The Little Heavenly Star Palm was a martial art that didn’t rely on any specific techniques.
Instead, it was purely about channeling spiritual energy into a cold, icy palm force.
At this moment, He Dayou was confident that his Little Heavenly Star Palm would severely injure Zhang Yu, freezing his internal organs.
He believed that with Zhang Yu’s financial situation, he wouldn’t be able to afford medical treatment and would have to endure the pain.
“You poor wretch, at least you won’t be able to come to school for a week,” He Dayou thought smugly.
Boom!
As their palms collided, their spiritual energies clashed, creating a loud explosion-like sound within their bodies.
Although He Dayou’s Little Heavenly Star Palm was powerful, he had only just mastered it.
On the other hand, Zhang Yu’s martial art, though seemingly ordinary, had been trained to the third level, allowing him to unleash a formidable palm force.
As their energies clashed, He Dayou realized that his advantage wasn’t as great as he had imagined.
His Little Heavenly Star Palm could only slowly push back Zhang Yu’s palm force, gradually invading his opponent’s body.
What surprised him even more was that Zhang Yu was like a不倒翁 (a roly-poly toy), each time He Dayou’s palm force invaded a little, Zhang Yu would quickly push it back.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Zhang Yu stubbornly refused to fall.
At the same time, Zhang Yu’s internal energy circulation continued to operate, constantly replenishing his spiritual energy, allowing him to withstand He Dayou’s Little Heavenly Star Palm repeatedly.
The assistant teacher watching the scene was startled. “Are they really dueling with their spiritual energies?”
Seeing the serious expressions on both students’ faces, the assistant teacher was worried that something might go wrong, which would ruin his performance evaluation for the year.
Especially since one of them was the son of a school board member, he couldn’t afford any accidents.
He quickly reminded them, “If either of you can’t hold on, immediately admit defeat, and the other must withdraw their energy. Don’t risk serious injury for a monthly exam. It’s not worth ruining your future.”
Neither of them spoke.
He Dayou stared fiercely at Zhang Yu, frantically channeling his spiritual energy into waves of Little Heavenly Star Palm force, bombarding his opponent.
Zhang Yu, however, remained calm and focused, actively using the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique to recover his energy while resisting He Dayou’s attacks.
In the blink of an eye, both of them were drenched in sweat, their bodies emitting steam as if they were two giant furnaces.
But Zhang Yu’s face was flushed and he seemed to be getting more relaxed.
In contrast, He Dayou’s face turned pale, and he was clearly struggling.
Unable to control his emotions, He Dayou looked at Zhang Yu with a mix of shock and anger.
The assistant coach checked the time.
The duel had already lasted over a minute.
Seeing He Dayou’s condition, he had to remind them again, “If you can’t hold on, admit defeat. This is just a monthly exam.”
He Dayou opened his mouth several times, looking at Zhang Yu, who seemed to be getting more and more at ease.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and forced out the words, “I… I admit defeat.”
As both of them slowly withdrew their spiritual energy, He Dayou collapsed to the ground.
His face was as pale as a sheet, and the energy in his dantian was almost completely depleted.
He looked at Zhang Yu with resentment and asked, “How much energy do you have left?”
Zhang Yu, seeing He Dayou’s weak and exhausted state, humbly replied, “Just one or two percent.”
He Dayou snorted coldly.
He could tell from Zhang Yu’s demeanor that it was definitely more than that.
He slowly stood up and gave Zhang Yu a deep look. “You’re good. We’ll spar again next time.”
With that, He Dayou turned and left.
As he walked away, he couldn’t help but admit one thing in his heart: “Zhang Yu… is strong. But… it’s a pity. As a poor person, he’s destined to become our dog. I hope you can hold on until the next time I defeat you properly, so I won’t have any regrets.”
On the other hand, Zhang Yu watched He Dayou’s unsteady retreat and thought to himself, “Next time? Don’t even think about it. This is the closest you’ll ever get to my strength. It’ll be your fondest memory. Next time we fight, I’m afraid you’ll be saying, ‘Sorry, Zhang Yu, I didn’t get to use my full strength.’”
Zhang Yu walked out of the examination hall and saw Bai Zhenzhen leaning against the wall.
“Hey, Zhenzhen, you’re quick.”
“Yeah, it only took a few moves,” Bai Zhenzhen replied, looking at him curiously. “Who did you get?”
“He Dayou.”
“Damn it!” Bai Zhenzhen stomped her foot angrily. “He just showed off in the Dao technique exam, and now you’ve been humiliated by him. He must be having the time of his life today. But don’t worry, next time in combat class, I’ll challenge him and humiliate him for you.”
Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen speechlessly. “I won.”
Feeling Bai Zhenzhen’s surprised gaze, Zhang Yu decided to show her.
He threw a punch, which Bai Zhenzhen immediately blocked with her palm.
Their fists and palms collided repeatedly, their arms turning into blurs in the air, creating dull thuds like heavy hammers.
Boom!
After several exchanges, they finally separated.
Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed, “You’ve reached level 3 in Freehand Combat?”
Zhang Yu asked, “You’ve reached level 3 in Freehand Combat?”
Bai Zhenzhen was shocked. “Weren’t you only at level 1 before? How did you suddenly reach level 3? Did you secretly train it to level 3 and wait for an opportunity like today to show off? You’ve been reading too many wish-fulfillment novels, haven’t you?”
Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen with equal suspicion. “Zhenzhen, are you projecting? You said you were only at level 2 before. You’re really going all out to show off, aren’t you?”
Bai Zhenzhen blushed and explained, “I’m not doing it to show off. Higher levels in Freehand Combat don’t give extra points. In fact, keeping a trick up your sleeve can give you an advantage in practical exams. Haven’t you heard the teacher say that information warfare is part of real combat?”
Zhang Yu suddenly thought of He Dayou, who had almost caught him off guard with his cold palm technique earlier.
Hearing Bai Zhenzhen’s words, he couldn’t help but agree. “It’s true. I should keep some tricks up my sleeve and not reveal all my cards.”
After Zhou Tianyi finished his exam, the three of them went to the cafeteria for dinner, then went home or to extra classes.
Tomorrow would be the exams for Dao Heart, spiritual energy, and physical strength.
After returning home, Zhang Yu went back to the abandoned building.
The 24-hour cooldown for switching his specialization hadn’t passed yet.
Since he was still focused on Freehand Combat, he decided to continue training and raise its level further.
“Hehe, even though I revealed my level 3 Freehand Combat to Zhenzhen, if I can train it to level 5 or 6 today, I’ll have a new trick up my sleeve.”
Thinking about the shocked look on Bai Zhenzhen’s face next time, Zhang Yu felt his punches becoming even more powerful.
He trained diligently, resting when tired and continuing when his stamina recovered.
Before he knew it, the night had passed.
The next morning, as the sunlight slowly filtered through the empty windows of the abandoned building, Zhang Yu, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, slowly opened his eyes.
After a night of hard training, his Freehand Combat had reached level 5 (3/50), and his understanding of this basic martial art had deepened.
His spiritual energy had also increased from 11.7 to 11.8.
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, “With the passive effect of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique, even though I’ve only been meditating during breaks these past few days, my spiritual energy has been increasing steadily.”
Feeling the constant growth of his spiritual energy, Zhang Yu’s mood improved.
It also made him look forward to the effects of raising the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique to level 10 after the cooldown period ended.
…
After squeezing onto the bus and arriving at school, Zhang Yu found Songyang still in a low-pressure state.
Many students looked visibly upset, clearly having had bad luck in yesterday’s exams.
After breakfast, Zhang Yu headed to the first exam of the day: the Dao Heart test.
The exam room had white walls and neatly arranged beds, resembling a hospital ward.
However, instead of oxygen machines, there were devices resembling masks behind the beds.
Shortly after Zhang Yu sat down on his assigned bed, he heard the countdown in his mind.
He pursed his lips and began meditating.
As he meditated, more and more students entered the room, and soon all the beds were filled.
With the sound of a bell, the students’ expressions turned serious, knowing the exam was about to begin.
At the same time, a soothing melody played over the speakers.
After the music ended, a female voice announced, “This is the Songyang City High School Unified Monthly Dao Heart Exam. The exam will last for 60 minutes.”
Hearing the announcement, Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised.
After all, he had experienced several monthly exams before.
Unlike yesterday’s general knowledge, martial arts, and Dao technique exams, the Dao Heart exam was a unified test for all high schools in Songyang City, due to the unique nature of Dao Heart and the exam itself.
The female voice continued, “Please ensure that the spiritual interface mask is correctly worn on your face. This is the time for equipment check and wearing.”
All the students immediately picked up the masks on their beds and began checking them.
Zhang Yu did the same, confirming that the mask’s cord was plugged into the socket and that the power was on, ensuring there was no damage…
After confirming everything was in order, Zhang Yu put on the mask.
He felt it reshape itself, perfectly covering his face as if it had become a second skin.
However, with his eyes covered by the mask, Zhang Yu’s vision was plunged into darkness.
Moments later, the female voice spoke again. “Equipment check and wearing are now complete. The Dao Heart exam has officially begun.”
The darkness before Zhang Yu’s eyes suddenly trembled, and as specks of light appeared, he found himself transported to another world.
(End of Chapter)