Maybe the Nutrient Agents Were Absorbed Well

"Class Five, Zhang Hao—124."

"Class Five, Wang Tao—166."

In the tests that followed, Lin Ye heard Zhang Hao and Wang Tao's Blood Qi Values. They were not high, but their rankings among the liberal arts candidates were still fairly decent.

Very soon, it was Class Six's turn.

"Class Six, Chen Mo—303!"

Late Body Tempering Stage!

This figure was quite impressive. At the very least, after Lin Ye had heard the test results of everyone in Class Six, he found that Chen Mo's Blood Qi Value ranked among the top ten in the class.

The testing ended at eleven in the morning. Once everyone had finished, the Director of Academic Affairs compiled the preliminary data, and the Principal announced from the podium, "In this Blood Qi test, the school average was 257, an increase of 3.2% from last time. The school will pay special attention to students who have made remarkable progress. The Virtual Combat test begins at one thirty this afternoon. Dismissed!"

As the crowd dispersed, the Class Five students were still immersed in the shock Lin Ye had brought them.

"Lin Ye, how did you do it?"

A classmate who usually did not speak much in the Martial Arts Hall edged over and asked cautiously.

"Just normal training. Maybe I absorbed the Nutrient Agents well."

Lin Ye answered simply.

The hell kind of answer is that, absorbed the Nutrient Agents well!

The student grumbled inwardly, then gave a wry smile. "My family bought me Nutrient Agents over the past year too, but I only gained ten to fifteen points a month."

At that moment, Zhou Qian squeezed her way over. "Lin Ye, Lin Ye, can you share your training plan? I'll pay for it."

"There's no special plan. I just train two extra hours every day."

"And if there is anything else, it's to practice Stake Training more."

Lin Ye said helplessly. He was indeed telling the truth—the panel merely allowed him to see his progress; it had not directly increased his strength. Every single point of Blood Qi had been earned through solid, honest training.

The school's Martial Arts Pavilion, the Martial Arts training room in his residential complex late at night, even the occasional corner of the school—over the past month, he had become a frequent visitor to all of them.

"Just train more every day?"

Zhou Qian did not quite believe him. Then, hearing Lin Ye mention Stake Training, she suddenly covered her little mouth, as if she had understood something.

"I get it. Anyway, I... can't do that."

"You're still amazing, Lin Ye. I'll treat you to milk tea next time."

Zhou Qian stuck out her tongue, her smile sweet.

Seeing that they truly could not get anything more out of him, the crowd surrounding Lin Ye gradually dispersed. Once the people around him had scattered, Lin Ye let out a breath of relief. He checked the time—it was only a little past eleven. After giving it some thought, he headed toward the second floor.

There was still an hour until lunch. He might as well use the time to train some more.

One thirty in the afternoon.

Third floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Fifty Virtual Combat Pods stood in five rows, ten pods per row. The indicator lights on their surfaces were dim and unlit, while the pods emitted a low operational hum. A faint scent of ozone and metal coolant permeated the air.

As part of the city's unified Martial Dao simulation training, the school had clearly spared no expense. These Virtual Pods maintained a simulation fidelity of around seventy percent. Although they could not fully replicate the delicate sensation of Blood Qi surging in reality, the force of every blow landing on flesh was enough to let these underage third-year students feel the brutality of battle.

In addition, after a round of drawing lots, more than four hundred third-year examinees were divided into eight batches by examination number, with fifty students in each batch. They would enter the Virtual Combat test in turns.

Lin Ye's examination number placed him in the third batch. For now, he waited in the waiting area, where a large display screen showed the candidates' progress and finishing times in real time.

There was also a monitoring area on the fourth floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion, which had currently been converted into an Observation Area. Several Reviewer Teachers from other schools sat there. They were core Martial Dao instructors selected by the Bureau of Education from key high schools across the city, responsible for independently scoring Third High School's students based on their combat performance.

"First batch of candidates, enter your assigned pods according to your examination numbers!"

The Chief Referee's voice echoed through the Examination Area via the loudspeakers. Fifty students, each wearing a different expression, walked toward their respective Virtual Pods. The pod doors slid open, revealing the somewhat cramped spaces inside.

A moment later, the doors closed, and the indicator lights turned green.

Virtual Combat had begun.

In the Observation Area, the large screen displayed the battle footage of all fifty students in separate windows. At this moment, most were still on the first stage, steadily advancing through the second. A few were stuck on the third stage, and only a handful had reached the fourth.

"Candidate Number 24 has cleared the fourth stage and is challenging the fifth!"

A teacher called out a notable performance.

Upon hearing this, a Reviewer Teacher leaned over to watch. He saw a young man with a faintly arrogant expression steadily suppressing the fifth-stage NPC in the Virtual Arena, looking quite relaxed and at ease. He had likely reached the Peak Body Forging Stage to be able to dominate so thoroughly.

"What a pity. His Rolling Stone Fist is still lacking a bit of refinement; it doesn't have that perfectly rounded essence."

The Reviewer Teacher said regretfully.

"What's there to regret? You can tell his family has money. Getting the Rolling Stone Fist to mastery is already more than respectable."

Another Reviewer Teacher took one look and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

After all, as a foundational Martial Art, the Rolling Stone Fist had no grade and focused only on broad applicability. Thus, children from wealthy families generally switched to other Martial Arts after cultivating the Rolling Stone Fist to mastery.

Those were the methods needed to deal with the Ranking Tournament, as well as the basic path to gaining admission into a top Martial Arts University.

"That's true."

The Reviewer Teacher nodded, agreeing with his colleague.

At the same time, the arrogant young man on the screen had forced the NPC to the edge of the arena. Then, with a simple straight punch, he blasted the fifth-stage NPC off the platform.

"Fifth stage cleared. He's entered the sixth stage."

A low murmur of admiration rose among the Reviewer Teachers in the Observation Area.

"That boy is strong, truly impressive. He's about on par with Liu Yuanhang from our school."

"His foundation is indeed solid. He has a chance of clearing the sixth stage."

Not long after, as the second batch of students was called to prepare for entry, Lin Ye saw Chen Mo rise to his feet. Though he did not know the other's examination number, it was presumably among them.

Observation Area.

"Here comes another promising seedling."

One Reviewer Teacher called out, and the other Reviewer Teachers turned to look as well.

"Pod 41." The Reviewer Teacher surnamed Chen pointed. "This female candidate, Number 57, is quite special."

On the screen, a girl with a high ponytail was circling the fourth-stage NPC. Her Rolling Stone Fist had clearly incorporated a nimble movement technique. Like a mountain stream flowing around rocks, it appeared light and agile, yet concealed force beneath the surface.

"It's her." Teacher Wang recognized her, but due to the rules, he could not say her name outright. "She's one of Third High School's top students. From the look of it, she has integrated the D-Grade Martial Art Flowing Water Steps into it, blending the nimble force of Flowing Water Steps with the steadiness of the Rolling Stone Fist to form a style of her own."

"Creative."

Another Reviewer Teacher praised her. "What Martial Dao fears most is mindless repetition. Being able to meld techniques together is a good thing."

"Judging by her form, clearing the fourth stage should be beyond doubt."

"It depends on what she uses to deal with the fifth stage."

A Reviewer Teacher surnamed Chen commented.