No Different From Cheating, Do Not Be Too Harsh on the Students

Seeing this data, Lin Ye remained calm.

After all, the panel displayed his information in real-time; he knew exactly what his numbers were without needing a test, and he didn't feel proud because of it.

Although this figure seemed decent and could look down upon most examinees, in their specific group, it was somewhat lacking, ranking second to last.

However, to those who knew him well, this number was nothing short of a thunderclap!

The smiles on the faces of Zhou Qian and Zhao Qian froze, and they looked at Lin Ye in disbelief. They clearly remembered that in the city-wide mock exam two months ago, Lin Ye's Blood-Qi value was 218—just barely over 200.

How long had it been?

In just over two months, he had increased by 117 points!

What a terrifying rate of progress. Even with the resource allocation from the Key Cultivation Program, this magnitude of improvement was simply shocking.

Wang Tao's mouth hung open so wide that an egg could almost fit inside.

He had watched with his own eyes as Lin Ye caught up from the bottom tier of the class!

This speed of progress... was simply inhuman.

It was no different from cheating.

Among those present, aside from the proctor, only Chu Tiange spared Lin Ye a faint glance. In his eyes, 335 points of Blood-Qi was no different from an ordinary person; it was far below his own level and completely unworthy of his attention.

After leaving the testing room, Lin Ye and the others arrived at the rest area.

Per the usual rules, examinees had to wait for the morning testing session to conclude before they could leave one by one.

Fortunately, the Blood-Qi test was quick, and it wasn't long before it was finished. Lin Ye and Wang Tao left the exam site, but as soon as they stepped out of the gates of Linjiang No. 1 High School, the smartwatches on their wrists began to vibrate incessantly.

At this moment, the class WeChat group had already exploded.

"Latest report! Our class monitor Li Weiwei has a Blood-Qi value of 469, breaking through to the peak of Body Forging. Absolutely terrifying."

"The martial arts representative Zhang Zhen is also fierce, with a Blood-Qi value of 439, nearing the peak of Body Forging."

"What about others? Sister Qian and Brother Qiang must be high, right? @Zhou Qian @Zhao Qian"

"I heard that the big boss Chu Tiange has a Blood-Qi value over 500. Is that true? Can anyone confirm?"

"It's true. I was in that testing room. As soon as he came out, someone asked him, and he said it himself. 524, Blood-Qi Realm!"

"Holy crap! 524? Doesn't that mean he's a lock for the top scholar?"

"Not necessarily. A few ruthless characters from other schools might be even fiercer than our school's big boss Chu."

"True. By the way, does anyone know Lin Ye's Blood-Qi value? I'm curious."

"I'm curious too. Brother Ye was 218 last time; he must have had a huge increase this time, right? Spill the beans!"

"Yeah, I've seen Brother Ye practicing silently these past two months. Every night before I left, I could see the lights in our class Martial Arts Hall were still on. His progress must be significant."

"Hiss, practicing every single day? That's way too hardworking."

"Duh, otherwise how could he have made such great progress?"

"Stop talking, I want to know too! @Lin Ye"

Messages in the group were flying by, with many classmates tagging Lin Ye, curious about his performance this time.

After all, his progress in the last mock exam had shocked the whole class, so his results in this college entrance exam were naturally highly anticipated.

Lin Ye did not reply to everyone in the group. He didn't really like to show off his Blood-Qi data, as it always felt like he was blowing his own trumpet.

After a while, someone in the group sent a message: "I know... Brother Ye's Blood-Qi value this time is 335."

Once the message appeared, there was a brief silence in the group.

Immediately, more messages popped up like an explosion.

"335??? Is that for real?"

"Wait, did I read that right? Wasn't it 218 last time? That's too exaggerated, it's only been two months."

"Hiss... 117 points in two months?! That's an average of nearly 60 points a month. What kind of demonic speed is this?!"

"Is the Key Cultivation Program really that top-tier?!"

"I remember Brother Ye only started the Key Cultivation Program a little over a month ago, right? This efficiency..."

"As expected of Brother Ye! Making a fortune in silence!"

"With this, Qingjiang Martial University is a lock, right?!"

"Not just Qingjiang, he might even have a shot at East Sea Martial University. Don't forget, Brother Ye's practical combat score wasn't low last time."

"Too awesome! Kneeling to Brother Ye!"

The group was filled with exclamations, envy, and congratulations. Those who had previously doubted whether Lin Ye could maintain such a fast pace of progress were now completely convinced.

At home, their homeroom teacher Chen Guo'an was also silently following the group messages.

Seeing the Blood-Qi values of Li Weiwei, Zhang Zhen, and others, he remained unmoved. However, when he saw that Lin Ye's Blood-Qi value had reached 335, he adjusted his glasses and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He remembered Lin Ye's family situation; the effort required to achieve such progress was self-evident. Although the school's help was indispensable, in the end, it still came down to Lin Ye's own hard work.

Meanwhile, in the teachers' lounge of the Second High School.

Since the obstacle-course assessment in the afternoon had not yet begun, the martial arts teachers from various schools who had been drafted to serve as proctors finally had a moment of leisure. They gathered in the lounge, sipping tea and relaxing their slightly weary bodies.

Among them, several veteran martial arts teachers from Linjiang District gathered around a round table near the window, chatting casually about what they had seen during the morning's Blood-Qi test.

"Old Zheng, your Third High School is doing well this time."

The speaker was the head of the martial arts department at Second High School, a middle-aged man with thinning hair. He took a sip of tea and continued, "Chu Tiange, 524, Blood-Qi Realm. With a score like that, he'd be a lock for the top three in the city in previous years, right?"

The martial arts teacher responsible for proctoring this time also included a teacher from Class One, surnamed Zhou. Hearing the head of the Second High School department praise a student from his own class, the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily, though he remained modest in his reply: "That kid Chu Tiange is self-motivated, and his family provides great support. But for the college entrance exam, everything depends on how he performs later on; the obstacle course and the ranking tournament have many variables."

Even so, the pride in his eyes could not be hidden; after all, the performance of top-tier students was directly related to a teacher's evaluation and reputation.

The other teachers chimed in, each mentioning the standout students in their own classes, and the atmosphere seemed incredibly "harmonious."

Zheng Huai held his thermos, sipping tea and listening quietly without interjecting.

He had seen the messages in the group chat; although he knew Li Weiwei's score wasn't bad, it was indeed quite a bit lower than a talent like Chu Tiange. Still, it was good that the students were making progress.

"Old Zheng, I remember you have quite a few good talents in your class as well. How did Li Weiwei and Zhang Zhen do on the Blood-Qi test this time?"

At this moment, the head of the Second High School martial arts department, who was on good terms with Zheng Huai, asked.

"Not bad, Li Weiwei got 469, and Zhang Zhen got 439."

Zheng Huai smiled.

"469 and 439? One at the peak of Body Forging, and the other close to it?"

"That's really quite good."

The head of the Second High School department nodded. He knew that Class Five, led by Zheng Huai, was not one of the elite classes in the school, so producing two such talents was already impressive—especially the former, who had transferred to Zheng Huai's class by a stroke of luck.

"By the way," a female teacher from Fourth High School flipped through the temporary statistical table of the various schools in her hand and asked casually, "Teacher Zheng, I heard your class had... a student who made significant progress in the last mock exam, Lin Ye, right? What was his Blood-Qi score this time? It should be around three hundred, right?" She asked this question offhandedly, and the attention of the surrounding teachers was slightly drawn over. After all, aside from the top-tier students, everyone was most interested in those who showed "great progress," but in reality, few were able to sustain it and eventually deliver on that potential during the college entrance exam.

Zheng Huai lifted his eyelids, set down his thermos, and spoke in a neutral tone: "Mm, he was tested. It was alright."

He didn't immediately reveal the number, but instead asked: "Teacher Zhou, how did Zhou Zhen from your class do this time?" Zhou Zhen was also one of the students in the Key Cultivation Program. His strength was slightly inferior to Zhang Zhen's, but he was very hardworking and was the primary candidate from Class One for the cultivation list.

Teacher Zhou was enjoying the attention brought by his class's top student. Hearing this, he replied offhandedly: "Zhou Zhen? He's alright, 371. A normal performance; the progress wasn't huge."

He paused, recalled the previous topic, and added with the tone of a senior critiquing a junior: "Old Zheng, I have some impression of that Lin Ye in your class. Relying on a 218 to rush to second place in overall performance last time was indeed quite fierce. However, it's hard to say how much stamina these 'sprinter' type students have, especially since Blood-Qi values become harder to improve the further you go. Around three hundred is a major hurdle, and at that point, the effectiveness of resources begins to diminish. If he could sprint from 218 to around 270—approaching three hundred—in two months, that would be a success. Teacher Zheng, don't be too harsh on your students; Blood-Qi values are indeed harder to raise the higher you go."

His words sounded like comfort, but they actually carried a hint of superiority. Zheng Huai's expression remained unchanged; he simply gave a faint "Mm," picked up his cup, and took a sip of water, seemingly indifferent to Teacher Zhou's commentary.

Just then, the female teacher from Fourth High School seemed to notice something on the statistical table. She tapped the paper with her finger and let out a soft "Huh?"

"Teacher Zheng," she looked up, her expression somewhat strange as she looked at Zheng Huai, then glanced at the table in her hand again as if to confirm, "Is this... Lin Ye from your class recorded here? Blood-Qi value 335? Is the statistic correct?"

Her voice rose involuntarily as she spoke.

"Mm, how much?!"

"335?!"

The previously somewhat noisy lounge suddenly went quiet.