Chapter 121 - 120: Another Monthly Exam, Stunning Everyone
Deep in the night, Yang Shen stood alone on the Celestial Platform, his expression unreadable.
Xu Bamboo had clearly seen something heartbreaking, something that hadn’t appeared when Yang Shen had undergone his own reflection.
’Perhaps it was because his Dao Heart was pure.’
This heartbreaking matter could just be some trivial family drama, but it couldn’t be ruled out as the source of his "Early Death Life Chart."
But Xu Bamboo was unwilling to talk...
’Sigh... It’s not like I can hang Xu Bamboo up and beat a confession out of him, can I?’
’The key thing is, I might not even be able to win that fight.’
If not for the risk posed by the Early Death Life Chart, he wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed digging up others’ painful memories.
But he had to get to the bottom of it.
He had originally planned to share the "Heart-Inquiry Water" with Xu Bamboo today, but after Xu Bamboo left, Yang Shen could only drink it alone.
The stuff accumulated very slowly, only a handful per week.
Recently, the overall strength of the Jianghuai Yang Family had risen, possibly due to the addition of eight top-tier student disciples, and more likely because of the increase in Yang Shen’s own strength. Still, the amount wasn’t huge.
After dinner, Yang Shen found a paper cup, scooped out half a cup, and drank the clear, sweet Heart-Inquiry Water. He saved the rest for Xu Bamboo.
Then he returned to the Celestial Platform, standing in the thick darkness of the night.
Comprehension was a mysterious thing; sometimes, it couldn’t be rushed. Yang Shen didn’t hurry to practice his fist techniques. Instead, he gazed for a while at the bustling city lights in the far distance.
From the day he first got the system, to now, there were only about twenty-odd days left until the college entrance exams.
Yang Shen had progressed all the way from the Mid-stage of Skin Refining to the initial stage of Marrow Refining, and the Mid-stage of Marrow Refining was also visibly within reach.
He had remained in this old residential complex, holding fast to his Celestial Platform. It was just that now, there was a Spirit Field behind him, two more family members downstairs, and many followers by his side.
There was also a lot more money in his bank account...
Including the money temporarily held by Chen Beiwang that hadn’t been settled for a mission, the Yang Family’s total assets had already exceeded 200,000.
If he included the final payment from the endorsement contract, it was over 300,000, and that wasn’t even counting the value of his Supplements and Elixir Pills.
Yang Shen had suggested arranging for his Uncle’s gravesite, but his aunt said they should wait until after the college entrance exams to avoid distractions.
But no matter how you looked at it, he had already shouldered the elbow-jabs of life and the heavy burden of his family.
He was sprinting steadfastly down the right path.
This sense of accomplishment was, in turn, nourishing the young man, allowing his Cultivation to advance relentlessly, yet without haste or impatience.
The college entrance exams were the most important hurdle in the short term, but the growth of his own strength was the true essence of it all.
The monthly exam was tomorrow.
Yang Shen raised his hands, and with a thought,
a black substance spread from the Jade on his chest. It then gathered on his arms, condensing into a pair of gauntlets.
’Tonight, he would continue his attempt to comprehend "Overlapping Waves"!’
According to the principles of Overlapping Waves, this pair of pitch-black gauntlets would be part of his simulation.
The guided reflection of Source Power would occur between the surface of his fist and his knuckles, while the inner wall of the gauntlets would simulate an enemy’s body.
With his fists now clad in black, Yang Shen slowly began to practice the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist.
His body temperature gradually rose, and faint steam curled around him as the Rising Sun Wheel inside him spun rapidly.
According to Huo Jun, masters of ’Overlapping Waves’ were exceedingly rare even in the True Gang Realm. Yang Shen didn’t know how much the Comprehension provided by the Heart-Inquiry Water would help.
But the chances of achieving an overnight epiphany were slim, at best.
However, Yang Shen wasn’t impatient.
’Maintain a constant thought, do not waver... Maintain a constant thought, do not waver...’
——————
「The final monthly exam at Nanliang High School arrived as scheduled.」
Or rather, for most third-year high school students across Yanhua, their final monthly exams were being held over these few days.
For Yang Shen, he had only one goal: to test his abilities.
In the classroom, Xu Bamboo’s expression was normal, as if he had completely shaken off yesterday’s distress.
They were both waiting for the Language Arts portion of the academic exam.
Yang Shen straightened up his desk. "I’m relieved to see you’re okay."
Xu Bamboo smiled. "I’m not that fragile. The exam is what’s most important."
"What rank are you aiming for this time?"
"Although rank doesn’t matter... I still prefer first place!"
Yang Shen grinned. "What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing."
A new light shone in Xu Bamboo’s wide eyes, along with a spark of competitiveness.
"Is that so... Well, you’d better try your best. No matter what, I’m a Mid-stage Marrow Refining cultivator with a Qi and Blood Value of 600."
Yang Shen thought to himself, ’Your rate of progress is pretty outrageous... Did you turn on cheats too?’
’Oh... I guess being rich counts as cheating. A big cheat, at that, not a small one.’
But regardless of Xu Bamboo, he was going to take the exam with wild abandon, holding nothing back.
Soon, the Language Arts test papers were distributed. Following his usual habit for academic exams, Yang Shen immediately flipped to the last page to see the essay prompt:
"In nature, survival of the fittest is a never-ending cycle. The strong enjoy more resources and longer lives, while the weak, like short-lived mayflies, survive by multiplying in great numbers."
"Humans are the apex of the natural world, but humans are also divided into strong and weak, each playing a different ’ecological niche’."
"Please write a 300-word composition on the theme of ’ecological niche.’ The format is open, but poetry and classical prose are excluded."
Yang Shen froze for a moment, but an idea quickly formed in his mind, and he smiled faintly.
’When a person is rapidly growing stronger, they need to constantly test their own ecological niche.’
’Pretend to be a pig for too long, and you start to oink.’
’Yang Shen chose to become the tiger-eater directly.’
...
「Afternoon. The athletic field.」
First event, first discipline: the 100-meter sprint.
Yang Shen affixed his number 69 exam bib to his chest and back and calmly loosened up his joints.
Meanwhile, the Rising Sun Wheel inside his body was already beginning to spin up.
Every extension of his Fist Intent was an ability he put on full display, a testament to his genius.
As Yang Shen warmed up, his body temperature climbed higher and higher until steam began to rise, swirling around him like Celestial Silk.
The other students in his group stared, their eyes wide....
’Dude, we go to the same school. Why is your vibe so different from ours?’
After staring at his face for a moment, recognition dawned: ’This is that "Young Hero" from the news!’
"Yang... Lord Yang, right? How are you doing that? Is it some special Cultivation Technique?"
’Just standing next to him, I can feel the scorching heat!’
Yang Shen smiled. "It’s not a Cultivation Technique, it’s Fist Intent. If you have to name something, it’s the Sixth Set of Initial Body Forging Technique."
The other student’s mouth hung open. ’Am I practicing a pirated version?’
The supervising teacher also shot him a look of interest but quickly looked away.
’It seems pretty obvious who’s going to be first in this group.’
’No, maybe even first in the entire school...’
"On your marks! 3! 2! 1! GO!"
At the sound of the starting pistol, Yang Shen shot off like an arrow from a bow!
The student next to him only felt a wave of heat surge past!
’Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique! 30% volume!’
’Rising Sun Wheel! Ten revolutions per second!’
Back when Yang Shen’s Body Forging level was low, he used to obsess over techniques during exams.
Things like leaning your torso at the right angle, not letting your forward arm swing past your nose, or your backswing past your butt.
’But now, he could proudly declare: All of that is just trifling tricks!’
’For running, all you need are stats!’
Every step carried immense Power, slightly deforming the rubber track.
The steam trailing behind him was stretched out long, forming a faint white trail.
’Badass! That was no longer an exaggeration, but a literal description!’
Riding a wave of heat, Yang Shen easily crossed the finish line with a ridiculously large lead.
He glanced to the side. The time was already on the screen: 7.32 seconds!
Yang Shen smiled faintly. As far as he knew, no one at Nanliang High School had ever scored under 7.5 seconds in a previous monthly exam.
Even the two students in the top ten of the grade who specialized in speed only had 100-meter times around 8 seconds.
After all, in the 100-meter sprint, every 0.01-second improvement was extremely difficult, much harder than simply stacking Power.
’I’ve probably broken the school record.’
Sure enough, the moment the number appeared, every teacher and student around let out a gasp.
"Holy shit! 7.32? What kind of monster is he?!"
However, before he could even start celebrating, an even louder cheer erupted from another track in the distance.
"A new record! A new record!"
"Is that the legendary Cloud Descending Technique?"
Yang Shen looked across the field and, sure enough, saw Xu Bamboo waving at him.
On the large screen behind him, there was also a number.
7.30!
’Great, just great... I just broke the record, and it gets broken again instantly?’
But he liked this feeling.
’Bring it on, Zhuzi!’
’Let’s go head-to-head!’
’Let’s see who comes out on top in the end!’