C140 A Genius Had Appeared in Seventeenth High School

Ten high schools participated in the assessment here, with only Seventeenth High School, Thirty-Three High School, and Thirty-Seven High School being the prominent ones.

Rankings among high schools were inevitable.

These rankings were influenced not only by student enrollment but also by funding from the Ministry of Education.

Hence, the rivalry among these high schools was fierce and omnipresent!

After this announcement, the team leaders began to escort Chu Yi and his peers toward the training hall.

By this time, the hall was already teeming with an uncountable number of students.

The space was ample, typically sufficient for ten high schools' martial arts exams, but the turnout this time had grossly exceeded expectations.

The crowd was three times the usual size, rendering the twelfth Martial Arts Stadium in Redmarsh, which was accustomed to a standard exam size, somewhat cramped.

The examinees alone surpassed ten thousand, and factoring in accompanying teachers and staff, the tally certainly exceeded thirteen thousand.

Of course, simply accommodating these individuals wouldn't be an issue; even one hundred and thirty thousand could fit.

Well, one hundred and thirty thousand might be a stretch.

But for thirty to fifty thousand, there would be no issue at all.

However, this was an examination site.

Given that it was an exam, there had to be designated areas for assessment.

Thus, with the testing areas sectioned off, the space did feel a bit tight.

"Come this way, our school is set up over there..."

Each school was assigned a specific area where they had to wait quietly until it was their turn to be assessed.

Currently, the twelfth Martial Arts Stadium was hosting the foundational assessments, which were basic skills tests. The difficulty level wasn't high, but it was a closed exam.

Chu Yi stood serenely in his designated area. Unlike him, the students around him were experiencing their first martial arts exam and were visibly anxious and curious.

"Chu Yi, what's your exam number?"

Lee Zi had approached Chu Yi as soon as they boarded the bus.

In the past, if Lee Zi had been this close to Chu Yi, many would have been green with envy.

Even now, that sentiment remained, though the envious looks had somewhat diminished over time.

It was quite straightforward. Despite Lee Zi's unchanged appearance, she was no longer the unparalleled prodigy she once was.

Chu Yi glanced at her and said, "I'm number 5477. What's yours?"

Lee Zi replied with a hint of disappointment, "I'm number 5102. Looks like we can't stick together."

The students from Seventeenth High School generally had numbers starting with 5,000, placing them neither at the very front nor at the back of the line.

In all likelihood, they would be called for their tests sometime in the afternoon.

Even though the testing process was swift, with over 10,000 participants, it would have been a different story in the past—the first day might have marked the beginning of the actual Martial Arts Public Exam broadcasted live.

With nothing else to do at the moment, Chu Yi and Lee Zi stood in line, chatting away.

Both Chu Yi and Lee Zi drew the attention of many onlookers. Chu Yi was somewhat spared; he was noticed primarily because of Lee Zi, but Lee Zi herself was a different story.

She was the genius who had shone brightly in their generation.

In her sophomore year of high school, she awakened her genetic power and her rise was meteoric. She was even directly recruited by Adirang Academy, one of the top three elite institutions.

Being recruited in one's senior year into these prestigious academies wasn't unusual.

By that time, many students were leveraging their connections, and some recruits were essentially beneficiaries of those relationships.

But being recruited in the sophomore year was a game-changer!

It signified potential and future strength!

Lee Zi was almost a legend among Redmarsh's younger generation, with many convinced that she was destined to become an icon of their era.

The well-informed were aware that Lee Zi might not top the exams this time around, given the myriad of factors at play.

But the Lee Zi of the future was sure to be a defining figure of her generation.

Yet, no one could have foreseen the mishap that occurred during the last trial before the college entrance examination.

The word was out: it wasn't that Lee Zi had been careless; she had simply been dealt a bad hand.

Of course, it couldn't just be chalked up to misfortune.

Those who were unlucky had already perished in the wilderness.

Lee Zi, though she had survived, had lost her most precious genetic power.

Despite still harboring hopes of becoming a true warrior, Lee Zi was no longer seen as someone to be admired in the eyes of many.

The testing proceeded swiftly, with groups emerging shortly after they had entered.

In reality, all the students who had come to take the martial arts examination were aware of the test's content.

Nevertheless, they couldn't resist the urge to look around curiously.

The morning flew by, and at noon, nutritious meals were distributed.

They were nutritious, to be sure, but the taste left much to be desired.

If not for the afternoon assessment, many would have preferred to go hungry rather than eat.

But truth be told, despite their less-than-stellar taste, the nutritious meals were quite effective.

Chu Yi realized that these meals were essentially a diluted form of potion.

The afternoon assessment started before long.

It wasn't long before it was Lee Zi's turn.

She gave Lee Zi an encouraging gesture and then vanished with a confident smile.

Chu Yi didn't know the outcome of Lee Zi's test, as it was soon his turn.

Following the large group, Chu Yi quickly made his way into the testing room.

"Number..." the staff member called out, not bothering to look up.

"5477," Chu Yi replied.

The staff member swiftly entered the number into the panel, and Chu Yi's profile appeared on the screen.

This time, the staff member looked up at Chu Yi.

It wasn't Chu Yi's looks that caught his attention but the need to verify his information.

After a visual comparison, the staff member used a device to scan Chu Yi's body.

Chu Yi was familiar with this new testing equipment, which was far more advanced than the DNA tests of his past life.

This device could directly measure a person's soul fluctuations.

Since these fluctuations have a range, it wasn't possible to remain at one stage indefinitely.

Thus, in addition to soul fluctuation verification, they also checked his appearance and aura.

After three rounds of verification, Chu Yi was confirmed to be who he claimed to be.

"Okay, go on in."

"Good luck, and I hope you achieve a great score."

Although the staff member's blessings were delivered in a mechanical tone, Chu Yi took them to heart and appreciated the sentiment.

"Thank you..."

With that, Chu Yi had made his way to the first testing area, as directed by the terminal.

Strength Test.

Strength was the benchmark for a warrior's level.

The amount of strength one possessed was nearly emblematic of their warrior status.

Thus, the strength test invariably took precedence as the foremost assessment.

"Just a punch under normal conditions."

The staff member was diligently entering some data.

Upon hearing the instruction, Chu Yi nodded and approached the testing apparatus.

He then delivered a straightforward punch.

In an instant—

"988 kg."

Indeed, a mere 988 kg, barely meeting the threshold for Bronze Perfection.

Of course, there was no issue with Chu Yi's abilities; he had intentionally held back. This was in accordance with a specific reminder from Old Master Chu.

He was well aware of Chu Yi's formidable strength, which at the Gold Level, would place him among the elite in the current exams.

Yet, as Old Master Chu often said, caution is the parent of safety.

Hence, his advice to Chu Yi was to avoid revealing too much during the tests.

After all, this was merely a preliminary assessment, and the goal was to secure a ticket to the main examination.

Everything else could wait for the opportune moment to shine.

Being naturally prudent, Chu Yi fully embraced Old Master Chu's guidance.

And so, he approached the strength test with measured restraint.

The minimum requirement for the strength test was 355 kg.

Indeed, not even the standard for a Bronze Warrior.

It's worth noting that Bronze Warriors were exceedingly rare at the high school level. At a prominent institution like Seventeenth High School, only a handful of students had achieved the Bronze Warrior realm.

In an average high school, there might be only a few or perhaps none at all!

If the assessment were based on the Bronze standard, there would be little point in proceeding.

"Wow, the Great Perfection of Bronze."

For the first time, the staff member looked up and regarded Chu Yi with genuine interest.

A young prodigy emerging from humble beginnings.

This was how the staff member defined Chu Yi.

The assessment was essentially one for the common folk. For the scions of noble families, there was no need to squander their time here.

Much like how Adirang Academy had never forsaken Lee Zi, she too could have bypassed these cumbersome tests.

"Well done, keep up the good work!"

A commoner typically lacks extensive resources, yet through sheer effort and innate talent, advancing to Perfection Bronze level before the college entrance exam is both astonishing and commendable.

Take this staff member, for instance, who has been in this line of work for over a decade. He's only encountered one or two talents on par with Chu Yi each year.

Chu Yi respectfully presented the assessment form, saying, "Thank you, Teacher."

Guided by the terminal, Chu Yi made his way to the next testing site.

It was time for the speed test.

For the average student, these testing standards were nearly insurmountable, but Chu Yi saw no challenge.

As if to illustrate, Chu Yi had already achieved a burst speed of 350m/s in the speed test.

Yet here, a mere 13m/s was all that was required.

Thus, Chu Yi effortlessly completed the run and passed the test.

In no time at all, Chu Yi had finished all five assessments, and his results—

One only needed to see how the examiners looked at Chu Yi to understand.

And so, as Chu Yi left, a buzz started among the staff—

Seventeenth High School had discovered another commoner prodigy this year...