Meanwhile, in the Virtual World, Chen Mochuan had entered the dedicated arena for the Simulated Combat Assessment.
Seven or eight meters in front of him stood a medium-built man in a standard martial arts uniform, his features utterly unremarkable.
The man was not a True Person, but an AI examiner generated by the Virtual World. His basic strength had been set to match the examinee's current Blood-Qi Value.
The system would score examinees based on their overall performance in actual combat against him.
When the preparation time ended, the assessment officially began.
Chen Mochuan launched the first attack. His steps were swift and steady as he clashed head-on with the examiner.
He seemed completely at ease. Using only Foundation Building Fist, he tested his opponent a few times before firmly gaining the upper hand. He thoroughly suppressed the examiner, forcing him to devote all his strength to defense.
But even the strongest defenses eventually failed. Chen Mochuan spotted a lapse in the examiner's guard and shot out a lightning-fast straight punch imbued with Clear Force, instantly smashing through his defensive stance.
As the impact sent the examiner reeling backward, leaving his guard wide open, Chen Mochuan's follow-up power punch was already on him, striking true at his chest and abdomen.
The heavy blow stopped the examiner in his tracks. A moment later, he dissolved into a streak of white light and vanished.
Chen Mochuan was still hungry for more. He hadn't even used Tiger Fiend Fist, which had reached Mastery. Foundation Building Fist alone had let him dispose of his opponent with ease in less than half a minute.
Just as he thought the assessment was over, a prompt appeared out of nowhere in the Virtual World—one he had never encountered during the exam:
[You have defeated the standard examiner of your rank by an overwhelming margin. Your current performance cannot accurately assess your strength. Would you like to continue challenging an examiner of a higher rank?]
Chen Mochuan's eyes narrowed. Without giving it much thought, he chose to continue.
The virtual space rippled faintly. At the spot where the previous examiner had vanished, a figure quickly took shape.
An examiner identical in appearance to the previous one appeared. The difference was that he was stronger: he was a simulated Fifth-Rank Martial Warrior generated by the system.
After a brief period of rest, the battle began again.
The examiner's figure flickered as he closed in at speed. A fierce swinging punch came at Chen Mochuan's side like a sledgehammer, considerably faster and stronger than the previous examiner.
"He's using Tiger Fiend Fist too!"
Chen Mochuan, deeply familiar with the style, tensed. Using Foundation Building Fist's force-deflecting technique, he immediately raised his arm to block.
"Bang!"
A tremendous force slammed into him. His arm went numb, his blood and qi churned, and the impact sent him stumbling back two steps before he managed to steady himself.
The examiner's Blood-Qi Value was clearly more than just barely above the Fifth-Rank threshold!
The examiner pressed his advantage without pause. Having seized the initiative, he stuck close and launched a relentless assault.
Fists, palms, fingers, elbows, and knees fell like a violent storm, his attacks flowing without a break. Every strike carried Clear Force, displaying the strength of a Fifth-Rank Martial Warrior to the fullest and bearing down on Chen Mochuan with crushing pressure.
Chen Mochuan pushed Foundation Building Fist's defensive techniques to their limit. His feet shifted and darted, his body swaying like willow fluff as he dodged and blocked amid the furious flurry of punches.
Although none of the blows struck a vital spot directly, the recoil from every block and parry sent his blood and qi roiling and his arms aching and numb. For a while, his position looked perilously close to collapse.
"I can't just keep defending!"
Thinking of how easily he had defeated the previous examiner, Chen Mochuan knew that even the strongest defense would eventually fail.
He steeled himself and suddenly ducked low, narrowly avoiding a heavy punch aimed at his head, then crossed his arms to block the next strike.
Using the momentum of his opponent's punch, he quickly retreated and opened up a relatively safe distance between them.
He shook out his slightly aching arms, and something subtle shifted in his bearing.
"If I want to trade blows, I can't rely on Foundation Building Fist anymore. It's well-rounded, but not suited to offense. I have to use the fierce, unstoppable Tiger Fiend Fist!"
As the examiner charged at him again, Chen Mochuan lowered his hips and arched his spine like a great dragon. He clenched his fists, ready to strike.
He stopped dodging and charged straight at his opponent instead.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The ferocious power of Tiger Fiend Fist crashed against the examiner's overwhelming strength, producing a series of muffled booms.
Chen Mochuan's punches swept wide and hard, each one thrown with all his might as he tried to attack in place of defending and shatter his opponent's rhythm.
But the difference between their Blood-Qi Values was undeniable.
The examiner's mastery of fist techniques was inferior to Chen Mochuan's, but he was stronger and faster. Under the high intensity of their exchange, his movements flowed together with even greater ease and smoothness.
Chen Mochuan's fierce assault was imposing, but he remained firmly suppressed. His arms grew more and more sore, and several fresh, searing stings flared where the edges of the examiner's fists had grazed him.
The Virtual World's simulation was nearly perfect. Sweat had soaked through his martial arts uniform, and his breathing had grown heavy.
He clenched his teeth, focused every ounce of his attention, and watched the examiner's every subtle movement.
Despite his clear advantage, the examiner's techniques were like the workings of a precision machine, leaving almost no opening.
But Chen Mochuan did not give up. His mind raced, summoning the hundreds of battles he had fought on the Heaven Martial Battle Net.
At the same time, he rapidly digested and absorbed the martial insight about Tiger Fiend Fist that Feng Shi had left him.
At last, after what seemed like a flawless clash of fist and palm, the examiner followed his programmed sequence and prepared to transition into the opening stance of his next Tiger Fiend Fist routine.
He drew back his right fist, while his left shoulder twisted back by the tiniest fraction—so faint it was almost impossible to notice. It was a natural sign that he was about to gather strength and release it, easily overlooked in a fast-paced battle.
Yet that minuscule opening was like a firefly in the dead of night. Chen Mochuan's senses, sharpened under pressure, seized it in an instant.
"Left shoulder turns back. Three inches below the left ribs. His old force has faded, but the new force hasn't risen... Right there!"
The opening would disappear in a flash! Chen Mochuan held his breath. His right foot drove into the ground, his hips twisted, and he poured his whole body's strength into his right fist.
"Ha!" With a roar, he threw the punch without hesitation, heedless of the heavy blow the examiner might land in return.
First punch!
Chen Mochuan's right fist shot out like a cannonball, driving straight into the opening beneath the examiner's left ribs as Clear Force burst forth!
The examiner reacted with astonishing speed. He forcibly broke off his transition and hurriedly pressed both palms down to block.
"Bang!"
Fist met palm. The examiner staggered, his hands violently swept aside, leaving his guard completely exposed!
Second punch!
Chen Mochuan stepped half a pace forward and drove his strength through his hips and legs again. His fist followed at once, still aimed at the left ribs!
This punch was faster! Fiercer! Clear Force piled upon Clear Force, and the fist seemed to stir up a sharp gust as it cut through the air.
The examiner's arms couldn't make it back in time to guard. He could only tense the muscles around his ribs and take the blow.
"Crack!"
A brittle snap that set the teeth on edge rang out. The examiner's left ribs visibly caved in. His body shuddered violently, and he staggered backward, his movements locking up in a fatal moment of stiffness.
Third punch!
Chen Mochuan pressed his advantage, charging forward without slowing. His right fist, infused with the last of his strength, landed squarely on the examiner's already badly injured left ribs like a final pounce from a tiger descending the mountain!
"BOOM!!!"
As if struck by a speeding car, the examiner's body bent sharply into a "C." Then he turned into a streak of white light and shattered into nothingness!
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