Ranking Changes

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

The day arrived for the sprint class's second resource allocation, as well as the ranking challenges.

Inside Training Hall No. 1, the atmosphere was even heavier than the first time.

After half a month of grueling training and tilted resources, everyone's strength had changed to some degree, and invisible sparks of competition filled the air.

The two teachers, Zhou Yun and Wang Wenhai, stood at the front. Before them sat the shared Life Energy Level Tester.

"Same rules as before. First, we test your current life energy level. It'll serve as an important reference for resource allocation and challenges." Zhou Yun's voice was cool as her gaze swept over the twenty-four young, tense faces below the stage. "Come up in order of your previous ranking."

"First place, Zeng Bonan," Wang Wenhai called.

Zeng Bonan walked calmly out of the line and pressed his palm onto the sensor plate.

The device hummed. The numbers jumped, then finally froze.

[Life Energy Level: 11.1]

"Whoa!"

A low wave of gasps rose from below.

Level 11.1!

Zeng Bonan had indeed broken through level 11, and after stabilizing, he had even improved a little further!

"Second place, Hu Haobo."

Hu Haobo strode forward, his gaze sharp, and pressed his palm down.

[Life Energy Level: 10.9]

Only one step away from level 11!

His progress was just as astonishing. Clearly, he had not slackened in the slightest over the past half month.

"Third place, Xu Wuyi."

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on him. Xu Wuyi's practical combat performance last time had been astonishing, but his life energy level had been his shortcoming after all. Now that half a month had passed, how much could he have improved?

Under everyone's gaze, Xu Wuyi walked forward, his expression as steady as ever. He placed his palm against the sensor plate.

Bzz—

The numbers flickered. A few seconds later, they appeared clearly.

[Life Energy Level: 11.0]

"11.0?!"

"He's level 11 too?!"

"It's only been half a month... from 10.2 to 11.0? How did he do that?"

The crowd below instantly exploded. Gasps and incredulous discussions rose one after another.

Shi Yi and the other students who had climbed up from the regular class were even more dumbfounded.

They had gone all out, and raising their level by 0.3 or 0.4 in half a month was already no easy feat. Yet Xu Wuyi had directly increased by 0.8, crossing the threshold of level 11 in one leap!

How on earth did this guy train?

Zeng Bonan looked at Xu Wuyi, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes before it turned into an even stronger fighting spirit.

Hu Haobo crossed his arms, his brows furrowing slightly. A hint of helplessness showed in his eyes, but then it was followed by a touch of relief.

And among the crowd, the one with the most complicated expression was none other than Liu Jing. Over the past half month, she had trained almost as if her life depended on it.

Relying on that fierce drive to break before rebuilding, as well as her family's support, her life energy level had also risen from 10.4 to 10.7. In her own view, that speed was already extremely fast.

Originally, she had still held on to a sliver of thought, imagining that when the practical combat challenge came, she would spar with Xu Wuyi again and wipe away her previous humiliation.

But when she saw that glaring "11.0," the flame that had just ignited in her heart seemed to be doused from above by a basin of ice water.

Level 11.

That was a qualitative change.

10.9 and 11.0 seemed only 0.1 apart, but what they represented were two different tiers.

The gap in physical ability brought by life energy level was comprehensive—strength, speed, reaction, total vitality, and recovery speed...

In the virtual arena, the system would simulate real bodily data.

That meant that if she challenged Xu Wuyi now, she would be facing an opponent whose physical attributes crushed hers across the board.

Before, she could still rely on the subtlety of the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger to try to find an opening. But now, in the face of an absolute gap in strength and speed, the role technique could play had been drastically compressed.

Even if Xu Wuyi only performed at the level he had shown before, with his advantage in life energy level, she would have almost no chance of winning.

That deep sense of powerlessness surged into her heart once again.

She looked at Xu Wuyi on the stage, his expression calm. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing. She only lowered her head silently, trying hard to calm herself.

"Martial arts is about going far, not going fast. Not going fast... There can't really be someone who goes both far and fast, right?"

"Impossible, impossible!"

Zhou Yun took in everyone's reactions below the stage, especially Liu Jing's expression, and understood.

She announced calmly, "Xu Wuyi, life energy level 11.0. Record it."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the whole venue with a hint of warning. "It seems that over the past half month, some people have made rapid progress, while others have advanced steadily."

"But remember, life energy level is not the only standard for measuring strength, yet it is the cornerstone of every standard. I hope you will guard against arrogance and impatience, and continue working hard."

The test continued.

Fourth place, Liu Jing, level 10.7.

Fifth place...

Most of the students who followed hovered between levels 10.3 and 10.6. Compared with the top three, especially Zeng Bonan and Xu Wuyi, who had stepped into level 11, an obvious gap had already opened up.

However, with the school's support, more than twenty students in the sprint class had already entered level 10. Only a scattered few were still below level 10.

Right now, there was still nearly half a year before the college entrance exam. For those who had already entered level 10, it meant they could get into a decent martial arts university.

When the test ended, Wang Wenhai took a step forward, his voice ringing out. "The life energy level test is over. Next is the ranking challenge segment."

"The rules are the same as before. Anyone who intends to challenge may begin now."

The venue fell silent for a moment.

Quite a few people's gazes swept over those ranked near the top, especially lingering for a moment on Xu Wuyi and Zeng Bonan, but in the end, they all looked away.

A life energy level of 11 was like an invisible chasm, making the vast majority shrink back.

Hu Haobo's eyes flickered a few times, but in the end, he also said nothing.

He was confident that his practical combat ability was not inferior to anyone's, but with such an obvious gap in life energy level, challenging Zeng Bonan or Xu Wuyi was not a wise move.

He needed to break through to level 11 first.

As for Liu Jing, she kept her head lowered the entire time and said nothing.

After a brief silence, the challenges finally began. No matter what, there would always be someone willing to fight with everything they had for a higher tier of resources.

Even Hu Haobo and Liu Jing had people attempt to challenge them, but the results were without suspense. The two of them were not to be underestimated in actual combat.

Only Zeng Bonan and Xu Wuyi seemed to stand apart from it all. No one dared challenge them.

Xu Wuyi quietly watched the bouts in the arena, calm inside. He had never felt that temporary progress amounted to anything.

Practicing martial arts was like rowing against the current. As long as he slackened even slightly, others would immediately catch up. In fact, even if he did not slacken, it was not as if no genius could catch up to him.

He could not control other people's progress. All he could do was work hard, then work harder.

The challenge segment drew to a close in a somewhat dull atmosphere.

"Since there are no new challenges, then this ranking..." Wang Wenhai's resonant voice rang out as he prepared to announce the results.

"Wait."

Zhou Yun's cool voice cut him off.

She took a step forward, her gaze calmly sweeping over the students below the stage before finally landing on Xu Wuyi and Hu Haobo.

"The order of second and third place needs to be adjusted," Zhou Yun said evenly. "Xu Wuyi, life energy level 11.0; Hu Haobo, life energy level 10.9. Though in principle, results are determined by actual combat, level 11 is a threshold. Therefore, Xu Wuyi should be ranked second, and Hu Haobo third."

She looked at Hu Haobo again and said, "Hu Haobo, if you disagree, you may issue a challenge from the third-place ranking."