119: Chapter 119 Why is it you? Why is it always you?

After a few seconds of dead silence, the entire arena seemed to have been pressed on pause, then suddenly fast-forwarded.

Explosive screams erupted from a corner of the spectator stands, followed by a tidal wave of exclamations.

"Holy crap!!!"

"What... just happened?!"

"The robot... exploded?!"

In the livestream room with 47 million viewers across the net, the barrage of comments that had been flooded with "Get out" just a second ago was instantly submerged by two uniform characters.

[Holy crap]

[Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap...]

The density of the barrage was so high that it caused the optical computer's rendering to stutter.

Chief Examiner Li Feng's body froze in place.

As a Tier 4 Gold Late Stage combat examiner, he had seen too many examinees display unconventional strength in his career.

But at this moment, only one voice repeated in his mind: This is impossible!

He reached out, trembling as he touched the jagged edge of the terrifying punch mark.

Where he touched it, he felt the sharpness and coldness of the metal molecular structure being forcibly torn apart.

"Someone! Take... take this thing away!"

Chief Examiner Li Feng's voice was dry and hoarse.

Two muscular exam staff members immediately rushed onto the stage.

Both were Tier 2 Peak with the [Super Strength Enhancement] talent.

The two exchanged a glance, each activated their Source Energy, veins popping on their arms, and grabbed the wreckage of the "shield-7 model" from the left and right.

"Lift!"

Both exerted force simultaneously, their faces turning bright red from the strain.

The five-ton metal giant only wobbled in place.

"Hee—!!!"

The two roared again, using every ounce of strength they had, until they finally huffed and puffed as they dragged the scrap metal out from the cracked floor, barely lifting it off the ground.

When passing by Su Ming, both subconsciously took a half-step detour, stealing a glance at the innocent-looking, slender youth.

Their eyes were full of awe, as if looking at a prehistoric Vicious Beast.

A monster! This guy is really a monster!

Su Ming stood in the center of the wreckage, calm and composed, as if he had just casually swatted a fly.

When he said, "How is my star rating calculated?", that innocent yet arrogant posture fell precisely into the eyes of Shen Qingci on the observation stand.

The cold and stunning Young Miss of the Shen family watched that imposing figure, unable to help but curl the corners of her lips, a touch of pride rising within her.

Her cheeks began to burn again.

Diagonally behind her, the expression of Associate Professor Zhou from Imperial Capital University had sunk like stagnant water.

...

On the Martial Arts Arena, Chief Examiner Li Feng stood before the announcement podium.

His finger hovered over his communicator, hesitating to press it.

A single punch to destroy a military-grade testing machine.

In his dozen-plus years as a chief examiner, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

It did not conform to common sense, did not conform to physics, and did not conform to all his past knowledge of the Dao.

He needed a ruling. A ruling from the highest level of the Federation.

He thought for a moment, then dialed the number.

...

A thousand miles away, in the Imperial Capital. In the Lu family's private reception room, the scent of tea curled in the air.

Lu Beiyuan sat upright, accompanying an elderly man with gray hair but a vigorous spirit as they tasted tea.

Zhao Gongming was a specially appointed inspector for the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as the deputy director of the Imperial Capital University Combat Assessment Committee, responsible for the technical standards and final anomaly rulings of this year's martial arts exam.

At this moment, he was discussing the stress limits of new military alloys with Lu Beiyuan, the youngest chief engineer at the Federal Military Industrial Research Institute.

"Regarding the four major testing robots this time, thanks to the new generation Source Energy matrix core you provided, Beiyuan, the data collection accuracy has improved so much. This year's college entrance exam will definitely help the Federation discover more diverse talents. You have contributed once again."

Inspector Zhao said with emotion. Lu Beiyuan smiled gently and spoke a few modest words.

Not far away, Lu Beichen was boredly scrolling through his personal terminal, his fingertips sliding to switch into the dark web.

The headline of the pinned post on the homepage was glaring: [Shocking Change in Jiangcheng! Mysterious High School Student Punches Through the Skull of a Tier 5 Source Beast!]

His fingers paused. Jiangcheng. The place where his dreams were shattered.

"I want to see what this is all about!"

Just as he was about to click, Inspector Zhao's private terminal suddenly vibrated.

He frowned and glanced at the number: Chief Examiner Li Feng of the Jiangcheng exam zone.

"Wait a moment." He signaled to Lu Beiyuan, then connected the call, his tone calm: "Li Feng? What problem has arisen with the martial arts exam?"

The voice on the other end was urgent and suppressed: "Inspector Zhao, is it... possible for the shield-7 model to be destroyed by an examinee?"

Relying on the hearing of Lu Beiyuan and Lu Beichen, even though Inspector Zhao didn't have the speakerphone on, they heard it clearly.

Inspector Zhao chuckled and shook his head: "Theoretically, of course it's possible. But when we were developing it, we used molecular reconstruction technology and integrated star meteor iron..."

"Unless the attack power reaches Tier 5 Middle Stage and the talent is a pure strength type or penetration type, it is impossible to cause structural damage to it."

"Even if students go all out in this exam, it is absolutely impossible for it to be destroyed."

On the other end of the line, Chief Examiner Li Feng swallowed hard, his voice trembling: "In... Inspector Zhao... it was destroyed by someone!"

"Click." The crisp sound of a teacup colliding with a saucer rang out.

Inspector Zhao's voice suddenly rose, full of disbelief: "What did you say?!"

Lu Beiyuan and Lu Beichen looked up simultaneously.

"Just now, at the Jiangcheng No. 1 High School exam site. An eighteen-year-old examinee, without using any Source Energy, used one punch to destroy the chest armor core of the shield-7 model."

"Bang!" Inspector Zhao stood up abruptly, knocking over the teacup in front of him, and the scalding tea soaked the expensive tablecloth.

"Are you sure it's a high school student?! Send me the surveillance footage! Immediately! Right now!"

In front of the desk, a holographic screen lit up. In the image, that youth in black armor raised his hand casually, landing a light punch on the robot's chest.

Then, the robot shattered, collapsed, sparked with electricity, and crashed to the ground.

Lu Beiyuan stood up straight from his chair. He recognized that face! The youth who was standing beside Shen Qingci in the Spark Scrap Yard!

So strong!

Inspector Zhao repeatedly dragged the progress bar, muttering to himself: "Impossible... This is impossible... This kind of pure kinetic energy... Even an S-class strength type would need to be Tier 4 Peak with a top-tier sequence to barely accomplish this..."

"Brother, this person..." Lu Beichen's voice was a bit dry.

Lu Beiyuan narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting several times before finally turning into deep wariness, his voice hoarse: "... Yeah, it's him!"

Inspector Zhao turned back abruptly, his eyes full of confusion: "Who? Beiyuan, you know him?"

Lu Beiyuan and Lu Beichen exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock and lingering fear in each other's eyes.

Lu Beiyuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lowered his voice extremely low: "Elder Zhao, this youth... I have had the fortune to meet him once."

Inspector Zhao turned to look at this Genius chief engineer of the military industry world.

Lu Beiyuan took a deep breath, his tone solemn: "His Physical Body strength truly completely contradicts existing theories."

"Elder Zhao, the Federation has been advocating for diverse talent cultivation all these years, encouraging the exceptional selection of composite talents. If he were blocked from the Main Combat Track by rigid testing rules, that would be the Federation's loss."

Inspector Zhao looked at the shattered shield-7 model and nodded heavily. "That is natural! Rules are meant to serve people, not to set limits for true Prodigies!"

"But the necessary assessment procedures must still be followed!" He instantly made a decision in his heart.

...

Lu Beichen recovered from his shock. He continued to look down at the post's video, the image blurry, but the visual impact was stunning! There was only the back of a youth.

If it were before, he definitely wouldn't have connected this back with that youth! Having just seen him today, he stared at the screen and started comparing...

The comparison result made his eye sockets turn red, and Lu Beichen actually had an urge to cry. He roared in his heart: "How are you? How old are you?!"

...

On the Martial Arts Arena. Zhao Kuo jumped out from the preparation area. He couldn't let Su Ming make a comeback like this!

"I protest!" He pointed at Su Ming on the stage, shouting with all his might, "This is a basic Source Energy comprehensive rating! No matter how strong his destructive power is, his Source Energy is zero! According to the Federal martial arts exam regulations, those without Source Energy cannot enter the Main Combat Track!"

His face carried a hint of morbid excitement, his voice shrill and ear-piercing: "A brute like him who only has brute force can at most be diverted to the Auxiliary Energy Track and become a brick-mover in the logistics troops in the future!"

Once these words were spoken, they instantly drew nods of agreement from quite a few examinees. That's right, rules are rules. No matter how awesome you are, without Source Energy, it means you cannot Cultivate the vast majority of Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques, and your future achievements will be limited.

In the corner, Liu Ruyan bit her lip tightly. Her inner fear and jealousy made her desperately hope at this moment that Zhao Kuo was right.

Right! As long as Su Ming cannot go to the Main Combat Track, he is destined to have no bright future! My leaving him was the right decision!

On the observation stand, Associate Professor Zhou also regained his sense of superiority. He snorted coldly: "Well said. The martial arts world needs generals who can Cultivate Source Energy Martial Skills and lead thousands of troops, not brutes with only raw strength!"

The atmosphere of the entire arena became subtle again. Countless gazes swept back and forth between Su Ming and the chief examiner, full of frustration, worry, and the expectation of watching a good show.

Just at this moment, the communicator in Chief Examiner Li Feng's hand rang. After connecting, the dignified and powerful voice of Inspector Zhao came through.

"That examinee should have an Enhancement Type mutant talent. Start the phantom-3 model test, maximum power, ten times gravity plus B-level mental pressure, test for one minute!"

"If he can endure it..." The voice on the other end carried an unquestionable decisiveness. "It proves this youth's Physical Body has broken its limits! Special approval to enter the Main Combat Track!"

The call hung up, and Chief Examiner Li Feng was inexplicably shocked! He took a deep look in the direction of Associate Professor Zhou on the observation stand and nodded slightly to signal.

Then he turned around, facing tens of thousands of examinees and tens of millions of viewers across the arena, his voice clearly spreading to every corner through the amplification Source Array.

"Following an emergency ruling by the Federal Combat Assessment Committee—" "Examinee Su Ming, his Physical Body strength has broken through the scope of the existing rating system and belongs to the 'Special Mutant Type'!"

"A special assessment is now added!" Chief Examiner Li Feng waved his arm, pointing to the "phantom-3 model" robot not far away, which had a strange shape and was covered in mysterious runes.

"If he can, within one minute, endure the ten times gravity and B-level mental double pressure under the maximum power of the 'phantom-3 model'..."

He paused, his gaze like lightning, sweeping over the instantly pale-faced Zhao Kuo and Associate Professor Zhou, every word ringing like a bell! "It will be considered a successful 'Physical Body limit break'!" "Specially approved to enter the Main Combat Track!"