「Meanwhile.」

On the top floor of Examination Hall 1.

This was a colossal spectator waiting area, large enough to hold several thousand people. At this moment, it was already packed to the rafters and buzzing with conversation.

Countless teachers and school administrators were craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for the students from their own schools to achieve good results.

In the center of the hall hung a gigantic electronic screen.

It was surrounded by hundreds of smaller secondary screens, ensuring that spectators in every corner had a clear view.

Chen Meng sat in the back row of the teachers’ section, a nervous expression on his face.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhengguo was seated in the back row of the school administration section.

To Wang Zhengguo’s right, the principals and leaders of several other Municipal Martial Arts High Schools, including Dongjiang Second Middle School and Third Middle School, also sat upright and solemn.

To his left sat an elderly man with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a stern, cold face.

Wuo Zhenhai, the principal of Dongjiang Experimental Middle School.

His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were closed in rest.

He turned a deaf ear to the enthusiastic greetings being exchanged among the other principals, as if he were in a world of his own.

Wang Zhengguo glanced at him but didn’t bother trying to start a conversation, knowing he’d just be asking for a snub.

He and Wuo Zhenhai had known each other for decades.

Both were natives of Dongjiang, and both had worked their way up from being ordinary Martial Artists to their current positions.

But their educational philosophies were poles apart.

Wang Zhengguo championed the idea of education for all. He believed that as long as a student had some aptitude and wanted to pursue martial arts, they should be given a chance and nurtured with every available resource.

Wuo Zhenhai, on the other hand, was a firm believer in elitism.

He believed that whether in academics or martial arts, talent determined one’s upper limit.

Wasting resources on untalented mediocrities was foolish and inefficient.

Therefore, the entrance examinations for Dongjiang Experimental Middle School were so stringent they bordered on insane.

Dongjiang First Middle School had over 1,300 students in total.

But Dongjiang Experimental Middle School, across all three grades, had fewer than 300.

This was the fundamental reason why Dongjiang Experimental Middle School, despite being a Municipal Martial Arts High School, consistently maintained terrifyingly high advancement and martial arts pass rates.

Just then, the massive screen in the center of the hall suddenly lit up!

Streams of data began to flow across the screen, coalescing into a leaderboard.

The entire observation hall fell silent in an instant, and everyone’s Spirit sharpened!

The martial arts foundation test data for the first batch of examinees was out!

The martial arts foundation test was divided into two main categories: "Foundation" and "Physical Fitness."

The former consisted of the Qi and Blood Index and the Life Index.

The latter included peak punch force, explosive speed over 100 meters, and endurance in a 10-kilometer run under standard gravity.

At this moment, the data being announced first on the main screen was the most crucial of all: the foundation data.

The leaderboard only displayed the top fifty examinees.

Since the data was being uploaded in real-time, the names and rankings on the board were changing in the blink of an eye. A name could appear on the list one moment, only to be pushed off by someone stronger the next.

Everyone’s eyes were locked firmly on the very top of the leaderboard.

They were waiting.

Waiting for a truly dominant score to appear—one that could hold the top spot for a long time.

The wait did not last long.

A brand-new entry forcefully inserted itself into the leaderboard, shooting straight to the top!

And no matter how the rankings below it churned, its position remained unshaken!

[NO. 1: Dongjiang Experimental Middle School, Year 3 (Class 1), Yan Hui]

[Qi and Blood Index: 99.63]

[Life Index: 76.21]

A low buzz of discussion instantly erupted throughout the hall.

"Dongjiang Experimental Middle School? What kind of school is that? How could they produce a number one?"

"Yeah, in previous years, wasn’t it always the monsters from Celestial Star Martial Arts High School, Sacred Hall Martial Arts High, and Qingtian Middle School who dominated the rankings?"

"Isn’t that a municipal school? Can they really produce a genius like this without the backing of a prominent family or the Martial Hall?"

"What do you know? That school is an anomaly among public schools. It follows a pure-elitist path. If your family has no legacy and you have no talent, they won’t even look at you!"

Amid the discussions, Wuo Zhenhai slowly opened his eyes. An unmistakable glint of brilliance flashed across his stern face.

Wang Zhengguo shot him a glance. Although the man’s expression remained impassive... ’...he knew his old rival must be ecstatic inside.’

"Congratulations, Zhenhai."

Wang Zhengguo said lightly.

"This Yan Hui you’ve personally cultivated... even if he can’t hold on to first place, a spot in the top five should be secure."

"Hmph."

Wuo Zhenhai let out a cold snort, his tone brimming with immense confidence.

"What do you know! With Yan Hui’s strength, he’ll be in the top three at least."

The moment he finished speaking, the leaderboard changed again!

Yan Hui’s name was pushed down to second place.

[NO. 1: Dongjiang Celestial Star Martial Arts High School, Year 3 (Class 1), Xu Xiaoman]

[Qi and Blood Index: 126.45]

[Life Index: 82.04]

"It’s Xu Xiaoman! The genius girl from Celestial Star Martial Arts High School!"

"I heard she reached the Vein Opening Realm a year ago, but I never expected her scores to be this high. Her Qi and Blood Index broke 100!"

The name Xu Xiaoman was already a household name in the genius circles of Dongjiang City.

She was hailed as "the number one person under Wang Shu."

She was also widely acknowledged as the top-ranked female Martial Artist among Dongjiang City’s martial arts students.

However, Xu Xiaoman’s name didn’t stay in the number one spot for long, either.

The image on the giant screen in the center of the hall suddenly flickered.

A live surveillance feed cut in.

In the feed, a straight-backed young man with a head of eye-catching red hair stood before a special punch force testing target.

He took a deep breath, and the muscles in his right arm bulged, resembling a dormant flood dragon.