70: Chapter 70 The Assessment Begins

Chapter 70: The Assessment Begins (Seeking Subscriptions)

A brief silence was followed by an uncontrollable wave of gasps!

"Level 10.8?! How is that possible? His Qi and Blood value was clearly only 8.0 just now!"

"10.8? That level of punching force is something only a Martial Artist can achieve!"

"Don't make such a fuss. This phenomenon only appears when one's skill reaches the Unity Realm and their control over their Physical Body is also quite high," a Martial Arts Teacher in the crowd explained.

Though the Martial Arts Teacher spoke lightly, upon closer inspection, shock could still be seen in his eyes.

This was undoubtedly a heavy bomb Li Wen had dropped before the assessment, announcing that he was far from ordinary.

After all the candidates completed the test and the data was entered.

The atmosphere suddenly heightened!

The main event: Virtual Combat — The Martial Arts Skill Assessment!

All candidates, according to their exam numbers, were divided and entered the multiple virtual rooms temporarily set up on campus.

For this provincial unified examination, Qingshi No. 3 Middle School had urgently expanded several virtual rooms within a few days.

Rows of virtual pods, flickering with faint blue indicator lights and brimming with a sense of technology, stood like loyal steel guards, awaiting their masters.

The virtual pods themselves were not hard to acquire; their basic configuration was mature. The crucial element was access to the high-specification, extremely confidential Education Dedicated Network.

The Education Dedicated Network, uniformly laid out by the state, covering all major examinations, possessing a vast resource library and excellent security, was the core guarantee for the assessment.

Li Wen stepped into the virtual pod assigned to him.

The cold touch of alloy enveloped him as the hatch slowly closed, and the light dimmed.

His consciousness felt as if it were gently pulled by an invisible hand, instantly sinking into darkness.

The next second—

Whoosh—!!!

A deafening tidal wave of noise rushed into his senses.

The intense light faded, revealing an unimaginably vast, futuristic plaza.

Beneath his feet was a dark alloy platform, smooth as a mirror and inscribed with complex energy circuits, extending boundlessly to the horizon, as if the entire heaven and earth were supported by this platform.

Above his head was a vast, deep dark-purple dome, as if a corner of the Universe had been cut and placed here, dotted with specks of flowing light, mysterious and solemn.

However, the most visually striking element was the dense sea of heads covering the plaza—a black mass of people.

Nearly five thousand consciousnesses were gathered here.

The white and blue school uniforms of Qingshi No. 1 Middle School, the black and gold patterns of No. 2 Middle School, the silver-gray combat uniforms of No. 3 Middle School, the distinctive attire of the Vocational High School—various uniforms intertwined, forming a surging ocean.

Amidst the huge clamor, the youths looked around, whispering to each other, whether excited, nervous, or filled with curiosity.

"Look quickly, the presiding platform! The County Magistrate!"

"Heavens, people from The Four Great Factions really came too!"

The crowd's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the towering, dozens-of-meters-high, stepped platform in the center of the plaza.

Figures stood arrayed upon the platform.

At the very front were the County Magistrate of Qingshi County, the Director of the Education Bureau, and other local dignitaries, their faces solemn, their eyes gravely sweeping over the fresh Bloodlines below.

But what drew the most attention and radiated an invisible pressure were the dozen or so figures behind them, each possessing a distinctly different Aura.

The emblems on their clothing silently declared their identity and background:

The emblem of eternally burning Kindling (Representative of Kindling Hall)!

Precision gears entwined with violent lightning (Virtual Company)!

Ancient, heavy, containing infinite power, the Dragon-Tiger Mountain pattern (Mercenary Alliance)!

A mysterious and wild totem flowing with dark flames and thorns (Galaxy Bank)!

The leaders in charge of The Four Great Factions stationed in Qingshi County!

They stood calmly on high ground, their gazes as deep as observers looking down upon the stars, calmly scrutinizing the seedlings about to be tested.

Their presence elevated the significance of this county-level mock exam to an unprecedented height, as if this place were the starting point leading to the future.

"Hey, tell me, who do you think will rank at the very top from our Qingshi County this time?"

Near Li Wen, several students clearly from other schools were discussing excitedly.

"Why even guess? It must be Jiang Lingyun from No. 1 Middle School! He signed a b-rank contract with Kindling Hall when he was a sophomore! Who else could be the County Top Scholar if not him?"

"I meant in the city rankings. Our county will definitely have him first. Do you think he can break into the top ten in the entire city?" The first person corrected himself.

"Top ten in the city? I feel like it should be possible, after all, he signed a b-rank contract as a sophomore."

"Then—then, is it possible for him to enter the top ten in the province?" the first person asked with a trace of longing.

"Top ten in the province? Pfft—" Someone immediately scoffed without concealment, as if hearing the greatest joke. "Buddy, are you dreaming? Do you know how many Geniuses in the entire province have signed A-rank contracts? There are no less than twenty publicly known ones held by the Four Great Powers alone!

And that doesn't count the Prodigies who were locked down early by certain special national departments! Our city's elites would be doing well to break into the top hundred in the province! Top ten? You can have anything in your dreams!"

This sharp and realistic analysis was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the unrealistic fantasies of the discussants.

Top ten in the province? What a dazzling celestial sphere that was! A place where Prodigies who gathered the entire province's resources, or even national-level Prodigies, could possibly squeeze into.

Li Wen’s five senses, enhanced by the nascent Primordial Spirit, far surpassed ordinary people, and he clearly captured this conversation.

"Top ten in the province? Twenty people with A-rank contracts, Prodigies locked down by the nation—" A sense of heavy pressure instantly climbed onto his heart.

However, this pressure only lasted for less than a second.

Immediately, an even hotter, more scorching excitement erupted from the bottom of his heart like molten lava, instantly burning away that trace of pressure.

Challenge! Surpass! The stage is so vast, and strong enemies surround him! Talents are gathered?

Perfect!

Only by being tempered in such a furnace, crushing one legendary name after another,

This, this is worthy of his Rebirth in this life, worthy of the panel and the Primordial Spirit in his Sea of Consciousness!

Just then, at the very front of the platform, the Director of the Qingshi County Education Bureau stepped forward.

He didn't speak, but merely raised his hand and pressed down lightly into the air. An invisible force instantly spread out.

"Silence!" The loud and majestic voice, specially amplified by the virtual space, crashed down like thunder from the Nine Heavens.

It clearly echoed in the ears of every candidate, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Instantly, the plaza, which had been boiling with noise and crowded with tens of thousands of people, became utterly silent.

Tens of thousands of eyes snapped toward the high platform.

"Fellow students, this is the Provincial General Higher Education Joint Enrollment Adaptive Model Examination, Qingshi Examination Area Virtual Platform 1."

The Director's voice was steady as iron, carrying immense weight. "Behind you rests the future hope of Qingshi County, and you are also the cornerstone of the future of the Human Race in Huaxia."

"The road of the college entrance examination is a tough march through a thousand armies! Today's first mock exam is the critical yardstick to measure your more than two years of arduous cultivation! It is the foundation for you to clarify your path, find your direction, and build confidence for the final decisive battle!"

The Director slightly turned sideways, swinging his arm powerfully behind him, pointing to the dozen or so extraordinary presences behind him: "Those on the platform represent the pinnacle of strength and resources guarding the Blue Star Human Race Alliance. Their gaze is fixed upon you!

Every bit of performance you give today may open a brand new door for your future!"

"The rules of the examination are simple: only fairness! Go all out in the virtual combat!

Bring out your strongest strength, display your deepest potential, go fight, struggle, and strive! Go seize the glory and future that belongs to you!"

As his voice fell, it was like the sounding of a charge horn.

The Director's gaze was sharp as he swept over the young faces below, filled with Battle Intent: "I announce—The Qingshi County Senior Year Martial Arts Skill Assessment officially begins!"

"I wish all of you success and victory from the start!"

"Boom!!!"

The moment his voice faded, blinding white light suddenly erupted from every inch of the plaza floor, like a breached silver river, instantly submerging the figures of nearly five thousand candidates.

After the bright light subsided, the huge platform, which had been bustling with noise and crowded moments before, was now empty.

A cold, indifferent electronic prompt sounded simultaneously in the virtual spaces where all candidates were reset: "Candidate identity information confirmed. Assessment scene loading—"