A rice-yellow card gradually took on a lustrous white sheen. The intricate pattern on its surface, resembling a swirling vortex of wind, seemed to come alive and breathe, slowly rotating as though wind were flowing and coiling within it.
White-quality, one-star—Cyclone Card.
The card lay quietly on the table before Tang Jian. Meanwhile, Tang Jian swiftly poured out another portion of ink heated in the Heating Furnace and began preparing to make the next card.
He seemed a little flustered, but overall, his strengths outweighed his flaws.
The completion of the Cyclone Card immediately surprised quite a few teachers in the conference room outside, including Jiang Zhendong. Jiang Zhendong's expression became particularly stiff.
He had just praised Wu Chun's performance as excellent, yet Tang Jian had produced a Cyclone Card at almost the same speed.
The Cyclone Card was more difficult than both the Pet Card and the Antelope Card.
Although Tang Jian was slightly slower at making cards, the increased difficulty more than made up for the difference in speed and even surpassed it.
"Not bad, not bad. Student Wu Chun has performed brilliantly, and Student Tang Jian has been even more outstanding. Teacher Jiang and Teacher Sun are both excellent at nurturing students. The teachers of the other classes should take the two of you as examples."
Vice Principal Zhou Dongbo was in high spirits as he smiled and praised them.
To him, it did not matter which class the outstanding students came from. They were all students of his school, and he treated them equally. The more exceptional students there were, the more glory it brought him, and the happier he was.
Jiang Zhendong could only smile along. He was irritated inside, yet he still showered Sun Yiying with compliments, as though he had not been the one belittling Tang Jian earlier.
His feelings were complicated. He wanted Tang Jian to make a mistake and embarrass himself, dampening Sun Yiying's momentum, but he also did not want to fall out with her too badly. His thoughts were tangled beyond explanation.
As the teacher of the school's Rocket Class One, Jiang Zhendong was under immense pressure.
If his students were overshadowed by students from an ordinary class in this assessment, it would not only damage his reputation but also disappoint the school leadership. It might even lead to reduced resource allocation for Class One, something he could not afford to accept.
Therefore, even though Jiang Zhendong had some interest in Sun Yiying, he still did not want to yield when his personal interests were at stake.
Moreover, by this point, Jiang Zhendong was increasingly beginning to feel that something was wrong.
From the large screen, it was clear that Tang Jian seemed to be getting more and more into his stride. He had initially been somewhat nervous and flustered, but while making his second card, he had already completely calmed down.
Although the gravity within the energy-constructed virtual testing ground was gradually increasing, with strange noises occasionally erupting to create interference,
Tang Jian's expression grew even more focused. It was as if he had concentrated all his attention on a single point, deaf to everything beyond it.
Such a performance immediately caught the attention of several teachers. The surprise in Sun Yiying's heart turned into a silent sigh that lingered in her mind for a long time, leaving her speechless.
Was this really her student?
Why did he seem even more outstanding than she had been at his age?
"He truly is an excellent talent. His aptitude is very strong. He may have seemed a little immature at first, but he is the kind of talent who thrives under pressure. The greater the pressure, the faster he improves. The more setbacks he suffers, the braver he becomes!"
Vice Principal Zhou Dongbo praised him and gave his conclusion.
Several school directors and teachers immediately nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
Every year, as the college entrance examinations approached, a few dark horses would emerge. They were people who suddenly rose to the challenge under the intense pressure of the exams, unearthed their own potential, and staged a comeback.
Although Tang Jian, this dark horse, was exceptionally strong,
it could not be denied that he was improving. From an initially somewhat flawed performance, he had gradually approached perfection. His adaptability and self-adjustment abilities were both extremely strong.
By comparison,
Wu Chun, who should have been dazzling, seemed somewhat inferior at this moment.
As the gravitational environment grew stronger and stronger, accompanied by occasionally sudden, frightening or seductive sounds that disrupted him,
Wu Chun's pressure also mounted. He had already completed more than half of his second card, but during the remaining half, he found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. The sudden noises at his ears repeatedly startled him to the point of nearly failing the card-making process.
At this moment, if one looked at Wu Chun's body lying on the Virtual Bio-Seat, one would see sweat covering his forehead. His tense expression had even affected his body in the real world.
And apart from Wu Chun, the other students still making cards had successively failed after being disturbed. Some had even lost their composure and begun cursing aloud in the assessment space.
Only a handful of people, including Wu Chun, Yang Mao, and Liu Fei, were still persevering with card-making.
Yet among them, Tang Jian was the only one who became increasingly focused and remained unaffected by the interference. He stood out far too much, like a crane among chickens.
Besides the card-making assessment environment beginning to worsen,
the environment on the survival assessment side became even harsher.
Many people had already endured darkness, loneliness, and monotony until they were on the verge of collapse.
At such a time, their minds were exceptionally fragile, yet amid the loneliness and tedium, they encountered new signs of life.
But those were not signs of life. They were hailstones crashing down, blazing sunlight scorching them, being cast into a vast ocean, or finding themselves inside a high-rise building engulfed in flames—circumstances even more terrifying and unbearable.
Some people nearly went mad.
Without personally being placed in such an environment, it was difficult to understand that kind of suffering.
This test of willpower, this whipping of one's vitality, was far crueler than the card-making assessment. Quite a few people could no longer endure it and were ruthlessly eliminated.
"It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person. We in Xi City hope that every student we nurture for the Federation will possess strong willpower and steadfast character, rather than be flowers raised in a greenhouse. These children are all quite good."
Vice Principal Zhou Dongbo watched the scenes of the assessment and sighed softly, somewhat gratified.
Even in the students who had been eliminated, he saw perseverance.
Perhaps that was why humanity could still survive so tenaciously despite the crisis of giant beasts surrounding them: deep in human bones lay an unyielding and resilient will.
"He succeeded! Wu Chun succeeded!" At that moment, Jiang Zhendong clenched his fist excitedly.
Wu Chun had persevered and completed his second card, a white-quality, one-star Pet Card—the Brute Ox Card.
So far, apart from Wu Chun, no one else had made a second card.
Jiang Zhendong's excitement was justified.
But when Jiang Zhendong looked at Tang Jian on the screen, who was still making his second card, his excitement was dampened once more.
Tang Jian was extremely focused, seemingly completely unaffected by the external environment. His second card was also nearing completion and was about to be finished.
As long as Tang Jian made his second card, then even if Wu Chun had taken less time than Tang Jian to make his cards, he would still undoubtedly lose.
Because the card Wu Chun had made was far less difficult than Tang Jian's.
Before you continue