High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 47: The First Match, Zhao Ding

Inside the temporary training room for United Middle School.

On the massive screen, a video clip was playing—footage from Hu Haobo’s ranking battle just a moment ago.

His fierce and violent Palm Technique was being shown in slow-motion, broken down for analysis.

The supervising teacher, Li Wu, a middle-aged Martial Artist with a calm demeanor, watched the screen with a deadpan expression, his arms crossed over his chest.

Standing beside him was the stocky Zhao Ding and, in a shadowy corner, the quiet Su Yueling, who seemed out of place in the light. The other top students from United Middle School were also present.

"Teacher, that Hu Haobo’s Palm Technique is incredibly powerful," one student couldn’t help but say, his tone somewhat grave. "This year, besides Xu Wuyi, Red River has another strong contender."

Hearing this, Li Wu merely shook his head noncommittally.

He pointed a finger at a close-up on the screen, where the instructor was blocking Hu Haobo’s attack. He analyzed in a flat tone, "The Palm Force is fierce and carries a penetrating vibration. That’s the sign of the Stone Splitting Palm at the Minor Achievement level."

"The Stone Splitting Palm is a C-level Martial Art. He actually managed to practice it to Minor Achievement? That’s amazing!" a student next to him exclaimed in surprise.

But Li Wu said, "Minor Achievement in the Stone Splitting Palm isn’t bad, but in a ranking battle, such an aggressive Martial Art makes it easier to show off and get a high score."

"Once we get to the student combat phase, his other weaknesses will be exposed."

His tone shifted as he looked at Zhao Ding. "Ah Ding, if it were you, could his palm strike break through your Iron Wall Technique?"

Zhao Ding watched the recording with a calm gaze. Hearing the question, he answered without a moment’s hesitation, "Impossible!"

"His Palm Force is strong, but it’s focused on single-point penetration and vibration. My Iron Wall Technique circulates Qi and Blood throughout my entire body, forming a complete, unified defense specifically against such focused attacks."

"Unless he can land dozens of palm strikes on the exact same spot, he won’t be able to break my defense."

His tone held absolute confidence, born from the hard work he had put into his defensive Martial Arts.

"Good." Li Wu nodded in approval. "Hu Haobo’s Technique is good for offense, but unfortunately, his foundation isn’t solid enough. As long as you drag the fight out, he’ll eventually reveal an opening."

"In the ranking battle, the instructors don’t attack first, in order to let the candidates showcase their Martial Arts. That allowed him to hide his flaws."

Li Wu’s gaze then swept over all the students from United, finally resting on Su Yueling and Zhao Ding.

"This Hu Haobo from Red River, while his offense is fierce, doesn’t pose a real threat to us at United."

He swiped his finger through the air, and the image on the screen changed, switching to scenes from Xu Wuyi’s and Li Mo’s ranking battles.

"These two are the ones you really need to watch out for."

"Li Mo from Silver Port has the highest Life Energy Level and Innate Divine Power. He’s a pure power-type who crushes opponents with brute force. When facing him, you absolutely cannot meet him head-on. You can only evade his attacks."

"As for Xu Wuyi from Red River..." Li Wu’s expression grew more serious. "There’s very little information on him. We can only tell that he has a solid foundation, and his Fist Technique is likely adapted from some kind of Spear Technique Martial Art."

"Furthermore, his ability to seize opportunities is extremely strong. Against him, any tiny opening could be fatal. You must be cautious, and then be even more cautious."

He looked at Zhao Ding and Su Yueling. "Ah Ding, your defense might be able to block him, but winning won’t be easy. Yueling, your Body Technique and Swordsmanship can counter him, but you must be careful not to get dragged into his rhythm."

At this, Li Wu couldn’t help but sigh. "It’s a shame weapons aren’t allowed in the college entrance exam. Otherwise, Yueling, your advantage would be even greater."

From the shadows, Su Yueling gently stroked the scabbard resting on her lap. She remained silent, merely giving a slight nod to show she had heard.

Zhao Ding, however, straightened his back and said in a deep voice, "Teacher, leave it to me. When I face them, I’ll show them what a truly ’Immovable Mountain’ is."

Li Wu nodded, satisfied. "Very good. Hold on to that confidence. Everyone, go back and rest. Conserve your energy, and fight well tomorrow."

...

Meanwhile, in a hotel room occupied by the students of Silver Port First High School.

"Hu Haobo is nothing to worry about." Li Shuang only glanced at his recording for a few moments before swiping it away. "His foundation is too weak. He just got lucky in the ranking battle format."

"In a real fight, he couldn’t even beat Zhao Ding or Xu Wuyi. If he tried to trade blows with you, it’d be over in a few punches."

Li Mo chuckled. "I could also let him land a few palm strikes first, just to see if he can even hurt me."

"Don’t be an idiot." Li Shuang shot him a sideways glance. "A Minor Achievement Level Stone Splitting Palm could injure your internal organs and affect your performance in later matches."

"The scoring criteria for the joint exam are the same as the college entrance exam. You’ll fight a maximum of three matches, and your highest score out of the three will be recorded."

"If you’re unlucky and run into Su Yueling in the first match, you can just concede if you can’t win."

"Huh?" Li Mo looked surprised. "Sis, is Su Yueling really that strong? I thought Xu Wuyi was my only real opponent."

Li Shuang shook her head slightly. "Third Uncle taught you the Overlapping Waves Slash. It won’t be hard to use it with your Fist Technique to break his defense. Your advantage in Life Energy Level is too great. If Xu Wuyi hasn’t made any other improvements, his chances of winning are slim."

"Now that’s what I like to hear." Li Mo grinned again. "But, Sis, what exactly is the Shadow Sword Technique?"

’Using a Fist Technique to produce sharp sword shadows... no matter how you look at it, that’s not normal.’

"Normally, you aren’t ready to know about this yet." Li Shuang thought for a moment before continuing, "It’s the result of Spirit interfering with reality. In other words—"

"Heart Image Martial Arts."

...

「The next day.」

The three-school joint exam officially began.

The Red River City Martial Arts Center Dojo was buzzing with excitement.

The enormous circular arena was packed to the rafters. Students, teachers, and parents from the three schools, along with Martial Arts enthusiasts who had heard the news, filled the air with a feverish energy.

In the center of the arena stood three massive electronic screens, side by side, displaying the names of all the students after the first round of practical assessments, along with their corresponding rankings.

Only five people had achieved an A-level rating:

Honghe First Middle School: Xu Wuyi, Hu Haobo.

Silver Port First High School: Li Mo.

United Middle School: Zhao Ding, Su Yueling.

The value of an A-level rating was on full display.

In the observer seats for the Provincial Martial Arts Association, several middle-aged men with profound auras were conversing in low voices, their gazes occasionally sweeping over the A-level students in the waiting area below.

Soon, the match-up list froze on the screen.

When the roster for the first A-level match appeared, the entire arena fell silent for a moment before erupting into a tremendous uproar.

[Match 1: Xu Wuyi of Honghe First Middle School VS Zhao Ding of United Middle School!]

The top defensive Martial Artists from these two schools were clashing in the very first match!

One specialized in defensive counterattacks, while the other cultivated the Iron Wall Technique. Whose defense was stronger?

Everyone’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

Xu Wuyi stared at the names on the screen, his expression as calm as still water.

On the other side, Zhao Ding slowly rose to his feet. His bronze-colored face was expressionless, but his gaze toward Xu Wuyi held a hint of vigilance.