Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23
"Has he never even been tested before?"
A sharp male voice suddenly rang out from outside the training room. A blue-haired boy from Class A stood before the display screen, openly sizing up Ji Qing inside, his tone mocking.
"How reliable are the standards for the enrollment rankings, anyway?"
You Xingluo shot the boy with a displeased look.
He had expected something like this would happen. Ji Qing was unfamiliar with the instruments and testing procedures that the disciples of noble families had been exposed to long ago. This was bound to become a reason for others to criticize him.
"I heard he's from a commoner family."
"A commoner? Do you know which town he's from?"
"If he's never even done an ability assessment, how did he get that ranking?"
Following the blue-haired boy's remark, the other Class A students began to whisper among themselves. Their words were filled with curiosity and scrutiny toward the top freshman, some laced with contempt.
You Xingluo took a closer look and saw that most of the contemptuous ones were followers of the blue-haired boy.
The discussion grew so loud that even Shao Huayu couldn't stand it anymore.
Shao Huayu took a few steps forward, standing arrogantly before the small group. "I don't think you're qualified to speak."
He elegantly tugged at his collar and lowered his eyes nonchalantly. "After all, this is Class S' internal affair, and some people don't even have a ticket to get in."
"Why do I hear crickets chirping?" Zhou Que, leaning against the wall, cleaned out his ear with a look of disdain. As he chimed in, he muttered, "A class with a lot of people really does have a lot of problems..."
No wonder Liu Mu wanted to escape Class A. If it were him in Class A, he would have probably slammed the door and left long ago... Zhou Que scanned the room with a bored expression.
This situation was making it impossible for him to even talk to Liu Mu.
"Teacher, aren't the people from Class A done with their test? Why are they still here?" Shao Huayu feigned innocence as he glanced at the two teachers conversing nearby. His words were a clear hint for them to get rid of the onlookers.
Li Xuehua shot the Class A teacher with a fierce glare.
You handle your own students!
The Class A teacher had no choice but to step forward and say, "Alright, students. It's Class S' testing time now. Let's just observe quietly."
His attempt at persuasion had no effect; instead, it made the boy who had started the provocation even more indignant.
It seems this teacher can't control the situation... You Xingluo sighed inwardly.
He knew the provocative boy from Class A.
Like the three of them, he was from Central City, a disciple of a noble family, and of a similar age. However, after You Xingluo was chosen as the clan head, he stopped paying much attention to his peers.
After all, they were now in two different worlds.
Even his friendship with Shao Huayu was only maintained due to their families' interactions. You Xingluo suddenly thought, In that case, Shao Huayu should know him...
No wonder his taunts were so precise.
While there was turmoil outside the training room, Ji Qing had already finished browsing the test items Li Xuehua had sent. He raised an eyebrow slightly. It's much simpler than I imagined...
Perhaps he had been overthinking it.
Ji Qing raised his hand and signaled, "Teacher, I'm ready."
"Alright, Student Ji Qing."
Despite the minor disturbance outside, Li Xuehua's tone remained steady. She believed in Ji Qing's abilities because he was the "top freshman" they had personally selected after multiple rounds of screening.
His strength far surpassed that of his peers; he was the undisputed "number one."
The assessment for attack-type abilities was divided into three parts:
First was moving target shooting, testing the ability's destructive power and precision.
Second was a dart attack, testing the ability's adaptability and control.
Third was a hostage rescue game, testing the speed of ability execution and retraction.
It was a fairly simple process with equally simple objectives. The only hassle was that he had to go through three rooms, meaning he had to make a full circle before he could leave.
Fortunately, the latter two parts did not require the teacher's remote operation to start.
Perhaps I can consider a more time-efficient method... A playful smile touched Ji Qing's lips. After all, not everyone wanted to walk such a long way.
"Ready—" a female robotic voice began to count down.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
As the countdown ended, Ji Qing calmly extended his left hand.
The weapons hanging on the armory wall vibrated slightly, and even the wall itself shed a bit of dust. Ji Qing frowned subconsciously and then adjusted his force.
The twenty-odd bullets on the table suddenly levitated.
Adjust angle, aim, fire.
The bullets, flying at the speed of light, swerved in mid-air like toy planes controlled by a child, passing over Ji Qing's white hair as it blew in the wind, and shot straight toward the moving targets.
Ten shots, ten bullseyes.
When this information registered in his mind, Ji Qing abruptly changed his own gravity, causing him and the bullets to fall into the room to his right. The world turned upside down, objects floated, and sound became imbalanced.
The darts in the second room were stopped in front of him by the drastic change in gravity before they could even get close.
They were completely non-threatening.
A confident smile played on the lips of the falling teenager. He tried to flip over in mid-air and landed on the right-hand wall of the third room.
Ji Qing rose gracefully and patted the dust off his trousers.
By the time he looked up, the hostage rescue game in the third room was officially over. The targets representing the kidnappers were all destroyed by the bullets, leaving only the hostage targets crawling around on the ground.
"Test complete—"
The cold female robotic voice sounded again. The entire test had taken less than five minutes, and the test-taker himself had only taken three steps in total.
Ji Qing nodded in satisfaction.
He started to leave, but before he did, his footsteps paused. Ji Qing looked back at the camera. "Teacher, this should be enough, right?"
But there was no response for a long time.
Ji Qing asked again, "Teacher?"
"Oh, oh... right, you can come out now."
Li Xuehua's voice, as if she had just snapped back to reality, came through the broadcast, laced with undisguised astonishment.
Did I do something wrong? A flicker of doubt crossed Ji Qing's eyes.
As he walked out of the training room, he reviewed his actions. Could it be because I didn't follow the standard procedure, and now Li Xuehua is hesitating about whether to make me retest?
Oh no... Ji Qing's face turned ashen.
Please don't. He had no desire to repeat such a tedious test. Ji Qing scratched his face in frustration. At the very least, let me see how the others are tested...
Anyway, there were only six people in Class S. If he messed up, only seven people would see it, right?
Ji Qing casually pushed open the large door.
But what greeted him was not the seven people he already knew, but a deathly silence that filled the entire space. The twenty-odd students from Class A stared at him as if he were a monster, their eyes filled with fear.
Ji Qing's expression immediately darkened, his tone as cold as ice. "I wasn't aware there would be such a large audience."
The atmosphere instantly froze, as if plunged into a silent vacuum.
"The teacher from Class A just told me... uh, that he wanted to observe our class' ability assessment," Li Xuehua stepped forward to explain, breaking out in a cold sweat. "I'm sorry for not informing you in time..."
"Mmm..." Ji Qing responded coldly.
Just as Li Xuehua was about to try and soothe his mood, Ji Qing spoke up, "Is there any problem with the test results?"
"No problem," Li Xuehua replied.
Her words carried a hint of relief and a great deal of bewilderment. "You are excellent. More excellent than we ever imagined..."
He's too excellent, the Class A teacher silently added.
He quietly looked at his own students who had been so provocative just moments ago, thinking with a sense of loss. I originally wanted to show them that there's always someone better...
Now he just hoped it wouldn't turn into a psychological trauma.
If the gap in strength was too severe, it would only lead to demoralization.
Ji Qing gave Li Xuehua a puzzled look upon hearing her words. He had no idea why his teacher would suddenly become so worried. Truly, one sees all sorts of things when they've lived long enough.
"Alright, next one then."
Ji Qing walked towards You Xingluo and the others with a cold expression. Wherever he passed, the Class A students moved aside, especially a certain blue-haired boy who took several steps back in succession.
Strange, am I that scary?
Just as Ji Qing was secretly wondering, Shao Huayu couldn't help but tease, "We should have had your test last."
"Hmm?"
"Your performance was too good," Shao Huayu patted Ji Qing's shoulder with one hand. "The people after you won't be able to surpass you at all. You'll completely overshadow them."
"...Is that so?"
A hint of hesitation entered Ji Qing's tone. He truly didn't know what he had done that was so outstanding, probably because he had no point of reference.
"I'll be more mindful next time," Ji Qing said with a helpless smile.
"No need—" Shao Huayu waved his hand casually, his tone still elegant. "You don't need to hold back for those who can't catch up to you. And I will surpass you sooner or later."
He's quite polite. Arrogant, yet polite.
"Alright, alright," Ji Qing waved his hand, unable to suppress his smile, and watched as Shao Huayu walked into the training room. Now it was his turn to observe Shao Huayu's test.
He leaned against the corner of the wall in a lazy posture.
Just as Ji Qing was about to strike up a conversation with You Xingluo, Zhou Que rushed over impatiently, his eyes sparkling. "Ji Qing— you never said you were this amazing!"
Ji Qing: "?"
Ji Qing retorted subconsciously, "I don't think I needed to specifically say it."
The title of top freshman had been hanging over his head all this time. It had even been a great help when dealing with the trouble Xie Chang'an had caused earlier. But...
Since they were all saying so, his performance just now must have been worthy of the "top freshman" title.
Ji Qing's heart instantly settled down a lot.
While the two were talking, Shao Huayu had gotten ready inside the training room. Li Xuehua composed her mixed feelings and began to instruct him.
Ji Qing's performance had been too stunning.
It was less an ability assessment and more a magnificent ability performance.
It was a performance that only Ji Qing could achieve; no one else could replicate it. So, Shao Huayu suppressed his competitive spirit and proceeded in a conventional manner.
He didn't need to defeat Ji Qing; he only needed to be more outstanding than everyone else besides Ji Qing.
Shao Huayu's figure was quietly reflected in Ji Qing's eyes.
Shao Huayu was clearly much more familiar with the ability assessment than he was and didn't need the teacher's voice assistance. If Ji Qing's performance was a magic show that astounded the world, then Shao Huayu's was a dance, bound by rules, performed to its fullest.
"It really is... exceptionally elegant," Ji Qing murmured to himself.
He used the convergence, refraction, and reflection of light for his attacks, while also achieving a near-invisible effect by adapting to the changes in indoor lighting. The ever-changing light complemented his temperament perfectly.
It would be truly difficult for others to suppress him.