The Little Tianxing Palm was a martial art with no forms at all — just pure Mana channeled into a palm strike of bitter, freezing cold.
As He Dayou unleashed its full power, he was confident he'd frostbite Zhang Yu's five organs and six bowels. And given Zhang Yu's finances, the boy certainly had no money for the hospital. He'd have to tough it out.
"You broke loser, that keeps you out of school for at least a week."
*Boom!*
The instant their palms collided, so did their Mana, and it was as though an explosion rang out from inside both their bodies.
He Dayou's Little Tianxing Palm was ferocious, but he'd only just mastered it. Zhang Yu's martial art was nothing special — plain Free Fighting — yet he'd trained it to Level 3, and it drove out surprising palm force.
As their forces clashed and Mana churned, He Dayou realized his advantage wasn't as big as he'd imagined. His icy palm power could only creep forward inch by inch. And, like a roly-poly toy, every time it invaded a little, Zhang Yu shoved it right back — clearly at a disadvantage, yet refusing to fall.
Meanwhile, the Mana cycle inside Zhang Yu's body never stopped, endlessly restoring him and letting him take blow after blow.
The assistant teacher watching was startled: "They're dueling with Mana?"
Seeing their grim faces, he dreaded one of them coming to harm — his performance bonus would fly out the window, and one of these two was the son of a school board member. That absolutely couldn't happen.
"You two, if either of you can't hold on, surrender at once, and the other must withdraw his Mana immediately. Don't ruin your futures over a monthly exam."
Neither boy spoke. He Dayou glared and poured his Mana into wave after wave of Little Tianxing Palm force. Zhang Yu stayed calm, cycling the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method — restoring Mana on one side while resisting on the other.
Soon sweat beaded across both foreheads and steam rose off their bodies like two giant furnaces. Yet Zhang Yu looked more and more relaxed, while He Dayou grew gray and showed signs of failing.
Unable to contain his shock and fury, he glared at Zhang Yu. The assistant coach glanced at the clock — the duel had dragged on over a minute — and reminded them again: "If you can't hold on, surrender. It's only a monthly exam."
Several times He Dayou opened his mouth, until finally he squeezed out from between his teeth: "I... surrender."
As they withdrew their Mana, He Dayou collapsed to the ground, his face pale as paper, his dantian nearly empty.
"How much Mana do you have left?" he asked with lingering resentment.
Zhang Yu looked at his half-dead rival and humbled himself: "Just... one or two-tenths, that's all."
He Dayou snorted. He could tell from the other's face it was more than that. He rose slowly, fixing Zhang Yu with a long stare: "You're good. We'll spar again next time."
Then he turned and left. On his way out he admitted to himself: "Zhang Yu... is strong. But it's a shame — as a poor man, he's destined to become our dog. I just hope you hold on until the day I beat you fair and square."
Watching He Dayou's unsteady retreating figure, Zhang Yu muttered: "Spar again next time? Better not even think about it, classmate. This is the closest you'll ever get to my strength — your fondest memory. If we fight again, I'm afraid you'll have to say 'sorry, Zhang Yu, I failed to make you go all out.'"
He walked out of the exam hall and spotted Bai Zhenzhen leaning against the wall.
"Yo, Zhenzhen, that was fast."
"Mm, a few moves and it was done." She cast him a curious glance. "Who'd you draw?"
"He Dayou."
"Damn!" Bai Zhenzhen stamped her foot, furious. "He got to show off in the Dao arts exam, and now he humiliates you — this guy's having the time of his life. But don't worry, next practical class I'll challenge him for you."
Zhang Yu looked at her speechlessly: "I won."
Seeing her shock, he simply made a move to prove it. He threw a punch, she blocked with a palm, and again and again their four arms blurred into afterimages, letting out dull thuds like hammer strikes.
*Thump!*
They sprang apart.
Bai Zhenzhen: "Your Free Fighting is Level 3?"
Zhang Yu: "Your Free Fighting is Level 3?"
"Weren't you only Level 1 before?" she said in shock. "Don't tell me you trained it to Level 3 ages ago, just waiting for a fight like today to put on a big show? Kid, you've read way too many power-fantasy novels."
Zhang Yu stared back, equally suspicious: "You just said your own true thoughts out loud, didn't you? You were insisting your Free Fighting was only Level 2. You little minx, you'd stoop to anything to show off."
Bai Zhenzhen flushed. "It's not about showing off. A higher level doesn't even add points. But if you hold a move back in a fight, it catches people off guard, and you score higher on the practical."
"Haven't you heard the teachers say it? Information warfare is part of actual combat."
Zhang Yu suddenly thought of He Dayou, whose icy palm technique had almost caught him off guard. He found himself nodding along — he really should hold back a few tricks and not lay all his cards on the table.
After Zhou Tianyi finished his exam too, the three had dinner together, then each headed home or to cram classes. Tomorrow would be the Dao Heart, Mana, and physical strength exams.
Back home, Zhang Yu returned to the unfinished building. The Feather Book's 24-hour Focus-switch cooldown hadn't passed, and he was still specialized in Free Fighting, so he figured he'd keep grinding it.
"Heh, even though I exposed my Level 3 card to Zhenzhen, if I push this to Level 5 or 6 today, I'll have a fresh trump card."
Just thinking about her shocked face next time made his punches hit harder. He trained in earnest, breathing to recover when tired, standing up to train more when his strength returned. A whole night passed.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the empty window frames and fell across him as he sat cross-legged, slowly opening his eyes.
After that night, his Free Fighting had reached Level 5 (3/50), and his Mana had climbed from 11.7 to 11.8.
"With the passive breathing of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method, even breathing only during rests gives me a solid chunk of Mana every day," he marveled.
Feeling his Mana grow by the moment lifted his mood, and made him all the more eager for the Focus cooldown to pass so he could raise the method to Level 10.
---
Cramming onto the bus, Zhang Yu reached school. Songyang was still wrapped in low-pressure; plenty of students were dour-faced from yesterday's bad luck.
After breakfast, he went to today's first exam — the Dao Heart exam hall. White walls, rows of neatly arranged beds — it looked just like a hospital ward, except the beds hooked up to something like a mask rather than an oxygen machine.
He'd barely sat down when the countdown chimed in his head. He curled his lip and sat cross-legged to breathe. Examinees filed in until every bed was full. A bell rang and their expressions hardened — the exam was starting. Soft music played, then a woman's voice came over the broadcast.
"This is the Songyang City unified monthly Dao Heart exam for all high schools. The exam lasts 60 minutes."
Zhang Yu felt no surprise. His memories already held several past monthly exams. Unlike yesterday's general-knowledge, martial arts, and Dao arts exams, every monthly Dao Heart exam was a citywide unified test — that had to do with the special nature of the Dao Heart itself.
"The Spirit Realm mask must be worn correctly throughout the exam. Now is equipment inspection and fitting."
All the students picked up their masks to inspect them. Zhang Yu confirmed the cable was plugged in, then turned on the power to check for damage. Satisfied, he put the mask over his face. It deformed and settled perfectly onto him, like a second skin. But it covered his eyes, and before him there was only darkness.
"The Dao Heart exam officially begins," the woman's voice declared.
The darkness trembled. Specks of light emerged. And the next moment, he was in another world.