A Sixth-level Martial Artist this young was someone you couldn't even hope to catch up to.
Such people were the cream of the crop, blessed with extraordinary talent. At minimum, they were the top one or two students in an entire county-level school.
Yang Fan sheepishly shut his mouth. Saying anything more would just be asking for humiliation.
"Level 6?"
Zhao Rui just smiled without a word. He took out his phone and started browsing the web.
'There's no point in saying anything right now. I can't compete with him, and that's that. A verbal spat would only make me look insecure.'
'How could I be insecure now? With the system panel, even a pig wouldn't get stuck at Level 6!'
'So there's no need to sweat it!'
The handsome boy was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhao Rui to be so nonchalant. The corners of his mouth lifted into his typical smirk.
"Interesting!"
After saying that, the boy fell silent and closed his eyes to rest.
Yang Fan turned his head and rolled his eyes. He couldn't stand people who acted so smug, but the guy's rank was so high that his posturing was impossible to refute.
"Zhao Rui! Hou Ping! Zhang Lei..."
A staff member poked his head out the door and shouted down the hallway.
"Here!"
Zhao Rui stood up and walked toward the door.
"Good luck!"
Yang Fan cheered from behind him.
Zhao Rui grunted in acknowledgment and followed the staff member into the room.
At the same time, the student sitting next to the handsome boy from before also stood up and followed.
The Martial Dao test was quite complex, involving many different components.
These included an Inner Strength level test, physical fitness tests for different types of Martial Arts, a Martial Arts Cultivation test, on-the-spot reactions to techniques, and a whole series of other assessments.
All in all, there were as many as eighteen different tests.
As the Martial Dao had developed to the present day, a relatively complete system and methodology for Level assessment had been established.
It could provide a direct and fairly accurate reflection of a Martial Arts Student's true strength.
Of course, this was surface-level, foundational strength—not one's ability in a life-or-death battle.
It was like a base level in a video game. As long as your physical fitness and Combat Skills surpassed a certain threshold, it meant you met the standard.
As for your actual combat ability, that could only be determined through competitions or life-or-death struggles.
"Examinee, please stand in front of the testing machine, facing the pendulum..."
Zhao Rui took a deep breath, discreetly activated the Qi Circulation Method from the Taihang Thirteen Palms, formed a fist, and threw a punch.
The large pendulum shot backward with a dull THUD.
The numbers on the display shot up—1,000, 1,500, 2,000—finally stopping at 2,150.
2,150 pounds of force. This was far beyond the punching power of the top boxers from his previous life.
Converted to kilogram-force, that was a full thousand kilograms of power.
And that was the explosive power Zhao Rui could generate without even using his Inner Strength.
Having reached the Master Level in a Martial Art, many of the key acupoints for the Palm Technique were already unblocked, allowing his Inner Strength to naturally improve his physical functions.
It was no surprise he could achieve this level of power.
This was one of the reasons why Martial Arts were so revered in this world; an individual's Combat Power could truly go off the charts.
Even if an ordinary person had a gun, a Fifth-level Martial Artist could change position in an instant and take your life with a small pebble before you could pull the trigger.
For someone who practiced a Hard Skill, shattering a concrete wall with a single palm strike was as easy as flipping their hand.
Not to mention those Martial Artists above Level 10 who could project their Gang Qi externally.
Of course, besides this, the life-extending benefits of certain Martial Arts were also a factor.
"Good!"
The supervisor to the side read the value and gave a "Good" rating.
Zhao Rui shook his head. 'Thank goodness I learned Cui Jian's Taihang Thirteen Palms through the panel,' he thought. 'Otherwise, with just my Cloud Hand Star-Picking, my power would probably only be between 1,600 and 1,800.'
'Barely a pass!'
'It would be great if I could learn the Dragon Subduing Palm in the future.'
'This world has the Dragon Subduing Palm,' Zhao Rui mused, 'but I've never seen it. I wonder if it's similar to the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms from my past life.'
From what he'd heard, it was a Palm Technique of astonishing power, and mastering it made challenging those of a higher level a simple matter.
"Next!"
As Zhao Rui left the testing platform, the following examinees began their tests one by one.
Zhao Rui watched two of them; their power levels were around 2,000, a notch below his own.
For a typical Fifth-level Martial Artist, a base strength of 1,800 was a pass, and 2,000 was considered good.
To be rated excellent, you needed to be over 2,200.
After watching for a while, Zhao Rui lost interest and followed an attendant to the next testing area.
Two hours later, the doors to the assessment center's main testing hall slowly opened, and Zhao Rui filed out with the rest of the examinees.
Yang Fan hurried over to meet him, asking with an expectant look, "Did you pass?"
"Yep!"
Zhao Rui nodded with a smile.
"Awesome! Let's go, lunch is on me!"
Yang Fan said happily, acting as if he was the one who had passed Level 4.
"Didn't we agree it was my treat?"
"I'll be counting on you to have my back from now on! Let's go, let's go!"
Yang Fan chuckled and pulled Zhao Rui toward the exit.
"Hey, I'll be waiting for you at Level 6!"
Just then, the handsome boy from before made a "six" with his right hand and gave Zhao Rui a provocative smile.
After speaking, the boy and his classmate started walking away, their hands in their pockets, looking as cocky as humanly possible.
Yang Fan cursed at their backs, "Fuck, I hope lightning strikes those smug bastards!"
"Alright, we don't even know them. Let them say what they want. What do you want to eat?"
"There's a new barbecue place that just opened. Let's go there."
After saying that, Yang Fan gave another sly grin and said, "After the college entrance exams are over, I'll take you out to the Entertainment City!"
The Entertainment City?
Information about the Entertainment City instantly surfaced in Zhao Rui's mind.
Thanks to the flourishing of the Martial Dao in this world, some underworld forces were far more rampant than in his previous life.
The Entertainment City was one such place, run by these forces and dedicated to pleasure and amusement.
It was somewhat similar to the casino cities of Macau.
But it had even more attractions than Macau's casinos, and it was far more lawless.
"Don't tell me you've already been there?"
Zhao Rui gave Yang Fan a knowing look.
"Hehe, you know it! Let me tell you, the girls in there... tsk, tsk, they're even prettier than Bai Xuening and Luo Min!"
"Stop right there. Just say they're pretty; no need for comparisons. I'm afraid you'll get your ass kicked!"
"Hehe, I heard they even have High-tier Martial Artists working as escorts..."
"The price is just a little steep!"
Yang Fan chattered on excitedly about what he'd seen inside, and before long, they reached the parking lot.
"Fuck! Which shameless asshole knocked over my motorcycle?"
Yang Fan, who had been in high spirits, spotted his beloved motorcycle toppled over on the ground and immediately flew into a rage.
"Oh, so that's your bike? I was wondering why it looked so familiar!"
Before Yang Fan could finish, the window of a nearby Mercedes-Benz sedan rolled down. A boy with a hooked nose whistled at Yang Fan and spoke in a jeering tone.
"Fuck..."
Yang Fan muttered, then silently lifted his motorcycle upright before getting on without another word.
"Let's go!"
Seeing him act like this, Zhao Rui didn't ask any questions. He got on the back seat, and the motorcycle roared to life, speeding out of the parking lot.
"So gutless, Yang Fan... Next time, don't forget to run when you see me!"
The hook-nosed boy's arrogant voice drifted over to them intermittently from behind.