Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Classmates and Classmates
Yang Shen stopped overthinking it and stepped forward to demonstrate his Body Forging fist form.
Just as he’d said, performing it without the rising sun made it feel like it was missing some vitality, but it was nowhere near as bad as he’d imagined.
Xu Bamboo sat to one side, her bright, wide eyes following his every move.
’Yang Shen... he’s performing it really well!’
His techniques were fluid and Harmonious, his power full and complete. Every punch was pushed to the absolute limit of his realm, yet it never upset his overall balance.
If there were various sensors, they would detect the Qi and Blood Value in Yang Shen’s body flowing at an extremely high speed. The fluctuations of the Source were like a meandering stream, winding endlessly through every corner of his body.
’It was actually quite mesmerizing to watch...’
As Xu Bamboo watched, she couldn’t help but swing her long legs, clearly happy for her deskmate.
But when it came to scoring, it all depended on Zhou Yao. Xu Bamboo could perform at a Level 7, but she didn’t know how to grade it. That was the difference between a student and a teacher.
After Yang Shen completed one run-through, Zhou Yao frowned and had him perform it two more times.
After he finished all three sets, Zhou Yao looked at the scoring sheet. Her frown deepened, looking like she could crush a tardigrade with it.
"Hold on... just a minute... I need to weight the scores."
The PE teacher took out her phone and tapped away on the calculator for a long time before finally exclaiming in disbelief, "Level 9? Are you kidding me?"
Xu Bamboo jumped to her feet. "Huh? Level 9?"
Yang Shen also jumped up. "Holy shit? Level 9?"
Xu Bamboo asked, "Why are you surprised too?"
Yang Shen replied, "Why wouldn’t I be? It’s my score, isn’t it?"
Zhou Yao checked again, then said in shock a moment later, "Level 9 is almost unheard of... Without precise instruments, grading based on experience and a scoresheet is bound to have some margin of error..."
"But... it’s a solid 8, pushing 9. I’m sure of that."
Yang Shen was genuinely surprised by this rating. After all, his previous practical grade for the Body Forging fist form had been a Level 4. Even after gaining the Rising Sun Fist Intent, he’d figured he’d be at Xu Bamboo’s level at best.
Xu Bamboo was delighted. "Shenzi, that’s amazing!"
Yang Shen chuckled. "I really didn’t expect to jump so many levels..."
Zhou Yao suddenly remembered something. "You said your Body Forging is most effective in the morning... Are you even more fluid then than you are now?"
Yang Shen nodded. "At least, that’s how it feels to me."
But Zhou Yao’s expression grew troubled. "That’s a problem. At your level, even accounting for the margin of error, if you could perform in your peak state, a Level 9 would be in the bag."
Yang Shen tilted his head. "Isn’t that a good thing?"
Zhou Yao said, "The problem is that for years, Subject Four has always been held in the afternoon..."
Yang Shen: "..."
’Ha! How hilarious!’
Xu Bamboo patted Yang Shen’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. With a Level 8 practical assessment, and since your written exam isn’t weak either, you should be able to get around 90 points on Subject Four. That’s almost a 40-point improvement over last time. You’re a shoo-in for a third-tier university! A second-tier isn’t far off, either!"
Yang Shen rubbed his face. "Alright... I still have time. I can keep practicing."
’Who wouldn’t want to perform at their best during the exam...? Still, a high score is a high score. It won’t stop me from getting more points, will it?’
The rest of the session was more monotonous. Zhou Yao continuously offered guidance and made adjustments based on Yang Shen’s and Xu Bamboo’s individual progress.
Zhou Yao’s skill level was certainly no match for Liu Yuankui’s, but the small class size was a huge advantage. With only two students to watch, she could always pinpoint their problems with precision.
She had expected a large gap between Yang Shen and Xu Bamboo’s abilities, but they were surprisingly on par. In fact, Yang Shen was even a little stronger, which actually made things more convenient.
About two hours later, it was lunchtime. A nearby farmhouse-style restaurant prepared their meals and drove them up the mountain. The teacher also handed out the supplements the school had promised.
Each person received a syringe, as thick as a finger.
It was the "Perseverance God Injection" from the Giant Enterprise Biological Domain, though it was from their mid-to-low-end product line.
A single dose was valued at 1,888. Its effects were similar to a bottle of Initial Realm Passage Essence Liquid, but it also specifically enhanced the user’s stamina and was absorbed much faster through injection.
The school’s promise of no less than twenty thousand worth of supplements basically amounted to one of these injections a day, paired with a few other items.
Xu Bamboo clearly looked down on such things. Yang Shen, who drank Xu Bamboo’s personal Essence Liquid every day, wasn’t particularly impressed either. He still had a bag full of Vajra Sect products, so he certainly wasn’t lacking for supplements in the short term.
However, Zhou Yao stated that they could refuse the injection, but if they accepted, they had to administer it on the spot. The syringes would be collected afterward to prevent students from saving them to resell.
As for injection technique... it was a basic skill for these high schoolers. Their proficiency was second only to that of a hospital nurse.
Any student who couldn’t give themselves an injection was considered a failure.
Xu Bamboo handed her dose directly to Yang Shen. "Want me to help you with the shot?"
Yang Shen looked at the instruction manual. "No thanks. It has to be injected into the upper thigh. I’ll take care of it in the restroom."
Huang Gang hesitated, but in the end, he followed Yang Shen and whispered, "Let’s go together... we can inject each other."
Yang Shen glanced at him but didn’t say anything, which was a tacit agreement.
As long as Huang Gang wasn’t being a jerk, there was still some camaraderie between them. After all, they had known each other for three years.
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While the "Top Student Training Camp" was officially underway, the outside world hadn’t ground to a halt.
Two cases of "Martial Arts Psychosis" had appeared in Jinshui District in a short period, putting the entire district on edge. There were far more police patrolling the streets, and schools at all levels had suddenly tightened their student drop-off, pick-up, and entry procedures.
The students who usually climbed over walls or snuck through fences were out of luck; anyone caught now faced the maximum penalty.
On the athletic field, the students of Grade 12, Class 6, were discussing the three who had disappeared. They knew where Xu Bamboo and Yang Shen had gone, but they had no idea what happened to Huang Gang.
’Probably ate too much crap and got an upset stomach,’ they figured.
After explaining the plan for PE class, Liu Yuankui stood by a flower bed on the side, watching the students practice on their own.
Half of his massive frame was cloaked in the shade of a tree, while the other half stood tall under the blazing sun.
"It’s tough to get a meeting with you, old classmate. Why so shy?"
A figure drew closer. It was none other than Luo Sheng, the detective who had been involved in questioning Yang Shen a few days ago.
Liu Yuankui didn’t turn his head, his expression grim. "Are we on good terms?"
Luo Sheng paid him no mind, stepping up beside Liu Yuankui and curiously gesturing at their height difference. "I almost didn’t recognize you. Back in the day, you were only about 1.7-something meters, weren’t you? Short and scrawny. I never thought you’d end up three heads taller than me. You must have put a ton of work into your Horizontal Martial Arts Training."
The muscle in Liu Yuankui’s rigid jaw pulsed, as if he were speaking through clenched teeth. "Just say what you want."
Luo Sheng pulled out a cigarette. He rolled the tip between his fingers, and it sparked to life. "Something this big happened at our alma mater, and I’m the one investigating the case. I have to poke around. I’ve got an old classmate right here, you think I should be wasting my time with these little turnips instead?"
"Tell me if this isn’t strange. The head of the Vajra Sect was so scared he came to explain the situation personally. He swore on the Buddha it had nothing to do with them and even donated several million to the Jianghuai City Bureau, all just to keep the news from getting out... And yet, the only two people who developed problems were ones who had participated in their product trial."
"So, if the problem isn’t with the Vajra Temple, where is it? What other connection do they have?"
Liu Yuankui said flatly, "I’m a teacher, not a police officer. If you need a formal statement, you can summon me. As for helping you analyze the case, I have no obligation to do so."
Luo Sheng tsked. "I said we’re just chatting. You’re really adopting a non-violent, non-cooperative stance here, aren’t you?"
Liu Yuankui’s eyes shifted slightly to look at Luo Sheng. "What, you want to get physical with me?"
Luo Sheng held up his hands. "Sigh, this hurts... to meet an old friend in our old stomping grounds and be met with this attitude. Does our past friendship really mean nothing?"
Liu Yuankui snorted. "You and I have no friendship to speak of."
But Luo Sheng suddenly broke into a smile. "It’s been over a decade, don’t say such hurtful things... Of all the guys who cornered you in the bathroom for a beating, who pulled your pants down in PE class, who blocked your path on the way home... I was the one who went easiest on you, you know..."
Liu Yuankui’s massive hand gripped his own bicep, so tightly that veins bulged as he clenched his jaw.
Luo Sheng took a final drag from his cigarette and ground it out on the pavement right next to Liu Yuankui’s foot. The butt was a mere centimeter from his shoe.
"In any case, past instances of ’Martial Arts Psychosis’ always popped up randomly, with no connection between them. They were impossible to prevent, impossible to trace. This time, it’s rare to have so many ’potential patients’ surface at once, all with a clear common trait..."
"The higher-ups have already dispatched experts from the Jade Viscera Realm’s biological investigation department. They’re bringing specialized equipment to Jinshui. These are pros who’ve worked on analyzing Exotic Realm technology, specialists in cracking tough cases. Right now, our suspicions are focused on an ’Exotic Evil Cult’."
Liu Yuankui’s voice was calm. "What does that have to do with me?"
Luo Sheng said, "Nothing. Like I said, just a chat. See? You’re getting tense again."
Patting the giant’s shoulder, Luo Sheng waved and started to walk away.
"I’m off, Old Liu. I’ll be in Jinshui for a few more days. If you change your mind and want to catch up, come tell me how someone with your... aptitude... managed to reach the Innate Realm. Give me a call anytime. My number’s the same."
He left Liu Yuankui standing there, his face as dark as a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Even the chirping of the cicadas in the trees seemed to quiet down.
A long while later, a furious roar echoed across the athletic field:
"All of you, keep running! No breaks!"
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