Monitoring List

Chapter 10 Monitoring List

The broadcast continued.

"...Now, examinees, please enter the prefabricated examination halls in an orderly manner. Follow the invigilators' calls, undergo a blood test first, and then take the Total True Qi assessment..."

"...While waiting, remember to keep your minds calm. You may slowly circulate your qi, but don't overdo it, lest it affect the examination..."

Zhou Leng carried his schoolbag toward Examination Hall Four.

Countless students held their admission tickets and identification cards as they made their way to their respective examination halls.

The prefabricated hall was packed with chairs, each one bearing a number.

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

In front of the seats stood row upon row of tables. Behind each table sat a person dressed in a hospital's white clothing.

Behind these people stood rows of white testing booths.

"Everyone, after putting down your schoolbags, come to the front and wait. Blood tests will begin according to the examination numbers shown on the display screens. There's no need to worry. It's just like normal times. As long as you haven't used any prohibited drugs, there won't be a problem..."

Zhou Leng didn't squeeze into the crowded area at the very front. He stood in a relatively spacious spot and looked toward the display screens on each table.

The examination numbers and names of each examinee slowly scrolled across the ten display screens.

Zhou Leng didn't see his own examination number or name.

"That's me." A thin, tall boy raised his identification card and admission ticket as he made his way through the crowd. Everyone made way for him.

Zhou Leng scanned his surroundings. He didn't see anyone from his class. There were several students from other classes, but he wasn't familiar with them.

Suddenly, a familiar male classmate also looked over. Zhou Leng turned toward him, and the two of them nodded lightly.

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

Rao Mingxian had been in a different class from Zhou Leng in both middle school and high school. They had played basketball together several times and exchanged a few words, but they were no more than acquaintances who nodded when they met.

Zhou Leng had attended the Fifty-ninth Middle School, while Rao Mingxian was the grandson of the principal of the Fifty-ninth Middle School. That was why he had been called the Crown Prince during middle school.

Rao Mingxian had been completely unknown in high school, until his strength suddenly rose by leaps and bounds a year ago.

His written examination results had always been terrible, but his physical and martial examination results were astonishing. His highest ranking had been ninth in the entire school.

Before long, Zhou Leng saw his name. He squeezed through the crowd, stepped forward, and sat before Table 7.

"Extend your hand. Don't be nervous..." said the masked female nurse.

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

"You can leave now."

"Thank you." After speaking politely, Zhou Leng pressed his right hand over the wound and walked out of the crowd.

After everyone had their blood drawn, the invigilator's voice rang out through the examination hall. Amplified by True Qi, it carried clearly into every corner of the prefabricated hall.

"Next, we'll conduct three static True Qi tests, three circulating True Qi tests, three dynamic True Qi tests, and three full-power True Qi burst tests. Everyone may slowly circulate their qi or warm up in place, but don't disturb others... Just like before, enter according to the numbers displayed 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 gradually circulated his qi.

Soon, Zhou Leng stepped forward and entered Testing Booth 7.

Inside the booth stood a blue-and-white instrument that looked like a large washing machine.

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

Zhou Leng calmly sat down and faced the measuring device.

The measuring device emitted a faint red light directly in front of his abdomen.

Zhou Leng took a careful look. This measuring device was newer than the one at school, and some of its parts displayed deep-blue demonic patterns.

After the end of technological civilization, much of humanity's technological power could no longer be used, so humanity accelerated its cooperation with the Demon Spirit World.

The Ten Realms gained many magical items that fused demonic energy with technology.

"All right. Now don't do anything. Don't circulate your qi. Maintain your current state..."

Beep.

The female doctor glanced at the True Qi imaging displayed by the measuring device, then looked at Zhou Leng, her gaze becoming even gentler.

Beep.

Beep.

It sounded three times in total.

"All right. Now close your eyes and circulate your qi. We'll begin the test in three minutes."

Zhou Leng circulated the Mysterious Tide Art.

Before long, the measuring device beeped three more times in succession.

"Now stand up, walk back and forth while facing the measuring device, and circulate your internal energy at the same time..." the female doctor said as she raised the measuring device.

Zhou Leng moved the chair aside and walked back and forth facing the measuring device.

Two minutes later, the measuring device gave three beeps.

"Very good. Now circulate your qi with all your strength. Don't hold anything back. Once you reach your limit, nod."

"All right!"

Zhou Leng sat back down and faced the measuring device as he circulated the Mysterious Tide Art.

Each time the Mysterious Tide Art's internal energy increased by one layer, it could be stacked once.

Entry Level, mastery, proficiency, and minor accomplishment allowed a total of four stacks.

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

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"All right, it's over. You can leave and rest. Don't forget to come back this afternoon to test your True Qi Intensity," the female doctor reminded him considerately.

"Thank you, big sister," Zhou Leng said.

Behind her mask, the corner of the female doctor's mouth lifted slightly.

Zhou Leng walked out through the back door of the prefabricated examination hall, and a team of upright men and women approached him head-on.

The man at the front wore a camouflage uniform in the style of the Martial Guard Department. His expression was cold, and a three-inch-long scar ran across his forehead. Each of his steps carried him much farther than an ordinary person's, while the others hurried to keep up.

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

Zhou Leng looked toward the man's shoulder insignia. Colonel.

The two sides brushed past each other.

"We must strictly guard against a surprise attack by the Demon Worshipping Cult. We can't relax even a little," the man at the front said.

"Yes, Battalion Commander."

"Was there any problem with the blood tests?"

"Other than some signs of high energy, we haven't found any prohibited medicinal ingredients."

"Mm."

The tall man entered Zhou Leng's examination hall, and the others followed him inside.

The group headed toward the blood testing room behind the testing booths.

"How is this examination hall?"

"Two samples of high-energy blood have already been reported, and the data has been sent back. One belongs to Rao Mingxian. His grandfather is the principal of the Fifty-ninth Middle School, and his results have exploded over the past two years. There shouldn't be much of a problem. The other one... Captain Wang, you should take a look." As the doctor spoke, he handed over a magical tablet computer.

Wang Boxiong took the tablet computer.

The portrait displayed on it belonged to the examinee who had just brushed past them.

"Zhou Leng..."

Wang Boxiong flipped through Zhou Leng's information.

Ru City's Eighth Middle School... ranked 73,214th... injured half a year ago... after being injured, his palm techniques, footwork, and True Qi control had improved dramatically... his father had been a fallen soldier of the Sea Suppressing Army...

When he saw the words "Sea Suppressing Army," the severity in Wang Boxiong's gaze softened slightly.

Then he stared at one part of the information.

Uncle: Ma Xingkong.

Wang Boxiong's expression didn't change. Finally, he flipped through the test results.

As he read, Wang Boxiong said, "Nothing seems particularly problematic. You're the doctor. What do you think?"

"An ice-type reaction. It's not any known high-energy force, and there are no signs of demonic cultivation either. Its nature... feels very pure to me, and it should have nothing to do with the Demon Prison. But the total amount is simply too small, so it has little research value. Unless he displays a special talent in the future, we'll only keep it on file and won't pay much attention to him."

"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 and closed his eyes to circulate his qi.

Everyone around them held their breath.

This Wang Boxiong was a famous Xiantian Grandmaster of many years' standing, with one foot already over the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm.

After a moment, Wang Boxiong returned the blood collection tube and nodded. "No problem. It's a very upright ice-type aura. There should be a very small chance that he could awaken a Qi-Miracle Body, but his ranking... that's hard to say."

Wang Boxiong turned and left. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind him.

As he walked, Wang Boxiong asked, "Still no movement from the Demon Worshipping Cult?"

"None."

"I'm currently also serving as the master of Ru Da Affiliated Martial Arts Hall, and I can't be in two places at once. You absolutely must not let your guard down. Report immediately if you discover any sign of trouble."

"Yes."

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

"Let's get something to eat. We'll continue patrolling this afternoon..." Wang Boxiong suddenly stopped and raised his right hand to touch the earpiece in his left ear.

Everyone hurriedly stopped as well.

Wang Boxiong said, "Guess how many places that Zhou Leng, whose blood showed high-energy levels earlier, has risen in the rankings?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"More than 22,000 places. He's been placed on the Monitoring List."

Everyone pondered this. The extent of the rise in his ranking was somewhat outrageous.

"Deputy Director Lu invited me to secretly invigilate this afternoon. If there's no problem, so be it. But if his overall score is too absurd, we'll conduct an investigation tomorrow."

In the afternoon, shortly before the examination, Zhou Leng once again came to the examination hall with Zhang Xinglie.

When he entered the testing booth once again, the camera inside turned toward Zhou Leng.

In the nearby invigilation room, Wang Boxiong and the others stared at the multi-angle surveillance footage on the screens.

"There was no problem with the testing process. Director Liu personally handled the test this time..."

"You've seen the intensity peak graph too. It's even more astonishing than his True Qi amount. His overall improvement in the rankings should have exceeded 40,000 places."

"He may possess a True Qi-related talent. I contacted his internal-energy teacher at noon and asked a few simple questions." Deputy Director Lu smiled as he praised him.

"If no problem is found, his martial examination results should qualify him to take the supplementary admissions examination for Martial Arts University."

"Captain Wang, what do you think?"

"Looking at his True Qi Intensity curve, it's both steady and powerful. Even if he had forced himself up with medicinal pills, his foundation is flawless. I pulled up the imaging of the True Qi in his dantian and looked at it. His total amount can't compare with that of a top genius like Zhang Xinglie, but it's extremely solid. He truly cultivated it himself."

"Then let's do this. Request instructions from our superiors, and after he finishes the third examination tomorrow, conduct a second investigation."

"But if there's no problem with him, it won't look good if word gets out."

"We're simply acting according to the rules and regulations. Let our superiors decide."

Eighth Middle School, the principal's office.

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

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

"Obviously, Zhou Leng's results exceeded expectations. Of course, there could also be unforeseen factors."

Principal Lu furrowed his brows and said, "I also looked into that child Zhou Leng. He was already badly harmed by demons, so it's normal for his results to improve now that his body has recovered. If something like an examination recheck were to leak, it would be very bad for Eighth Middle School and for that child."

"I also expressed that tactfully, but he doesn't seem to have taken it in."

"Back then, I slammed the table with him once. I don't fear doing it a second time. Zhou Leng is a student of my Eighth Middle School! Tomorrow, you come with me to the examination hall. If there's a problem with Zhou Leng, so be it. But if there isn't, we can't let this go."

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

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Principal Lu smiled.