43: The standard answer for Chapter 43? I only accept beating to death.

Instructor Su Qing stood on the podium, her voice echoing through every corner of the playground via the loudspeaker.

"The process is simple."

"Morning: theoretical written exam; afternoon: basic physical fitness."

"All day tomorrow: practical dungeon combat."

A buzz of conversation rose from the crowd below.

Lin Qi stood at the end of the line, hands in his pockets, not even lifting his eyelids.

He had no interest in the process.

He was only interested in tomorrow's dungeon.

He wondered if that so-called S-rank biological projection could withstand the Penetrating Force he had just mastered.

This was what he cared about.

Nine o'clock in the morning, Examination Hall 1.

The test papers were distributed, consisting entirely of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

The questions were dense, all related to data calculation, attribute restraint, and skill cooldown management.

The classroom was so quiet that only the rustling of pen tips against paper could be heard.

Lin Qi twirled his pen, looking at the third short-answer question.

[Question: Encountering a LV.15 Rock Puppet, the creature has a physical defense of up to 500 points and is immune to bleeding effects. Please list three effective methods to break its defense.]

Wang Gang, in the seat next to him, was writing furiously.

This kind of question was a freebie.

The textbook stated it clearly: first, use an enchanted weapon with the [Armor Piercing] attribute; second, use a [Strong Acid Corrosion] potion to reduce armor; third, use a Mage's [High-Frequency Shockwave] skill for Spell penetration.

These were all solutions that relied on external items and data.

Lin Qi shook his head.

These people probably didn't know that the knee and elbow joints of a Rock Puppet were actually soft connections, housing the mana core drive shaft inside.

As long as one found the right angle and delivered a fierce kick with about two tons of lateral explosive force, one could turn it into a pile of rubble without even needing to break its defense.

He wrote in the answer section: "Kick and shatter the knees, or use Penetrating Force to shatter the core power source."

After finishing, he glanced at the next question.

[Question: Facing a surprise attack from a high-agility assassin-type monster, how should a fragile Mage respond?]

Standard Answer: Activate [Repulsion Flame Ring] or use [Flash] to create distance and wait for the Tank to rescue you.

Lin Qi picked up his pen: "Predict the landing spot and backhand the staff into the opponent's eye socket."

The proctor was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who walked to Lin Qi's desk with his hands behind his back.

He looked down at the paper.

His brows immediately furrowed into a frown.

What kind of messy, unorthodox path was this?

It was completely devoid of support from data panels, purely the fighting style of a street thug.

"Student."

The proctor tapped on the desk and lowered his voice.

"This is a formal exam, not a place for you to write Wuxia novels."

Lin Qi didn't look up, his pen tip not stopping.

"This method works."

"I've seen the data panel for the Rock Puppet; the structural strength at the joint connections is only 50."

The proctor laughed in anger.

"That's a hidden weakness. Without an Assassin's [Weakness Lock-on] skill, how could you possibly hit such a small point?"

Lin Qi didn't explain further.

Can't hit it?

That's because you are too slow.

He quickly finished the remaining questions and got up to submit his paper.

At that time, only twenty minutes had passed since the exam started.

Watching Lin Qi's dashing retreating figure, the proctor picked up the paper and marked a fierce red cross on it.

"Rotten wood cannot be carved."

In the afternoon, at the physical fitness testing hall.

The atmosphere here was much more heated than in the written exam hall.

The strength testing machine was surrounded by people, with cheers rising one after another.

"Li Shaobai, punch strength: 1800kg!"

The score announcer's voice was full of shock, even cracking slightly.

Li Shaobai retracted his fist, the silver armor on his body shimmering with a faint halo.

This [Moonlight] set not only increased defense but also provided a 30% boost to arm strength.

A chorus of gasps sounded around him.

"As expected of an S-rank class, this data is simply outrageous."

"That's because his equipment is good. What if he tried it without the equipment?"

"Why are you being so sour? Financial resources and equipment are also part of one's strength. If you have the ability, go be born into a better family."

Li Shaobai enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention.

He took off his helmet, looked at Lin Qi behind the crowd, and tilted his chin slightly.

His gaze was provocative.

It was Lin Qi's turn.

He walked to the machine, didn't even set up a stance, and threw a punch casually.

Bang.

The numbers jumped.

"Lin Qi, 950kg."

The whole venue went quiet for a second, followed by scattered applause.

For a blank slate without a class change, this data was actually quite astonishing, enough to rank in the top five of the class.

But in front of Li Shaobai's exaggerated 1800kg, it seemed lackluster.

Wang Gang sneered, his voice loud.

"Looks like those three days of seclusion were just training for nothing."

"I thought you were brewing up some big ultimate move, and that's it?"

Lin Qi rubbed his wrist and ignored him.

He had only used twenty percent of his strength just now.

And he hadn't used any force-generating techniques; it was purely the thrust of muscle contraction.

If he had used Penetrating Force or Crushing Force, this expensive testing machine would likely have been scrapped on the spot.

There was no need to show off at this moment.

A true hunter never rushes to show their fangs.

What he wanted was that S-rank projection in tomorrow's dungeon, not a bunch of empty fame right now.

The test ended, and the crowd dispersed.

Instructor Su Qing called Lin Qi to her office.

She closed the door, locked it casually, took a file bag out of the drawer, and threw it to Lin Qi.

"Information on tomorrow's dungeon."

"Although it's a random map, the data for several core BOSSes is here."

This was blatant favoritism.

Lin Qi took the file bag and didn't stand on ceremony.

"Thanks."

Instructor Su Qing leaned against the edge of the desk, looking at him, her gaze somewhat complex.

"I watched today's test."

"You wrote nonsense on the written exam and held back on the physical fitness test."

"You certainly know how to keep your cool."

Lin Qi pulled out the information to look at it, not answering.

"The strength Li Shaobai relies on, stacked up by equipment, is very hollow. If you really fought, he couldn't touch the corner of your clothes." Instructor Su Qing evaluated objectively.

Lin Qi flipped to the front page of the information.

It was a giant spider.

[Crypt Spider Queen (S-rank projection · weakened version)]

[Traits: Poisonous Mist, Summon Offspring, Chitinous Carapace.]

Instructor Su Qing pointed to the 'Poisonous' label.

"The most troublesome thing about this creature is its poison."

"It's a full-screen range attack; there is no avoiding it."

"Although the school issued antidotes, that standard-issue stuff has average effects and can only slow down the rate of HP loss."

"Once poisoned, your attributes will decrease in all aspects, so be careful."

Lin Qi looked at that line of text and smiled.

Poison?

After being baptized by the potent medicinal power of tiger bone and cloud-pattern herb, combined with the pore-locking ability of Skin Refining Perfection, his resistance was no longer something that could be measured by ordinary data.

This level of poisonous mist was just a slightly choking smoke bomb to him.

"Don't worry."

Lin Qi stuffed the information back into the bag and turned to walk toward the door.

"I've done quite a bit of research on pests."

Instructor Su Qing looked at his confident appearance and didn't say anything more.

"Alright, get lost."

"If you dare to embarrass me tomorrow, I'll train you until you're crippled when you get back."

Lin Qi waved his hand and pushed the door open to leave.

Meanwhile.

In a dark basement somewhere in Tianhai City.

Only one monitor was glowing with a faint blue light.

On the screen was a photo of a person wearing a loose school uniform, jumping out of a window from an abandoned chemical plant, movements fluid, eyes cold—it was Lin Qi.

The sound of keyboard typing echoed in the darkness.

"Target confirmed. Identity: Tianhai No. 3 High School student, Lin Qi."

"Strength assessment: Suspected Body Refining Martial Artist, extremely high Physical Body strength, capable of instantly killing elite monsters."

The other side of the chat box was silent for a moment before sending a message.

"The price offered by the Li family is very high; this kid is blocking the way."

"Tomorrow's holographic practical combat will have a five-second 'delay' in System monitoring; that is your opportunity."

The figure sitting in front of the computer moved, and a pale mask emerged.

Ying Wan.

He tapped a single character on the keyboard.

"Accepted."

Afterward, he stood up, his body seeming to merge into the air, slowly fading until he disappeared.

Since an accident must be created.

Then let the accident be more violent.

A blank slate without a class, dying in an S-rank dungeon.

This plot is very reasonable.