Ranking

One move!

With just one move, Xu Wuyi had defeated Wang Yunze, whose life energy level had reached 9.8, without even moving his feet!

One had to know that among the students present, quite a few had only just reached that level in life energy, and some were even slightly below it.

And Wang Yunze's earlier attack—none of them thought they could necessarily have done any better even if they had been the ones to step up, yet he had been defeated so easily. Just how strong was Xu Wuyi?

At that moment, the way all the Sprint Class students looked at Xu Wuyi changed somewhat, including those who originally knew very little about him.

Surprised, solemn, curious... all kinds of gazes gathered and landed on Xu Wuyi, yet he remained perfectly composed.

If it had been before, he would have felt at least a little embarrassed.

But ever since he had comprehended the Martial Dao True Intent "Mountain," his entire bearing had changed somewhat, and his state of mind far surpassed his peers'. He had quite the air of someone who would not change expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Shi Yi watched from the side and sucked in a breath of cold air. Only now did he realize that this seemingly ordinary classmate beside him had already reached a level of strength he had to look up to.

Wang Yunze was no weaker than him. Since Xu Wuyi could defeat the other party in one move, he could naturally defeat him in one move too.

"Looks like the result is obvious."

Wang Wenhai's voice broke the silence. He looked at Xu Wuyi, a faint, almost imperceptible trace of approval flashing through his eyes, then said solemnly, "I want to tell all of you that being selected for the Sprint Class doesn't mean you can rest easy. The competition here will only be more intense than outside. In the coming months, I hope you can give it everything you've got and leave no regrets!"

"Yes!" all the students answered in unison, and the atmosphere instantly turned solemn.

On the other side, Zeng Bonan walked up beside Hu Haobo and said in a low voice, "How does he feel?"

Hu Haobo folded his arms, his stern face grave as he said slowly, "Very strong. But who wins and who loses—we'll only know after fighting."

Zeng Bonan could not help revealing a slight smile. He knew Hu Haobo's personality very well. If Hu Haobo had even a bit more confidence, what he would have said was definitely, "I'll definitely win."

For Hu Haobo to say "we'll only know after fighting" showed just how much pressure Xu Wuyi had brought him.

"He's gotten stronger." Zeng Bonan also looked at Xu Wuyi, unable to keep from feeling surprised at the other party's progress.

Since their last exchange in the Virtual Arena, only a few short days had passed, yet he felt that Xu Wuyi's strength seemed to have climbed another step.

Inside No. 1 Training Hall.

Wang Wenhai looked around at the twenty-four selected students before him. These were the elites of Honghe No. 1 High School's senior-year martial arts students, and also the hope of the school's college entrance examination this year.

He did not waste words and went straight to the point, his loud voice carrying through the entire venue. "Since everyone is here, I'll now announce the rules of the Sprint Class."

The moment his words fell, every student unconsciously straightened their back, their eyes focused.

"The Sprint Class, as the name suggests, is meant to help you pick up speed in these final few months and charge toward better martial arts universities!" Wang Wenhai's voice rang like a great bell. "And martial arts cultivation cannot do without the support of resources."

At that moment, a vigorous figure walked in through the side door of the hall. It was none other than Zhou Yun, the martial arts teacher of Senior Class One.

She walked over and stood beside Wang Wenhai, her gaze sweeping over every student present, carrying an invisible pressure of its own.

"This year's Sprint Class will be led by Teacher Wang Wenhai and me."

Zhou Yun took over, her voice crisp yet carrying unquestionable authority. "The school will invest a large amount of resources into the Sprint Class, including but not limited to high-quality blood energy potions, dedicated Visualization Meditation Rooms, and quotas for advanced training rooms on Battle Net."

At the mention of "high-quality blood energy potions" and "Visualization Meditation Rooms," quite a few students' breathing grew heavier. These were all precious resources they longed for in daily life but could not hope to obtain.

For the martial arts college entrance examination, level 9.0 was the undergraduate cutoff. Only by passing that line did one qualify to take the exam.

But among the students qualified to participate in the martial arts college entrance examination, the proportion who could get into university was still less than forty percent.

And among them, the overwhelming majority could only get into ordinary universities. Those who could get into prestigious schools were definitely fewer than one percent.

The Three Great Universities and the Seven Stars Martial Arts University Alliance, ten universities in total, were what were commonly considered prestigious schools.

Needless to say for the Three Great Universities, even for the next tier down, the Seven Stars Alliance, the students who managed to get in each year often had life energy levels above 11.5.

And once one's life energy level reached 11, E-Grade Blood Energy Potions were almost ineffective. One had to take higher-quality potions, and their price naturally rose accordingly.

Students at Honghe No. 1 High School had family backgrounds that were at most upper-middle level. It was almost impossible for them to afford such things, so they had to rely on school funding.

"However." Zhou Yun's tone shifted, becoming cold and sharp. "Resources are limited and cannot be distributed evenly. We will distribute them according to strength rankings. The capable get more, the weak get less—or even nothing!"

Wang Wenhai stepped forward and tapped a finger in the air. A huge light screen instantly unfolded in the center of the venue, clearly listing twenty-four names from top to bottom, divided into several tiers.

"This is the preliminary ranking Teacher Zhou and I have drawn up based on your past results, life energy levels, and combat performance," Wang Wenhai said. "Resources will be distributed in tiers of three! The higher your ranking, the more resources you receive, and the better their quality!"

On the light screen, the names at the top were especially eye-catching:

First place: Zeng Bonan

Second place: Hu Haobo

Third place: Xu Wuyi

Fourth place: Liu Jing

Fifth place: ...

When they saw this ranking, a barely suppressed commotion immediately rose from below.

No one questioned Zeng Bonan being first. Hu Haobo being second was also within expectations. But Xu Wuyi's name had actually surpassed Liu Jing, a long-established powerhouse from Class One, and stood high in third place?!

One gaze after another focused on Xu Wuyi again. If Xu Wuyi had not already shown his hand earlier, it would probably have immediately drawn countless disputes.

And now, apart from looking at Xu Wuyi, more of those gazes turned toward Liu Jing.

After all, three places made up one tier. There was basically no difference between who ranked higher or lower within the top three, but fourth and third were another matter.

With Xu Wuyi's appearance, Liu Jing was the biggest victim.

Liu Jing stood in the crowd, looking at the name "Xu Wuyi" above her own. Her face instantly turned a little pale, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Her previous life energy level had been 10.2, and she had also improved over winter break. She had thought she stood a chance of securing third and contending for second, but she had never expected to be pushed straight down to fourth!

That meant the resources she could obtain would be a whole tier below the top three!

For her, who was aiming to charge into a top martial arts university, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

The worst-case scenario she had imagined had come true. She knew she could not compare to Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo, but she had not expected to be surpassed outright by the newly appeared Xu Wuyi.

Wang Wenhai ignored the commotion below and continued announcing the rules. "Every half month, we will distribute resources once. At the same time, this ranking is not fixed. We encourage challenges!"

"As long as you think you're capable, you may challenge anyone ranked ahead of you! If the challenge succeeds, you will directly replace their ranking and resource treatment!"