37: The diagnostic test shocked everyone.

He parted ways with Nickname at the school gate.

Lu Yuan felt the subtle gazes on his back as he calmly walked towards the dorms.

Some of the gazes carried curiosity or envy.

Others hid undisguised malice.

He knew the Black Water Gang's informants must have seen him.

Zhao She, and even Brother Ya, would likely hear of his return very soon.

A storm was brewing.

But Lu Yuan didn't care.

What he needed now was time.

Time to assimilate his power and prepare for the upcoming class placement assessment.

The next two days were unexpectedly peaceful.

The Black Water Gang seemed to have laid low, no longer bothering him.

Lu Yuan enjoyed the quiet. Aside from regular classes, most of his time was spent consolidating his Tier 2 Source Power and familiarizing himself with the subtle changes brought by the two core source cards.

He could feel a connection forming between the Raging Waves Sea Soul and the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon.

Like the intertwining of water and thunder, a resonance of weightiness and swiftness.

This feeling made his Source Power circulate more smoothly, and its recovery speed also subtly increased.

On the third day,

the day of the assessment arrived.

The scorching sun pierced through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing Qingteng High School's auditorium in light.

The usually bustling auditorium was now solemn and dignified.

All students in the third year of high school sat quietly in rows according to their classes.

Most eye-catching was the high platform at the front of the auditorium.

There, not only sat the principal, Dean of Students, and other school executives,

but also several distinguished middle-aged men and women.

They wore different badges on their chests; some represented Jiang City's Municipal Government, while others belonged to well-known enterprises or family powers within the city.

Seeing this display, the students whispered among themselves, not daring to speak loudly.

"Did you see? Deputy Director Li from the Municipal Education Bureau is here!"

"And that one, Director Wang from Xinghe Group!"

"I heard this assessment is related to the quotas and rewards for the city-wide mock College Entrance Examination!"

"It seems so. The city issued a document stating that the top 100 in the city will receive cash rewards and card resources!"

"The top 50 and top 10 will receive even more generous rewards!"

Lu Yuan sat among his class, his gaze fixed on the leaders in front.

The appearance of these important figures was within his expectations.

Although Jiang City was not a top-tier metropolis, it was an important city within the province.

Every critical juncture concerning the allocation of College Entrance Examination resources attracted attention from all sides.

Cultivating outstanding Card Masters meant future potential and benefits for the city, enterprises, and families.

And this assessment was an early screening.

To filter out the "good seedlings" worth investing resources in.

On the high platform, the principal cleared his throat and began to speak.

It was nothing more than old platitudes about encouragement and emphasizing discipline.

Lu Yuan didn't listen closely; his attention was already focused on the upcoming test.

The first item was the Source Power test.

The process was simple: students would step forward in order of their student numbers and place their hands on a special crystal ball.

The crystal ball would display their current Source Power limit.

"Class 3 (7), Wang Shanliang!"

Wang Shanliang took a deep breath and nervously walked forward.

He placed his palm on the cold crystal ball.

Light flickered.

"75"

It increased!

Wang Shanliang was very satisfied. Although he had no hope of advancing, at least his efforts of the past few days had paid off!

He might still be able to get into a good university in the future!

According to regulations, Source Power below 80 points, meaning not reaching the eight-star apprentice standard, would directly disqualify one from entering the Honor Class.

Students stepped forward one by one.

Numbers continuously flickered.

Most hovered between 70-80.

Occasionally, a few exceeding 80 points would draw small gasps and envy.

Soon, it was Lu Yuan's turn.

He calmly stepped forward and placed his palm on the crystal ball.

Buzz—!

The crystal ball suddenly lit up with dazzling light!

A clear number appeared before everyone's eyes.

"103"

Whoosh—!

The entire hall fell silent for a moment, followed by exclamations from all sides!

"103 points?! I didn't see that wrong, did I?!"

"Holy crap! A Tier 2 Novice Card Master?!"

"Lu Yuan… wasn't he just a nine-star apprentice? How is that possible?!"

"It's only been a few days?!"

The students erupted, especially his classmates, who were in disbelief.

Even the leaders on the high platform turned their heads, expressing their admiration.

According to past records, reaching Tier 2 at this stage meant a high chance of entering the top 100!

Homeroom Teacher Qian Jing even stood up directly from her seat.

She widened her eyes, staring intently at the number, her face filled with shock.

91 points was already a miracle!

It had only been three days!

And it increased by another 12 points?!

Directly breaking through the apprentice bottleneck and entering Tier 2?!

This kid... did he disregard his foundation and force-feed himself medicine for this test?!

Lu Yuan seemed oblivious to the surrounding gazes.

The real show was yet to come; this was just the beginning...

The Source Power test continued.

Later, three or four more promising talents surpassed 100 points, also becoming the focus of the entire hall.

Among them was Nickname, with a high of 127 points, a late-stage Tier 2 Novice, ranking first in the entire school.

The first test ended.

Nearly half of the students left dejectedly because their Source Power did not reach 80 points.

The second item was the Source Power precise manipulation test.

This test assessed a Card Master's ability to control their own Source Power.

It required condensing Source Power into a specific complex shape within a designated time.

The difficulty far exceeded previous classroom exercises.

Students lined up again.

On the light screen appeared a continuously rotating 3D geometric figure composed of dozens of tiny energy nodes.

"Begin!"

Ten students formed a group. The students in the first group took a deep breath and carefully mobilized their Source Power.

Light points condensed at their fingertips, trembling as they tried to outline the figure.

However, the Source Power fluctuated unstably, and as soon as a rudimentary shape formed, it scattered with a "puff."

"Fail!"

"Fail!"

"Fail!"

..."Fail!"

The first group was completely wiped out.

Most of the subsequent students were similar.

Those who could barely complete simple shaping were few and far between.

Qian Jing looked at her students' performance and shook her head slightly.

Their foundation was still too weak.

It was Lu Yuan's group's turn.

He walked to the testing instrument, looking at the complex figure on the light screen.

With a slight thought,

inside his body, the two core source cards simultaneously emitted a faint glow.

The weighty perception of the Raging Waves Sea Soul and the sharp insight of the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon quietly merged.

His soul perception instantly elevated to a whole new level!

The surrounding Source Power flow was revealed in exquisite detail!

He extended his finger.

At his fingertip, a wisp of pure Source Power emerged from his body.

Without the slightest tremor.

Like a living spirit, it danced deftly in the air.

Outlining, connecting, shaping... at an extremely fast pace!

And, incredibly stable!

Everyone only saw a silver-blue line rapidly traversing the air.

In just over ten seconds,

a three-dimensional energy figure, identical to the one on the light screen, even more solid and precise, quietly floated at Lu Yuan's fingertip!

Light flowed, as stable as if it were solid!

"Perfect!"

The teacher responsible for recording couldn't help but exclaim!

And it was a perfect score exceeding the standard!

Even his own Tier 3 level was far from reaching it!

This time, it was the leaders' turn to be shocked.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the small and exquisite energy figure at Lu Yuan's fingertip.

That level of control over Source Power had already far exceeded the scope of a Novice Card Master!

In fact, it was more than that; it was stronger than many Tier 3 Card Masters!

Lu Yuan indicated, "You know, every time I use Source Power, I have to be extremely careful, always guarding against the risk of draining it. If you were me, you'd also develop this skill..."