Practical Combat

On Monday, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Training Hall was noticeably different from usual.

A large open space had been cleared in the middle of the venue. Students stood in a circle around it, whispering among themselves as tension filled the air.

Teacher Wang stood in the center of the training ground, sweeping his gaze across the room. His voice was louder than usual.

"Today is practical combat training. Put on your gloves and protective gear. The rules are simple: apart from deliberately attacking vital areas, there are no other restrictions!"

There were fewer restrictions than in previous training sessions, and the students immediately exchanged uneasy looks.

Xu Wuyi remained calm. Since he had chosen the path of martial arts, he knew this day would come sooner or later.

During the practical combat portion of the College Entrance Examination, even attacks on vital areas were allowed, with almost no restrictions. Although Martial Master-level teachers supervised the exam, accidents still happened every year.

Teacher Wang's gaze passed over several students with relatively high blood and qi levels.

"First match: Han Mengmeng versus Xu Wuyi."

Xu Wuyi's heart skipped a beat. Just as expected.

Han Mengmeng was one of the few girls in the class with outstanding martial arts results. Her Life Energy Level was rumored to have reached 9.2, already above the undergraduate admission threshold.

She was agile and flexible, and she excelled at using the elective D-rank martial skill, Spirit Snake Hand.

Upon hearing her name, she smiled confidently and stepped forward with light footwork, rolling her wrists.

Low murmurs rose from the crowd.

"Han Mengmeng's Spirit Snake Hand is really troublesome. Its angles are hard to predict."

"Xu Wuyi has been working hard lately, but there's still a huge gap in Life Energy Level. His technique can't compare either, right?"

"Let's see how he handles it. Han Mengmeng doesn't rely on physical ability alone."

Zhou Heng cast Xu Wuyi a worried glance and whispered, "Ayi, watch out for her grapples and joint locks. Don't let her get hold of you."

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath, nodded at Zhou Heng without speaking, removed his jacket, put on the ordinary gloves provided by the school, and walked into the center.

Han Mengmeng was slightly shorter than him, but her gaze was sharp. After taking her stance, she did not use the Basic Body Tempering Method, but instead assumed a nimble posture with obvious Spirit Snake Hand traits.

Her hands extended slightly like snake tongues, carrying a hint of provocation.

She looked at Xu Wuyi. They had been classmates for three years, and she was fairly familiar with this inconspicuous boy. She knew his talent was average, though he worked exceptionally hard.

Unfortunately, hard work alone was not enough on the path of martial arts.

Han Mengmeng secretly shook her head, wondering whether Teacher Wang had arranged this match first to persuade some students to give up.

Before she could think further, Teacher Wang's voice rang out.

"Begin!"

Han Mengmeng slid forward, closing in with astonishing speed. Her right hand formed a beak with two fingers, stabbing directly at the numb point near Xu Wuyi's arm joint from a tricky angle!

She knew she had the advantage in blood and qi, though not by much. So from the start, she intended to suppress Xu Wuyi with technique and disrupt his rhythm.

Xu Wuyi's heart tightened. Instinctively, he retreated using the footwork from the Basic Body Tempering Method, while raising his forearm in a block.

The movement was standard, and he successfully intercepted it, but the instant their arms made contact, he still felt a subtle force penetrate through, leaving his arm slightly numb.

"Your reaction isn't bad, but you're far too rigid!"

Han Mengmeng chuckled. Pressing her advantage, she launched a continuous barrage with both hands. The techniques of Spirit Snake Hand unfolded, targeting weak points such as joints and acupoints.

Xu Wuyi was immediately forced onto the defensive.

His Basic Body Tempering Method movements were standard, and his foundation was solid. But against Han Mengmeng's agile, ever-changing, highly targeted attacks, he seemed somewhat clumsy and slow.

He could feel that their blood and qi strength truly were not far apart. If her Life Energy Level was still 9.2, then his had to be at least above 8.8.

What was truly putting him at a disadvantage now was his lack of combat technique.

He could only keep blocking and evading. Every exchange made her force feel as slippery and troublesome as a loach, leaving him unable to exert his strength properly. Even the circulation of his blood and qi seemed to be disrupted.

"See? He's completely being suppressed."

"The gap in martial technique is way too large. They're not even on the same level."

"Han Mengmeng's Spirit Snake Hand is so powerful!"

The discussion around the ring grew louder.

Zhou Heng watched anxiously, scratching his head.

As the saying went, a long defense would eventually fail. If this continued, Xu Wuyi would sooner or later exhaust his stamina or reveal a flaw and collapse from a single strike.

That was Zhou Heng's thought, as well as the thought of the other students and even Han Mengmeng herself. But Xu Wuyi did not see it that way.

Xu Wuyi was completely focused. Under the storm-like barrage of attacks, his defense remained airtight, without exposing the slightest opening.

Because he had discovered that after weathering the initial assault, the situation had actually stabilized.

Han Mengmeng's proficiency in Spirit Snake Hand was not low, but her foundation was clearly less solid than his. In other words, she was relatively weak in the Basic Body Tempering Method.

The Body Tempering Method was the foundation. If the foundation was unstable, a martial skill could only display eighty percent of its power; conversely, with a solid foundation, a martial skill could display one hundred and twenty percent of its power!

Xu Wuyi had already formed a plan. Outwardly, he remained still and continued defending with meticulous precision, but his movements were becoming increasingly proficient.

Unable to break through after attacking for so long, Han Mengmeng seemed to grow impatient. After a feint, she suddenly shot out a fierce grappling hand toward Xu Wuyi's wrist, intending to lock down his movements completely!

The attack was incredibly fast, almost impossible to avoid!

However, just as her fingers were about to clamp down, Xu Wuyi reacted in advance as though he had foreseen it.

He sank his shoulder, dropped his elbow, and rotated his wrist. It was the instinct forged from practicing the Basic Body Tempering Method tens of thousands of times, and also the simplest, most effective response.

That perfectly timed adjustment caused Han Mengmeng's certain grab to miss. Her fingertips merely brushed across his skin.

Once a move was fully extended, its weakness revealed itself!

Now!

Xu Wuyi's eyes lit up as he threw a completely unadorned straight punch.

Mountain Crushing Fist!

This was the only elective martial skill he knew, but its rating was low—only C-rank. Even recently, he had not spent extra effort practicing it.

Yet Xu Wuyi used this punch with exceptional ease, because the force-generating technique he employed was clearly the Bow Stance Punch from the Basic Body Tempering Method!

Martial arts shared common principles. Xu Wuyi fused his understanding of the Basic Body Tempering Method into it, and this Mountain Crushing Fist produced an entirely different effect.

His blood and qi surged, his force condensed, and his timing was exquisite as he struck directly into the opening along Han Mengmeng's centerline.

Bang!

A dull, solid impact rang out.

Han Mengmeng had never expected Xu Wuyi to neutralize her attack so effortlessly, much less counterattack with such speed.

Her chest tightened as a solid force struck her. With a startled cry, her body staggered backward uncontrollably. After five or six steps, she fell onto the ground flat on her backside.

She was not injured, but her face was filled with shock, along with a faint blush.

The entire training hall fell silent in an instant.

The training class was essentially a sparring session. Though they did not hold back, according to the rules, Han Mengmeng had already lost after that exchange.

Sure enough, a hint of amusement flashed through Teacher Wang's eyes as he calmly announced, "Xu Wuyi wins."

Whoa—!

The hall instantly erupted.