Ranking Tournament Begins

Day Four.

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

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

Unlike yesterday's bustling scene, the waiting hall was now spacious and quiet.

After yesterday's screening, fewer than a quarter of the original candidates remained to compete in today's Ranking Tournament. Just over a hundred were scattered across the vast hall, and the air was thick with an even heavier sense of competition.

Everyone who had made it this far had met the Blood Qi requirement and passed the third round yesterday. Caution and fighting spirit shone in every candidate's eyes.

After glancing around the empty hall, Lin Ye looked for a seat where he could 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. Zhao Qiang had his eyes closed, resting and ignoring everyone around him. Zhou Qian, on the other hand, was speaking quietly with another girl. She seemed more relaxed than yesterday; it looked as though she was fairly satisfied with her results in yesterday's rounds.

Just then, she seemed to notice someone looking her way.

She looked up and saw Lin Ye. After hesitating for a moment, she quietly said something to the girl beside her, then walked over.

"Lin Ye."

Zhou Qian lowered her voice. Curiosity and a trace of barely perceptible nervousness flickered in her eyes. "Yesterday... which round did you make it to, exactly? I messaged you afterward, but you never replied."

The day before, she had seen several people @Lin Ye in the group chat. She had also sent him a private message, but Lin Ye hadn't replied.

Lin Ye glanced at her but didn't answer right away.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qian seemed to understand. She pursed her lips. "Come on, don't keep me in suspense. I'm not a blabbermouth like Zhang Zhen. Besides, the Ranking Tournament starts today, so knowing yesterday's result won't change anything. I've got a good mindset. Even if things go badly, I can still get into an ordinary Martial University. I don't mind."

Though she said she didn't mind, she couldn't hide her curiosity.

Lin Ye thought about it. Zhou Qian had a point, and she wasn't the sort to make a fuss like Zhang Zhen sometimes did. So he lowered his voice and said, "The sixth round."

"The sixth..."

Zhou Qian repeated the words without thinking. Then her eyes flew wide and her mouth fell open, as if she'd heard something unbelievable. "You made it to the sixth round?! For real? Don't mess with me. I thought you'd stop at the fifth, just like me!"

Her voice rose without her realizing it, drawing a few glances from nearby. She quickly covered her mouth, but the shock in her eyes remained.

She had only made it to the fifth round yesterday, where she had fought hard for a long time before losing. She knew just how difficult it was. And the sixth round... she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to face an opponent at the Peak Body Forging Stage.

But Lin Ye, with a Blood Qi Value of only 335, had already experienced it.

For a moment, her feelings were a tangled mess.

Seeing Zhou Qian's reaction, Lin Ye knew she needed time to take it in. He said nothing more, simply nodded at her, then closed his eyes and began regulating his breathing, making his final preparations for the coming Ranking Tournament.

Standing beside him, Zhou Qian watched his composed profile, but the turmoil inside her refused to settle. The sixth round... This classmate, who had once been so unremarkable, had somehow left her behind. She had already prepared herself for this possibility, but now that it had actually happened, she still found it hard to accept.

With complicated feelings, she stepped away and copied Lin Ye, closing her eyes to rest and trying to push those feelings aside. But the words "the sixth round" kept echoing in her mind.

At 8:55 a.m., the waiting hall's loudspeaker blared.

"All candidates, please pay attention. Follow the instructions on your admission ticket and proceed to your assigned Examination Area to log in to the Virtual Combat System. The Ranking Tournament is about to begin. Repeat... All candidates, please pay attention..."

At the announcement, the candidates in the hall began moving.

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 in a classroom on the east side of the hall, where more than a dozen advanced Virtual Pods stood in neat rows. Lin Ye found Pod 17, entered the details from his admission ticket, and climbed inside when the hatch slid open.

The interior resembled yesterday's Illusion Tower, but was more focused on simulated combat. He put on the helmet and connected his consciousness.

"Candidate Lin Ye, verifying identity... verified."

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

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

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

Across from him, the figure of a stocky, nervous-looking boy quickly took shape. His Blood Qi pressure wasn't strong. Lin Ye estimated his cultivation to be around 270; he was probably an ordinary candidate who had only just managed to pass the third round.

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

The match began!

The stocky boy was somewhat nervous, but the instant the countdown ended, he let out a low shout and charged at Lin Ye with the Rolling Stone Fist. His fists howled through the air, and his stance was quite proper. Judging by the details, his fist technique was probably around Mastery Grade.

But against Lin Ye, that level of strength looked painfully inadequate.

Still, Lin Ye didn't underestimate his opponent. Keeping to the principle of using a lion's strength even against a rabbit, he slid sideways to evade the attack, then shot out his right hand like lightning. His hand struck the exposed side of the boy's neck with pinpoint precision.

"Bang!"

The stocky boy's charge halted abruptly. His virtual figure staggered, and darkness crept across his vision. The next second, a fist as big as a clay pot filled his view.

[First Round, Victory.]

A moment later, the system notification appeared, brief and clear.

Lin Ye's expression didn't change as he waited for the next match.

Soon, the second match was arranged.

This time, his opponent was a tall, thin boy whose aura felt considerably stronger than the stocky boy's from the first round.

As soon as they clashed, Lin Ye felt the solid weight behind the boy's strength. He was indeed stronger than the previous opponent, but not as strong as Lin Ye. His Blood Qi Value was probably just over 300.

The boy used the Flowing Cloud Palm. His palm strikes came in a close-knit stream, showing faint signs of having reached Consummation. Against Lin Ye's Rolling Stone Fist, he tried to overcome force with softness and lock down Lin Ye's attacks.

But Lin Ye's attacks were not so easy to contain. His Rolling Stone Fist had reached Consummation, his force concentrated and flowing in perfect harmony, his moves coming as naturally as his breath. Even his punches came in a tighter stream than the boy's palms.

The tall, thin boy tried to dissipate the power behind Lin Ye's punches, but he could never disperse it completely. More often than not, Lin Ye's force left his Blood Qi churning.

After ten exchanges, Lin Ye seized the tiny gap when his opponent paused to catch his breath. He drove a straight punch into the centerline, striking like a dragon boring through its target. It broke through the boy's hurried defense and hit him in the chest, instantly robbing him of his ability to fight.

[Second Round, Victory.]