Monitoring List

The broadcast continued.

"...Candidates, please now enter the modular examination halls in an orderly manner. Follow the numbers called by the on-site Examiners. First undergo a blood test, then proceed to the total true qi assessment..."

"...While waiting, remember to keep your mind calm. You may circulate your qi slowly, but do not overdo it and affect the examination..."

Zhou Leng carried his backpack toward Modular Examination Hall No. 4.

Countless students, holding their admission tickets and ID cards, headed toward their respective examination halls.

The modular hall was packed with chairs, each one labeled with a number.

Zhou Leng casually chose seat 098 and set down his backpack.

Rows of tables stood before the seats, with someone in white hospital attire seated behind each one.

Beyond them stood rows of white testing booths.

"All students, after putting down your backpacks, come wait at the front. Follow the examination numbers displayed on the screens to begin blood-draw testing. Don't worry, it'll be just like usual. As long as you haven't used prohibited drugs, there won't be a problem..."

Zhou Leng did not squeeze into the crowded front area. He stood somewhere more spacious and looked toward the display screens on each table.

On the ten screens, examination numbers and the names of candidates slowly scrolled past.

Zhou Leng did not see his own number or name.

"There I am." A tall, thin boy raised his ID card and admission ticket as he made his way through the crowd, and everyone gave way.

Zhou Leng swept his gaze around. He did not see anyone from his class. There were a few students from other classes, but none he knew well.

Suddenly, a familiar male student looked over as well. Zhou Leng met his gaze, and the two nodded lightly.

"I didn't expect to be in the same examination hall as Crown Prince Rao..."

Rao Mingxian had been in different classes from him in both middle school and high school. They had played a few basketball games together and exchanged a few words, no more than nodding acquaintances.

Zhou Leng had attended No. 59 Middle School. Rao Mingxian was the grandson of No. 59 Middle School's principal, so he had been called Crown Prince during middle school.

Rao Mingxian had been utterly unremarkable in high school until a year ago, when his strength suddenly rose step by step.

His written-exam scores had always been poor, but his physical-test and Martial Examination scores were astonishing. At his highest, he had ranked ninth in the entire school.

Before long, Zhou Leng saw his own name. He squeezed through the crowd, stepped forward, and sat before Table No. 7.

"Hold out your hand. Don't be nervous..." said the masked nurse.

Zhou Leng extended his arm. The nurse first checked his examination number, then quickly drew a small amount of blood.

"You may leave now."

"Thank you," Zhou Leng said politely. Pressing his right hand over the puncture wound, he walked out of the crowd.

Once everyone had finished having blood drawn, an examiner's voice rang through the hall. Empowered by true qi, it reached every corner of the massive modular hall with perfect clarity.

"Next, there will be three static true qi tests, three circulating true qi tests, three dynamic true qi tests, and three full-force true qi burst tests. All students may circulate qi slowly or warm up in place, but do not disturb others... As before, enter according to the displays on the screens..."

The first batch of examination numbers appeared on the screens, and ten students entered the testing booths.

Zhou Leng slowly moved his body and circulated his qi at an unhurried pace.

Soon, Zhou Leng stepped forward and entered Testing Booth No. 7.

A white-and-blue instrument stood inside the booth, resembling a large washing machine.

A female doctor in glasses and a mask smiled. "Don't be nervous. Sit in the chair and face the measuring instrument..."

Zhou Leng calmly sat down in the chair, facing the measuring instrument.

A faint red glow shone from the instrument directly before his abdomen.

Zhou Leng examined it carefully. This measuring instrument was newer than the school's, and some parts of it bore deep-blue demonic patterns.

After the Technological Civilization ended, much technological power could no longer be used, accelerating humanity's cooperation with the Demon Spirit World.

The Ten Realms had gained many demonized items that fused demonic energy and technology.

"All right, don't do anything now. Don't circulate your cultivation. Maintain your current state..."

Beep.

The female doctor glanced at the instrument's true qi imaging, then looked at Zhou Leng again. Her gaze grew gentler.

Beep.

Beep.

It sounded three times in total.

"All right. Now close your eyes and circulate your cultivation. Testing will begin in three minutes."

Zhou Leng began circulating the Mystic Tide Art.

Before long, the testing instrument beeped three more times in succession.

"Now stand up. Walk back and forth in front of the measuring instrument while circulating your internal cultivation..." As she spoke, the female doctor raised the instrument's position.

Zhou Leng moved the chair aside, faced the measuring instrument, and walked back and forth.

Two minutes later, the measuring instrument let out three beeps.

"Very good. Now circulate your cultivation with all your strength. Do not hold anything back. When you reach your limit, nod once."

"All right!"

Zhou Leng sat down again before the measuring instrument and circulated the Mystic Tide Art.

With every additional level of the Mystic Tide Art, its internal cultivation could be stacked once.

Beginner, proficient, masterful, minor accomplishment—four layers could be stacked in total.

After stacking four layers, Zhou Leng exerted it with all his strength. When he felt that he had reached his limit, he nodded lightly.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"All right, it's over. You may leave and rest. Don't forget to return this afternoon for the true qi intensity test," the female doctor reminded him kindly.

"Thank you, sis," Zhou Leng said.

Behind her mask, the female doctor's lips curved slightly upward.

After Zhou Leng left through the rear entrance of the modular examination hall, a group of straight-backed men and women approached from the opposite direction.

The man at the front wore the camouflage uniform of the Martial Guard Department. His expression was icy, and a three-inch scar ran across his forehead. Every step he took was far longer than an ordinary person's, forcing the others to hurry after him.

The man was extraordinarily tall, visibly over two meters ten.

Zhou Leng looked at the insignia on the man's shoulder. Colonel.

The two groups passed each other.

"We must guard strictly against a sneak attack by the Demon-Worshiping Cult. There can't be the slightest slack," said the leader.

"Yes, Captain."

"There were no problems with the blood tests, right?"

"So far, apart from some signs of high energy, no prohibited pill components have been found."

"Hm."

The towering man entered Zhou Leng's examination hall, and the others followed.

They headed toward the blood testing room behind the testing booths.

"How is this examination hall?"

"Two high-energy blood samples have already been reported and their data sent back. One belongs to Rao Mingxian. His grandfather is the principal of No. 59 Middle School, and his results have exploded over the past two years, so there shouldn't be much of an issue. The other one... Captain Wang, please take a look." The doctor handed over a demonized tablet.

Wang Boxiong took the tablet.

The portrait on it was precisely that of the candidate who had just passed by them.

"Zhou Leng..."

Wang Boxiong flipped through Zhou Leng's records.

Ru City No. 8 High School... Ranked 73,214th... Injured half a year ago... After the injury, his palm techniques, footwork, and true qi control improved drastically... His father was a fallen Sea-Calming Army soldier...

When Wang Boxiong saw the words "Sea-Calming Army," his stern gaze softened slightly.

Then, he fixed his eyes on one section of the file.

Uncle: Ma Xingkong.

Wang Boxiong's expression did not change as he turned to the test results.

As he read, Wang Boxiong said, "It doesn't look like there's any major problem. You're the doctor. What do you think?"

"An ice-type reaction. It isn't any known high-energy source, and there are no signs of demonic cultivation either. Its nature... feels very pure to me. It probably has nothing to do with Demon Prison. But the total amount is simply too small, so it has little research value. Unless he displays some extraordinary talent in the future, it will only be filed away without receiving much attention."

"Let me sense that tube of blood," Wang Boxiong said.

"All right." The doctor took out the collection tube containing Zhou Leng's blood.

Wang Boxiong gently held it in his hand, closed his eyes, and circulated his qi.

Everyone around him held their breath.

This Wang Boxiong was a renowned innate master who had been famous for years, with one foot already stepping into the Grandmaster Realm.

A moment later, Wang Boxiong returned the blood collection tube and nodded. "No problem. It's a very upright ice-type aura. There's a small chance he may awaken a Qi Extraordinary Body, but his ranking... hard to say."

Wang Boxiong turned and left. The others let out breaths of relief and followed behind him.

As he walked, Wang Boxiong said, "Still no movement from the Demon-Worshiping Cult?"

"No."

"I am currently serving concurrently as the head of the Ru University Affiliated Martial Arts Academy. I can barely spare enough attention for everything. You must not slack off. At the first sign of wind or rustle of grass, report it immediately."

"Yes."

Wang Boxiong led his people in spot inspections all the way until the morning examination ended.

"Go get something to eat. We'll continue patrolling this afternoon..." Wang Boxiong suddenly stopped and lightly pressed the earpiece in his left ear with his right hand.

The others hurriedly stopped as well.

Wang Boxiong said, "Guess how many places Zhou Leng, the one with the high-energy blood sample earlier, has risen now?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"More than twenty-two thousand places. He's been placed on the key monitoring list."

Everyone fell into thought. That degree of improvement in ranking was rather exaggerated.

"Deputy Director Lu invited me to secretly proctor this afternoon. If there's no problem, then so be it. But if his overall results are too bizarre, he'll undergo verification tomorrow."

That afternoon, as the examination approached, Zhou Leng arrived at the testing site again with Zhang Xinglie.

When he entered the testing booth once more, the cameras inside turned toward Zhou Leng.

In the proctoring room not far away, Wang Boxiong and the others watched multi-angle surveillance footage on the screens.

"There was no issue with the testing process. This time, Director Liu is handling the test..."

"You've all seen the intensity peak graph. It's even more outrageous than his true qi volume. His overall ranking improvement should exceed forty thousand places."

"He may possess a true qi-related talent. I contacted his internal cultivation teacher at noon and asked a few simple questions." Deputy Director Lu smiled in praise.

"If no problem can be found, his Martial Examination results should qualify him for the supplementary admissions examination of a Martial Dao university."

"Captain Wang, what do you think?"

"Looking at his true qi intensity curve, it's both stable and strong. Even if it was forced up with pills, his foundation has no issues whatsoever. I pulled up his dantian true qi imaging. His total volume cannot compare to a top genius like Zhang Xinglie, but it is extremely solid, cultivated through real training."

"How about this? Request instructions from our superiors. After he completes the third examination tomorrow, conduct a second verification."

"But if there's nothing wrong with him, it won't look good if word gets out."

"We're handling matters according to the rules and regulations. Let our superiors decide."

No. 8 High School, principal's office.

"...That was what Deputy Director Lu told me. I answered truthfully and kept praising that child Zhou Leng."

"What do you think is the reason?" Principal Lu looked toward Sun Xiong.

"Clearly, Zhou Leng's results have exceeded expectations. Of course, there may also be unexpected factors."

Principal Lu frowned. "I've looked into that child Zhou Leng as well. He was already harmed miserably by demons, and now that his body has recovered, it's only natural for his results to improve. If something like an examination-site recheck leaks out, it would be very bad for No. 8 High School and for that child."

"I expressed that tactfully as well, but he did not seem to take it in."

"I slapped the table with him once back then, and I'm not afraid to do it a second time. Zhou Leng is a student of our No. 8 High School! Tomorrow, you're coming to the examination site with me. If Zhou Leng has a problem, then so be it. But if he doesn't, we cannot simply let this pass."

Sun Xiong hurriedly said, "Principal, please don't act rashly. After all..."

"Don't worry. I know my limits," Principal Lu said with a smile.