Chapter 131: Chapter 103: Scholar’s Hidden Reward (Part 2)
The wave of voices instantly converged, overpowering the noisy background chatter.
Li Wen felt the surging passion, brimming with youthful energy.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the excited and somewhat immature faces. The corners of his mouth lifted into a gentle smile, and he gave a light nod in response.
"Wow! He responded!"
"Senior Li Wen saw me!"
"AHHH! Go for it! You have to get first place!"
This simple interaction—a smile and a nod—was like throwing fresh logs onto a youthful bonfire. It instantly ignited an even more frenzied wave of cheers, the deafening shouts soaring into the clouds.
This scene became the first spectacular sight to grace the skies above the bustling Third Middle School today.
Amidst the earth-shattering cheers, Li Wen walked toward the senior year section.
As far as he could see, the seats for the Soaring Star Class were already mostly filled.
Seeing Li Wen arrive with such a high-profile entrance, his elite classmates wore a variety of expressions.
Xue Jun nudged Deng Yuefei, who was beside him, winked, and mouthed the word "Impressive."
A few of the girls had a purely fervent light in their eyes, while the former top student of the grade, Huang Hao, looked on with envy, raising a hand and waving with a simple-hearted smile.
Li Wen responded to each of the greetings from the Soaring Star Class with a smile.
His gaze swept across the entire venue. He checked the time; there were only ten or twenty minutes left before the Martial Dao combat assessment of the second provincial mock exam officially began.
He walked to the front-row seat reserved for him in the Soaring Star Class section, sat down quietly, and closed his eyes to rest, as if the tsunami of cheers from moments ago had never existed.
The thick tension and anticipation from the surrounding senior year examinees enveloped him like a tangible atmosphere, yet it failed to cause the slightest ripple on his expression.
Only the clear goal in his mind echoed:
’Break into the top three in the province and seize the S-rank contract resources! The real battle is about to erupt in virtual space.’
...
Before long, an announcement came over the broadcast system, instructing all senior year students to proceed to the gymnasium for the first part of the second provincial mock exam’s Martial Dao assessment: the Physical Body Level Test.
The gymnasium had already been set up, with several advanced testing machines lined up in rows.
The test proceeded by class order.
Time ticked by. For most students, improvement over the course of a month was slow and difficult.
As name after name was called out, the physical body levels displayed on the screen mostly hovered between Level 6 and Level 8. The rare student who broke through to Level 9 or even touched the threshold of Level 10 could already elicit small gasps of amazement.
Finally, "Li Wen!" The testing teacher’s voice rang out clearly. The entire gymnasium fell silent in an instant, and all eyes snapped to the figure walking toward the testing platform.
Li Wen stepped onto the machine with a calm expression.
A curtain of light scanned him, and the data on the screen fluctuated rapidly.
Physical Body Level: 8.7.
The moment this number appeared on the screen, a wave of irrepressible gasps swept through the gymnasium.
Although they had been mentally prepared, seeing this value—a staggering increase of 0.7 since the last provincial mock exam—still made everyone feel a suffocating pressure.
This rate of improvement was no longer just leading; it was a tectonic leap.
However, the shock had only just begun.
Next was the strength test.
Li Wen stood before a massive dynamometer. There was no flashy power-up, no exaggerated roar. He simply took a deep breath, unified his stance, and shot his right fist out like a cannonball.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deep, muffled explosion, so powerful it seemed to shake the very base of the dynamometer.
The huge metal punching target trembled violently, groaning as if it couldn’t bear the strain.
But on the screen connected to the target, in the area meant to display the strength value, no specific number appeared. Instead, there was a series of glaring question marks:
Strength: ?????
Dead silence!
Absolute, dead silence enveloped the gymnasium!
Everyone’s eyes went wide, staring in disbelief at the string of question marks as if they were witnessing some incomprehensible phenomenon.
"This... How is this possible?"
"The dynamometer... is it broken?"
"My God, all question marks? What does that even mean?"
A few seconds later, the crowd erupted into chaos.
"Is he even human?!" a student cried out involuntarily, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"I remember... this dynamometer’s max reading is for Level 20 strength, right?" another student recalled, their voice trembling as they remembered the equipment specifications.
At this moment, a Martial Dao teacher in charge of equipment maintenance hurried forward to check the machine. After confirming that the data cables were properly connected, his face filled with extreme shock. His voice was a bit hoarse as he spoke, confirming the previous student’s statement:
"That’s right. The upper limit of this dynamometer is designed to withstand the full-force strike of a Level 20 High-level Martial Artist... As long as it’s not a full-power attack from a Super Martial Artist, it should theoretically be able to produce a reading."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was completely stunned.
A physical body not even at Level 9 had thrown a punch that maxed out a machine designed for the full power of a High-level Martial Artist?
Or even... could he have reached a level of power that the dynamometer couldn’t display, possibly touching the threshold of a Super Martial Artist?!
This completely shattered their understanding of the relationship between physical strength and body level.
Genius? Prodigy? At this moment, such words seemed pale and inadequate.
Such a high-profile display was, of course, not Li Wen deliberately showing off.
His eyes were calm, his heart serene.
The total score for the second provincial mock exam was still composed of three parts: Physical Body Level (30%), Martial Dao Skills (50%), and Academic Scores (20%).
’I’m well aware that I started late. Although my Physical Body Level is considered pretty good at Bluestone Third Middle School, when compared to the top geniuses of the entire province, I’m definitely at the bottom.’
Not to mention, Jiang Lingyun from First Middle School had long since surpassed Level 10 in his physical body.
And what about those prodigies who perennially occupied the province’s top ten? Hadn’t every single one of them tempered their bodies with top-tier resources since childhood, accumulating power day by day?
Their Physical Body Levels were likely in the High-level Martial Artist range.
’In this 30% section for Physical Body Level, if I don’t want to fall too far behind—or even want to gain a slight advantage—I have to perform to the absolute limit in the strength test.’
’I have to squeeze out every single point I can get. I can’t afford any mistakes.’
’This is about the S-rank contract, the cosmic treasure, and my entire future. I can’t afford to hold anything back.’
By the time all the students had completed the physical body test, it was nearly nine o’clock.
Without giving the crowd much time to digest their shock, the broadcast sounded again, directing the students to a matrix of virtual pods temporarily set up on the sports field.
Li Wen, familiar with the process, found the virtual pod with his number and lay down inside.
The pod door closed, and the familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over him. The scene before his eyes switched in an instant.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in that familiar and magnificent plaza.
The figures of all five or six thousand senior year students from the entire Bluestone County appeared, densely packed together, the air buzzing with the sound of their voices.
His gaze habitually swept toward the main platform.
Seated there were leaders from various levels of the education department, as well as figures representing the four top-tier factions.
The representatives of the four factions were the same four familiar faces from the first provincial mock exam, including Director Sun Zhenshan of the Fire Hall.
In addition, there were some new faces. Judging by the emblems on their chests and their demeanor, they were likely observers from the major Martial Dao universities within Jiangnan Province.
Their sharp gazes scanned the students in the plaza, clearly scouting for promising new talent.
Just as Li Wen was observing the platform, Director Sun Zhenshan’s gaze happened to sweep over in his direction.
Seeing Li Wen, a smile of approval and encouragement appeared on Director Sun’s face, and he gave a slight nod.
Li Wen returned the gesture with a calm smile. This acknowledgment from the upper echelon of the Fire Hall further strengthened his conviction.
Before long, light flickered across the plaza. All the students had finished teleporting in, forming a vast and imposing sea of people.
A leader on the main platform cleared his throat and began to speak through the sound system.
It was still the same official rhetoric—words of encouragement, emphasis on fairness, and looking toward the future.
Soon, the designated time for the Martial Dao Skills assessment arrived.
"VMMM—"
Above the entire plaza, a massive screen of light suddenly lit up. A single line of incredibly eye-catching text, spanning half the sky, coalesced from countless points of light:
