Ranking Tournament Begins

Day four.

The final day of the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam: the Ranking Tournament.

At 8:35 AM, Lin Ye arrived at Linjiang No. 1 High School.

Unlike the bustling, noisy scene from yesterday, the waiting hall was empty and desolate today.

Following yesterday's screening, less than a quarter of the original examinees remained to stand here for the Ranking Tournament. Only about a hundred students were sparsely scattered across the vast hall, and a much heavier, more competitive atmosphere permeated the air.

Those who had made it this far were all qualified candidates who had met the Blood Qi Value requirements and cleared the third stage of yesterday's challenge. Every person's eyes held a mix of caution and fighting spirit.

Glancing at the empty hall, Lin Ye intended to find a seat and wait quietly for the exam to begin. As his gaze swept across the room, he spotted a few familiar faces from his school, including his classmates Zhou Qian and Zhao Qiang. However, Zhao Qiang was sitting with his eyes closed, focusing on his own state and ignoring everyone around him. Zhou Qian, on the other hand, was whispering to another girl, her expression noticeably more relaxed than the day before; it seemed she was satisfied with her results from yesterday.

Just then, she seemed to sense someone scanning her.

She looked up and realized it was Lin Ye. After hesitating for a moment and whispering a few more words to the girl, she walked over to him.

"Lin Ye."

Zhou Qian lowered her voice, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of imperceptible nervousness. "Yesterday... exactly which stage did you reach? You didn't reply when I asked you later."

She had seen several people tagging Lin Ye in the group chat yesterday and had sent him a private message as well, but Lin Ye had never responded.

Lin Ye glanced at her without answering immediately.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian perhaps understood something and pursed her lips. "Don't keep me in suspense. I'm not a blabbermouth like Zhang Zhen. Besides, the Ranking Tournament has already started today; knowing yesterday's results won't change anything. My mindset is fine—at worst, I'll still get into a regular martial arts university. It doesn't matter."

Although she claimed it didn't matter, the curiosity in her eyes could not be hidden.

Lin Ye thought about it and decided Zhou Qian had a point. Furthermore, she wasn't usually the type to be loud or dramatic like Zhang Zhen, so he lowered his voice and said, "The sixth stage."

"The sixth..."

Zhou Qian repeated the words subconsciously, then her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, as if she had heard something incredible. "You reached the sixth stage?! Is that for real? Don't lie to me. I thought you, at most, stopped at the fifth stage just like me!"

Her voice rose slightly, drawing glances from nearby students. She quickly covered her mouth, but the shock in her eyes remained undiminished.

Because she had only reached the fifth stage yesterday and had been defeated after a long, bitter struggle, she knew exactly how difficult the fifth stage was. As for the sixth... she didn't even dare to imagine what it was like to face an opponent at the Peak Body Forging Stage.

Yet now, Lin Ye, whose Blood Qi Value was only 335, had already experienced it.

For a moment, her emotions were incredibly complex.

Seeing Zhou Qian's reaction, Lin Ye knew she needed time to process it, so he said no more. He simply nodded at her, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing, making final preparations for the upcoming Ranking Tournament.

Zhou Qian stood nearby, watching Lin Ye's calm profile, the ripples in her heart refusing to settle. The sixth stage... this classmate who used to be so unremarkable in class had, without her noticing, already left her behind. Even though she had prepared herself for this, now that the day had truly arrived, she still found it somewhat difficult to accept.

With complex feelings, she stepped back a few paces and followed Lin Ye's example, closing her eyes to meditate. She tried to cast aside these complicated emotions, but the words "sixth stage" kept echoing in her mind.

At 8:55 AM, the broadcast in the waiting hall sounded.

"Attention all candidates: please follow the instructions on your admission tickets, proceed to your respective examination zones, and log into the Virtual Combat System. The Ranking Tournament is about to begin. Repeating... please pay attention, candidates..."

Upon receiving the notification, the candidates in the hall began to move.

Lin Ye opened his eyes and looked down at the admission ticket in his hand: Third Examination Zone, Virtual Pod 17. The Third Examination Zone was located in a classroom on the east side of the hall, where over a dozen high-end virtual pods were neatly arranged. Lin Ye found Virtual Pod 17 and entered his admission ticket information. The pod door slid open, and he lay inside.

The environment inside the pod was similar to the Illusion Tower from yesterday, but it was more focused on combat simulation. He put on the helmet and connected his consciousness.

"Candidate Lin Ye, identity verification... passed."

"Connecting to the Nanjiang City Martial Arts College Entrance Exam Ranking Tournament dedicated network..."

"Welcome to the Qingjiang Province Martial Arts Ranking Tournament. The first round of combat is about to begin. Matching..."

After a brief moment of darkness, Lin Ye appeared on a standard circular arena, approximately twenty meters in diameter.

Opposite him, the figure of a sturdy, nervous-looking boy quickly solidified. The pressure from his Blood Qi was not strong; Lin Ye estimated his cultivation was around 270. He was likely one of those average candidates who had luckily passed the third stage.

A moment later, as the boy's figure fully solidified, the countdown in mid-air hit zero.

The battle began!

The sturdy boy was somewhat nervous, but as the countdown hit zero, he let out a low shout and lunged toward Lin Ye, unleashing the Rolling Stone Fist. His fist whistled through the air, and his stance was quite standard; judging by the details, his mastery of the fist technique was likely near the Proficient level.

But this level of strength appeared quite pale in Lin Ye's eyes.

However, Lin Ye did not underestimate his opponent. Adhering to the philosophy of a lion using its full strength even when hunting a rabbit, he side-stepped to dodge the attack. His right hand shot out like lightning, a precise hand-blade striking the side of the opponent's neck, which had been exposed by his forward momentum.

"Bang!"

The boy's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. His virtual figure swayed, and he felt his vision go black. The next second, a fist the size of a sandbag filled his view.

[First round, victory.]

A moment later, the system prompt appeared, concise and clear.

Seeing this, Lin Ye's expression remained calm as he waited for the next match.

Soon, the second round was matched.

This time, his opponent was a tall, thin boy whose aura felt significantly stronger than the sturdy boy from the first round.

As soon as they clashed, Lin Ye felt the solidity of the opponent's power. He was indeed stronger than the boy from the previous round, but his strength was still inferior to Lin Ye's; his Blood Qi Value was likely just over 300.

However, this boy used the Flowing Cloud Palm. His palm technique was dense and fluid, showing signs of reaching the Great Success stage. Facing Lin Ye's Rolling Stone Fist, he attempted to use softness to overcome hardness, trying to lock down Lin Ye's offense.

But Lin Ye's offense was not so easily contained. With his Perfect-level Rolling Stone Fist, his fist force was condensed and seamless, and his moves came naturally, even more fluidly than the boy's palm technique.

The tall, thin boy tried to deflect Lin Ye's fist force, but he could never fully dissipate it. Most of the time, he was instead shaken by Lin Ye's power, causing his Blood Qi to churn.

After ten moves, Lin Ye caught a tiny gap in the boy's breathing. With a straight, piercing punch aimed at the center, he broke through the hasty defense of the Flowing Cloud Palm and struck the boy in the chest, instantly neutralizing his combat capability.

[Second round, victory.]