High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Observation Group’s View

”Stop!”

A low shout rang out as a figure appeared before Zhao Ding like a phantom. It was the proctor from the side of the ring—a true Martial Artist.

He reached out, emitting a gentle yet resilient stream of Qi Force that securely caught Zhao Ding’s flying body. At the same time, he pushed his other hand forward, blocking Xu Wuyi’s second punch.

The proctor glanced at the listless Zhao Ding he was supporting, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He then looked up at Xu Wuyi and gave him a nod.

From a tactical standpoint, Xu Wuyi’s follow-up punch was the correct move.

The contestants were never responsible for their opponents’ lives. That was the proctor’s duty.

”Xu Wuyi wins!”

The system’s decision followed, and the scores of the two fighters appeared on the large screen beside the ring.

[Xu Wuyi (Honghe First Middle School): 85.5 points]

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

The baseline score for an A-level evaluation was 80 points. Thanks to his tactically brilliant comeback, Xu Wuyi achieved a high score of 85.5!

As for Zhao Ding, despite having a superior Life Energy Level, he was ultimately defeated because his strategy was completely countered, receiving only the base score of 81 points.

The entire arena fell silent for a moment before erupting into an uproar!

”He won? Xu Wuyi won?”

”What happened? How did Zhao Ding suddenly collapse like that?”

”That last punch... such terrifying power!”

”Zhao Ding’s defense weakened first! Was it because his own Qi and Blood were insufficient, or did Xu Wuyi do something to him?” a sharp-eyed student exclaimed.

”How did he do it? It couldn’t have been poison, right?”

In the stands, Wang Wenhai and Zhou Yun exchanged a look, both seeing the relief in the other’s eyes.

They both knew Xu Wuyi practiced the Wind-Settling Spear and understood the effects of the Silk Binding Force. They had anticipated his victory in this match all along.

The supervising teacher from United Middle School, however, had a grim expression. He hadn’t expected Zhao Ding to lose this way.

Hidden Force wasn’t unusual in the world of Martial Arts. Many techniques involved it once a practitioner reached the Minor Achievement stage.

But Zhao Ding specialized in the Iron Wall Technique. This martial art had no offensive moves to speak of; even at the Minor Achievement stage, it only enhanced one’s defensive power.

His lack of offensive skill was his greatest weakness, and he never expected to be defeated because of it in this match.

...

VIP Room.

Outside the huge one-way glass window, most of the clamor in Training Hall No. 1 was blocked out, leaving only a dull hum.

Inside, three men were scanning the various rings below. One stood in front of the glass window, while the other two sat behind him.

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

Seated in the center was the team leader, a middle-aged man with a lean face named Yan Zhishan.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, seemingly weighing some matter in his mind.

To his left, a younger member named Chen Fan leaned forward slightly, his face alight with poorly concealed excitement.

He pointed to the ring where Xu Wuyi had just finished fighting and said in a low voice, ”Mr. Yan, did you see that? Honghe First Middle School, Xu Wuyi.”

Yan Zhishan nodded slightly, his gaze remaining calm. ”I saw. His fundamentals are solid, and his Spear Technique is decent.”

”More than just solid!” Chen Fan’s voice was filled with the excitement of someone who had discovered a diamond in the rough. ”He used Hidden Force to injure his opponent. His Spear Technique has already reached Minor Achievement!”

”Judging by the effects, he must be practicing the C-level Wind-Settling Spear.”

”Minor Achievement?” The slightly older female member on the right raised an eyebrow and chimed in. ”I heard this Xu Wuyi is something of a dark horse. Just a few months ago, his Life Energy Level was below 9.0.”

”In such a short amount of time, he’s not only started learning a Spear Technique, but he’s already trained it to Minor Achievement?”

Chen Fan nodded with certainty. ”Sister Lin, I’m not mistaken. At the Minor Achievement stage, the Wind-Settling Spear focuses on training the Silk Binding Force. It’s an insidious, pliant force that seeps deep into the body. It obstructed Zhao Ding’s Qi and Blood circulation from within, which is how he was able to secure his victory.”

He turned to Yan Zhishan, his tone growing more fervent. ”Mr. Yan, he trained the Basic Body Refining Technique to Minor Achievement, giving him a powerful foundation. Now, he’s even suspected of having reached Minor Achievement in a C-Level Spear Technique. That level of comprehension and perseverance...”

”I think he’s more than qualified to compete for the special recruitment slot for the Three Greats!”

Yan Zhishan fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. ”Xu Wuyi is indeed a promising talent. He has the foundation and the comprehension, and he’s walking the true path of Martial Arts.”

Then, his tone shifted as his gaze drifted toward the United Middle School’s rest area. ”But Chen Fan, you must understand, Councillor Lin only has one special recruitment slot to offer.”

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

He understood his team leader’s meaning. There was only one slot, and Su Yueling was also in the running.

If not for the fact that the person who taught her the Shadow Sword Technique was currently unable to leave Red River, she would have likely gone to Linjiang City long ago.

As the provincial capital, Linjiang far surpassed Red River City in terms of mentorship, resources, and every other aspect.

Yan Zhishan looked at him, his tone softening. ”Let’s just keep observing for now. The United Exam isn’t over yet. We’ll wait and see the final results.”

Chen Fan took a deep breath, nodded, and his gaze returned to the area below.

...

On the rings below, the battles continued.

”Next match: Hu Haobo from Honghe First Middle School versus Li Mo from Silver Port First High School!”

Hearing this matchup, everyone from Honghe First Middle School felt their hearts jump into their throats.

Hu Haobo’s expression was grim. He vigorously flexed his wrists and strode onto the ring.

Li Mo, on the other hand, still had that deceptively simple and honest look, which did nothing to hide his intimidating presence.

He was powerfully built, nearly a head taller than Hu Haobo. The muscles on his bare arms were like knotted cords, gleaming with a bronze luster. With every step he took onto the stage, the ring itself seemed to tremble slightly.

Zhou Yun stood in a corner, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.

Proctors dreaded dealing with contestants like Li Mo, as he was the type who could inflict a fatal injury with a single blow.

But if the proctor were to intervene and stop the match before a single blow even landed, it would be unfair to the attacker.

For Li Mo’s match, his own sister, Li Shuang, was the designated proctor.

She was a top student from the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy. Though she hadn’t graduated yet, she had long since reached the level of a Martial Artist and was more than capable of proctoring the match.

”Begin!”

A fierce glint flashed in Hu Haobo’s eyes as he attacked first. He knew he couldn’t afford to be passive against Li Mo.

”Stone Splitting Collapse!”

He let out a low roar as his Qi and Blood surged. His right palm shrieked through the air as it flew straight toward Li Mo’s chest.

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

Li Mo grinned, making no move to dodge or evade. He simply hollowed his chest slightly, crossed his arms in front of him, and his muscles instantly tensed like iron.

THUD!

The impact of palm on arm let out a deep, muffled thud!

Hu Haobo felt his palm strike, powerful enough to shatter stone, had just slammed into a slab of repeatedly forged steel.

The force of the recoil instantly numbed his entire arm. His Qi and Blood roiled, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He staggered back, his face deathly pale.

Li Mo, however, only swayed slightly, with only a faint red mark left on his crossed arms.

”Not bad, but it’s not nearly enough.”

Before his voice had even faded, he stomped a foot down, making the ring tremble. His massive body shot toward Hu Haobo, stirring up a vicious gust of wind.