Chapter 55: I’ve Been Eating a Lot of Sugar Lately
Yang Shen walked out of the Subject Four exam room, feeling like he had this one in the bag.
He had performed up to his full potential. A score of 90 was the baseline, and 95 wasn’t out of the question. Compared to the last monthly exam, that was a solid 40-point improvement.
He was already having some trouble calculating what his total score would be. After all, he used to be a slacker, so anything above 400 was like uncharted territory to him.
When the first day of the monthly exam ended, Yang Shen hadn’t run into Xu Bamboo again. He only bumped into Zhao Mengmeng in the afternoon, but they weren’t in the same exam room.
That night, he followed his usual routine: teaching the four little ones Cultivation, watering the flowers, feeding the insects, and staying up all night. The next day was another packed schedule.
Today was the joint Math and Physics exam, which took up the whole morning. With that, the liberal arts portion of the exam was over.
The afternoon was for Subject Three, the most physically demanding of the five major Martial Arts sections: Endurance and Stamina, worth a total of 90 points.
The test format was a weighted long-distance run.
It assessed the students’ long-term energy potential, cardiopulmonary capacity, and recovery ability.
This was also the most physically exhausting of the five Martial Arts sections, and its rules had been revised multiple times. Originally, it was held on the second day of the college entrance exams. However, students complained that it affected their performance on the following day, so it was moved to the last day.
But after this was implemented for a few years, every college entrance exam had its share of desperate dudes who ran themselves to death and strong-willed girls who ran until they became incontinent.
After all, it was the last subject, and some people always think going all-in is a form of wisdom.
So, the officials changed it back to the second day. This forced all students to consider the consequences, meaning they could only display their true current capabilities.
The rules were simple: a standard weight of 50 kilograms for a 30-kilometer long-distance run. The requirements were the same for everyone, regardless of their Martial Arts Realm.
The scoring followed a normal distribution. As long as you persisted and finished, you were guaranteed a minimum of 30 points. Yang Shen used to be that kind of participant. To get a perfect score, however, one would likely have to finish within an hour.
Those in the Bone Training Realm couldn’t even dream of it. You had to be at least in late-stage Marrow Refining to get a perfect score, and there wasn’t a single student like that in all of Nanliang High School.
Yang Shen strapped on the weighted vest, and a heavy, foul odor shot straight up his nose.
’Did the guy from the last round die in this thing?’
The sensor patches that had to be stuck to his body to monitor his heart rate and other metrics were all gooey!
Yang Shen glanced at the other students. It was more or less the same for them. The only difference was whether the previous wearer had died in the vest or just shit in it...
’Whatever, I should just focus on the test.’
’If I run fast enough, the stench won’t be able to catch me...’
Just like with the other subjects, everyone had their relative strengths. In Subject Three, those with higher body fat percentages and a focus on Horizontal Training held an advantage.
On the other hand, those who specialized in speed were at a great disadvantage. After all, these types of students generally didn’t weigh much and had low body fat percentages, giving them fewer energy reserves.
’Hmm... Zhao Mengmeng is probably an exception, though.’
As for all-rounders like Yang Shen, he didn’t excel in any one subject, but he wasn’t at a disadvantage in any of them either.
Unless a student had a special constitution, Yanhua Country’s Martial Arts Education system recommended that as many people as possible take the balanced route, and then specialize and deepen their focus in university.
After the starting gun fired, Yang Shen began to run, maintaining his own pace. The typical time for someone in the mid-stage of Bone Training was around two hours, so it was still early.
Properly managing one’s stamina was the essence of Subject Three.
Subject Three had always been a notorious grind. When Yang Shen finished, he felt like he’d shed a layer—of sweat, that is.
Final result: 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 23 seconds.
This result was already far beyond the level of other students in the same realm, even surpassing some who specialized in endurance and were aided by Extra-Curricular Cultivation Methods.
As he walked out of the testing area on unsteady legs, Yang Shen began to calculate whether this would affect his exams the next day.
He thought of the "Blood Burning Force" left behind by Liu Yuankui. If he could master it, he could potentially set aside some "Undigested Qi and Blood Value" for an explosive burst of power in special circumstances.
As long as he controlled it properly, there would be no harm to his body, making it the perfect exam-taking assistant.
If this Cultivation Technique were sold publicly, it would absolutely become a required course for countless high school students.
’This Cultivation Technique seems pretty practical,’ he thought. ’Sometimes, a hidden ace is like a pair of underwear. You might not use it, but you can’t afford not to have it!’
’Next time Chen Beiwang sets up a tutoring session, I’ll have to subtly ask if there’s a way to check whether a Cultivation Technique has any "issues," and also ask about that 200,000-yuan bottle of "Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills."’
Just outside the testing area, Yang Shen had barely walked out when he saw Xu Bamboo.
She was leaning against the stadium’s outer wall, looking pretty in a pair of athletic shorts that showed off her long, straight legs. Her face was cold, giving off an unapproachable air.
Only when Yang Shen’s figure appeared in her peripheral vision did the ice finally melt. She smiled. "All done? Want something to drink?"
What she offered wasn’t an Initial Realm Passage, but a thermos.
Puzzled, Yang Shen opened it to take a look. Inside was a hot, orange-yellow soup that gave off a unique aroma. It was about half full.
"It helps restore your stamina. Drink it quickly, or it’ll affect your two exams tomorrow."
Yang Shen took a sip. ’It looks like medicine, but it’s surprisingly sweet,’ he thought.
Xu Bamboo asked, "Sweet?"
Yang Shen nodded. "Very."
Xu Bamboo giggled. "I’ve been eating a lot of sugar lately!"
Yang Shen held the thermos a little farther away from himself...
’Zhuzi, do you have any idea how devastating that sentence is when a person is drinking a warm, unidentified liquid of this particular color?’
Its destructive power was no less than drinking this much of Xu Bamboo’s Essence Liquid, only to find out the "Essence" part of the name was just a sticker.
Thankfully, Xu Bamboo quickly finished her thought: "So I just prefer things a little sweeter and added some extra sugar. What’s wrong?"
"Nothing..."
——————
On the morning of the third day, the monthly exam proceeded to Subject Two: Absolute Power and Core Strength, worth a total of 100 points.
The test format involved a series of stationary machines, with scoring based on the amount of weight the student could handle.
It assessed the maximum load-bearing capacity and stability of the skeletal and muscular systems.
This was another numerically scored event where one’s realm set the baseline. But on exercises like the weighted squat, deadlift, and bench press, Yang Shen managed to lift weights that surpassed other students in his realm.
Even the proctoring teacher grew curious, repeatedly confirming the weights.
In truth, Yang Shen wasn’t "punching above his realm." It was simply that under the influence of the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique, he was able to reach his absolute limit. Others in the same realm had a hard time even approaching this "limit," which made him seem particularly outstanding.
When everyone else is short, the one who isn’t naturally appears long.
Then, in the afternoon, came the final event of the monthly exam.
Subject Five: Combat.
Compared to the previous quizzes, this monthly exam adopted the same format as the college entrance exams: students would no longer spar with each other, but would instead fight against an examiner.
The huge athletic field was divided into 10 different arenas, with ten PE teachers waiting in their respective rings.
Although the PE teachers’ Martial Arts Realms were far higher than most of the students’, this was still a gauntlet for them, so they would basically all rotate in and out.
In principle, the top students in the Marrow Refining Realm would be intentionally matched with higher-realm examiners. For the rest, the matchups weren’t as particular.
Yang Shen put on his number tag and sat with the crowd from Class Six, each person on a small stool. Xu Bamboo was beside him, her school uniform jacket draped over her head.
"Afraid of getting a tan?"
Logically, for someone who had entered the Marrow Refining Realm, this shouldn’t have been a concern. Marrow Refining stimulated one’s inner potential, and one’s skin would only become fairer and more supple.
Xu Bamboo wrinkled her elegant nose. "The sun makes me dizzy, and my head is starting to hurt again."
So Yang Shen moved in front of Xu Bamboo, casting a shadow over her.
Xu Bamboo lowered her head, resting her forehead against Yang Shen’s back. Tiny beads of sweat seeped through his clothes, and Yang Shen felt a wave of damp heat.
Xu Bamboo’s body temperature was a little high; clearly, she wasn’t in as good a shape as she let on.
Just as Yang Shen was about to say something, he heard his exam number called over the broadcast.
"Yang Shen, Third Year, Class Six, to Arena Four... Yang Shen, Third Year, Class Six... Arena Four..."
Yang Shen stood up, took off his own school jacket, and draped it over Xu Bamboo’s head. "If you’re not feeling well, go rest in the shade for a bit. I’m up for my test."
Xu Bamboo nodded but said nothing.
Yang Shen walked toward Arena Four, but his expression soured the moment he saw the examiner.
"Huo... Teacher? Isn’t it a little inappropriate for you to be here?"
Huo Jun crossed his one arm over his chest, a dangerous smile spreading across his face. "What’s the matter? I’m a teacher, too, you know."
Yang Shen replied, "Teacher, how about you give me a one-hand handicap?"
Huo Jun glanced at his own left arm, momentarily unsure if he should be angry or not.
’We had one damn PE class together, and now he’s latched onto me!?’ Yang Shen thought.
Huo Jun seemed to value him for some inexplicable reason... Yang Shen seriously suspected it was just because Nanliang High School was too boring, and this man, whose heart clearly wasn’t in teaching, was using him to kill time!
Yang Shen let out a heavy breath and used his daily "Life Chart Inspection" ability on Huo Jun.
"Huo Jun: Qi Cultivation, Ninth Layer"
"Life Chart: Breaking Evil"
"Breaking Evil: The Breaker of Armies sits on the throne of destiny; the Star of Slaughter hangs high."
The powerhouse let out a grim laugh. "Hmph! Show me what you’ve really got. If you don’t take this seriously..."
"...and my hand happens to slip, you could actually die..."