Chapter 86: Chapter 68: A Sharp Edge Revealed

It wasn’t time for the examinees to enter yet. The entire senior class waited downstairs, a sea of bobbing heads. The air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement.

The first day was still the assessment for the six academic subjects.

The early morning sun shone through the windowpanes of the academic building, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the silent examination hall.

Li Wen sat at the desk marked with his exam number, an open test booklet laid out before him.

The first day of academic exams officially began.

Chinese, History, Mathematics... The test questions unfolded before him one by one.

This was thanks to the powerful passive ability of his [Scholar] profession: [Perfect Retention].

All the knowledge he had learned in class and from review materials was as if engraved deep in his mind, perfectly clear and ready to be accessed at will.

Li Wen’s pen flew across the paper. The answers that flowed from its tip were logically clear, and his handwriting was neat.

For the basic and intermediate questions that relied on memorization, he didn’t even need to activate [Absolute Focus].

His mind was in a state of natural clarity, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through a river of knowledge.

Only when he reached the final, most difficult problem in the mathematics section, with its tricky perspective and complex chain of logic, did he have to focus his spirit slightly.

The same was true for the final, most difficult problems in the other five subjects.

Only then, with a flicker of thought, did he activate the powerful analytical and deductive abilities of [Absolute Focus].

In an instant, his vision zeroed in. Every word on the test seemed to magnify and break itself down. The connections between the question and the given conditions became instantly clear, and the path to the solution unfolded before him.

Even so, he was only using the skill to break the impasse, not relying on it entirely.

’As for using my Divine Sense to cheat on a Primordial Spirit level?’ Li Wen scoffed internally.

’Setting aside the exam rules and my own pride, just looking at the surrounding students—scratching their heads and furrowing their brows in frustration—is enough. Their skill level is so low that even if I swept the room with my Divine Sense, there would be nothing worth copying.’

Three subjects in the morning, three in the afternoon.

Test booklets were swapped out one after another. The only sounds in the examination hall were the SHUSH of writing and the occasional rustle of a turning page.

Li Wen’s pace remained steady and efficient throughout, like a precisely calibrated machine.

The sun was setting when the bell rang to signal the end of the last exam. The academic tests were over.

Li Wen calmly packed away his stationery and followed the stream of students out of the examination hall.

The clamor of discussion flooded his ears once more, but his heart remained clear and serene.

He knew the quality of his answers was a worthy testament to his efforts over the past month.

Night fell. The County Central Hospital was cloaked in silence, and on his sickbed, Li Hong was sleeping soundly.

But in a private Martial Arts Room at Bluestone Third Middle School, the lights were still on.

Li Wen stood alone in the center of the room, with no blade in hand.

His eyes were half-closed and his aura was completely withdrawn, as if he had become one with the surrounding alloy walls and the cold light.

The [Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill] began to circulate silently within his body.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the jade-like Primordial Spirit sitting cross-legged began to emit a gentle glow, its will precisely guiding every surging strand of qi and blood.

Unlike the initial "flood irrigation" approach, the operation of the Cultivation Technique had now, under the Primordial Spirit’s inner vision, reached the pinnacle of efficiency and precision.

The powerful torrent of qi and blood was no longer a scattered flood. Instead, it had transformed into thousands of slender, condensed energy drills, precisely striking every minute corner of his body that needed tempering.

The toughest fibrous connection points deep within the periosteum; the weak, hard-to-reach fascia in the gaps between organs; the most minute points of damage and reconstruction at the very ends of his muscle tissue...

Each impact was met with a joyous resonance from deep within his cells as they were strengthened.

Each completed circulation was a minute leap in his very level of existence.

Invisible energy particles in the air were drawn by the Cultivation Technique, slowly but surely merging into his body.

As he cultivated, Li Wen’s mind sank into a state of profound tranquility.

He could clearly feel the changes in his body under the dual enhancement of his Cultivation Technique and his Primordial Spirit.

Strength settled into his muscles and bones, his resilience and durability quietly increased with each tremor of qi and blood, and the nerve endings governing his reflexes seemed to grow sharper...

Two hours of deep cultivation came to an end.

Li Wen slowly opened his eyes, and a golden light seemed to flash in their depths before vanishing.

He carefully assessed the feeling and could clearly sense another slight increase in his body’s fundamental strength.

It was clear proof that his physical body’s rank was advancing.

With a flicker of thought, a translucent panel only he could see quietly unfolded before his eyes:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Rank 7.9 → 8.0)]

[Profession: Scholar Lv. 7 (92 → 200/6400)]

[Art: Blade Technique · Unity Realm (Control 75 → 77/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Mastered)]

His physical body’s rank had finally broken past 7 to reach 8, putting him just half a step away from the threshold for a first-rate martial arts university.

His Control had also arduously increased by 2 percentage points, reaching 77%.

The closer he got to 100 percent, the more difficult every sliver of progress became, requiring deeper comprehension and more meticulous refinement. His Scholar experience points had also risen slightly.

Li Wen let out a long breath. It was so prolonged that it stirred a faint breeze in the silent Martial Arts Room.

He didn’t practice his blade techniques any further. Instead, he relaxed his mind and slowly calmed the qi and blood circulating within his body.

’Today’s gains are enough. I should conserve my energy for the tough battle tomorrow.’

The night passed quietly.

...

「March 21st, early morning.」

The athletic field at Bluestone Third Middle School had been temporarily converted into a massive assessment site. The atmosphere was far more solemn and intense than it had been for yesterday’s academic exams.

The air was thick with the scent of vigorous qi and blood, and everyone was eager to begin.

The first assessment: physical body rank test.

The Physical Body Qi-Blood Tester, the Strength Tester, the Max Speed Track, the Reflex Tester... long lines had formed in front of each piece of equipment.

The voices of the examiners and the beeps of the equipment rose and fell in a constant chorus.

"Next, Li Wen!"

When Li Wen’s name was called, quite a few eyes instantly focused on him.

The first test was for the physical body’s qi and blood. Li Wen calmly stepped onto the platform and urged the qi and blood in his body to circulate at high speed.

"Li Wen, physical body rank: 8.0!"

As the number on the display screen stabilized, gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

"Holy shit! During the Flying Star Class selections over a month ago, wasn’t he just barely at Rank 7?"

"Hiss... That rate of improvement... Not even a rocket is that fast!"

"Damn... No wonder he got into the Flying Star Class and sparked those rumors about the Unity Realm! This is just monstrous!"

"One month... one whole rank?! What kind of terrifying efficiency is that?" The whispers were like the bubbling of boiling water.

The physical body’s rank is the cornerstone of the Martial Dao. Improving by one full rank in a month was an unheard-of speed, enough to silence any doubts, leaving only pure shock and awe.

"Next test, strength!" The teacher responsible for recording jotted down Li Wen’s physical body rank and announced the next item.

Li Wen calmly walked up to the strength testing platform. He didn’t strike any exaggerated pose, simply standing firm, taking a deep breath, and letting the qi and blood in his body flow naturally to exert force.

BAM!

A dull, powerful impact echoed out. The numbers on the display jumped wildly before finally settling on a value that instantly silenced the entire venue—10.8!

"Rank 10.8?" The examiner in charge of recording repeated it subconsciously. After confirming it was correct, he announced it aloud.