Chapter 64: Extreme Counter-Kill

"Whoosh!"

The examiner brandished a silver lance, his figure shifting like a speeding car on a highway as he charged forward abruptly.

A majestic momentum erupted from his body, surging into his spear technique. Sweeping wide and thrusting deep, the tip of his lance vibrated as it pierced fiercely toward Lin Qi.

A profound sense of crisis enveloped Lin Qi.

With a calm expression, Lin Qi moved, rushing forward like a black panther, leaving two phantoms in his wake.

The lance shadows flickered like roaming dragons, brimming with murderous intent.

As Lin Qi exerted his strength, the shaft of his spear trembled, and the tip thrust outward like a spirit snake emerging from its cave.

He had witnessed this examiner's spearmanship before; not only had it broken through to the second tier, but translated into system data, it likely fluctuated around ten percent of the second tier.

It was nearly impossible for a martial artist who had just broken through to the second-tier spear technique to defeat him.

However, that applied to others.

"Bang!"

The lances collided, a fierce impact generating a powerful shockwave between them, forcing both men to step backward simultaneously.

During the technique assessment, not only were the combatants' life force levels identical, but their physical attributes were also completely equal, leaving only pure skill.

"Blocked!"

Lin Qi's boots scraped violently against the ground, forcing a stop. Feeling the transmission of force, he lunged forward once more, brandishing his heavy lance, twitching the tip to unleash dozens of consecutive thrusts.

Cloud-Piercing Strike!

"Clang, clang!"

Facing Lin Qi's fierce onslaught, the examiner planted his feet firmly, wielding his long lance like a mountain rising abruptly from the earth to erect a defensive barrier.

Lin Qi's spear thrusts met the examiner's sweeping lance, which parried the attacks amidst the sound of roaring gales.

"His spearmanship is indeed formidable!"

Even though his attacks were successfully blocked, Lin Qi remained patient, searching for the flaws in his opponent's technique.

He fully unleashed the Mountain-Crushing Spearmanship, executing expansive and powerful movements with fluid transitions.

Fierce and domineering, carrying an overwhelming momentum, his speed grew increasingly rapid as he launched continuous, violent offensives.

***

Meanwhile, in another assessment room.

Two figures clashed amid similar intensity. Jiang Tao, dressed in a golden combat suit, swung his battle blade. With his long arm-span, he executed a powerful, sweeping downward chop through empty air.

His opponent, also clad in a white combat suit, was the examiner designated as Number 8. The examiner's blade rose from below like a mountain ascending from the ground, weaving into a defense as heavy as a mountain range.

"This examiner's blade technique is incredible!"

Jiang Tao frowned, feeling immense pressure as his opponent stood like an impregnable fortress that refused to be breached.

During his last attempt, he had been defeated by this very blade technique.

Although his blade mastery had vastly improved this time, defeating this opponent remained exceedingly difficult.

"I wonder how long Brother Qi can hold out?"

He suddenly thought of Lin Qi and wondered how long the latter could endure against such an examiner.

"No, I need to last longer, even defeat him—I must win!"

Witnessing Lin Qi's current strength fueled Jiang Tao's sense of pressure, transforming into a powerful driving force.

With that thought, Jiang Tao's gaze grew resolute.

***

"Bang!!"

On the assessment stage.

The white-clad figure raised the silver lance high, descending with the terrifying force of a collapsing mountain in a fierce overhead chop.

Leaping Strike!

Lin Qi channeled strength into both arms, raising his spear horizontally to parry. With a deafening crash, the lances collided, sending a massive shockwave traveling up the shaft and into his arms.

It forced him to stumble backward more than ten steps before regaining his balance, his arms completely numb.

Frowning, he stared at his opponent. Despite having identical physical stats, the examiner was able to build momentum through exquisite spear control, empowering his strikes with even greater destructive force.

"Whoosh!"

The examiner charged like an arrow released from a string, wielding his lance. Immense power gathered at the tip as he thrust forward fiercely, resembling a turbulent torrent amidst a raging sea.

Wherever the spearhead passed, the air was pierced and seemingly torn apart, emitting a sharp, piercing whistle.

Ultimate Move—Raging Sea Collapse Thrust!

Here it comes!

A brilliant light flashed in Lin Qi's eyes as he sensed a sharp wave of danger.

He felt as though he were about to be swallowed by a furious, roaring ocean, yet he too made his move, his aura transforming entirely.

Planting his feet firmly where he stood like a steadfast boulder, he sank his waist and gathered his momentum.

"Hoo~"

The moment his momentum peaked, the examiner was already right before him. A cold light gleamed at the tip of the spear, and the winds of slaughter raged around them.

Concentrating fully, Lin Qi erupted in an instant, his spear momentum rolling like thunder and lightning, unleashed with an irresistible force.

It descended with the crushing weight of Mount Tai, imbued with the fury of a collapsing mountain.

Ultimate Move—Mountain-Crushing Slash!

Gales whipped across the arena as the two forces collided in a split second, their spear tips crashing together.

The tremendous collision of power sent intense force reverberating through both of their bodies.

Using the impact to flip his body in mid-air, Lin Qi somersaulted, while the examiner gripped his lance tightly, his powerful arm muscles correcting the spear's trajectory to continue his forward thrust.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Lin Qi's mouth. In his vision, the examiner's movements seemed to have been slowed down to half-speed.

As he flipped through the air, Lin Qi suddenly uncoiled, planting his feet firmly onto the ground while whipping his spear around in a fierce, counterattacking thrust.

Basic Spearmanship—Turning Horse Spear!

"Pfft~"

A wave of pain washed over Lin Qi. A flash of cold light and a razor-sharp spear tip grazed past his neck, slicing through his skin as fresh blood spurted outward.

On the other side, the black heavy lance pierced straight through the examiner's chest, penetrating his heart with absolute precision, spraying blood wildly from the crimson tip.

[Examiner Number 8 is dead!]

An automated voice echoed through the air, and the examiner standing before Lin Qi dissolved into nothingness.

With a placid expression, Lin Qi pressed a hand against his neck, where the wound rapidly regenerated.

Just now, it had been that close!

The carotid artery in his neck had nearly been severed; he had been a hair's breadth away from losing.

Yet, in the end, the victor was still him.

"If this were a real person, I might have won—or perhaps I would have lost long ago."

Lin Qi muttered to himself, quietly waiting for the next match.

Moments later.

The white-robed examiner materialized once more, the number on his chest changing to "9".

[Assessment Task: Please defeat Examiner Number 9!]

[3, 2, 1...]

[Assessment resumes!]

***

"Haha, I won! Even though it was a mutual destruction."

Jiang Tao emerged from the virtual pod with an excited expression. Around him, others had already stepped out as the next group of students prepared to enter.

He quickly located Lin Qi's virtual pod, seeing that his friend had also just come out.

"Brother Qi, I definitely won this time!" Jiang Tao said with a confident stride as he approached.

Lin Qi's lips curved upward. "Is that so? Let's wait and see, shall we?"

"Lin Qi and Jiang Tao both came out last. They both made it all the way to Examiner Number 8. Both of their techniques have broken through to the second tier."

"Who do you guys think is stronger between the two of them?" someone asked in a hushed tone.

"Does even need to be asked? Obviously Jiang Tao," another replied.

Hearing the surrounding discussion, Jiang Tao felt a surge of secret satisfaction. The advantage was his; he was destined to win.

Lin Qi remained calm, waiting quietly in silence.

Since they didn't need to start from the beginning, the pace of the technique assessment was much faster this time.

Zhang Cheng stepped forward and announced, "I declare the technique assessment officially concluded!"

"Everyone may resume their individual training or return to the classroom. You will be notified once the final scores are tallied."

The crowd dispersed. Lin Qi returned to his martial arts room, changed into a martial arts uniform, picked up his spear, and resumed practicing.

After defeating Examiner Number 8, he had faced Number 9, whose mastery of spearmanship had taken another massive leap forward.

Drawing lessons from his previous defeat, Lin Qi had switched to a defensive strategy right from the start of the battle.

Even so, he had only lasted a few more seconds before being killed.

Not even facing Wang Qiuwen, the number one fighter in Tianhai, had ever left him feeling so utterly powerless.

"Examiner Number 9's spearmanship is definitely around twenty percent of the second tier. No matter how strong my combat talent is, it's not enough to bridge that gap just yet."

Lin Qi thought to himself, knowing that the path ahead of him in spearmanship was still very long.

***

One hour later.

The elite class classroom was filled with a loud, restless wave of buzzing discussions.

By the time Lin Qi walked in, most of his classmates had already arrived.

"Why aren't the scores out yet? This wait is absolute torture, it's impossible to focus on cultivation."

"I just hope my ranking goes up this time. I'm so curious about where I stand in the entire Cang Province." The students murmured among themselves, hoping to distract themselves and alleviate their inner tension.

A moment later, the head teacher Yan Hong and Zhang Cheng walked into the classroom together. The room instantly fell into a tacit silence.

Yan Hong walked up to the podium while Zhang Cheng stood by her side.

"I'll spare you the nonsense. Let's look at the scores directly!"

This time, Yan Hong projected the score sheet directly onto the screen. In an instant, countless hearts pounded, cold sweat broke out, and eager gazes frantically searched for their own names.