High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Ranking

One move!

In just one move, without even shifting his feet, Xu Wuyi defeated Wang Yunze, who had a Life Energy Level of 9.8!

Many of the students present had Life Energy Levels that had just reached that point, or were even slightly lower.

They believed that even if they had been the ones fighting, they might not have done better than Wang Yunze’s earlier attack. Yet he was defeated so easily. Just how strong was Xu Wuyi?

At that moment, the gazes of all the students in the sprint class, including those who hadn’t known Xu Wuyi well before, changed as they looked at him.

Looks of surprise, solemnity, and curiosity... all sorts of gazes converged on Xu Wuyi, yet he remained perfectly composed.

In the past, he would have felt at least a little embarrassed by the attention.

But ever since comprehending the True Intention of Martial Arts, ”Mountain,” his entire temperament had changed. His mental fortitude far surpassed his peers, giving him the air of someone who would remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before him.

Shi Yi, watching from the side, gasped. He finally realized that this seemingly ordinary classmate’s strength had reached a level he could only look up to.

Wang Yunze was no weaker than him. Since Xu Wuyi could defeat Wang Yunze in one move, he could naturally defeat him in one move as well.

”It seems the outcome is obvious.”

Wang Wenhai’s voice broke the silence. He looked at Xu Wuyi, a flicker of imperceptible approval in his eyes, before speaking sternly, ”I need to tell you all that being selected for the sprint class doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. The competition here will only be fiercer than outside. In the coming months, I expect you to give it your all and leave no regrets!”

”Yes, sir!” all the students replied in unison, the atmosphere instantly turning solemn.

Meanwhile, Zeng Bonan walked over to Hu Haobo and asked in a low voice, ”What do you think?”

Hu Haobo, arms crossed and a grave expression on his stern face, said slowly, ”He’s very strong. But we won’t know who would win or lose until we fight.”

Zeng Bonan couldn’t help but smile. He knew Hu Haobo’s personality well. If Hu Haobo were more confident, he definitely would have said, ’I’m certain I can win.’

The fact that Hu Haobo would say something like ’we won’t know until we fight’ showed just how much pressure Xu Wuyi was putting on him.

’He’s gotten even stronger,’ Zeng Bonan thought, also looking at Xu Wuyi, surprised by his progress.

It had only been a few short days since their last bout in the virtual arena, but he felt as if Xu Wuyi’s strength had risen to another level.

...

Inside Training Hall One.

Wang Wenhai surveyed the twenty-four selected students before him. They were the Martial Arts elites of Honghe First Middle School’s senior class and the school’s hope for this year’s Martial Arts College Entrance Examination.

He wasted no time on pleasantries and got straight to the point, his resonant voice echoing throughout the hall. ”Now that everyone is here, I will announce the rules for the sprint class.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all the students unconsciously straightened their backs, their eyes focused.

”The sprint class, as the name implies, has one goal: to get you up to speed in these final few months so you can aim for better Martial Arts Universities!” Wang Wenhai’s voice boomed. ”And Martial Arts cultivation cannot be separated from the support of resources.”

Just then, an agile figure entered from a side door. It was Zhou Yun, the Martial Arts Teacher for senior Class One.

She walked to Wang Wenhai’s side and stopped, her gaze sweeping over every student present, carrying an intangible pressure.

”This year’s sprint class will be led by me and Teacher Wang Wenhai.”

Zhou Yun took over, her voice crisp yet filled with unquestionable authority. ”The school will invest a great deal of resources into the sprint class, including, but not limited to, high-quality Qi Blood Potions, dedicated Meditation Quiet Rooms, and access quotas for the Battle Network Advanced Training Room.”

Hearing ”high-quality Qi Blood Potions” and ”Meditation Quiet Rooms,” many students’ breathing grew heavier. These were precious resources they yearned for but were normally out of their reach.

For the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, a Life Energy Level of 9.0 is the baseline to qualify. Only those who pass this threshold are eligible to participate in the examination.

But among the students eligible to take the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, the proportion who are actually admitted into a university is less than 40%.

Furthermore, the vast majority of those can only get into ordinary universities. The students who can enter a prestigious university are decidedly less than 1%.

The Three Greats and the Seven-Star Martial Arts Academy Alliance, a total of ten universities, are what are generally considered prestigious schools.

The Three Greats go without saying, but even for the next-tier Seven-Star Alliance, students who get in each year often have a Life Energy Level of 11.5 or higher.

Once one’s Life Energy Level reaches 11, E-Level Qi Blood Potions become almost ineffective. One must take higher-quality potions, the prices of which are naturally astronomical.

The students at Honghe First Middle School come from families that are at best upper-middle class. It’s nearly impossible for them to afford such things, so they must rely on the school’s support.

”However,” Zhou Yun’s tone shifted, becoming cold, ”resources are limited and cannot be distributed equally. We will allocate them based on strength-based rankings. The strong get more, the weak get less, and some may get none at all!”

Wang Wenhai took a step forward and tapped a finger in the air. A massive light screen instantly unfurled in the center of the training hall, clearly listing twenty-four names from top to bottom, divided into several tiers.

”This is a preliminary ranking that Teacher Zhou and I have drafted based on your past results, Life Energy Levels, and combat performance,” Wang Wenhai said. ”For resource allocation, every three ranks form a tier! The higher your rank, the more, and the better, the resources you will receive!”

On the light screen, the names at the top of the ranking were particularly conspicuous:

First: Zeng Bonan

Second: Hu Haobo

Third: Xu Wuyi

Fourth: Liu Jing

Fifth: ...

Seeing this ranking, an irrepressible commotion immediately broke out among the students.

No one questioned Zeng Bonan being first. Hu Haobo in second was also within expectations. But Xu Wuyi’s name was ranked third, suppressing Liu Jing, a long-established powerhouse from Class One?!

Gazes once again focused on Xu Wuyi. If he hadn’t already demonstrated his skill, this ranking would have immediately sparked countless disputes.

But now, while some of those gazes were on Xu Wuyi, most turned toward Liu Jing.

After all, with every three ranks forming a tier, it didn’t really matter who was first, second, or third. But the difference between third and fourth was huge.

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

Standing in the crowd, Liu Jing looked at the name ”Xu Wuyi” above her own. Her face instantly paled, and she subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Her previous Life Energy Level was 10.2, and she had improved over the winter break. She thought she had a good chance of securing third place and competing for second, but she never expected to be pushed straight to fourth!

This meant that the resources she could obtain would be a tier lower than the top three!

For someone like her, who aimed to get into a top Martial Arts University, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

Her worst-case scenario had come true. She knew she couldn’t beat Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo, but she never imagined she’d be outranked by the newcomer, Xu Wuyi.

Wang Wenhai ignored the commotion below and continued announcing the rules. ”We will distribute resources once every half-month. At the same time, this ranking is not set in stone. We encourage challenges!”

”As long as you think you have the ability, you can challenge anyone ranked above you! If you succeed, you will directly take their rank and their resource allocation!”