Free Web NovelChapter 34: Chapter 34: Astonishing Progress
Lin Qi walked back into the crowd amidst the murmurs of the students and saw Jiangtao’s thumbs-up.
"Brother Qi, you’ve already surpassed me!"
Jiangtao was generous with his praise, holding out a fist to bump with Lin Qi.
"Nonsense. I’m still no match for you."
Lin Qi shook his head. He wasn’t the only one who had been improving rapidly; Jiangtao was making just as much progress.
After all, Jiangtao was a genius who had firmly secured a spot in the grade’s top twenty, even without many resources.
"Jiangtao!"
A short while later, Zhang City called out his name.
"Go on, Taozi. Show them what you’re made of," Lin Qi said, giving Jiangtao a push.
"Watch this!"
Jiangtao cracked his knuckles. Over the past month, he had consumed a large amount of resources and had grown even taller, now breaking 1.9 meters.
His physique was more robust, his dark skin stretched over muscles that looked as if they were carved from stone, radiating an intense, oppressive aura.
BAM! BAM!
Jiangtao’s fists shot out like cannonballs, slamming into the punching target.
His explosive burst of speed was astonishing, leaving behind only a blur.
"Fist Power: 913.2 kg! Speed: 18.1 m/s!"
WHOOSH...
Jiangtao let out a sharp exhale. Steam rose from his body as he shot Lin Qi a wide grin.
"Taozi, congratulations. Securing a spot in the grade’s top ten will be no problem for you now."
Lin Qi congratulated him.
"Of course. The top ten is mine for the taking," Jiangtao laughed.
"Lin Qi and Jiangtao... Looks like both of them are going to get incredible scores on this monthly exam."
Watching Lin Qi and Jiangtao from a short distance away, Li Zhou’s expression grew curious.
’Interesting!’
...
"Qi Yuelin, Fist Power: 960 kg!" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"Yu Jing, Fist Power: 980.1 kg!"
BAM!
"Li Zhou, Fist Power: 1035.9 kg!"
"He broke a thousand kilograms!"
Everyone stared at the numbers on the digital screen in shock.
"That’s insane. It’s already so difficult to improve your Fist Power after breaking 900 kilograms."
"If the students in the Ordinary classes found out, they’d probably be scared to death. The gap is just too wide."
"Li Zhou is a real monster!" Jiangtao exclaimed, shaking his head.
"Don’t tell me Li Zhou has already broken through the First Realm?" a shocked student wondered.
"Probably not. Li Zhou just has an Innate physical advantage. His strength is just higher than everyone else’s," Zhu Yuqi said, shaking her head.
Lin Qi was also secretly astonished. ’A Fist Power over a thousand kilograms... That’s a trait you only see in someone who has broken through the First Realm to reach the Second Realm.’
Even Zhang City looked at Li Zhou with a hint of surprise.
’This kid... he’s clearly a cut above the rest.’
Li Zhou went on to test his speed. However, it didn’t exceed 20 m/s, which was the minimum speed for a Second Realm Martial Artist.
"Quiet!"
The noisy classroom fell silent the moment Zhang City spoke.
"All right, the first round of testing is complete."
"It’s time for us to begin the Weapon Skill test."
"Everyone, follow me!"
With that, Zhang City led two other teachers out of the classroom. The rest of the students followed, looking confused.
"That’s weird. Aren’t we testing our Weapon Skill?" someone asked, puzzled.
But no one could answer his question.
Everyone crossed the hallway to the far end of the academic building. There, Zhang City keyed a password into a keypad, and a large metal door slid open.
He stepped inside first.
The others followed him in. As Lin Qi stepped onto the floor, he noticed it was made of custom tiles.
"This is..."
A student pointed ahead in astonishment.
Lin Qi looked over. Neatly arranged in the room were ten egg-shaped machines, which he recognized at a single glance. They were Virtual Cabins.
"I’m sure you all recognize these. Holographic Virtual Cabins!" Zhang City announced, patting the door of one of the cabins.
"From now on, all Weapon Skill assessments will be conducted in the Virtual World."
"The accuracy is extremely high, which also means I can slack off a bit," he added with a grin.
As the students gathered around the Virtual Cabins, one asked curiously:
"Teacher Zhang, how do we take the test?"
"It’s simple!" Zhang City pointed forward, where another teacher was turning on a projector.
A massive 3D projection materialized before them, displaying images and text.
"You all should have accounts for the Red Realm, right? Just log in as usual."
Use the panel function to search for the Celestial Sea Monthly Exam. Once you enter, input your name, exam ID number, and the Weapon Secret Manual you’ve studied. Then you can begin the test.
Your task is to defeat the assessor. An AI will evaluate your performance and convert it into a score.
"So, memorize your exam ID numbers now. You’ll go in groups of ten, starting with the lowest-ranked students. Get into the Virtual Cabins."
All the rules and each student’s exam ID number appeared on the green projection screen.
Zhang City explained the rules.
As Lin Qi and nine others prepared to enter the Virtual Cabins, he noticed something odd about Chen Zichuan in the corner.
He was staring at the Virtual Cabins with a curious but helpless expression, watching how the others operated them. He looked just like Jiangtao had when he saw a Virtual Cabin for the first time.
"Taozi, it looks like Chen Zichuan has never used a Virtual Cabin before. Go show him how it works."
Lin Qi said.
"Got it!" Jiangtao nodded and hurried over to Chen Zichuan. As he explained, Chen Zichuan began to nod along.
Seeing this, Lin Qi finally entered his Virtual Cabin, relieved.
...
「Meanwhile, Martial Arts Students across all of Celestial Sea City’s major middle schools were undergoing their Martial Arts assessments.」
「Tianhai No. 1 Middle School, Martial Arts Assessment Classroom」
The spacious classroom was over a thousand square meters and filled with thirty brand-new Virtual Cabins.
A group of young men and women stood around, their eyes sharp and spirited. They carried themselves with pride, and each one emanated a powerful aura.
The air was thick with a competitive atmosphere.
"Guo Heng, I hear you’re going to try for the grade’s top five in this monthly exam?"
Someone asked Guo Heng curiously in front of a Virtual Cabin.
A small smile played on Guo Heng’s lips as he replied,
"Of course. My Saber Technique has already broken through to Tier Two. You can count the number of people in our class stronger than me on one hand."
"I’m not just aiming for the top five in our grade. I’m going for the top fifteen in the entire Celestial Sea City rankings, too." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
He clenched his fist, thinking, ’I have to catch up to my sister.’
He suddenly thought of Lin Qi and Jiangtao. ’They’re from No. 2 Middle School.’
’I wonder what they’ll rank in this monthly exam?’
...
BZZZT—
Lin Qi felt a tingling numbness wash over him. When he opened his eyes again, he was in his familiar personal space within the Red Realm.
He opened the panel, searched for "Celestial Sea Monthly Exam," and a new window popped up.
[Please enter your Name, Secret Manual, and Exam ID Number!]
[Name: Lin Qi]
[Secret Manual: Mountain Shattering Spear Technique]
[Exam ID Number: 20455060...]
...
Lin Qi clicked "Confirm," and the space around him instantly transformed.
In the next moment, he found himself inside a spacious room. The floor and walls were made of a hard, white metal.
The walls were covered with illustrations of countless weapons.
[Candidate Lin Qi, welcome to the Celestial Sea Monthly Exam battlefield for your Martial Arts assessment!]
[Assessment Objective: Defeat the Assessor!]
[You have three minutes to prepare.]
Reading the prompt on the panel, Lin Qi was reminded of the arena. ’It’s almost exactly the same.’
’If the Assessor is as wooden as the AI in the practice tests, how can it properly evaluate my Martial Arts?’
While pondering this, he selected his weapon: the Black Great Spear he was most familiar with.
The three minutes passed quickly.
SWOOSH—
In the next instant, a figure materialized before Lin Qi.
It was a man in a white combat suit and a pure white mask, holding a silver long spear.
The number "1" was clearly marked on his chest.
[Assessment commencing!]
[Assessor: No. 1]
[3... 2... 1...]
[Assessment has officially begun!]
An automated female voice announced from the air that the assessment had officially begun.
The next instant, the Assessor lunged forward. The silver long spear whipped through the air, striking like a dragon.
...
