The two lines of text on the screen were crystal clear.

But together, they created an effect that was almost absurdly surreal.

After a brief moment of stunned silence,

the hall erupted into a frenzy of discussion. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Dongjiang First Middle School? What kind of school is that? A city public school?"

"No, did you guys miss the most insane part? Year Three, Class Seven? In a Martial Arts High School’s class placement, aren’t the top students always in Class One or Class Two? How the hell is a student from Class Seven topping the ranks?!"

"You mean to say that at this Dongjiang First Middle School, a student like this can only make it into Class Seven? Just how terrifying would the students in their Class One be?"

"*Gasp*... Utterly terrifying!"

Chen Meng listened to the discussions around him.

He could barely contain himself.

’We’re not, we don’t.’

For a moment, the hall was a cacophony of voices.

But then, someone finally realized what was truly important.

Lin Ye’s two stats!

Previously, Xue Wangshu’s Qi and Blood index of 158 had already stunned the entire audience, earning him the title of a prodigy the likes of which Dongjiang hadn’t seen in decades.

But now, this guy named Lin Ye had just raised that number by nearly 80 points!

What was even more mind-boggling was his Life Index!

204.77!

In a Martial Artist’s training, raising one’s Life Index is far more difficult than raising their Qi and Blood.

Xue Wangshu’s Life Index, which was already approaching 100, had been a topic of fervent discussion, with many believing his foundation was terrifyingly robust.

But Lin Ye?

He had more than doubled that number!

What kind of concept was that?

It was like a long-distance race between two elite athletes.

And Lin Ye had just lapped his opponent!

"Isn’t that a little exaggerated? A high school student can’t possibly have stats like these!"

"Exactly! The equipment must be malfunctioning! How could a monster like that come from the worst class of a city public school?!"

A chorus of doubt erupted.

But they were quickly drowned out by other voices.

"Everyone, shut up! Haven’t you noticed the officials on the second floor are silent? Do you think an exam of this caliber is a child’s game?"

"All the equipment has top-tier anti-cheating systems. If there were a real problem, the alarms would’ve sounded already!"

As the entire hall buzzed with discussion about Lin Ye, the monster who had come out of nowhere,

on the main screen of the live feed,

the result of the punch Lin Ye had just thrown was finally processed by the system, under the watchful eyes of the masses.

A line of visually stunning numbers appeared.

[Punching Power: 23,634.29 kilograms!]

If the previous Qi and Blood and Life Index stats were merely abstract data,

then this tangible punching power figure was a resounding slap across the face of everyone who had questioned the equipment’s accuracy!

One punch. Twenty-three tons!

In the observation hall, countless teachers stared at the number, feeling dizzy as the world seemed to spin. The sense of absurdity intensified.

This was because it wasn’t just unheard of for a Martial Arts High School student.

Even many Martial Artists who spent their entire lives stuck at the peak of the Vein Opening Realm couldn’t achieve even half that power!

In the section for Celestial Star Martial Arts High School, the expressions on the faces of the principal and teachers could no longer be described as merely "grim."

Their faces were a ghastly white, a mixture of horror and humiliation.

Their ace, their pride and joy—Xue Wangshu’s nearly eight-ton punch—seemed like a complete joke in the face of this number.

It wasn’t just that his number had one more digit than yours.

The value was a full three times higher!

Finally, the homeroom teacher of Celestial Star Martial Arts High School’s Class One suddenly started to laugh.

People really do laugh when they’re left speechless.

As for Chen Meng, he just shook his head gently.

A smile never left his face.

He’d thought Lin Ye would be strong, even imagining he could make the top ten, or perhaps challenge for the top five.

But he never dreamed that Lin Ye wasn’t here to challenge anyone.

He was here to obliterate the number one spot!

「Second Floor, Private Viewing Area」

Li Kai Nian watched the screen with great interest, a hint of surprise showing on his face for the first time.

"One punch, over twenty-three thousand kilograms... Zhengguo, this student of yours, is he really just from an ordinary family?"

Wang Zhengguo’s heart hammered in his chest; he felt like he was about to suffocate from sheer joy.

He struggled to suppress his excitement, his voice trembling slightly.

"Director, I can’t say we know everything about him, but I did personally inquire about his family situation. In terms of financial background, he’s not even as well-off as some of our other regular students..."

Even as Wang Zhengguo said it, he felt a little unsure of his own words.

He, too, found it utterly absurd.

But Li Kai Nian simply nodded and said no more.

The gazes of the various Dongjiang City VIPs around them all shifted as they looked at Wang Zhengguo.

Their eyes were filled with envy, jealousy, and profound bewilderment.

’What the fuck kind of luck is this?’

’How did Dongjiang First Middle School get so lucky as to stumble upon such a diamond in the rough?’

...

「Inside the Testing Arena」

Lin Ye stood before the punching power target, his brow furrowed slightly.

’Another long wait.’

The system’s notification still hadn’t sounded, and he was beginning to suspect that the entire examination system had malfunctioned today.

Of course, he had no idea that every one of his test results was like a depth charge,

setting off massive shockwaves in the proctoring center and the spectator hall outside.

The proctors in charge of reviewing the data didn’t dare to immediately confirm and upload his completely off-the-charts results.

Each stat had to be reviewed multiple times and even reported to higher-level officials for manual confirmation.

This was what was causing the delay.

Fortunately, they finally received an order from their superiors: all of Lin Ye’s subsequent test results were to be confirmed and passed immediately.

They would be reviewed together later; the examinee’s pacing and state of mind must not be affected.