Afternoon

Afternoon.

Linjiang No. 1 High School, Third Waiting Hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was even more oppressive than it had been that morning. The examinees who had passed the Blood Qi test were now either resting with their eyes closed, quietly discussing their experiences with the trials, or repeatedly stretching in their seats, hoping to keep their bodies in good condition.

The air was thick with a restless mix of tension, anticipation, and the urgency of the final push.

Lin Ye sat quietly in his assigned seat, his eyelids lowered as he rested with his eyes closed. The Spirit-Nurturing Stance circulated naturally within him, separating the clamor around him from his inner world and leaving him with a mind as still as an icy lake.

Even Wang Tao, who had been somewhat restless beside him, was infected by this calm and felt his mood settling.

A short while later, the trials began.

One batch of examinees after another was called in, and soon it was Lin Ye's turn.

"Examinees in Batch 15, please enter the preparation area!"

The announcement rang out, calling Lin Ye's batch.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, his gaze clear. He glanced at Wang Tao beside him and nodded before following the attendant into the examination hall and finding the Virtual Pod marked with his admission ticket number.

He lay inside, connected, and let his consciousness sink.

After a brief darkness and sensation of weightlessness, light appeared before his eyes.

He stood before a towering hexagonal pagoda that reached into the clouds. The ground was made of ancient stone, and an endless starry sky stretched all around them.

A prompt sounded by his ear, instructing him to enter the pagoda ahead.

Lin Ye followed the instructions and stepped inside. The scene shifted in an instant.

A hexagonal platform of blue stone appeared, surrounded by an endless expanse of pure white.

At the same time, a prompt sounded.

[First Trial, begin.]

The Virtual Martial Artist guarding the trial took shape. It was at the Early Body Tempering Stage and used an Entry Grade fist technique.

Looking at the phantom, Lin Ye didn't use any footwork. He simply stepped forward and landed a precise, powerful straight punch, shattering it.

[First Trial cleared, score: 80]

The prompt appeared, and then the scene refreshed.

In the second trial, another NPC warrior took shape. This time, however, it specialized not in fist techniques but in leg techniques—the Wind-Chasing Leg. Still, it was no match for him. Lin Ye shifted his footing slightly, easily dodged the kick, then struck the vital point at the warrior's neck with the edge of his palm. The phantom immediately dissipated.

[Second Trial cleared, score: 60 (total: 140)]

The scene refreshed. The third trial began.

The warrior who took shape this time was more agile than those in the first two trials, and its punches and kicks were coordinated and methodical. Even so, it was still no match for Lin Ye.

He used Mastery Grade Lost Track Steps, moving like a specter. After a few feints, he circled around to the warrior's flank and rear, then dispatched it with an easy knife-hand strike.

[Third Trial cleared, score: 40 (total: 180)]

The first three trials were a warm-up for his current level of strength.

When he reached the fourth trial, Lin Ye grew a little more serious.

After all, in the previous mock exam, this was where he had fallen—to the NPC guarding the trial.

In moments, the Guardian Phantom appeared, at the Late Body Tempering Stage.

This time, it had drawn Flowing Cloud Palm. The guardian's palm techniques were flowing and intricate, adept at defense and redirecting force.

Perhaps sensing how difficult Lin Ye would be to deal with, the Phantom Warrior took the initiative. Its palms blurred, flowing like elusive clouds, making its attacks hard to discern.

Lin Ye's lips curled slightly as Lost Track Steps unfolded beneath his feet.

Mastery Grade Lost Track Steps had gained a rudimentary ability to deceive the eye, letting him move like a specter. He swayed left, then right, making it difficult for the NPC warrior to tell where he would move next.

Then, when Lin Ye feinted to the left to mislead it, the NPC warrior's Flowing Cloud Palm struck empty air. In reality, Lin Ye had slid in from the right and closed in at its side. He clenched his fist, and like a boulder tumbling down, his punch sent the NPC stumbling back several steps, throwing off its rhythm and leaving an opening in its palm technique.

Lin Ye followed like a shadow, giving it no chance to catch its breath. A smooth combination of Rolling Stone Fist strikes hit the Phantom's vital points in quick succession.

The NPC warrior's phantom crumbled, and Lin Ye cleared the trial with ease.

[Fourth Trial cleared, score: 40 (total: 220)]

He reached the fifth trial.

The Guardian Phantom in this trial was still at the Late Body Tempering Stage, but its fist technique... or rather, its leg technique, had reached the Great Success Grade.

As soon as the Phantom Warrior finished taking shape, it attacked Lin Ye. Its legs moved swiftly, its offensive sharp and fierce.

Lin Ye didn't dare let his guard down. He set up the stance for Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist and met the attack steadily, weaving Lost Track Steps between his movements to evade the most vicious kicks.

This time, he no longer relied only on footwork to dodge. Instead, he began trying to combine the agility of Lost Track Steps with the solidity of Rolling Stone Fist, using his footwork to create openings and his fists to launch forceful attacks against the opponent's leg techniques. For a while, fist winds and leg shadows interwove across the platform, the sound of collisions ringing without pause.

The Phantom's leg techniques were fast, but under the disruption and deception of Lin Ye's Mastery Grade Lost Track Steps, their hit rate dropped sharply. Meanwhile, his punches grew heavier, and each strike made the Phantom Warrior's attacks falter. But the Phantom Warrior wasn't without a way to respond. Its Blood Qi Value began to climb, and Lin Ye sensed trouble.

So, after thirty exchanges, Lin Ye used the visual deception of Lost Track Steps to evade a fierce strike, then risked cutting in close. Seizing the opening when his opponent couldn't create distance in time, he unleashed a ferocious Advancing Crushing Fist and slammed it into the Phantom's chest.

The NPC flew backward. Lin Ye immediately chased after it, striking several times before it could regain its footing and beating it until it crumbled.

Fifth trial, cleared!

Although this trial had taken a little more effort, Lin Ye had still held the initiative.

But when he reached the sixth trial, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

The Guardian Phantom slowly took shape, its Blood Qi fluctuation clearly at the Peak Body Forging Stage. The pressure weighed heavily on Lin Ye, and he didn't dare let down his guard.

Fortunately, the NPC guarding the trial had drawn Rolling Stone Fist. Lin Ye had Great Success Grade technique against its Mastery Grade technique, giving him a slight advantage. But that advantage was forcibly canceled out by the opponent's Peak Body Tempering Stage strength. With their powerful fists clashing head-on, he might not be able to win.

The Phantom gave a low shout, stepped forward, and charged in with a punch. It sounded like rolling stones rumbling, its momentum even more ferocious than that of the previous guardians.

Lin Ye's gaze sharpened. He didn't dare be careless and met the attack with Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist.

Bang!

Their fists collided. Lin Ye's whole body shuddered as tremendous force surged up his arms, sending his Blood Qi churning and forcing him back two steps.

His opponent's strength was clearly greater than his. Even though Lin Ye's Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist had narrowed the gap, he still wasn't a match.

This was pure domination through Blood Qi Value.

With no other choice, Lin Ye could only use Lost Track Steps to keep the Phantom at bay.

Fortunately, his opponent was skilled in fist techniques but mediocre in footwork, much like Lin Ye had been before.

But with its strength advantage, the Phantom Warrior pressed its attack relentlessly. Rolling Stone Fist came in a series of punches, each heavier than the last, like real boulders thundering down a mountainside, unstoppable.

Seeing this, Lin Ye could only push Lost Track Steps to its limit. He shifted between real and feigned movements, repeatedly deceiving the eye as he dodged, redirected force, and circled his opponent. Every so often, he counterattacked, relying mostly on his superior level of fist technique to strike where the Phantom had to defend and break up its unrelenting barrage.