Shi Yan frowned slightly as he sized up the campus belle before him.
No, you wanted me to stop pestering you. Now that I had, you were unhappy instead?
"If you have nothing to do, don't block other people's way."
he said.
That only made Lu Jiaojiao bristle even more.
Her barely graspable chest heaved violently, and her eyes seemed ready to spit fire.
She felt as though a pet had slipped beyond her control—and now that pet was even looking down on her, despising her!
"I came here to get certified as a warrior. Whose way am I blocking?!"
Her voice rose several notches as she stated her purpose here to bolster her own courage.
Yet the moment she finished speaking, she quickly calmed down and turned to look at Shi Yan with mockery.
That was right. She was about to become a noble First-Order Warrior. Why should she get worked up over a piece of trash?
Shi Yan was merely putting on a calm front now, wasn't he?
What was D-class garbage doing at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall?
He had definitely come here for her. There were just too many people here, so he was too embarrassed to say much.
If they were somewhere with fewer people, Shi Yan might already have knelt and apologized to her.
Shi Yan could not be bothered to waste words. He went around her and walked straight into the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
"Hmph, I'd like to see how long you can keep up this act!"
Lu Jiaojiao snorted coldly and followed after him.
"Jiaojiao, do you want me to find someone to teach him a lesson?"
The young master in gold-rimmed glasses beside her leaned closer, his gaze toward Shi Yan filled with hostility.
He had pursued Lu Jiaojiao for a long time. Now that the beauty had practically thrown herself into his arms, there was no way he could let her slip away.
Especially now that Lu Jiaojiao had awakened an A-class special ability. She was a hot commodity, someone who would be fought over even in the Great Cities.
"There's no need, Brother Dai. He's just trash with 1.7 cards of vitality. He can't affect me at all."
Lu Jiaojiao instantly changed her demeanor and discreetly activated a trace of her charm ability, mesmerizing the man in glasses until he trembled where he stood.
After that, the two held hands and followed behind Shi Yan.
Today, she had to see Shi Yan make a fool of himself!
"Qualified. You may proceed with certification."
The certification staff member returned Shi Yan's student ID, handed him a form, and gave him a signature smile.
That smile was far more comfortable than Lu Jiaojiao's fake one.
Shi Yan smiled back and accepted his student ID.
Warrior certification required several prerequisites. For instance, one had to be mentally sound.
His student ID could display his current information. Fortunately, the original owner of this body had been perfectly normal.
Holding the form, he entered the hall next door.
This was where First-Order Warriors were officially certified. It was divided into two sections: a vitality test area and a strength test area, covering a total of eight hundred square meters.
Perhaps because First-Order Warriors were relatively basic, the area was open to the public, allowing everyone to see the data on the testing machines.
The moment he entered, Shi Yan saw quite a few people.
Of course, most of them were companions of those taking the test.
After all, this was only the First Order. As long as one's awakened special ability was not too poor and one's family circumstances were decent, they could pile up enough resources to reach the First Order.
After submitting his form, Shi Yan spent five minutes waiting in line.
"Just place your palm on the testing platform. Be mentally prepared—anything below ten cards is considered a failure."
Beside the vitality testing machine stood a delicate young woman, whose smile was still more pleasant than Lu Jiaojiao's.
Crack, crack.
Not far away, Lu Jiaojiao clenched her fists until they cracked.
Damn it! Compared to the cold face Shi Yan had shown her earlier, his smile at a mere attendant was like needles stabbing into her.
"You're really going to keep pretending, huh? Shi Yan, I want to see how long you can keep act—Impossible!!"
Suddenly, Lu Jiaojiao's gritted rage turned into a cry of alarm.
Her eyes widened and her small mouth fell open as she stared at the display screen of the testing device.
"Holy shit, 21 cards!"
The young master beside her removed his glasses and rubbed them, equally stunned.
"Jiaojiao, didn't you say he didn't even have 2 cards?"
Lu Jiaojiao did not respond. She merely stared at the number, trying to find a decimal point between the 2 and the 1.
Unfortunately, it was still 21 cards.
She waited for the attendant to speak, to say that the machine had malfunctioned.
But what she received instead was the attendant's shock and respect.
"Congratulations, Mr. Shi. Twenty-one cards." The attendant's face was piled with smiles. "My name is Xiao Wei. I'll accompany you to the next strength test area."
As she spoke, she unconsciously pressed the red button on a device at her waist.
That was the button for summoning the Curator-in-Chief!
Just eighteen years old, a senior high school student, and 21 cards.
All that information came together to form only two words: genius.
Baiyun City had not seen a student reach the twenty-card threshold in their senior year of high school for many years.
Even among high schools in Jiangnan Base City, this figure placed him among the very top handful.
One could think with one's knees and know that Shi Yan would shine brilliantly in the College Entrance Examination three days later.
This was someone the martial arts hall had to win over!
"Look, 21 cards!"
At that moment, others began to notice Shi Yan's vitality value as well, and cries of astonishment rose one after another.
"My god, he looks so young!"
"Vitality starting with a 2 in the First-Order certification area? Is this a joke?"
"Yeah, everyone else is at eleven or twelve cards. This guy has gone way over the limit."
"Fuck, he's wearing... a school uniform!?"
"I'm thirty years old and only have 11 cards."
The cries of shock were like sharp spikes stabbing into Lu Jiaojiao, making her expression grow darker and darker.
Damn it, wasn't Shi Yan supposed to be trash? How did he have so much vitality?
She had wanted to mock Shi Yan, but now she was the one who looked like a clown.
"Hmph, Shi Yan has a cousin. His cousin must have secretly given him a lot of medicine."
She found Shi Yan a seemingly reasonable explanation, then quickly left the place, afraid that Shi Yan would see her expression.
At the same time, she secretly made up her mind that she would definitely make Shi Yan pay.
A bootlicker should have the self-awareness of a bootlicker. Once he was no longer useful, he should disappear instead of coming here to slap her in the face!
Meanwhile.
Shi Yan stepped down from the testing platform. Those voices made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
Then he looked at the beautiful Xiao Wei walking toward him.
"We're... not testing over there?"
Shi Yan pointed toward the other section of the hall, where there were also ten machines for testing strength.
"Yes." Xiao Wei nodded and made a welcoming gesture. "Your data is rather special, so we have a quieter testing room."
"Alright."
Shi Yan glanced at the unceasing gazes directed this way, then headed toward the elevator Xiao Wei had indicated.
Very soon, the two arrived on the fifth floor.
Compared to the clamor on the first floor, this place was much quieter. Only a figure in white stood silently in the corridor.
"You did well. You may go back down."
The figure in white turned and spoke to Xiao Wei.
Only then did Shi Yan get a clear look at the other man. He was middle-aged.
He wore a long robe bearing a faint yin-yang fish pattern. Though his hair was completely white, it had been cut short, making him look energetic and resolute.
"Yes."
Praised by the man, Xiao Wei became so excited that even her slightly chubby cheeks turned red.
Shi Yan's expression also grew solemn. He inclined his body slightly in greeting.
"This junior, Shi Yan, greets Curator Mo."
Mo Changfeng, the Curator-in-Chief of Baiyun City's Extreme Martial Arts Hall, a Seventh-Order Martial General!
If one were to name the strongest people in Baiyun City, Mo Changfeng would definitely be among them.
As a major figure who often appeared on television, Shi Yan recognized him.
He simply did not understand why getting certified as a warrior had drawn such an important person here.
"Haha, no need for such formalities."
Mo Changfeng's voice was like thunder. Without any visible movement, he was already standing before Shi Yan as he spoke.
"Come in with me. The instruments here are more precise."
With a light flick of his finger, a closed door beside them immediately opened.
Shi Yan swept his gaze through it and found the room extremely spacious, containing only two machines.
But just from their appearance, he could tell they were far more expensive than the ones downstairs.
"Come, give it a try."
At some point, Mo Changfeng had appeared beside the dark-red machine on the left and looked toward Shi Yan outside the door.
Shi Yan did not stand on ceremony. He entered and, just as he had downstairs, placed his hand on the metal platform protruding from the machine.
In only three seconds, a blue light screen popped up, clearly displaying the number "21.72."
It truly was precise. It even displayed two digits after the decimal point.
At the sight of that number, a sharp glint flashed through Mo Changfeng's eyes.
He really was a genius.
After Xiao Wei sent the alert, he had quickly investigated Shi Yan's background. The result was... no background at all.
To possess such dazzling vitality without anyone supporting him—if that was not genius, what was?
"Good. Now let's test your strength."
As he spoke, he appeared beside a dark-golden machine some distance away.
Before you continue