56: Chapter 56 A chilling experience, the physical body toying with magic.

Most people gathered and whispered, their eyes filled with doubt.

"That rock must have been damp; its internal structure was already loose."

"Exactly, I think there's a problem too. Who can turn a rock into powder? It's not like he's a crusher."

"Just good luck. This kind of trick only fools laymen."

This was prejudice. When facts exceed cognition, people prefer to believe it's fake or some kind of illusion.

Lin Qi didn't react at all. He found a corner to sit down, pulled out a bag of chips from those two large bags of snacks, and crunched away.

This sense of relaxation made Li Shaobai, not far away, very annoyed.

Li Shaobai straightened his collar and walked over with a few followers.

"Lin Qi."

Li Shaobai looked down at Lin Qi eating chips. "That Inch Power move just now was indeed beautiful, but at Longya Academy, brute force alone won't let you survive."

Lin Qi swallowed the chips in his mouth and looked up.

"Want some? Go buy it yourself."

Li Shaobai's face twitched.

"I'm reminding you." He lowered his voice and pointed at the tightly closed doors of Training Ground No. 2.

"The second stage is the 'Full-Coverage Evasion Test.' There are 3,600 Magic Launch Ports inside, covering all angles with no blind spots. Without shield skills or Displacement Blink, you're just a sitting duck once you go in."

Li Shaobai paused, a playful smile appearing on his face. "The reaction limit for an ordinary person is 0.1 seconds, but the interval between those magic barrages is only 0.05 seconds. You want to rely on your Physical Body to dodge? Stop dreaming."

Lin Qi took a sip from his water bottle to moisten his throat.

"Finished?"

"You..."

"If you're finished, step aside. You're blocking the light."

Li Shaobai took a deep breath, snorted coldly, and turned to leave. "Courting death. Just wait until you're turned into a sieve later; let's see how you beg for mercy."

Ten minutes later.

The doors of Training Ground No. 2 swung open with a bang.

It was a massive circular arena. The walls and dome were densely packed with dark pipe openings, looking like the inside of a giant beehive.

Examiner Wang Su stood in the control room high above, his voice broadcasting throughout the arena.

"The rules are simple. Stand within the red circle at the center and dodge the attacks. The longer you last, the higher your score.

Being hit once results in immediate failure. Additionally, using any defensive items is prohibited; you can only rely on your own abilities."

The first batch of candidates took the field. As the alarm sounded, countless colored light spheres shot out from all directions. The scene was as brilliant as a fireworks show, but the danger was lethal.

"Ah!"

In less than ten seconds, someone screamed and was hit, exiting the field. This density of attack was a nightmare for low-level practitioners. Even with a shield, it would soon be shattered by the intense firepower.

"Zhao Lei, you're up."

The hulking Zhao Lei walked in carrying his greatsword. He plunged the greatsword into the ground to use as a shield for one side, and then his whole body lit up with a red glow.

Skill: [Blood Qi Protection].

Bang bang bang!

Magic projectiles slammed into him, exploding into clouds of light mist.

Zhao Lei gritted his teeth and endured. He was a Berserker; his thick skin and resilience were his capital.

Time passed minute by minute. Five minutes. The red light on Zhao Lei's body had dimmed to the extreme. Finally, unable to withstand an ice spike, he was knocked to the ground.

"Zhao Lei, duration 5 minutes 12 seconds, Grade A."

Examiner Wang Su's voice rang out. Zhao Lei climbed up, wiped the ice shards from his face, and smugly raised his chin at Lin Qi. Even getting beaten was a display of strength.

Next was Li Shaobai. This was the focus of the whole field.

Li Shaobai didn't endure it head-on. He stepped onto a Flying Sword, turning into a streak of light as he darted through the arena. His movements were ethereal and graceful. Each time, he dodged attacks by a hair's breadth, drawing continuous screams from the girls watching outside.

"This is the true value of a Sword Master."

"So cool, it's like he's dancing."

Seven minutes. Although Li Shaobai was panting slightly, it was only at the last moment that a homing fireball grazed his clothes.

"Li Shaobai, duration 7 minutes 05 seconds, Grade S."

Thundering applause erupted. Li Shaobai retracted his Flying Sword. Though looking a bit disheveled, his expression was proud. He looked at Lin Qi in the corner and made a "please" gesture.

Everyone's gaze shifted. No mana bar, no shield, no Flying Sword. How was this so-called "Martial Dao Genius" going to play?

Lin Qi patted the dust off his butt and slowly walked into the arena. Standing in the center of the red circle, he stretched his ankles and wrists.

In the control room, Examiner Wang Su watched Lin Qi on the monitor, his finger hovering over the difficulty adjustment knob.

"A bug that the System can't identify..."

Examiner Wang Su narrowed his eyes and flicked his finger. The difficulty, originally set to "Hard," skipped "Nightmare" and stopped at the edge of "Hell" mode. Barrage density increased by 50%, and projectile speed increased by 30%.

Since you don't need a System assessment, let's see if your Physical Body can be faster than a machine.

"Begin."

As Examiner Wang Su pressed the button.

Hum—

This time, the preheating sound of the launch tubes was louder than ever. The next moment, an overwhelming rain of light flooded the center of the field.

"Holy crap! This density isn't right, is it?"

Students outside gasped. This wasn't a test; it was an execution scene.

Li Shaobai frowned. With this density, even he wouldn't last three minutes on a Flying Sword.

However, just as the first wave of barrages was about to submerge Lin Qi, that figure moved.

No light or shadow effects, no energy fluctuations. Lin Qi just slightly tilted his body.

The feeling was strange. It was as if he were already standing there, and those magic projectiles just happened to avoid him.

Swish, swish, swish!

Over a dozen wind blades passed by his nose, ears, and armpits. They didn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

Next came a dense cluster of fireballs. Lin Qi didn't move much from his spot; his feet seemed rooted. But his upper body began to perform all sorts of inconceivable twists.

Flashing left, swaying right, bending low.

His spine seemed to be made of rubber, always finding survival space in the gaps of the dense barrage at angles that defied ergonomics.

This was Micro-level Movement. In his past life's games, this was a basic operation for a Martial Saint. No need to see every attack clearly, just sense the flow of air and killing intent.

Two minutes passed. Five minutes passed.

Lin Qi still stood in the red circle, barely even changing his position. He was like a weed swaying in a violent storm, seemingly on the verge of falling, but actually terrifyingly stable.

The mocking laughter outside had long since vanished, replaced by the sound of people swallowing their spit.

"Are... are those movements even humanly possible?" Someone pointed at an "Iron Bridge" Lin Qi had just performed, where the back of his head was almost touching his heels.

Examiner Wang Su looked at Lin Qi, still unscathed on the screen, his face turning ashen.

He felt like his face had been slapped hard. If he let this blank-slate pass under "Hell" mode, then Longya Academy's multi-million dollar testing System would become a joke.

"Let's see how long you can dodge."

Examiner Wang Su gritted his teeth and turned the knob all the way to the end, activating a special mode—Tracking Lock.

Inside the arena, the magic projectiles that were flying in straight lines suddenly curved. A burst fireball the size of a basketball, carrying a piercing whistle, headed straight for Lin Qi's face.

This shot was faster than any before, and it blocked all evasion space to the left and right.

This was a killing blow. Unavoidable.

Li Shaobai suddenly stood up straight, staring intently at the arena.

"It's over."

This was the thought that popped into everyone's minds.

Lin Qi watching the growing flames, not only didn't panic, but actually felt like laughing.

"Getting desperate already?"

The wave of fire rushed toward him, even singeing the stray hairs on his forehead. Just as the fireball was about to hit the bridge of his nose...

Lin Qi made a move that made the scalps of thousands of people present go numb.