"Why are they testing in reverse order by student number this time? Is Teacher Xu targeting me?" Zhou Qi shrank his neck.
He originally thought he'd be the last one to undergo testing, and by then, other students probably wouldn't pay much attention, so naturally, he wouldn't lose face.
*But it turned out to be the opposite? Zhou Qi felt an overwhelming urge to die.*
"Go on." Li Yuan patted Zhou Qi's shoulder, laughing, "Stretching your neck out meets the blade, keeping your head tucked in meets the blade."
Zhou Qi smirked. "At least give me time to clean my neck before chopping it off."
Muttering complaints, Zhou Qi's body was far more obedient than his reluctant voice. Fearing Teacher Xu Bo's reprimand, he grabbed his long spear and quickly moved to the center of the classroom.
The classroom's center featured a massive circular surface made of silver metal, which was noticeably different from the surrounding floor materials.
The silver circular floor had a diameter of about 12 meters, looking much like a combat stage upon first glance.
Meanwhile, Li Yuan, Wan Xiao, and over a hundred students, all instinctively stepped back, exiting the boundaries of the silver floor area.
"Authorization initiated," Teacher Xu's deep voice suddenly rang out. A faint red glow emanated from an instrument resembling a smartwatch on his left wrist. "Class 3-2, testing Martial Arts Skills and Physical Quality simultaneously with records!"
Immediately—
Whoosh—the overhead instruments in the classroom, previously inactive, began glowing white.
The white light cascaded down, perfectly encompassing the silver circular area.
"Zzzzt~" One of the devices suddenly emitted two beams of red light, spreading out and enveloping both Zhou Qi and Xu Bo.
This sight was nothing unusual to everyone present.
Within three seconds—
"Whoosh!" The electronic screen at the back of the classroom abruptly lit up, displaying two lines of prominent white text:
"Zhou Qi (Student), Physical Quality: Level 3.9 (Last test: Level 3.7)"
"Xu Bo (Teacher), Physical Quality: Level 12.0 (Exceeds testing limits)"
...
"Huh, it's been a while since the last test, but my level actually increased by 0.2?" Zhou Qi's face lit up with a hint of delight. "*Looks like the past few months of effort weren't in vain.*"
"Still not at Level 4 for Physical Quality?" Xu Bo frowned slightly.
Level 3.9 wasn't considered bad among the province's millions of senior high school students. In fact, it could even be regarded as average.
*However, as a student of Guan Mountain District's First High School—widely known as the province's top institution—this level ranked among the weakest.*
"Seems like old Zhou talks about slacking off but is secretly putting in the effort," Li Yuan chuckled.
At this age, students experienced rapid physical improvement. Achieving an increase of 0.2 within three months indicated Zhou Qi had undoubtedly been striving in private.
Judging by this pace, Zhou Qi might reach a Physical Quality level of 4.5 by college entrance exams.
"It's just that the school's Life Vitality Detector is somewhat basic, unable to measure Teacher Xu's actual Physical Quality level," Li Yuan pondered internally.
Life Vitality Blood Testing Instruments were extremely common in this era, widely available in schools and martial halls at all levels.
Many families also owned one. The device's complex sensing principle was specifically designed to measure a person's vitality intensity and convert it into equivalent Physical Quality levels.
A Physical Quality level of 5.0 was the standard for normal adults.
Level 10.0 marked the entry threshold for being an Entry Rank Warrior. Entry Rank Warriors were true martial artists eligible for government subsidies and numerous benefits.
The school's Life Vitality Detector was primarily geared toward students, with a standard upper limit of 12.0. While it seemed basic, its performance was incredibly stable and rarely malfunctioned.
For such high-usage equipment, durability was by far the most critical factor.
Of course, the college entrance Physical Quality evaluation considered more than just instrument readings. Specialized tests for speed, fist strength, and other aspects were included in the final comprehensive assessment.
"Testing, assessed by college entrance standards—I'll only utilize forces equivalent to about Level 5.0 for power and speed. Let's see if you all can deliver performance worthy of 300 points in the scoring system," Xu Bo explained.
The Martial Arts Skills section was worth a total of 400 points, and achieving 300 points here was the minimum requirement for admission to Martial Arts University.
Ten meters away, Zhou Qi was already sweating in his palms.
*Level 5.0?* *So, Teacher Xu would be using speed and strength vastly superior to his.*
"What are you waiting for? Come at me," Xu Bo ordered sharply.
"Yes!"
Holding the spear in a standard mid-level posture, Zhou Qi abruptly lunged forward. His burst of speed was impressive, closing the ten-meter distance in an instant, his two-meter-long spear darting straight at Xu Bo.
Spear techniques focused heavily on piercing.
Zhou Qi's Physical Quality level might seem low, but the force released from his punches exceeded 150 kilograms.
Although he'd trained with the spear for two years, his comprehension was only average, and his diligence wasn't noteworthy, his foundational skills were still solid.
At least, this thrust looked properly executed.
This was also why students had to wear full body armor during testing.
Engaging in cold-weapon combat, even if unsharpened weapons were used, left participants exposed to serious injury without protective gear.
Whoosh!
Burly and untethered by any armor himself, Xu Bo casually side-stepped to the left. His movement seemed leisurely but easily evaded Zhou Qi's fierce stab.
The spearhead seemed to narrowly miss his frame.
At first glance, it looked incredibly close.
"That movement technique?" Outside the circle, Li Yuan's eyes brightened, perceiving Xu Bo's adept control.
*Precise to the point—no extra and no less.*
*It maximized energy conservation.*
*This reflected absolute mastery over his own body combined with flawless anticipatory judgment of the opponent's attacks, leaving zero room for error.*
"He dodged again?" Zhou Qi immediately retracted his weapon and pulled back, his spear spinning up as it blossomed into a flourishing maneuver before renewing its assault on Xu Bo.
This time as well, Xu Bo merely stepped backward once more, his retreat seeming like an effortless evasion.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zhou Qi unleashed a flurry of spear strikes—thrusting, slicing, sweeping—but under Xu Bo's intricate movement technique, every single attack missed its mark.
*"Just barely missed…again and again." Zhou Qi gritted his teeth.*
*"Missed? More like miles off." Li Yuan sighed internally.*
*It wasn't that Zhou Qi's spear techniques were incompetent; Xu Bo's movement technique was beyond extraordinary.*
Although Xu Bo's steps were not fast, they showed terrifying precision, as if he had already calculated every possible trajectory of Zhou Qi's attacks.
After about ten lunges, the strain began wearing heavily on Zhou Qi. His arm grew fatigued, and his spear momentum slowed.
That was the moment.
"Tssst!"
With an audible tearing sound, Xu Bo suddenly stepped forward, his left hand extending the staff in a lightning-fast thrust. The rod-tip veered snake-like, instantly deflecting Zhou Qi's spear parry and flinging the weapon's head upward.
"Bang~"
The stick-tip lightly struck Zhou Qi's hand, delivering a sting of pain that reflexively caused him to release the spear.
Clang~ The spear hit the floor.
The stick was instantly withdrawn.
Silence fell across the classroom, with the students' gazes fixed on the outcome.
Xu Bo had only started teaching their Martial Arts class last semester.
During last year's end-of-term skills test, Xu Bo hadn't demonstrated such astonishing movement techniques or refined control.
"So this is Teacher Xu's real strength?"
"His speed wasn't fast—probably slower than mine—but that footwork…" The hundred-or-so students were all stunned, though many of their Physical Quality levels exceeded 5.0.
Among the prior lessons, these students knew Xu Bo possessed tremendous Physical Quality strength and an advanced mastery of Martial Arts Skills.
However, during practical instruction, Xu Bo had never fought them using a Physical Quality level as low as 5.0.
*Demonstration and real combat were entirely different matters.*
Although many students had watched combat videos of formidable fighters online, the visceral impact of witnessing it up close was incomparable.
Drip—
The screen at the back of the classroom displayed new data: "245 points."
The score was calculated through a complex program that factored in data from the combat sequence and its outcome.
In college entrance exams, each student's skills evaluation also included additional human scoring.
*"245? That's even lower than last semester." Zhou Qi muttered inwardly but didn't feel too humiliated.*
*At least he had thrown so many strikes out there.*
... According to student numbers.
Each student underwent testing, with most displaying Physical Quality levels between 4.5 and 5.5.
As for the skills evaluations?
The battle sequences mirrored Zhou Qi's—students attacked while Xu Bo's movement patterns effortlessly evaded their attempts until a single decisive strike concluded each exchange.
Scores struggled to surpass 300 points.
Even student No. 2, Wan Xiao, whose Physical Quality tested at an impressive 6.0 level, showcasing speeds and strengths far greater than 5.0, only managed to withstand three staff thrusts from Xu Bo.
Wan Xiao's final score was 322 points.
Thus far, Wan Xiao was the class's sole student to exceed 320 points.
"Wan Xiao scored 329 points at the end-of-term test last year, didn't he? How come it's lower now?"
"It's not him; the assessment criteria have tightened a lot. Haven't you noticed most of the scores in our class dropped?"
"Last semester's exams followed junior year standards; today's follow college entrance standards."
"Only Li Yuan is left."
"Wonder how many strikes from Teacher Xu he can parry." All students trained their eyes on Li Yuan, with excitement evident in some of the female students' expressions.
In Martial Arts rankings, Li Yuan was among the province's top thirty students and unequivocally number one in Class 3-2.
With strong grades and a decent personality, he was naturally received more favorably.
*Student dynamics at this stage of life still retained genuine simplicity, unlike the social hierarchy seen in adult society.*
"Li Yuan." An indiscreet glimmer of expectation flickered in Xu Bo's eyes.
"Teacher Xu," Li Yuan replied as he gripped his long spear and stepped into the silver metal arena.
Whoosh!
A red beam projected over, enveloping Li Yuan tightly.
Three seconds later—
The rear classroom screen presented updated data: "Li Yuan (Student), Physical Quality: Level 6.5 (Last test: Level 6.0)"