Inside the Virtual Pod, Chen Mochuan had just adjusted his posture when a clear, steady electronic voice with a slight mechanical quality sounded beside his ear:
[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's instructions to demonstrate Stance Training.]
[The assessment is about to begin. Please prepare...]
As soon as the voice fell silent, the surroundings before Chen Mochuan transformed. He found himself in a spacious, pure-white room.
Already well-versed in the virtual assessment process, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. He lowered his stance and immediately assumed the sixteenth form of the Root-Solidifying Stance, a posture he had practiced countless times and mastered thoroughly.
Two minutes later, the electronic voice sounded right on time, announcing that the Root-Solidifying Stance assessment was over and that the next assessment, Foundation Building Fist, was beginning.
Chen Mochuan slowly settled his stance, then opened his fists in the empty room and performed the entire Foundation Building Fist routine.
His stance flowed freely, his force coursed through his body, and each move linked to the next like flowing clouds and running water. His strikes stirred up gusts of wind as he performed all twenty-eight forms with effortless vigor.
When he finished the final form and stood at rest, the assessment system responded immediately.
[Beep...]
[Basic Technique Realm Assessment complete. Calculating final score...]
The two assessments, Root-Solidifying Stance and Foundation Building Fist, had taken only five or six minutes in total.
Unlike the Academic Subjects and Blood-Qi Value tests, assessments conducted in the Virtual World were scored by the system on the spot. Results were uploaded in real time to the Assessment Intranet's score sheet and made public at the same time.
In the past, the Basic Technique Realm Assessment for the Martial Arts Department College Entrance Exam had long been judged subjectively by human examiners.
This approach not only consumed vast amounts of manpower and time, but had also drawn constant criticism for its subjectivity. The public widely questioned its accuracy, believing that it left ample room for mistaken or overlooked judgments, even backroom dealings, and seriously undermined the fairness of the exam.
As virtual reality technology matured and came into widespread use in the martial arts world, the Basic Technique Realm Assessment finally underwent a transformation and moved entirely into the Virtual World.
The assessment system could directly and precisely monitor the routes, efficiency, and technique compatibility of a student's Blood-Qi circulation in the Virtual World.
Its evaluations were faster and more efficient than human judgment, while their reliance on objective data made the results extremely precise and consistent. It could even turn the abstruse concept of "realm" into clear, measurable scores.
This revolutionary measure greatly enhanced the assessment's credibility and won broad support across society, making the overall environment of the Martial Arts Department College Entrance Exam fairer and more impartial.
A few seconds later, Chen Mochuan's scores were calculated.
[Root-Solidifying Stance: Great Completion (60%), Score: 450]
[Foundation Building Fist: Great Completion (82%), Score: 478]
[Basic Technique Realm Total: 928]
[Do you have any objections to this score? If not, the next assessment will begin automatically in 10 seconds.]
The realms assigned by the assessment system exactly matched the figures displayed on Chen Mochuan's Golden Light Screen. He had discovered this a year ago and knew the two must use the same underlying criteria, so he had no objections.
As Chen Mochuan adjusted himself and prepared for the Simulated Combat Assessment,
outside, the Basic Technique Ranking List on the projection screen in the Martial Arts Arena where the elite class was taking its exam had already updated in real time.
[1] Chen Mochuan: 928 (Root-Solidifying Stance: 450, Foundation Building Fist: 478)
[2] Su Zhining: 743 (Root-Solidifying Stance: 363, Foundation Building Fist: 380)
[3] Jiang Hao: 736 (Root-Solidifying Stance: 353, Foundation Building Fist: 383)
[4] ...
All the students watching the rankings shift grew restless once more.
After all, although Chen Mochuan had consistently ranked first in the grade for his technique realms, the gap between him and Su Zhining, Jiang Hao, and the others hadn't been especially large. But now, with a score so close to full marks, he had left his competitors far behind in a single bound, towering above everyone else.
This time, aside from Han Zhen and Lin Hong, whose extensive teaching experience and keen eyes had given them a good sense of Chen Mochuan's ability from paying close attention to him in class, even Li Biao was astonished.
Before long, some students worked backward from the score to figure out the precise progress Chen Mochuan had made in his two techniques. They couldn't help exclaiming, "Unbelievable!"
Judging by his progress, it would probably take Chen Mochuan less than a month to reach Perfection in both Root-Solidifying Stance and Foundation Building Fist!
"His techniques used to improve quickly, but never this ridiculously fast..."
"His awakened Spirit Talent must boost comprehension or something, right?"
"Doesn't seem right. His Blood-Qi has also been rising abnormally fast this month. Could he have some kind of special Spirit Talent with broader effects?"
"Whatever it is, that ability can't be just Yellow-grade. It has to be at least Mysterious-grade!"
"Ah... Once awakened, he's soared straight into the heavens..."
Su Zhining, who had been tilting her head slightly as she stared at the rankings, suddenly broke into a smile, as if she'd thought of something amusing.
Then, ignoring the astonished looks of her classmates, she stood up right there in the exam hall and assumed the Root-Solidifying Stance, entering a state of cultivation.
Not far away, Jiang Hao stared fixedly at the projection screen, his fists unconsciously clenching. A sense of helplessness and defeat at being utterly crushed in comprehension quietly rose in his heart.
But soon, his expression sharpened. He forcefully crushed that negative thought, and his gaze grew resolute once more.
"If Chen Mochuan can do it, there's no reason I, Jiang Hao, can't! Before the college entrance exam, I'll reach Perfection in both techniques! As long as I get full marks, even if his comprehension is higher than mine, we'll still be tied in this event!"
As he thought this, he pictured Chen Mochuan seizing every spare second to cultivate with unrelenting dedication. Without thinking, his body followed suit, assuming the Root-Solidifying Stance.
When the other students saw the sudden actions of Su Zhining and Jiang Hao, the two top students, they were initially bewildered. But someone soon caught on, and one after another, the others stood up and followed their example, assuming the Root-Solidifying Stance as well.
Then this atmosphere of striving spread like ripples, setting off a chain reaction until almost every student in the exam hall had risen to practice the Root-Solidifying Stance.
The sudden sight of the whole group cultivating made Lin Hong, the invigilator, shake his head with a wry smile. "I push them in class all the time, but I've never seen them this motivated... If they'd started doing this sooner, most of the class would probably have reached Great Completion in the Root-Solidifying Stance by now."
Despite his words, he immediately stepped down from the stage and moved among the students, checking their Stance Training postures and correcting any that were improper.
In the blink of an eye, a solemn exam had turned into something like a Stance Training lesson.
The sight left Han Zhen at a loss between laughter and tears too, but he knew it wasn't a bad thing. It showed how the example set by one could inspire others and awaken the students' drive to improve. So he didn't try to stop them, merely watching with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
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