Xia Wen felt as though the sky had fallen and the earth had split apart!
Only now did she remember how good Chen Nian had been to her. He would hand her mineral water after PE and run over to bring her an umbrella when it rained.
A rich second-generation heir might give her momentary satisfaction, but an honest homebody would give her his true heart.
She stood there, watching as most people finished forming their teams.
Yet Chen Nian's team still had only two people.
A flicker of hope suddenly rose in Xia Wen's heart...
Could Chen Nian have saved that last spot especially for her?
He used to be my loyal simp. Even if he has a new girlfriend, surely he wouldn't be that heartless?
As she thought about it, Xia Wen actually saw Chen Nian walking toward her!
Wonderful!
He still has a place for me in his heart.
She had even prepared the expression she would wear when accepting Chen Nian's invitation, only to feel a gust brush past her ear.
Chen Nian passed her and approached the instructor. "Instructor, my team will just have two people. That's enough."
"!!!"
Xia Wen nearly died of anger on the spot.
He'd rather be a person short than invite me?!
What a bastard! How can anyone hold such a grudge? What a petty little weakling!
She cursed Chen Nian inwardly with practically every insult she could think of, but none of it changed the fact that she had been left behind.
"All right." Jiang Lie nodded with a smile.
He had intended to target Chen Nian anyway. Since Chen Nian had volunteered to take the challenge with only two people, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
The other trainees were all stunned.
"Chen Nian is way too cocky... He's taking the challenge without even filling his team?"
"Disrespecting the instructor like that? He'll learn when he gets a thorough beating."
"Exactly. He's still our instructor. You should show some basic respect. Isn't this blatant provocation?"
Even Qin Yu felt Chen Nian had been rash.
She wasn't entirely confident...
"Chen Nian, are you sure it's just going to be us?"
"Who else?"
"Hmph, then you'd better perform well. Don't end up getting carried by a girl!"
Qin Yu wrinkled her little nose and grumbled reproachfully.
To the other boys, it was nothing short of flirting. They were going mad with envy. What kind of dumb luck had Chen Nian stumbled into to get such a cute girlfriend?!
Just as everyone finished forming their teams, a neatly uniformed unit suddenly entered the sports field.
They were official law enforcement officers dressed in camouflage!
Leading them was a female officer in black leather boots, her hair tied in a neat, no-nonsense ponytail. Her sleeves were casually rolled up, and she carried herself with a woman's dashing confidence.
She walked straight to the viewing area, pulled out a chair, and sat down, casually crossing her legs.
The other officers lined up behind her.
"Holy shit... It's Li Yunwei!"
The students were no less shocked to see this female officer than they had been to see Qin Yu.
"Isn't she that badass woman who's always on TV? I heard she's almost level 40, even stronger than the instructor!"
"I know her! She's probably the strongest law enforcement officer in Linhai City. She's led teams to eliminate loads of monsters in the city."
"Oh my god, she's so cool..."
A woman this strong and dashing appealed to men and women alike.
"If even she's here, she must be scouting talent! I've got to do well this time."
"I'm going all out! If I could work under Sister Li, I'd wake up laughing!"
Male or female, everyone was now brimming with 200 percent motivation.
The test officially began!
"We'll go first!"
A three-person team stepped forward to fight first.
"I heard that guy's level 20 and pretty strong. Looks like he wants to show off!" someone whispered.
But the outcome left everyone dumbfounded!
For the first thirty seconds, Jiang Lie only defended, never attacking. He dodged their attacks through footwork alone and remained completely unscathed.
When he finally moved, he stunned everyone.
He threw a punch through the air, and a terrifying blast of qi sent all three flying several meters!
A Qigong Master's Air-Rending Fist...
Chen Nian immediately recognized the skill.
"Holy shit, he's so strong!" the students exclaimed.
Jiang Lie rolled his neck. "Next team."
Even that had only been a slight display of his strength. The main event was still to come.
The second team entered the field.
"I'll give you thirty seconds to show what you can do. Come on." Jiang Lie beckoned.
Thirty seconds later, the second team was likewise blasted away by a powerful surge of qi, landing face-first in a sorry heap.
"Damn, the instructor really isn't going easy on anyone..."
"That's a true powerhouse! At least he gave us thirty seconds to show our stuff."
Everyone felt somewhat afraid of the instructor.
Especially the girls!
Girls cared about looking good, and even more about saving face.
How embarrassing would it be to fall flat on their faces like that?!
There were roughly twenty teams, and their ratings varied.
Only a scant three people managed to exchange more than ten moves with the instructor and earned A Rank ratings. Most received below B Rank, and not a single person received an S Rank.
Xia Wen took her turn too. The instructor showed women no special consideration and beat them just the same.
There was only one exception: Sun Jing!
He actually traded dozens of moves with the instructor before finally losing in a less embarrassing fashion.
"Sun Jing, A Rank!"
"Wow, Brother Sun really is good. He's the first person to hold his own against the instructor!"
"Brother Sun is awesome! That A Rank is well deserved!"
Amid the praise, Sun Jing grew conceited too. He couldn't help looking toward the female officer, hoping for her approval.
To his surprise, Li Yunwei was simply sitting there sipping tea, unmoved.
The principal couldn't help asking, "Team Leader Li, Sun Jing has quite a talent. Would you be interested in taking him in and training him?"
"Not interested."
Li Yunwei calmly set down her teacup.
With her strength, how could she fail to see that the instructor had deliberately gone easy on him?
Someone that mediocre wasn't worth a glance.
"Where's the kid who stepped up to help someone today?"
"Do you mean Chen Nian, Team Leader Li? Look, it's his turn now!"
Indeed, Chen Nian and Qin Yu had already reached the center of the sports field.
They were the only two-person team!
"Finally..."
Jiang Lie rotated his wrists, producing a series of crisp cracks.
He had been waiting for so long!
Everything before this had been a warm-up. Though his qigong had looked impressive, it hadn't inflicted any serious internal damage.
If he wanted to get serious, his qigong could directly rupture someone's internal organs. It wouldn't be as simple as taking a fall!
And there wouldn't be the slightest outward sign.
Only after some time would the qi driven into their body begin destroying it. By then, no one could pin it on him.
"Good, good, good. Finally, it's your turn." Sun Jing waited expectantly.
Let's see what gives you the right to act like such a big shot! Xia Wen was even more resentful.
In the investors' seating area, Liu Xingchen finally perked up. He took off his sunglasses and stared straight ahead.
"Little brother, you'd better put on a good show. Don't disappoint your big brother."
For a moment, Chen Nian became the focus of everyone's attention!