The Observation Group's Opinion

"Stop!"

A low shout rang out, and a figure appeared in front of Zhao Ding like a ghost. It was the proctor beside the arena, a true martial master.

He reached out with one hand, releasing a soft yet resilient surge of energy that steadily caught Zhao Ding's body as it flew backward. At the same time, he pressed his other hand forward, blocking Xu Wuyi's second punch.

The proctor glanced at Zhao Ding, whose aura had withered in his arms, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. Then he looked up at Xu Wuyi and nodded to him.

From a combat perspective, it was only natural for Xu Wuyi to follow up with a second punch.

Examinees never needed to be responsible for whether their opponents lived or died. That was the proctor's duty.

"Xu Wuyi wins!"

The system's verdict rang out as well, and the large light screen beside the arena displayed the two fighters' scores.

[Xu Wuyi (Honghe No. 1 High School): 85.5 points]

[Zhao Ding (United High School): 81.0 points]

The bottom line for an A-rank evaluation was 80 points. By relying on this tactically brilliant reversal, Xu Wuyi had scored a high 85.5!

As for Zhao Ding, although he had the advantage in life energy level, his tactics had been completely countered. In the end, he was defeated and only received the guaranteed minimum of 81 points.

The entire venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a huge uproar!

"He won? Xu Wuyi won?"

"What happened? How did Zhao Ding suddenly fall apart?"

"That punch just now... what terrifying power!"

"Zhao Ding's defense weakened first! Was his qi and blood lacking, or was it Xu Wuyi's doing?" a sharp-eyed student cried out in alarm.

"How did he do it? It couldn't have been poison, right?"

In the stands, Wang Wenhai and Zhou Yun exchanged a look, and both saw the relief in each other's eyes.

They both knew that Xu Wuyi practiced the Wind-Settling Spear, and they also knew the effect of Silk-Winding Force, so they had long expected his victory in this match.

But the expression of United High School's leading teacher looked rather ugly. He had not expected Zhao Ding to lose in this way.

Hidden force was nothing unusual in martial arts. Many martial arts touched upon it once they reached the minor achievement stage.

But Zhao Ding specialized in the Iron Wall Art. This martial art had no moves to speak of; even when cultivated to minor achievement, it only strengthened defense.

His lack of martial skill was his flaw. Unexpectedly, he had lost precisely because of it in this match.

The VIP room.

Beyond the huge one-way glass window, most of the noise inside No. 1 Training Hall was cut off, leaving only a dull hum.

Inside the room, three men were scanning the various arenas below. One stood before the glass window, while the other two sat behind him.

This was the observation team from the Dongjiang Province Martial Arts Association.

Seated in the middle was the leader of the observation team, a thin-faced middle-aged man named Yan Zhishan.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, as if he were weighing something.

On the left, a relatively young member named Chen Fan leaned slightly forward, his face carrying an excitement he could hardly conceal.

He pointed toward the arena where Xu Wuyi's match had just ended and said in a low voice, "Chief Yan, did you see that? Honghe No. 1 High School, Xu Wuyi."

Yan Zhishan gave a slight nod, his gaze still calm. "I saw. His foundation is very solid, and his spear technique is not bad either."

"More than solid!" Chen Fan's tone carried the excitement of someone who had discovered uncut jade. "He injured his opponent with hidden force. His spear technique has already reached minor achievement!"

"Judging from the effect, what he practices should be the C-rank Wind-Settling Spear."

"Minor achievement?" On the right, another female member, slightly older, raised an eyebrow and cut in. "I heard this Xu Wuyi rose suddenly out of nowhere, and a few months ago, his life energy level was still under 9.0."

"In such a short time, he has already come into contact with spear techniques and even cultivated one to minor achievement?"

Chen Fan nodded firmly. "Sister Lin, I'm not mistaken. At the minor achievement stage, the Wind-Settling Spear trains Silk-Winding Force. It is soft and insidious, penetrating to the bone. It was precisely what obstructed Zhao Ding's qi and blood circulation from within, allowing him to succeed in one stroke."

He turned to Yan Zhishan, his tone growing even more fervent. "Chief Yan, he was able to cultivate the Basic Body Tempering Method to minor achievement, which shows a strong foundation. Now even his C-rank spear technique is suspected to have reached minor achievement. This comprehension and perseverance..."

"I think he is fully qualified to compete for that special admissions recommendation slot to the Three Great Universities!"

Yan Zhishan fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Xu Wuyi is indeed a fine seedling. Since he has a foundation and comprehension, the path he walks is the proper path of martial arts."

Then his tone shifted, and his gaze turned toward the United High School rest area. "But Chen Fan, you need to understand that Councilor Lin only has one special admissions recommendation slot this time."

Chen Fan opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the end, he said nothing.

He understood what the team leader meant. There was only one slot, and down below, there was still Su Yueling.

If not for the person who had taught her the Shadow Sword Technique being temporarily unable to leave Honghe, she probably would have gone to Linjiang City long ago.

As the provincial capital, Linjiang far surpassed Honghe City in terms of mentorship, resources, and everything else.

Yan Zhishan looked at him, his tone softening somewhat. "Let's keep observing. The joint exam isn't over yet. We'll look at the final results first."

Chen Fan took a deep breath and nodded, his gaze turning downward once more.

The fight was still going on in the ring below.

"Next group: Hu Haobo from Honghe No. 1 High School versus Li Mo from Yingang No. 1 High School!"

When they heard this matchup, everyone on Honghe No. 1 High School's side felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Hu Haobo's expression was grave. He flexed his wrist hard, then strode onto the platform.

Li Mo, meanwhile, still had that same somewhat simple and honest look, yet he was filled with an oppressive presence.

He was burly, nearly a head taller than Hu Haobo. The muscles on his bare arms were knotted and shone with a bronze luster. As he walked up step by step, even the ring seemed to tremble faintly beneath him.

Zhou Yun stood in the corner, worry flickering in her eyes.

A examinee like Li Mo was the kind the opposing invigilating teacher least wanted to encounter, because a single blow could very likely cause a fatal injury.

But if they did not even let the examinee take one strike and directly stopped the match, that would be unfair to the examinee.

On Li Mo's side, his elder sister Li Shuang was in charge of invigilating.

She was an outstanding student of Starry Sky Martial Institute. Though she had not graduated yet, she was already at the level of a martial master, more than qualified to invigilate.

"Begin!"

A sharp light flashed in Hu Haobo's eyes, and he launched the first attack. He knew that against Li Mo, he absolutely could not fall into passivity.

"Stone-Splitting Collapse!"

He let out a low shout. His vital energy surged, and his right palm carried a shrill whistle as it tore through the air, slamming straight toward Li Mo's chest.

He opened with his strongest killing move, holding nothing back!

Li Mo grinned. He neither dodged nor evaded, merely tucking in his chest slightly and crossing his arms in front of him. In an instant, his muscles tightened like iron.

"Bang!"

Palm and arms collided, producing a dull, thunderous sound!

Hu Haobo only felt that his palm strike, powerful enough to split stone tablets, had landed on a piece of pig iron tempered a thousand times.

The force of the rebound instantly numbed his entire arm. His vital energy churned, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He staggered back, his face deathly pale.

Li Mo, however, merely swayed a little. Only a faint red mark remained on his crossed arms.

"Not bad strength. Too bad it's still not enough."

Before his words had even fallen, he stamped down hard. The ring floor trembled faintly, and his massive body rushed toward Hu Haobo with a vicious gust of wind.