**Rank 1: Zhao Kai, 1250 points!** **Rank 2: Feng Lin, 1228 points!** **Rank 3: Du Zhiming, 987 points!** ...
In the end, Feng Lin secured second place.
In the interstellar era, exams favored martial prowess over literary knowledge. After all, the cultural exam only tested theoretical knowledge, while the martial exam assessed genetic cultivation.
The universe was infinite, with countless races. The seemingly boundless starry sky was filled with competition. The cruel law of the dark forest made every race cautious, and humanity was no exception. A slight lag could mean the fate of extinction. Only through evolution, constant evolution, could one survive in this brutal universe.
Compared to pure theory, genetic cultivation, which involved the evolution of the essence of human life, was clearly the top priority in exams.
Like the literary exam, the martial exam had no upper limit on scores. Using a specific formula, with vitality as the primary factor and speed and strength as secondary factors, the final score was calculated. This meant that as long as your vitality index was high enough, your speed fast enough, and your strength great enough, the final score had no ceiling at all.
This was set up to encourage people to train hard, break through quickly, and become true interstellar cultivators.
Although Feng Lin had made remarkable progress by strengthening his attributes with the genetic formula, if he had only been an ordinary mortal before, no matter how much he changed, he couldn't instantly become a peerless powerhouse. Now, his vitality still lagged far behind Zhao Kai, the top student in the class. In the second exam, he scored 640 points, far behind Zhao Kai's 1000 points, and fell behind in total score by a narrow margin.
Even so, he became one of only two students in the class to exceed 1000 points. The third-place Du Zhiming was left far behind, no longer in the same league as the two of them.
Temporarily falling behind wasn't frightening. Feng Lin knew well how poor his training foundation had been; he hadn't expected to soar to the heavens in one step. But with the genetic formula in hand, strengthening his attributes, how fast was his progress? Perhaps by the next exam, he would have far surpassed Zhao Kai. This person would never be his target to catch up to!
Feng Lin was absolutely certain of this.
Only the top three in each class could qualify to train in the Martial Tower; the rankings of the rest didn't matter. The last ten students were in dire straits, their faces grim and spirits low. They had lost the qualification to take the college entrance exam and could only get a high school diploma to struggle for survival in society.
In the interstellar era, competition was everywhere, not just among people but also among schools. Each school had to achieve good rankings in the college entrance exam to maintain its reputation and attract excellent students. To do this, besides cultivating geniuses who could score well, the admission rate was also key. Some students destined not to enter college couldn't qualify for the exam, as it would drag down the admission rate. Thus, every year, some poor-performing students in each class couldn't take the college entrance exam, and those who failed couldn't retake it—there was no such thing as repeating in the interstellar era.
Originally, Feng Lin would have been one of them, but now, with his own ability, he had stood out and become the second top student in the class.
Even though Feng Lin had a calm temperament, he felt a secret thrill. The Feng family had thought he wouldn't get into college and had arranged for him to intern at the family factory. But now, Feng Lin had taken a firm and powerful step forward. As long as he continued, he would soon have enough leverage to negotiate with the family and escape the fate of being manipulated.
"Everyone else, you're dismissed. You three, come with me!" the female homeroom teacher announced, signaling Feng Lin, Zhao Kai, and Du Zhiming to follow her.
Leaving the classroom, they boarded a campus magnetic levitation track car heading toward the training hall. Along the way, Zhao Kai and Du Zhiming chatted and laughed, not sparing Feng Lin a single glance, their faces full of disdain. Feng Lin couldn't be bothered with them. He sat upright, breathing and recovering the stamina spent in the martial exam.
The homeroom teacher, however, secretly glanced at him, trying to understand this student who had risen against the odds. She had to admit, she didn't find anything else special about Feng Lin, but she saw a calmness and maturity far beyond his peers. With such a young age and such a mature mindset, if nothing unexpected happened, his future wouldn't be bad. The teacher nodded, her estimation of Feng Lin rising.
The car sped along quickly, and soon they arrived before a tall, magnificent building. A crowd had already gathered at the entrance, waiting quietly. When they saw Feng Lin and the others arrive, they raised their hands to greet Zhao Kai and Du Zhiming. In a high school, there were only so many graduating classes, and the top students from each class all knew each other.
"Hey, why isn't Fang Shan here? Wasn't he always the third in your class? Who's this guy?" "I've never seen this person before!" "Look at where he's standing—seems like he's second in the class, pushing Du Zhiming to third?" "Since when did Class 17 produce someone like this?" ...
The students from other classes greeted Zhao Kai and Du Zhiming, curiously eyeing the suddenly emerged Feng Lin. The female homeroom teacher chatted with other teachers, pointing at Feng Lin from a distance. Feng Lin kept his eyes down, unmoved.
"Zhao Kai, who is he?" a slender, handsome young man sidled up to Zhao Kai and asked, a cynical smile on his face.
"Just a lucky one!" Zhao Kai's face twitched as he pretended to dismiss it.
But the handsome young man wasn't easily fooled. Seeing Zhao Kai's irritated expression, his eyes rolled as he thoughtfully sized up Feng Lin. He knew Zhao Kai was always arrogant and looked down on others. For someone to get under Zhao Kai's skin like this, this newcomer was definitely not ordinary.
As gazes swept over him one by one, Feng Lin had no intention of mingling. He patiently waited for the virtual Martial Tower to open. With heavy pressure on his shoulders, he had no time to waste on building connections.
Soon, the Martial Tower opened. Following the order of entry, Feng Lin walked into a spacious room, empty and bare.
"Is this the virtual Martial Tower? I wonder what it's like?" This virtual martial system was the pinnacle of interstellar technology, and Feng Lin, visiting for the first time, was quite curious.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, plunging everything into pitch black. Rays of light converged from all directions, like meteors weaving together in the air, forming various illusions. A thirty-story tower appeared before him. This was a virtual space constructed from energy.
"Energy assembled. The virtual Martial Tower is now officially open! High school senior Feng Lin, no previous entry record in the Martial Tower, starting from the first floor!" a mechanical voice announced.
The virtual Martial Tower had thirty floors. Each floor up increased the difficulty by one level, like a checkpoint that needed to be broken through to reach higher floors. The floor each person reached was recorded by the tower's core AI, and the next entry would start from where they left off until they fully conquered the top.
Since Feng Lin had never been here before, he had to start from the first floor. This suited him just fine. He would begin from the bottom, figure out the virtual Martial Tower's ins and outs, and then break through step by step.
The door to the first floor opened silently. Feng Lin stepped inside, and the scene shifted, as if entering a brand-new world. It was a training ground, with a burly man standing in the center, exuding a sharp, imposing aura, dressed in an old-fashioned blue robe. Undoubtedly, this was an ancient figure from Earth's feudal era.
As Feng Lin approached, the man's eyes snapped open, radiating a fierce, compelling presence.
"Hong Gang, seventh-generation successor of Hong Fist! Please enlighten me!" He cupped his hands, as lifelike as a real person.
"Please!" Feng Lin cupped his hands in return, treating the matter seriously.
After the formalities, the two immediately engaged.
Ha!
Hong Gang expelled a breath, stomped forward with a step that stirred wind and thunder, and threw a punch.
A punch that could shatter the heavens, shifting from stillness to motion in an instant. The saying "still as a maiden, swift as a startled hare" was perfectly embodied in this strike.
Bow stance, upward strike! Horse stance, butterfly palm! Turning horse, elbow strike! ...
Hong Fist was an ancient Chinese martial art, fierce and relentless. Once launched, its techniques flowed like quicksilver, hard to evade. Hong Gang was clearly a master deeply versed in Hong Fist, his moves continuous and ferocious as a tiger.
This was Feng Lin's first real combat, and he had no experience. In the initial exchange, he was immediately suppressed, looking quite flustered. After three exchanges without gaining any advantage, he suddenly exerted force, leaping ten steps back to create distance, and assumed a stance.
Military Boxing!
As a student from an ordinary background, he couldn't learn precious genetic martial arts. Military Boxing was just a fitness martial art taught for free by the school, with simple, effective moves and lethal power. Feng Lin charged back in, clashing with his opponent, fighting with gusto.
In terms of technique proficiency and timing, Feng Lin was no match for Hong Gang. But he noticed something odd. The opponent's speed and strength were far inferior to his own. Reflecting, he understood the reason. Each floor up, the virtual martial master's vitality increased by 0.1. As the first-floor gatekeeper, Hong Gang's vitality was only 0.1, exactly the average for ancient Earth humans.
Strength overcomes technique. Although Feng Lin couldn't match Hong Gang in martial skill, his superior vitality gradually allowed him to overpower his opponent. As the fight continued, his mastery of Military Boxing grew more proficient. Though he had practiced it many times before, it had only been superficial. Now, in genuine combat, he gained martial experience much faster.
With his genetically enhanced body, his vitality, strength, speed, coordination—all far exceeded ordinary people, making martial training quick to grasp. Gradually, he fully mastered Military Boxing, internalizing it to the bone. By then, his technique was no worse than Hong Gang's, and his overwhelming vitality made the fight increasingly dull.
Dragon-Snake Strangle!
Feng Lin suddenly unleashed Military Boxing's killing move, leaping into the air, his legs twisting together like a dragon and a snake, and with a forceful wrench, he completely shattered Hong Gang's energy body.
The door to the second floor had already opened.
Gene Potential +10%!