Combat power: 9.21!
The surrounding examinees erupted as soon as they saw Lin Hao step down from the blood qi testing machine. They swarmed over, surrounding him in ring upon ring.
"Bro, you're freaking amazing! Blood qi of 2.79 at eighteen! This year's top scorer in Jiang City's Martial Artist Examination has to be you!"
"Lin, how about exchanging contact details? If there's anything I don't understand later, I'd love to ask you for advice!"
"Student Lin, my daughter's your age. She's in the martial arts class at Jiang City Third High, and she's pretty talented too. Give me your contact details so you young people can get to know each other?"
"..."
Voices clamored over one another, giving Lin Hao something of a headache.
Lin Hao raised a hand and pressed it down for quiet. His gaze fell on the combat power testing machine nearby, and he called out, "Please make way! I haven't tested my combat power yet!"
Those words finally quieted the crowd, and they opened a path.
Lin Hao let out a long breath and walked up to the combat power testing machine.
He glanced at the testing machine's bull's-eye.
Then he lowered his waist, set his stance, and twisted his hips, sending blood qi surging through his meridians toward his fist.
He used the Mountain-Breaking Thrust Punch of the Mountain-Subduing Basic Fist.
There was nothing flashy about this punch, yet it held power tempered through countless repetitions.
His fist tore through the air with a low, sharp sound and slammed squarely into the bull's-eye.
The alloy target shuddered, giving off a humming vibration.
Lin Hao withdrew his fist and stood still. A faint numbness spread through his knuckles. All the force of his fist had penetrated the bull's-eye, without the slightest bit leaking out.
Everyone's eyes were riveted to the testing machine's screen.
The numbers flickered wildly, soaring from 1.0 straight past the 3.0 threshold for a one-star martial artist!
Yet they did not pause in the slightest and kept climbing!
5.0!
7.0!
9.0!
Finally, the numbers slowly stopped, settling at 9.21.
The entire examination hall fell deathly silent, so quiet they could hear one another breathing.
Everyone seemed frozen by an immobilization spell, staring wide-eyed at the numbers on the screen without moving.
More than ten seconds passed before someone cried out in a trembling voice, "9.21! That's... that's almost... at the threshold for a two-star martial artist!"
That cry was like a spark igniting a powder keg, blowing the entire hall apart in an instant.
"A two-star martial artist's combat power? He's only eighteen! Even Jiang City's youngest two-star martial artist only broke through at twenty-five!"
"This is insane! Blood qi of 2.79 and combat power of 9.21? A multiplier of more than three? What kind of monster is he?"
"Wait! Those two mimic spiders in the old district-rumor said a high school student killed them solo! Could it have been him?"
"No way, right? That genius in the rumors only had 5.0 combat power. His is already 9.21, almost twice as strong as the rumors said!"
"I think it's possible! Otherwise, could Jiang City really produce two heaven-defying eighteen-year-old geniuses like this at once?"
"..."
The crowd clamored, their discussions showing no sign of stopping.
Zhou Lie stood at the very front of the crowd, staring at that number, his calves trembling.
He had thought that 2.02 combat power was already Lin Hao's limit.
But he could never have imagined that in just a few short days, this student's combat power would have shot up to 9.21, almost reaching the threshold for a two-star martial artist.
No, how could anyone's blood qi and combat power improve so much in just a few days?
Without a doubt, Lin Hao had concealed his strength during his earlier test.
Though he did not know how to conceal one's blood qi reading during a test.
Still, he found it even harder to believe that Lin Hao could improve so much in just a few days!
He took a deep breath and walked up to Lin Hao, his voice carrying unmistakable regret. "Lin Hao, I wronged you over what happened at school. If you don't mind, whenever you have any questions about actual combat in the future, I'm always available to guide you..."
Lin Hao looked up and glanced at him, his gaze calm.
Although his combat power was not yet as high as Zhou Lie's, Zhou Lie had long since lost the ability to guide him in actual combat.
He said nothing, merely turning sideways and walking past him without a word of response.
Zhou Lie froze in place, his face flushing red and then turning pale. As he watched Lin Hao's retreating figure, regret surged through his heart like a tide, nearly drowning him.
He knew that if Lin Hao asked now, he could probably even get the city lord to guide him personally.
How could it possibly be his turn?
He was not qualified to teach a genius like this.
"Student Lin Hao, you truly are young and accomplished." Chen Jing stepped forward with a smile and praised him. "With your strength, although you weren't able to be certified as a one-star martial artist this time, I believe that in the near future, even going straight for two-star will be a breeze for you."
Wei Kun immediately approached as well, but he lowered his voice, his tone somewhat probing. "Student Lin Hao, there's something I'd like to ask. Those two Shadow Mimic Spiders in the old district a few days ago-you killed them, didn't you?"
Lin Hao looked up at him, nodded, and said, "I did."
Even though Wei Kun had been prepared for it, he was still startled by the answer. Then his smile broadened. "Just as I thought! Did you know your older cousin hasn't been sleeping well these past two days? She's been leading people all over the city every day, searching for this genius.
"The city lord personally ordered that this person had to be found within three days!
"I bet she never would have imagined that the genius she'd spent all that time searching for was her own younger cousin!"
Everyone around them laughed at that.
Lin Hao did not know whether to laugh or cry either. He had not expected his older cousin to have been searching for him all this time.
Just then, Zhao Man steeled herself and squeezed through from the back of the crowd. She forced a smile onto her face, and even her voice sounded a little unnatural. "Lin Hao, congratulations! I was at fault in some ways over what happened before. Please don't take it to heart. Are you free tonight? I'll arrange a get-together to celebrate and invite your cousin Lin Qing too..."
"Celebrate?" Lin Hao looked at her with a cold laugh. "Celebrating with you? I'm afraid I'd be full before I even ate. You turn my stomach!"
Zhao Man's face instantly flushed crimson, burning painfully as though someone had slapped her hard.
She gritted her teeth and wanted to say something, but as she looked at Lin Hao, she forcibly swallowed the harsh words on the tip of her tongue.
Watching this scene, the surrounding examinees felt their hearts surge all the more.
A two-star martial artist captain from the western district branch was a prominent figure in Jiang City, yet now an eighteen-year-old high school student had left her speechless, not daring to offer even half a word in rebuttal.
They knew full well that after today's examination, Lin Hao and they would belong to two completely different worlds.
Seeing that everyone was about to crowd around him again, Lin Hao looked at Zhou Lie and silenced the entire hall once more with a single sentence. "I want special certification as a one-star martial artist. I'll challenge a one-star demonic beast."
"What?"
Startled, Wei Kun hurriedly said, "Student Lin Hao, don't be rash! Your blood qi is 2.79 now, only a little short of the 3.0 standard for a one-star martial artist.
"With your talent, if you make steady progress, you'll be sure to get your one-star martial artist certification within half a year at most. There's no need to take this risk!"
"That's right, Lin! The actual combat assessment means fighting a one-star demonic beast to the death. It's far too dangerous!" an examinee nearby chimed in to dissuade him.
Zhou Lie also stepped forward and urged him, "Actual combat isn't like sparring. Demonic beasts fight with their lives on the line. The slightest carelessness could leave you injured. What if it interferes with your Martial Artist Examination? Listen to your tea... listen to my advice. Don't go!"
Lin Hao ignored them all and said evenly, "Since I'm seeking special certification, naturally, I have confidence in my chances."