First Mock Exam

Finally, the first city-wide unified mock exam—the First Mock—had arrived.

This was the most important milestone test before the Gaokao, and also a key score for preliminary college assessments and certain special recruitment channels.

The night before the exam, Chen Mo rarely stayed up late. He followed his usual routine, finished his review, stood in the Black Tiger Stance for half an hour to settle his mind, and then went to bed early.

On exam day, the atmosphere was solemn. Students entered different exam rooms according to their test numbers.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and sat down in his seat. He checked his stationery, closed his eyes, and quickly ran through the knowledge framework and common mistakes for each subject in his mind. The system gave him a lot more confidence, but facing his first major formal exam in this world, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

The bell rang, and the test papers were handed out.

Chinese, Math, English, Arts/Sciences comprehensive (Chen Mo, based on the original owner's choice and his own weighing, chose the arts track: Politics, History, Geography)... One subject after another.

Chen Mo focused completely, mobilizing all his knowledge reserves and Mental Strength. He found that many of the questions tested knowledge points within the scope of his recent "grinding proficiency," especially the basic parts that required memorization and understanding—he answered those especially smoothly. Of course, there were also difficult questions, but he kept a steady mindset, skipping the ones he didn't know to ensure he secured all the points he could.

What surprised him most was the Arts comprehensive. Thanks to the system's structured "solidification" of knowledge, when answering the big questions, he often connected one point to multiple related knowledge points, organizing his answers with clear logic and sufficient arguments, sometimes even more comprehensive than the standard answer's key points. This was clearly the thinking advantage brought by high Mental Strength.

Two intense days of exams ended. Walking out of the exam hall, Chen Mo felt like he'd fought a tough battle—his body was a bit tired, but his mind had a sense of release.

"It's over, it's over! I didn't even understand the last two math problems!"

"What was that English listening? Sounded like bird language!"

"I think I missed a scoring point on the Arts comprehensive big question..."

At that moment, the classroom was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere. The students' wails rose and fell, mixed with exclamations and regrets as they compared answers. Zhang Shun, his face full of worry, leaned close to Chen Mo and said with a crying tone, "Brother Mo! This exam was way too hard! I feel like I'm definitely going to be last in the class again! Wuwuwu..."

Facing his friend's lament, Chen Mo helplessly shook his head but still gently patted Zhang Shun on the shoulder to comfort him: "Alright, alright, the exam's over, don't dwell on it anymore. Let's just wait for the final results to come out." However, only he knew that deep down, he was also uncertain and nervous. After all, although that mysterious system could accurately reflect his mastery of the knowledge he'd learned—the so-called 'proficiency'—when actually taking the exam, factors like poor on-the-spot performance, misunderstanding the questions, and lack of test-taking skills could all interfere. After a rough estimate, Chen Mo mused to himself: Based on the current situation, his total Cultural Class score should probably fall within the range of 350 to 380 (out of a full score of 600). Compared to the original 'self,' who might not even have reached 300, this was indeed a huge improvement!

One day later, just as the Cultural Class exams of the First Mock had settled, the notice for the Martial Arts special test came down.

"Attention all Third Year students! The Martial Arts test will be held tomorrow at the First Middle School Martial Arts Hall," the homeroom teacher Old Li announced from the podium, his expression serious. "First Middle School has the most advanced Martial Arts testing equipment in the city. This is a rare opportunity for us Sixth Middle School students. Take it seriously and give it your best!"

A stir went through the classroom.

"We're testing at First Middle School? I've never even been inside their Martial Arts Hall!"

"I heard their equipment is the latest model. The Reaction Test Machine is modified from military training gear that was decommissioned."

"The Iron Puppet... My cousin tested it last year. He said that thing really hurts to get hit by. Even though it's rubber over iron, the force is solid."

Zhang Shun leaned close to Chen Mo's ear and lowered his voice: "Brother Mo, your 82 on the Martial Arts class mock already surprised a lot of people. Tomorrow's real test—can you hold it together?"

Chen Mo didn't speak, just nodded lightly. He knew in his heart that the previous mock test was just a simplified version done on the school's shabby equipment. Tomorrow's test was the real trial.

The next morning, all Third Year students from Sixth Middle School, led by their teachers, took a school bus to the city's First Middle School.

Through the window, Chen Mo got his first close-up look at this key high school of the city. An imposing school gate, modern teaching buildings, and beside the wide sports field stood an independent Martial Arts Hall building—a silver-gray structure with sharp, hard lines, at least three times larger than Sixth Middle School's old gymnasium.

"So impressive..." Zhang Shun sighed, pressing his face against the window.

They got off and lined up, entering the Martial Arts Hall by class order. As soon as he stepped inside, Chen Mo felt the difference—the air here seemed "heavier," with a faint, unique smell of metal, rubber, and sweat mixed together.

The interior of the venue was extremely spacious. Dozens of strong lights hung from the high, vaulted ceiling, illuminating the entire space as bright as day. The testing areas were already clearly marked: on the left were the 100-meter and 400-meter tracks; in the middle were three Strength Testers; on the right were three hemispherical "Reaction Test Machines" covered in launch holes; and at the deepest part were square arenas enclosed by high-strength glass, each with a pitch-black Iron Puppet standing inside.

Sixth Middle School's students were arranged to wait in a designated area. Chen Mo noticed that only Sixth Middle School students were testing here today. First Middle School students were obviously testing at other times or in other areas to avoid interference.

"Too bad we can't see those First Middle School geniuses in action," Zhang Shun said with some regret.

"Focus on your own test," Chen Mo replied calmly. He knew that instead of envying others' conditions, it was better to bring out his own level.

The tests proceeded in class order. Class Seven was scheduled for the third batch, giving Chen Mo a chance to observe the performance of the earlier classes.

"First batch, Class One students, begin the 100-meter test!" the broadcast announced.

On the track, five students crouched at the starting line. The moment the starting gun fired, Chen Mo's eyes sharpened—was this the level of Sixth Middle School's top students?

Five figures shot out from the starting line, their speed clearly a notch above ordinary high school students. The student in the middle had a well-proportioned build and an extremely standard running posture.

"First place, 11.45 seconds!" the result was announced.

Murmurs rose from the spectator area.

"11.45 seconds? That's pretty good for an ordinary high school."

"That's Li Huaiyang, right? I heard he specializes in speed. His Qi and Blood Value is almost 90 points."

"Class One really is impressive."

Chen Mo silently assessed. 11.45 seconds—if this were the previous world, that would already be at the level of a national second-level athlete. In this world's high school, it was considered a decent performance.