Qin Yan: 86 Points

"10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1! Test begins!"

The instant the countdown ended, the motionless puppet's eyes suddenly lit up with a terrifying red glow!

Without any warning, it pushed off the ground. Its metal body shot into motion as a fist hurtled straight at Qin Yan's face, accompanied by a fierce whistle of wind!

Qin Yan flicked his wrist, thrusting his spear forward with precision at the puppet's wrist joint!

"Clang!"

A crisp metallic clash exploded through the room, sending sparks flying!

The puppet's fist was knocked slightly off course by the spear, but it did not pause. Its other pitch-black metal fist had already risen, smashing toward Qin Yan with even greater force!

Qin Yan swept his spear horizontally, skillfully redirecting the force to one side. At the same time, he used the momentum to leap lightly backward, widening the distance between himself and the puppet.

This puppet's attacks are so clumsy.

Qin Yan was puzzled, unable to understand how such awkward fighting techniques could accurately test Martial Arts Skill.

However, what happened next quickly overturned his assumptions.

The puppet lunged again, both fists flying as its attacks came in an unending stream.

Qin Yan soon discovered that the puppet was like a martial arts prodigy with terrifying learning ability. Its fist techniques were improving at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Its initial straight punches and hooks had been powerful but lacked variation. Yet as their exchanges increased, its boxing became increasingly refined—dodges, blocks, feints, combos... all kinds of techniques emerged one after another!

Its use of force also became more ingenious, no longer relying solely on brute strength.

If it had begun at Second Stage Low Rank, then after several dozen exchanges, its boxing had already climbed to First Stage High Rank and was still rising, closing in on the threshold of the Second Stage!

Qin Yan's expression gradually shifted from relaxed to grave. By the end, he was fully focused and did not dare let his guard down in the slightest.

He finally understood the principle behind the puppet's test—it would continuously improve during battle, stacking buffs and forcing the test-taker to reveal every bit of their true strength, until they could no longer keep up with its growth and were defeated!

Impressive! This is what a Martial Arts Bureau test should be!

Qin Yan's heart tightened, but his competitive spirit was also ignited.

His Second Stage Low Rank Spear Technique erupted in full!

Layers upon layers of spear shadows formed silver barriers, while pinpoint flashes of cold light stabbed precisely into every flaw in the puppet's attacks!

The room rang with dense metallic clashes like a sudden downpour! Sparks continuously burst where the spear tip collided with iron fists!

The puppet's boxing finally broke through a certain boundary and officially entered the Second Stage!

Its attacks became even more violent and bizarre. Fist shadows filled the air, nearly swallowing Qin Yan's figure.

Qin Yan also pushed his Spear Technique to the limit. His mind was highly focused, and his eyes saw nothing but the fist shadows filling the air and the tiny gaps between them.

He gritted his teeth and whirled his spear into an impenetrable defense. Every block and every counterattack contained all his focus and strength.

This was no longer merely a test. It was more like a life-or-death struggle against a powerful enemy whose strength was rapidly increasing!

Yet the puppet's growth seemed to have no limit.

After holding on for another dozen or so exchanges, Qin Yan finally could no longer keep up with that terrifying speed and increasingly exquisite boxing.

At last, during one collision, he felt an incredibly subtle internal shock travel through the spear shaft. Pain exploded through the web between his thumb and forefinger, and he could no longer hold the spear. It flew from his grasp!

"Clang!" The spear fell to the ground.

Qin Yan's heart tightened as he prepared for the next attack, but the puppet suddenly stopped moving. The red glow in its eyes instantly went out, as though all its energy had been drained away at once, leaving it standing stiffly in place.

At the same time, the cold electronic voice sounded again:

Challenger Qin Yan. Rounds endured: 74. Martial Arts Skill evaluation score: 86 points.

Qin Yan let out a long breath. His chest heaved violently, and his forehead was covered in sweat. Looking at the black puppet, now motionless once more, he still felt lingering fear.

"The Martial Arts Bureau's tests really are incredibly strict, but they also reflect one's strength truthfully."

After steadying his breathing, he picked up the spear from the floor and carefully returned it to the weapon rack. Then he walked to the puppet and retrieved his information card.

"Eighty-six points. About the same as my previous assessment." He was quite satisfied with the result.

After leaving the testing room and handing in his information card, he headed for the gathering point near the entrance.

By the time he arrived, quite a few students were already waiting there. Zhou Yuan and Lin Yang were among them, clearly having completed their tests as well.

The two were currently huddled together, muttering about something.

"That puppet was seriously insane. The longer you fought, the stronger it got."

"Lin Yang, how many rounds did you last?"

"I only lasted a mere sixty-three rounds and got seventy-eight points. What about you, Zhou Yuan?"

Sixty-three rounds... and that was only?

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched.

"I got sixty-nine points."

In the end, he was too embarrassed to mention his exact number of rounds. The gap was simply too big.

"Yan Ge, Qin Yan! You finished your test?" The two turned their heads and greeted him at the same time.

"What are you two talking about?" Qin Yan walked over with a smile.

Lin Yang smiled. "Nothing much. We were just exchanging our experiences of getting brutally beaten by that freakish puppet."

He then asked casually, "Qin Yan, how many rounds did you last? You train so hard, so your score must have been pretty good, right?"

"Mm, not bad. That puppet really was impressive. I lasted seventy-four rounds, but I still lost in the end," Qin Yan answered honestly.

"Seventy-four rounds? That's pretty good... Huh?! Wait! How many rounds did you say? Seventy-four rounds?! Qin Yan, how many did you say? I didn't hear clearly!"

Lin Yang first responded instinctively, then suddenly processed what he had heard. His eyes widened at once, as though he suspected he was hallucinating, and his voice unconsciously rose several pitches.

Seventy-four rounds? That was simply absurd!

As far as he knew, lasting sixty-five rounds already made someone one of the best in the grade!

"You heard right. Seventy-four rounds, with a final score of eighty-six points," Qin Yan confirmed calmly once more.

Lin Yang and Zhou Yuan stared at Qin Yan in stunned silence. They trusted Qin Yan's character and knew he would not joke about something like this, but the result was simply too unbelievable, completely beyond their understanding!

Eighty-six points—his Martial Arts Skill was nearly at Second Stage Mid Rank.

Even top Martial Universities only required ninety points in Martial Arts Skill for admission.

And a month ago, Qin Yan's Martial Arts Skill had still been below Lin Yang's. How could he have improved so quickly?

It was far too unrealistic.

Just then, Gu Feng's phone rang nearby.

He stepped aside to answer it. The person on the other end seemed to say something, and disbelief first appeared on Gu Feng's face before it was swiftly replaced by overwhelming ecstasy!

"What?! You're telling the truth?! Good! Good! I understand! That's great!"

He spoke rapidly into the phone, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.