Abnormal Information, Falsified Records?

As Chen Fan stepped through the school gates, which looked like a creation out of myth, an invisible, immense pressure enveloped him in an instant, like an undercurrent in the deep sea.

The air was no longer filled with spiritual energy alone, but with a unique aura mingled with the presences of countless experts: weighty, sharp, and overbearing.

Most of the students walking along the school road were twelve or thirteen years old. They wore matching dark-black uniforms, walked with steady strides, and had gazes as sharp as lightning.

Powerful Qi and Blood surged within every one of them, far surpassing that of their peers in East Sea City. Even the weakest had an aura that could rival Wei Zhe's back then.

"Do you see them?" Li Guangming lowered his voice, his expression grave. "The ones with silver flowing-cloud patterns on their cuffs are the sixth-grade elites about to graduate from Tian Nan City First Martial Dao Elementary School. Every one of them has at least thirty-five calories of Qi and Blood. In any ordinary city, they would be the very top monsters."

Chen Fan swept his gaze over them and nodded calmly.

The two crossed a vast plaza and arrived at a magnificent hall with a towering dome.

This was the registration office for the independent admissions examination.

Inside the hall, a sea of people filled the space.

The top geniuses from the thirty-six cities of the Jiangnan Region had gathered here, accompanied by their teachers and elders. The air was thick with tension and scrutiny, and every gaze held wariness and aloof pride.

There were no weaklings here. Everyone who could stand here was as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin horn in their own city.

A middle-aged teacher wearing glasses was in charge of registration. He sat behind a broad counter, his face wearing an expression of mechanical numbness.

Clearly, he had seen far too many so-called geniuses over the past few days and had long since become immune to all manner of dazzling records.

"Next."

Li Guangming took a deep breath, stepped forward, and handed over Chen Fan's identity Optical Brain and the recommendation letter from East Sea Martial Arts Elementary School.

Without even looking up, the middle-aged teacher accepted the documents and began entering the information on the Optical Brain with practiced ease.

"Name, Chen Fan. Place of origin, East Sea City..."

He muttered as his fingers flew across the virtual keyboard. But the instant the candidate's key details, including his age, were read from the identity Optical Brain and popped up automatically—

The middle-aged teacher's fingers abruptly stopped tapping.

His entire movement froze, as though he had been encased in ice in an instant.

He thought the system had malfunctioned. It happened often enough. Frowning, he refreshed the information entry screen.

The two bright-red digits on the light screen stubbornly remained where they were.

[Age: 8]

The middle-aged teacher's body jolted, and he finally raised his head.

His eyes, hidden behind thick lenses, looked over the tall counter and fixed on the little boy who stood only a head taller than the countertop and was looking calmly back at him.

Astonishment appeared on his face first, followed by a sense of absurdity, and finally utter disbelief.

He had seen twelve-year-olds with thirty calories of Qi and Blood, and eleven-year-olds who had reached minor mastery in fist arts.

But eight years old...

Shouldn't an eight-year-old still be playing in the mud in the second grade of martial arts elementary school?

How could one have shown up at the Jiangnan No. 1 High School independent admissions examination?

"Ahem."

The middle-aged teacher shot to his feet so abruptly that he knocked over the chair behind him.

He didn't notice at all. The mechanical numbness on his face melted away in an instant, replaced by a solemn expression tinged with doubt and trembling.

"Chen Fan... is that right?"

He came around the counter and personally handled the remaining procedures for Chen Fan, a trace of awe in his voice that even he had not noticed.

"Are you sure... you're taking the upcoming assessment on your own?"

"Mm."

Chen Fan nodded calmly.

After receiving his affirmative answer, the way the middle-aged teacher looked at Chen Fan changed completely.

Once registration was complete, Chen Fan received a metal bracelet engraved with the number "A-37."

Guided by a staff member, he walked with the other candidates toward a separate, heavy alloy door at the far end of the hall.

Beyond the door lay the actual examination site. All accompanying parents and teachers had to wait in the waiting area outside.

As they parted, Li Guangming patted Chen Fan firmly on the shoulder. His cloudy old eyes were filled with unprecedented expectation and heroic fervor.

"Go on."

"Show these so-called geniuses of the Jiangnan Region what a real monster looks like!"

Meanwhile.

At Jiangnan No. 1 High School, on the top floor, in the admissions director's office overlooking the entire campus.

A middle-aged man in a crisp uniform, with a dignified face and an imposing presence even without anger, leaned back in a broad chair as he reviewed the records of this year's top independent admissions candidates.

He was Wei Tianlong, the highest-ranking official in Jiangnan No. 1 High School's admissions office.

Several files marked S-rank by the system were displayed clearly on his personal optical computer.

[Tian Nan City, Qin Family, Qin Wuyue, female, age 12. Qi and Blood: 68.2 calories. Evaluation: a sword dao prodigy, expected to comprehend Embryonic Sword Intent before graduation.]

[Beiyang City, Hong Family, Hong Yi, male, age 12. Qi and Blood: 69.5 calories. Evaluation: a born warrior with an incomparably powerful physique.]

Looking at the records, Wei Tianlong revealed a faint smile of satisfaction on his otherwise calm face.

They were all promising talents. If nurtured, they could become pillars of the Federation in the future.

He picked up his teacup, ready to rest for a moment, when his Optical Brain gave a faint chime.

A file automatically marked [Abnormal data] by the main system and raised to the highest priority forcibly popped up.

Wei Tianlong frowned slightly, displeased.

Most cases the system deemed abnormal were caused by faulty testing equipment, or by certain small cities falsifying data to attract attention.

He casually opened the file and glanced over it.

[East Sea City, Chen Fan, male.]

[Age: 8.]

[Qi and Blood test result: 57.0 calories.]

"Pfft!"

The mouthful of premium spiritual tea Wei Tianlong had just taken sprayed out, splattering the light screen in front of him.

His expression of calm composure and complete control froze and shattered in an instant!

The next second, he sprang from his seat, his eyes sharp as a hawk's as they locked onto the glaring "8" on the light screen, and the number that followed, which made his scalp tingle even more!

He whispered involuntarily, his voice filled with shock that overturned everything he knew.

"Eight years old... fifty-seven calories?!"

"East Sea City? What forgotten corner... did this monster crawl out of?!"

Wei Tianlong's mind raced, countless possibilities flashing through it.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Tianlong immediately activated his highest-level authorization and opened an internal communication channel. In a deep voice, he gave the person on the other end of the Optical Brain an unquestionable order:

"Switch all monitoring access for examination site A-37 to my main screen immediately!"

"I want to..."

He clenched both fists, an unprecedented blazing light bursting from his eyes.

"Invigilate personally!"

He did not believe an eight-year-old child could raise his Qi and Blood to 57 calories. A favored son of heaven like that might not appear at Jiangnan No. 1 High School even once in several years!

Most importantly... those favored sons of heaven all had powerful martial artists backing them, while Chen Fan was merely a student from East Sea City, a small city.