High-Level Martial Era
Chapter 5: 3 Unawakened Higher Spiritual Nature

"I'm not seeing things, am I? Li Yuan's physical quality has reached level 6.5? It's improved by 0.5 since the end of June?"

"Improved by 0.5 level in less than three months?"

"Even Lin Lanyue, the current top student in martial arts and a hopeful for Starry Sky University admission, couldn't have improved so quickly, could she?"

"Is the machine broken?"

"The school uses it but never seems to fix it; it would be normal if it's broken." More than a hundred students were surprised, their gazes shifting between Li Yuan and the screen.

Most people actually understood that the likelihood of the equipment being damaged was almost zero.

The key was that the speed of Li Yuan's improvement in physical quality was indeed frightening.

In the elite class, even students who had awakened their Martial Spirit and came from wealthy families couldn't improve at such a monstrous rate.

"I've been working so hard lately, spending the vacation soaking in the cultivation room and consuming all sorts of supplements every day, and my physical quality has just barely reached level 6.0. I thought I could close the gap with Li Yuan." Wan Xiao, big as a bear, couldn't help but think: "And now, the gap is even wider?"

The relationship between the two was good; Wan Xiao had always set Li Yuan as his target, hoping to catch up to him.

"Level 6.5! Brother Yuan is awesome!" Zhou Qi couldn't help shouting, instinctively feeling happy for Li Yuan.

Ten meters away.

"Level 6.5? How could Li Yuan progress so quickly?" Teacher Xu Bo also became a bit unsettled.

Having not sensed an awakening of the Martial Spirit in Li Yuan during today's test, he felt somewhat disappointed.

An awakening in Wan Xiao was a pleasant surprise.

Now, the level of Li Yuan's physical quality was a shock.

"If he had awakened his Martial Spirit and was practicing a high-rank cultivation method, then improving by 0.5 level in less than three months wouldn't be too rare... But he underwent testing at noon and clearly hadn't awakened his Martial Spirit," Teacher Xu thought with many ideas racing through his mind. "Besides, he hasn't had the time to cultivate."

As an entry-rank martial artist and one who had crawled through the ranks in the military, Teacher Xu saw things the students could not.

In a matter of seconds, he thought of numerous possibilities.

"Li Yuan." Teacher Xu spoke in a deep voice: "Don't rush to test your skill level. First, go to the track to test your burst speed, and then test your fist strength again."

"Yes," Li Yuan nodded, understanding Teacher Xu's intentions.

The Life Vitality Detector hardly ever malfunctioned, but there were ways to trick its sensory system, resulting in false data.

There was a possibility of cheating.

However, the speed and strength one could explosively unleash were impossible to fake.

"It seems to be a comprehensive test."

"Looks like Teacher Xu isn't absolutely sure either."

"What will Li Yuan's burst speed be?"

"Hard to say, the Life Vitality Detector provides composite data, and everyone's situation is different. Even if two people have the same physical quality level, some may be faster, others might have higher fist strength, and some stronger endurance." All the students were whispering to each other, and most were attentive.

They were all curious.

If Li Yuan's physical quality was indeed level 6.5, how high would he rank in the martial arts performance of the entire grade?

"Activate permissions for the sprint speed test and fist strength test, and record," Teacher Xu ordered coldly, a flicker of red light glowing from his wrist.

"Hum~" White light projected down from above the classroom, illuminating the roughly 40-meter-long dark red metal track to the left side of the classroom.

Above the track, faint lights twinkled.

This was why martial arts classrooms needed to be so spacious.

The large amount of technological equipment used to test physical data required space.

For instance, the martial arts classroom for the elite class covered an even larger area, like a small sports arena.

"Testing burst speed?" Li Yuan placed his long spear on the silver metallic floor and came to the start of the track. He took a deep breath and quickly calmed down.

The speed test wasn't just running.

During the martial arts college entrance exam, sequential tests for forty meters, one hundred meters, one kilometer, and ten kilometers would be conducted.

The forty-meter speed test had the highest score weight, followed by the ten-kilometer long-distance run.

One tested instantaneous burst speed, and the other endurance.

"In martial combat, life and death are often determined within two or three moves, or even a single exchange. Since life and death hang by a thread, instantaneous burst speed is the most crucial," Li Yuan quickly adjusted his condition: "But in war, one often faces more than one enemy, and battles can last a long time, making endurance equally important."

Li Yuan was clear that the establishment of the martial arts college entrance exams was closely related to war.

In this era, human civilization on Blue Star and the Seven Great Planets all faced enormous survival threats.

War, was the main theme of society.

Whoosh!

Using the Breathing Technique to regulate himself, Li Yuan quickly relaxed with each inhale and exhale. His spiritual power was strong enough to faintly sense the beating of his internal organs, the steady flow of the heart's blood supply, and the strands of vigor throughout his limbs.

The next instant!

"Boom!" With the spine as his core, Li Yuan's overall strength suddenly tensed in unison, as if drawing a bowstring fully back, his vigor was transmitted through the hips directly to his legs. Like an arrow released from the bow, he instantly sprinted forth.

The source of vigor is in the feet, activated by the legs.

The explosive power of the thighs is far stronger than other body parts.

Swish!

Li Yuan sprinted across the forty-meter track in seconds, slamming into the buffer wall at the end of the track.

The buffer wall, akin to a sponge but with more specialized material, was custom-made by the school to protect the students.

Tick-tock!

Data appeared on the screen on the wall at the end of the track — "14.2 meters per second."

This was Li Yuan's finish line speed, not the average speed.

"That's fast."

"It seems Li Yuan's physical quality has indeed reached level 6.5," the spectating students spoke to each other, now thoroughly convinced.

They all knew that the Basic Cultivation Method Li Yuan practiced was the Solid Rock Cultivation Technique, which specialized in strength.

If Li Yuan was that fast, what about his strength?

"14.2 meters per second? Not bad," Teacher Xu nodded slightly and directly instructed: "Now, test your fist strength."

The fist strength testing area is much smaller, located in the corner of the classroom, rather inconspicuous.

Li Yuan stood on the testing ground.

Whoosh~ Several white beams of light were projected downwards from the equipment overhead, enveloping Li Yuan to check if his movements were standard and qualified.

The fist strength test was not about pursuing extreme explosive power, but rather the strongest force that could be unleashed by one arm when steadying oneself in place.

If one's posture couldn't even be maintained while throwing a punch, then no matter how strong the power released, it would be meaningless. In a life-or-death fight, it would only give the enemy an opportunity to kill with one strike.

"Relax first." Li Yuan adjusted his breathing, his tense body gradually relaxed, his feet spread apart, knees slightly bent to generate more propelling power the moment he punched.

Following that, at the sigh of his exhale, Li Yuan's spine was like a great dragon, his left foot stepping slightly to the side, the right foot pushing off the ground, through the twisting of his waist and abdomen, instantly drawing the power of his waist and back, transmitting all the strength in his body from the bottom up to his right arm.

Five fingers came together to form a fist!

His right fist, like a cannonball fired from a chamber, fiercely struck the giant sandbag hanging in front.

"Bang!" A dull booming sound.

In an instant.

The screen above the fist strength testing area clearly displayed: "424 kilograms (movement qualified)."

"Damn!"

"424 kilograms! Awesome!"

"With that kind of fist strength, he's not far from the 7th level physical quality standard. I remember for the 7th level physical quality, the fist strength requirement is 450 kilograms." There was a stir, and Li Yuan's classmates were thoroughly shocked.

Martial Path isn't just about nurturing the body; the data from the Life Vitality Detector can only ever be a reference.

What's shown in actual combat is what truly convinces people.

Across the entire Blue Star, and even within the Seven Star Alliance, there are strict divisions regarding physical quality levels corresponding to burst speed and fist strength:

Level 5: 10 meters per second, fist strength 200 kilograms

Level 6: 13 meters per second; fist strength 300 kilograms

Level 7: 15 meters per second, fist strength 450 kilograms

Level 8: 18 meters per second; fist strength 800 kilograms

Level 9: 20 meters per second, fist strength 1000 kilograms

...

Despite individual talent differences and different Cultivation Methods leading to various tendencies, the discrepancies from the standard for each level aren't too large.

Li Yuan's Life Vitality Detector displayed 6.5 level, with burst speed within the normal range.

But his fist strength was very close to the 7th level standard.

"My fist strength peak is still short of 300 kilograms." Wan Xiao subconsciously clenched the Combat Saber in his hand: "Is the gap between Li Yuan and myself already this big?"

"Training involves being tight within relaxation, and employing strength within flexibility, only using true tightness can one deliver powerful and explosive strikes. It seems my student has really grasped the essence of the Basic Cultivation Methods," said Teacher Xu Bo, his eyesight was sharp enough to see the crux of it.

Normal people replace it difficult to channel all of their body's strength; managing to exploit ninety percent of it is already very admirable.

One must fully understand the vigor in their body and condense this vigor to exert one hundred percent of their strength.

Li Yuan, evidently, had almost achieved this.

"Not bad," said Teacher Xu Bo, revealing a rare smile.

This scene caused many students to marvel silently.

You should know that when Wan Xiao awakened his Martial Spirit, Teacher Xu Bo didn't smile.

Li Yuan, hearing the sounds around him, maintained a calm exterior, but inwardly, he felt somewhat unsatisfied.

"According to the Divine Palace panel, my instantaneous burst speed should reach 14.4 meters per second, and my fist strength peak should be 426 kilograms," Li Yuan frowned slightly: "It seems like I still haven't perfectly executed my physical quality."

At that moment.

In Li Yuan's field of vision, there was an almost transparent screen that others couldn't perceive but he could see.

——

[Life Level: 6.6 (unranked)]

Physical Quality Index: 72 (Indicates Explosive Power, Endurance, Speed, Physique, Spiritual Power, etc. Comprehensive Assessment.)

Fist Strength: 426 kilograms

Speed: 14.4 meters per second

Spiritual Power: 12.4 level

Physical Body Cultivation Method:

Mind Cultivation Method:

Skill Realm: Spear Technique (Third Stage 36%), Movement Technique (Third Stage 21%), Fist Technique (Third Stage 88%)

[Note: A certain high-rank Spiritual Nature lies dormant within the body, yet to awaken.]

——

Li Yuan could make the entire screen appear before his eyes with just a thought in his mind, clearly displaying his Martial Arts Cultivation.

This was something that had awakened suddenly when Li Yuan's Physical Quality reached level 5.0 in his second year of High School.

At first, Li Yuan thought it was similar to 'systems' or 'data panels' that he had seen in some novels.

Later, after repeated experiments and confirmation, he discovered that the screen itself only had a detection function, akin to an extraordinarily precise 'Cultivation Detector'.

It wasn't capable of directly enhancing Li Yuan's Martial Arts Cultivation.

"However, the Mind Spirit Divine Palace's has already given me ample help," Li Yuan thought silently.

As he pondered.

Li Yuan returned to the silver metallic floor and picked up his black Long Spear.

His gaze fell upon Teacher Xu Bo, who stood ten meters away. The panel before his eyes shifted, displaying a string of text messages:

[Target individual, Life Level exceeds detection limit (current Life Level detection limit is 16.6)]

"Teacher Xu, please enlighten me." Li Yuan first saluted, then his figure suddenly darted forward, crossing several meters in an instant, and with an explosion of strength, the Long Spear, like a dragon with the screeching of tearing air, headed straight for Xu Bo.

"Hm? This Spear Technique!" Xu Bo's eyes lit up completely.