Spirit Gate Exemplar

Inside the Virtual Pod, Chen Mochuan had just adjusted his posture when a clear, steady, and slightly mechanical electronic prompt sounded in his ears:

[Identity verification passed...]

[Student: Chen Mochuan.]

[Student ID: 2664XXXX.]

[System connecting... Successfully connected to the Assessment Dedicated Network.]

[Basic Technique Realm Assessment ready.]

[First assessment: Root-Solidifying Stance. Please follow the system guidance to demonstrate your stance.]

[Assessment is about to begin, please prepare...]

As soon as the prompt finished, the environment before Chen Mochuan shifted instantly, placing him inside a pure white, empty room.

Already well-versed in the virtual assessment process, he did not hesitate for a moment. He sank his frame and immediately assumed the sixteenth stance of the Root-Solidifying Stance, a posture he had practiced countless times until it was second nature.

Two minutes later, the electronic prompt sounded right on time, informing him that the Root-Solidifying Stance assessment was complete and it was time to proceed to the next assessment: Foundation Building Fist.

Chen Mochuan slowly withdrew his stance, then opened his frame in the empty room and began to execute the full set of the Foundation Building Fist.

His movements were fluid, his power was connected, and his transitions were as smooth as flowing water. Each strike and stance whipped up a gust of wind as he performed the twenty-eight styles of the fist technique with unbridled vigor.

When he finished the final move and stood still, the Assessment System reacted immediately.

[Beep...]

[Basic Technique Realm Assessment concluded, calculating final score...]

The combined assessment time for the Root-Solidifying Stance and the Foundation Building Fist was no more than five or six minutes.

Unlike the written exams and Blood-Qi Value tests, scores for assessments conducted within the virtual world are calculated by the system on the spot, uploaded in real-time to the Assessment Intranet's leaderboard, and simultaneously made public.

Looking back, the Basic Technique Realm Assessment for the Martial Arts Department college entrance exam was long subject to the subjective judgment of human examiners.

This method not only consumed vast amounts of manpower and time but was also frequently criticized for its high subjectivity. The public generally questioned its accuracy, believing there was a high possibility of misjudgment, oversight, or even backroom deals, which severely undermined the fairness of the exam.

With the maturation of virtual reality technology and its widespread application in the martial arts field, the assessment of basic technique realms finally underwent a transformation, moving entirely into the virtual world.

The Assessment System can directly and precisely monitor a candidate's Blood-Qi circulation routes, efficiency, and technique compatibility within the virtual world.

Its evaluation is not only faster and more efficient than human judgment, but the results are also extremely precise and stable because they rely entirely on objective data, allowing the mysterious concept of a "realm" to be converted into intuitive numerical scores.

This revolutionary measure greatly enhanced the credibility of the assessments, won widespread support from all sectors of society, and made the overall environment of the martial arts college entrance exam much fairer and more just.

Within a few seconds, Chen Mochuan's score was calculated.

[Root-Solidifying Stance: Great Success (60%), Score: 450]

[Foundation Building Fist: Great Success (82%), Score: 478]

[Total Basic Technique Realm Score: 928]

[Do you have any objections to this score? If there are no objections, the next assessment will begin automatically in 10 seconds.]

The realm judgment provided by the Assessment System was exactly the same as the data displayed on Chen Mochuan's own Golden Light Screen. He had discovered this a year ago and knew that the underlying logic for both must be the same, so naturally, he had no objections.

Just as Chen Mochuan adjusted his state, preparing to face the Simulated Combat Assessment.

Outside, in the Martial Arts Arena where the key class exam was being held, the Basic Technique Ranking List on the giant projection screen had updated in real-time.

[1] Chen Mochuan: 928 points (Root-Solidifying Stance: 450 points, Foundation Building Fist: 478 points)

[2] Su Zhining: 743 points (Root-Solidifying Stance: 363 points, Foundation Building Fist: 380 points)

[3] Jiang Hao: 736 points (Root-Solidifying Stance: 353 points, Foundation Building Fist: 383 points)

[4]...

All the students watching the ranking changes became restless once again.

It must be known that although Chen Mochuan had always been the top of the grade in technique realms, the gap between him and students like Su Zhining and Jiang Hao had not been particularly large. Yet, this near-perfect score had instantly left his competitors far behind, putting him in a commanding lead.

This time, aside from Han Zhen and Lin Hong—who had rich teaching experience and sharp observation skills, and thus had a rough idea of his level due to paying extra attention to him during daily lectures—even Li Biao felt astonished.

Soon, students began to reverse-engineer the specific progress of Chen Mochuan's two techniques from his score, and they couldn't help but exclaim that it was "unbelievable."

Based on this progress, it was likely that in less than a month, Chen Mochuan would be able to bring both the Root-Solidifying Stance and the Foundation Building Fist to the Perfection realm!

"His technique progress was fast before, but it wasn't this exaggerated..."

"The Spirit Talent he awakened must be something that boosts comprehension, right?"

"That's not right, his Blood-Qi improvement speed this month is also abnormally fast. Could it be some special Spirit Talent with more comprehensive effects?"

"Whatever the ability is, this Spirit Talent is definitely not just Yellow-grade; it has to be at least Mysterious-grade!"

"Sigh... once awakened, he soars to the heights..."

Su Zhining, who had been tilting her head slightly while staring at the leaderboard, suddenly smiled, as if she had thought of something interesting.

Immediately, ignoring the surprised gazes of other students, she actually stood in the Root-Solidifying Stance right there in the exam hall, entering a state of cultivation.

Not far away, Jiang Hao stared intently at the projection screen, his fists clenching involuntarily. A sense of powerlessness and defeat at being completely crushed in terms of comprehension quietly rose from the bottom of his heart.

But soon, his expression sharpened. He forcibly crushed this trace of negative thought, and his gaze became firm once again.

"If Chen Mochuan can do it, there's no reason I, Jiang Hao, can't! Before the College Entrance Exam, I must cultivate these two techniques to perfection! As long as I get a perfect score, even if his comprehension is superior, he will only be on par with me in this category!"

He pondered this in his heart, and as he thought of Chen Mochuan's habit of seizing every second for diligent cultivation, his body subconsciously shifted into the posture of the Root-Solidifying Stance.

The other students nearby, seeing the sudden actions of top students like Su Zhining and Jiang Hao, were initially bewildered, but soon some had a realization and began to follow suit, standing in the Root-Solidifying Stance as well.

Following this, the atmosphere of striving for improvement spread like ripples, creating a chain reaction until almost every student in the examination hall had spontaneously begun practicing the Root-Solidifying Stance.

This sudden scene of collective cultivation made the proctor, Lin Hong, shake his head with a wry smile, "I've urged them in class countless times, but I've never seen them show this kind of awareness or drive... If they had been like this earlier, most of the class would probably have already reached Great Completion in the Root-Solidifying Stance by now."

Despite saying this, he immediately walked down from the podium, weaving between the students to inspect whether anyone's Stance Training form was incorrect, offering corrections one by one.

A serious examination had, in the blink of an eye, seemingly transformed into a Stance Training lesson.

This scene also left Han Zhen feeling both amused and helpless, but he knew this was not a bad thing; rather, it demonstrated the leading role of role models and ignited the students' ambition, so he did not step in to stop them, only allowing a hint of gratification to show in his eyes.