radicalducati Chapter 51: Battle!
Chapter 51: Battle!
In December, the temperature in Chengdu plummeted to below zero, but the campus of No. 2 High School was filled with a sweltering heat.
The classroom of the Yuanpei Class was full of people, their faces reflecting either tension or excitement.
Today is the first day of the joint exam for 100 schools.
Wang Xing sat in the third row by the window, his thoughts drifting back to the past two months, which could only be described as crazy.
He would get up at dawn to cultivate, attend classes during the day, and then practice more at the Yuanpei Class training ground after school. In the evening, he would go home and continue his arduous cultivation in the Beidou Yuan Universe.
This frantic effort, coupled with the military region's supplements, brought Wang Xing's health to level 7.7 and his mecha to level 7.5.
Under the guidance of senior student Wang Yangming and through his own arduous practice, "The Power of the Myriad Manifestations" has vaguely touched the threshold of the subtle realm, but it is still just one breath short, and it has never been able to break through that layer of paper.
"The power of the Myriad Manifestations Prajna is only one opportunity away from reaching the subtle realm..."
Although it's a bit of a shame, it's enough to make his actual combat destructive power earth-shattering.
…………
"Students, today is an important moment to test the results of your hard work over the past three months. It's the school-wide assessment and selection for the joint entrance examination of 100 schools. Everyone, do your best!"
In the classroom of the Yuanpei Class, the class teacher, Shen Shuang, stood on the podium.
Today she wore an extremely capable yet undeniably sexy business suit, with black stockings on her legs, high heels on her feet, and a pair of red-framed anti-radiation glasses perched on her nose.
Over the course of these three months, Wang Xing has come to understand Teacher Shen better and better.
With her cool and fiery appearance, she exudes the unique charm of a mature woman in every gesture, making many hot-blooded young men secretly blush. Wang Xing is no exception, often getting a little angry with her.
But Shen Shuang is gentle as water. When grading homework, she carefully marks every mistake, and she is more anxious than anyone else when students are injured.
The process of the school's assessment was similar to that of the last midterm exam, consisting of physical strength, mecha, academic subjects, and practical combat.
In front of the blood and qi meter, Wang Xing didn't reach the impressive level 8, but his level 7.7 reading remained rock solid. Furthermore, thanks to the S-level medicinal bath he had taken these past few days, which had given him an incredible physique, he achieved a high score of 285!
In terms of mecha operation assessment, this level used to be Wang Xing's weakness, but the two mecha modification kits allowed Wang Xing's mecha level to soar rapidly, and his score broke through 270 points, setting a new historical high!
The results for Qi and Blood and Mecha were released immediately after the exam, while the results for Academic and Combat subjects would be available two days later.
However, Wang Xing estimates that his total score in academic subjects will not be lower than 175.
As for the actual combat in the metaverse, the total score will only be higher than the previous 290 points.
……
"Brother Xing, if we have a chance to face off in tomorrow's ring match, you absolutely mustn't hold back!"
After the exam, Raymond patted Wang Xing on the shoulder, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
Since this is a joint exam for 100 schools, there will be an intra-school practical competition the day after the Metaverse practical simulation.
The school will first use the metaverse algorithm to determine the top 100 students in terms of overall academic performance. Then, these 100 top students will compete in a physical arena to determine who will participate in the city-wide competition!
With Wang Xing and Raymond's strength, it's a sure thing that they'll be in the top 100 in the practical assessment.
Bai Lingxue, who was not far away, was also looking at the list. When she felt Wang Xing's gaze, she turned around, and a sharp glint flashed in her cold eyes.
This proud young woman clearly had a lot on her mind.
…………
The next morning, the wind was biting cold on the main outdoor playground of the Second High School.
Four enormous arenas, temporarily erected from alloy steel plates, stood in a row, and the atmosphere was already at its most intense.
All the senior high school teachers and students gathered here, and the stands were packed with people. Students from all grades were allowed to watch the game.
"Students!"
"The top 100 students in the senior year practical assessment will participate in a major school-wide practical competition!"
On the platform, Principal Li Zhengyuan's voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, resonated throughout the entire hall: "Students whose names are called, come up to the stage immediately for the battle! During the fight, you are permitted to use any martial arts or mecha techniques; the sole objective is to defeat your opponent!"
"Don't be afraid of getting hurt, unleash your full power! The Yuanfang Bureau's medical team and instructors from each class are on-site to provide assistance at any time, so don't worry!"
"Now, I declare—the real-world combat arena competition officially begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the four arena zones A, B, C, and D, which had already been divided up on the playground, simultaneously lit up with energy shields.
A giant holographic projection screen floated in mid-air, broadcasting the battles from each arena in real time.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening cheer erupted on the playground.
"Area A, Parallel Class 3 [First Year Company] VS Parallel Class 2 [Zhao Xuan]..."
"Bareborough Arena, Class 1 [Raymond] VS Class 2 [Li He]..."
"Area C, the arena..."
"The D-zone arena..."
As the referee gave the order, streaks of light shot into the sky as the mechs disintegrated. The dull sounds of mechanical impact, the tearing of metal, and the roars of the students instantly echoed across the various arenas.
Wang Xing sat in the waiting area, his gaze sweeping over several arenas, and he immediately noticed the trickery in the formation.
This is a typical "seed avoidance" tactic, where the top ten players will never meet each other in the early knockout stages.
"D Zone Arena, Wang Xing from Yuanpei Class 1 VS Lin Xiaoxiao from Parallel Class 3!"
The broadcast started.
Upon hearing his name called, Wang Xing stood up, stretched his shoulders, and stepped onto the D-zone arena amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.
His opponent was a tall, beautiful girl.
Wang Xing had some impression of her; she seemed to be the undisputed class beauty of Class 3.
"Wang Xing, please enlighten me!"
Lin Xiaoxiao called out crisply, and in a flash of light, an extremely dazzling humanoid mecha appeared.
The mecha is entirely pink and white, with two pairs of huge, semi-transparent butterfly wings unfolding on its back. The wings are covered with dazzling light patterns, as if it is about to take flight at any moment.
The mecha's head was adorned with an exquisite mask, its waist was slender and its lines were graceful, and it held a long, thin purple rapier in its hand.
[Phantom Butterfly Mecha], Wang Xing thought to himself, Lin Xiaoxiao is not only very beautiful, but her mecha is also so stunning.
"Wang Xing, nice to meet you."
The girl's voice came from inside the mecha; it was soft and sweet.
"Whoosh—!"
But the next moment, Lin Xiaoxiao's wings of light suddenly trembled, and she drew a graceful afterimage in mid-air, instantly closing in on Wang Xing. Her slender sword, like a venomous snake, stabbed straight at the throat of the Tiger Mech!
She launched the first attack, moving with the speed of a butterfly, her moves agile and cunning.
"Good speed."
Wang Xing secretly praised him, but his feet remained motionless.
Only when the two bee stingers pierced into the area half a meter in front of him did he suddenly turn to the side, and the dark gold Tiger-type mech shifted slightly like a mountain.
At the same time, he didn't even draw his sword, but just casually delivered an elbow strike. The dark gold tiger-striped elbow armor, with a dull whistling sound, accurately struck the side of the butterfly-wing mech.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Lin Xiaoxiao's mecha was like a kite struck by a heavy hammer, spinning backward and flying more than ten meters away before crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena.
Seeing this, Lü Yun's eyes lit up.
"What a powerful recoil force!"
As the saying goes, the layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details.
Lu Yun could clearly see that Wang Xing's casual strike, without using his full strength or even his battle sword, had already unleashed such brute force.
The spiraling penetrating force contained in that elbow strike was clearly the collapse force that could only be achieved after mastering the "Myriad Manifestations Prajna Divine Power" and reaching the initial level of understanding!
"The power of this casual block... it's probably only a thin layer away from 'entering the subtle'!" Lu Yun thought to himself, secretly shocked, and continued to look at the arena.
……
On the arena.
"Just admit defeat."
Wang Xing did not press his advantage, but said helplessly and calmly, "You are no match for me, and I don't want to hit a woman."
"I refuse to give up!"
The girl's voice came from inside the mecha, carrying a defiant and defiant tone: "Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the butterfly mech took to the air once again.
"It's pretty hard."
Wang Xing shook his head, preparing to flash over at lightning speed and disarm her.
However, at that moment, he was surprised to find that the Phantom Butterfly mech's light wings in mid-air suddenly trembled, and the scales on its four wings began to fall, forming a pale purple, shimmering mist in the air.
A cloud of powder carrying a sweet, cloying scent instantly enveloped half of the arena.
"Huh? A hallucinogenic or paralyzing neurotoxin?!"
Wang Xing's eyes narrowed.
As is well known, some special mechs possess bizarre capabilities. The Phantom Butterfly mech is one of them; its "psychedelic scales" can release toxins that interfere with the opponent's nerve signals during combat... This is not a function of etching or modification, but rather belongs to one of the very few legally usable toxic weapons.
"No wonder he's a top student who made it into the top 100 in his class. This powder can corrode the shield of an 8th-level mech... and my mech's filtration system can't completely block the nerve dust. Once I'm exposed, my reflexes will definitely be sluggish!"
"Whoosh—"
In that split second, Wang Xing unhesitatingly unleashed the sixth movement of "Tiger's Journey Through Nine Mountains"—Tiger Retreats Through a Thousand Mountains!
With a roar, the Storm Transmission Kit sprang into action, and the Tiger Mech took an extremely tricky Z-shaped step back, instantly creating a distance of more than thirty meters along the edge of the poison powder shroud, elegant and composed.
"Hehe... Wang Xing, I don't think you're that hard!"
Seeing that she had forced Wang Xing back, a triumphant smile flashed in Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes. Under the cover of the poison powder, she charged forward again with a delicate shout.
"Sigh, I didn't mean to bully anyone..."
Looking at the beautiful mechs charging recklessly with their rapiers, Wang Xing sighed helplessly.