12: Chapter 12 Preparing to Show Off
The day of the monthly exam arrived just like that.
The atmosphere in Grade 12 (Class 7) was heavier than the iron scraps that had been piling up for a hundred years at the West City Scrap Yard.
Everyone wore a straight face, looking as tragic as if they were heading to the execution ground.
Some were frantically stuffing refreshing pills into their mouths, while others were desperately pounding their arms and legs, trying to raise their Qi and blood by even a fraction of a point in the final few minutes before the test.
This was no longer just an exam.
This was a trial.
A trial to see if your efforts over the past month were solid gold or just a mirage.
The homeroom teacher, Liu Jianguo, stood on the podium with his arms crossed.
His square face was pulled tight, and his eyes scanned back and forth over every student like X-rays.
"Is everyone clear?"
"This monthly exam's results are directly related to your cultivation resource allocation for the first semester of Grade 12! Whether you'll be eating bran and vegetables, or having meat at every meal, depends on how hard your own fists are!"
He paused, his gaze lingering for half a second specifically on the seats of Wang Pingan and Li Moran.
"The usual rules: first item, strength test!"
As soon as his voice fell, the atmosphere in the classroom became even more oppressive.
Wang Pingan sat in his seat, quietly looking out the window.
He was very calm.
So calm that he even felt a little like yawning.
This feeling was quite wonderful, much like a max-level expert returning to the newbie village to watch a bunch of little newbies fight tooth and nail over a slime.
He wasn't here to take an exam.
He was here to show off.
Just then, a sarcastic voice rang out in his ear.
"Yo, isn't this our class's dark horse, Student Wang Pingan?"
Gao Fei walked over with his hands in his pockets, looking like a hooligan, and stopped beside Wang Pingan's desk.
He looked down at Wang Pingan, his face wearing undisguised mockery, his chin almost pointed at the sky.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You got lucky and stood out during the last mock exam, so what, are you ready to be beaten back to your original form this time, and let everyone see your true colors?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for the circle of students around them who were pricking up their ears to listen to the gossip.
Many people cast looks filled with the intent of watching a show.
Wang Pingan didn't even lift an eyelid.
He just extended his little finger, picked his ear, and then gave it a light flick.
"A clownish buffoon, noisy."
He spat out these four words, his voice so flat it didn't have a ripple, as if he were commenting on the weather today.
But it was precisely these four words, this attitude of completely disregarding him, that ignited Gao Fei's anger more than any vicious retort or angry curse could.
Gao Fei's face turned the color of a pig's liver in an instant.
He felt like the punch he had thrown with all his might had hit a ball of cotton—no, it had hit empty air!
The other party couldn't even be bothered to look at him!
"What did you say?!"
Gao Fei's voice suddenly rose, sharp and somewhat grating.
"If you have the guts, say that again!"
The surrounding students were stunned; they hadn't expected Wang Pingan to be so tough, daring to confront Gao Fei like that to his face.
Was this kid truly not afraid of death, or was his brain damaged from being hit by a car and not yet fully recovered?
Wang Pingan finally moved.
He slowly turned his head, and in those eyes, there was no anger, no tension, only calmness.
He looked at Gao Fei as if he were watching a Chihuahua barking furiously at a telephone pole on the side of the road, powerless in its rage.
This kind of gaze made Gao Fei feel as if he had been stripped naked and thrown in front of the entire class.
Humiliation!
This was naked humiliation!
"Fine! Very well, Wang Pingan!"
Gao Fei was trembling with rage; he pointed at Wang Pingan's nose and, in front of the whole class, almost roared it out.
"Aren't you awesome? Don't you think you're capable? Do you dare to make a bet with me?"
"If your total score in this monthly exam isn't higher than mine, you will stand on the podium and, in front of the whole class, admit that you just got lucky last time, and admit that you're just a piece of trash propped up by cheating and banned drugs!"
After he finished roaring, the entire classroom went quiet.
Everyone was stunned by this wager.
This was no longer an ordinary bet.
If Wang Pingan lost, he would have a record of using banned drugs on his permanent file, which would affect his personal integrity.
Liu Jianguo frowned, just about to speak up to stop this farce.
But Wang Pingan spoke first.
He finally sat up straight, leaning back in his chair, looking lazily at the exasperated Gao Fei.
"The stakes are too low."
"Not interested."
Gao Fei was stunned.
The whole class was stunned.
It had come to this, and you still think the stakes are too low?
What else do you want? To bet your life?
Gao Fei laughed out of extreme anger.
"Then what do you want?!"
Wang Pingan extended one finger and tapped the desk lightly.
"Unless..."
He drew out the tone, his gaze sweeping over Gao Fei's flushed face, his eyes cold without a trace of warmth.
"We bet ten low-grade spirit crystals."
Ten!
low-grade spirit crystals!
As soon as this number came out, a chorus of gasps instantly rang out in the classroom.
Ten thousand star coins!
For these high school students, this was absolutely an astronomical figure!
Even for a rich second-generation kid like Gao Fei, his monthly allowance plus cultivation quota would barely reach this amount.
Is this kid crazy?
Where does he get his confidence from?
Gao Fei was also stunned by this number.
His family had money, but ten thousand star coins didn't just blow in on the wind.
If he lost, he would have to tighten his belt for the month.
He hesitated a bit.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked at the figure sitting in the first row.
Li Moran had not turned his head from the beginning to the end; he just looked quietly at the book on his desk, as if this farce had nothing to do with him.
Just when Gao Fei was in a dilemma, Li Moran's indifferent voice rang out faintly.
"Gao Fei."
"Bet against him."
"I believe in you."
These simple six words were like the most potent adrenaline shot, piercing fiercely into Gao Fei's heart.
Brother Li believes in me!
Since Brother Li has spoken, what else do I have to be afraid of!
All of Gao Fei's hesitation vanished instantly.
He turned back abruptly, staring fixedly at Wang Pingan, afraid he might go back on his word.
"Fine! Ten it is! I'll bet against you!"
"I'll set up the StarNet deed right now! No one is going to welch on this debt!"
A heaven-shaking high-stakes gamble was thus established.
"Alright! Everyone get back to your seats!"
Liu Jianguo finally couldn't watch any longer and, with a violent shout, forcibly terminated the standoff.
"Testing begins! Li Moran, you go first!"
The focus of the entire class shifted instantly.
Li Moran stood up, straightened his collar, and walked slowly toward the strength tester at the back of the classroom.
He still had that light and breezy appearance, as if the ten-thousand-star-coin gamble just now was merely a boring post-meal pastime.
He walked up to the tester without even taking a preparatory stance, just standing there quite casually, and then threw a punch lightly.
The movement looked elegant and composed.
"Bang!"
A dull, loud noise shook everyone's hearts, making them tremble along with it.
The numbers on the tester began to skyrocket at a dizzying speed!
150!
200!
220!
Finally, in everyone's bated breath and gaze, the number stopped steadily at— "248 kilograms!"
As soon as this number came out, the whole classroom exploded!
"Holy crap! Two hundred forty-eight! That's late-stage First-Rank!"
"Too terrifying! How far is this from being a Second-Rank Martial Artist?"
The tsunami of exclamations almost blew the roof off the classroom.
Even Liu Jianguo was so excited his face flushed red, and he clapped vigorously.
This score not only crushed the whole class but also firmly secured a spot in the top five of the entire school, and might even have a chance to challenge for the top three.
He was one of the top-tier geniuses at Shencheng No. 1 High School!
Gao Fei looked at this number, the triumph on his face almost overflowing.
He puffed out his chest, sharing in the honor as if the person who had punched 248 kilograms was himself.
Next, it was his turn.
He gathered all his strength, used every ounce of energy he had, roared, and slammed a punch into the sandbag.
"165 kilograms!"
This score would normally be considered among the best in the class.
But with such a gem ahead of him, his score seemed a bit lackluster.
But Gao Fei didn't care.
He walked down from the tester triumphantly, and when passing by Wang Pingan, he deliberately stopped, looking down at him with the posture of a victor.
"See that?"
"248 kilograms! 165 kilograms!"
"This is what you call real strength!"
"Kid, kneel down now and admit defeat, call me Brother Fei, and I can act like the matter of the ten spirit crystals never happened. Otherwise, you'll be crying later!"
Wang Pingan ignored him.
His gaze fell calmly on that glaring "248 kilograms."
"Next, Wang Pingan!"
When Liu Jianguo's voice rang out, the entire classroom fell into a strange silence again.
Everyone's gaze focused in unison on the figure slowly rising from his seat.
This time, those gazes no longer held sympathy or pity.
Replacing them was curiosity, scrutiny, expectation, and a sliver of... fear, which they hadn't even noticed themselves.
They all wanted to know.
This dark horse who had kicked up a huge storm a month ago.
Was he just a fleeting meteor.
Or, a rising star capable of competing with the bright moon!
Wang Pingan ignored all the gazes around him.
He walked calmly, step by step, toward the strength tester.
His steps were very steady.
Every step felt like a drumbeat on everyone's heart.
Amidst the complex gazes of the whole class—some expectant, some watching a show, some waiting for him to make a fool of himself—Wang Pingan slowly raised his fist.