Nine, her expression haughty. Then she turned and strode away on her long legs.
"Zhao Qingli from Class One. Her total score across the four assessments reached a terrifying 700 points!"
Many students inside the building watched her tall figure with awe.
Jiang Ye opened his panel and took a look, then revealed a trace of surprise.
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