While this little interlude was happening, back in the testing arena, the tide of battle had turned completely!

On the screen, the alloy spear in Lin Ye’s hands descended like a torrential downpour!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Every strike landed with pinpoint accuracy on the same dented spot on the puppet’s throat.

It was a textbook case of quantitative change leading to a qualitative one.

Under the relentless assault, the tip of his standard-issue spear visibly dulled and curled.

But in the end, it fulfilled its purpose.

SQUELCH—!

A dull, piercing sound rang out.

A shower of electric sparks burst from the puppet’s neck.

Lin Ye’s spear tip had finally punched straight through its core circuitry!

The red light in the puppet’s eyes instantly went out. It was completely disabled.

One down, four to go. The balance of the battle had been shattered.

Lin Ye’s entire aura surged once more.

He had already seen through the remaining four puppets’ behavioral logic and attack patterns completely.

What followed was nothing more than garbage time.

A one-sided slaughter that belonged to him alone.

On the second floor, Li Kai Nian waved his hand and said calmly to the staff member beside him, "That’s enough. End the test here."

There was no point in watching any longer.

It was impossible for Lin Ye to lose.

The only reason it had taken him this long was the limitation of his weapon.

But looking at the combat score data, not only did Lin Ye not have a single point deducted for taking a hit, but all of his attacks were also effective strikes targeting vital points.

His score was bound to be high.

The order was quickly relayed.

In the testing arena, just as Lin Ye was preparing to take them out one by one, the red lights in the eyes of the four remaining puppets simultaneously went out. They froze, becoming four inert lumps of metal.

Lin Ye stood holding his spear, slowly exhaling a long breath.

Meanwhile, on another screen, the moment the puppets stopped their attack, Xue Wangshu collapsed to one knee, completely spent. He gasped for air, his hair soaked with sweat, cutting a sorry figure.

But his eyes held a trace of smug relief at having survived the ordeal.

In his view, lasting this long against a test with such a sudden spike in difficulty was already an outstanding performance.

"All testing events for this examination have now concluded!"

"All candidates, please follow the instructions to exit the testing area in an orderly fashion!"

"The following candidates whose names are called, please wait where you are. A staff member will soon guide you to the exhibition match venue."

"Mo Qiang, Yan Hui, Xu Xiaoman, Xue Wangshu, Lin Ye." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Five names echoed clearly through every corner of the venue via the broadcast system.

These five names made all the other departing candidates look on with envy.

Everyone knew that these five names likely represented the top five of this mock exam.

But a question arose in everyone’s mind.

Why was Xue Wangshu’s name second to last?

Shouldn’t he have been called last, as was tradition?

And also...

Lin Ye... who was that?!

It was a completely unfamiliar name, one that had never appeared on any list of geniuses before.

Yet now, it loomed over everyone with an air of absolute dominance.

As per the tradition of previous years, the top five would participate in an unscored exhibition match under the gaze of all.

It was a form of public commendation.

In the world of martial arts, fists ultimately did the talking.

Without a true showdown in the arena, all the data and rankings would always feel like something was missing.

...

「A few minutes later.」

In the spotlight, a figure slowly emerged from the tunnel leading to the main hall.

With a steady gait and a calm expression, Lin Ye walked toward the arena at the center of the venue, guided by a staff member.

It was as if he was born to stand there.

Behind him, the massive main screen that spanned the entire hall suddenly switched its display.

As Lin Ye stepped into the arena, lines of data appeared all at once!

[Qi and Blood Index: 236.81] (All-Time Record)

[Life Index: 204.77] (All-Time Record)

[Peak Punch Force: 23,634.29 kg] (All-Time Record)

[100-Meter Burst: 2.21 seconds] (All-Time Record)

[10-Kilometer Endurance (Gravity Environment): 3 minutes 37.65 seconds] (All-Time Record)

[Spirit Strength: 19 minutes 42 seconds, 100% accuracy] (All-Time Record)

[Combat Performance: S+]

Every single stat was utterly outrageous.

But what was even more astonishing was what followed each stat.

All-Time Record!

They were all all-time records!

This meant that Lin Ye hadn’t just crushed the competition to become number one in the city this year.

He had also trampled over every genius and prodigy from the past several decades, ever since Dongjiang City began holding these martial arts college entrance mock exams.

From this day forward, all mock exam records in Dongjiang City would belong to a single name!

Lin Ye!

After a brief, dead silence.

In the second-floor viewing area, Li Kai Nian looked at the upright figure in the center of the arena with an appreciative smile and was the first to applaud.

The applause wasn’t loud, but it seemed to carry a certain magic.

Beside him, the Director of the Dongjiang City Education Bureau, who had just experienced the roller coaster of a lifetime, snapped to his senses. He quickly stood up and clapped thunderously.

Next, all the leaders of Dongjiang City on the second floor began to applaud in unison.

Then, all the school administrators and teachers on the first floor, whether willing or not, also began to clap.

Finally, a thunderous, tsunami-like wave of applause erupted from every corner of the venue, converging into a sound wave that shot to the heavens!

Wang Zhengguo trembled with excitement. He watched his student on the stage, basking in a brilliant glow as he received everyone’s encouragement and praise, and his eyes grew moist.