This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Do you think Ling Qingxue and Taotie will get first place in the exam? If you want to find out sooner, check our Patreon here:
Link - Patreon
The written exam lasted only one day, followed by the martial arts exam.
The martial arts exam was a true test of strength.
"Little Xuexue, there are over ten million candidates. With such a massive number, how will the martial arts exam be conducted?" Wu Liang asked, puzzled.
"There are too many people. If they fought one by one, it would take forever."
Ling Qingxue then began to explain.
"The rules of the martial arts exam are one-on-one duels, but we don't need to fight everyone. Winners will be determined in each match, then winners will fight winners, and losers will fight losers.
The special Virtual Mirror for the martial arts exam is controlled by the high-ranking leaders of our country. They assign opponents with precision, ensuring that similar levels fight each other and reducing the time required for the martial arts exam.
Normally, the martial arts exam is completed within three days, and there may be millions of matches at the same time!"
The virtual space supported a huge number of people competing simultaneously, unlike some games where network disconnections or frame drops occurred.
Moreover, in each match, the martial artists were in peak form, allowing for perfect 1v1 duels, with undisputable fairness ensured.
A round-robin format was completely useless in the martial arts exam.
Inside the virtual space, the door to the martial arts arena opened automatically.
This meant their first matchup had been determined.
"Let me see who the first unlucky one is," Wu Liang chuckled.
......
Kyoto No. 2 Middle School.
Yan Tao took a deep breath, bowed deeply before Ling Qingxue's picture, and lit three incense sticks, his expression solemn.
"Thank you, Boss Ling, for defeating me that day, allowing me to make a final push in three months and improve my strength to another level. Today, I must achieve excellent results!"
Xuan Tianwen rubbed his forehead, speechless.
"You're resorting to prayers now? What's the use? Be careful you don't run into Ling Qingxue in the first match."
"Pah, pah, pah! Don't say such unlucky things. Meeting Ling Qingxue in the first match was purely accidental. It's impossible for it to happen twice. I don't believe in fate!!"
Yan Tao rubbed his face, getting himself into peak condition.
Seeing that the matchmaking had begun, he connected to the Virtual Mirror, ready to unleash his full power.
"Come on, my first opponent, let me show you the strength of Yan Tao!"
With a flash of white light, Yan Tao appeared in the virtual battlefield.
Upon seeing the person before him, he almost fainted.
The sky fell on his head!
"What the hell did I do in my past life? Why did I get matched with Ling Qingxue again? The heavens are so unfair!"
God must be a woman!
Yan Tao was laughing and crying at the same time, completely losing his will to fight.
"Boss Ling, please just slap me out of here, I won't waste your time."
Ling Qingxue smiled awkwardly. "Aren't you going to fight?"
"I'd put up a fight if it were anyone else, but you… forget it. I might end up trending on social media in a minute. Boss Ling, please hurry up, preferably so Xiao Yin and I don't feel any pain."
Yan Tao simply closed his eyes, waiting to be sent away.
Struggling was pointless. If he did, the all-powerful netizens would photoshop his ugly pictures into memes.
He could just imagine how he'd be ridiculed...
This damn luck, why can't I win the lottery?!
Ling Qingxue glanced at Wu Liang, signaling him to make the move.
Wu Liang sighed. "What a pitiful kid. If it weren't for needing the first-place reward, I'd really like to let you win a round."
The Taotie's body suddenly grew larger, transforming into a gigantic beast exuding ferocity.
A massive claw slammed down, instantly sending Yan Tao out of the battle space.
Xuan Tianwen swiped his phone and saw that Yan Tao, who had just entered the virtual space, was already out.
"What the hell happened to you? It's only been half a minute!!"
Yan Tao lay on his back on the bed, looking utterly dejected.
"I really ran into Boss Ling! Did I break some heavenly law or something?!"
Xuan Tianwen expressed his sympathy, but there was nothing he could do.
After all, he had also lost to Ling Qingxue.
"But Master Liang is actually a gentle beast. He even used half his strength to beat someone like me. It's truly an honor," Yan Tao said, moved.
Xuan Tianwen's lips twitched. "You've developed a masochistic streak from being beaten?"
"Brother Tian, you don't understand. This indirectly shows how noble Master Liang's character is. He could have easily humiliated me before dealing with me, but he didn't. Instead, he treated me as an opponent and sent me away. It's so touching!"
Xuan Tianwen couldn't bear to watch.
Seeing that his match was about to start, he directly entered the virtual space.
At this moment, Yan Tao's meme instantly went viral online.
"I'm the man who can withstand 50% of Master Liang's power in one blow."
"Our Brother Tao has suffered too. As the man who helped Boss Ling reach the top, you deserve all the credit, getting beaten up twice!"
"Being a stepping stone for a true genius is always an honor. I wouldn't resist either. It's better to end it sooner. Maybe I can even become an internet celebrity."
"You're really a business genius. Oh my god... Xuan Tianwen and Mu Bing are fighting. Brothers, let's switch the battlefield!"
Inside the virtual space.
Xuan Tianwen and Lei Jiao stood to one side, facing a short-haired girl with an Ice Phoenix behind her, its feathers as white as ice crystals.
"Xuan Tianwen, I really didn't expect my first opponent to be you. I thought it would be Beiming Yan," Mu Bing laughed.
Xuan Tianwen smiled faintly. "There are only a handful of Third Rank late-stage cultivators. If you and I fight, then Liu Fufeng will be fighting Beiming Yan. But this martial arts exam has really killed my enthusiasm."
"Did Ling Qingxue beat you into submission? This isn't like you!"
"Let's just fight. I still need to cultivate afterward," Xuan Tianwen said calmly.
"Are you underestimating me?"
The Ice Phoenix flapped its wings and flew out, causing snow to fall within the battle space and the temperature to plummet.
Xuan Tianwen didn't waste time testing the waters. He simply clenched his fist, and a lightning spear appeared in his hand.
He unleashed the Thunderous Overlord Spear strike, and lightning swept in all directions.
Mu Bing snorted coldly as she conjured a longsword formed from ice and snow.
A sharp sword aura lashed out, and not only that, but a blizzard infused with Sword Intent also took form quietly.
The Thunder Overlord Spear shattered against the blizzard, dissipating into energy dust.
Xuan Tianwen looked shocked.
"You've also comprehended Sword Intent, and it's even Icy Sword Intent!"
Ling Qingxue had mastered Sword Intent, and now Mu Bing had also demonstrated an extraordinary potential in martial will.
As for him, he had yet to master Spear Intent.
In a battle between equals, his disadvantage was already apparent.
Mu Bing's fingertips traced the icy longsword, a smile on her face.
"To be honest, I need to thank Ling Qingxue. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have decided to spend so much time honing my swordsmanship. Fortunately, I succeeded in the end; otherwise, in our battle, I would most likely lose!"
By spending her time on sword training, she fell behind in leveling up and other areas.
This was a huge gamble. If she won, she would have a chance to defeat fellow geniuses like Xuan Tianwen.
And indeed, fate was on her side!