Chapter 68: The Gap, Scoring
Zhang Yu listened for a moment to the explanation of the Evaluation Match rules and finally grasped how it worked.
"It’s simple," he said. "We’ll attach sensors to various parts of my body, and the same goes for the Huangjin Warrior. Every time a sensor is hit, it gets recorded."
"For example, a hit on the back of the Huangjin Warrior scores 5 points, a hit on the chest gives 3 points, and a hit on the arm gives 1 point."
"Conversely, if my sensors get hit—especially on the back—it deducts 5 points."
"The final score is calculated after one minute of combat."
"Of course, there’s another way to score big: if you can knock the Huangjin Warrior completely out of bounds, you instantly earn 300 points."
Zhang Yu understood the purpose behind this setup—this Evaluation Match was designed to seed the upcoming group stage fairly, ensuring that top scorers wouldn’t be grouped together too early, which would risk eliminating strong competitors prematurely.
"That way," he thought, "no elite fighter would dare hide their true strength too much—otherwise, they might end up facing another powerhouse in the same group."
He nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the Huangjin Warrior.
It stood over two meters tall, clad in shimmering golden armor, its face concealed behind a gleaming golden mask. The exposed muscles rippled like polished marble, etched with dense, intricate runes.
"Hmm… something feels off," Zhang Yu muttered.
Just then, a staff member sprayed the warrior with promotional branding—on the chest, it read: Oasis Food: For the Health of All Kunxu Citizens, and on the back: Weilan Medicine: Ultra-Powerful, Unstoppable, Supreme Battle-Enhancing Formula.
At that moment, Zhang Yu finally nodded to himself. "Ah, that’s it. Now it’s complete."
He remembered that Oasis Food was the company pushing synthetic food, backed by the infamous Youming Palace among the Top Ten Sects.
And Weilan Medicine was different from Ziyun Medicine—it specialized in combat-enhancing pharmaceuticals and was one of the main sponsors of this martial arts tournament.
Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen studied the Huangjin Warrior and scoffed. "Songyang High School’s clearly inferior to Bailong High School. Look at how they can use a Huangjin Warrior for both exams and competitions. We’re still forcing students to fight each other in brutal hand-to-hand brawls."
Zhang Yu nodded. "This Huangjin Warrior’s realism is incredible. Looks almost like a real person."
Bai Zhenzhen, seeing it in person for the first time, agreed. "Rich people’s tastes are weird. They love turning expensive things into cheap-looking crap."
"Like turning designer clothes into trash bags… or turning a Huangjin Warrior into a human-like figure."
Zhang Yu suddenly grinned. "So… do you think we could hire someone to play the Huangjin Warrior at our school?"
Before he could finish, Lei Jun—his martial arts instructor and the organizer of Songyang High’s practical exams—spoke up from behind them, his face dark.
"Someone who can act like a Huangjin Warrior? How much do you think their labor cost would be?"
"Who exactly do you think should pay for that? You planning to pay monthly to take the Monthly Exam?"
He sneered, gesturing toward the arena with his chin. "The first round of the Evaluation Match is starting. Pay attention. Learn something. Don’t embarrass me when it’s your turn."
Just before the match began, Bailong High School—hosting the event—had already handed out numbered badges and contestant tags to all participants. They’d be called up in numerical order to face the Huangjin Warrior.
Under the spotlight, the host stepped onto the stage and stood beside the Huangjin Warrior.
"Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Songyang City High School Freshman Martial Arts Championship, proudly sponsored by Oasis Food and Weilan Medicine!"
"Taste the flavor of nature, live the life of wellness—every meal on this field is supplied by Green Oasis Group."
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen exchanged a look and spat in unison.
Synthetic food? No way. Even dogs wouldn’t eat that.
The host continued. "Time-honored tradition, essential for every warrior—whether on the arena or the street, Weilan Medicine is your loyal companion. If you need combat supplements, visit the Flash Pharmacy right beside the arena."
Finally, after the sponsor speeches ended, the first Evaluation Match began.
"Next up—first contestant!"
A student in Bailong High School uniform stepped onto the stage. With a three-second countdown, the battle erupted.
Zhang Yu could tell this white dragon student’s strength, speed, and Physical Strength Level of 1.98 matched the Huangjin Warrior perfectly. Each punch and kick was raw, powerful, and direct—blocking the warrior’s blows with brute force while striking the sensor points to rack up points.
From afar, it looked like two massive bears tearing at each other on the arena floor. Each impact echoed like clashing steel, thunderous and soul-shaking.
After one minute, the white dragon student scored 128 points.
One by one, the next few contestants took the stage—some from Bailong, others from Ziyun, and a few from Hongta.
Qian Shen watched in growing unease. "These top students from the three elite high schools… every single one of them has a Physical Strength Level that would be number one in Songyang’s freshman class. Is the gap really this wide? Are Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen really going to face opponents like these?"
He Dayou, however, wasn’t surprised. "Unless you’re part of our school’s Sports Competition team and receive special training, there’s no way you’ll surpass these prodigies from the top three schools."
"Not to mention the gap in Martial Energy, martial cultivation, spiritual roots—when all those factors combine in real combat… it’s downright hopeless."
As the son of a school board director, He Dayou knew exactly how far Songyang High stood behind the elite trio.
Even for the coveted spots at the Top Ten Elite Universities, Songyang’s best students often had to scramble for the leftovers after the top students from Bailong High had claimed their places.
Then, a figure emerged—over two and a half meters tall, resembling a titan. He strode slowly onto the stage.
Even the Huangjin Warrior looked almost delicate beside him.
As soon as he appeared, the previously solemn crowd at the audience stand burst into cheers, clapping wildly.
Zhang Yu, however, couldn’t help but stare at the newcomer’s hair.
"That’s Song Hailong, right? His hairstyle changed?"
Song Hailong was Bailong High’s number one student—the one with the big ‘1’ on his uniform, both front and back.
Zhang Yu remembered him from the last Mana Competition, when he’d worn long, wild hair that stood straight up like a flame.
Now, it was short and spiky—like a hedgehog.
Song Hailong smiled faintly, raised a hand toward the audience, and gave a slight downward motion.
Instantly, the cheering crowd fell silent, sitting back down in perfect obedience.
Watching this, Zhang Yu recalled a whispered legend from Bailong High—the low-score slave system. These students truly obeyed Song Hailong without question.
Bai Zhenzhen studied his new look. "Definitely changed his External Spiritual Root again."
"Last time, that root clearly enhanced spiritual awareness—useful for martial energy cultivation."
"But this is a martial combat competition. So Song Hailong must’ve swapped to a battle-oriented spiritual root."
She turned to Zhang Yu. "Hurry up, Yu-yu! Pull out your 100,000-value Lushu! Use the Heavenly Eye Charm to scan Song Hailong’s stats!"
Over the past two weeks, Zhang Yu had focused mostly on martial training, occasionally practicing with the Lushu. But he dared not touch any of the advanced features—only using his daily free access to practice basic charms, especially the Juyi Charm and Heavenly Eye Charm, which he’d used most often.
Now, he carefully pulled out the Lushu, fingers dancing across the screen. With the Heavenly Eye Charm activated, the world shifted instantly—like a premium upgrade to his vision.
For non-clergy, this was like paying extra for a new set of eyes.
After practicing it several times, Zhang Yu was used to the altered perception. He focused on Song Hailong on the stage.
Elephant Sinew Body (Expand Details)
Elephant Sinew Body | Demon Slayer | Celestial Spirit Essence Body | Unbeatable Will | Bailong Slave Master | Family Son King
At that moment, Song Hailong let out a booming laugh, seized the Huangjin Warrior’s hand, and with a single explosive motion, hurled the massive warrior across the arena.
The entire fight lasted less than a second.
Song Hailong—scored 300 points.
The audience erupted in wild applause and cheers.
As Song Hailong walked off the stage, the other competitors didn’t see a person. They saw a monstrous beast—fierce, unstoppable.
Qian Shen inhaled sharply. "Song Hailong… last Monthly Exam score: 683. Seeing his move live? Exactly as terrifying as the number suggests."
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianxing—just arriving at the venue—was still scanning the audience stand when he saw the scene unfold.
"Damn… Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen are going to fight that monster?"
A wave of anxiety washed over him. "Are they really going to be okay? Will they get seriously hurt?"
Zhang Yu stared at the glowing list of attributes above Song Hailong’s head.
"What in the world are all these…?"
Bai Zhenzhen, having heard the names, explained. "Celestial Spirit Essence Body—I know that one. It’s a body refinement spiritual root, a combat-oriented type from the Celestial Spirit Root family. The spiritual meridians formed by this root wrap around the entire body, boosting strength, speed, endurance, and durability."
Zhang Yu glanced at her again. "You’re good at this. Last time, you recognized the External Spiritual Root just like that."
"Yet you can’t even afford spiritual roots. How do you know so much?"
When it came to the other terms, Bai Zhenzhen hesitated—but then Lei Jun, standing behind them, spoke up.
"Elephant Demon Sinew Muscle implanted. Long-term combat with demons. Minimal negative emotions. White Dragon genius. The crown prince of the Song family this generation."
Zhang Yu blinked. "Old Lei… you understand the Heavenly Eye Charm too?"
Lei Jun gave a cold, dry look. "If magic spells could be used for free like yours, they’d be incredibly useful."
Old Lei! You’ve betrayed the martial path!
With Lei Jun’s explanation, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen finally understood the true scale of the competition.
More top-tier fighters took the stage.
Lian Tianji from Ziyun High School unleashed a storm of punches and kicks, completely overwhelming the 1.98-level Huangjin Warrior and scoring a staggering 261 points.
Soon after, a Hongta High student—towering like a brown bear—charged forward, tackled the warrior to the ground, and threw him across the arena. 300 points.
Then came Le Mulan from Ziyun High.
One hand, she pinned the Huangjin Warrior to the ground. Then, with a cold, relentless expression, she began kicking the back sensors—one after another—until she reached 305 points, just above Song Hailong’s 300.
She paused, glanced at Song Hailong, then calmly walked off.
From the moment Le Mulan stepped on stage, the Ziyun High students in the audience remained utterly silent.
Zhao Tianxing frowned. "Why is no one cheering?"
Qian Shen, hearing the question, explained casually, "At Ziyun High, scores are updated daily based on classroom performance. Rankings are refreshed every day. The top student each day can issue one rule that applies to the entire grade for 24 hours—without disrupting class order."
"I know for a fact that Le Mulan has been the number one student since the first day of school."
"The rule she set has never changed."
"Everyone in first-year Ziyun must stay silent in her presence. Students below 650 points—those considered ‘low-status’—aren’t allowed to speak unless she permits it."
Below 650 points? Low-status students?
Zhao Tianxing felt a sharp sting of insult.
But then he remembered Qian Shen hadn’t hit 650 points either.
He calmed down.
"Where do you even know all this?"
Qian Shen smirked. "I’ve done a bit of research on the top three schools."
Meanwhile, in the contestant area, Song Hailong laughed loudly, eyes locked on Le Mulan.
"Le Mulan. I’ll see you in the finals."
—Next Sunday, release! Please support us then!
(End of Chapter)
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