Chapter 488 - 221: Unprecedented in the History of Martial Arts
Chapter 488: Chapter 221: Unprecedented in the History of Martial Arts
Once again, he stood alone in a long, empty, solitary hallway.
The lights overhead flickered on, and an announcement sounded once more.
"Examinee Lin Ye, welcome to the 167th annual Great Xia National Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, Imperial Capital Testing Center 001."
"This testing center is dedicated to providing every examinee with the fairest, most impartial, and most precise assessment environment."
"Please strictly adhere to the examination rules. Any violation will result in the immediate revocation of your testing eligibility and will be recorded in your personal integrity file."
After the brief introduction, the announcement began to detail the examination procedures.
"This examination is divided into two major sections."
"Section One: Martial Foundation Test. This includes four static sub-tests: Qi and Blood Index, Life Index, Spiritual Power Intensity, and the Spiritual Factor Potential Test."
"And five dynamic sub-tests: Punching Power Test, Speed Burst Test, Endurance Test, Evasion Test, and Damage Tolerance Test."
"Section Two: Martial Combat Test. This includes two assessment processes: first, a Comprehensive Combat Power Assessment of martial skills and techniques; second, a Live Combat Test."
"Please note that for all the above tests, there are four possible evaluation grades: Pass, Good, Excellent, and Perfect."
"Examinees who achieve a ’Perfect’ grade in all tests will be eligible to participate in the final stage of this year’s National Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, which will determine the final rankings and be announced nationwide!"
The voice from the broadcast echoed through the empty hallway. After the last word faded, it fell completely silent.
On the wall, a bright red countdown timer appeared, its numbers ticking down silently.
[09:59]
For most examinees, every second of this final ten-minute wait felt infinitely stretched, amplifying their inner tension and anxiety.
But Lin Ye simply stood there quietly and slowly closed his eyes.
His mind settled, and both the Tai Xu Two Principles True Understanding and the Candlelight Illuminating the Nine Netherworld Map began to operate simultaneously.
Experience points and spiritual attributes began to grow silently, like a trickling stream.
Lin Ye didn’t want to waste a single second.
...
「Meanwhile, in the observation hall on the ground floor of the Dubhe Cube.」
The massive, ring-shaped, tiered seating area was packed to capacity; there wasn’t a single empty seat.
Every person in attendance was dressed in formal attire, their expressions solemn. In the vast hall, there was no sound aside from deliberately hushed breaths.
Li Kai Nian sat in a seat relatively far back. He kept his back straight, but his heart was far from as calm as he appeared.
The men seated around him were all directors from the Education Bureaus of Great Xia’s major cities. There were even some he didn’t recognize, whose ranks were clearly a level below his own.
Among this crowd, he, a mere deputy director of the Ninghai Education Department, seemed somewhat out of place.
"Mr. Li, escorting an examinee in person. You truly cherish talent!"
"Indeed. A young man valued so highly by Mr. Li must be Ninghai’s ace in the hole this time, I presume?"
A few seemingly complimentary, yet perfunctory, remarks came from those nearby.
But Li Kai Nian could clearly feel the faint scrutiny and condescension behind their words.
For a deputy director from a provincial education department to personally escort a candidate to the Imperial Capital... even in the eyes of those several ranks below him, it seemed like he was making a mountain out of a molehill, an act beneath his station.
Li Kai Nian just smiled and offered no explanation.
Just then, someone cleared their throat into the microphone—AHEM. The slight sound was followed by a voice, aged yet full of vigor, that filled the entire hall.
"Comrades, if I could have your attention, please."
It was as if someone had hit a mute button. The chatter that had filled the hall just a second before vanished instantly.
All eyes simultaneously converged on the front row, on the three figures in the central seats, and specifically on the one in the very middle.
Zhu Mingyi of the Great Xia Ministry of Education!
To Zhu Mingyi’s left sat an energetic, spirited old man!
His name was He Zhenghong, and he held a high-ranking position in the Great Xia Military.
On the other side was a middle-aged man with a profound and somber aura. He wore no clothing that would indicate his identity or status.
He appeared to belong neither to the martial arts education system nor the Great Xia Military, but the fact that he sat so securely in that seat sparked endless speculation about his identity.
Zhu Mingyi began to speak, his voice carrying clearly to every person’s ears through the sound system:
"Today is a momentous day for all the talented individuals of Great Xia, and we have gathered here for it."
"I am sure you can all feel it, comrades. Our Great Xia currently stands at a historical crossroads."
"This year, it’s not just our Great Xia. Countries all over the world have seen the emergence of numerous geniuses whose quality and talent far exceed those of the past."
"Our nation’s supercomputer, Pangu, has also recently made a prediction: a great calamity, one sufficient to affect all realms of the universe, is imminent. But within this crisis lies hope."
"A great change is coming. This is why we have placed even greater importance on cultivating and selecting talent this year, gathering the most brilliant geniuses from across the nation here in the Imperial Capital."
"Let us bear witness together to the birth of the future of the Great Xia Martial Dao!"
The speech was brief, but the amount of information it contained was enough to stun countless people.
A thunderous applause erupted instantly, echoing for a long time.
But everyone was still mulling over the words they had just heard.
A great calamity...
Imminent?!
As countless minds raced with different thoughts, the massive main screen in the front of the hall, large enough to cover the entire wall, lit up simultaneously with the countless smaller screens hanging all around.
Streams of data flashed across them before finally settling on the interfaces of various ranking lists.
Li Kai Nian was still digesting what Zhu Mingyi had just said.