High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The End of the Joint Exam

On the stage.

Xu Wuyi’s arms hung limply at his sides as he gasped for breath.

Although he had shattered Su Yueling’s Spirit Sword Shadow with a surprise attack, he hadn’t escaped unscathed.

Clashing head-on with the Spirit Sword Shadow had struck his spirit like a Heavy Hammer. The wound on his left shoulder had split open, and the skin on his right fist was torn and bloody.

However, his gaze remained locked on Su Yueling, who had fallen to the floor.

’The match isn’t over yet!’

Seeing Su Yueling fall to the ground, Xu Wuyi suppressed the pain in his body, immediately surged forward, and threw another punch straight at her face.

He wasn’t trying to kill Su Yueling. The match would only end when the proctor beside the stage was forced to intervene.

Meanwhile, Su Yueling’s face was pale. She wanted to forcibly muster her Qi and Blood to fight again, but her Spirit Sword Shadow had been destroyed, and it wasn’t something she could recover from so easily.

”That’s enough.”

A calm voice spoke.

A figure swept across the stage like a gentle breeze, appearing beside Su Yueling and lightly placing a hand on her shoulder.

As for Xu Wuyi’s incoming fist, the figure casually flicked it aside, causing it to land harmlessly to the side.

This person was also dressed as a proctor. He had an ordinary face and a restrained aura, making it impossible to discern his level of cultivation.

He looked at Su Yueling and shook his head slightly. ”Yueling, the victor has been decided. There’s no need to force it. Your injuries need immediate attention.”

Su Yueling looked at the man, her lips trembling. She finally lowered her head and softly called out, ”Fourth Senior Brother...”

So, this proctor was actually Su Yueling’s fellow disciple!

Apparently, just like Li Mo’s sister, he was here specifically to act as Su Yueling’s proctor and protect her from danger.

He then turned to Xu Wuyi, his gaze holding a hint of admiration, but he didn’t say much—just gave a slight nod.

At that moment, the system’s judging announcement echoed through the venue:

[Honghe First Middle School, Xu Wuyi, Victor! Match Score: 90.5!]

[United Middle School, Su Yueling, Match Score: 89.5!]

90.5!

The moment this score appeared, the venue once again erupted in an uproar!

”90.5! He broke 90!”

”That’s the threshold for an S-class rating!”

”An S-class score appeared in the joint exam! Even if it’s just barely over the line at 90.5, this is...”

In the college entrance exam, an S-class score, while rare, wouldn’t be this shocking. A few students from the three schools present would likely achieve it.

But with nearly four months still to go before the exam, the top students from each school were still in their most crucial growth phase.

After all, aside from students from wealthy families, ordinary students had to wait until their final semester to receive funding from their schools.

For Xu Wuyi to get an S-class score now meant that by the time of the college entrance exam, he would very likely be aiming for 95 points—the standard for the top fifty in the entire province.

And that was precisely the threshold for the ”Three Greats”!

The Three Greats accepted around three thousand high school students each year. Dongjiang Province was considered mid-tier among the sixty-plus states and provinces of the Federation, so its annual quota was around fifty people.

The match was finally over. Xu Wuyi let out a long, turbid breath. Waves of pain and exhaustion washed over him, but his heart was at peace.

’I won!’

Martial Arts is all about struggle. No matter what kind of opponent he faced, Xu Wuyi had never given up on the thought of victory.

’If you don’t even dare to think about winning, how can you ever talk about achieving it?’

Medical personnel quickly came onto the stage and carried the two of them off for treatment.

...

On the final day of the joint exam, the combat portion continued, but there was little suspense left.

Xu Wuyi did not sign up for a third match. His injuries were not light, especially the drain on his spirit and the Sword Intention corroding his left shoulder, which would require time to heal.

More importantly, his S-class rating of 90.5 and his perfect record of two wins were already dazzling enough. There was no need to fight again.

Su Yueling also gave up her third match. Her Fourth Senior Brother took her directly from the venue to return to their sect for treatment.

The backlash from her Shadow Sword Technique and the injuries inflicted by Xu Wuyi both required quiet recuperation.

Hu Haobo faced his final match against a student from Silver Port First High School with a Life Energy Level of 11.2.

Holding back a wave of frustration, Hu Haobo unleashed the full ferocity of his Stone Splitting Palm. Although the injuries to his arms affected his performance, he ultimately managed a narrow victory.

He ended up with a score of 81, which was just enough to get him back into the A-level range.

As the final match concluded, all segments of the three-school joint exam came to an end.

The final rankings were displayed on the large screen in the center of the venue. At the very top of the list was, conspicuously:

[Honghe First Middle School, Xu Wuyi, Highest Score: 90.5]!

When Group Leader Yan Zhishan, the observer from the Provincial Martial Arts Association, personally announced this result, deafening cheers erupted from the Honghe First Middle School section.

Principal Zhang Qiming sat in the viewing stands, a smile practically spilling off his face. He glanced casually toward the other side, a trace of unconcealable pride in his eyes.

That was the direction of Principal Han Shiwen of United Middle School.

Han Shiwen didn’t look disappointed at all. Instead, he seemed curious and intrigued. His lips moved, and he mouthed the words: ”The Starfall Boxing Manual. I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

Zhang Qiming understood immediately, knowing his old friend was admitting defeat in their bet.

He had managed to keep his thirty-year-old treasured jar of ’Red Blood Brew’, and he’d even gained a rare boxing manual to study. His mood was better than ever.

During the award ceremony, Xu Wuyi, as the first-place winner of the joint exam, only received a certificate of honor.

Of course, there was also a special fund of two hundred thousand Federation Coins. This was a reward from the school, which would greatly alleviate the resource pressure for his future cultivation.

...

On the night the joint exam ended, Su Yueling was taken away by her Fourth Senior Brother.

Instead of returning to the United Middle School’s temporary residence, they went directly to a hidden mountain villa located on the border between Red River City and Silver Harbor City.

Deep within the villa, in a quiet room, a middle-aged man in a plain white robe sat cross-legged. He had an ordinary face and his eyes were closed, but his body seemed to be wreathed in a faint, sharp aura that made the very air in the room feel stagnant.

He was Su Yueling’s master, the Grandmaster Level expert renowned throughout Dongjiang Province, holder of the title ”White Shadow Sword Saint”—Ren Bai.

Su Yueling sat quietly across from him, her face still somewhat pale. Her left arm was in a fixed bandage, and her aura was a few degrees weaker than usual.

Ren Bai slowly lowered his hand. The Sword Qi around Su Yueling gradually dissipated, and her somewhat scattered spirit began to recover.

”You lost?” Ren Bai looked at Su Yueling, his gaze as calm as water, with a hint of a smile in it.

”Master.” Su Yueling lowered her head. ”This disciple was incompetent. I lost to my opponent’s True Intention of Martial Arts.”

Ren Bai nodded slightly, as if he had expected this. ”The foundation of your ’Shadow Sword Technique’ lies in Spiritual Telekinesis. Condensing your ’Heart Image’ is the key.”

”Although your Spiritual Strength is currently far beyond your peers, your ’Heart Image’ has not yet formed. Thus, your Spirit Sword Shadow is like a rootless duckweed. It’s to be expected that you would lose when facing a truly condensed will or a fully formed True Intention of Martial Arts.”

His voice was calm, carrying a soothing power. ”The True Intention of Martial Arts is powerful, but it is primarily a key for condensing one’s will during the Martial Master Stage. Your path, however, lies in spiritual transcendence and the materialization of your Heart Image.”

”Once you step into the Martial Master Stage, your spirit and Qi and Blood will begin to merge, and your speed in condensing your Heart Image will far exceed that of ordinary people. At that time, opening the Innate Gate will be easier for you than for anyone else.”

”A single victory or defeat is not worth worrying about.”

Su Yueling listened in silence. A flash of understanding crossed her clear, cold eyes, and she said in a low voice, ”This disciple understands.”

Ren Bai looked at her, an imperceptible trace of gentleness in his eyes.

This disciple of his was exceptionally talented, with excellent combat awareness. Her only issue was that her path in Martial Arts had been too smooth, with too few setbacks.

This loss was not necessarily a bad thing for her, but he still had to offer some comfort to prevent her from being too discouraged.

Then, with a flip of his wrist, Ren Bai produced a gilt-edged invitation card stamped with the insignia of the Provincial Martial Arts Association.

”Take a look at this.”

Su Yueling took it and opened it. A look of clear astonishment appeared on her face. ”An invitation to the special recruitment exam for the Three Greats? This... shouldn’t this be for Xu Wuyi?”