Upon hearing these words, the students present were startled, thinking that Bai Zhenzhen had succeeded.
However, Li Xuelian sighed and looked at Bai Zhenzhen, saying, "To master the moves of these nine martial arts in such a short time by yourself, your talent is truly one in a million."
"Unfortunately, you still fall short of my father's requirements."
Hearing this, some students breathed a sigh of relief, while others were secretly astonished.
Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, "Even this isn't enough? Just how exceptional does Master Xinghuo want his disciple to be?"
On the other hand, Bai Zhenzhen felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She hadn't expected to trigger the changes in the Martial Diagram so quickly and had almost blurted out a refusal to Master Xinghuo's offer, thinking she had succeeded.
Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, "Thank goodness I didn't say anything, or I would have made a fool of myself. I knew something was still missing."
After Bai Zhenzhen's attempt, others stepped forward to try their hand at the nine martial arts, but none could replicate the changes in the Heavenly Martial Diagram.
Even Lian Tianji, who had been brimming with confidence, hesitated to try again, seemingly pondering what they were all missing.
The venue fell silent as no one else stepped forward to attempt the challenge.
Just as Li Xuelian was about to conclude the event, Zhang Yu walked up, holding his phone.
"Hmm?" Li Xuelian's interest was piqued. "After witnessing so many failures, he still has the confidence to step forward. He must have something up his sleeve."
But the next moment, she couldn't help but frown.
Zhang Yu began playing a video on his phone, mimicking Bai Zhenzhen's movements from the recording.
He had clearly recorded Bai Zhenzhen's performance earlier.
As Zhang Yu followed the video, executing each move, Li Xuelian's frown deepened.
It was evident that, apart from his own understanding of the fist technique, Zhang Yu was unfamiliar with the other eight martial arts. Although he imitated Bai Zhenzhen's movements, the gap in their comprehension of the techniques was glaring.
From a distance, Zhao Tianxing watched Zhang Yu, dressed in his security uniform, clumsily mimicking Bai Zhenzhen's movements under the gaze of the crowd. He felt secondhand embarrassment so intense that he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
Just watching, he could sense the disdain and mockery in the crowd's eyes. He couldn't imagine how Zhang Yu, standing there and doing this, must feel.
"Stop, Zhang Yu!" Zhao Tianxing couldn't bear to watch any longer, shouting in his mind. "This is too humiliating. You're being treated like a clown!"
Of course, Zhang Yu couldn't hear Zhao Tianxing's thoughts, nor did he care about the judgmental looks from the crowd.
He focused intently, following Bai Zhenzhen's movements from the video and executing each of the nine martial arts.
As he finished the last move, a flood of experience and sensations rushed into his mind, giving Zhang Yu a sudden, profound understanding of the Heavenly Martial Diagram, as if he had practiced it tens of thousands of times.
At that moment, the moves of the nine martial arts faded from his mind, replaced by nine distinct concepts that flickered in his consciousness.
Zhang Yu suddenly realized that the nine martial arts in the Heavenly Martial Diagram emphasized concepts over techniques.
The practitioner's task was to grasp the essence behind each move while practicing the martial arts.
The killing intent to crush armies, the unyielding will to fight through death, the fearless spirit to charge forward... These nine martial arts cultivated martial concepts to fortify one's Dao Heart.
"This isn't a martial art for combat or physical refinement. It's a martial art that uses martial concepts to temper the Dao Heart."
It was a martial art designed to elevate the level of one's Dao Heart!
Martial concepts, after being systematized by the Ten Great Sects, became a collective term for martial forces like sword intent, fist intent, and blade intent.
The most basic function of martial concepts was to strengthen the spirit and fortify one's will, thereby elevating the practitioner's Dao Heart level.
For someone like Master Xinghuo, a Golden Core expert, their martial concepts could even linger in paintings, influencing the consciousness of others.
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu's aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
Killing intent, fighting spirit, courage, valor... An overwhelming aura emanated from him, as if his martial concepts were about to crystallize in that very moment.
At the same time, the figure in the Heavenly Martial Diagram became increasingly vivid, gradually taking on vibrant colors, as if transforming into a real person, intently observing the changes in Zhang Yu.
The crowd, noticing this, was stunned. This was undoubtedly the most significant reaction from the Heavenly Martial Diagram today.
Lian Tianji, Qian Shen, Bai Zhenzhen... All of them stared intently at Zhang Yu, sensing the changes in him and thinking the same unbelievable thought.
"Is he really going to succeed?"
But in the next moment, the changes in Zhang Yu abruptly ceased, and the martial concepts that seemed about to solidify dissipated entirely.
"What a pity," a line of text appeared on the painting. "A prodigious talent, but one move short."
Zhang Yu, however, showed no surprise.
**Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art - Level 0 (1/1, 8.3/8 mana, 0.85/0.8 physical strength, 1/3 Dao Heart)**
A martial art called the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art appeared on the Yu Book.
This was the result of Zhang Yu's repeated contemplation of the Heavenly Martial Diagram, his careful observation of the students' performances, and his repeated study of Bai Zhenzhen's video.
Unlike the martial arts Zhang Yu had learned before, this Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art had requirements for mana, physical strength, and Dao Heart.
"Besides practicing the fist, palm, and leg techniques, it requires 8 mana, 0.8 physical strength, and a Level 3 Dao Heart."
"I've met all the other requirements, except for the Level 3 Dao Heart..."
Zhang Yu's own Dao Heart was only at Level 1.
After this attempt, he was indeed stuck at the final hurdle.
"This Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art, as it stands, is a martial art for solidifying martial concepts and tempering the Dao Heart after reaching Level 3 Dao Heart."
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "A Level 3 Dao Heart is such a high requirement. It's not something a first-year high school student can achieve after just three months, is it?"
Li Xuelian, however, looked at Zhang Yu with a gleam in her eyes.
She had never expected any of these first-year students to succeed in the first place.
"According to the information from the security company, this is Zhang Yu, a first-year student from Songyang High School."
"For him to reach this stage, he truly deserves to be called a prodigy."
Recalling Zhang Yu's performance, she thought to herself, "Impressive. I almost misjudged him."
"His moves were stiff, his punches and kicks awkward, yet he managed to grasp the underlying concepts."
"This shows that he values essence over form, having seen through the mysteries of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art early on."
"Excellent. My father's school will gain another outstanding disciple."
In fact, after reviewing the participants' information, Li Xuelian had already suspected that no one would succeed in this test.
After all, students capable of mastering the martial arts in the Heavenly Martial Diagram on the spot either came from prominent families or were already in their second or third year of high school, having long been signed to contracts. It was unlikely they would come to apprentice under Master Xinghuo.
Finding a genius who could master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art on the spot was always a long shot.
But that didn't mean no one could join her father's school.
If any of the first-year students present could withstand the impact of martial concepts, learn all the moves on the spot, and comprehend the essence of martial concepts, even if they didn't fully master the art, they would undoubtedly be a prodigy.
Such a person, if they returned a year later, would surely master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art, meeting her father's requirements. This was essentially finding them a year early, before they had fully developed, and signing them to a contract.
She was certain her father would be willing to take on such an outstanding disciple.
In that case, the fact that this first-year student couldn't master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art wouldn't be a drawback. Instead, it would give Li Xuelian some leverage when negotiating the contract.
With this in mind, she smiled at Zhang Yu.
"Although you didn't fully master the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art, you've already grasped its essence. It's only a matter of time before you master it."
"I'll ask my father if he's willing to take you on as a disciple."
Hearing this, the crowd was once again shocked.
Lian Tianji glanced in Zhang Yu's direction, secretly taking a photo of him with his phone. He planned to find out where this security guard had come from.
Qian Shen stared at Zhang Yu in disbelief, shouting in his mind, "No way! How could someone with 550 points be taken as a disciple by a Golden Core expert? I must be dreaming. Is the Heavenly Martial Diagram still testing me?"
Bai Zhenzhen thought, "Is Zhang Yu... cheating?"
Seeing her once-underachieving friend, who had been in debt with her, suddenly soar to new heights, Bai Zhenzhen felt deeply unsettled.
"Zhang Yu, it's not that I don't wish you well. If you had scored in the top ten, or even the top five, higher than before but still below me, I would have been happy for you."
"But now you're overshadowing everyone, even me."
However, as she watched the crowd flock to Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, "Once Zhang Yu signs with the Golden Core expert, he'll surely attract a lot of investment. I'll have to milk him for all he's worth and borrow money from him."
But then she frowned, thinking, "But with half of his Golden Core cultivation gone and having been optimized by the major sects, he has no resources or backing. If Zhang Yu really joins, he'll be stuck as a workhorse for life."
"Forget it. We're brothers after all. I should remind him not to be blinded by the title of Golden Core and to refuse the offer."
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianxing's eyes widened, his mind blank. But he quickly recalled his earlier attempts to dissuade Zhang Yu and felt a wave of embarrassment. "How humiliating."
"He's a true genius. When I was saying those things to him, he must have thought I was a clown."
As Bai Zhenzhen approached Zhang Yu, many other students also gathered around.
Some wanted to add Zhang Yu on social media, others wanted to ask him about the secrets of the Heavenly Martial Diagram, and some simply wanted to take a photo with him.
At the same time, Li Xuelian stepped aside to call her father.
"Dad, I've found a promising candidate here in Songyang City..."
(End of chapter...)
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