In the massive training field, the students participating in the examination stood in line, looking up at the supervising teacher ahead.
The middle-aged burly man with a scar on his face and exuding a menacing aura was none other than Zhang Yu's martial arts class teacher, Lei Jun.
If among the five major subjects of high school Immortal Path, the Dao Heart, mana, and physical education are the foundation, then martial arts and Daoism are the specific applications of Immortal Technique.
Regarding whether martial arts or Daoism is stronger or more useful... cultivators have different understandings.
And Zhang Yu still remembered the radical statement made by this martial arts teacher, Lei Jun, during the first lesson.
"Martial arts are of great use in this world, Daoism is useless."
"Practicing one discipline of Daoism leads to poverty in that discipline, the more you practice, the poorer you become, in the end, all your money goes to the company, and you become paupers."
"However, martial arts are less expensive and more affordable, yet very practical, so only by practicing cheap martial arts can you become prosperous, the more you practice, the richer you get."
This is Lei Jun's martial arts philosophy.
And as today's examiner, Lei Jun also did not rely on any Daoism power.
His arrangement for the monthly test has always been to let students with similar results in the previous exam draw lots for one-on-one combat.
Both sides fight for three rounds, each round lasts 3 minutes. If someone is knocked down or leaves the boundary within 3 minutes, the round ends.
After three rounds are over, the teacher scores based on the performance of both sides in these three sessions.
This is actually similar to the martial arts combat test in the college entrance exam, except during the college entrance exam, students fight the Yellow Turban Warriors and are not required to fight each other.
But after all, it's just a monthly exam now, so it's impossible to really apply the college entrance exam standards, especially without hiring Yellow Turban Warriors, which saves the school some money.
So, after Lei Jun explained the rules for the martial arts combat exam, the large screen above flickered, and as names emerged, the drawing of lots began.
And as the drawing ended, the results were sent to each student's mobile phone, instructing them to head to their respective locations to start the combat exam.
At this moment, the entire training field was divided by white lines into small squares of about a dozen square meters, each square was effectively a ring.
Zhang Yu, following the lot result, walked into square 12, only to find He Dayou already waiting there.
Seeing He Dayou politely nod and smile at him, Zhang Yu also nodded in return.
"Finally here." He Dayou restrained the violent emotions in his heart and slowly walked into the square.
To legitimately teach Zhang Yu a lesson, He Dayou slightly used his privilege as the son of an executive director, making Zhang Yu, who ranked 10th in the last month's exam, his opponent, while he ranked 3rd.
According to the drawing rules, their scores from the last monthly exam were close enough not to arouse suspicion.
"But over this month, aside from the magic power class, hasn't his progress fallen behind in other courses? His real rank should be between 20th and 30th."
He Dayou believed that he not only maintained the top three overall score but also advanced his freehand to level 2 half a month ago, and recently learned new martial arts at a cram school.
"No need for new martial arts, dealing with this pauper, level 2 freehand is enough."
"Now the question is... injure his hand? Or his leg?"
As he pondered, He Dayou and Zhang Yu both walked to the center of the square, standing about one meter apart.
He Dayou's gaze began to wander over Zhang Yu, considering how to strike him in a while.
Outside the square, an assistant teacher took out a mobile phone to start recording a video.
After the exam ends, Lei Jun and other martial arts teachers of the first-year class will watch all combat videos in turn to score them.
"Are both of you ready?"
Upon hearing the assistant teacher's question, Zhang Yu and He Dayou nodded together.
"Then in the demonstration class, Zhang Yu vs. He Dayou, the first battle of both sides..."
"3, 2, 1, start!"
At the assistant teacher's signal, He Dayou suddenly moved, his right arm turned into an indistinguishable shadow, as he cut towards Zhang Yu's neck with one palm.
At the same time, he had already deduced possible counteractions from Zhang Yu.
As a wealthy second-generation, he had ample time and money to hire people for combat training daily.
For every reaction the opponent might make after his palm strike, he had experienced and trained, and even learned how to counter them.
This is the effect brought by combat experience.
Level 2 freehand, combined with more extensive combat experience, gave He Dayou absolute confidence to defeat his opponent.
"So... let's target the hand."
He Dayou's mana wildly surged toward his palm...
Bam!
A loud crash echoed from He Dayou's abdomen.
Immediately, he felt a dizzying shift in perspective, the hard ground, pain from head to toe.
It took a few seconds for He Dayou to gradually come to his senses.
He had been knocked out by Zhang Yu in one move, falling to the ground.
"I was one-shot?!"
He Dayou's face turned beet red: "How is this possible?"
To avoid trouble, the assistant teacher immediately played back the recently recorded combat scene in front of He Dayou and Zhang Yu.
In the video, as He Dayou's palm struck, Zhang Yu suddenly attacked, dodging with a low stance, his entire body slamming into He Dayou, suplexing him out of the ring.
The entire process lasted less than a second, seemingly as if He Dayou deliberately cooperated to be thrown by Zhang Yu.
Seeing this scene, He Dayou became more indignant. He hadn't yet unleashed his full strength, he hadn't used the new martial arts he learned, all it took was one mistake...
"I underestimated this Zhang Yu, getting distracted by thoughts in the middle of fighting him..."
Thinking of this, He Dayou felt increasingly dissatisfied.
But he realized that whether it was his carelessness or negligence, making any redundant explanations now would only make him more embarrassed.
So he took a deep breath, nodded towards Zhang Yu: "Not bad, let's continue."
The assistant teacher on the side inquired if He Dayou had any physical issues. After confirming everything was fine, he let the two return to the square.
The two stood about a meter apart once more, facing each other.
Zhang Yu smiled as he looked at He Dayou before him, thinking to himself, "My combat score this time should be quite high."
The effects of level 3 freehand were better than he expected.
Though Zhang Yu estimated his combat experience was less than that of He Dayou, the wealthy second-generation.
However, the level 3 freehand made him so familiar with the 15 moves of freehand.
In the last fight, almost as soon as He Dayou struck, Zhang Yu already knew what the opponent was up to and where the flaws in his moves would appear.
Once an idea popped into his mind, his body moved immediately, charging forward, mana flowing through his arms, effortlessly throwing the opponent out.
"In the first-year freehand internal battles, as long as the opponent's freehand level is below 3, their reflexes will likely be slower than mine."
"And given my current physical strength, in the first-year student's freehand internal battles throughout the entire school... I'm likely not to lose."
Meanwhile, on the other side, He Dayou's expression turned serious, losing the casualness he had in the last round.
He decided to fully focus on the second match, to utterly defeat Zhang Yu before him.
This time, he wouldn't give the opponent an inch of chance.
"Zhang Yu vs. He Dayou, second round."
"3, 2, 1, start!"
At the assistant teacher's word, He Dayou instantly went all out, channeling overwhelming mana into his right fist, throwing a fierce punch at Zhang Yu's face.
Boom!
Another loud crash resounded.
Again, a familiar spinning perspective, the cold, hard ground, pain throughout the body.
He Dayou climbed up, dazed.
Was he one-shot again?
Watching the assistant teacher's recorded video again.
He saw himself punching while Zhang Yu was already kicking him in the chest, sending him flying out.
Both their actions were so fast it appeared as if He Dayou was deliberately thrusting his chest into Zhang Yu's extending foot.
In the third round.
This time, He Dayou didn't rush to unleash his full strength but adopted a defensive stance, cautiously observing Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Two consecutive knockouts made him wary?"
His instantaneous knockout earlier was because, in the moment the opponent attacked, he could foresee the opponent's actions and paths due to his familiarity with freehand, then actively met the opponent's flaws on their full-force attack trajectory.
Essentially using the combined speed of both parties, leading to He Dayou being unable to react, ending in a defeat.
But once He Dayou became wary and refrained from launching full-scale attacks immediately, Zhang Yu couldn't replicate the previous two knockouts.
Facing this situation, Zhang Yu had his own tactical preparations.
Whether in mana or physical strength, Zhang Yu, whose strength had made great strides, was confident that he wasn't much different from the third-ranked He Dayou in year one.
Even in terms of physical strength, the opponent developed as balanced as he did, rather than taking a bulky power route.
Since the opponent was reluctant to attack, Zhang Yu decided to take the initiative.
He channeled his mana, striking toward He Dayou's chest with a palm.
"Here it comes!" He Dayou's eyes shone, simultaneously throwing a punch to block the move.
Then he saw Zhang Yu attack with the same move again.
"The same move? What's he up to?"
After taking three palms from Zhang Yu, He Dayou's arm felt numb, with mana turbulently coursing within.
The intensity of Zhang Yu's mana and his physical strength were beyond his expectations.
And the opponent's tactic was straightforward, engaging in a direct clash.
Zhang Yu's level 3 freehand made him not just more familiar with the moves; the same move in his hand could unleash greater physical strength and more potent mana.
This gave him a massive advantage in direct clashes.
He Dayou quickly realized this and couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Wanting to clash head-on with me?"
"Then let's see who's tougher."
He launched his newly learned Little Heavenly Star Palm, mana from his dantian instantly transforming into a chill palming power, fiercely striking toward Zhang Yu through his palm!
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