The atmosphere throughout Training Sector Three had completely transformed from what was supposed to be a simple first-year evaluation match into something none of the students or instructors fully understood anymore. Thousands of eyes remained locked onto Platform Seven while Huang Ming continued barely avoiding Rex Hao's increasingly violent attacks. What shocked the crowd most wasn't the fact that Huang was still standing.
It was the fact that he was improving.
Every movement Huang made still looked clumsy and unrefined compared to trained combat students. His footwork lacked structure, his posture remained unstable, and several of his dodges looked more accidental than intentional. Yet despite all of that, Rex Hao still couldn't land a decisive hit.
Again and again, Rex's reinforced punches slammed into the metallic platform instead of Huang's body, leaving massive cracks and dents across the arena floor. The force behind each strike caused nearby students to instinctively tense while fragments of shattered metal scattered throughout the platform.
"There's no way a trainee warrior should survive this long…"
"Rex should've ended the fight already…"
"What exactly is happening to Huang Ming?"
Whispers spread continuously throughout the crowd, while even upper-ranked students began paying serious attention to the match. At first,t everyone treated Huang like a joke. Now—
No one was laughing anymore.
Meanwhile, inside Huang's body, the situation felt far worse than it appeared externally. Every movement sent pain through his muscles while chaotic spiritual energy surged violently throughout his meridians. His body felt unstable, overheated, and dangerously strained, almost as though his internal systems were constantly tearing themselves apart before reconstructing themselves moments later.
His breathing became uneven.
Sweat covered his forehead.
Yet strangely—
His senses continued sharpening.
At first, st Rex Hao's movements felt overwhelming. Now, Huang could at least react.
Not comfortably.
Not skillfully.
But instinctively.
Another heavy punch rushed toward Huang's face. He barely twisted sideways in time before the attack slammed into the arena behind him with explosive force.
BOOM.
The impact shook the platform violently while nearby students stared in disbelief at the destructive power behind Rex's attacks.
"You're seriously starting to annoy me," Rex growled while spiritual energy surged around his body more violently than before.
Huang stumbled backward awkwardly while trying to steady his breathing. "Trust me," he answered honestly. "I'm also annoyed right now."
Several nearby students laughed nervously despite the tense atmosphere.
The entire situation had become absurd.
A trainee warrior should have been lost long ago.
Yet Huang somehow continued surviving against a combat division student through pure instinct and abnormal adaptability.
Inside his mind, Lyra's calm voice echoed once more.
"Your body is undergoing forced evolution."
"… That sounds extremely unhealthy," Huang answered internally while barely avoiding another strike.
"Correct."
"… Can you stop agreeing so quickly?"
Despite the pain spreading throughout his body, Huang could feel something changing internally. Every attack Rex launched forced his body to adapt further. His reaction speed continued increasing while his perception became sharper with each passing second.
At first, first Huang could barely see Rex's movements.
Now—
He could partially predict them.
Not perfectly.
But enough to survive.
Rex clearly realized this as well.
His expression gradually darkened while spiritual energy surged more violently around him. "You shouldn't be improving this quickly," Rex muttered coldly while staring toward Huang with growing frustration.
"… I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be doing any of this," Huang admitted honestly.
The unstable fluctuations surrounding Huang suddenly intensified again.
This time, visible distortions spread briefly through the air around his body, causing nearby students to instinctively step backward. The pressure wasn't overwhelming in terms of raw strength, but it felt deeply unnatural.
Wrong.
As though Huang's body fundamentally ignored the cultivation laws normal warriors followed.
Far above the arena, the older instructor inside the observation room narrowed his eyes while studying the holographic readings beside Huang's profile.
"The adaptation speed increased again."
"That's impossible…"
"No known body cultivation technique behaves like this."
Meanwhile, Kael Riven remained completely focused on Huang from below. His sharp eyes carefully observed every movement Huang made, every fluctuation surrounding his body, and every irregular shift in spiritual flow.
Then slowly—
Kael realized something deeply disturbing.
Huang wasn't consciously controlling any of this.
His body itself was evolving instinctively in response to danger.
That realization caused Kael's expression to darken slightly because abilities that evolved automatically during combat were considered extremely dangerous within higher cultivation research. Not because they were overwhelmingly powerful initially, but because their growth potential became impossible to predict.
Nearby, Luna Ling also continued silently observing Huang without looking away. Her calm violet-colored eyes focused carefully on the unstable energy flowing around him while faint surprise remained visible within her normally emotionless expression.
Because, unlike the chaotic energy itself—
Huang's body was slowly beginning to synchronize with it.
On the platform below, Rex Hao suddenly stopped attacking.
The arena became briefly silent.
Huang immediately looked confused. "… Why'd you stop?"
Rex slowly exhaled while dense spiritual energy condensed heavily around both of his arms. "Because clearly holding back isn't enough anymore."
The pressure surrounding Rex immediately intensified again.
This time,e far greater than before.
Dense spiritual energy surged violently across his body while visible reinforcement patterns appeared beneath his skin. Several nearby students instantly recognized the technique being activated.
"He's using full reinforcement…"
"Isn't that too much for an evaluation match?!"
Even Instructor Zhao Ren frowned slightly after sensing the increase in pressure radiating from Rex's body.
Rex lowered his stance while staring directly toward Huang.
"You said losing immediately would feel embarrassing."
A faint smile slowly appeared on Rex's face.
"So now let's see how embarrassing this becomes."
The metallic platform beneath Rex's feet cracked violently.
Then—
He disappeared.
The crowd gasped instantly.
Rex's speed had increased drastically beyond before, appearing almost like a blur as he rushed directly toward Huang with overwhelming force. Many weaker students could barely even follow the movement visually.
But this time—
Huang saw it.
Not fully.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
For a brief moment, the chaotic energy surging throughout Huang's body synchronized unnaturally with his senses. The world around him sharpened once more while Rex's movements became slightly clearer.
The movement of spiritual energy.
The muscle tension.
The attack trajectory.
Everything.
Instinctively, Huang stepped sideways.
BOOM.
Rex's reinforced fist slammed past Huang's shoulder, missing by mere centimeters before completely shattering part of the platform behind him. Shockwaves exploded throughout the arena while fragments of metal scattered across the battlefield.
The crowd stared in complete disbelief.
Because Huang had dodged again.
But this time—
Something else changed.
The unstable energy surrounding Huang didn't disappear afterward.
Instead, it remained active.
Chaotic spiritual fluctuations continued flowing visibly around his body while faint distortions spread through the surrounding air.
For the first time since the match began—
Huang Ming's power had started stabilizing.