I Suddenly Went Deaf

In the group, the other members weren't faring much better.

The academic society members, who had been full of spirit and confidence earlier, were now all frowning, their faces stern, wearing expressions of deep suffering.

After concentrating, the patterns within the Black Rock Stele would gradually appear in their minds.

No matter how they looked at it, their heads felt as big as a bushel, completely unable to comprehend it.

The lines were more chaotic than scribbles, making the viewers' eyes ache.

But after staring for a long time, they inexplicably began to understand the meaning within the patterns.

The members' spirits became exceptionally excited.

What is a supernatural phenomenon?

This is it!

It doesn't necessarily mean wielding lightning and fire, treading on clouds, or riding the wind.

Anything that current technology cannot yet explain can be called a supernatural phenomenon!

The first batch of members gradually realized that each pattern imprinted into their minds from the Black Rock Stele contained a significant amount of information!

A small pattern could hold thousands of bytes of information.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The first batch of members participating in deciphering the stele endured, finally persisting for an hour.

"Phew... this is too difficult?"

"It's more mentally taxing than doing twenty exam papers continuously without any breaks."

"Compared to this, writing my graduation thesis is like playing house!"

"Hahaha, I'm almost done calculating the location of the first acupoint! Give me another half an hour, and I can refine essence into energy and officially step into the Martial Way!"

"Awesome! I'll probably need another two hours to calculate the first acupoint..."

"This stone tablet really has something... When I was next to it, I felt like I'd been injected with stimulants. As soon as I left, I immediately felt drained, like I'd stayed up for three days and nights, wanting nothing more than to lie on the ground."

"Are you showing off your stamina? You have the energy to talk, so I don't think you're tired enough!"

The members with genuinely weak physiques certainly didn't have the energy to blabber on here!

One by one, they were covered in sweat, lying on their benches like dead dogs, panting heavily.

Looking at them, anyone would believe they had just finished a five-kilometer run.

Perhaps it was due to Dong Huaiming's good stamina from traveling around the world, or perhaps it was his brain working overtime, but his face was now beet red, white smoke seemed to be rising from his head, yet his spirit was even more vigorous than before.

"Go, Brother Ran!"

Although they had only known each other for two days, Little Ming had already considered Ma Ran a friend. Seeing Ma Ran about to decipher the stele, he was even more excited than when he himself had gone up: "You're definitely the kind of genius who can calculate an acupoint in an hour!"

"I believe you!"

Hearing this, Su Qiangwei pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't.

She suppressed the urge to make sarcastic remarks.

It was better not to ruin her luck.

What if she turned out to be a useless person who could only calculate one acupoint in three to five days? If her current words were brought up to mock her later, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?

There wasn't much time left for them to chat.

The twenty-four members of the second group, guided by the young men in military uniforms, orderly took their seats, forming a circle around the Black Rock Stele.

Sitting in front of the Black Rock Stele, Ma Ran leaned back casually in his chair, his demeanor calm.

This had nothing to do with confidence.

He was cheating.

As a reborn individual, Ma Ran had memorized the locations of all his acupoints, and it was impossible for him to forget them.

Even if, as a last resort, something unexpected happened, and all the previously calculated acupoints became invalid, forcing him to start over, his proliferation ability, [Demon of Scholars], wasn't just for decoration.

One glance.

With just one glance, Ma Ran immediately grasped all the information on the stele.

It was no different from before his rebirth.

In his opinion, this Black Rock Stele was a supercomputer with an unusual shape and a single function. Its hard drive stored some important information, and it could also be used to calculate acupoint locations.

To be cautious, Ma Ran still brought in the known answers for verification.

After completing all the checks and ensuring there wasn't a single error, Ma Ran took out his phone to check the time.

Only fifty-six minutes had passed.

He looked outside the academy.

President Huang Weiguo was on the phone.

"Little comrade, what's going on with you guys?"

"The data I've collected isn't complete!"

"A young fellow named Ma Ran asked me a question earlier, and it caught me off guard. I didn't know how to answer."

"It doesn't matter if I'm embarrassed, it's our Caolu Academy that loses face."

"I advise you all..."

Blah blah blah.

The researchers, who had been thoroughly berated, felt wronged.

Ma Ran could completely understand their feelings.

After all, while inner energy grades were directly proportional to combat power, it didn't mean higher grades automatically meant stronger.

Combat power and attribute data were strongly correlated with weight, age, gender, basic physical fitness, and genetics.

Could a scrawny person weighing 70 jin and standing 1.45 meters tall, at the second stage, defeat a muscular hunk weighing 180 jin and standing 1.9 meters tall, at the first stage?

The answer was obviously no!

Therefore, it was difficult to establish a unified standard for data like strength and speed.

There was no such thing as "Stage 1 inner energy grants 100 jin of strength, Stage 2 grants 150 jin, and so on."

Reality wasn't a computer game; the influence of inner energy on a person's attributes was neither a fixed value nor a percentage increase, and was affected by many factors.

"Hahahaha!"

"Fifty-eight minutes! The first acupoint has been calculated!"

Su Qiangwei leaped up from her small stool, drawing glares from many members of the second group.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Brothers, sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters, I didn't mean to!"

Su Qiangwei clasped her hands together, stuck out her tongue, and apologized cutely, "I didn't expect to be the first one to calculate it, my apologies... hee hee..."

The members felt as disgusted as if they had a mouthful of feces.

Why did a simple sentence sound so nauseating coming from her mouth?

Upon receiving the report, Director Huang, who was outside the academy, immediately hung up the phone and hurried in.

He was agitated, his face flushed: "What?"

"Fifty-eight minutes?"

"The fastest domestic record was set by Zhu Hanyi of the Green Lotus Academic Society, who calculated an acupoint in sixty minutes!"

Some people's existence was simply meant to raise the upper limit of the average.

Calculating an acupoint in less than an hour was simply...

No!

Su Qiangwei was the fastest in the current domestic records!

After Director Huang entered the academy, the second batch of members had also completed their first calculation.

They all still needed another round to successfully determine the location of their first acupoint.

Then, with the help of the Black Rock Stele, they could refine their first wisp of inner energy.

Wan Haihao, like Dong Huaiming, was just a little bit short, needing about another hour to calculate his first acupoint.

"She's a genius!"

Old Huang's face broke into a smile, and the more he looked at Su Qiangwei, the more he found the young girl likable.

Initially, he had placed more hope in Ma Ran.

After all, Ma Ran was the only high school student who had scored a perfect score on the temporary test.

Now, it seemed Su Qiangwei had taken the lead, showing even greater talent in the Martial Way!

"I'll chat with you later, I need to talk to a friend first."

Su Qiangwei gave Old Huang a perfunctory reply and then trotted over to Ma Ran with light steps.

Her gaze was intense, her beautiful eyes sparkling with brilliance, and she was full of pride. "How was your harvest?"

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me!"

The sky cleared.

The rain stopped.

Qiangwei felt like she was capable again.

Hearing this, Ma Ran's eyebrows twitched. After a moment of thought, he said in a deep voice, "All five hundred and twelve acupoints have been calculated."

"???"

Su Qiangwei was completely bewildered.

She spread her hands and rubbed her ears. "I think I suddenly went deaf. Say that again."

Hehehe...

Update complete!

See you all tomorrow, little friends!