The atmosphere in the Martial Arts Training Dojo was noticeably different on Monday.
A large open space had been cleared in the center of the floor. Students stood around it in a circle, whispering amongst themselves. An air of tension filled the room.
Teacher Wang stood in the center of the cleared space, his gaze sweeping over the students. His voice was even louder than usual.
"Today is combat practice. Get your gloves and protective gear on. The rules are simple: aside from no intentional attacks on vital points, there are no other restrictions!"
The rules were far less restrictive than usual, and for a moment, the students just stared at each other in confusion.
Xu Wuyi, however, remained calm. 'Since I chose the path of Martial Arts, I should have known this day would come sooner or later.'
During the actual combat portion of the college entrance exam, even attacks on vital points were permitted. There were almost no restrictions. And although Martial Master Level instructors would be supervising, accidents still happened every year.
Teacher Wang's gaze swept across the faces of several students with higher Qi and Blood.
"First group: Han Mengmeng, Xu Wuyi."
Xu Wuyi's heart skipped a beat. 'So it's come to this.'
Han Mengmeng was one of the few girls in class with top-tier Martial Arts scores. Her Life Energy Level had reportedly reached 9.2, already surpassing the minimum for university admission.
She was lithe and agile, her techniques were flexible, and she specialized in the elective D-level Martial Technique, Spiritual Snake Hand.
Hearing her name, she smiled confidently and stepped forward with light, easy strides, flexing her wrists.
A low murmur of discussion rippled through the crowd.
"Han Mengmeng's Spiritual Snake Hand is tough to deal with. Her angles are tricky."
"Xu Wuyi has been working his butt off lately, but there's a big gap in their Life Energy Levels, and his technique is no match for hers, right?"
"Let's see how he handles it. Han Mengmeng doesn't just rely on her physical stats."
Zhou Heng glanced at Xu Wuyi worriedly from the sidelines and whispered, "Ah Yi, watch out for her grapples and joint-lock techniques. Don't let her tie you up."
Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and nodded to Zhou Heng without a word. He shrugged off his jacket, put on the standard-issue gloves provided by the school, and walked to the center of the floor.
Han Mengmeng was slightly shorter than him, but her eyes were sharp. The starting form she assumed was not from the Basic Body Refining Technique, but a fluid stance with the distinct characteristics of the Spiritual Snake Hand.
She extended her hands slightly, like a snake's flickering tongue, in a gesture that was clearly a taunt.
She looked at Xu Wuyi. They'd been classmates for three years, so she was fairly familiar with this unassuming boy. She knew he had mediocre talent but was remarkably hardworking.
'Unfortunately, on the path of Martial Arts, hard work alone isn't enough.'
Han Mengmeng shook her head inwardly. 'Is Teacher Wang making us the first match to discourage some of the other students?' she wondered.
Before she could dwell on it, Teacher Wang's voice rang out.
"Begin!"
Han Mengmeng's feet slid across the floor as she swiftly closed the distance. Holding her fingers together like a beak, her right hand jabbed straight for the pressure point on Xu Wuyi's arm joint. The angle was tricky, and her speed was immense!
She knew she had an advantage in Qi and Blood, but not a huge one. So, right from the start, she intended to overwhelm him with technique and disrupt his rhythm.
Xu Wuyi's heart tightened. He subconsciously used the step technique from the Basic Body Refining Technique to retreat, instinctively raising his forearm to block.
The movement was textbook, and he managed to block the strike. But the instant their arms made contact, he felt a strange, jarring power transmit through, leaving his arm slightly numb.
"Not a bad reaction, but way too rigid!"
Han Mengmeng chuckled, pressing her advantage. Her hands flowed out in a continuous stream as she unleashed the techniques of the Spiritual Snake Hand, specifically targeting his joints, pressure points, and other weak spots.
Xu Wuyi was immediately put on the defensive.
His movements from the Basic Body Refining Technique were textbook, his foundation solid. But against Han Mengmeng's flexible, varied, and highly targeted attacks, he seemed clumsy and slow.
He could feel that the difference in their Qi and Blood Strength really wasn't that great. 'If her Life Energy Level is still 9.2, then mine must be at least an 8.8,' he thought.
The real reason he was at a disadvantage was his lack of advanced combat techniques.
He could only block and dodge, again and again. With every point of contact, her power felt as slippery and elusive as an eel, leaving him unable to exert his own strength. It even seemed to disrupt the flow of his Qi and Blood.
"See? He's completely suppressed."
"The gap in their Martial Arts Techniques is just too wide. They're not even in the same league."
"Han Mengmeng's Spiritual Snake Hand is so powerful!"
The chatter from the sidelines grew louder.
Zhou Heng scratched his head as he watched.
As the saying goes, you can only defend for so long before you slip up. If this kept up, Xu Wuyi would either run out of stamina or Han Mengmeng would find an opening and defeat him with a single strike.
This was what Zhou Heng thought. It was what the other students thought. It was even what Han Mengmeng herself thought. But it was not what Xu Wuyi was thinking.
Xu Wuyi's concentration was absolute. Under the storm of attacks, his defense remained watertight, without a single opening.
He had discovered that after weathering her initial offensive, the situation had actually stabilized.
Han Mengmeng's proficiency with the Spiritual Snake Hand was high, but her foundation was clearly not as solid as his. In other words, her mastery of the Basic Body Refining Technique was comparatively weak.
The Body Refining Technique is the foundation. With an unstable foundation, you can only bring out eighty percent of a martial art's true power. But with a solid foundation, you can unleash one hundred and twenty percent of its power!
A plan had already formed in Xu Wuyi's mind. Outwardly, he remained on the defensive, meticulously blocking each attack, but his movements were growing more and more fluid.
Unable to break through his defense, Han Mengmeng grew impatient. After a feint, she shot out a swift Grapple Hand straight for Xu Wuyi's wrist, attempting to lock him down completely!
The move was incredibly fast, an almost guaranteed hit!
However, in the split second before her fingers could lock on, Xu Wuyi reacted as if he'd seen it coming.
Sinking his shoulder, dropping his elbow, rotating his wrist—it was an instinct honed by practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique tens of thousands of times, and it was the simplest, most effective response.
This perfectly timed maneuver caused Han Mengmeng's supposedly inescapable grab to miss, her fingertips merely grazing his skin.
An over-committed attack reveals an opening!
'Now!'
Xu Wuyi's eyes flashed as he threw a simple, unadorned straight punch.
Mountain-Shattering Fist!
It was the only elective Martial Art he knew, and it had a low rating—only C- Level. He hadn't even spent any extra time practicing it recently.
But now, as Xu Wuyi threw the punch, it felt incredibly natural. The power-generation technique he was using was clearly the Bow Step Punch from the Basic Body Refining Technique!
All fist techniques share common principles. By integrating his understanding of the Basic Body Refining Technique, Xu Wuyi's Mountain-Shattering Fist produced a surprisingly different effect.
His Qi and Blood surged, his power condensed. The timing was perfect down to the millisecond as the punch shot straight for the opening in Han Mengmeng's center guard.
THUD!
A muffled, solid sound rang out.
Han Mengmeng never expected Xu Wuyi to neutralize her attack so effortlessly, let alone counterattack with such speed and ferocity.
She felt a dull impact in her chest as a solid wave of force washed over her. With a cry of surprise, she stumbled backward uncontrollably for five or six steps before collapsing and landing squarely on her butt.
She wasn't injured, but her face, already slightly flushed, was a mask of pure astonishment.
The entire training dojo fell silent in an instant.
The training session was essentially a spar. And while they weren't supposed to hold back, according to the rules, being knocked down like that meant Han Mengmeng had already lost.
Sure enough, a flicker of a smile crossed Teacher Wang's eyes as he calmly announced, "Xu Wuyi wins."
The dojo instantly erupted.