On the morning of the third day, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the third floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion, bathing the waiting area in bright light.
Compared with yesterday's combat test, the atmosphere today was noticeably more grim.
From the waiting area, Lin Ye looked around. The school had originally had several hundred students, but only fifty or sixty had ultimately qualified to stand here and compete in the "Citywide Ranking Tournament." It was truly brutal.
"Heard the news?"
Zhang Zhen, seated beside him, said, "They've changed the matching system for this Ranking Tournament. It's no longer completely random."
"How so?"
Lin Ye was a little curious.
"In the first round, they'll try to match you with opponents of similar strength to keep seeded competitors from being eliminated too early. But starting in the second round, it'll be completely random. If you're unlucky, you could run into a monster like Chu Tiange right off the bat."
Lin Ye nodded. The rules sounded fairly reasonable: they ensured a certain degree of fairness while allowing the truly strong to advance further.
"Do you know if any of the other schools in the city have particularly formidable students?"
At that moment, a boy cut in with the question.
"I heard First High School has a student nicknamed Mad Blade. They say his Blood Qi is about the same as Chu Tiange's, nearing the 500-point limit. And apparently, in yesterday afternoon's Challenge Tournament, he made it to the seventh stage, nearly tying First High School's record."
Another boy spoke up, his voice tinged with awe.
"I've also heard Second High School has someone called Lei Meng."
Someone else joined the discussion. "They say his Racing Thunder Blade moves as fast as thunder, and he fights ferociously. Everyone who's fought him says it was like getting struck by lightning."
"And there's more! Fourth High School has a terrifying girl named Han Qingyue. They say she's even trained an Entry-Level Martial Art to Great Success. Her Blood Qi Value is only a little over 400, but her combat strength is frightening."
"I heard Liu Yuanhang from Fifth High School is pretty impressive too. They say he's well-rounded."
Everyone chimed in, one after another, bringing up names and sketching out a picture of the strongest Martial Arts Students among Linjiang District's graduating class.
Lin Ye found the discussion quite interesting. He'd spent all his time muddling along in the liberal arts track before, and had never imagined a student could be this strong in their final year of high school. Today, he was finally getting a glimpse of it.
As everyone murmured among themselves, the broadcast in the waiting area suddenly came on:
"Attention, all examinees. The Martial Dao Ranking Tournament system is about to begin. Please get ready. The rules for this Ranking Tournament are as follows."
"First, weapon manifestation is allowed. You may choose a weapon according to your martial skill specialty; you are no longer limited to basic martial skills. Second, pain feedback has been adjusted to 50%. Please proceed with caution. Third, the scoring criteria have changed. The Ranking Tournament will award points for wins only. Winners will receive points; losers will not. There will no longer be additional performance evaluation points."
"So, give it everything you have and seize the final victory!"
As soon as the rules were announced, a considerable commotion broke out in the waiting area.
"What? No performance points?"
"These rules are much harsher than last time. They gave out performance points last time!"
"I'm doomed. Please let me get a weaker opponent. I don't want to be eliminated in the first round."
"Wait, they've increased the pain feedback by a lot, too."
The crowd reacted strongly, and most felt this tournament would be even more brutal.
But the Martial Dao had always been like this: there was only first place, never second.
"Weapons... finally."
Zhang Zhen gave a soft laugh, seeming much more relaxed. "At last, I don't have to fight with just my fists."
Li Weiwei, beside him, said coolly, "But most people are still more familiar with fist techniques. Switching weapons at the last minute will only do more harm than good."
Lin Ye didn't join the discussion. He closed his eyes and quietly adjusted his state, waiting for the staff to direct them.
A short while later, staff members arrived and led everyone in the waiting area to the newly prepared Examination Area.
"System calibration is complete. Examinees, please enter the Virtual Pod corresponding to your exam number."
A staff member shouted loudly.
At that moment, the doors of all the Virtual Pods slid open at once. Lin Ye checked his exam number and walked toward Pod 13. He seemed to have a connection with the number 13; the randomly assigned pod was 13 again.
As he lay down inside, he found the padding more comfortable than yesterday's, and the helmet didn't press down uncomfortably when it lowered.
[Identity verification successful] [Virtual fidelity setting: 70%] [Pain feedback: 50%] [Weapon system: Unlocked] [Preparing to connect...]
His vision went black, then came into focus again.
It was no longer yesterday's ring. Though the arena was still a ten-meter-diameter circle, the ground had a rough, rocky texture, and the virtual spectator stands surrounding it were still empty.
Lin Ye looked down at his hands. A system prompt appeared:
[Please select your initial weapon form] [Fist guards/Blade/Sword/Spear/Staff/Other]
As expected, he chose fist guards, since Rolling Stone Fist was the only technique he knew.
A pair of dark silver metal fist guards gradually took shape on his hands. They were a comfortable weight, with flexible hinges at the joints.
At the same time, a blurry figure began to form at the other end of the arena. That was his opponent.
The figure gradually came into focus. It looked like an average-built boy, who had also chosen fist guards.
They faced each other from five meters apart, though neither could see the other's face. He'd heard that the system blurred their features, leaving them able to see only their opponent's general outline and weapon.
A countdown appeared in the air above the arena: 3, 2, 1—
Begin!
His opponent charged first, his steps steady and his guard textbook-perfect.
Lin Ye didn't rush to meet him. Instead, he observed him first. Judging by his guard, his opponent seemed to use Rolling Stone Fist as well, but the details of his opening stance suggested he was still at Mastery Grade. He hadn't broken through to Great Success like Lin Ye.
After three probing exchanges, Lin Ye had a good read on him.
It really was a Mastery Grade fist technique. His Blood Qi Value was probably a little higher than Lin Ye's, but he hadn't reached the Late Body Tempering Stage.
That meant he'd be easy to handle.
Lin Ye stopped holding back and unleashed his Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist, executing its various moves with effortless ease.
"Stone Turning Wind Following" flowed into "Rolling Stone Charge." His fists struck in a continuous stream. His opponent was clearly taken aback, only now realizing Lin Ye had been deliberately hiding his strength. He hurriedly tried to block, but Lin Ye's combinations were too fast and his angles too tricky for someone at Mastery Grade to fully defend against.
On the tenth move, Lin Ye used a feint to draw his opponent's guard aside, then slipped in from the side and rammed his shoulder into the other boy's chest.
"Bam!"
His opponent flew backward and crashed to the ground five meters away.
Lin Ye followed close behind and landed a finishing blow.
[Victory or defeat decided] [Winner: Examinee No. 46]
The battle ended faster than he'd expected.
From his opponent's blurred, dissolving face, Lin Ye could make out an unmistakably shocked expression. He guessed the other boy hadn't expected to lose so quickly—or to run into an opponent with Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist in the first round of the Ranking Tournament.
Too bad. That was reality.
Before you continue