Ling Xuan opened his eyes with a jerk.
“Hah Hah Hah”
He found himself once again in the Examination Hall.
Ling Xuan quickly calmed himself down and remembered what had happened.
“ The fusion of souls.”
Who was he, Ling Xuan or Carto Harts ?
The answer was actually none of them.
He was someone who was born from the personalities of Carto and Ling Xuan, in other words something like Carto Xuan.
“Old Xuan was right, the soul fusion really covered the weakness of both.”
The indifference to murder and the intelligence of a nerd was one hell of a power up.
Thus a nerf was necessary.
“It’s going to take a while for the complete personality to develop.” Fusing two different souls that came from two different worlds with similar but different laws would without doubt prove to be a hurdle, even for himself who had a heavenly cheat to his name.
“I am still only 4/10 of Carto, when it reaches 5/10 then the complete personality can be created and until then, one can only wait.” The incomplete personality or rather Ling Xuan sighed.
“Half an hour remains !” A shout echoed throughout the hall.
“Ah fuck ! The beach really ate up a lot of time.” Ling Xuan quickly grabbed the question paper and began reading it.
It was a paper that although contained a lot of questions, the total points that could be obtained were 10 which was understandable based on the aforementioned rules stated by the Masked Man.
Martial Arts Intelligence Examination
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE (4 POINTS)
1. Anatomy and Physiology (1 point)
* Identify and explain the function of two major muscle groups used in martial arts.
2. Strategy and Tactics (1 point)
* Propose a tactical response to an opponent known for their superior strength but slower speed.
SECTION 2: PROBLEM SOLVING (3 POINTS)
1. Scenario-Based Question ( 3 points)
* You are surrounded by multiple opponents in a confined space. Describe your strategy to defend yourself and incapacitate your attackers. [ 1.5]
* You are participating in a tournament, and your next opponent is known for their exceptional defensive techniques, making it difficult to land any strikes. Describe your strategy to break through their defence and score points. Consider both physical and psychological approaches in your response. [1.5].
SECTION 3: STRATEGY AND ANALYSIS (3 POINTS)
1. Combat Strategy (1.5 points)
* Describe how you would prepare for a match against an opponent who is known for their speed and agility.
2. Opponent Analysis (1.5 points)
* Analyse the fighting style of an opponent who primarily uses grappling techniques. Discuss how you would exploit their weaknesses.
SECTION 4: PERSONAL REFLECTION AND PHILOSOPHY
1. Martial Arts Philosophy
* Describe your "Martial Way."
EXAMINATION FORMAT
* Total Points: 10
* Time Allotted: 1 hour
* Instructions: Answer all questions. Be thorough and concise in your responses. Use examples where applicable to illustrate your points.
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“I really am starting to get reminded of Carto’s time on Earth.” Ling Xuan smiled wryly.
He took hold of the ink brush and began writing on the answer sheet.
………………………………………….
Time inched forward as Ling Xuan rapidly wrote down everything he could for the questions.
“Hmm, if he has slower speed then I can easily outrun him and then attack again and run.”
“Ah, this one is hard, we gotta be psychological it seems.”
Finally Ling Xuan had arrived at the final question.
Describe your "Martial Way."
It had no points attributed to it, thus the need to write an answer was optional and only if one had the time.
“ 5 minutes remain !” A shout echoed throughout the hall once again.
Ling Xuan, at first hesitant, began writing his answer.
“ My answers will surely be sent to the people in charge of selecting disciples for their sect. Thus if I ace this answer, the chances of becoming an inner disciple or even a core disciple will surely rise !” With such a thought process Ling Xuan began writing his answer.
Scribble - Scribble.
Ling Xuan wrote everything that held true to his Martial Way, his goal was given physical form for the first time.
“Brushes down !” An immense wave swept past all the students in the hall causing them to stumble and for some to fall down their seats.
“Anyone that tries to add anything to their paper will be disqualified !” The masked man shouted as countless masked guards stepped out of their hiding place and began collecting everyone’s sheet.
The question papers of all the examiness had a special number differentiating them from other students, this made it easy for the guards to collect the papers.
Nobody resisted or begged for more time to write, either all of them had already completed or they feared being disqualified.
Yet this did not stop the sighs of worry from being heard throughout the hall.
As the papers were taken away to somewhere no examinee knew , the masked man coughed to clear his throat.
“Now that the 2nd Test has been completed, we will now move to the area for the 3rd Test !” As the man said so, Ling Xuan felt his body feel lighter and his vision getting blurry.
He suddenly realised why the guards from before were wearing masks, it was for this !
“Wherever or whatever the final test is, it is surely an important one considering such an arrangement.” Ling Xuan thought before falling asleep.
Slowly all the examinees were in a state of artificially induced state of unconsciousness.
“Well although it took a while to kick in, at least they work.” The Masked Man shrugged and clapped his hands.
Immediately another group of masked guards arrived.
“Come on boys, take these younglings to the Dragon Fountain !”
The guards obeyed the orders instantly and started carrying the examinees away.
As the examinees were carried away, the masked man removed his mask.
“Hah I wonder if I can convince my father to allow the creation of a drug that can make us dizzy.” The man thought to himself before following the guards out of the examination hall.
—-----------------------------
Meanwhile, as the guards were taking the examinees to the site of the 3rd Test, in a dimly lit room with only a large table and a chair, a door opened with guards carrying the papers of said examinees and placing them on the large table.
As they went away, a person stepped out of a corner of the room.
It was an old man whose back was hunched and could barely walk with a cane.
“Let us see what the talents of this year bring to the table.” The old man muttered to himself before grabbing the papers and reading them.
“This one is an idiot.”
“Oh what a unique train of thought but unfortunately it’s naive.”
“Hmm this is good yet the answers are too generic.”
“ This one has not written a single answer ! Truly foolish.”
Slowly the papers were being reviewed by the old man yet most of them failed to even incite a sound of acknowledgement.
“Hmm, the answers are generic. Wait, what is this?” As the old man was scanning a paper something caught him by surprise.
“Someone has actually given only a single line of answer !” The old man was shocked, as for why ? It was due to the question actually being the last one.
“Describe your Martial Way. Ah I remember when I asked why would Xia Nan include such a question after all the ones we are conducting the test on are just children, I argued with him for hours and could only manage to make it so that this question carried no points. Ah those days.” The old man sighed.
“Hmm let me check what this junior has written.” The old man read the answer.
“This !”
The old man was shocked to the point his jaw dropped.
“Such an answer has only been given once before !” The old man remembered the last person who wrote such a similar answer.
“Can it perhaps be one of his followers? No ! Although this answer is similar to that person's, it embodies a parallel path not the same one !” The old man convinced himself.
“Either way this junior’s will is indeed similar to him, if he is nurtured probably, perhaps with the right amount of resources and talent we can make him our shield against Yimo Ji !” The old man became excited.
“Guards !” He called out
Immediately four individuals opened the door.
“Call the Thunder Law Sect Leader, tell him that we have found a potential shield !”
“Yes Lord Ambassador !” Saying which one of the guards immediately went away.
“Hah, let’s see if you can truly do what it takes, Little Xuan .” The ambassador muttered as he looked at the answer once again.
"To be someone who can find peace amidst any storm, no matter what life throws my way.”