Practical Combat Test

The moment those words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent.

Everyone turned pale, not daring to utter another word.

Question the military?

Question the law?

Even if they had a hundred times the courage, they would not dare!

Zhao Ritian shuddered all over, cold sweat instantly beading across his forehead.

Only then did he realize that, in his panic, he had said something that crossed a grave taboo.

On the podium, Colonel Chen Feng shot him a cold glance, his eyes sharp as blades.

"If you dare make reckless remarks about examination discipline again, your qualification will be revoked on the spot, and you will be expelled from the examination grounds."

"I was spouting nonsense! I was wrong!"

Zhao Ritian hurriedly lowered his head, his voice trembling with tears. He no longer dared offer even half a word of rebuttal.

His teeth itched with hatred, yet there was nothing he could do.

Everyone knew that questioning the military's fairness at a martial examination was no different from courting death.

But he was still unwilling to accept it. Gritting his teeth, he shouted at Lin Yun with all the fierceness of a paper tiger, "Lin Yun, so what if your vitality and blood are high? Vitality and blood only count for half of the martial examination score—the other half is practical combat assessment. Your inflated vitality and blood, piled up through crooked means, are nothing but empty froth! Your actual combat skills must be a complete mess! Once you enter the virtual combat pod, let's see how you keep up this act!"

At the mention of "practical combat," Zhang Lei, Li Chao, and Sun Yuan behind Wang Dalong all shuddered at the same time. Lingering fear showed on their faces as they unconsciously touched injuries that had yet to fully heal.

Others might not know Lin Yun's actual combat level, but they knew it better than anyone.

That day at Lin Yun's home, the three of them had joined forces, yet Lin Yun had beaten them until they could not fight back at all. Even now, the clean and decisive fighting techniques he had displayed made chills run down their spines.

The three exchanged glances and saw fear in one another's eyes. They quickly lowered their heads, afraid Wang Dalong would notice something strange.

Wang Dalong's brow furrowed tightly as well, his grave gaze fixed on Lin Yun.

He had seen Zhang Lei and the others' miserable state with his own eyes. Three first-level Martial Apprentices joining forces had actually been easily knocked down by Lin Yun—and then swindled out of three hundred thousand.

That proved Lin Yun's practical combat ability was absolutely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

However, Wang Dalong soon relaxed, a sinister smile curling across his lips.

So what if Lin Yun was formidable in actual combat? He was merely a lone man with no one to rely on.

The Wang Family had operated in Azure City for decades. They had money and influence; they had more than enough ways to deal with one Lin Yun.

An hour later, every candidate had completed their vitality and blood test.

Colonel Chen Feng stepped onto the podium again. Circulating his vitality and blood, his voice rang across the entire venue.

"The vitality and blood testing is complete. All results have been synchronized and uploaded to the military's central system. Next is the second assessment: practical combat simulation!"

"The practical combat simulation uses a virtual human martial artist battle mode. Each candidate will enter a virtual combat pod and fight virtual martial artists."

"In the first stage, the virtual martial artist's realm will be lower than the candidate's. In the second stage, it will be evenly matched with the candidate. Beginning with the third stage, the number of virtual martial artists will gradually increase. Final results will be assessed comprehensively based on the number of stages cleared, combat technique, and fighting will."

"Now, all candidates, enter the virtual combat pods in order according to your examination numbers!"

Once the order was given, the candidates formed orderly lines and headed toward the rows of silver-gray virtual combat pods on the north side of the field.

The giant holographic screen split into dozens of viewing windows, broadcasting the battles inside the pods in real time. Thousands of eyes throughout the venue locked onto the screen, and the atmosphere tightened once more.

Most ordinary candidates performed much the same. Relying on their basic skills, they easily cleared the first two stages. Yet once they reached the third stage and faced the joint assault of two virtual martial artists at the same realm, they fell one after another. This was the ceiling of strength for the vast majority.

Soon, it was Zhao Ritian's turn.

He strode proudly into the combat pod, still holding in a grievance, intending to regain his lost face through his practical combat results.

The scene inside the pod formed, and the assessment officially began.

In the first stage, he faced a virtual martial artist one level below him and defeated his opponent with a single raised hand. In the second stage, he faced a lone opponent at the same realm and took him down smoothly after several exchanges. But upon entering the third stage, two martial artists at the same realm flanked him from both sides. He was immediately run ragged, his moves full of openings. He barely endured until clearing the stage by taking the blows head-on, and numerous virtual wounds had already appeared on his body.

Then the fourth stage began. Three martial artists of the same realm charged at him simultaneously. Their triangular encirclement completely sealed off his movement. Their basic punches and kicks came in an unending stream, and Zhao Ritian was pulled in too many directions at once. In only a short while, he was struck several times, staggering as he lost all ability to fight back.

[Candidate Zhao Ritian, eliminated at Stage Four. Practical combat score: 244.]

The pod door opened, and Zhao Ritian walked out with an ashen face.

Quite a few people around him began whispering.

"Lin Ritian, you still dared mock someone else for being bad at practical combat? Aren't you a soft persimmon yourself?"

"Hahaha, this is killing me!"

"Your score isn't even as high as your vitality and blood score."

Hearing the discussion around him, Zhao Ritian's face flushed red with rage. He instinctively glanced at Su Nianhe, afraid she would look down on him.

But it would have been better if he had not looked. Looking only made him angrier.

Su Nianhe stood shoulder to shoulder with Lin Yun, analyzing the battle processes of the other candidates. She had not even glanced in his direction.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Ritian grew even angrier.

On the surface, Su Nianhe simply did not care about him at all. In truth, he had fought so terribly that he was not even qualified to be analyzed by her.

After more than a hundred candidates had completed their assessments, it was Wang Dalong's turn.

As Qingcheng Academy's strongest student after Su Nianhe, the moment he entered the combat pod, the outside arena became much quieter.

Everyone wanted to see just how many stages this fourth-level Martial Apprentice prodigy could clear.

Wang Dalong had a solid foundation, and with the fighting techniques passed down by his family, he smashed through the first four stages like bamboo splitting before the wind.

Facing four opponents at the same realm, he maneuvered and dismantled their attacks, forcibly suppressing them with his powerful vitality and blood. Though he cleared the stage after fighting with all his strength, large patches of virtual injuries appeared over his body. The system judged them as minor injuries.

In the fifth stage, the opponents increased to four, and their dense offensive pressure doubled.

The four worked in seamless coordination, attacking in turns and giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Wang Dalong gritted his teeth and fought desperately. Only after several bitter battles did he manage to knock down every opponent. By then, his body was covered in severe injuries, and his breathing had become chaotic.

When five martial artists attacked again in the sixth stage, his severely injured body could no longer endure. After circling and struggling for several exchanges, he was knocked down by their combined assault.

[Candidate Wang Dalong, eliminated at Stage Six. Practical combat score: 322.]

Wang Dalong emerged from the combat pod with his chest heaving and his expression dark.

He had only recently advanced to the fourth level of the Martial Apprentice realm and had not fully adapted yet. Still, he believed he had performed at his limit. This score was enough to rank among the best of all the candidates present.

He knew Su Nianhe had yet to take the stage, while Lin Yun, who had appeared out of nowhere, was an even more important target of his attention.

"Next, Su Nianhe."

Seeing that it was her turn, Su Nianhe exchanged a glance with Lin Yun, then walked confidently toward the virtual combat pod.