"Why are we going in reverse order by student number this time? Is Teacher Xu targeting me?" Zhou Qi shrank his neck.
He thought he would be the last to be tested, and by then, the other students wouldn't pay much attention, so he wouldn't embarrass himself. But now it was the other way around? Zhou Qi felt like he wanted to die.
"Go on," Li Yuan patted Zhou Qi on the shoulder and smiled. "Sticking your neck out gets you a chop, pulling it back also gets you a chop."
Zhou Qi pouted. "Even if I'm getting my head chopped off, I need time to clean my neck!"
While he grumbled, Zhou Qi's body was honest. Afraid of being scolded by Teacher Xu Bo, he hurriedly took his spear and walked to the center of the classroom.
In the center of the classroom was a huge circle made of silver metal, clearly different from the other flooring materials. The silver circle had a diameter of about 12 meters, resembling a fighting arena at first glance.
Li Yuan, Wan Xiao, and over a hundred other students quietly stepped back from the silver area.
"Management authorization," Teacher Xu said in a low voice. A device on his left wrist, similar to a smartwatch, emitted a faint red light. "Class 3-2, Martial Arts Technique Test and Physical Constitution Assessment, recording simultaneously!"
Immediately, various instruments above the classroom, which had not been activated, lit up with white light. The white light shone down, perfectly covering the silver circle.
"Shh~" One of the devices suddenly shot out two beams of red light, enveloping both Zhou Qi and Xu Bo.
Everyone was used to this scene.
Just three seconds later.
"Whoosh!" The electronic screen at the back of the classroom suddenly lit up, displaying two lines of very eye-catching white text—
"Zhou Qi (student), Physical Constitution: 3.9 (last test 3.7)"
"Xu Bo (teacher), Physical Constitution: 12.0 (exceeds testing limit)"
"Wow, I actually improved by 0.2 levels after not testing for so long?" Zhou Qi had a hint of delight on his face. "Looks like my efforts over the past few months paid off a bit."
"Still not at level 4?" Xu Bo frowned slightly.
A physical constitution of 3.9 isn't bad among the over a million third-year students in the province; it can even be considered average. However, at Guanshan High School, a key school in the provincial capital, this level would be at the bottom.
"Looks like Old Zhou talks about lying flat, but his body is still quite honest," Li Yuan chuckled.
At their age, physical constitution is supposed to improve rapidly, but to raise it by 0.2 levels in three months shows that Zhou Qi has been working hard in private. If he keeps up this pace, reaching a physical constitution of 4.5 by the college entrance exam is possible.
"However, the school's life energy testing device is still somewhat low-end and can't accurately measure Teacher Xu's true physical constitution," Li Yuan thought to himself.
Life energy testing devices are common in this era, found in schools and various martial halls. Many families also have them. They use complex sensing principles to detect the intensity of life energy and convert it into corresponding physical constitution levels.
A level of 5.0 is the standard for a normal adult. A level of 10.0 is the baseline for a ranked martial artist, who is considered a true martial artist and can receive national subsidies and various rights.
The school's life energy testing device is mainly for students, and its usual testing limit is 12.0. It may seem low-end, but it is very stable and not easily damaged.
Such a widely used device prioritizes durability. Of course, the physical constitution assessment for the college entrance exam isn't just based on the device's measurements; there will also be specific tests for speed, fist power, and other aspects, which will be combined to evaluate the final score.
"The test will be scored according to college entrance exam standards. I will only use about 5.0 levels of strength and speed. I hope you can show a level of 300 points in the scoring system," Xu Bo said.
There are a total of 400 points for martial arts techniques, and scoring 300 points in this category is the threshold for getting into a martial arts university.
Zhou Qi, standing ten meters away, was already sweating in his palms.
Level 5?
That means Xu Bo's speed and strength will be much greater than his.
"What are you waiting for? Attack!" Xu Bo commanded.
"Yes."
Zhou Qi held his spear in a standard stance and suddenly stepped forward, charging with impressive speed. In an instant, he closed the distance of ten meters, and his two-meter-long spear swiftly lunged toward Xu Bo.
Spear techniques focus on thrusting.
Zhou Qi's physical constitution level may not seem high, but his fist power exceeds 150 kilograms. He had been practicing spear techniques for two years; even if his talent is average and he isn't very diligent, he still has a solid foundation. At least, this thrust looked good.
This is also why students wear full protective gear during tests.
In cold weapon combat, even if the weapon is not sharpened, without protection, one could easily get injured or worse.
Whoosh!
Xu Bo, a sturdy man who wasn't wearing protective gear, seemed to casually step to the left. His speed was not fast, yet he easily dodged Zhou Qi's fierce thrust.
The spear tip was just a hair's breadth away from him.
At first glance, it looked very dangerous.
"This movement technique?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up from outside the circle. He recognized the brilliance of Xu Bo's step.
Not a bit too much, not a bit too little.
It maximizes energy conservation.
This shows absolute control over one's own body, along with precise predictions of the opponent's attacks, leaving no room for error.
"Missed?" Zhou Qi didn't hesitate to pull back his spear, quickly turning the spearhead and flicking it, thrusting again at Xu Bo. But Xu Bo merely took a step back, seemingly in danger, and dodged again.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zhou Qi swung the spear with all his might, thrusting, slashing, and sweeping, but before Xu Bo's exquisite movement technique, everything fell short.
"Almost, just almost," Zhou Qi gritted his teeth.
"Not almost, but way off," Li Yuan sighed quietly from the sidelines.
He could see clearly that it wasn't Zhou Qi's spear techniques that were lacking, but rather Xu Bo's movement was too skillful.
His seemingly slow steps were terrifyingly precise, perfectly predicting all of Zhou Qi's spear movements.
After over ten consecutive thrusts, Zhou Qi was also greatly fatigued, and his arms began to feel weak, slowing down his spear's momentum.
At that moment.
"Rip!"
With a sound like tearing air, Xu Bo, who had been dodging, suddenly stepped forward. His left hand wielded a long staff that struck out like a venomous snake, instantly knocking Zhou Qi's spear aside and sending it flying.
"Bang~"
The staff lightly tapped Zhou Qi's hand, causing him to feel pain and instinctively let go of the spear.
Clang~ The spear fell to the ground.
The staff was already retracted.
The classroom was silent, all the students staring at this scene.
Xu Bo had only taken over their martial arts teaching last semester.
During the second-year end-of-term skill test, Xu Bo had not shown such amazing movement and control.
"Is this the true strength of Teacher Xu?"
"Clearly, Teacher Xu's speed seems slow, probably not even faster than mine, but his steps..." Over a hundred students were surprised. Many of them had physical constitutions exceeding level 5.0.
In past classes, they knew Xu Bo had a very strong physical constitution and excellent martial arts skills. But during their training, Xu Bo had never fought them with the speed and strength of a level 5 constitution.
Teaching practice and real combat are two different things.
Perhaps many students had seen more impressive combat videos online.
But watching a video is different from the impact of seeing it up close.
Tick-tock!
The screen at the back of the classroom displayed the score—"245 points."
The score was calculated by a program based on data and the combat process and results.
If it were the college entrance exam, each student's skill assessment would also include manual evaluation.
"The score is even lower than last semester?" Zhou Qi muttered quietly, not feeling too embarrassed.
At least he had made that many thrusts.
...According to student numbers.
One by one, students underwent testing, with most of their physical constitutions ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 levels.
As for the martial arts skill assessment?
The competition process was mostly similar to Zhou Qi's assessment.
Students attacked first, and Xu Bo easily dodged each attack with his movement, ultimately delivering a final strike. Even though many students displayed superior speed and strength, they still couldn't hold up against him.
Most scores barely exceeded 300 points.
Even Wan Xiao, with student number 2, had a physical constitution of 6.0, with speed and strength much higher than 5.0.
However, he could only withstand three strikes from Xu Bo.
In the end, Wan Xiao's skill score was 322 points, making him the only one in the class to exceed 320 points so far.
"Wan Xiao, you scored 329 points last semester, how did you drop?"
"It's not that he dropped; the assessment standards have risen significantly. Didn't you notice that most of our class's scores have gone down?"
"Last semester's end-of-term exam was based on second-year standards, while this assessment is based on college entrance exam standards."
"Only Li Yuan is left."
"I wonder how many strikes he can withstand from Teacher Xu." All the students' eyes were on Li Yuan, and many of the girls were quite eager.
In martial arts, Li Yuan ranked in the top thirty of the entire grade, but he was undoubtedly the best in Class 3-2.
Good grades and a nice personality make him more popular.
During school, most students aren't as materialistic as in society.
"Li Yuan." Xu Bo's eyes held a hint of unnoticeable expectation.
"Teacher Xu." Li Yuan gripped his spear and stepped into the silver metal circle.
Whoosh!
A red light shot out, enveloping Li Yuan completely.
Three seconds later.
The data appeared on the screen at the back of the classroom—"Li Yuan (student), Physical Constitution: 6.5 (last test 6.0)."
(End of Chapter)