Chapter 17 (continued)
But the testing teachers still looked grave, and some seemed unsure how to break the news.
The chief examiner took the testing device and glanced at it, her brows drawing tightly together.
All three devices showed the same value.
But that value was far too outrageous.
Surely all three devices couldn't have malfunctioned!
The chief examiner picked up the device herself and went to test the third station again. Several examiners gathered around, and once again, they saw the same value.
The examinees realized something was wrong.
What was going on?
What was the damage value at station three?
Surely it couldn't be higher than 280!
Zhong Kun rubbed his nose and said to Lin Zhaoqin, "Ahem, maybe the damage value was too low, because she's actually..." Fang Chuyun.
The examiners didn't give him a chance to finish. They announced, "Station three belongs to Li Yang. Damage value: 285."
As the words fell, the entire place went silent.
With a clatter, Lin Zhaoqin's lollipop fell to the ground.
With a crack, Zhong Qian squeezed too hard and shattered his sword sheath.
"Huh???" Zhong Kun let out a shriek, thinking he was hearing things.
The chief examiner showed everyone the reading on the device and said, "All four tests gave the same result. Congratulations to Li Yang on earning 100 points."
The leaderboard changed.
The change left everyone dumbstruck.
First place, Li Yang, points: 380.
Second place, Zhong Qian, points: 200.
Third place, Lin Zhaoqin, points: 180.
As luck would have it, the second- and third-place scores added together were exactly equal to the first-place score.
The most dumbfounded of all was undoubtedly Zhong Kun. He looked at the leaderboard, then at Li Yang... then at Li Yang, then at the leaderboard... then... Fuck!!!
"You... you..." How could Zhong Kun still not understand?
There was no Fang Chuyun!
This person was Li Yang!
And he... what had he done?
At first, a surge of anger shot straight to the crown of Zhong Kun's head, but then the things Li Yang had said quickly surfaced in his mind-
"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"What if I accidentally land the final blow?"
"Don't get angry when that happens."
"Let's agree on this first: either I don't take part, or I give it everything I've got."
The memories came surging in, crashing into Zhong Kun until his head spun.
After a long while, Zhong Kun clutched his head and groaned, "I'm such a fucking idiot!"
What had he done?!
Li Yang hadn't intended to come here in the first place. He had paid her to escort him.
Li Yang hadn't intended to fight the dahlia in the first place. He had paid her and begged for her help.
Li Yang had asked him several times, and he had assured her confidently: "Then you'd have earned it through your own ability. No one could say a word!"
Not. A. Word!
Those words branded themselves onto Zhong Kun's heart like a red-hot iron.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Zhong Kun couldn't tell whether his heart or his face hurt more.
The chief examiner looked at Li Yang and asked, "Student Li, could you come with me? We need to test your Physique Points again."
Li Yang wasn't surprised. She nodded obediently and said, "All right, teacher."
The examinees craned their necks curiously. None of them were in a hurry to eat or sleep anymore. They all jostled their way after her, wanting to see what her Physique Points were now.
"285 points! Could her Physique Points have reached 95...?"
"Did she take a pill at the last minute?"
"What are you thinking? Once it's above 88, it's basically impossible to raise it with Soul Condensing Pills."
"Then how did she shoot up from 90 to 95...?"
"It's not necessarily 95, is it? Maybe she just burst out with extra power on that last strike?"
"Heh, no matter how much extra power she burst out with, there's no way it could account for a whole 15 points of damage!"
There was a Physique Points tester in the main control room, and Li Yang walked over to it under a teacher's guidance.
This Physique Points tester was much more advanced than the one Li Yang had used before. It was silver-white all over, with a transparent cover around it, and even the punching column looked more refined.
Li Yang's Spirit Points had risen considerably, and when she looked at the punching column now, she immediately saw the dense covering of starlight on it.
No wonder it could measure Physique Points so accurately. It relied on this strange "starlight" too.
The chief examiner said, "Li Yang, you may begin."
Li Yang acknowledged her and began punching with her full concentration. She knew her own Physique Points and didn't mind revealing them.
The Longevity System seemed to understand the rules of this world very well.
It had said 95 was the human limit, and she hadn't exceeded that limit.
At most, everyone would be amazed when they saw it. They wouldn't go so far as to treat her like a monster.
As for why she had risen from 90 to 95... Li Yang wasn't going to make up some explanation.
She would leave professional matters to the professionals.
She was just a bewildered eighteen-year-old examinee, after all.
The Physique Points result appeared quickly. The examiners all gathered around and fixed their eyes on it.
"As expected, it's 95!"
"My heavens, a limit physique!"
"Are there any examinees with a limit physique in Huaxia this year?"
"There are bound to be some in Central Capital, but I doubt there are more than you can count on one hand."
"I never thought our Donghua Province... would actually produce someone with a limit physique."
Li Yang walked over, looked at the chief examiner, and took the initiative to ask, "Teacher, is there a problem?"
The chief examiner, Lin Yunshu, paused and said, "Your current Physique Points are 95."
Li Yang put on a suitably surprised expression and asked, "How could that be? My previous test showed 90."
That was right. She didn't know why either, since she was just an ordinary small-town orphan.
Although this was Lin Yunshu's first time meeting Li Yang face-to-face, she had actually watched her through the monitors for three days.
She had a very good impression of Li Yang.
The student was down-to-earth and composed. Starting with Gradeless plants, she had still managed to produce such outstanding results. In the final battle against the Second Grade mutated plant, she had also performed exceptionally well. Rather than standing by with folded arms, she had fought alongside Zhong Qian and Lin Zhaoqin, giving it her all to secure victory.
The road was always rough for Heavenly Chosen from humble backgrounds.
Lin Yunshu's heart softened, and she said, "There are several possibilities. First, the instruments used in the military academy general examination have their limitations and may not be able to accurately measure Physique Points above 90. Second, you're still growing, so you may have tapped into your potential again during these three days of practical exams, causing your Physique Points to surge."
Li Yang was genuinely taken aback as she listened. It really did take a professional to explain it. She nodded in bewilderment and said, "So that's what happened..."
Lin Yunshu asked her, "Have you ever had your Spirit Points tested?"
Li Yang shook her head. "No."
Lin Yunshu said, "There's no instrument for testing Spirit Points here. You can get them checked later. They should be fairly high too."
She paused, then smiled and said, "It's fine if you don't test it, either. With your results, getting into any school won't be a problem, and you can choose whichever department you like when the time comes."
Military academies didn't consider Spirit Points when admitting students, but high Spirit Points offered more possibilities when choosing a department later.
But Li Yang's Physique Points and practical exam results were so high that she didn't need Spirit Points to bolster them. She could already "walk sideways" among this year's new students.
After thanking the examiners, Li Yang left the testing room.
A crowd of examinees outside stared at her in utter astonishment. Lin Yunshu said, "All right, all right. The practical exam is over. Teachers, please prepare for the return trip. You must take roll by group and make sure every examinee is brought out of the quarantine zone."
On the way back, the atmosphere in Group Eight's vehicle was completely different from the trip there.
Everyone was silent, stealing glances at Li Yang from time to time. They were like people sneaking peeks at a huge celebrity, too afraid to speak to her first!
Heavens!
95 Physique Points!
Heavens!
The top scorer in Donghua Province with 380 points!
It wasn't until they returned to the teaching area that Chen Song worked up his courage, and the words came to his lips again. "Earlier..." I was in the wrong. I'm sorry.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't say them, because a crowd was standing in Group Eight's classroom.
The young man at the front was still dressed in a black combat suit, his features as cold and sharp as a sword. A barely visible crack had appeared on the sword sheath angled at his waist. It was Zhong Qian, who had just lost to Li Yang.
Zhong Kun was there too. His granny-gray hair had lost its luster and hung limply against his face. He was utterly dejected, looking just like a salted fish stranded on a beach.
Li Yang's heart skipped a beat at the sight.
What was going on?
Why did it feel like they had come with bad intentions?
Zhong Qian strode up to her and asked straight away, "Which military academy are you applying to?"
Li Yang said, "Central Capital."
Zhong Qian said, "Good."
With that, Zhong Qian turned and left. Zhong Kun didn't even dare look at Li Yang and slunk away after him.
Li Yang said, "..."
What was going on? He had just asked that one question and left?
She couldn't be bothered to worry about what Zhong Qian was going to do. It was Zhong Kun she cared about. Classmate, don't forget the Star-Attracting Pill you promised me. You have to be able to face your own conscience.
The Zhong brothers had left, but the onlookers were still staring intently at Li Yang.
They couldn't help it. It was simply too remarkable.
Even if they couldn't tell anything from looking, maybe a few more looks would raise their Physique Points?
Chen Song thought, *...* There were so many people around that he really couldn't bring himself to say those words!
Just then, a sturdy, burly fellow squeezed through the crowd. His special survival suit was covered in mud, and quite a few dead twigs and leaves clung to his hair. His face, however, had been washed clean, revealing thick eyebrows and large eyes.
It was Yu Hongyuan. He hadn't managed to make it to Group Six to see things for himself, but he had heard the whole story as a bystander.
Awesome, Mom!
He was utterly convinced!
Li Yang had actually achieved a limit physique and earned a high score of 380. That score carried so much weight that it directly encompassed the combined scores of second and third place...