Upon hearing these words, the many students present were startled, thinking that Bai Zhenzhen had succeeded.
However, they then heard Li Xuelian sigh and say to Bai Zhenzhen, "To have learned the moves of these nine martial arts in such a short time, your talent is truly one in a million. Unfortunately, you still fall short of my father's requirements."
Hearing this, some students breathed a sigh of relief, while others were secretly astonished.
Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, "Even this isn't enough? Just how exceptional does the Spark Master want his disciple to be?"
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen also felt a sense of relief.
She hadn't expected to trigger a change in the Martial Diagram so quickly and had almost panicked, thinking she might have to refuse the Spark Master's offer to take her as a disciple.
She thought to herself, "Good thing I didn't say anything, or I would have made a fool of myself. I knew something was still missing."
After Bai Zhenzhen's attempt, others stepped forward to try their hand at the nine martial arts, but none could replicate the change in the Heavenly Martial Diagram.
Even the usually confident Lian Tianji hesitated, seemingly pondering what was missing from Bai Zhenzhen's attempt.
The scene fell silent, and no one stepped forward to try again.
Just as Li Xuelian was about to declare the end of the session, Zhang Yu walked up, holding his phone.
"Hmm?" Li Xuelian became intrigued, thinking, "After seeing so many fail, he still has the confidence to step forward. He must have some trick up his sleeve."
But the next moment, she couldn't help but frown.
Zhang Yu began playing a video on his phone, mimicking Bai Zhenzhen's movements from the recording.
He had clearly filmed her earlier performance.
As Zhang Yu followed the video, executing each move, Li Xuelian's frown deepened.
It was obvious that, apart from his own understanding of the fist technique, Zhang Yu was unfamiliar with the other eight martial arts.
His imitation only highlighted the gap in comprehension between him and Bai Zhenzhen.
From a distance, Zhao Tianxing watched Zhang Yu, dressed in his security guard uniform, awkwardly mimicking Bai Zhenzhen's movements under the gaze of the crowd.
He felt secondhand embarrassment, his toes curling as if they could dig a hole in the ground.
He couldn't bear to watch, thinking, "Stop, Zhang Yu! You're being made a fool of!"
Zhang Yu, of course, couldn't hear Zhao Tianxing's thoughts, nor did he care about the judgmental looks from the crowd.
He focused intently, following Bai Zhenzhen's movements from the video and executing the nine martial arts one by one.
As he finished the last move, a flood of experience and insight suddenly filled his mind.
It was as if he had practiced these moves tens of thousands of times.
The nine martial arts' techniques began to fade from his thoughts, replaced by nine distinct concepts that flickered in his consciousness.
At that moment, Zhang Yu realized that the Heavenly Martial Diagram's nine martial arts emphasized the concepts behind the moves, not the moves themselves.
The practitioner's task was to grasp the intent behind each technique while practicing them.
The intent to crush armies, the unyielding will to fight, the fearless courage to charge forward—these nine martial arts cultivated martial intent, strengthening one's Dao Heart.
"This isn't a martial art for combat or physical training. It's a martial art that uses martial intent to refine and temper the Dao Heart."
This was a martial art designed to elevate the level of one's Dao Heart!
Martial intent, as defined by the ten great sects, was a collective term for the various martial forces such as sword intent, fist intent, and blade intent.
At its core, martial intent strengthened the spirit and fortified one's will, thereby raising the practitioner's Dao Heart level.
Even a Golden Core expert like the Spark Master could leave traces of their martial intent in a painting, influencing the consciousness of others.
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu's aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
Waves of killing intent, fighting spirit, courage, and valor surged from within him, seemingly on the verge of coalescing into his martial intent.
At the same time, the figure on the Heavenly Martial Diagram became increasingly vivid, its colors brightening as if it were coming to life, its gaze fixed intently on Zhang Yu.
The onlookers were stunned.
This was by far the most significant reaction the Heavenly Martial Diagram had shown today.
Lian Tianji, Qian Shen, Bai Zhenzhen—all of them stared at Zhang Yu, sensing the change in his aura and sharing the same incredulous thought: "Is he really going to succeed?"
But in the next moment, the transformation in Zhang Yu was abruptly cut short.
The martial intent that had seemed on the verge of forming dissipated into nothingness.
"Pity, pity," a line of text appeared on the painting.
"A prodigious talent, but one move short."
Zhang Yu's expression remained calm, showing no surprise.
Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique: Level 0 (1/1, 8.3/8 mana, 0.85/0.8 physical strength, 1/3 Dao Heart)
On the feather scroll, a martial art called the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique had appeared.
This was the result of Zhang Yu's repeated contemplation of the Heavenly Martial Diagram, his careful observation of the students' performances, and his repeated study of Bai Zhenzhen's video.
Unlike the martial arts Zhang Yu had learned before, this Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique had specific requirements for mana, physical strength, and Dao Heart.
"Apart from practicing all the fist, palm, and leg techniques, it requires 8 mana, 0.8 physical strength, and a level 3 Dao Heart. I've met all the other requirements, but the level 3 Dao Heart..."
Zhang Yu's own Dao Heart was only at level 1. As expected, his attempt had been blocked at the final step.
"This Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique seems to be a martial art for condensing martial intent and strengthening the Dao Heart, but it requires a level 3 Dao Heart. That's a high bar for a first-year high school student who's only been in school for three months."
Li Xuelian, watching Zhang Yu's failure, was filled with admiration.
She had never expected any of these first-year students to succeed.
"According to the information from the security company, this is Zhang Yu, a first-year student from Songyang High School. To have come this far, he truly is a prodigy."
Recalling Zhang Yu's performance, she thought, "Impressive. I almost underestimated him. His movements were stiff and awkward, yet he managed to grasp the intent behind them. It shows that he values the intent over the form, having already understood the essence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique. Excellent. My father's school will gain another outstanding disciple."
In truth, after reviewing the participants' information, Li Xuelian had already suspected that no one would succeed in this test.
After all, students capable of mastering the martial arts in the Heavenly Martial Diagram on the spot were either from prominent families or were already second or third-year students who had likely been signed by other schools.
It was highly unlikely they would come to apprentice under the Spark Master.
Finding a genius who could master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique on the spot was an extremely slim possibility.
But that didn't mean no one could join her father's school.
If any of the first-year students could withstand the impact of martial intent, learn all the techniques on the spot, and comprehend the essence of martial intent, even if they didn't fully master the technique, they would still be considered exceptional talents.
Such individuals, if they came a year later, would undoubtedly master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique and meet her father's requirements.
By finding them a year early, before they fully developed, she could secure them for her father's school.
She was certain her father would be willing to take on such an outstanding disciple.
In fact, the fact that this first-year student hadn't fully mastered the technique wasn't a drawback—it would give her more leverage when negotiating the contract.
With this in mind, she smiled at Zhang Yu.
"Although you didn't fully master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Technique, you've already grasped its essence. It's only a matter of time before you master it. I'll ask my father if he's willing to take you as a disciple."
Hearing this, the crowd was once again shocked.
Lian Tianji turned toward Zhang Yu, secretly taking a photo of him with his phone.
He wanted to find out who this security guard was and where he had come from.
Qian Shen stared at Zhang Yu in disbelief, thinking, "Impossible! How could someone with a score of 550 be taken as a disciple by a Golden Core expert? I must be dreaming. Is the Heavenly Martial Diagram still testing me?"
Bai Zhenzhen thought, "Did Zhang Yu just cheat?"
Seeing her former partner in debt suddenly rise to such heights, Bai Zhenzhen felt deeply uncomfortable.
"Zhang Yu, it's not that I don't wish you well. If you had scored in the top ten or top five, higher than before but still below me, I would have congratulated you. But now you've surpassed everyone, even me."
As she watched the crowd flock to Zhang Yu, she thought, "Once Zhang Yu signs with the Golden Core expert, he'll definitely attract a lot of investment. I'll have to milk him for all he's worth and borrow some money from him."
But then she reconsidered, frowning.
"But with half his Golden Core cultivation taken away and being optimized by the major sects, he'll have no resources or backing. If Zhang Yu really joins, he'll be stuck as a workhorse for life. Forget it. We're brothers. I should warn him not to be dazzled by the title of Golden Core and tell him to refuse the offer."
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianxing was wide-eyed, his mind blank.
But he quickly recalled his earlier attempts to dissuade Zhang Yu and felt a wave of embarrassment.
"How humiliating. He's a true genius. When I said those things to him, he must have thought I was a clown."
As Bai Zhenzhen approached Zhang Yu, many other students also gathered around him.
Some wanted to add him on social media, others wanted to ask him about the secrets of the Heavenly Martial Diagram, and some even wanted to take photos with him.
At the same time, Li Xuelian stepped aside to call her father.
"Dad, I've found a promising talent here in Songyang City..."
(End of Chapter)