18: Chapter 18 Real Combat: You Definitely Can't Beat Me

A black bulletproof SUV cruised steadily through the streets of Jiangcheng.

Inside the vehicle.

The air conditioning was set high.

It isolated the restless heat of the June weather outside and shut out the deafening clamor outside the examination hall.

Su Yu sat in the passenger seat.

With his arms crossed, he closed his eyes, pondering the questions from the liberal arts exam just now.

In the driver's seat.

Lin Xiaoxiao held the steering wheel with one hand, while her other hand rested casually on the edge of the window.

Large sunglasses covered most of her face.

But the slightly pursed corners of her mouth betrayed her currently restless heart.

From time to time, she turned her head.

Through the periphery of her sunglasses, she stole glances at the young man beside her.

A short-sleeved shirt washed until it had faded.

Ordinary sweatpants.

No designer brands, no luxurious accessories, and even his hairstyle was the simplest of cropped cuts.

Yet, this was a commoner teenager who looked like he would be impossible to find if thrown into a crowd.

Three days.

From 0.8 to 10.4.

This span was even more absurd than a fantasy.

Even for a Young Miss of a noble family like her, who had grown up drinking top-tier resources like water, she had never heard of any miraculous medicine in the Great Xia Kingdom that could cause a person's Qi to surge more than ten times in three days without any signs of side effects.

Su Yu's breathing was very steady.

So steady that it felt like a dormant volcano.

Lin Xiaoxiao withdrew her gaze and pressed hard on the accelerator.

Forget it.

Don't think about it.

Everyone has their own secrets.

Since Su Yu was unwilling to say, she would not press him.

As long as he really had the strength and could truly get into the Daxia Capital First Martial Arts University with her.

That would be enough.

Twenty minutes later.

The SUV drove into a secluded, tree-lined path.

Finally, it stopped in front of a private restaurant that didn't even have a sign.

There was no gold-plated decoration.

Only antique green bricks and black tiles, as well as two stone lions at the entrance that showed traces of time.

"Get out."

Lin Xiaoxiao took off her sunglasses and tossed them onto the center console.

She pushed the car door open.

Su Yu followed her into the private restaurant.

As soon as they stepped through the door, a faint scent of sandalwood hit them.

There was no main hall.

It was all private rooms.

The privacy was extremely high.

"Young Miss Lin, you've arrived. The usual?"

A manager wearing a well-fitted qipao immediately greeted them, her attitude respectful but not fawning.

"Mm."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded and, familiar with the place, led Su Yu toward a private room at the end of the hallway.

She pushed open the door.

The room was furnished with extreme elegance.

A rosewood round table, a few master chairs, and several ink paintings hanging on the walls.

"Sit."

Lin Xiaoxiao pulled out a chair and sat down boldly.

Su Yu sat down opposite her.

Soon.

The dishes were all served.

There was no menu; everything was the restaurant's signature dishes.

Steamed First-Order Spirit Tail Fish.

Braised Saber-Toothed Pig Loin.

Century-old Solomon's Seal stewed with snow frog.

Every dish exuded an extremely rich fluctuation of Qi.

This wasn't ordinary food at all.

This was "medicinal cuisine" carefully prepared with the flesh and blood of high-level exotic beasts and precious medicinal herbs!

If an ordinary person ate a bite, they would probably have a nosebleed for hours.

But for a martial arts student whose Qi value was up to standard, this was a great tonic.

"Eat."

Lin Xiaoxiao picked up her chopsticks and pointed to the food on the table.

"You've been testing all morning, replenish some Qi."

Su Yu did not stand on ceremony.

The Physical Body of a Martial Master Realm was like a bottomless pit, and its craving for energy was terrifying.

He picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of the Saber-Toothed Pig loin, and put it into his mouth.

The meat was firm.

It melted in his mouth.

A warm energy slid down his throat into his stomach, was quickly broken down by his powerful digestive System, and merged into his limbs and bones.

The taste was indeed good.

Su Yu gave it a mental evaluation.

The two ate in silence for a while.

There was only the slight sound of chopsticks touching porcelain plates in the room.

Until.

Lin Xiaoxiao put down her chopsticks.

She pulled over a tissue and elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth.

Then.

She put away the willful and casual demeanor of a Young Miss that she usually displayed.

Her expression became unprecedentedly serious.

Even, carrying a hint of gravity.

"Su Yu."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the young man opposite her, her voice very low.

"Do you know, in Jiangcheng, how many spots there are for the Daxia Capital First Martial Arts University?"

Su Yu's movement of picking up food paused slightly.

He raised his head.

In his deep eyes, a trace of inquiry flashed.

Spots?

Doesn't the college entrance exam just look at scores? If the score is high enough, you can naturally be admitted.

This was the deep-rooted common sense of all ordinary high school students in the Great Xia Kingdom.

But looking at Lin Xiaoxiao's serious expression.

Su Yu knew that things were probably not that simple.

"How many?"

Su Yu put down his chopsticks and asked calmly.

Lin Xiaoxiao extended two fair fingers.

In front of Su Yu, she shook them gently.

"Two."

Lin Xiaoxiao enunciated clearly, spitting out this extremely cruel number.

"Only two."

The air in the room seemed to solidify at this moment.

Su Yu's brows furrowed slightly.

Two?

Jiangcheng has a permanent population of over ten million, and there are at least over a hundred thousand high school seniors participating in the martial arts college entrance exam this year!

Even if 99% of them are eliminated in the first round of the Qi test.

The remaining 1% is still an extremely huge base.

Picking two out of over a hundred thousand people?

This is no longer one in a hundred.

This is truly walking a tightrope, thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge!

"You think that with a full score of 10 in Qi, you can steadily get into the Imperial Capital First Martial Arts University?"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Su Yu and explained.

"Too naive."

"The Great Xia Kingdom has twelve provinces and hundreds of Earth-Grade cities. If everyone with a full Qi score could get into Kyoto Martial Arts University, the school would have been crowded out long ago!"

"Kyoto Martial Arts University is a place to cultivate War Gods, not a shelter."

Lin Xiaoxiao picked up the clear tea beside her and took a sip.

She moistened her throat.

She continued to throw out internal intelligence that ordinary commoners would never come into contact with.

"The true national unified admission line of Kyoto Martial Arts University is high enough to make 99% of candidates in Jiangcheng despair. In a normal exam, Jiangcheng might not even have one person get in in ten years."

"However, to avoid missing those grassroots Geniuses with extremely high practical combat talent, the Martial Arts University releases a very small number of 'Practical Combat Special Admission Spots' every year."

"This kind of special admission does not look at the total score ranking of the national unified exam."

"It only looks at practical combat!"

Lin Xiaoxiao extended two fair fingers and shook them gently in front of Su Yu.

"This year, the Jiangcheng Martial Arts Association tried its best and only managed to secure two special admission spots from the Kyoto Martial Arts University."

"Not one more."

Su Yu listened quietly.

His eyes remained deep, without any panic due to this cruel rule.

"So."

Su Yu spoke, his voice steady.

"The upcoming practical combat assessment is to decide these two special admission spots?"

"Smart."

Lin Xiaoxiao snapped her fingers.

"After the liberal arts results come out this afternoon, the System will automatically weight and summarize the liberal arts and martial arts scores."

"The top ten in the ranking will be eligible to participate in the final practical combat assessment."

"Only by beating everyone down on the ring and standing as the first and second place until the end..."

"...will you be qualified to take away those two tickets to Kyoto Martial Arts University!"

Cruel.

Extremely cruel.

It doesn't look at background, it doesn't look at connections, and it doesn't even look at how amazing your previous Qi test was.

It only looks at whether you can beat all your competitors fair and square on the ring!

This is the iron law of the high martial arts world.

Practical combat is king!

"Your martial arts score is 10.4, and your liberal arts are in the top ten of the grade."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Su Yu, helping him analyze the situation.

"Entering the top ten practical combat sequence is a sure thing."

"But..."

Lin Xiaoxiao's tone suddenly changed.

She lifted her chin slightly.

On that pure and pretty face, that familiar, arrogant and smug expression belonging to a Young Miss of a noble family appeared again.

"In practical combat, you definitely can't beat me."

This was a fact.

406 points of Qi value.

The terrifying Realm of an Intermediate Martial Artist.

Among this group of high school students in Jiangcheng with a maximum of only a dozen points of Qi value, Lin Xiaoxiao's existence was an insurmountable BUG.

As long as she stood on the ring.

The first-place position was already locked in advance.

No one could shake it.