Understanding of Realms Beyond Cultivation, Martial Dao is Truly Great

As the NPC's Blood Qi Value rapidly increased, the pressure on Lin Ye grew heavier.

Every time they clashed, he was forced back—from one or two steps to several, from being able to trade blows head-on to being reduced to mere evasion. The situation was becoming increasingly dire.

In the face of absolute power, the room for technical maneuvering was compressed to the extreme.

Consequently, his evasion became difficult, yet even while suppressed, his Rolling Stone Fist maintained that fluid, "effortless" quality. His movements remained composed and orderly, which provided him with significant capital to stall for time.

"Good temperament."

A Reviewer Teacher commented, "Many students' forms fall apart the moment they hit adversity. For him to maintain his composure is truly not easy."

The battle reached a fever pitch. When the NPC's Blood Qi Value rose to 380, Lin Ye was completely suppressed. However, he still actively sought opportunities—a clever side-step to deflect force, a precise counter-strike to the ribs... Unfortunately, it was to no avail; it only slightly shook the NPC's body without causing much damage, while he himself suffered significant injury from the exchange.

"It's ending."

Teacher Chen watched the data, "His virtual body damage rate has already exceeded 60%. He won't last much longer."

Just then, the NPC's Blood Qi Value rose again, hitting 400. A heavy punch, like a falling meteorite, slammed toward Lin Ye.

Everyone thought Lin Ye would choose to retreat or deflect the blow, but he didn't.

In the projection, Lin Ye's eyes were resolute. Facing that punch, he gathered all his strength into his right fist and unleashed the most simple, unadorned straight punch!

"BOOM!!!"

The moment their fists collided, the entire Virtual Arena seemed to tremble.

On a data analysis screen in the Observation Area, the panel data fluctuated wildly—the instantaneous explosive power of Candidate 123's punch had reached 205% of his theoretical limit of 218 Blood Qi Value!

"This..."

The Reviewer Teachers widened their eyes, finding it hard to believe.

At the same time, inside the virtual space, Lin Ye was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the energy barrier. His virtual body suffered multiple fractures, his health points plummeted to a critical level, and his form dissipated.

[Fourth Stage, challenge failed]

The large red text caught his eye. Immediately after, the pod door slid open. Lin Ye sat up slowly. He didn't get out right away, instead savoring the feeling of that last strike.

In that strike, he felt as if he had touched upon something, but now, reflecting on it, it felt elusive and out of reach.

The Observation Area fell into a brief silence.

"218 Blood Qi Value, taking a full-force blow from 400 Blood Qi Value head-on."

Teacher Wang spoke slowly, "Although he lost, that punch of his..."

"Demonstrated a level of understanding that transcends his cultivation," Teacher Chen added, exclaiming, "That final punch must have touched upon the essence of the Rolling Stone Fist being 'Heavy as a Mountain.' If this were the real world, relying on that resolute momentum, the power of that punch could be even higher."

"So, how should we grade him?"

One of the Reviewer Teachers asked.

"How about a 39?"

Teacher Wang suggested. As the lead reviewer, he felt that given Lin Ye's performance—aside from the score cap imposed by the rules—they should give him as high a grade as possible.

The other Reviewer Teachers pondered for a moment and agreed that the lead reviewer's reasoning was sound.

"Agreed."

Teacher Chen nodded, "A student like this deserves a high score."

Perhaps it was because of the stunning performance by Lin Ye that the Reviewer Teachers' standards had been raised; as they watched the performances of candidates in other pods, they couldn't help but frown.

"This candidate, he clearly has Proficient Grade fist techniques, but why are his movements so stiff? Does he not know how to be flexible? Low score."

"And this one, he clearly has Mastery Grade fist techniques, but he insists on just dancing around. It was a situation that could have been solved by a direct clash, yet he chose to kite, and as a result, one careless move led to his defeat. Low score."

"This one too. Both have Mastery Grade fist techniques, don't you know how to fight for your life? Why not take down the opponent before the NPC's Blood Qi Value increases? So stupid. Low score."

It wasn't until they saw one particular student's performance that they felt something was worth watching.

In Pod 28, the youth with candidate number 138 moved as if every strike were precisely calculated; his force-generating angles, timing, and intensity were accurate to the point of being rigid.

During the third stage, he took exactly twelve moves to defeat the NPC—not because he lacked strength, but because every move was a test, a correction, an optimization.

"A theoretical martial artist."

Teacher Chen commented, "If this student finds the right mentor, he could go very far. But if he pursues perfection too blindly, he will suffer in real combat."

Sure enough, just as he predicted, when facing the NPC with its constantly increasing Blood Qi Value in the fourth stage, the youth was clearly flustered; his calculations couldn't keep up with the changes.

Fortunately, his Late Body Tempering Stage cultivation and his near-Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist gave him the foundation to cope. Coupled with his use of an Entry-Level Martial Art, he managed to narrowly defeat the NPC.

However, this method failed in the fifth stage. Facing an NPC with Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist, he couldn't effectively coordinate his own Rolling Stone Fist with his other Entry-Level Martial Art, and after several rounds, he was defeated with regret.

"His combat style needs tempering."

Watching the dissipating shadow of the youth, the lead reviewer, Teacher Wang, commented.

Inside the exam hall, Lin Ye sat in the pod, reflecting for a moment, before being reminded by a staff member: "Student, please go to the rest area over there. You cannot leave until everyone in this batch has finished testing."

Lin Ye nodded and followed the staff member's directions toward the rest area, where twenty or so people were already seated, most of them students from the same testing batch.

Wang Tao was among them, and upon seeing Lin Ye, he immediately waved him over: "Brother Ye, over here."

He walked over and sat down next to Wang Tao.

"How was it? How was it?" Wang Tao lowered his voice, unable to contain his impatience, "Brother Ye, which stage did you reach?"

"The fourth stage."

Lin Ye said simply.

"Awesome, I folded at the second stage..." Wang Tao sighed, "I felt like something was off the more I fought; the opponent's strength kept rising, and I just couldn't hold them off."

"Same here."

Lin Ye nodded, and just as he was about to say something, Zhang Zhen appeared at the entrance of the Rest Room. His gaze swept across the crowd, and his eyes lit up when he saw Lin Ye, then he walked toward the two of them.

"How did it go?"

Lin Ye asked.

"Eh, it was alright, I suppose." Zhang Zhen sat in an empty seat nearby and gave a wry smile, "The NPC in the fifth stage is too strong; I couldn't last more than a few moves against it."

"The fifth stage?"

Hearing this, Wang Tao's eyes widened, "Brother Zhang, you're too fierce, the fifth stage, man."

"It's not as impressive as you imagine. If your Blood Qi Value was also over 400 and your fist technique had reached Mastery Grade, you should be able to reach the fifth stage as well."

"However, once you reach the fifth stage, you'll find that the opponent's strength has leveled up again. The Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist is still too powerful, and I'm still lacking a bit."

Zhang Zhen shook his head, "Plus, the NPC is very agile. My fighting style was countered by it, and I could only defend blindly."

"That's still better than me."

"One at the fourth stage, one at the fifth."

Wang Tao whispered, his tone filled with envy.

Hearing this, a thoughtful Zhang Zhen looked at Lin Ye: "How did the fourth stage feel?"

"Difficult!"

Lin Ye considered his phrasing, "It was manageable at the start, but the pressure increased the further I went, and eventually, I couldn't hold on anymore." Hearing Lin Ye say this, Zhang Zhen speculated: "It seems the NPC's Blood Qi Value increases dynamically, adjusting the difficulty based on the candidate's performance."

"No wonder."

As the three chatted, Li Weiwei appeared at the entrance. She looked more relaxed than Zhang Zhen, though there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

"Sister Weiwei!"

At this moment, a surprised cry drew everyone's attention. Zhou Qian ran over from the other side, her swaying figure quite eye-catching, and she asked in a low voice, "Which stage did you reach?"

"The fifth stage."

Li Weiwei scanned the area and then sat down next to Lin Ye and the others, "The NPC in the fifth stage is too agile; I was still just a bit short."

"The fifth stage, and you were just a bit short?"

Zhou Qian exclaimed in a low voice, her eyes shimmering with admiration, "As expected of our class monitor. Sister Weiwei, your score must be very high then."

"That depends on how the Reviewer Teacher evaluates it."

Li Weiwei responded with a smile and looked at Lin Ye and Zhang Zhen, "What about you two?"

"The fourth stage."

"The fifth stage."

Li Weiwei nodded without asking for further details, then took a bottle of mineral water from the side and sipped it slowly to replenish her energy.

The group chatted idly, waiting for time to pass.

Soon, as time ticked by, the number of people in the Rest Area increased. Ten minutes later, all students in the third batch had finished their tests, and the indicator lights on all Virtual Pods in the Examination Area turned yellow, signaling standby mode.

At this point, a staff member walked to the front of the Rest Area: "All students in the third batch, the tests have concluded. You may all leave now. Additionally, for those who passed the third stage this afternoon, you will receive new exam numbers tonight. Remember to use the new numbers to log in tomorrow."

Hearing this, the crowd began to move.

Lin Ye also stood up and walked toward the entrance.

"Going back to the classroom?"

Seeing Lin Ye head for the door, Wang Tao asked.

"No, I'm going to the Martial Arts Hall."

Lin Ye smiled.

"Still training? Not taking a break today?"

Wang Tao was somewhat shocked.

"I'm used to it."

Wang Tao shook his head: "You really are..."

Zhang Zhen nodded and said: "I'll go with you. After this actual combat, I feel there are some issues I need to verify."

Li Weiwei stood up: "I'll go too. There are some feelings from today's fight that I want to explore further."

"Then I'm going too."

Zhou Qian also came over, joining in the fun.

Wang Tao watched this scene in shock, speechless yet filled with envy.

Martial arts are truly great!