Zhang City pressed the red switch on the machine.

BEEP.

The entire Qi and Blood Tester lit up and activated instantly. Its electronic screen turned on, and at the same time, the cylindrical chamber opened automatically, revealing the space within.

Zhang City had Xu Chenhui step inside.

"Everyone, after entering the tester, grip the metal arms firmly. Tense your muscles and gather your strength to stimulate all the Qi and Blood in your body."

"You each get only one chance."

"Begin!" Zhang City announced, holding a tablet.

With everyone watching, Xu Chenhui nervously gripped the metal arms. He gritted his teeth and instantly exerted his strength, his blood flow accelerating as his Qi and Blood surged wildly.

BOOM!

The machine rumbled as beams of red light shot out, scanning Xu Chenhui’s body.

A string of data immediately appeared on the electronic screen.

[Examinee Xu Chenhui, Qi and Blood Value: 7.15]

A clear female voice sounded from the machine.

"How convenient. It only takes a few seconds to get an exact Qi and Blood Value," the students marveled.

While the others were still marveling at the Qi and Blood Tester, Xu Chenhui’s heart sank. ’A Qi and Blood Value of 7.15 is too low.’ He was terrified he’d be kicked out of the elite class.

"Next, Yang Lei!" Zhang City didn’t offer any commentary, simply calling the next person up to be tested.

Yang Lei walked up with a frown, all traces of his former smugness from Class 3 gone.

[Examinee Yang Lei, Qi and Blood Value: 7.14]

"Yang Lei, you can go back to where you came from," Zhang City said, shaking his head.

Yang Lei’s face instantly turned pale.

"Next!"

The other students took their turns entering the machine to have their Qi and Blood tested.

[Examinee Chen Zichuan, Qi and Blood Value: 8.18]

Zhang City couldn’t help but nod upon seeing the result.

"Chen Zichuan is improving so fast. His Qi and Blood Value is already higher than mine."

"Is he going to try for the top 30?" someone asked in surprise.

Lin Qi watched Chen Zichuan and nodded. He had heard that although the other boy had only signed a D-level Contract with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, he no longer lacked money. Now that he had resources, his Talent was slowly beginning to show.

"Next, Lin Qi!"

As soon as Zhang City spoke, the classroom fell silent. All eyes turned to Lin Qi.

This included Li Zhou, Qi Yuelin, Zhu Yuqi, and the other top-ten students of the grade.

"Lin Qi’s Combat Power is already at the level of the top ten. I wonder what his Qi and Blood Value is?" someone mused curiously.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Qi slowly approached. He seemed taller and more imposing, and the students around him felt an invisible, awe-inspiring aura.

Qiu Jie watched Lin Qi, who radiated a terrifying presence.

’In the past, I saw Lin Qi as just a nobody, completely unremarkable.’

’But looking at him now, he has the air of a master. He stands out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.’

Inside the Qi and Blood Tester, Lin Qi gripped the metal arms.

He took a deep breath, letting his body relax. The next instant, he abruptly exerted his strength. His muscles exploded with power, and his Qi and Blood surged wildly.

Veins bulged on his skin as a tyrannical aura erupted from him, like a tiger, king of beasts, opening its eyes to hunt.

The overwhelming presence forced the students closest to him to stumble back.

Zhang City was inwardly shocked. ’What a powerful aura!’

The red light scanned him from top to bottom, and a string of data immediately appeared on the electronic screen.

[Examinee Lin Qi, Qi and Blood Value: 9.21]

"A Qi and Blood Value of 9.21! He broke 9.0!"

"Excellent!" Zhang City praised proactively.

"If I recall correctly, Lin Qi’s Qi and Blood Value was only 8.2 during the monthly exam. He increased it by 1.0 in a single month?"

"As expected of a genius who could sign a B-level Contract! He’s too strong!" someone exclaimed.

The class erupted in an uproar after seeing Lin Qi’s Qi and Blood Value.

Li Zhou grinned. "That’s Lin Qi for you. His Qi and Blood Value is rising so fast."

"I’m starting to feel the pressure. He might even catch up to me by the final exam."

Qi Yuelin nodded, a peculiar light flashing in her beautiful eyes as she watched Lin Qi.

Yu Jing sneered. "It’s just a Qi and Blood Value of 9.2. By the final exam, I’ll probably have already broken through the First Realm."

"That’s a whole different Realm. There’s no way he can catch up."

Li Zhou shook his head and said to the others with a smile,

"Yu Jing is just jealous!"

The others nodded.

Having his thoughts exposed, Yu Jing became angry out of embarrassment. "Me, jealous of him? What a joke!"

Li Zhou laughed again. "He’s getting defensive!"

Yu Jing, blushing, turned his head away and fell silent.

...

As Lin Qi stepped down, Jiangtao gave him a thumbs-up and shook his head. "Brother Qi, you’re really about to catch up to me."

"Then you’d better work harder, so it takes me a little longer to surpass you," Lin Qi joked back.

「A short while later」

[Examinee Jiangtao, Qi and Blood Value: 9.64]

"That’s Jiangtao for you. At this rate, he’s aiming for the top five in the grade."

The corner of Jiangtao’s mouth lifted. He swaggered back, shaking his head and sighing.

"Once your Qi and Blood Value breaks 9.0, it gets harder and harder to improve. I’m still only at 9.6."

Lin Qi listened to Jiangtao’s humblebragging without a word. Jiangtao’s Talent had now fully blossomed. A Qi and Blood Value of 9.6 placed him among the absolute top students in all of No. 2 Middle School.

The testing continued. When Qi Yuelin took her turn, the crowd’s astonishment showed no signs of stopping.

[Examinee Qi Yuelin, Qi and Blood Value: 9.78]

...

[Examinee Yu Jing, Qi and Blood Value: 9.81]

...

[Examinee Li Zhou, Qi and Blood Value: 9.99]

Li Zhou shook his head upon seeing his value. "A pity. Just a little bit more."

But as soon as his Qi and Blood Value was displayed, the class erupted again.

HISS~

"Holy crap, Li Zhou almost broke through the First Realm."

"Doesn’t that mean in a few days, he’ll be a Second Realm of Muscle Training Martial Artist?"

"We’re students in the same class, but my Qi and Blood Value is only 7.4, while he’s about to break through the First Realm. The gap is just too huge," someone lamented, shaking their head in amazement.

Lin Qi was also inwardly shocked. They were all students in the elite class, yet some might not even break a Qi and Blood Value of 10 by the time of the college entrance exams.

Meanwhile, a genius like Li Zhou was on the verge of breaking through to the Second Realm in just the first semester of his senior year.

Lin Qi knew very well that if he wanted to be number one in the entire school, Li Zhou was his main competitor.

Although Li Zhou was incredibly strong, the gap between them was steadily closing.

Zhang City, who was in charge of the test, was also secretly astonished. ’This Li Zhou is so strong he doesn’t seem like a student from No. 2 Middle School.’

’He’s about to break through to the Second Realm already.’

He quickly composed himself and continued,

"The first round of Qi and Blood testing is complete. Everyone, follow me to the Virtual Room to begin the second round, the Martial Arts assessment."

As soon as he finished speaking, the large group of students followed him to the Virtual Room.

The Qi and Blood Tester was moved to other classrooms to continue the tests.

「In the Virtual Room」

"Starting from the bottom of the rankings, enter the Virtual Cabins by number to begin the Martial Arts assessment."

"This time, you won’t have to start over from Assessor Number One. You’ll respawn right where you were and face the Assessor who killed you. This will save a lot of time."

"I now declare the Martial Arts assessment officially open," Zhang City announced.

Eleven students entered their respective Virtual Cabins to begin the Martial Arts assessment, while the others waited and chatted among themselves.

"Brother Qi, I heard some people in our grade saying your Skill is better than mine."

"How about it? Let’s have a match," Jiangtao said suddenly, his expression serious.

Lin Qi was stunned for a second. ’A match?’

As his best friend, the two of them had competed in everything since they were children.

Lin Qi usually won, but that changed in high school. The gap in their Talent led to a growing disparity in their physical conditioning and Skill, and Jiangtao never brought up competing again.

For him to bring it up again now meant they were back on the same level.

Or perhaps, Jiangtao was feeling the pressure too.

Lin Qi looked at Jiangtao, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Alright!"

"Then bring it on, Brother Qi. You’re still no match for me right now."

"I’m definitely winning this time!"

"Loser buys KFC!" Jiangtao chuckled.

"Next group: Lin Qi, Li Bowen, ... Jiangtao!"

"You eleven, get in the Virtual Cabins," Zhang City called out, reading from his list.

"Let’s go!"

Lin Qi and Jiangtao exchanged a look, then entered their respective Virtual Cabins and logged into the Red Realm.

After a tingling sensation passed, Lin Qi opened his eyes to find himself in his personal Space.

He navigated to the official website with practiced ease, found the link for the Cang Province midterm assessment, and entered.

[Examinee: Lin Qi]

[Examinee ID: ...]

[Secret Manual: Mountain Shattering Spear Technique]

[Begin Assessment? Yes/No]

Lin Qi selected "Yes." The next second, the Space shifted, and he reappeared in a vast, empty room.

A few seconds later, a black great spear materialized in Lin Qi’s hands.

Across from him, an Assessor materialized. He was well-built, wore a white Combat Suit, and held a white great spear. The number "8" on his chest was exceptionally conspicuous.

[Assessment Mission: Defeat Assessor "8"]

Lin Qi looked at Assessor "8" with a smirk. The last time he faced this opponent, he had been instantly killed, even after using his Killing Technique.

But this time, things were completely different.

[3... 2... 1...]

[Assessment Begins!]

...