The Competition Ends, Zheng Huai Makes Inquiries

The first round of the competition ended, but the second round did not begin immediately.

Lin Ye sat on the rock-textured arena for a long time before the second round finally commenced.

The scene shifted.

When Lin Ye opened his eyes again, the arena had changed to a forest environment with sparse trees and soft ground. His opponent appeared ten meters away—a tall, thin boy who manifested a long saber, holding it horizontally while watching him cautiously.

At the same time, the countdown in mid-air hit zero.

Seeing the opponent adopt a defensive stance, Lin Ye took a deep breath and chose to take the initiative.

An inch longer is an inch stronger.

With gauntlets against a long saber, he was at a disadvantage in terms of reach.

The fact that his opponent didn't attack first was actually a good thing for him.

However, as soon as they clashed, Lin Ye felt the opponent's strength. Judging by the vibrations generated during their exchange, the opponent was likely at the Late Body Tempering Stage, but having only recently entered it. His Blood Qi Value was likely just over 300, lacking the oppressive pressure of someone with 350 or 400.

Determining this was indeed a good thing for him. Furthermore, during their collision, he discovered that while the opponent's saber technique was solid, it clearly lacked the tempering of real combat, showing tiny pauses whenever he changed moves.

These pauses might not pose a threat to an average person, but the fluid attacks of a Master-level fist technique magnified this weakness.

Relying on the coherence and fluidity of his Master-level fist technique, Lin Ye pressed forward, engaging in constant close-quarters combat. During a gap when the opponent was catching his breath, he took a risky step into the inner circle—a dangerous move, as being grazed by the blade would leave his virtual body severely injured.

But the good news was, he succeeded.

Before the opponent could react, he slammed a heavy punch into the opponent's ribs, and under the effect of the metal gauntlets, the opponent's virtual bones shattered.

The opponent let out a muffled groan, and his saber stance fell into disarray.

Seeing this, Lin Ye pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of punches with maximum aggression.

"Pfft—"

Struck repeatedly by Lin Ye, the opponent coughed up blood, his body flying backward as the long saber slipped from his grasp.

[Victory decided]

[Winner: Candidate No. 46]

After a bitter struggle, Lin Ye wiped away non-existent cold sweat, a hint of joy on his face. Having won two consecutive matches, he figured his ranking points were now quite secure.

Just as he was feeling pleased, thinking his luck was quite good, his luck seemed to reach its end in the next match.

"Third round matching begins."

With a flash of white light, Lin Ye found himself in a secluded bamboo forest.

On the other side of the clearing stood a tall, well-built boy holding a silver spear. The tip of the spear pointed diagonally toward the ground, and his entire being radiated a sharp, icy aura.

He immediately felt that things were looking bad.

He stomped his foot and lunged straight at his opponent, attempting to close the distance between them.

However, he was fast, but his opponent was faster.

The boy took a step forward, his spear moving like a dragon as he thrust it toward Lin Ye, fully utilizing the advantage of his long-range weapon.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted. He barely managed to dodge sideways, but the spear tip grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody trail. At this moment, the 50% pain feedback made the wound burn with intense pain.

Before he could adjust, the second strike arrived.

This time it was a sweep, the shaft of the spear whistling through the air as it aimed for his waist.

Seeing this, Lin Ye, unable to dodge in time, could only sink his waist and plant his feet, intending to take the blow head-on with his fists.

"Bang!"

Fist and spear collided, producing a crisp sound of impact.

At the same time, a massive force traveled through his fists. Lin Ye stumbled back several steps until he leaned against a thick bamboo stalk, barely managing to stop his momentum.

His arm went numb, and for a moment, he couldn't muster any strength.

What heavy power!

This person's Blood Qi Value was definitely over 380.

Lin Ye sighed inwardly, a bitter smile on his face; he understood that he likely wouldn't be able to get past this match.

Before he could dwell on it, accompanied by the sound of air being torn, the opponent's third strike arrived, thrusting straight at his throat.

The angle was tricky and the speed was extremely fast, giving him no time to react at all.

Lin Ye gritted his teeth, forcing his strength to the limit. He pushed his Master-level fist technique to the extreme, using "Rolling Stone Crushing Peak" to clash head-on with the spear tip.

"Clang—!"

Gauntlet and spear tip collided, sending sparks flying.

Lin Ye narrowly blocked the move, but the cost was that his entire right arm went numb, and the damage rate of his virtual body instantly jumped to 40%.

At this moment, the opponent was clearly surprised, seemingly not expecting Lin Ye to block the strike. The spear's momentum stalled for a fraction of a second, but it was only for an instant before the fourth strike followed.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The spear tip carved three afterimages into the air, thrusting toward Lin Ye once more.

In that split second between life and death, Lin Ye chose to defend against the upper afterimage, never expecting the real spear tip to strike from the center, aiming straight for his heart.

"Puchi!"

In an instant, Lin Ye's figure dissipated.

[Winner decided]

[Loser: Candidate No. 46]

As his vision went black, the last thing Lin Ye saw was the opponent retracting his spear and turning away—cold, composed, as if he had just performed a trivial task.

A moment later, the No. 13 Virtual Pod emitted a low hum, the hatch slid open, and Lin Ye slowly sat up.

The pain of his virtual body being pierced still lingered in his nerve endings, especially the icy sensation of the spear passing through his heart, which felt too vivid to be virtual. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

After a while, he managed to adjust his state, stood up to leave, and glanced around, noticing that many candidates' Virtual Pods were already empty, their indicator lights having turned from green to gray.

Since all eligible candidates from Third High School were participating together this time, there was no designated rest area like yesterday; they could leave immediately after finishing. Walking out of the exam hall and through the somewhat empty corridor, he saw a familiar figure at the corner of the stairs.

"Teacher Zheng?"

At the corner, Lin Ye paused slightly, not expecting to see him here.

An intuition told him that the teacher was waiting there specifically for him.

"Finished? Come to my office and sit for a while."

Hearing this, Zheng Huai turned around, nodded upon seeing Lin Ye, his expression calm, yet his eyes revealing an unquestionable concern.

Lin Ye followed him.

Zheng Huai's office was at the end of the third-floor corridor with the door left ajar. He pushed the door open and entered, with Lin Ye following behind and gently closing the door after them.

"Sit."

Zheng Huai pointed to the chair opposite his desk, then walked to the water dispenser by the window, poured two cups of water, and handed one to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye took it; the water temperature was just right.

"How did you do?"

Zheng Huai asked straight to the point.

"It was alright, I suppose."

Lin Ye didn't know how to put it; after all, he had been one-shot in the third round, and being reminded of it now brought a lingering sense of shame.

"How exactly? Which round did you reach?"

Zheng Huai's expression remained unchanged as he pressed for details.

"I reached the third round and lost."

Lin Ye answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Zheng Huai didn't say anything: "What was the opponent's style?"

"He used a spear."

"What was your impression of his spear technique?"

"Fast, cold, like... he's practiced the real thing."

Zheng Huai nodded without asking for further details. He leaned back in his chair and studied Lin Ye: "How did you do on the second day of the challenge?"

"Uh, the fourth stage."

"The NPC in that stage was too strong; with its power constantly increasing, I couldn't beat it."

The office suddenly fell silent for a few seconds, and for some reason, Lin Ye felt like he was quite mediocre.

Even though he felt he had performed decently this time.

But a few seconds later, Zheng Huai suddenly smiled—not a loud laugh, but a faint, gratified smile—and said softly: "That's enough."

Lin Ye looked up, somewhat stunned.

"What, do you think I have very high expectations of you?"

Seeing Lin Ye's stunned expression, Zheng Huai chuckled, "At your current level, reaching the fourth stage and making it to the third round of the Ranking Tournament is already very satisfying to me."