Opening Assessment

[Jupiter City Fourth Middle School]

The new spring semester had begun.

After the routine morning run, the third-year students stayed behind as the principal announced the teaching plan for their final semester.

"Students! In the coming semester, we will enter the final sprint phase. I believe most of you are ready for this adjustment.

While the existing curriculum remains unchanged, the dismissal time for third-year students will be extended from 5:40 PM to 9:40 PM.

The school will provide free nutritious dinners and optional boarding services. We recommend that students with commutes exceeding 40 minutes opt for boarding.

Evening classes will commence at 6:30 PM after dinner.

This will be followed by two hours of intensive evening physical training.

After a ten-minute break, the final hour of class will be determined by each student's strongest subject.

Today, we will conduct a baseline test for all third-year students, using the same format as the [advancement] exams.

During the day, you will take written tests in classrooms for cultural studies and logical thinking. In the evening, there will be a comprehensive physical assessment.

Your specific performance will ultimately determine your evening class assignments."

The principal's words were concise and to the point. Most students at Fourth Middle School had adjusted their conditions during the winter break, prepared to face the demanding half-year ahead.

The morning was dedicated to cultural studies exams, covering fields such as history, geography, humanities, arts, and psychology. These were the subjects Luo Di felt least confident about, as his grades typically placed him in the middle.

Although cultural studies constituted a smaller portion, accounting for only 20% of the [advancement] score, students who ranked within the top 100 city-wide for their cultural studies performance would be admitted to [University] for further academic pursuits.

After the assembly concluded, students gradually returned to their classrooms, preparing for the three-hour cultural studies examination.

Gao Yuxuan sat at his desk, eyes closed, resting. This was his strongest area; if he performed well, he could secure not only first place in the class but also a top-three ranking for the entire grade.

Given the significant importance of this exam, the proctors were not teachers from their own class.

A male teacher, carrying a stack of test papers, entered the classroom. His eyes were slightly sunken, and his complexion was pale, though his attire was neat and presentable.

He walked with heavy steps, appearing to struggle just holding the stack of papers. It was rare to see someone so thin in this era.

While the teacher organized the papers, students began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Isn't that the cultural studies teacher from Class One?"

"I think his surname is Guo. People in his class say his teaching methods are very strange, which is why Class One's overall cultural studies performance isn't great, and their classes are often cut short for physical education."

Luo Di, seated by the window, did not join the discussion and was completely uninterested in the content.

He merely found the teacher to be peculiar, in a way he couldn't quite articulate.

As Luo Di observed Teacher Guo's extremely thin frame, his peripheral vision caught a visual cue. He turned his head and saw the class monitor, seated in the middle of the classroom, looking in his direction and giving him an exaggerated thumbs-up.

The exam began.

Five test papers, covering various fields of cultural knowledge, with a tight three-hour time limit.

However, not long after the exam started, Luo Di's "habit" involuntarily surfaced as he focused on his work.

[Click]

The sound of his tongue clicking was exceptionally loud in the sealed and quiet classroom.

Even Luo Di himself was startled.

He suddenly remembered that due to his tongue-clicking habit, his exams last semester had all been arranged to be taken in the teacher's office alone. He had completely forgotten about this for the new semester's baseline test.

As some students cast glances his way, the proctor approached his seat.

Luo Di explained the situation as quietly as possible, intending to take his test papers to the faculty office to complete the exam.

But just as Luo Di prepared to stand, a hand gently rested on his shoulder.

With a firm and exceptionally standard Mandarin pronunciation, Teacher Guo spoke, "I saw you go to the office alone for exams last semester. Is this a habit you can't control?"

"Yes."

"There's no need to go to the office. Continue with your test.

After you graduate, you will face all sorts of situations. Often, the exam environment won't be as quiet as this. You'll need to quickly access the knowledge stored in your minds amidst chaos and urgency.

If you can't even tolerate this minor noise, then perhaps you shouldn't be taking the exam.

The same applies to other students. Don't worry about your posture, don't deliberately restrict yourselves. If you need to cough, cough. If you need to shout, it's fine. As long as it's not intentional disruption, it doesn't matter.

Of course, if you're caught cheating, I'll be the first one to expose you.

Study well."

The students in Class Five were also bewildered. It was their first time hearing such a "standard" during an exam.

But as they gradually accepted Teacher Guo's advice, the physical and mental tension began to ease. It felt as if they had returned to the unrestrained state of the winter break, and the knowledge buried deep in their minds was slowly being accessed.

As for Luo Di's tongue-clicking sound, they had actually grown accustomed to it last semester, and it had become mere background noise.

After the entire exam, everyone wasn't as tired as before, and some were even excited about their exceptional performance.

The test papers were collected.

Luo Di watched the retreating back of Teacher Guo, and for a moment, he wanted to listen to the teacher's class.

"What are you looking at? Is Teacher Guo that good-looking... Let's go~ Let's hurry up and eat."

The class monitor walked over and bumped Luo Di's shoulder. Gao Yuxuan was already waiting outside the classroom.

"Class monitor, do you know this teacher?"

"Not really familiar. I've interacted with him occasionally when helping out in the office before. Teacher Guo is a strange person. His desk is piled with all sorts of non-academic books. He doesn't seem to like using conventional lesson plans or making presentations; he prefers to teach spontaneously.

I heard he's a graduate of an excellent university, but he's quite reclusive... much like you."

"Oh."

After a satisfying lunch, the afternoon's logic analysis exam was also a written test, but it was designed very uniquely.

A specially processed wooden box was given to each student. They had to find a way to open the box to retrieve the test paper inside. If the wooden box was damaged, they would be deducted 50 points directly.

The test paper itself had only one question:

Based on the multi-person scenario presented through text and images, and the very limited information, write a comprehensive reasoning process for the event and provide a character sketch of the main individuals involved.

Some students might finish their answers in an hour, while others might not finish writing until the end of the exam, or even fail to reach the key points.

Luo Di's answer today was quite perfect, perhaps related to the events he had recently experienced.

Soon, it was time for the most important part of the night.

Previously, they would have already returned home by this time. This was the first time everyone had stayed at school in the evening, and most were somewhat unaccustomed to it. Even more unaccustomed was the first-ever nighttime physical fitness test.

This was also the most crucial test, divided into three main events:

[Speed], [Strength], and [Comprehensive Combat].

Even though the temperature was still around 10℃, most students had changed into light sportswear.

Among them, the class monitor's black tight-fitting outfit was the most eye-catching, especially the silver letter-[I]-printed on the upper chest.

There were a total of 17 classes in the third year, with 721 students.

Luo Di, Wu Wen, and Gao Yuxuan, although ranking in the top three within Class 5 of the third year, their rankings would change significantly when compared to the entire grade.

According to the final physical fitness test results from the previous semester:

Luo Di ranked third in the grade.

Wu Wen ranked tenth in the grade.

Gao Yuxuan ranked thirty-first in the grade.

It's worth mentioning that Gao Yuxuan's cultural studies ranked first in the grade.

The first test was [Speed], and the method was called the 'thousand-hundred run' by the students.

The method was simple:

Students were required to complete a 100-meter and a 1000-meter run simultaneously. The first 100 meters of the start required a full sprint, and the teacher would record the 100-meter time.

Then, without stopping, they would continue to complete the 1000-meter run.

The final score would be based on the times of both speed measurements.

Additionally, one point must be specifically clarified:

Both the current opening assessment and the final [advancement] that affects everyone's future allow for the use of appropriate auxiliary means, and there are very comprehensive regulations.

The use of drugs that comply with regulations and do not cause harm to the body is permitted (dosage is limited).

Auxiliary equipment and prosthetics are allowed (only basic auxiliary types that do not affect the growth and development of minors).

After all, everyone will face various dangerous situations in the future, and these items can also be used to assist in combat.

To ensure fairness, the use of drugs and the wearing of clothing will result in a certain deduction from the final score.

This physical fitness test was conducted sequentially according to class order.

Coincidentally, Luo Di and the other two, whose student numbers were not far apart, were assigned to the same group for the [Speed] test.

As Luo Di walked onto the edge lane assigned to him, he immediately felt a discordant atmosphere.

The class monitor, positioned in the second lane, had already assumed a standard starting posture. Her face no longer held its usual gentleness but exuded an overwhelming aura.

Perhaps sensing the gaze from the edge lane, the class monitor, who had been looking straight ahead at the track, stiffly turned her head. The seriousness on her face instantly switched to a smile. She also raised one hand to wave and casually pointed to the special clothing she was wearing.

Gao Yuxuan, running in the middle lane, had already adjusted his sports glasses. When he sensed the interaction between the two, he deliberately shrank his body.

At this moment, the teacher at the starting line slowly raised the starting pistol.

Everyone immediately switched to a crouched starting position, tensing the muscles in their calves.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

Luo Di caught the command almost instantly, his muscles driving his entire body into a perfect start.

The hours of targeted night runs every evening were paying off at this moment. Luo Di naturally adopted the exact running posture shown in the textbook.

Even Luo Di himself could clearly feel that this start was almost perfect, perhaps even enough to contend with the class monitor in terms of speed.

However, He had expected that a perfect start would at least secure him the first thirty meters, with no opponents running parallel to him in his peripheral vision.

Indeed, his peripheral vision didn't catch anyone parallel to him.

But... Luo Di's left-side vision caught sight of someone, someone running in a very odd manner, who had already completely surpassed him the moment the race began.

The class monitor!?

The class monitor, clad in a tight black suit, had already overtaken him by about three body lengths.

Furthermore, her running posture was completely unconventional, far from the so-called "standard." Her upper body was tilted forward significantly, relying on an exaggerated stride frequency and a leg span that seemed to tear her legs apart to keep her body balanced.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, she would have already fallen.

Whoosh!

The class monitor was the first to cross the hundred-meter mark.

The speed display showed an astonishing number: 9'55.