CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 77 MALFUNCTION

"Even now, the Martial Arts Will is crucial. On the battlefield, without the Martial Arts Will, when a Demon strikes, the body hurts, it goes numb immediately, and you might even wet your pants. But with the Martial Arts Will, you’ll hold strong with a body covered in blood, banging head-on with the Demon, feeling fearless."

"Like Zhou Leng?"

"Yes... Zhou Leng?"

Everyone turned to look at Zhou Leng.

"Hmm?" Everyone widened their eyes, expressing doubt.

Lu Juncai, second in class, sprang up, took a few steps towards Zhou Leng, then instinctively stepped back.

"Did you... train on the battlefield?"

"Zhou Leng’s gaze is different, very sharp."

"The aura is different too, clearly that of a seasoned soldier."

"There’s a real difference between a veteran and an ordinary person."

"He used to be Zhou Leng, now he should be called Zhou Lengleng," Wei Hong joked.

Zhou Leng said, "After the Copper Man Array battle, I watched many Martial Arts combat and battle videos, gaining some insights."

"With your extraordinary potential, it’s very likely."

"To think, your True Qi control is already strong, and your comprehension keeps rising rapidly. If one day you can master Left-Right Mutual Combat, you’ll benefit all of humanity."

"Don’t talk nonsense. How have you been feeling? You mentioned in the group chat that you’ve been secluded for cultivation these past few days."

Zhou Leng responded, "You’ve seen the results, there’s indeed significant progress."

"Then you’ll be more secure in the top tier of the joint exam."

"Top tier?" Zhou Leng inquired.

The new class leader, Wei Hong, explained slowly.

"Yes, the joint exam is different from the regular monthly exams. The purpose of the joint exam is for ordinary Martial Arts Academies to collaborate to cultivate talents, indirectly challenging the Top Ten Martial Arts."

"Think about it, eighteen schools competing for the top spot within each school, if only one person is given first place, won’t there be conflicts among students and schools?"

"So the principals conferred to avoid internal strife, creating a collective first place, known as the first tier."

"The first tier has very few members, usually just twenty or thirty."

"Apart from school leaders, outsiders cannot see the specific rankings, only which tier they’re in. Plus, the rewards for everyone within each tier are the same."

"This way, it can both motivate students and benefit most of them while avoiding excessive internal conflict, achieving the joint exam’s purpose."

"The most crucial part is, the joint exam involves real combat in Demon City. The first tier is set with multiple participants, so each school’s top student is willing to join forces to hunt and kill monsters."

"If there was only one top spot, it wouldn’t be a test of monster hunting, it would be a test of human nature, with internal strife able to destroy entire schools."

Zhou Leng nodded, saying, "Indeed, during real combat in Demon City, similar tragedies have occurred before."

"You should have a stable spot in the first tier." Wei Hong envied.

"Not necessarily." Zhou Leng shook his head.

Wei Hong pursed his lips and said, "Here we go again, saying the most cowardly words, fighting the fiercest battles."

Feng Wenhao said, "The key is he likes to keep something up his sleeve. On the platform at that time, we all thought he would lose, then he suddenly pulled off a Qi Follows Body Movement, leaving the opponent completely paralyzed."

Lu Juncai said, "This time the joint exam allows teamwork. We won’t bother about others, but our class should stick with Zhou Leng. Can’t say how much merit we’ll gain, but the mortality rate will significantly drop."

"No one is foolish, of course, we’ll grab on to Zhou Leng. Wait, mortality rate?"

"Real combat in Demon City during the joint exam could lead to deaths."

The Martial Arts Dojo fell into brief silence.

"Be careful, there won’t be any issues."

"Right."

"Today there’s a school-based test exam, how are you all feeling?"

"I improved by at least 100 points since last time!"

"Me too!"

Before long, Deng Zhijue and other instructors arrived, leading the class in grand march towards the exam venue.

Deng Zhijue waved towards Zhou Leng, and Zhou Leng walked over.

Deng Zhijue gazed at Zhou Leng for a while, then said, "What have you been doing these days? Did you go to Demon City or come across a Demon again?"

Zhou Leng had already prepared a response, saying, "After the Copper Man Array, I resolved to ponder, seeking Uncle Li’s guidance. He’s a veteran, letting me feel the battlefield’s atmosphere. These past two days, I’ve been contemplating the feeling of battle and death."

Deng Zhijue sighed, "The damage from that Demon to you is still manifesting. After so long, you can still draw strength from death and fear, very good, keep at it."

"Even now, scenes of death repeatedly appear in my mind, including being harmed by a Demon, fighting on the platform, battling the Copper-man. Additionally, certain details from combat videos continue to shock me."

"You may truly have a talent in this area. Keep enhancing it, one day, you’ll achieve unprecedented accomplishments."

Before long, everyone arrived at the exam venue.

This test is exactly like the last one.

Not only is it included in the monthly exam scores, logged into Martial Arts City, and the Rucheng Freshman Chart, it also determines whether one can participate in the eighteen schools joint exam.

On arrival, all students focused on Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng, however, slowly warmed up, his gaze steady, completely ignoring outside attention.

Feng Wenhao, knowing Zhou Leng the longest, muttered quietly, "He’s as steady as an old dog, like he’s a different person."

The first event, sprint.

meters distance, Zhou Leng sprinted like a runaway horse.

A good number of students watched Zhou Leng run ahead, and as he ran, they also saw him overtaking them from behind.

Lapping.

These students felt helpless, shouting for Zhou Leng to slow down as they ran.

Final score: 100 points.

Previous score: 91.4 points.

Second event, dodge run.

Due to numerous baseballs sprayed out along the path, no one could completely evade them, and even in Yunhua Jinjing, very few can achieve a perfect score.

Zhou Leng, 97.2.

Previous score: 93.4 points.

Third event, weighted run.

98.1.

Previous score: 94.6 points.

Fourth event, obstacle run.

97.1.

Previous score: 93.8 points.

Fifth event, weightlifting.

points.

Previous score: 90.5 points.

Sixth event, punching power.

points.

Previous score: 94.2 points.

Seventh event, total True Qi.

points.

Previous score: 91.3 points.

Eighth event, True Qi intensity.

points.

Last time 92.8

The ninth round, True Qi Manipulation.

points.

The same for both attempts.

After the ninth round, many students felt their scalps tingle.

In just one month, Zhou Leng’s perfect scores of 100 had popped out like bamboo shoots after a rain.

Wei Hong sighed and said, "I’m having a mental breakdown."

"Let’s all break down together, it’s healthier that way."

"I’m the one who’s the most broken down, okay?" Lu Juncai’s face was indeed a bit grim.

Wei Hong put an arm around Lu Juncai’s shoulder to comfort him.

Feng Wenhao picked the wrong pot to mention, asking, "Last time, how many points were you below Zhou Leng?"

"2 points." Lu Juncai glared at him.

Feng Wenhao whispered, "This time at least add a zero."

Lu Juncai rolled his eyes.

"Don’t worry, you’re still second in the class."

The tenth round, True Qi Weightlifting.

points.

Last time 91 points.

The eleventh round, maximum attack intensity.

95.5 points.

Last time 93.4 points.

It was only an improvement of more than 2 points, but the students were even more resigned.

Because improving attack intensity is the hardest, especially later on, increasing by 1 point feels like a life-or-death struggle.

For experts, other data can be elusive and deceptive.

But attack intensity is solid, destructive power.

Afterward, many students were happy because they also improved a bit.

In the equipment room of the Intensity Meter, the operator looked at rows of orange lights, bewildered.

After this Intensity Meter was repaired, it had never been used; this was the first use since the repair.

The twelfth round, average attack intensity.

97.7 points.

Last time 96.5 points.

After the intensity test was completed, the operators were more broken than Zhou Leng,

once again calling over Chief Instructor Huang Jingqiu.

"Chief Instructor, the whole process was recorded, it really has nothing to do with us. It’s happened twice already..."

Huang Jingqiu looked at rows of red warning lights, a bit overwhelmed.

This is not just a matter of money; if such equipment as the Intensity Meter is broken, someone will have to take responsibility.

"Stop the operation now, I’ll go find the Hall Master."

After saying that, Huang Jingqiu left.

Zhou Leng and the others proceeded to the final item, blocking and anti-strike.

Entering the blood-scented venue once more, all the students had the image from that day flash before their eyes, instinctively glancing at the ground.

The floor looked clean at first, but on closer inspection, faint streaks were evident.

Sixteen black Strikers stood proudly in the room like big canned goods.

Some students shrank their necks, feeling a stabbing pain all over.

"Go in, just like last time." Deng Zhijue’s voice was emotionless.

Students at the back watched the first sixteen students walk into the "execution ground."

Bang... Bang Bang Bang...

The students outside waited quietly,

and soon, the first Striker stopped.

An instructor went inside and dragged a student out like dragging a dead dog.

Behind them, a long trail of blood was slowly brushed like a thick calligraphy brush.

One by one, unconscious students were dragged out.

Eventually, only Zhou Leng was left.

Everyone looked at the Striker where Zhou Leng was.

On the Striker’s screen, the score kept climbing.

When it reached 99.9 points, all the students held their breath and widened their eyes.

Beep...

The display showed 100 points.

Last time 97.8 points.

The Striker stopped.

"Truly a beast..." Wei Hong muttered to himself.

Everyone stared at the entrance as the familiar figure walked out.

Bruised and bloodied all over.

Not a single part of his body was unscathed.

Yet, Zhou Leng stood there.

As if carrying a heavy burden, Zhou Leng took one step at a time, walking slowly, his body swaying unsteadily.

It seemed like he would fall with a gust of wind.

Everyone watched silently.

Even though he was covered in injuries, everyone knew this person was the king here.

Zhou Leng took a Pill, sat on the mat, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

Wei Hong looked up and sighed, "I used to think the instructors were the biggest beasts. Today I realize there are beasts beyond beasts, and from now on, Zhou Leng ascends to the great beast."

"Wei Hong!"

"Present!"

"Get in the Striker."

"Yes."

With a sullen face, Wei Hong and the second batch of students entered the Striker.

Then, students outside heard Wei Hong’s excruciating screams.

As before, students fainted, woke up, took medicine, and were healed by instructors using Qi manipulation.

Then a group of them lay on the mats, scrolling through their phones.

Before long, Deng Zhijue said, "The new grade sheets have been sent to the group."

The seriously injured eagerly opened the class group to check their scores.

Lu Juncai squinted his eyes, shading his vision with his right hand, hovering over the phone screen, and then slowly slid down.