High Martial Arts Era - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chapter 2 Physical Quality Level 6.5

“Why are we going in reverse order based on student numbers this time? Is Teacher Xu targeting me?” Zhou Qi shrank his neck.

He had thought he would be the last to be tested, by which time, he guessed, the other students would probably not pay much attention and he would not lose face as a result.

But to do it in reverse? Zhou Qi felt an urge to die.

“Go on.” Li Yuan patted Zhou Qi on the shoulder with a smile, “A cut comes whether you stretch out your neck or retract it.”

Zhou Qi made a face, “Even if you’re going to decapitate me, at least give me a moment to wash my neck.”

Muttering under his breath, Zhou Qi was very honest with his actions, fearing a reprimand from Teacher Xu Bo, he quickly took his long spear and walked to the center of the classroom.

In the center of the classroom was a huge silver metallic circle, distinctly different from the rest of the floor material.

The silver circular ground had a diameter of about 12 meters, giving the impression at first glance of an arena.

Li Yuan, Wan Xiao, and the hundred other students tacitly stepped out of the limits of the silver round.

“Management authorization.” Teacher Xu suddenly spoke in a deep voice, a device similar to a smartwatch on his left wrist emitted a faint red light, “Class 3 (2), Martial Arts Skills testing, Physical Quality detection, record simultaneously!”

Immediately.

Whoosh~ The many devices above the classroom, previously inactive, instantly flickered with white light.

The white light came down, covering the silver circular area perfectly.

“Tss~” One of the devices suddenly shot out two beams of red light, which spread to envelop both Zhou Qi and Xu Bo.

Everyone was accustomed to this scene.

Merely three seconds.

“Swoosh!” The electronic screen at the back of the classroom suddenly lit up, displaying two very conspicuous lines of white text—

“Zhou Qi (student), Physical Quality: 3.9 level (previous test 3.7 level)”

“Xu Bo (teacher), Physical Quality: 12.0 level (beyond the detection limit)”

…

“Huh, it’s been so long since the last test, and I’ve actually improved by 0.2 level?” Zhou Qi’s face showed a hint of smugness, “It seems that the effort of the past few months has paid off a bit.”

“Physical Quality still not at level 4?” Xu Bo frowned slightly.

A Physical Quality of 3.9 level, looking at the millions of third-year high school students in the whole province, was actually not bad, even average.

But you see, in Guan Mountain District’s top high school in the capital, such physical quality was at the bottom.

“It seems Zhou Qi says he’s laying low, but his body is very honest.” Li Yuan couldn’t help but smile.

Their age was the stage where physical quality could skyrocket, and an increase of 0.2 level in three months meant Zhou Qi was indeed working hard behind the scenes.

With this rate of progress, by the time of the college entrance examination, Zhou Qi’s Physical Quality reaching 4.5 levels was hopeful.

“It’s just that the school’s Life Vitality Detector is a bit low-grade and can’t measure Teacher Xu’s real Physical Quality,” Li Yuan thought quietly.

The Life Vitality Blood Testing Instrument was an extremely common device in this era, frequently found in schools and various Martial Halls.

Many people also had it in their homes, with complex sensing principles, specifically designed to detect the strength of life’s vitality and then convert it into the corresponding Physical Quality level.

5.0 level was the standard for a normal adult.

10.0 level was the minimum threshold for an Entry Rank Martial Artist. Only Entry Rank Martial Artists were truly considered Martial Artists, who could receive benefits like government subsidies and many other rights.

The school’s Life Vitality Blood Testing Instrument, mainly serving students, typically had an upper limit of 12.0 levels. It might seem basic, but it was very reliable and not easily damaged.

For an instrument with such high usage, durability was most important.

Of course, the Physical Quality assessment for the college entrance examination wasn’t solely based on instrument measurements but also included specialized tests of speed, Fist Strength, and many other aspects, with a final comprehensive score being given.

“For the test, I will assess your scores against the college entrance examination standards, using about 5.0 level of strength and speed. I hope you can demonstrate a level of 300 points under the rating system,” Xu Bo spoke.

Martial Arts Skills total 400 points. Scoring 300 points in just the Martial Arts Skills category was the threshold for admission to a Martial Arts University.

Zhou Qi, standing ten meters away, was already sweating in his palms.

Level 5?

In other words, Xu Bo would employ speed and strength much stronger than his own.

“What are you waiting for? Attack!” Xu Bo scolded.

“Yes.”

Zhou Qi held the spear in the central position and suddenly lunged forward with impressive speed, covering the ten meters in the blink of an eye; his two-meter-long spear danced swiftly, aiming directly at Xu Bo.

Spear Technique relies on a single thrust.

Zhou Qi’s Physical Quality may seem not high, but his Fist Strength had exploded beyond one hundred fifty kilograms.

And having practiced Spear Technique for two years, even if his Comprehension was average and he wasn’t especially diligent, he still had a solid foundation.

At least his thrust looked competent.

That’s why students were required to wear full-body armor during tests.

In cold weapon combat, even if the weapon was not sharpened, without any protection, you could be seriously injured or maimed.

Whoosh!

Xu Bo, who was tall and burly and not wearing any armor, seemed to casually step to the left. His movement wasn’t fast, but he easily dodged Zhou Qi’s fierce spear thrust.

The spear’s tip missed his body by a hair’s breadth.

At first glance, it looked extremely dangerous.

“That movement technique?” Li Yuan’s eyes brightened as he noticed the sophistication in Xu Bo’s step.

Not an inch too much or too little.

A perfect conservation of energy.

It was an absolute control over one’s body coupled with precise prediction of the opponent’s attack, admitting no margin for error.

“Dodged again?” Zhou Qi didn’t hesitate, withdrawing his spear and following with a turn of the spearhead, flicking out a series of spear flowers before stabbing towards Xu Bo once more.

Yet Xu Bo simply retreated one step, seemingly narrowly avoiding the attack once again.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Zhou Qi wielded his long spear with all his might, either stabbing, slashing, or sweeping, but before Xu Bo’s exquisite movement technique, all his attacks fell short.

“So close, just a bit more.” Zhou Qi gritted his teeth.

“It’s not just a bit, it’s far off,” Li Yuan lamented quietly from the sidelines.

He could see clearly, it wasn’t that Zhou Qi’s spear technique was poor, but that Xu Bo’s movement technique was too exquisite.

His steps, appearing unhurried, were alarmingly precise, calculating all of Zhou Qi’s long spear movements in advance.

And after more than ten consecutive spear thrusts, Zhou Qi was also under a great burden, feeling weakness in his arms, causing his spear momentum to slow.

It was in that moment.

“Rip!”

The sound of air tearing apart, the constantly evading Xu Bo suddenly stepped forward, his left hand thrusting out the long stick with a bang, the head of the stick moving like a venomous snake, instantaneously deflecting Zhou Qi’s spear parry, and sending the long spear flying.

“Bang~”

The head of the stick chopped down, lightly tapping the back of Zhou Qi’s hand, causing a surge of pain that made him release the long spear instinctively.

Clang~ The long spear hit the ground.

The stick was already withdrawn.

Inside the classroom, it was dead silent, all the students looking at the scene.

Xu Bo, who had only taken over their class’s Martial Arts teaching since the last semester.

And in the skill test at the end of the previous semester, Xu Bo had not revealed such amazing body movement and control.

“Is this Teacher Xu’s true strength?”

“Clearly, Teacher Xu’s speed is very slow, probably even slower than mine, but his footwork…” More than a hundred students in the class were shocked; many had Physical Quality over 5.0.

In past teachings, these students knew that Xu Bo’s Physical Quality was extremely strong, knew that Xu Bo’s Martial Arts Skills were profound.

But when instructing them, Xu Bo had never fought against them with the speed and strength of a level 5 Physical Quality.

Teaching drills and actual combat are two different things.

Perhaps many students had seen far more amazing battle videos on the internet.

But watching videos and the impact brought by witnessing a fight at close range are different.

Tick-tock!

On the screen at the back of the classroom, a number had appeared—”245 points”.

The score was determined by a program that evaluated data, the process of combat, and the results, all calculated together.

For the college entrance exam, each student’s skills assessment would also include manual evaluation.

“The score, actually lower than last semester?” Zhou Qi muttered to himself but didn’t feel too embarrassed.

At least, he had launched so many thrusts.

… In order of student numbers.

One after another, students underwent the test, with most having Physical Quality between 4.5 and 5.5.

As for the Martial Arts Skills assessment?

The process of the tests, much like Zhou Qi’s, followed a similar pattern.

It began with the students attacking, while Xu Bo easily dodged each assault with his movement technique, and finally, a stick thrust out. Even though many students demonstrated superior speed and strength, they still couldn’t block it.

The scores, mostly struggling to surpass 300 points.

Even for Wan Xiao, student number 2, with a Physical Quality test score as high as 6.0, his burst of speed and strength was a significant cut above level 5.0.

Yet he held out against only three of Xu Bo’s strikes.

In the end, Wan Xiao’s skills score was 322 points.

He was also the only one in the class to exceed 320 points so far.

“Wan Xiao, last semester’s final was 329, right? Why have you regressed?”

“It’s not that he has regressed; it’s that the assessment standards have increased significantly. Haven’t you noticed that most of our scores have dropped?”

“Last semester’s final exam was according to the high school junior year standards, this test is according to college entrance exam standards.”

“Only Li Yuan is left.”

“I wonder how many strikes he can withstand from Teacher Xu.” All the classmates’ gazes were focused on Li Yuan, and even many of the girls showed anticipation.

In Martial Path achievements, Li Yuan was within the top thirty of the whole grade, but in senior class (2), he was undisputedly number one.

Good performance and a likable personality naturally made him more popular.

During student life, most are not as opportunistic as in society.

“Li Yuan,” Xu Bo’s eyes flashed with a barely perceptible expectation.

“Teacher Xu,” Li Yuan, holding his long spear, stepped into the circular area paved with silver metal.

Whoosh!

A beam of red light shot over, enveloping Li Yuan completely.

Three seconds later.

On the screen at the back of the classroom, data appeared—”Li Yuan (Student), Physical Quality: 6.5 (Last check 6.0)”