First Mock Exam 4

Her Body Tempering Fist had clearly reached the Major Accomplishment Realm. Every move flowed with seamless grace, carrying a unique supple force that repeatedly used skill to overcome brute strength, deflecting the puppet's fierce assaults.

1 minute 45 seconds! Xu Yunjing held out for 105 seconds, responding to 51 moves, before her stamina gave out and she conceded.

Score: 105 × 0.5 + 51 × 2 = 52.5 + 102 = 154.5 points!

"Excellent!" The invigilator rarely showed a smile.

The last to step up was Song Yunliang. The moment he stood on the platform, his entire aura shifted, as if he were a predatory beast poised to strike.

Once the test began, Song Yunliang's performance stunned everyone—he didn't just defend passively; he launched an attack!

Facing the Iron Puppet's [Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain], Song Yunliang stepped forward instead of retreating, meeting it with an even more ferocious head-on clash of fists!

"Thud!" In the dull impact, the Iron Puppet was actually forced back half a step!

"Holy crap! A direct clash?"

"His strength is insane!"

Song Yunliang's fighting style was bold and unrestrained, every strike heavy and powerful. His Body Tempering Fist had clearly integrated traits from his family's martial arts, making his techniques sharper and more ruthless.

What surprised everyone even more was that he seemed to be mimicking the Iron Puppet's moves, learning from them, growing fiercer as the fight went on.

2 minutes 10 seconds! Song Yunliang lasted a full 130 seconds, responding to 63 moves, until his stamina ran out and a tricky [Fierce Tiger Pounces on Prey] struck his shoulder, forcing him to step back and concede.

Score: 130 × 0.5 + 63 × 2 = 65 + 126 = 191 points!

The hall fell silent, then erupted in thunderous applause and exclamations.

"191 points! Almost a perfect score!"

"With that strength, he'd be top-tier even at First Middle School, right?"

"Too bad his cultural classes drag him down..."

Chen Mo watched Song Yunliang calmly walk off the platform, his heart shaken. So this was what a genius from a martial artist family looked like? The foundation laid since childhood, systematic training, abundant resources... these gaps couldn't be closed in a short time.

But he didn't lose heart. Instead, his resolve to catch up only hardened. The system's existence gave him the potential to surpass ordinary people. As long as he worked hard, one day he could catch up to—even surpass—these geniuses.

Three days after all the tests ended, the total scores and rankings for the first mock exam were finally announced.

On the back wall of Class 7, Grade 12 at Sixth Middle School, a fresh score sheet was posted. This time, it listed not only class rankings but also school-wide rankings.

Students crowded around, buzzing with chatter.

Chen Mo squeezed into the crowd, searching for his name. His eyes swept from top to bottom, finally stopping on:

Name: Chen Mo

Cultural Class Total: 368/600 (Class Rank 32, School Rank 288)

Martial Arts Total: 324/500 (Class Rank 18, School Rank 165)

Combined Total: 692/1100 (Class Rank 27, School Rank 245)

City-Wide Estimated Rank: Approximately 6200 out of 24000 Examinees

Martial Arts total: 324 points! Breakdown: Speed Test 68, Strength Test 80 (Punch 78 + Kick 82), Reaction Test 68, Combat Test 108. This score ranked fourth in Class 7, roughly upper-middle in the entire grade.

And his combined ranking had jumped from being outside the top 45 in class to 27th, with a school-wide rank entering the top 250. Though still far from the top, it was a transformative change.

"Chen Mo's improved so much!"

"Martial Arts 324, Cultural Class 368, total 692—he's got a shot at the first-tier cutoff!"

"I heard he's been working really hard lately. Looks like it's true."

The chatter of classmates around him reached his ears—some surprised, some envious, and a few showing newfound respect.

Zhang Shun squeezed over and slapped Chen Mo hard on the shoulder. "Brother Mo, awesome! 692 points! Based on last year's first-tier cutoff of 650, you're solid!"

Chen Mo smiled, but he knew the truth well—692 points, going by past years' cutoffs, could indeed clear the first-tier line. But to get into a good martial arts university or a key comprehensive university's martial arts program, he still needed at least 80 to 100 more points.

The homeroom teacher, Old Li, walked into the classroom with a rare smile on his face.

"Everyone's seen the mock exam results. I want to give special mention to a few students." He picked up the score sheet. "Xu Yunjing, Cultural Class 512, Martial Arts 462, total 974, first in class, second in school!"

Enthusiastic applause rang out.

"And," Old Li's gaze shifted to Chen Mo, "Chen Mo, your combined ranking improved by 18 places, especially in martial arts—from barely passing to a solid level. Remarkable progress. Keep it up."

After class, Chen Mo walked alone to the edge of the sports field and called up the System Panel:

[Host: Chen Mo] [Mental Strength: 15.2 (+0.3)] [Qi and Blood Value: 81 (+6)] [Skills:] [Black Tiger Stance Lv.3 (68/300)] [Body Tempering Fist Lv.3 (47/300)] [Knowledge mastery in all subjects has improved]

This combat test was a grueling, bitter struggle, but it was precisely this pain that brought me unprecedented, abundant rewards. After that fierce battle, my Body Tempering Fist proficiency skyrocketed, and my Qi and Blood Value surged by a full six points! Now, that number has reached eighty-one! More crucially, through this firsthand experience in real combat, I finally grasped its true essence and deeply recognized my many shortcomings.

"Still far from enough..." Chen Mo stared into the distance at the location of First Middle School, clenching his fist as he thought. In his mind, Song Yunliang's astonishing 191 points, Xu Yunjing's impressive 154 points, and other outstanding scores loomed like towering mountains. Compared to them, I've only just climbed a small hill, catching a glimpse of a far vaster world. But thankfully, the path forward has become much clearer. The next priority is to push my Qi and Blood Value past the hundred mark and begin attempting to master the art of Qi and Blood Transportation; second, I need to redouble my efforts in training the Body Tempering Fist, striving to reach the pinnacle of mastery as soon as possible. Of course, I absolutely cannot slack off in cultural classes either—I must ensure every exam score stays firmly above four hundred!

The road is still long, but this time, Chen Mo truly had the confidence and resolve to keep walking it.

He turned and headed toward the Martial Arts Training Hall. With less than a year until the Gaokao, not a single day could be wasted.

A new round of training had begun.