Progress Leaps to First Place, Don't Get Hurt

He stood in the middle of the hall.

Lin Ye faced Zheng Huai and cupped his fists in salute. "Teacher, please instruct me."

Zheng Huai nodded. "Begin."

Lin Ye did not rush to attack. He first assumed the opening stance of the Rolling Stone Fist, his feet set neither square nor splayed, his gaze calm as he fixed it on Zheng Huai. Having broken through to the Mastery Grade, his understanding of this fist technique had deepened further. The twelve forms of the Rolling Stone Fist were no longer a patchwork of individual moves in his mind, but a complete cyclical system of exerting force, dissipating force, and borrowing force.

A moment later, he moved. With one step forward, his center of gravity shifted smoothly, power rising from the soles of his feet. He raised his arm and threw a simple straight punch—"Stone Breaking Surging Waves"—yet through the twist of his waist and hips and the coordination of his shoulders and back, it carried a clear whistle of wind.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zheng Huai's eyes. The force behind that punch... something was off.

This kid's fist technique... seemed to have broken through to the Mastery Grade.

He had originally planned to handle him as he had Zhang Hao, but the force of a Mastery Grade fist technique was far greater than that of the Proficient Grade. Even though his strength surpassed Lin Ye's by quite a bit, he could no longer casually brush the attack aside as before.

Slap!

Fist and palm collided with a crisp crack.

Lin Ye's body swayed slightly, but he was not easily knocked away as everyone expected. Instead, he spun with the momentum, and the second form, "Stone Moving with Wind," followed like a shadow as it swept toward Zheng Huai's ribs. Zheng Huai shifted his feet and evaded the sweep, his right hand reaching for Lin Ye's wrist as easily as taking something from a bag. The grab looked casual, but it actually sealed off most of Lin Ye's possible changes. Yet Lin Ye's wrist sank and turned, slipping free with the rare softening technique of the Rolling Stone Fist, "Stone Moistening Silently." At the same time, his left elbow drove out soundlessly—the third form, "Stone Hiding Thunder Moving."

Three moves had passed!

A faint commotion rose from the sidelines.

"I didn't expect it. Our class has another student with a Mastery Grade fist technique."

Surprise flashed across Li Weiwei's face. With her Rolling Stone Fist already at the Great Accomplishment realm, she could tell at a glance that Lin Ye's fist technique had risen an entire level from before.

"Indeed."

Zhang Zhen, who was recording the results nearby, nodded lightly.

Zhao Qiang, standing among the crowd opposite them, frowned. Though he had not reached the Mastery Grade and could not discern Lin Ye's exact realm, he could still see that Lin Ye's fist technique seemed somewhat different from before.

Zhang Hao, Wang Tao, and the others beside him were equally shocked to see Lin Ye exchange several moves with Teacher Zheng Huai.

Th-this was still the Lin Ye we knew?

He must have been possessed, right?

The two continued to clash, with Lin Ye at a slight disadvantage.

It could not be helped. Zheng Huai's Body Forging Mid-Stage cultivation and more seasoned experience still exceeded Lin Ye's. By the tenth exchange, Zheng Huai leveraged his advantage in the fight to force Lin Ye into a corner and defeat him.

Zheng Huai withdrew his fist and stood there, looking at Lin Ye, who was breathing slightly hard but whose eyes remained bright. A hint of approval appeared on his face as well. "Rolling Stone Fist, Mastery Grade. When did you break through?"

His words stirred no small commotion among the crowd. Many had been wondering how Lin Ye, with a Blood Qi Value of only 138 points, had managed to endure under Zheng Huai for so long. They had thought Teacher Zheng was going easy on him, never expecting Lin Ye's fist technique to have reached the Mastery Grade.

Zhao Qiang's expression turned somewhat ugly upon hearing that. He too had assumed the teacher was holding back, only to find that Lin Ye's fist technique had broken through before his own. Thinking of the contempt he had shown Lin Ye before, he felt his face burning.

"I gained some insight recently and stabilized it last night."

Lin Ye calmed his breathing and answered truthfully.

"To train the Rolling Stone Fist to Mastery Grade, and with such solid force generation..." Zheng Huai studied Lin Ye. "You have considerable talent in force-generation techniques. But remember, Blood Qi is the foundation. In today's match, if your Blood Qi had reached the Body Forging Mid-Stage, it would have been difficult for me to defeat you even by this standard. Of course, practical combat experience is also one of your weaknesses. Use the Virtual Martial Dao Pod more often and get more practice."

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

Lin Ye nodded and returned to the line. He could feel countless gazes falling upon him—surprise, curiosity, envy, confusion, even a faint trace of jealousy... But his expression remained calm as he silently adjusted his breathing, allowing his surging Blood Qi to settle as quickly as possible.

The remaining tests passed without incident.

At around five ten, all the students had finished testing.

Zhang Zhen projected the compiled results. Unsurprisingly, class monitor Li Weiwei ranked first, while Martial Arts Stream representative Zhang Zhen came second... Zhao Qiang ranked ninth, and Zhou Qian tenth.

As for Lin Ye, he had risen to twenty-eighth place, fourteen places higher than last time.

This rate of improvement put him in first place in the entire class.

"In this test, some improved, while some stagnated."

Zheng Huai looked at the score sheet, his voice steady. "The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam has a total score of 700. Cultural subjects account for 100, Blood Qi Value accounts for 300, and practical combat accounts for 300. Neither can be neglected. You must remember that Blood Qi is the foundation—it determines the upper limit of your strength and your endurance. Practical combat is the application—it determines how much of your strength you can bring out."

"There are less than three months until the High School Entrance Exam, and only a little over a month until the mock exam on April 12. I hope everyone will clarify your goals and make up for your shortcomings."

Zheng Huai concluded, "That concludes today's test. Class dismissed."

After school, as Lin Ye packed his bag, Li Weiwei walked over. "Congratulations, Lin Ye."

Her tone was sincere. "A Mastery Grade Rolling Stone Fist. Including you, there are only ten people in the class."

"Thanks. I still have many areas where I need to improve."

Lin Ye replied modestly.

"Pretty humble, aren't you? I'm off."

Li Weiwei smiled, waved, and left the Martial Arts Hall.

"Keep it up!"

"Oh, right. Tomorrow is the weekend. If you want to use the Martial Arts Hall, you can message me privately on Penguin."

Zhang Zhen walked over and said with a smile.

"Alright."

Lin Ye nodded. Compared with the rundown public Martial Arts Hall in his neighborhood, he still preferred practicing in the school's Martial Arts Hall.

Hearing that, Zhang Zhen nodded and left as well.

Zhao Qiang passed by at that moment. He gave Lin Ye a complicated look, but in the end said nothing and quickly left the Martial Arts Hall.

Zhou Qian, on the other hand, walked over openly and asked with a hint of shock, "Lin Ye, your improvement this time was incredible. How did you train? Teach me?"

"Just practice more."

Lin Ye spoke honestly. "Add one or two more hours of training every day."

Of course, the panel also deserved credit, but naturally he would not mention that.

Zhou Qian stuck out her tongue upon hearing that. "An extra one or two hours every day? Oh my god... Don't you get tired? No wonder. Forget it, I could never keep that up. Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

Lin Ye nodded. The crowd gradually dispersed. At that moment, Wang Tao and Zhang Hao came over, and Wang Tao in particular threw an arm around his shoulders, his face full of envy. "Old Night... Brother Night, you hid it way too well. Tell us, when did you break through?"

"Just a few days ago."

Lin Ye paused, then added, "Of course, it also had a lot to do with all the hard training before that."

"A few days ago..." Zhang Hao wore an exaggerated expression. "At this rate of improvement, aren't you going to charge into the Martial Arts Stream?"

Lin Ye smiled but did not deny it.

"Damn, Brother Night."

Wang Tao gave his shoulder a hard squeeze and laughed. "When you make it big later, don't forget your brothers."

"Definitely."

Since it was Friday, school had ended in the evening. After considering it, Lin Ye decided not to add extra training today. He would go home and share the good news with his parents. When he had packed up and taken the driverless bus home, he found that dinner was unusually lavish tonight.

His mother, Wang Xiulan, did not ask about today's test results. She simply kept placing food into his bowl. His father, Lin Jianguo, who sat beside her, ate in silence. After taking a bite of vegetables, he set down his chopsticks and said, "Teacher Zheng posted the results in the group just now. You improved a lot."

Lin Ye nodded. "My fist technique just made a bit of a breakthrough."

Honestly, he did not feel that he had made much of a breakthrough this time. He was ranked twenty-eighth in the class's Martial Arts Stream results. That score would not get him into a Martial Arts University, not even the most ordinary one.

Seeing that his son did not show much joy, Lin Jianguo fell silent for a moment. Then he stood, went into the bedroom, and took out a small box containing pale-blue Nutrient Agents. He placed it in front of Lin Ye. "Drink them on schedule. Don't try to save them."

"Dad, this..."

Lin Ye recognized them at once as Nutrient Agents sold by the Great Xia Martial Arts Association, with the relevant logo printed on the box. He had looked them up before. One box cost 3,000 yuan.

"If I tell you to drink them, drink them. Tell me when they're gone."

Lin Jianguo's tone brooked no argument. "Since you chose this path, you can't skimp on what needs to be invested. Your body is the capital you rely on to train in martial arts."

"Also, I'll transfer 2,000 yuan to your card every month. Eat something good at school."

Wang Xiulan softly echoed, "Little Ye, listen to your father."

Lin Ye froze for a moment. He looked at the determined eyes of his father, Lin Jianguo, then at his mother, Wang Xiulan. After a moment of silence, he no longer refused and solemnly accepted it. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."

"Mm. Eat."

Lin Jianguo picked up his chopsticks. "Remember to drink them on time from now on. And be careful during training. Don't get hurt."

"Mm."