Shock

"I bet he'll be 9.5 at most!" Zhao Ritian said disdainfully. "He was only at 9 six days ago. Even if he drank ginseng soup every day, he could only rise by 0.5 at most."

The surrounding examinees began discussing it as well.

"I think he'd be doing well to get 5 points. He's from a martyr's family, after all. They can't let him embarrass himself too badly."

"Hard to say. What if he really had some fortuitous encounter?"

"Fortuitous encounter? Where are there so many of those? If he really had one, he wouldn't have been mocked for so many years."

No one believed Lin Yun could test very high. In everyone's fixed impression, he was that useless piece of trash with poor aptitude, someone who could never break through to the Martial Apprentice realm in his lifetime.

Only Wang Dalong watched Lin Yun with great interest. He wanted to see just how deeply Lin Yun had been hiding himself.

Ignoring all the chatter, Lin Yun calmly walked up to the vitality and blood tester.

He took a deep breath and slowly circulated the vitality and blood that had accumulated within him over the past four days.

A concentrated pale-red mist rose from all around him, thicker and heavier than Su Nianhe's. It lingered around his body without dispersing in the slightest.

The numbers on the screen began to jump.

10...

20...

30...

The number was still climbing wildly!

The entire venue fell silent in an instant.

Everyone's eyes widened as they stared fixedly at the screen, their faces full of disbelief.

A boy holding a bottle of mineral water let it slip from his hand with a clatter, spilling water all over the ground.

A girl wiping sweat froze with the tissue in midair, as though even her breathing had stopped.

Wang Dalong abruptly straightened up as well. His eyes went round, and the playful look on his face turned ugly, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.

As for Zhao Ritian, he rubbed his eyes furiously, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I... I must be seeing things..."

But the number on the tester was vivid red—and it was still rising!

35...

40.

45!

The number kept jumping upward!

"45!"

Someone couldn't help crying out in shock.

At last, the number stopped firmly at 46.1.

"46.1, 345 points!"

The proctoring officer's voice trembled noticeably.

The entire field erupted.

"46.1! Am I seeing this right?!"

"Fourth level Martial Apprentice! Lin Yun is actually a fourth-level Martial Apprentice—how is that possible?!"

"He was only at 2 points in the last mock test! It's only been half a month, and he's shot up to 44! What the hell, did he ride a rocket?!"

"Monster! He's absolutely a monster! I've cultivated for three years, getting up before dawn every day to train, and I've only reached 18 points!"

"My god! I just said he'd have 8 points at most. I really was blind!"

"How is he useless? He's clearly a once-in-a-century genius!"

"We were all wrong about him before! So he'd been hiding his strength all along!"

Not only had the examinees from Azure City gone mad, even the proctoring officers and inspectors nearby were stunned.

"This is the younger brother of Lin Hai, the martyr?"

"He rose from 2 points to 46 in half a month? This is simply unheard of!"

"Even if he soaked in third-tier medicine every day, he couldn't possibly improve this quickly!"

"This kid is definitely a fine prospect! He must be cultivated as a priority!"

On the reviewing stand, Colonel Chen Feng abruptly rose to his feet. His sharp gaze fixed on Lin Yun, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

"He improved by 44 points in half a month? How is that possible?!"

The adjutant beside him hurriedly explained, "General, he's the younger brother of Major Lin Hai from the Vanguard Army. Perhaps Major Lin left him a great deal of resources."

Chen Feng nodded, thoughtful. "No matter what, this kid is a fine prospect."

Su Nianhe stood frozen in place, her eyes wide and her lips slightly parted, her face full of disbelief.

Only after several seconds did she finally react.

An indescribable surge of joy instantly flooded her heart. Her heart hammered, and her entire body trembled faintly.

Lin Yun... the boy she had liked for ten years was actually this incredible.

So when Lin Yun said he would get into Imperial Capital First Martial Academy, it hadn't been sweet talk—it had been a promise to her!

Su Nianhe could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Lin Yun.

The surrounding examinees looked at the embracing pair, their faces filled with envy and jealousy.

When Su Nianhe liked Lin Yun before, they had still dared to mock her for sticking a flower into cow dung. But now?

A talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!

No one mocked Lin Yun anymore.

Everyone knew that from this day onward, Lin Yun was no longer useless. He was a genius who had burst onto the scene.

Lin Yun did not move, merely wearing a gentle smile as he lightly patted her back, without making any inappropriate move.

Zhao Ritian collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen.

He remembered what he had said to Su Nianhe six days earlier. He really was going to change his surname to Lin.

The surrounding examinees remembered it too and all looked toward Zhao Ritian with teasing in their eyes.

"Zhao Ritian, when are you changing your surname?"

"Hahaha, keep your word, Young Master Zhao!"

"Lin Ritian! Lin Ritian!"

The examinees all joined in the jeering, and laughter rang out everywhere.

Zhao Ritian's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, red from his neck to the roots of his ears, even the tips of his ears burning crimson.

He pointed at Lin Yun, his lips trembling, unable to form a complete sentence for a long while.

"You... you... This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

As if suddenly thinking of something, he shrieked, "He must have used some forbidden technique! Otherwise, how could he not even be a Martial Apprentice six days ago, yet be at the fourth level today? Who can cultivate that fast? He must have cheated!"

The moment Zhao Ritian finished speaking, the boiling field quieted somewhat.

Many examinees showed hesitant expressions and began whispering among themselves.

"Come to think of it, it really is too outrageous. Going from 2 points to 46 in half a month—even soaking in a vat of medicine every day wouldn't do it."

"Could he really have used some forbidden technique? I heard there's a pill on the black market that burns life force to rapidly increase vitality and blood in a short time, though the price is enormous."

"If he really used a forbidden technique, then this result doesn't count."

The discussion grew louder and louder, and the looks directed at Lin Yun gained several shades of suspicion.

But Su Nianhe burst out laughing when she heard that. Folding her arms, she swept an icy gaze over Zhao Ritian and those whispering people.

"A forbidden technique? Cheating? Lin Ritian, did a door slam into your head?"

"Leaving aside the fact that this is the newest high-precision vitality and blood tester, have you forgotten the rules of the martial examination?"

She paused, and her voice suddenly rose.

"The martial examination is under the Dragon Nation Military Headquarters' direct, full authority. Those who engage in favoritism or fraud are treated as traitors, with the maximum penalty being death! You claim he cheated—are you questioning these fifty military instruments, questioning every proctoring officer present, or even questioning the authority of the entire Dragon Nation Military Headquarters?"