Superpowers, awakening, minimum baseline test.
Those keywords drew everyone's attention, and their gazes focused on the heavy lead-alloy box beside Director Huang.
"Is that... the device used to measure the specific values of 'conviction and faith'?"
The society members whispered among themselves.
Su Qiangwei, however, noticed that when Liu Huadie and He Nanguang from Fulan Academy saw the box, their faces paled slightly, and their expressions became rather unpleasant.
She turned her head and glanced at Ma Ran.
He still wore that calm, venerable look, as though everything was under control.
Confident men were the most charming. Su Qiangwei couldn't deny that, but she still found Ma Ran irritating.
When it came to cultivating Black Rock Martial Way, it was difficult for her to surpass Ma Ran.
Although she was stubborn, Su Qiangwei also knew her own limits!
If she could awaken a superpower, perhaps she would have a chance to overtake him on a bend.
Defeat Ma Ran!
Crown herself queen!
Whether Caolu Academy was in chaos or not would be up to Rose!
"Brother Ran!"
Dong Huaiming suddenly raised his voice, startling Su Qiangwei so badly that she nearly slid off her chair. "How many people do you think will reach the standard this time?"
Little Ming was extremely excited.
Compared to the Black Rock Stele martial path, which required painstaking effort over time, he was more eager to see what kind of superpower he would awaken.
Ma Ran could completely understand that.
Unlike Wu Di, Dong Huaiming had remained true to his original self in both his past and present lives. He had always been just like this.
The more something defied explanation by Earth's current level of technology, the more excited he became.
The Dong Huaiming in Ma Ran's memories was a guardian of human civilization who had rendered outstanding service!
Compared to Wan Haihao, Little Ming's fate had been no better.
Driven by intense curiosity, he had evaded his theoretical instructor and secretly studied the You script illusion system.
In the end, this had caused his mental breakdown and genetic mutation, transforming him into a monster.
Afterward, Dong Huaiming had been sent into an undersea cryogenic chamber and forcibly put into hibernation.
He had slept all the way until Earth's end.
"The minimum threshold for superpowers..."
Ma Ran pondered for a moment instead of answering immediately.
Because Dong Huaiming hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, he had attracted everyone's attention.
Everyone wanted to hear Ma Ran's opinion.
At present, he held considerable influence in Caolu Academy. His credibility and reliability were off the charts.
Even Su Qiangwei, who had always competed with him in secret, had to admit this.
If Su Qiangwei ever encountered a problem she couldn't solve and could summon anyone she wanted to help her, Ma Ran would definitely be the first person she thought of!
Ma Ran didn't keep them in suspense. He calmly raised three fingers. "Not counting myself, three."
His tone was decisive and utterly certain, as though he were stating an objective fact.
This was laying the groundwork for the performance that would follow.
Liu Huadie and He Nanguang had already been tested in advance at Fulan Academy. They had been assigned this support mission because they had reached the passing line.
At Caolu Academy, not counting Ma Ran, only Su Qiangwei had reached the minimum threshold this time, based on the timing.
As Ma Ran's newest little follower, Wu Di's eyes shone brightly. His face, swollen like a steamed bun, was full of pride. "One of those three is definitely me!"
Dong Huaiming glared fiercely at Wu Di and snorted, feeling an intense sense of crisis.
This guy...
He hadn't directly acknowledged Ma Ran's prediction. Instead, he had outright claimed to be part of it.
He was way too good at sucking up!
In his mind, Dong Huaiming silently raised Wu Di's threat level by two grades.
Originally, he had viewed the other man as a clown, thinking that this kid was merely an ignorant and arrogant fool—rebellious, reckless, and incapable of thinking before acting.
Now, it seemed he had misjudged him!
Although the various academies had different recruitment standards, most assessed Academic Power through a variety of tests.
At this stage, whether they belonged to Green Lotus Academic Society, Fulan Academy, Yingchuan Academy, or Caolu Academy, every member was a rare, exceptionally talented transcendent individual!
He had been careless!
Wu Di was also a society member. How could he be an idiot?
He was actually clever!
Wan Haihao, standing nearby, clenched his fists. His palms were drenched in sweat. "Only three can reach the standard..."
He thought for a long time, and many possible names surfaced in his mind.
But those names...
No matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't find the three characters "Wan Haihao" among them.
Wan Haihao had once been a winner in life.
He had possessed exceptional intelligence, been the top scorer in the provincial college entrance examination, and smoothly earned a doctorate.
His parents had doted on him, his love life had been perfect, his friends had envied him, and his neighbors had called him "the child from someone else's family."
But now...
His confidence, pride, and composure had all vanished without a trace. In less than a week, they had been shattered to pieces.
Ma Ran was right.
After getting to know Ma Ran, Wan Haihao had truly changed.
An inferiority complex he had never experienced before lingered in his mind, refusing to disperse.
As for Su Qiangwei...
Her state of mind was far better.
"Three people?"
Su Qiangwei furrowed her delicate brows slightly. Her gaze roamed over Liu Huadie, He Nanguang, and Wu Di for a while before she curled her lips and muttered, "It's not like this is the only chance."
"Even if I fail this time, it's no big deal."
"I'll have to listen carefully in character and morality class from now on..."
"But conviction, faith, and all that... how exactly are they quantified?!"
"Forget it!"
"For now, I'll observe carefully and gain some experience. As long as I don't give up..."
"There'll always be a day when I succeed!"
Su Qiangwei had an excellent mindset, as steady as an old dog.
Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, two workers in protective suits opened the sealed lead-alloy box and took out the "device" inside.
The "device" supplied by Fulan Academy had not the slightest trace of high technology in its appearance. Instead, it looked somewhat like a child's toy, even seeming rather crude.
It was a gray-white mask, seemingly molded from clay. It was eighteen centimeters long and twelve centimeters wide.
Less than three seconds after it was removed from the lead-alloy box, the atmosphere in the small auditorium suddenly changed.
The society members, who had been filled with anticipation and excitement, instantly turned deathly pale. Their eyes became bloodshot.
As their gazes fell upon the mysterious mask, dozens of bloody, brutal, twisted, and terrifying images flashed before their eyes every second.
Screams!
Cries!
Wails!
They lingered in their ears, demonic sounds pouring into their minds.
Their nostrils filled with a heavy, concentrated stench of blood.
The air was also filled with damp, sticky moisture that reeked of rot and mildew. Looking closely, one could see strange red and green hues staining the mist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The strange aura accelerated their heartbeats, while the terrifying atmosphere made their bodies wildly secrete adrenaline.
When they moved their gazes away from the mask, everything they had sensed before seemed like an illusion, as though it had never appeared at all...
Thanks to solomon_Kui for the 2,333-point tip! Hahah
Thanks to Star River Observer No. 10 for the 100-point tip!
Thanks to Blending with the Light X Dust for the 200-point tip!
Thanks to Fallen Leaf for the 200-point tip!
Thanks to One Leaf 0 Green Grass for the 100-point tip!
Thanks to Wine in the Morning for the 100-point tip!
Thanks to Dried Fish for the 100-point tip!
Update complete! (▽)! Have a happy Sunday!
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