"Three Tier One Puppets can’t test anything on him. It’s just going through the motions to get a perfect score. It’s meaningless."

"Besides him, that kid from the Xue Family is also getting special treatment."

As soon as the words fell,

The massive main screen in the center of the hall suddenly split in two.

On the left was Lin Ye.

On the right was another identical arena, where Xue Wangshu, with his fiery red hair, stood proudly.

And before Xue Wangshu, five puppets also rose up.

They were also at the Vein Opening Realm level of strength.

In that moment, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

Everyone understood. This wasn’t a mistake. This was a "bonus question" tailor-made for the true top-tier geniuses!

An announcement, read aloud by a person, echoed through the two special testing arenas.

"Examinee Lin Ye, Examinee Xue Wangshu, this combat test is a special test with increased difficulty."

"After the battle begins, please try to last as long as possible."

"The system will provide a comprehensive score based on your effective dodges, effective blocks, effective attacks dealt to the puppets, and the final battle duration."

"Please do not leave the testing area. Going out of bounds will result in disqualification."

"The test will begin in 30 seconds. Please prepare!"

This announcement completely dispelled the doubts in Lin Ye’s mind.

’So that’s how it is.’

He glanced at the weapon rack at the edge of the arena, walked over, and took down a standard-issue alloy spear.

The spear felt cool and heavy in his hands.

Lin Ye twirled the spear in a flourish. Feeling its familiar weight, his heart was completely calm.

’Five it is, then.’

’It’s not like I can’t fight them.’

The moment the countdown ended,

VMMMM—!

A brilliant red light flared in the eyes of the five puppets, as if souls had been injected into them.

Faint mechanical whirring sounds came from their joints as they charged ferociously toward Lin Ye in a triangular pincer formation!

The wind howled!

Although the movement patterns of these puppets were not as agile and free as a true human Martial Artist’s,

their strength lay in their fearlessness, and their bodies, forged entirely from alloy, possessed terrifying Defense Power and impact force.

Five figures from five directions almost completely sealed off all of Lin Ye’s escape routes.

The battle erupted in an instant!

Lin Ye did not choose a direct confrontation.

With a flick of his wrist, he switched his spear stance to the Roaming Dragon Form.

His footwork shifted, his entire body like a leaf fluttering in a gale. It looked perilous, yet he always managed to evade by a hair’s breadth just as a fist was about to land.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The crisp, rhythmic clashes of weapons rang out densely within the arena.

In the observation hall.

In the seating area for Celestial Star Martial Arts High School, a flicker of hope reignited in the eyes of the principal and the teachers.

They saw Lin Ye on the left side of the screen, looking somewhat battered under the siege of the five puppets.

He had almost no opportunity to counterattack, forced to constantly dodge and block, using the spear in his hands to neutralize attacks from all directions.

He was completely trapped in a state of passive defense.

"He’s too young, after all! He lacks experience in dealing with a siege!"

"No matter how good his fundamentals are, facing a coordinated attack of this level, he’s bound to be flustered!"

"Our Xue Wangshu’s chance has come!"

Their gazes fell fervently on the right half of the screen.

In the video feed, Xue Wangshu, facing the siege of five puppets, displayed a style completely different from Lin Ye’s.

As aggressive as fire!

Trading injury for injury!

He had no intention of defending at all. Like a fierce tiger charging into a flock of sheep, he directly engaged the five puppets in a ferocious exchange of blows!

His pair of iron fists were his strongest weapons!

BANG!

Xue Wangshu slammed a punch into the chest of the foremost puppet. The terrifying force made the alloy body emit a dull thud and stumble backward.

But at the same time, his own back took a solid heavy punch from another puppet!

Even so, Xue Wangshu only swayed slightly, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even hotter!

This was the fighting style of a combat fanatic!

The teachers of Celestial Star Martial Arts High School watched with boiling blood, as if they could already see the scene of Xue Wangshu using this fearless, frenzied fighting style to pull ahead and dominate the combat score.

However, nothing is more damning than a direct comparison.

The excitement on their faces quickly froze.

Because they discovered that Lin Ye on the left screen, while seemingly "battered" and constantly defending,

had not been hit a single time, even after more than a minute had passed since the fight began.

He had not been hit. Not once.

Not a single time!

Every one of his dodges was perfect, every one of his blocks exquisitely precise.

The five puppets’ storm of attacks couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.

His Body Technique was forged through grueling day-after-day sparring sessions at the limit with Chen Meng.

Chen Meng’s spear was much faster and far more ruthless than the iron fists of these puppets.

If Lin Ye could last twenty minutes against Chen Meng, how could he possibly fear a mere five puppets?

At the same time, while Lin Ye appeared to be defending passively, his mind was constantly working.

He was observing.

Observing the five puppets’ attack patterns, analyzing their built-in combat AI, and searching for flaws in their coordinated attack formation.

In contrast, on the right side of the screen,

the battle was fierce.

But conspicuous wounds had already begun to appear on Xue Wangshu’s body.

His school uniform was torn, and a bloody gash had been cut into his arm by a puppet’s alloy fingertips.

Every ferocious attack he launched was inevitably met with a counterattack from another direction.

Although he could still endure for now with his powerful physique, everyone could see that his Qi and Blood were being rapidly consumed.

This fighting style couldn’t be sustained for long.

Time passed.

Three minutes passed.

Inside the testing arena, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Ye’s eyes.

Just a moment ago, he had completely figured out the five puppets’ combat logic.

Their coordinated attacks seemed flawless, but they were ultimately just programs. To ensure synergy, there was inevitably one core "main attacker" and four "supports."

As long as he targeted the designated "main attacker," their coordinated formation would develop a flaw, and even its operations would be delayed.

Lin Ye’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

His aura, which had been passively defensive until now, erupted in that instant!

He no longer dodged. Facing a heavy punch coming straight at him,

the spear in his hand, like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, struck from a cunning and bizarre angle. He didn’t block or parry; instead, he preemptively thrust straight at the puppet’s right shoulder joint!

His spear stance also switched from the Roaming Dragon Form to the Breaking Army Form.

His thrust was both fast and vicious.

CLANG—!!!

A piercing screech of metal on metal exploded through the air!

The spear tip landed unerringly on the joint connection of the "main attacker" puppet’s shoulder!

A terrifying power erupted instantly!

The puppet’s right arm, along with the fist it was throwing, was violently knocked aside by the force of the thrust!

The encirclement was broken in an instant!

The punch aimed at Lin Ye was neutralized before it could land. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Ye pushed off his feet. Instead of retreating, he advanced, shooting forward like an arrow released from its bow, breaking through the gap he had just created!

The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water!

The tables had turned!

Having broken free of the encirclement, Lin Ye didn’t pause for a moment.

He spun around, twisting at the waist. The alloy spear in his hand, empowered by his terrifying strength and speed, drew a grim, crescent arc of light!

A simple, unadorned horizontal sweep!

BANG! BANG!

The two puppets closest to him had no time to adjust their stances before they were struck in the midsection by this frenzied sweep!

Their heavy alloy bodies, as if hit by a speeding truck, instantly lost their balance, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground!

Lin Ye had begun his counterattack.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the screen,

Xue Wangshu was still entangled with the five puppets. His breathing was ragged, several new wounds decorated his body, and he looked quite battered.

And everyone could see.

On one side was calm analysis, careful planning, and the beginning of a reversal.

On the other was a squandered advantage, waning stamina, and a clear decline.

This hopeless contrast plunged the entire observation hall into a dead silence.

The difference in their skill was immediately obvious!

The face of the Celestial Star Martial Arts High School principal, which had held a sliver of hope, now completely collapsed, turning ashen.

The teachers beside him also looked as if their spirits had been drained away.

If they could previously console themselves over the crushing defeat in basic stats by saying, ’Perhaps Lin Ye isn’t good at actual combat,’

then now, this cruel split-screen comparison had utterly shattered their last shred of fantasy.

They had lost.

It was a total and utter defeat.

A hexagonal warrior with no weaknesses, whether in on-paper stats, actual combat performance, or even Spiritual Power...

’How are you supposed to defeat someone like that?’