Shortly after the convoy led by Liu Wenshi arrived at the Jixing Martial Arts Hall, two other convoys arrived in succession.
At least one-third of the martial arts examinees from Donghai were concentrated here.
As the examinees disembarked from their vehicles, they gathered in small groups, creating a noisy atmosphere.
"I didn't expect us to be assigned to Jixing Martial Arts Hall for the level assessment!"
"There should be plenty of examinees at the Leiting and Bailian Martial Arts Halls as well. These three giants of the martial arts world take the exams very seriously; they compete to host the testing sites every year to observe potential candidates and recruit them early."
"Not only that, but I heard this is also a way for the major martial arts halls to showcase their strength!"
"When examinees take their tests here and witness the hall's power, they will naturally lean towards them when making their future choices."
...
The students discussed the matter with great seriousness.
At this moment, the leaders of the three convoys met. They all came from the Bureau of Education and knew each other well; they were simply assigned to different duties today.
"Form your lines and follow me!"
As their voices fell, three distinct lines of examinees were quickly formed.
Each line was further divided into eight or nine small squads based on the number of people, each led by their respective teachers.
The three leaders led their respective groups toward the Martial Apprentice Training Building.
However, since the exam had not yet begun, no one was permitted to enter the building; everyone had to wait outside.
"Are those students from Huiying Private High School?"
"Looking at those uniforms, it must be them!"
"Even though it's a private school, they are famous for being extremely strict with their students. I'm seeing it for myself today—they even wear uniforms for the martial arts exam!"
"I heard Huiying is incredibly powerful; they have as many as eight high-level martial apprentices."
"Tch, what's the big deal? At least five of those eight were poached from other schools with money..."
Listening to the discussions around him, Wang Teng followed everyone's gaze toward a nearby group.
A group of examinees wearing blue and white school uniforms stood in a perfectly straight line, and there appeared to be quite a few of them.
Standing there with chests out and heads held high, every one of them made a concerted effort to look arrogant.
The eight examinees at the front were the center of attention; even the students from Huiying itself were whispering about them.
At the same time, as a key high school, Donghai No. 1 High School was also a focal point of discussion for students from other schools.
"The examinees from Donghai No. 1 aren't any weaker than those from Huiying."
"I heard they have five high-level martial apprentices, and all of them earned their way into No. 1 themselves. They aren't like the ones Huiying bought."
"Besides, the total number of examinees from Donghai No. 1 participating in the exam isn't any less than Huiying's..."
With one being a key public high school and the other a powerful private school, people couldn't help but compare them.
The examinees from Donghai No. 1 immediately took on an air of pride.
If they're going to compare, is No. 1 afraid of anyone?
For a moment, the examinees from No. 1 and Huiying glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes...
*What are you looking at?*
*What if I am?*
*Try looking again!*
*Keep looking and see if I don't smack you...*
The examinees from other schools were relegated to the background, but they were far from submissive. They secretly steeled themselves, determined to make a name for themselves during the assessment!
It would be even better if they could suppress both No. 1 and Huiying!
Time passed quickly, and the main doors of the Martial Apprentice Training Building slowly opened. Several staff members stood at the entrance.
"It's the Inspection Bureau!"
Someone recognized the identity of the staff at the door and cried out in surprise.
Wang Teng's expression shifted as his gaze landed on them. He had long heard of the Inspection Bureau.
While searching for information online previously, he had come across them.
Much like the City Guard Bureau, the Inspection Bureau was a powerful martial arts department responsible for oversight. Anyone caught in their hands would be left in a bad state, even if they survived.
Many official personnel who were martial artists would tremble like mice seeing a cat whenever they encountered the Inspection Bureau.
Wang Teng was genuinely surprised that such a formidable department would appear at a martial arts exam site.
"I heard that in the early days, cheating was common in the martial arts exams. It was only after the Inspection Bureau intervened in recent years that the situation improved," Yang Jian whispered beside him.
Wang Teng nodded.
They followed their lines into the exam site. The Inspection Bureau staff checked identification and admission tickets one by one and performed full-body scans on the examinees; the process appeared extremely strict.
When it was Wang Teng's turn, there were no surprises. After the verification and scanning, he entered the exam area directly.
"I'm going in first. Let's meet after the exam!"
"Alright!" Lin Chuhan and Yang Jian nodded.
Wang Teng had been to the Martial Apprentice Training Building countless times this month and was intimately familiar with the environment.
However, upon entering now, he found that the interior had been completely transformed.
All sorts of equipment had been moved out, leaving only machines like strength testers, speed testers, and physique testers.
And it wasn't just one or two; rows upon rows of them filled the entire training hall.
Each set consisted of three instruments—a strength tester, a speed tester, and a physique tester—with two staff members standing nearby to conduct the tests.
Each set was numbered, and examinees found their corresponding group according to the number on their admission ticket.
Wang Teng checked his ticket—Number 8!
A long queue had already formed in front of the testing machines for Group 8, so he walked over and joined the back of the line.
Despite the large number of examinees, everyone was very self-disciplined in such an important setting and did not dare to cause trouble. The line formed quickly.
An announcement over the loudspeaker signaled the start of the level assessment.
The staff members for each group held a list and called out the names of the examinees one by one.
"Wang Junming!"
"Qian Zhengxiang!"
...
Each examinee whose name was called stepped forward to begin their test.
To qualify as a mid-level martial apprentice, one needed a strength of 300–700kg, a 100-meter sprint speed of seven to five seconds, and a physique score of 50 to 80.
Once an examinee finished, the tester would announce the results on the spot, and another staff member would record them on a tablet.
"Wang Junming: Strength 362, Speed 6.8s, Physique 56—Pass!"
"Qian Zhengxiang: Strength 411, Speed 6.2s, Physique 61—Pass!"
...
"XXX: Strength 298, Speed 6.9s, Physique 51—Fail!"
Upon hearing this announcement, an examinee turned pale, looking as if he had lost a parent. He muttered unconsciously, "How can this be? How can this be? My strength test earlier was clearly over 300kg, how is it 2kg less now!!"
The other examinees couldn't help but cast pitying glances at him. Fluctuations in strength and speed were inevitable; it all depended on performance.
This was especially true for those right on the borderline; a slight dip in performance meant certain failure.
"No, I need to test again! I haven't fully exerted my strength. I am already a mid-level martial apprentice! I need another try!"
The examinee seemed to be losing his mind, rushing toward the testers and demanding a retest.
"Drag him out," the tester said indifferently.
Every person only had one chance in the martial arts exam. Performance itself was a test; if one performed poorly, they had no one to blame but themselves.
Moreover, the standards this year had been lowered significantly. If this examinee couldn't even meet these standards, there was no hope for the subsequent combat assessments; going would be a waste of time.
As soon as the tester spoke, several stern-faced security personnel emerged from nowhere, easily picked up the examinee, and dragged him out of the exam hall.
"No! I won't go! Give me one more chance, I beg you, just one more chance..."
The examinee refused to accept his fate, struggling desperately to stay.
"If you cause any more trouble, your eligibility for the exam will be revoked!" a cold voice echoed through the loudspeaker.
The examinee's struggling instantly froze. He went limp like a deflated balloon, not daring to make another sound.
The hearts of the other examinees skipped a beat. The severity and ruthlessness of this exam made them even more tense, not daring to slack off and approaching the remaining assessments with even greater seriousness.