What was the effect of the sprint? In any case, the ones who felt it most profoundly were definitely Ou Yue and his two companions.
They only heard a flippant whistle. When the three of them came to their senses, a certain rustic-looking girl had run past them. As she dashed off, kicking up dust and wind, she didn’t shout “trash.” Instead, she raised one hand towards the three behind her and, over five seconds, steadily changed through five hand gestures.
Middle finger up!
Middle finger down!
Thumb down!
Ring finger up!
Finally, a gesture understood by insiders: the thumb and forefinger held parallel, with a tiny gap between them.
Understood in two words—gotcha!
Holy crap!
From Ou Yue and his two companions +999!
The teachers outside the field almost died laughing. This little girl had quite a temper, seeking revenge for the smallest grievance.
But no matter how liver-colored Ou Yue and his companions’ faces turned, A’Diao had already swaggered off.
The three of them combined only +999, losers!
Wasted five seconds of my precious time, pfft!
However, there were too many people on the field, a dazzling sight, and soon, hardly anyone paid attention to A’Diao because… they were all focused on Cui Yun.
Seventh lap, she ran from 101st to 90th place, while Cui Yun reached 50th.
Eighth lap, she ran from 90th to 70th, while Cui Yun charged into 30th.
Ninth lap, she charged from 70th to 40th, while Cui Yun broke into the top 10. At this moment, Xu Luo, Lin Yunmo, and Tian Zhongye, who had consistently been in the top ten and leading the top three, suddenly accelerated. When A’Diao entered her ninth lap, she and Xu Luo’s group were all on their final lap.
And as Ou Yue and his two companions panted and puffed while running, they suddenly saw someone who had just overtaken them make a big heart shape towards them.
A heart shape, how warm and fuzzy. But upon closer inspection…
Chen! A! Diao!
She was actually a whole lap ahead of them?! The three of them weren’t weak either! They were in the top one hundred!
From Ou Yue and his two companions +1200!
Very good, a breakthrough.
Tenth lap… Apart from Ou Yue and his companions, whose mental states had collapsed, no one paid attention to A’Diao. After all, no one cared about those outside the top ten, because the top ten were already going berserk!
It clearly wasn’t a race; completing the laps was all that mattered, and there was no reward for first place. Yet, the spectators could feel the terrifyingly competitive atmosphere on the field.
They’ve gone mad, mad!
Halfway through the tenth lap, Cui Yun, with the aggressive momentum of a steel needle threatening to pierce everyone from behind, brazenly charged into fifth place. Moreover, he was overtaking fourth and heading towards Xu Luo’s group of three, who were pulling away at the very front.
“My heavens!”
“Who is that person?!”
“Cui Yun. I saw him with my father at the Cui Clan’s New Year banquet, but he was always in other provinces before. It’s terrifying; I never expected his aptitude to be this good.”
“No weaker than Cui Run, I’d say.”
Jinling Academy was full of talent. In the teaching buildings, many students wore solemn expressions. If the scions of Jinling’s three great clans were considered the ceiling at Jinling Academy, Cui Run’s downfall had cleared a space in their sky. But now, the Cui Clan, undoubtedly unwilling to be overshadowed, had sent another ceiling-level talent, and he was younger and more dominant.
Hearing that a Cui Clan disciple was tearing through the 1500 people on the right field, aiming straight for first place, even some students within the academy who were initially uninterested in the recruitment and were engrossed in their studies rushed over. The teaching buildings near the field became densely packed with heads, and some even went to the outer fences to watch.
At this time, the rankings in the top ten were constantly changing… And in the top three, Cui Yun’s figure flashed past; Tian Zhongye was overtaken, and Lin Yunmo was also overtaken.
Lin Yunmo looked at Cui Yun’s indifferent back and couldn’t help but grit his teeth.
What a beast, that Cui Clan member! Damn it!
At that moment, Xu Luo was still first, Cui Yun second, Lin Yunmo third, and Tian Zhongye fourth. The people behind were still running wildly…
“Could he actually get first?”
“Only 200 meters left!”
“Heavens!”
All eyes were on them.
There was no dust on the field, but the spirited arrogance of youth soared.
Xu Luo had always been proud and arrogant. Academically, even though he considered himself on par with Chen Xun, believing the latter merely had a one or two-year age advantage, his later misjudgment of Lingcheng’s political situation had brought him great shame. After self-reflection, he realized that to surpass Chen Xun, he had to comprehensively outperform him in other areas. He had heard that Chen Xun’s health wasn’t good and his spiritual energy aptitude was mediocre, so…
He should be first, he must be first!
Xu Luo gritted his teeth and finally burst into a sprint.
200 meters, 100 meters!!
Swoosh! A figure dashed past him.
Xu Luo’s heart felt like it had been dealt a heavy blow, but at that moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Because after Cui Yun rushed past him… a wave of gasps erupted, rising and falling from the teaching buildings and outside the field.
Rising—”Cui Yun has overtaken Xu Luo!!!”
Falling—”He actually overtook Xu Luo too!! Heavens!”
What was going on? Xu Luo was still a bit dazed as he crossed the finish line because, in the very last second, he had been overtaken by a second person.
Lin Yunmo? No, he had also been overtaken. Right now, like Xu Luo, he was staring at someone in disbelief.
A big guy, Tian Zhongye, who had been in fourth place all along.
He had run into second place.
Tian Zhongye seemed a bit embarrassed, giving an honest, simple smile, but he was panting, though only slightly.
Cui Yun glanced at him, seemingly unconcerned, and ran towards the gymnasium under the teacher’s guidance.
Seeing this, the others quickly followed.
No time to waste.
The top four were decided. Those behind them arrived one by one. They were fine, trickling in sparsely, but the main group was fast approaching… The cluster within the top hundred was very tight. When Rao Qinya reached the finish line in 21st place, panting, she looked at the person who had overtaken her in the last second.
Running was somewhat disadvantageous for females. She had never been confident about breaking into the top ten, but she hadn’t expected to not even make the top twenty. It seemed there were only two girls in the top twenty.
Coincidentally, the 20th place was the person who had just overtaken her, also a girl.
She looked so unfamiliar.
“You…”
Rao Qinya had intended to ask the other person’s name and get acquainted, but before she could ask, the other person quickly stepped out… and, clutching a trash can, vomited with a “wah.”
Vomiting was nothing; quite a few were vomiting profusely now. After all, it was 8000 meters!
But Rao Qinya was shocked, and the people nearby were also frightened.
Damn, vomiting blood?!
It’s not that serious, sister! Getting one place higher doesn’t earn you a banner, why bother!
The teacher also noticed and was even more shocked, hurriedly asking, “How are you? Do you need to be sent to the infirmary… Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
Clearly, he didn’t quite approve of this level of exertion. Hadn’t it been mentioned there was still a written exam?
But then they heard A’Diao, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth, weakly say, “Teacher, I am the hope of our entire village.”
As she spoke, she spat out another mouthful of blood.
From Teacher A +388!
From Rao Qinya +233!
I think the whole village is hoping to have a funeral feast because of you.
Besides, having run until she vomited blood, the upcoming written exam was probably a lost cause too.
Too reckless, she’ll probably fail the exam.
But neither of them said much; after all, it was someone else’s future.
Rao Qinya had already gone in for the written exam. After wiping her mouth, A’Diao also went in. The teacher watched her retreating figure, filled with regret.
Little did they know, at this moment, she was having such a conversation with the Toilet.
A’Diao: “What the hell! Why did I start vomiting blood while running? Was that bathwater poison?”
Toilet: “Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand. It’s just because you cleansed impurities too thoroughly, and the interval was too short. Some tainted blood hadn’t been expelled yet. Now, with sudden strenuous exercise, it naturally came out. These people have indeed undergone more cleansings than you, but more importantly, they have specific methods to train their muscles to digest the results of this transformation, and some even have treasures to nourish them—like that Cui Yun, which you don’t. You’re not even like the Tian siblings, who practiced martial arts from a young age and developed superb athletic abilities, so their adaptability to spiritual energy is particularly high. Of course, another crucial reason is that your internal organs are very weak, which is related to your premature aging in childhood.”
A’Diao’s expression darkened slightly. She knew her organs were weak. She only truly started running when she was eleven; before ten, she had to use a wheelchair.
Others were born into prominent families, possessing strong physiques from birth. There was nothing unfair about it; the gap had always existed, but it wouldn’t last forever.
A’Diao walked into the gymnasium, found her assigned seat, and sat down. Two chip-like tentacles extended from the panel, attaching to her temples and the backs of her hands. With a sound, the written exam began!
Swoosh!
A virtual screen appeared before her, displaying the exam paper.
It noted that 105 minutes remained for the exam, with seven subjects and a total of 700 questions.
Five were standard subjects, previously her main studies: Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Among them, Language and Mathematics were the major subjects with the highest weight. Language included content from History and Politics, while Mathematics was the father of all science subjects. These two subjects were worth 200 points each, and the other three were 80 points each.
That made 640 points.
There were two additional subjects. A’Diao frowned as soon as she saw their content—they were two parts from the supplementary books she had specifically purchased earlier.
“Unnatural Energy Studies” + “War Strategy,” 50 points each, making a total of 740 points for the seven subjects.
Although both books were relevant and she had read them, a quick skim made her heart sink.
Her gaze swept over them; many questions were unfamiliar, indicating that the books she had bought were too superficial or lacked sufficient knowledge for these subjects.
This was bad.
For her, this exam paper was beyond the syllabus, and a significant portion of it too.
Not a good start.
However, she also noticed that all questions in the seven subjects were marked with three difficulty levels: low, medium, and high. This was to guide students to reasonably allocate their time and score points on questions they could answer.
A’Diao steadied her mind and started by picking high-difficulty questions from Mathematics.
She was best at Language and Mathematics, but Mathematics relied most on intelligence. While there were limits to knowledge scope, it wouldn’t be too exaggerated, so it was best to start there.
As A’Diao began to tackle Mathematics, Xu Luo over there had also calmed his mind, thinking to himself that this was his home ground. Although he had lost to Cui Yun in the physical test, Cui Yun had merely benefited from his family’s advantage and received abundant spiritual energy nourishment; his exam performance would surely be inferior to his own.
Once Xu Luo got the exam paper, his mind settled considerably.
These questions… I can basically do all of them.
In the monitoring room, Zhou Jiang, as the supervisor for the first day of exams, was not only monitoring everyone’s movements and exam progress but also checking the candidates’ data.
While most people were focused on the rivalry between Xu Luo, Cui Yun, and others, shocked by Cui Yun’s comeback, he noticed another person.
This person’s comeback leap was second only to Cui Yun’s.
From 100th, she had charged directly to 20th.
Chen A’Diao, what a strange name, very unfamiliar.
But such explosive power indicated a very good physique, stronger than Xu Luo and the others. However, she hadn’t stood out in the early stages, suggesting poor stamina. Perhaps she hadn’t undergone enough marrow cleansings, her muscles hadn’t caught up, or she had just recently undergone cleansing.
Promising future.
Zhou Jiang pondered, filed Tian Zhongye’s data, and categorized it with Cui Yun, Xu Luo, and the others. But soon, Chen A’Diao’s file was also placed there.
After Level 2 encryption, only the principal of Jinling Academy now had the authority to view these files.
Time passed, minute by minute, and more and more people came in for the exam.
As she continued with the exam, A’Diao frowned.
What’s going on, it’s so difficult! Does Jinling Academy have such high standards for knowledge level?
Physics, Chemistry, Biology—so many high-difficulty questions I’ve never even seen before, concepts I’ve never learned at all! Especially Chemistry and Biology, damn it all!
Even in Language, there were some things she didn’t know.
A’Diao felt like crying but had no tears. For the first time, she felt that by staying cooped up in that small place, Qishan, she had missed out on so much.
No wonder the students of Jinling Academy looked down on examinees from other regions.
No, they looked down on all students in Danzhou outside of Jinling Academy!
They had the capital to do so.
Just then, bang!
Suddenly, with a loud noise, the wristwatch on an examinee’s wrist exploded. The examinee clutched their bleeding arm, crying out in pain.
Cheating?
Everyone was startled and looked over. They saw a teacher come in, drag the person away, and calmly explain, “It’s alright, don’t panic. It’s not cheating. They probably couldn’t do the questions, got too nervous, and their heart rate exceeded the red line. Generally, such cases are considered to have insufficient psychological fortitude and are directly eliminated.”
Holy crap, eliminated for that?
Aren’t we allowed to be a little nervous when we can’t do the questions?
And you didn’t say this before?!!
“You didn’t ask. Don’t be nervous, normally people wouldn’t…”
Before he could finish, the wristwatch of an examinee next to him also exploded. Then, their eyes rolled back, and their whole body twitched…
They fainted.
Fainted from fright.
The teacher remained calm. “It’s alright, don’t panic, it’s a small matter. Continue with your questions.”
Then, he single-handedly hoisted the burly youth and walked away leisurely.
There were nearly 3000 people in the examination hall, and now, basically 90% of the wristwatch heart rate data was skyrocketing.
Too terrifying.
Even Cui Yun and Xu Luo’s faces tensed slightly, a light cold sweat on their foreheads.
Initially, when they reviewed the questions, they found many they could do and felt the exam was in the bag. But soon, they discovered they had been naive. Some of the major questions they thought they could do contained many traps, and they fell into them as they worked. Luckily, they reacted and revised, but it wasted time. There were also some questions they simply couldn’t solve at all.
It was clear that the difficulty of this written exam was truly high and not to be underestimated.
Moreover, if they also had to manage their heart rate… being stuck on major questions and frightened by these incidents, their heart rates also began to approach the red line.
Is this an exam? This is a death examination hall!
The internal test didn’t have such a procedure! What’s going on!
Having no choice, they had to find smaller questions to do to relieve the pressure.
On the other side, A’Diao calmed down, quickly changed her strategy, and continued to look for some major questions within her knowledge system.
She didn’t feel stuck. Anyway, for the questions she chose to write, the moment she selected them, she was already 100% sure she could get them right.
But just because she could remain steady didn’t mean others could too.
Suddenly, bang!
Someone beside her flipped their desk, blood gushing wildly from their nose and mouth like a fountain.
Blood splattered onto her, dyeing even the virtual screen blood red.
A’Diao: “!!!”
In that instant, her heart rate skyrocketed… about to hit the red line.
It’s over. She was about to be forcibly removed from the examination hall.
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