I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

Outside the Tower of Ascension, in the examination monitoring room.

The students had only been inside for a short time, and the number of students who passed on the monitoring panel was still at 0.

Their proctoring screens displayed various data: the number of people who passed the first two floors, the fastest progress level in the Tower of Ascension, and the number of people who had completed the entire tower—though this metric was theoretically unnecessary today, as it was impossible for any freshman to complete the entire tower in the actual exam.

A proctor approached Dean Zhou Chongshan and casually remarked, "I heard that Dean Zhou's grandson is also among this year's freshmen?"

Zhou Chongshan smiled slightly and said, "That good-for-nothing Jing Zhao is now at the first-level martial artist level. Before we came here, I gave him a strict order: his standards can't be like others. He's already entered the first level, so he has to climb at least to the fourth level."

The fourth floor already features opponents with second-tier strength, which is definitely not something a first-year student can pass. Only senior students would consider attempting it during their tower-climbing assessment.

The proctor said, "The dean is indeed a skilled teacher; no wonder he can produce such an outstanding junior. To be an advanced martial artist in just the first semester of freshman year is surely the best among this year's freshmen."

Professor Zhong Ding, who was also present in the monitoring room, found this amusing.

The first newcomer to enter the martial arts realm? Ha!

But he didn't say anything in rebuttal.

Keep a low profile.

I'll show you something amazing in a bit.

Zhong Ding remained calm, seemingly focused on the assessment results. Then suddenly, feigning surprise, he pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "Huh? Look, some students have already met the requirements?"

All the teachers were taken aback and looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, the number of people who had reached the target on the screen had changed to "1 person", and the fastest progress level was now showing as "2 levels".

One of the proctors exclaimed in surprise, "Wait a minute, the exam only started... how long? A minute?"

Even though passing two levels is considered passing, this is still way too fast, isn't it?

Isn't that even faster than Ultraman's "three-minute true man"?

A teacher immediately praised, "Dean Zhou's teaching is truly effective; his grandson is indeed remarkable. He broke through two levels in just one minute; his future is truly limitless..."

But Zhou Chongshan was equally bewildered: "No, it can't be Jing Zhao..."

Although his grandson Zhou Jingzhao was quite talented, already an entry-level martial artist in his first year of university, Zhou Chongshan knew his grandson's level. While he had no doubt that the other could pass the test and meet the requirements, explaining it for even a minute was still too abstract.

While everyone was still bewildered, Zhong Ding shouted again, "Hey, look! Someone has broken through the third level too!"

Everyone looked over and, sure enough, saw that the fastest progress number had changed to three floors.

The teachers were even more surprised.

No, breaking through three levels in just over a minute, what does that even mean?

This means that the person who cleared the level barely stopped at any floor and was basically just running around the map... and their lightness skill must have been pretty good, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to run around the map so fast.

Zhong Ding patiently encouraged him, "Why don't we take a look and see which student is progressing so quickly?"

Zhou Chongshan nodded and said to the personnel in front of the control panel, "Check the specific clearance information."

The interior of the trial ruins is, of course, impossible to see from the outside. However, with current technology, it is possible to track and locate specific signals within the ruins. Therefore, by locating each candidate's student ID, specific clearance information can be obtained.

Therefore, the control personnel quickly located the expedited candidate: "We found him; he is a candidate named Gu Yan."

"Gu Yan?"

The teachers exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly none of them recognizing him. Only Zhong Ding remained silent, but his lips curled into a grotesque grin, resembling those of the Dragon King.

The controller retrieved the student's information and said, "This is a student who recently transferred from the humanities department, and his advisor is Professor Zhong Ding."

liberal arts!?

The teachers were even more astonished. When did the humanities curriculum get so complicated? Could they really climb to the third floor of the Tower of Ascension in just over a minute?

All eyes turned to the bell and tripod.

Zhong Ding sighed, feigning helplessness: "I told him to keep a low profile, but... well, he's still young. He's already at the second level of cultivation at such a young age, he's young and impetuous, that's how it is."

The teachers: "???"

What is this? Level 2 beginner?!

Dean Zhou Chongshan was also shocked.

A freshman taking the second-level introductory course, and coming from a humanities background...

What happened to Lao Zhong's prediction that investments always lose money? How did he manage to snag such a monster?

One teacher remarked casually, "I knew it! When has Professor Zhong ever been interested in the freshmen's Tower of Heaven assessment before...?"

So you came all the way to Versailles today specifically?

Zhong Ding chuckled and said, "Old Liu, what are you saying? My students are taking an exam today, is it wrong for me, as their tutor, to check on them... Hey, look, it seems some students have broken through the fourth level!"

All the teachers: "............"

...

...

The more Gu Yan climbed the tower, the stranger it seemed.

The fourth level was occupied by a swordsman of the second tier—that is, the Qi Control Realm. Although Gu Yan was nominally also at the Qi Control Realm, his combat skills far surpassed those of his peers, making him easy to deal with.

But observing the swordsman's swordsmanship—a heavy, forceful strike, wide and expansive, with his power fully extended outwards—he knew at a glance that using a technique of shifting momentum and redirecting force was the best solution.

If we were to explain this from the perspective of a game from a previous life, it would be that this BOSS's moveset is designed to be perfect for parrying, and the parrying strategy yields the highest returns.

As expected, Gu Yan stepped forward, parried the attack and sent the swordsman into a stun, then struck with both palms in quick succession, unleashing the Xuan Yue Zhen Shan Palm in three consecutive blows, causing the swordsman to cough up three liters of blood and vanish into thin air.

It sold out in seconds again.

Gu Yan continued moving, unleashing his movement technique, and headed straight for the fifth floor.

Although he thought that climbing the tower shouldn't be difficult for him, it seemed far too easy.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, we encountered a group fight.

Two opponents at the Qi Control level led the team, along with several other cultivators at the Solidifying Yuan Realm. The group surrounded and launched a fierce attack simultaneously.

However, this group had no formation, and their attacks were chaotic. Gu Yan had mastered the second level of the Shifting Universe technique, so with his current level of defensive skill, he could immediately see that each of their forces was directly exposed, without any coordination or complementary defense.

From a purely analytical perspective, the moves are full of flaws. Their direct and straightforward force makes it easy to borrow strength. The fact that the group surrounds each other without coordination or mutual support makes it even easier for them to injure each other.

Thus, although Gu Yan was surrounded, he easily and skillfully deflected the attacks of the two Qi Control Realm leaders, allowing him to deal with the other supporting soldiers.

After the two Qi-controlling warriors had dealt with the smaller fodder, Gu Yan then used his Qiankun technique to lure the two into a fight, while he seized the opportunity to finish them off with the Xuan Yue Zhen Shan Palm. The three figures were entangled together, and in less than twenty moves, one of the Qi-controlling warriors was simultaneously struck by a blow from his teammate and a palm strike from Gu Yan, instantly dying and dissipating.

With only one left, there was no longer any threat. After five more moves, Gu Yan struck the top of its head with a palm, causing the consciousness's head to explode and become ethereal on the spot.

Fifth floor, cleared.