"It can't be wrong. It must be the rudiments of Momentum."
Zhou Ting muttered to himself, his fingers tapping the tabletop without his realizing it.
As a practical fighter who had spent years dealing with all kinds of combat styles, he was keenly sensitive to things on this spiritual level. If this had not been a virtual environment that blurred many sensations, he would have recognized the other party's rudimentary Momentum long ago.
But it was not too late. Now that he had confirmed this kid was a promising talent, the rest would be easy.
In previous years, talents like this would most likely end up at top national schools like Kyoto Martial University or Modu Martial University, or at one of the top three Regional Martial Universities, such as Tianshu Martial Academy or Canglan Martial Arts University.
His fingers kept tapping the tabletop unconsciously. After thinking it over, Zhou Ting logged into his Smart Brain Terminal and applied to Qingjiang Province for permission to access Lin Ye's basic information and Ranking Tournament match records.
"Lin Ye, a student at Linjiang No. 3 High School in Nanjiang City. He made it through the first five rounds of the Martial Dao Ranking Tournament, then stopped in the sixth."
Zhou Ting murmured, his brow furrowing slightly.
He felt that someone as capable as Lin Ye should not have stopped in the sixth round. So he pulled up the footage of Lin Ye's sixth-round match, and only then did his furrowed brow relax.
"So he ran into a seeded contestant. No wonder."
"But the movement technique this kid practices is actually Lost Track Steps. Interesting."
After watching the footage of Lin Ye's sixth-round match, Zhou Ting understood. It was no surprise that Lin Ye had lost after facing a seeded contestant in the sixth round. After all, while repeatedly watching the footage of Lin Ye's fifth-round match, he had already noticed that Lin Ye's Blood Qi Value was somewhat low—not what one would expect from a normal Martial Dao prodigy.
At the same time, he found Lin Ye rather interesting. Earlier, he had focused only on Lin Ye's fist technique and overlooked his footwork. It was only during Lin Ye's sixth-round match against Zhou Lang that Zhou Ting noticed his Lost Track Steps.
"Still, what makes Lost Track Steps so powerful is its Consummation stage. The Subtlety of the Square Inch isn't something that's easy to grasp."
Zhou Ting murmured.
After reviewing the footage of Lin Ye's sixth-round match, he pondered for a moment, then decided to use his one-time result-inspection privilege as a special guest on Lin Ye.
A short while later, his request was approved, and he accessed Lin Ye's performance score.
The moment he saw it, Zhou Ting was surprised: Lin Ye had earned the full 60% performance score.
That meant the Reviewer Teachers on the Martial Dao Ranking Tournament evaluation panel unanimously agreed that Lin Ye had pushed himself to the limit of his current ability in the sixth-round battle.
To go further, he would need to reach Consummation in an Entry-Level Martial Art and comprehend "Principle." Only then might he break through the suppression imposed by the difference in levels.
That was difficult. If a talent like that really existed, Tianshu Martial Academy and Canglan Martial Arts University would probably offer him special admission too. Zhou Ting could not help feeling relieved that Lin Ye's performance had still been within his expectations.
With this information, Zhou Ting had a better grasp of Lin Ye. Combining it with an estimate of Lin Ye's Blood Qi Value and the number of Illusion Tower stages he could probably clear, he began calculating in his mind.
A short while later, he estimated that the youngster's score would be somewhere between 700 and 740.
What a pity. In previous years, that score might have given him a chance at Canglan Martial Arts University. But this year was different.
As a member of a Regional Martial University, Zhou Ting had recently learned at an internal admissions briefing that, because of the Challenge Stage this year, the seventh stage of the Illusion Tower had been made somewhat easier. As a result, the cutoff scores for top-three Regional Martial Universities like Canglan Martial Arts University would rise—to around 750.
That was only the minimum admission score, and applicants near the cutoff also ran the risk of being left without a place.
This was a golden opportunity.
Zhou Ting's heart lurched as he realized his chance had come.
"With this kid's weak Blood Qi... his total score will probably land in an awkward spot." As he spoke, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. "His chances of getting into one of the top three Regional Martial Universities are slim. But his score would be more than enough—even a high score—for the lower-ranked Regional Martial Universities, including our Fenglei Martial University."
But then another problem occurred to him.
Although Lin Ye's score was high enough for him to choose any Regional Martial University, why would he pick Fenglei Martial University, ranked dead last? In terms of resources, reputation, and future opportunities, they clearly could not compete with the schools ranked above them.
More importantly, Lin Ye was in East Sea Martial University's territory. He was far more likely to choose East Sea Martial University, or even Nanming Martial University, than Fenglei Martial University.
"No. We have to move first and offer him terms he can't refuse!"
Realizing how far his school lagged behind the others, Zhou Ting sprang to his feet and paced around the office for a while, his face flushed with excitement.
He had spotted an opportunity: a chance for Fenglei Martial University to recruit an uncut gem with special potential, held back only temporarily by his Blood Qi Value.
A talent who could touch Momentum might, with a little polishing, one day win Fenglei Martial University a place in the most important University Cup.
"No. We can't follow the usual process."
"We need to use the special process."
Having made up his mind, Zhou Ting immediately opened the internal communications system and prepared to contact the admissions director and the vice dean in charge of admissions.
He also submitted an urgent report, detailing Lin Ye's circumstances, the rudiments of Momentum in his fist technique, and the window of opportunity for Fenglei to "find a bargain" amid the changing cutoffs.
Finally, he recommended launching the "Special Potential Talent Recruitment Program" and approaching Lin Ye with terms better than those offered through ordinary admission, in hopes of winning him over.
Meanwhile, at the review room of Canglan Martial Arts University's admissions expert group.
The meeting room was ringed by a holographic projection wall. Data tablets lay scattered across the floating table at its center, and the faint scent of Star Power incense hung in the air, keeping everyone alert.
Three experts of very different temperaments sat around the circular light screen. They belonged to one of the teams responsible for the preliminary review of Canglan Martial Arts University's "candidate list." Every year, they reviewed hundreds, sometimes thousands, of recommendation reports and related battle footage from various regions.
An assistant beside them opened the materials Jiang He had submitted.
"Next up: Lin Ye of Linjiang No. 3 High School in Nanjiang City, recommended by Director Jiang He. Blood Qi Value: 335. Reportedly, his Blood Qi Value increased by 200 points in three months. He cleared the Illusion Tower up to the sixth stage in the martial arts exam and stopped in the sixth round of the Ranking Tournament. The main points are his rapid progress and strong combat awareness, as well as his calm temperament."
"Rapid progress, good temperament, great potential? Same old story. Which recommendation report doesn't say that every year? Last year, one report even claimed a student broke 400 in a month. And what happened? He went from 395 to 400 in a month."
A somewhat chubby male expert with a smile on his face recalled a previous review, his expression darkening. He looked at the recommendation report in front of him and shook his head. "Since when does Director Jiang recommend students like this? Could he owe someone a huge favor?"
"Let's watch his actual combat footage."
The cold-faced elder in the center, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, said calmly, "Let the battle speak for itself."
The other two experts nodded in agreement. They had the assistant open the battle footage they had gathered in advance. It began playing, focusing on Lin Ye's fight against Zhou Lang—the round that had ended Lin Ye's run.
As they watched Lin Ye use Mountain-Suppressing Fist to briefly hold his own against Zhou Lang, all three sensed something unusual in Lin Ye's fist technique.
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