"Fifth round. Lin Yao vs. Yao Tian."
'Fortunately, I wasn't scheduled to fight other martial artists as soon as I joined the match.'
Although there was almost no big difference between the physique of a new martial artist and ordinary people who had reached their limit, the outburst of the vital energy seed was something that could not be ignored.
"Lin Yao, I would appreciate your guidance."
Yao Tian's physique was also very strong. This was also the reason he had made it to the top 24 even before he had become a martial artist. Since they were all classmates, Lin Yao did not ignore him. Instead, he nodded at him.
"Let's learn from each other."
He had just finished his sentence when the one-eyed instructor called for them to start. The next moment, Yao Tian rushed toward him like a tank.
The opponent was sturdier and taller than Lin Yao, which added some pressure on him. However, Lin Yao quickly calmed down.
Phew…
After taking a long breath, he decided not to use his ironwood sword. Instead, like Yao Tian, he swung his fists and stepped forward.
Huh!
There was a loud yell. Lin Yao and Yao Tian then slammed into each other's fists.
Lin Yao and the opponent trembled when their fists collided. However, an instant later, they unclenched their fists in a bid to use a grappling technique to subdue their opponent.
In combat, the shorter the weapon was, the more disadvantaged one might be. Both of them fought hand-to-hand, engaging in the most intense fight.
However, the fight quickly evolved into a strength competition.
This was usually the case. Those who filled the first few places in class had been practicing military boxing for years. They were too familiar with military boxing. Since techniques did not make a difference to them anymore, they could only rely on physical strength and power to suppress their opponent.
In this regard, the opponent and Lin Yao were evenly matched.
After struggling for a while and seeing that there would not be an outcome anytime soon, Lin Yao decided to unleash his seed.
He unleashed the vital energy seed within his body.
When the vital energy seed was unleashed, there was an outburst of spirit energy. Since the vital energy seed was the combined product of spirit energy and Lin Yao's blood and energy and had his mark, the energy from the unleashed vital energy seed was absorbed by Lin Yao without any hindrance.
This power stimulated Lin Yao's body and muscles, and his body became warm. Even without any nourishment, his strength had increased by 30%. If both sides were evenly matched, he could win if he was slightly stronger than the opponent, let alone when there was a 30% increase in strength.
Huh!
With this surge of power, Lin Yao instantly suppressed Yao Tian during the fight. He yelled and forcibly twisted his arm like a policeman subduing a gangster before pushing Yao Tian to the ground.
Not everyone was like Zhou Yang. Martial artists who had vital energy seeds were naturally stronger than ordinary people.
"Okay, stop it. The victor is Lin Yao."
"Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
After his victory, Lin Yao released his grip and pulled Yao Tian up from the ground. He accepted his defeat with grace. For them, participating in competitions was very common.
They had been classmates for three years. They would always engage in combat during every exam. After years of combat, one single failure did not matter to them anymore.
The victorious Lin Yao returned to the martial artist team again, and this time, those martial artists paid little attention to him. Although he had just won the match, he'd relied purely on the outburst of a vital energy seed. This was why they did not see him as a threat.
Of course, some people felt that Lin Yao was concealing his real capabilities. However, they were still the minority. Zhou Yang and Li Peng, who were right at the top of the ranking, did not care whether Lin Yao was concealing his true capabilities or not.
Lin Yao took a break after the combat, but something exhilarating happened. Lin Yao rested and did not direct his inner energy, yet a steady stream of sun rays penetrated his body through his skin and was absorbed by the dimmed vital energy seed mark.
It was noontime, and the sun was strong. Positive energy was most suitable for one's recovery. This was why Lin Yao's dimmed vital energy seed regained brightness at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"It seems that my recovery rate during the day is 10 times that of others."
Many people absorbed the city's spirit energy, and the city was also not a suitable place to build up spirit energy. On the contrary, the sun could reach all places, making Lin Yao's recovery speed exceed one's imagination in the city.
'The vital energy seed within my body will be restored the next time I take the stage.'
While Lin Yao was exclaiming about recovery speed, the combat proceeded accordingly. Soon, the third round of combat began. Lin Yao was considered lucky. By now, there were only 16 people left in the field, including nine ordinary people and seven martial artists. In the next round of combat, Lin Yao would fight against another classmate who had yet to become a martial artist.
Lin Yao did not use any techniques in combat. Instead, he merely used his bare fists to fight the opponent. Upon getting closer to the opponent, he unleashed his vital energy seed, gaining 30% more energy than his opponent. He then pressed him to the ground, claiming victory once again.
Then came the fourth round, which had nothing to do with luck. After Zhou Yang advanced to another round, no other ordinary classmates were able to defeat a martial artist. Although some classmates had strong combat skills, the martial artists would gain power after unleashing their vital energy seeds and they had better reflexes. Therefore, it was impossible for martial artists to lose.
In fact, when the vital energy was integrated into the body, it would increase one's defensive powers as well. One would not feel pain even when one suffered blows.
'Apart from geniuses, it is impossible for others to fight people beyond their rank.'
With that thought in mind, Lin Yao looked at Zhou Yang. He was the only genius in Lin Yao's class who could defeat a martial artist despite being an ordinary person.
'While he didn't break through to become a martial artist, he is already capable of fighting against a martial artist who has unleashed their vital energy seed. Now that he is a martial artist, how strong would he be if unleashed his vital energy seed? Besides, with his physique, his blood and energy level would definitely be higher than mine. I would need to increase my physical fitness after condensing 10 vital energy seeds. He might only need to get stronger after condensing 15 seeds. Other than that, he has a strong physique and will be able to condense more vital energy seeds.'
Indeed, people with a stronger physique had a huge advantage when practicing martial arts.
"17th round. Lin Yao vs. Xu Ting."
While Lin Yao was lost in his thoughts, the instructor's voice was heard again.
Lin Yao shrugged helplessly upon seeing his opponent.
'I am not that lucky.'
There were only eight people in the field right now. There were seven martial artists and one ordinary person. However, Lin Yao's opponent was not an ordinary classmate.
Xu Ting was not as tall as Lin Yao, but he had advanced to another level earlier than Lin Yao.
Lin Yao decided to go out to fight and hence took his ironwood sword with him.
After they stood in position and performed the martial artist etiquette, the instructor beside them said, "The combat begins."
Boom!
As soon as they were told to start, Lin Yao and Xu Ting charged at each other.
However, after approaching the opponent, they acted differently. Lin Yao's opponent swung his claw-like hands, ready to test Lin Yao.
However, he was still sounding him out when Lin Yao used his ultimate move.
'Low-level martial artists have very few vital energy seeds. Therefore, most of them would fight barehanded to test their opponent. They would unleash their vital energy seeds when the opportunity arose. Xu Ting must be using the same method.'
With this thought in mind, as soon as Lin Yao took a step forward, he suddenly assumed a lunging position. He grabbed the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right hand. An inexplicable aura radiated from Lin Yao's body. Xu Ting's scalp turned numb when he felt his aura.
"This is bad. It's the Sword-Drawing Technique!"
The Sword-Drawing Technique was not an invincible skill, but one could claim victory with this single move. Therefore, anyone would go all out to block it.
In fact, the Sword-Drawing Technique was most suitable for sneak attacks.
If Xu Ting had known in advance that Lin Yao had mastered the Sword-Drawing Technique, he would definitely not have rushed forward recklessly. However, there was no "what if" in the world. Xu Ting was caught unaware by his sudden attack. Although Xu Ting reacted right away by unleashing his vital energy and using his hands to defend himself, it was still too late.
Clang.