High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: The List is Released

The college entrance rating assessment would last for three days. The list of ratings would be announced the following day, on June 28th.

During the public announcement period, the provincial education department would accept inquiries from the students. They could request a review if they had questions about their own results or those of others.

However, the review would only reveal the outcome—whether an error had been found and corrected. The process itself would not be disclosed.

If there were no disputes, students with ratings of B-level or higher would travel to the provincial capital, Linjiang, for centralized combat.

Those below B-level would remain at their original examination sites to compete against other students from their city.

The combat exam would officially begin on July 1st, three days after the list was announced.

This rule was the same in every province, designed to ensure that every region had a sufficient number of students participating.

Otherwise, some cities would only have three or four S-class students, making it impossible to hold three rounds of combat, which would also be unfair to other cities.

Holding the combat phase at the provincial level was the best option after considering all factors.

Xu Wuyi’s rating assessment had ended on the first day, and he immediately resumed his race against time.

Aside from occasionally accepting Yu Peiling’s invitations for a few Energy Level-restricted matches on the Star Martial Battle Network to stay sharp, he devoted all his time and energy to the arduous training of Furnace Boiling Blood.

As his proficiency increased, he drew closer to his goal of completing a hundred training sessions per day.

’I have to race against the clock, push for another breakthrough before the combat exam!’

Inside his room, the very air trembled slightly with his breathing.

Xu Wuyi was bare-chested, his skin glowing a deep, dark red.

Fine beads of sweat evaporated into white steam the moment they seeped from his pores, turned to vapor by the intense heat radiating from his body. The steam swirled around him, making him truly resemble a blazing, humanoid melting furnace.

[Standard Training Completed Today: 37]

[Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace - Current Realm: Beginner (94.3%)]

Watching the proficiency slowly climb in his sea of consciousness, Xu Wuyi’s Heart and Spirit remained steady.

The closer he got to Perfection, the slower his progress became. It felt as if every 0.1% increase demanded several times the mental effort of the last.

But he could clearly feel it: the intangible ”melting furnace” inside him was solidifying, and his Qi and Blood, refined through repeated cycles of burning and tempering, were growing ever more pure and powerful.

...

「Night of June 27th.」

Outside, the night was deep, with only a few lights scattered across the residential complex.

Inside Xu Wuyi’s room, he had just completed a cycle of Furnace Boiling Blood. His entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and a searing pain, like fire, lanced through his meridians.

Xu Wuyi paused, catching his breath for a moment before beginning the next cycle.

’The Martial Arts College Entrance Examination is getting close. I need to let my body rest properly, and I have to travel to Linjiang soon. Tonight is my only chance!’

”Success or failure, it all comes down to this!”

With a silent roar, the illusory Melting Furnace in his Dantian seemed to ignite completely. A torrential tide of Qi and Blood erupted with unprecedented force, flooding into his limbs and bones!

Pain surged through him, accompanied by an immense feeling of power!

But this time, Xu Wuyi didn’t pacify the energy once it peaked, as he usually would. Instead, with sheer, tenacious willpower, he forced himself to maintain the overloaded state!

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

His meridians felt like they were about to tear apart under the strain, but his body, tempered by repeated hardship, stubbornly held on.

[Standard Training Completed Today: 100]

[Practice a skill a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself!]

[You have completed one hundred effective training sessions today. You have gained one instance of ”Enlightenment”.]

The familiar, clear stream of insight flooded his mind once again, but this time it was a raging torrent, more thorough and profound than ever before!

VMM!

It was as if thunder boomed in his mind, and a great furnace flared to life.

In this mystical state of Enlightenment, every point of confusion he had about Furnace Boiling Blood was instantly resolved and mastered.

The feeling of ”Intention and Qi Integration, spirit and furnace as one” was no longer a state he had to deliberately maintain; it had become an instinct, as natural as breathing.

He ”saw” the complete blueprint of his Qi and Blood flowing in synergy through dozens of minor meridians. He understood how to trigger an explosive burst with minimal cost, and he now knew how to better protect his meridians under extreme stress...

It was a moment of utter clarity!

An unknown amount of time passed before the torrent of Enlightenment slowly receded.

Xu Wuyi slowly opened his eyes, letting out a long, turbid breath tinged with scorching heat.

His body was still exhausted, but a feeling of total renewal, of profound clarity, permeated him from the depths of his soul.

He eagerly submerged his awareness into his sea of consciousness.

[Martial Arts Diligence Record]

[Martial Arts: Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace]

[Current Realm: Beginner (97.1%)]

[Martial Arts Traits: Not Unlocked]

[Assessment: Furnace Initial Burning. Foundation reshaped. Qi and Blood Refinement Level significantly increased.]

’I gained almost 3% proficiency in one go!’

”That’s enough.” A satisfied smile spread across Xu Wuyi’s face.

Although he hadn’t broken through to the Entry Level stage, he knew he couldn’t be greedy.

Besides, even if he had reached the Entry Level with Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, it would have been difficult to see any immediate results in just a few days.

What mattered more was that after this Enlightenment, he had completely mastered the principles of Furnace Boiling Blood and could apply them perfectly in real combat.

Only now did Xu Wuyi feel truly prepared for the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination.

...

「The next day, June 28th, 8:00 AM sharp.」

The Dongjiang Province Department of Education’s official website, along with all major official media platforms, released the results of this year’s Martial Arts College Entrance Examination rating assessment right on schedule.

In that moment, the eyes of countless students, parents, teachers, and people from all walks of life were fixed on the long list of names.

The list was ordered by rating from highest to lowest: S-class, followed by A-level, B-level, and so on. Within each rating, students were ranked by their overall assessment score.

Although the rating assessment only provided a letter grade, the AI in charge actually calculated a precise score for ranking purposes; it just wasn’t made public.

Honghe First Middle School, classroom of the third-year Class 7.

Most of the Martial Arts Students had gathered at the school on their own, anxiously awaiting the announcement.

Zhou Heng frantically refreshed the page on his phone, muttering, ”Is it out yet? Is it out yet? The official site crashed...”

Although he hadn’t made it into the advanced class, Zhou Heng hadn’t truly given up on his training in the last six months of high school. He had somehow managed to scrape by and reach a Life Energy Level of 9.0.

Barely scraping past the minimum threshold for a Martial Arts university gave him a shot at the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, so he was incredibly anxious about his rating.

”It’s out!” Zhou Heng suddenly yelled, nearly leaping out of his seat. His shout drew every student in the classroom over to him.

His personal terminal had a search function, allowing him to instantly find his own rating. Zhou Heng was about to do just that, but his eyes caught the first name on the list, and he froze.

”Look! The S-class list! The S-class students!” someone nearby also yelled.

”What about S-class? Did someone from our school make the list?”

The surrounding voices buzzed, but none of it registered in Zhou Heng’s mind.

He was staring intently at the very top line on the screen, eyes wide as saucers and mouth agape, as if he were seeing the impossible.

Zhou Heng snapped back to reality. His voice, distorted with excitement, rose to a shriek, ”Ah Yi! It’s first place! Number one in S-class! Xu Wuyi!!”

The entire classroom fell silent in an instant, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Wuyi? Number one in S-class?