Under Shen Xiu's guidance, the Apprentice Warrior class entered the examination hall. In the distance, on the stage, the school's senior officials watched the proceedings with sharp attention.
"First part: the Strength Test. Who wants to go first?" one of the instructors asked Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu's gaze swept over the class. Chan Wei stepped forward, his expression resolute. "I'll go first!" he announced confidently.
He approached the massive Strength Assessment Stone. Silence fell over the room as he prepared himself. Then, with a powerful movement, he struck the stone with all his might. Though the blow carried the essence of his determination, it still concealed a large portion of his real strength.
Boom!
Chan Wei's fist slammed against the Strength Stone, leaving a slight dent on its surface.
Several instructors responsible for the exam stepped forward to inspect the result.
"Strength Test Result: Silver Rank, 2-star — 2,066 power!"
The students in the Apprentice Warrior class erupted in exclamations. None of them had expected Chan Wei's physical body to be so exceptional. Rumors had already circulated about his inscription talent, but learning that he was also a formidable cultivator came as a surprise to all.
From the corner of the room, Shen Xiu watched the scene with a mix of astonishment and unease. She had overlooked Chan Wei entirely, focused only on her own ambitions. But faced with such undeniable potential, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Worse still, her thoughts turned to Nie Li. If even Chan Wei—whom she had virtually ignored—was this talented, what could be said about Nie Li? She remembered their bet: if Nie Li reached Bronze Rank, 1-star, she would resign. The thought made her stomach twist. She wondered if she hadn't made a mistake in underestimating his ambition and potential.
Each person was allowed three attempts on the Strength Test. Chan Wei was satisfied with his score and moved on to the Spiritual Force Test. He was handed an intermediate-grade crystal, as a basic one would have shattered. Very soon, his result appeared: Spiritual Force — 4,522.
Thanks to several clever tricks and Nie Li's help, Chan Wei had managed to hide most of his true strength—even though the displayed value was already more than enough to qualify him as a genius.
"Chan Wei's spiritual force has surpassed 4,000. He's already a Silver Rank, 4-star Demon Spiritualist!"
Whispers spread throughout the hall, as everyone began acknowledging Chan Wei's superiority.
"What?! A Silver 4-star? Chan Wei is seriously incredible!"
"I knew he was talented, but this is on another level…"
"It's still under 9000," said a strange man with a bizarre device over his eye. "Oops, wrong place," he muttered before vanishing without anyone noticing. ^^ Sorry, couldn't resist.
The examiner had been instructed by Vice Principal Ye Sheng not to interfere with this particular student's affairs. So he simply announced the results and turned his attention elsewhere.
The instructor looked at the crowd and asked, "Who's next?"
"Let me go next!" Lu Piao stepped out from the group and walked confidently toward the Strength Stone.
The crowd of students broke into whispers.
"That's Lu Piao!"
"He hasn't been to class in ages!"
"I heard he's been training with Nie Li!"
"Lu Piao probably hasn't even reached Bronze Rank, 1-star. He doesn't have what it takes to be a Demon Spiritualist."
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Lu Piao walked up to the Strength Stone. He stood before it and threw a punch.
"What kind of strength could a guy like Lu Piao even have?" some students on the sidelines laughed coldly.
A bang echoed throughout the massive hall as the Strength Stone itself trembled from the impact.
"What's going on?"
"What a loud sound!"
Even the supervising instructor was stunned. Once the initial shock passed, he walked over to Lu Piao and looked at the Strength Assessment Stone. He remained speechless for a moment before finally announcing, "Strength Test Result: Bronze Rank, 4-star — 412 power!"
Nyx decided to join in on the fun. The little Chaos ant, hidden in Lu Piao's hair, had struck the stone just before Lu Piao's fist landed. She immediately hid again, noticed only by Lu Piao and Chan Wei, who was standing nearby.
The examiner seemed dazed for a moment and then said, impressed, "Corrected result: Bronze Rank, 5-star — 584 power."The talent displayed by Lu Piao was already quite shocking—definitely worthy of mentorship.
Chan Wei, having caught Nyx's mischief, burst out laughing. "Lu Piao, you cheated!" he whispered.
Lu Piao shrugged with a mischievous grin. "Hey, I can't control that little devil. But hey, it worked, didn't it?" He patted his hair lightly as if making sure Nyx was still hiding safely there.
"This is insane! Will they even give us a chance?!"
"It's inhuman!"
They were all the same age—thirteen. Reaching even just 80 in strength would be remarkable, yet Lu Piao had already surpassed 500, hitting Bronze Rank, 5-star. It was a brutal blow to their confidence.
The instructor in charge of the test took a deep breath, his gaze toward Lu Piao now sparkling. He remembered his own days as a student, barely reaching Bronze Rank, 1-star.
"Lu Piao wasn't exactly dedicated to training, but luckily, Nyx found a way to awaken his cultivation talents!" said Du Ze from the side, laughing. He was soon joined by Nie Li, Xiao Ning'er, and Ye Ziyun.
After the exam, Lu Piao stepped to the side. He looked at his friends and smiled, thrilled with his results.
'With these results, I won't get chewed out by my father when I get home!' Lu Piao thought proudly. When the old man sees this, his jaw is going to drop.
Hidden in his hair, Nyx playfully toyed with Lu Piao's locks, making it look as though his hair had come to life.
"Who's next?" The examiner's eyes gleamed as he scanned the students of the Apprentice Warrior class. In previous exams, no student had ever sparked his interest like this. He never expected such talent to emerge from this class—one most had written off as hopeless. Now, he was eager to see what came next.
Chan Wei glanced at Du Ze with a teasing smile. "Your turn, brother-in-law. Let's see if you're worthy of my big sister!" he joked.
"My turn!" Du Ze stepped forward toward the Strength Assessment Stone. Though he knew Chan Wei was teasing, he still felt a strong desire to prove himself—to show the world that he truly deserved Huyan Lanruo's hand. A faint aura shimmered around his body, resonating with his emotions.
It was as if every fiber of his being lit up. Each step he took toward the Strength Stone radiated determination. His emotions flared like dancing flames, pushing him forward with fierce intensity.
Chan Wei watched Du Ze with genuine admiration. He understood the weight this moment carried for his soon-to-be brother-in-law—and he knew he was about to witness something extraordinary.
Seeing Du Ze head toward the stone, Lu Piao rolled his eyes. He had just managed to attract everyone's attention, and now Du Ze was about to steal the spotlight.
Du Ze reached the Strength Assessment Stone, his expression laser-focused on a single goal. He raised his fist and launched a heavy blow straight at the stone.
Boom!A sound even louder than Lu Piao's echoed throughout the hall. The entire Strength Assessment Stone trembled.
"Strength Test Result: Silver Rank, 1-star — 1,001," the instructor announced, gasping internally: What is going on today? Why are the students from the Apprentice Warrior class turning out to be monsters, one after the other?
"No need for another attempt," Du Ze said softly, stepping aside to prepare for the Spiritual Force Test.
"You really don't want a second try?" the examiner asked. "If you try again, you might even break 1,100!" he added, clearly hopeful.
But the only response he received was Du Ze's retreating back. The boy's voice came softly: "That was already the maximum strength I can exert."
"I see!" The teacher nodded slightly. Such strength was already astonishing. A thirteen-year-old at Silver Rank—unbelievable.
Du Ze picked up the spiritual crystal and poured his energy into it. The crystal began to glow, the white point inside burning brighter and brighter.
That basic-grade spiritual crystal became nothing short of a small blazing sun.
BOOOOM!The crystal exploded into shards that scattered across the floor.
"It exploded?!"
"Whoa! That's unbelievable!"
"His physical strength alone was already over 1,000. I never imagined his spiritual power would be even more insane!"
"My gods, isn't that just monstrous?!"
In the corner, Lu Piao wore a gloomy expression, knowing Du Ze's performance had completely overshadowed his own. But the sadness wasn't just from that—it was because Nyx was now playfully shaping his mid-length hair into patterns to cheer on Du Ze. Being weaker than the little ant, Lu Piao couldn't even stop her. Strange looks were thrown his way while his friends chuckled kindly at him.
The school council had Du Ze retake the spiritual test inside a sealed tent while the rest of the examination continued. During that time, Chan Wei took the opportunity to explain to the group that Nyx had interfered during Lu Piao's second strength test.
"And here I thought you had actually trained your strength seriously," Nie Li teased, glancing at Lu Piao, who blushed in embarrassment.
"I didn't do it on purpose, Nyx acted on her own," the young man muttered, his cheeks red, while his hair shaped itself into a heart—Nyx's clear response.
Xiao Ning'er then stepped forward to take the physical test. However, Kyu, the little draconic wolf pup, decided to imitate Nyx and swiped a paw at the stone.
Boom!A powerful impact, just as strong as Chan Wei's, rang out—shocking even the supervising teacher.
"Test result: Silver Rank, 4-star — 4,214," the examiner reported automatically, before blinking and correcting himself. "Miss Xiao, could you kindly ask your wolf not to interfere with the exam?" he added.
"Yes, sorry," the young woman said, a little embarrassed, as the little Kyu tucked his tail and nuzzled her legs apologetically.
"It's alright, Kyu. Go wait with Chan Wei while I take the test," she said, patting the pup's head.
Visibly relieved, Kyu trotted over to Chan Wei and waited patiently for Xiao Ning'er to finish her turn.
The young woman looked toward her boyfriend, who had crouched down to scratch Kyu's head, and smiled warmly. She steadied herself, turned to face the stone, and delivered a full-powered strike.
BOOM!Her punch slightly cracked the structure of the massive stone, producing the loudest sound yet.
"Test result: Silver Rank, 5-star — 5,021," announced the instructor, silently hoping his earlier warning wouldn't cost him the favor of a future pillar of the city.
"I'm going to need an intermediate-grade crystal," the young woman said with a smile. She was then guided to the tent just as Du Ze was leaving.
Ye Ziyun followed next, but her heart was in turmoil. She regretted not joining the group sooner; otherwise, the gap between her and Xiao Ning'er might not have been so wide. She was happy for her friend—who she saw as a sister—but her pride as a cultivator had still taken a hit.
She felt like a delicate flower, suddenly overshadowed by one larger and more radiant. Part of her marveled at her friend's strength, but another part of her felt diminished by the comparison. It was as if a cloud had momentarily obscured her light, leaving her heart wrapped in a veil of melancholy.
Yet she knew that competition was an inevitable part of the path of cultivation. She would simply work harder, dig deeper in her training, and find her own light in the shadows of others.
Driven by her competitive spirit, the young girl unleashed three consecutive strikes on the test stone.
Boom!! — Bronze Rank, 5-star — Strength: 899
Boom!! — Silver Rank, 1-star — Strength: 1,021
Boom!! — Silver Rank, 1-star — Strength: 1,321
Ye Ziyun's confidence returned a little after her impressive performance. She was then guided to the tent after declaring she also needed an intermediate-grade crystal.
"As expected of the two goddesses. They're just too strong," whispered students nearby.
"HAHAHA, even Chan Wei is weaker than his girlfriend," laughed one student hiding behind a group.
"He's already Silver Rank with insane inscription talent—what are you laughing at? Try reaching Bronze Rank, 1-star yourself first," snapped a girl.
Ignoring the gossip around them, Chan Wei stepped closer to Nie Li.
"Nie Li, I know you're probably planning to mess with Shen Xiu a bit, but I think you should go the opposite direction from what I did," he whispered mischievously.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Nie Li, clearly intrigued.
"How about hitting Gold Rank during the exam?" Chan Wei smirked. "I can slip the shadow of one of my Gold-ranked monkeys into yours, and you'll use its strength to land the blow."
"You're right. I think Shen Xiu would have a heart attack if she believed I'd surpassed her in strength. After your combined performances, her Silver Rank, 3-star power is basically laughable," replied Nie Li with a fox-like grin.
Chan Wei discreetly merged the shadow of a Gold-ranked monkey into Nie Li's before the latter stepped up to the Strength Stone. He punched with fierce force, while the monkey's shadow channeled its might through his body, slamming into the stone, which cracked under the impact of a thirteen-year-old's fist.
BOOM!!!The stone trembled violently with a thunderous crash.
"Gold Rank, 5-star — Strength: 53,254," the supervising instructor announced out of habit—before blinking and staring again, bloodshot eyes wide with disbelief. But before he could utter another word, a voice exploded from the crowd.
"HE CHEATED! THAT'S A RED SOUL REALM! THERE'S NO WAY HE COULD REACH THAT LEVEL!!!" Shen Xiu screamed, her eyes filled with madness at Nie Li's result.
Her words flew like poisoned arrows through the air, threatening to pierce Nie Li's calm. Her gaze burned with fury, like a raging inferno devouring everything in its path.
Author's note: here is a short chapter in Chinese style, or at least Chinese style in my opinion.
you'll see next week, hahahaha ^^ watch geomichi506 on youtube, I created songs for this story