"Top thirty in the Blue Star Youth Ranking?" Li Yuan nodded to himself.
To reach the Falling Star Rank, one must achieve a unity of body and mind. Once that happens, the next step of merging body and spirit becomes much easier; it's just a matter of time.
From the data he got a few days ago on the Star Combat Network, there were already 164 people on the Blue Star Youth Ranking who had reached the Falling Star Rank.
"Based on my previous estimates, a perfect score in the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam likely corresponds to a skill level of four segments," Li Yuan thought. "Could it be that this Tian Dazhuang from a few months ago had a four-segment knife technique?"
If that were true, at his age, he would be in a phase of rapid growth in strength.
After a few months, that person’s abilities would surely be even stronger.
Top thirty in the Blue Star Youth Ranking? Li Yuan didn’t think that was impossible.
"There are plenty of geniuses in this world," he increasingly realized the truth of that statement.
Just then, he heard a commotion.
"Hey, sis, don’t scold me! I just slipped up," Gu Qianghan turned to Lin Lanyue. "Next time I’ll focus, I promise..."
"What’s there to explain?" Lin Lanyue frowned. "If you lose, just watch the match carefully. Look at your opponent and see where you went wrong."
Gu Qianghan immediately fell silent and obediently focused on the duel on the stage.
In reality, Gu Qianghan wasn’t without talent, nor did he lack training resources.
He just happened to grow up in Lobu Sea, with a naturally optimistic disposition. His parents spoiled him, so he never felt much pressure... At school, most classmates were happy to be friends with him.
...
On the stage.
"How weak! It seems like what Elder Long said is true; looking across the entire Blue Star, my martial arts skills are among the best for my age," Tian Dazhuang shook his head slightly. "Then let’s unleash a massacre."
"Clang!"
"Thud! Thud!" His knife techniques were sharp and swift! Every slash was unstoppable.
Dodge? Impossible!
Withstand? No way!
No one could take two strikes from this mountain-splitting knife.
Blood sprayed everywhere!
Tian Dazhuang's ranking soared to first place and continued to rise, leaving the second place far behind.
"He's that strong? Didn’t they say our physical qualities are the same?"
"Attack him!"
"Surround him!" The faces of the other participating students changed, realizing they had to take down this killing machine if they wanted to claim first place.
Of course, many instinctively shrank back, wanting to avoid Tian Dazhuang.
"Surround him?"
Tian Dazhuang remained expressionless, wielding his mountain-splitting knife. His movements were ghostly and unpredictable, faster than all the other participants around him.
He broke free from the encirclement.
Then, he continued his slaughter!
Keep in mind, those who came to participate in this invitation event were all elite students, all hoping to get into the five major martial arts academies in Xia Country.
Yet, when these elite students faced this seemingly ordinary boy,
A single mountain-splitting knife swept from the north of the stage to the south, leaving no one able to stop him!
...
On the stage, all the students who hadn’t participated were stunned, watching the figure on the platform.
"How fierce!"
"That guy with the knife is too strong; he’s on a completely different level from everyone else."
"Who is he? I don’t recognize him."
Many people looked up at the huge ranking board above the stage, visible from all angles.
"Tian Dazhuang? My great-grandfather’s grandfather seemed to be called Dazhuang."
"Do people still have names like that nowadays?"
"I remember now; he’s from Shizhou, and he scored full marks in the martial arts skill test in January! He’s the only one from Shizhou to get full marks!"
"Impressive."
"Wow, our city’s top scorer just got killed by Tian Dazhuang in three strikes? So satisfying! Last time, this idiot mocked me, and now he got what he deserved."
"This guy is a senior in high school?" The entire observation area erupted in excitement.
The figure holding the mountain-splitting knife was unremarkable, standing under six feet tall.
But at this moment, he was the king of the stage.
Tian Dazhuang, a very ordinary, even old-fashioned name.
Yet, everyone remembered it clearly.
...
At Jiangbei Martial Arts University, in the main teaching building inside the war fortress.
In one large conference room, over fifty people were seated.
They were subtly divided into five teams.
These people were teachers from the five major martial arts academies in Xia Country, acting as ‘observers’ for this invitation event.
They were responsible for watching these students.
Right now, all the observers were focused on the 3D projections in front of them, showing the chaotic battles of the invited students.
Each observer could rotate the projection 360° to observe the fighting from various angles.
"This Tian Dazhuang..."
"Four-segment skill! His knife techniques are probably close to mid-four segment."
"His movement technique is also four-segment."
"His skill level is barely SS grade."
"SS grade? I think it’s still lacking a bit, but he’s definitely impressive."
"Not to mention Blue Star, just in Xia Country, based on the data we’ve collected, his martial arts skills should rank in the top five." The observers from the five major academies took notes and discussed among themselves.
"Looking at his background...
"From a poor family, he must have strong willpower, and he awakened his Martial Spirit. Giving him an S rank shouldn’t be a problem."
"Look how decisive he is when he strikes; he’s calm and won’t perform poorly in real combat."
"As long as his real combat skills aren’t too bad, he’ll be fine."
"At least an S rank." The observers from the five major academies almost all made their judgments.
They would gather data in advance to create lists of expected S, A, and B ranks, from high to low.
Then, based on those lists, they would observe each student’s martial arts skills, physical constitution, real combat abilities, and more during the invitation event.
In the end, any student who met the A rank or above would receive a special training invitation.
As for B rank? That would depend on the number of students.
Of course, the data mainly came from the January test a few months ago.
After such a long time, there would surely be changes.
Historically, almost every year, there were students who surprised everyone with their unexpected strength.
...
As time passed, the battles among the experts concluded very quickly.
In less than ten minutes, the first match ended, leaving only Tian Dazhuang on the stage. He was undoubtedly in first place.
Dong Haifeng? His ranking was only around one hundred and ten, quite unimpressive.
...
Quickly, the second match began.
Wang Yu entered the stage and immediately unleashed her power.
She held a knife and shield, wore light armor, and had a stunning figure, making her even fiercer in battle.
She shocked all the students present.
"She’s so strong."
"A girl can be this strong?"
"Wow, I was just secretly watching her, but now I’ll step back."
"Impressive." Many students were astonished.
If Tian Dazhuang was all about dominance, coming straight at everyone with his mountain-splitting knife, then Wang Yu’s knife was unpredictable, and combined with her shield technique, she showed no fear of being surrounded.
"Who’s stronger, her or Tian Dazhuang?"
"They’re both very strong; it’s hard to say."
"She also got full marks; is this what full marks look like? Damn, fighting against her is like bullying." The students discussed among themselves.
If Tian Dazhuang’s explosive performance in the first match allowed many students to comfort themselves with 'it’s not that we’re weak, it’s just that he’s too fierce,'
Then Wang Yu’s appearance truly made these students understand the meaning of full marks in skills.
Most elite students scored below 360 points.
Moreover, even those with scores of 360 or 370 points would be basically defeated by Wang Yu.
At least a high-level three-segment skill was needed to withstand a few strikes.
Four-segment skills, with the unity of body and spirit, allowed for a much greater exploration and utilization of physical potential and strength than two or three-segment skills.
"Tian Dazhuang seems stronger," Li Yuan concluded, focusing on the fiery figure of the girl on the stage.
"Really?" Lin Lanyue asked curiously. "How can you tell?"
"Movement technique," Li Yuan stated confidently. "Tian Dazhuang’s movement technique is stronger, while Wang Yu’s shield technique... isn’t quite perfect; she probably hasn’t reached four segments yet."
Lin Lanyue nodded slightly; Li Yuan’s assessment matched what her swordsmanship teacher had said.
...
In the third match, Wu Dongdong and Lin Lanyue both entered.
In this battle, Wu Dongdong also shone brilliantly, wielding a spear that moved like wind and lightning.
Her movements were terrifying, sweeping across the entire arena!
Li Yuan wasn’t surprised by Wu Dongdong’s performance; what shocked him was Lin Lanyue.
"Second place?" Li Yuan looked at the final ranking on the board.
Lin Lanyue had actually climbed to second place.
Part of the reason was that Wu Dongdong had been intentionally helping Lin Lanyue, ensuring she wasn’t heavily attacked.
But on the other hand, Lin Lanyue’s swordsmanship had indeed improved significantly.
"High-level three-segment? She should be around 80% of three-segment now," Li Yuan assessed.
In the past six months, he had made rapid progress.
While Lin Lanyue’s improvement wasn’t top-notch, it was still quite fast.
... After the first three matches, there was a one-minute break.
In the observation area.
"Wow, sis, Dongdong, you both got first and second! How am I supposed to face anyone back in the neighborhood?" Gu Qianghan complained. "I’m the only weakling here, right?"
"Gu Qiang, you’re also in first place!" Wu Dongdong teased.
She had just switched seats to sit next to Lin Lanyue.
"Last place!" Gu Qianghan shook his head. "What bad luck, running into Dazhuang right at the start."
"That still makes you first." Wu Dongdong laughed.
"Li Yuan, if you make it into the top ten, I’ll really have no face left," Gu Qianghan said pitifully.
"Okay, then I won’t make it into the top ten; I’ll just commit suicide at the start to keep you company. How does that sound?" Li Yuan joked.
"Forget it, I was just kidding. You should try your best," Gu Qianghan said, looking dejected, staring blankly at the sky. "I should think about how to explain to my dad that I got last place... sigh, I’m going to get a beating again."
"The last time I got a beating... was last time."
Everyone around burst into laughter.
The one-minute break ended.
On the stage.
"Fourth match, start." The man in black on the stage spoke slowly.
Whoosh!
Li Yuan vanished from his seat.
"Li Yuan." Lin Lanyue’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she focused on the stage.
"I’ll take a look," Wu Dongdong said seriously. "Sister Yue, you’ve been saying he’s pretty good."
"After observing for half a day, he seems alright, just not very talkative."
"I hope his strength isn’t too weak."
...
Inside the war fortress, in the conference room.
"In the first three matches, three S-level students have performed well, and there are eight A-level students."
"In this fourth match, there are only two A-level students."
"No one has an absolute advantage; once the battle starts, it’s likely to be a stalemate for a while," the observers from the five major academies chatted casually, seeming very relaxed.
They had watched the first three matches very carefully.
Only the ten observers from Kunlun Martial Arts University noticed that, besides the originally scheduled two A-level students, there was another one.
"Li Yuan."
"Li Yuan is also in this match." The teachers from Kunlun University all noticed him.
"I hope you don’t let us down," Teacher Fan Jin thought, watching the stage intently.
Thirty seconds later.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Holding a spear and wearing light armor, Li Yuan appeared on the stage along with 199 other participants.
"Huh?"
"Not good." Teacher Fan Jin’s heart sank: "Next to Li Yuan, how could there be another A-level student, Wu Luo?"
"This Wu Luo seems to have also entered the top 1000 of the Blue Star Youth Ranking, and he got in even earlier than Li Yuan."
"This is troublesome!"
(End of Chapter)