Wummm---
A silver-white qi and blood testing machine let out a low hum.
Su Yu pressed his hands steadily on the sensing pads.
His original plan was to precisely control his qi and blood value at 9.8.
A number high enough to get into a top-tier martial arts university, but not so extraordinary as to attract too much attention.
But just now.
He had seen Zhao Ze's score of 10.3, and the condescending look in the other boy's eyes, as if he were garbage.
Su Yu changed his mind.
If he was going to step on someone, he might as well do it thoroughly.
10.4.
Exactly one insignificant 0.1 above Zhao Ze's so-called proud peak.
Minimal damage.
But maximum humiliation.
With a flicker of intent,
the massive floodgate of qi and blood within him, tightly sealed by the Concealing Breath Technique, silently cracked open the tiniest of gaps.
Boom!
In the test machine's transparent glass tube, a dazzling red pillar of light shot up instantly!
No hesitation!
No delay!
1.0!
3.0!
6.0! The passing line was torn through in an instant!
"Look! The speed of that pillar!"
Several examinees waiting in line behind him let out a gasp.
The entire practice field, still reeling from Zhao Ze's 10.3, now had its attention drawn back to the machine.
"Who is that? Which class?"
"Looks like Su Yu from Class Three... the liberal arts student who's always dead last?"
"No way! Someone with 0.8 qi and blood could surge like that?!"
The red pillar kept rocketing upward!
8.0!
9.0!
10.0! The full-score marker flashed by in a blur.
And then,
just as the pillar was about to touch the top of the glass tube, it stopped with remarkable steadiness, with no fluctuation whatsoever.
Locked firmly on a single number.
[Su Yu, Qi and Blood Value: 10.4!]
[Evaluation: Excellent!]
The cold electronic announcement echoed across the wide practice field.
Once.
Then again.
The whole world seemed to have hit a mute button.
A deathly silence.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the bright red number on the test machine, their minds utterly blank.
10.4?
Breaking the highest record of Jiangcheng No.1 Martial Arts High School in the last decade?
And, just one minute before, crushing the much-hyped 10.3 that Zhao Ze had achieved, pressing it firmly beneath!
Clang---
Outside the crowd, Li Jianguo, the head teacher of Class 3, let his thermos slip from his hand and smash to the ground without warning.
Scalding goji berry water splashed everywhere.
But he didn't even notice.
Li Jianguo stared wide-eyed at the thin figure standing on the testing platform.
His lips trembled violently.
Shock!
A shock mixed with extreme regret and fear struck his chest like a heavy hammer!
He knew Su Yu's background all too well.
Three days ago, in the faculty office, Su Yu's qi and blood value was only 0.8!
That orphan he had called a useless piece of trash to his face and forced to sign a score-selling agreement—how could he have burst out with a terrifying 10.4 qi and blood in just three days?!
What terrified Li Jianguo even more was Su Yu's attitude.
Too calm.
Standing in front of the life-changing machine, facing the shock of tens of thousands of people.
Su Yu didn't even lose his breath.
No euphoria, no excitement. He didn't even glance at the glaring score.
It was like... he had simply done an insignificant little thing.
"What have I... lost?"
Li Jianguo's legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
A once-in-a-generation talent with 10.4! If he had reported it to the school, how much bonus could he have received? How much honor would he have gained?
And now, he had personally made that talent his sworn enemy!
By the test platform.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood frozen in place.
The small metal vial of Violent Blood Pill extract in her hand nearly dropped to the ground.
"You—"
Lin Xiaoxiao's beautiful, innocent eyes were wide open as she watched Su Yu walk slowly down from the test stage.
She couldn't say a word.
But in the next second.
Her eyes suddenly reddened.
Yet the corners of her mouth uncontrollably lifted, blooming into a radiant, heartfelt smile.
Joy.
A pure, untainted joy!
She finally understood.
Three days ago, in that dim alley at the old street corner, the reason Su Yu's eyes were so calm when he turned down her family's special admission offer.
He said he wanted to get into the Supreme Martial Arts University of the Great Xia Capital.
He wasn't dreaming.
He wasn't just saving face.
He truly had the strength for it.
"Liar," Lin Xiaoxiao murmured under her breath, but her eyes gleamed with unmistakable light.
And at that moment.
Zhao Ze, standing at the front of the line.
Felt like a statue struck by lightning, frozen stiff.
His face, which had been smeared with an arrogant sneer, was now completely twisted out of shape.
"Impossible..."
Zhao Ze stared at the "10.4" on the screen, a bestial roar tearing from his throat.
"This is absolutely impossible!"
"The machine is broken! It has to be broken!"
0.8 to 10.4?
A gap of ten times over!
Even if you drank the top-grade genetic agents of the Great Xia Kingdom like water, you couldn't achieve such a heaven-defying leap in three days!
Opportunity!
The thought flashed through Zhao Ze's mind instantly.
That bastard definitely got lucky, somehow devouring some legendary heavenly treasure.
Jealousy.
Maddening jealousy gnawed at Zhao Ze's heart like a venomous snake.
Why should he? A bottom-feeder from a poor background who couldn't even afford synthetic meat, why should he get such a chance?!
But then, a cold sweat broke out on Zhao Ze's back.
He remembered Old Mo, who had gone missing last night.
If Su Yu now had 10.4 qi and blood...
No!
Zhao Ze violently shook his head, forcing himself to steady his nerves.
Even at 10.4, that was still only the level of a full-score martial arts examinee.
And Old Mo, had broken through human limits with a qi and blood value of 110—a full-fledged martial artist!
Between 10.4 and 110, there was an insurmountable gap!
There was no way Su Yu could be a match for Old Mo!
"Someone must be protecting him in the shadows..."
Zhao Ze gritted his teeth, frantically rationalizing to himself.
"Or maybe that rat bastard Old Mo took the money and didn't do the job!"
Yes! That had to be it!
Zhao Ze took a deep breath, forcing down the terror in his heart, replaced by a bone-chilling killing intent.
"So what if he has 10.4 qi and blood?"
Zhao Ze stared at Su Yu walking toward the waiting area, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"In martial arts, it's not just about a dead number like qi and blood!"
"You, a nouveau riche who got a sudden power spike by sheer luck, what martial techniques do you know? What do you understand about force control?"
"I might only have 10.3, but I've been soaking in medicinal baths since I was a child, and I've mastered a Xuan-grade lower-tier practical combat technique!"
"In the actual combat test coming up later."
"I'm going to shatter all your pride with my own hands, and make you understand just how huge the gap between a commoner and a noble family really is!"
Zhao Ze snorted coldly, turned, and walked toward the rest area.
The tests continued. However, with Su Yu's stunning score of 10.4 setting the bar so high, the subsequent examinees' performances felt rather dull. Even when an exceptional score above 8.0 occasionally appeared, it could no longer draw gasps from the crowd.