The day of the second citywide comprehensive martial arts mock exam finally arrived on a bitterly cold morning before dawn had fully broken.
A few fading stars still hung in the sky, and only a faint strip of white showed in the east, yet the entrance to Seventh Middle School was already packed with people and brightly lit. The biting north wind swept up tiny ice crystals that stung against their faces, but it could not extinguish the blazing mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation in the students' eyes. The open space before the gates was filled with third-year high school students taking the martial arts assessment. Wrapped in bulky down jackets or school uniform coats, they stamped their feet against the cold and chatted in low voices. The air carried a faint blend of breakfast and all manner of Qi and Blood supplements.
"Quiet! All students taking the martial arts assessment, assemble by class immediately!" A booming voice, slightly cracked, erupted through a loudspeaker and instantly drowned out the noise. The speaker was Vice Principal Wang, who oversaw moral education and martial arts at Seventh Middle School. He was not tall, but his round belly was stuffed into a somewhat tight black long down coat, making him look like a walking black heater. With his stomach thrust out, one hand on his hip and the other holding the loudspeaker, he maintained order with full vigor. "Homeroom teachers, count your students! We board the buses and leave in five minutes sharp! Anyone late can pedal themselves to First Middle School on a bicycle. The school buses won't wait for any dawdling weaklings!"
The students immediately fell silent and briskly began searching for their class lines. Chen Mo, Zhao Peng, and Zhang Shun quickly joined the Class 7, Third Year High