An Unexpected Examination Method / The School of Fiction and Delusions
If it were him two years from now, Si Ming was confident he could win in a head-on fight. He wouldn't need to devise any specific tactics; he could just smash his opponent with his fists.
Chapter Ninety-Eight: An Unexpected Assessment Method
Having successfully passed the first round, Si Ming was invited to a side hall on the other side of the martial arts hall, a location symmetrical to the room where he had been waiting.
It's worth mentioning that the martial arts hall at Tange No. 1 Middle School adopts a dome structure and is divided into three parts. The middle building is the tallest, resembling a round stick pointing to the sky, while the two side buildings are shorter, like two inverted bowls.
In short, it has a design similar to the Armstrong Cannon.
It is said that the designer who originally built the martial arts hall believed that this shape would best inspire the fighting spirit of male creatures, representing the instinct of competition among their own kind in nature, and named it Weiyang Hall.
The original intention of installing the geomagnetic array was not for weight-bearing training, but to launch students wearing magnetic suits into the air through a device similar to a railgun, allowing them to experience the thrill of double bungee jumping and thus hone their courage.
By the way, the top of the cylindrical building can be opened.
However, after the actual construction, it turned out that, whether due to substandard building materials or problems with the design itself, the martial artists wearing magnetic suits couldn't shoot out at all; they could only get up to ten meters in the air, which did give the students a taste of aerial combat.
This eye-catching and suggestive architecture naturally gave the leaders of Tange No. 1 Middle School a major headache. However, they had already spent a huge amount of money on it, so they were reluctant to demolish it. They even worried that it might uncover some shady dealings. In the end, the matter was dropped, and at most, the designer was blacklisted.
Later, perhaps due to Curse, after the Weiyang Hall was built, the martial arts team of Tange No. 1 Middle School experienced a phenomenon of female dominance over male dominance. Every year, far more girls joined the martial arts team than boys, and in every martial arts competition, the girls won far more medals than the boys.
In other schools, at most "girls hold up half the sky," but at Tange No. 1 Middle School, "Girls hold up the whole sky."
According to statistics, since the Weiyang Hall was built, eight out of the ten Captain of the Tange No. 1 Middle School Wushu Team have been girls, and only two have been boys.
However, every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to the girls' abilities, Tange No. 1 Middle School boasts the most medals in Donghua Commandery, firmly holding the top spot. The girls' martial arts team is also one of the strongest teams in the country. After all, aside from gender-neutral competitions, in any gender-segregated competition, the total number of medals won by boys and girls is the same.
The school was quite satisfied with the results, but the boys in the school were somewhat ashamed.
Naturally, the Weiyang Hall was jokingly referred to as the Yangwei Hall by some well-meaning people.
Si Ming stayed in the Half-Testicle Hall, which the busybodies had been talking about, for a while. The winning candidates came in one or two groups, while the losing candidates were asked to leave the martial arts hall.
The two groups of winners combined totaled only eight people, a success rate of 20%.
When the third batch ended, Si Ming met Tao Chengsi. He looked somewhat disheveled, his bangs seemed to have been burned off, leaving a blank forehead, but he had a joyful smile on his face after his success. Upon seeing Si Ming, he quickly walked over.
"Thank you, Brother Si. If you hadn't exhausted a lot of that person's energy, I really wouldn't have been confident in persuading them."
"Persuade? Isn't that about winning?" Si Ming asked, puzzled.
"For Diplomatic School, persuasion and victory are the same thing," Tao Chengsi said, seemingly feeling lucky even to himself. Eager to share his success, he didn't mince words. "I just helped Senior Sister Ke analyze the situation. Instead of wasting energy on me, we should save it for the next three candidates."
"Did Senior Ke agree?"
Although it was difficult to get to know her, Si Ming didn't think Ke Chajing was someone who would be easily influenced by other people's words.
Sure enough, Tao Chengsi shook his head and said, "Of course not. However, during the competition, I told Senior Sister Ke about the information of the three candidates behind me. She seemed unwilling to owe me a favor, so she held back a little. I was lucky enough to catch her off guard and managed to create an opportunity for both sides to suffer heavy losses. In the end, the judges ruled that I passed."
Si Ming was stunned. He never expected that this guy would win by betraying information about other examinees. It was truly an unexpected method.
He didn't think Tao Chengsi's methods were particularly despicable; after all, he was betraying information about a competitor, not a comrade, so it was understandable.
Ultimately, being able to gather information about others in such a short time is an outstanding skill in itself. Observing people's expressions and expressions is one of the basic abilities of a martial artist. A martial artist who doesn't even have the ability to see clearly is bound to be taught a lesson by some people who pretend to be weak but are actually strong.
However, this was ultimately not a respectable practice. Si Ming could understand it, but he couldn't agree with it, so he gave up the idea of making further connections.
However, Tao Chengsi seemed to have lost the ability to read people's expressions. He didn't care about Si Ming's attitude at all and kept talking. Even if he was met with a cold shoulder, he still wanted to offer his warm face.
An hour later, the first round of assessments was over, and the winners of subsequent rounds entered the Half-Testicle Hall one by one. The total number did not exceed twenty, and the elimination rate was frighteningly high.
Si Ming saw several familiar faces inside, but due to their competitive relationship, he didn't go up to greet them, and besides, they weren't very close.
Then, all the candidates were asked to return to the hall.
Murong Zhe stood on the platform again and said, "Congratulations to all candidates for passing the first round of assessment. Next, I will announce the content of the second round of assessment."
As martial artists, your own strength is certainly the foundation for navigating society, but in the large community of school, you must learn the power of teamwork. As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. How to gain the trust of others and establish tacit understanding in a short time are also standards for testing a martial artist's abilities.
Eighteen people passed the first round of testing. You can freely form teams, with each team having a maximum of six members. The test will be against teachers selected by the school. The winning team will have all members admitted through special recruitment, while the losing team will be eliminated.
Of course, if you are very confident in your abilities and believe that your personal strength is enough to surpass that of a team, you can also choose not to team up with anyone and complete the challenge independently.
You have half an hour to prepare. Start the timer now!
The unexpected testing method shocked everyone present. No one expected that the martial arts special recruitment, which was supposed to assess individual strength, would become a test of teamwork. This was something that Tange No. 1 Middle School had never done before.
Si Ming snapped out of his daze and immediately looked at Tao Chengsi, asking suspiciously, "Did you anticipate this possibility?"
Because they anticipated that teamwork would be tested, they didn't mind trying to win over the other person and take the opportunity to build rapport, laying a solid foundation for the next round of assessments.
Is this guy some legendary sage?
Tao Chengsi smiled wryly and said, "I don't possess the ability to predict the future, so how could I possibly guess the thoughts of a high school teacher? I just thought that it wouldn't hurt to build a good relationship with a master, so I shamelessly struck up a conversation with you, brother. After all, you can't hit a smiling face, and for Diplomatic School, the most common meal they get is being turned away."
"You think I'm an expert?"
"Of course, being able to defeat Ke Chajing, the Captain of the martial arts team, even using restrained martial arts, is enough to prove your strength, especially after I personally experienced Ke Chajing's Iron Refining Hand. I am even more convinced that your skills are among the top three of all the candidates, if not the best. Knowing that you have such a powerful backer, why don't you try to curry favor with him? If the founder of Guigu were to be resurrected, he would definitely kill me with one palm."
Si Ming thought for a moment and accepted this explanation, "Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. If we form a team, our interests will be tied together, and I won't be afraid of your betrayal. The most important thing right now is to gather the members as quickly as possible, so that no one can make a move before we can get six people."
Since it's a team effort, the more people the better. Losing one person means losing a bit of fighting power. Even if they end up being a burden, at worst, they can just watch from the sidelines.
Tao Chengsi said, "I know a Confucian School friend; I should be able to recruit him."
Si Ming glanced around the scene and spotted Xiong Aixin and Yun Yinmo, whom he had met briefly at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament. He then said, "I know two people, but I'm not sure I can get them in. Let's just get started anyway."
Chapter Ninety-Nine: School of Fiction and Paranoia