The martial art, Minor Heavenly Star Palm, has no specific moves. Instead, it is a technique purely focused on channeling internal energy to generate a chilling palm force.

As He Dayou unleashed the power of the Minor Heavenly Star Palm, he was confident that its chilling force would severely injure Zhang Yu, freezing his internal organs. He believed that given Zhang Yu’s financial situation, he wouldn’t be able to afford hospital treatment and would simply have to endure the injury.

“Poor guy, this will keep you out of school for at least a week.”

As their palms violently collided, their internal energies clashed, creating a resounding ‘bang’ that seemed to echo within their bodies.

Although He Dayou’s Minor Heavenly Star Palm was powerful, he had only just mastered it. Zhang Yu, on the other hand, was using a common technique, Loose Hand Combat, but he had trained it to Level 3, allowing him to unleash impressive palm force.

As their palm forces collided and internal energies surged, He Dayou realized his advantage wasn’t as great as he had imagined. The Minor Heavenly Star Palm could only gradually push back his opponent’s force, slowly invading his body. Even more surprising to him was how Zhang Yu seemed like a roly-poly toy. Each time a bit of Minor Heavenly Star Palm force infiltrated him, he quickly pushed it back. Despite being at a disadvantage, he maintained an unbeaten stance.

Meanwhile, the internal energy circulation within Zhang Yu continued to operate, continuously replenishing his energy, enabling him to withstand He Dayou’s Minor Heavenly Star Palm attacks repeatedly.

The assistant teacher watching nearby was suddenly startled. “Are they competing with internal energy now?” Seeing the solemn expressions on both their faces, the assistant teacher worried something might go wrong, which would jeopardize his performance review for the year. Especially considering one of them was the son of a school board member, an incident was absolutely unthinkable.

He quickly reminded them, “Students, if either of you can’t hold on, admit defeat immediately, and the other person must withdraw their internal energy at once. Don’t let a monthly exam cause you severe injury and jeopardize your future.”

Neither spoke. He Dayou stared intently at Zhang Yu, furiously channeling his internal energy into waves of Minor Heavenly Star Palm force, blasting them towards his opponent. Zhang Yu, however, remained calm and composed. He actively circulated the Universal Energy Absorption technique, simultaneously recovering his internal energy while countering He Dayou’s Minor Heavenly Star Palm.

In moments, sweat beaded on both their foreheads, and steam rose from their bodies, making them resemble two massive furnaces. Yet, Zhang Yu’s face was flushed with color, and he seemed increasingly at ease. He Dayou, in contrast, looked pale and gradually showed signs of faltering. He could no longer control his emotions, staring at Zhang Yu with a mix of shock and anger.

The assistant coach checked the time; their internal energy duel had already lasted over a minute. Observing He Dayou’s condition, he had to remind them again, “Students, if you can’t hold on, surrender immediately. This is just a monthly exam.”

He Dayou opened his mouth with difficulty several times, looking at Zhang Yu, who seemed increasingly relaxed. Finally, he forced out a few words through gritted teeth: “I… I surrender.”

As both slowly withdrew their internal energy, He Dayou suddenly collapsed to the ground. His face was now ashen, and his dantian was almost completely devoid of internal energy. He looked at Zhang Yu unwillingly and asked, “How much internal energy do you have left?” Seeing his opponent’s semi-conscious, weakened state, Zhang Yu immediately replied humbly, “Only about ten or twenty percent.”

He Dayou snorted, knowing from Zhang Yu’s demeanor that it was certainly more than ten or twenty percent. He slowly stood up and gave Zhang Yu a deep look. “You’re very good. Let’s spar again next time.”

With that, He Dayou turned and left. As he walked away, he replayed today’s battle in his mind and had to admit one thing to himself. “Zhang Yu… is very strong. But… what a pity. As a poor man, he is destined to become our dog. I hope you can last until I defeat you honorably next time, so I won’t have any regrets.”

Meanwhile, watching He Dayou’s shaky departure, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Spar again next time? You really shouldn’t think about it, buddy… This was the closest your strength will ever be to mine; it’s your fondest memory. If we fight again, I’m afraid you’ll have to apologize for not letting me go all out.”

Zhang Yu walked out of the examination room and immediately saw Bai Zhenzhen leaning against the wall. “Hey, Ah Zhen, that was fast.”

“Yeah, finished in a few moves.” Bai Zhenzhen glanced at him, then asked curiously, “Who did you get matched with?”

Zhang Yu: “He Dayou.”

“Damn!” Bai Zhenzhen stomped her foot angrily. “He got to show off in the Daoist Arts exam, and now you’ve been thoroughly humiliated by him. He must be thrilled today. But don’t worry, next practical combat class, I’ll challenge him and thoroughly humiliate him for you.”

Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen, speechless. “I won.”

Sensing Bai Zhenzhen’s astonished gaze, Zhang Yu simply made a move. He threw a punch, which Bai Zhenzhen immediately blocked with a palm. Their fists and palms continuously clashed, their four arms blurring into afterimages in the air, emitting dull thuds like heavy hammers colliding. After exchanging several blows, they suddenly separated.

Bai Zhenzhen: “Your Loose Hand Combat is Level 3?”

Zhang Yu: “Your Loose Hand Combat is Level 3?”

Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed in shock, “Weren’t you only Level 1 before? How are you suddenly Level 3? Did you actually master Loose Hand Combat to Level 3 a long time ago and were just waiting for an opportunity like fighting He Dayou today to make a big reveal? You’ve read a lot of those feel-good novels, haven’t you?”

Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen with similar surprise and uncertainty. “Ah Zhen, are you just projecting your own thoughts? You clearly said your Loose Hand Combat was Level 2 before. You really are unscrupulous when it comes to showing off, aren’t you?”

Bai Zhenzhen’s face flushed, and she explained, “I wasn’t trying to show off. Higher Loose Hand Combat levels don’t give extra points. On the contrary, hiding a skill during practical combat can catch opponents off guard and help you get a high score in the practical exam. Haven’t you heard the teacher say that intelligence warfare is also part of practical combat?”

Zhang Yu suddenly thought of He Dayou, with whom he had fought today. The chilling palm technique his opponent suddenly unleashed had almost caught him off guard. Hearing Bai Zhenzhen’s words now, Zhang Yu immediately agreed, thinking, “It’s true that you should always keep a few tricks up your sleeve and not reveal all your cards.”

After Zhou Tianyi finished his exam, the three of them went to the cafeteria for dinner, then either went home or to tutoring. Tomorrow would be the exams for Dao Heart, Internal Energy, and Physical Strength.

However, after Zhang Yu returned home today, he went back to the unfinished building. The 24-hour cooldown for Yu Shu’s specialization switch had not yet passed. Since Zhang Yu was still specialized in Loose Hand Combat, he decided to continue practicing it to further raise its level.

“Heh heh, even though I revealed my Level 3 Loose Hand Combat trump card to Ah Zhen, if I train this skill to Level 5 or 6 today, I’ll have new trump cards.” Just imagining Bai Zhenzhen’s shocked expression next time made Zhang Yu feel his punches landed with more force.

So Zhang Yu diligently practiced Loose Hand Combat. When he got tired, he would rest by meditating and breathing deeply. Once his stamina recovered, he would stand up and continue practicing. Before he knew it, the night had passed.

The next morning, as the sun slowly filtered through the hollow window sills of the unfinished building and fell upon Zhang Yu, he, still cross-legged on the ground, slowly opened his eyes. After a night of intense training, his Loose Hand Combat reached Level 5 (3/50), and his understanding of this fundamental martial art deepened significantly. His internal energy also increased from 11.7 to 11.8.

Zhang Yu mused to himself, “With the passive breathing effects of the Universal Energy Absorption technique, even if I only practiced breathing during my rest breaks these past few days, my internal energy still increased considerably each day.” Feeling the constant growth of internal energy within him, Zhang Yu found his mood significantly uplifted. This also made him look forward even more to the effects of raising the Universal Energy Absorption technique to Level 10 once the specialization switch cooldown expired.

He took a crowded bus to school. Songyang High still had a gloomy atmosphere today. Many students visibly looked downcast, clearly indicating poor exam luck the previous day.

After breakfast, Zhang Yu headed to the examination room for the first test of the day: the Dao Heart exam. With white walls and neatly arranged beds, the examination room looked like a hospital ward. However, instead of oxygen machines, the beds were connected to something resembling a mask.

Soon after Zhang Yu took his seat at his assigned bed, he heard the countdown in his mind again. He pursed his lips and simply sat cross-legged, beginning his breathing meditation. As Zhang Yu meditated, examinees continuously streamed in, and before long, all the beds in the examination room were occupied.

With the sound of a bell, the students’ expressions hardened, knowing the exam was about to begin. At the same time, relaxing music played over the loudspeakers. After the music finished, a female voice came through the broadcast. “Welcome to Songyang City’s unified monthly Dao Heart examination for all high schools. The exam will last 60 minutes.”

Hearing the voice from the broadcast, Zhang Yu felt no surprise. After all, his memory already contained experiences from previous monthly exams. Unlike yesterday’s General Knowledge, Martial Arts, and Daoist Arts exams, the Dao Heart exam for every monthly assessment was a unified test for all high schools in Songyang City. This was inextricably linked to the unique nature of Dao Heart itself and the Dao Heart examination.

Meanwhile, the female voice continued over the broadcast. “Attention: throughout the entire examination, please ensure the spiritual interface mask is worn correctly on your face. This is now time for device inspection and wearing.”

All students present immediately picked up the masks from their beds to inspect them. Zhang Yu did the same, first confirming the cable behind the mask was plugged into the socket, then turning on the power to ensure the mask wasn’t damaged. After confirming there were no issues with his inspection, Zhang Yu put the mask on his face. He felt the mask deform slightly, perfectly conforming to his face, as if his own skin had gained an extra layer. However, with his eyes covered by the mask, Zhang Yu’s vision was now enveloped in darkness.

A moment later, the female voice from the broadcast sounded again. “Device inspection and wearing concluded. The Dao Heart examination officially begins.”

The darkness before Zhang Yu’s eyes suddenly vibrated. As particles of light appeared, he was transported to another world in the next instant.