That morning at Changzhi Twilight High School began with a sudden announcement over the school speakers. "All first-year students, please assemble at the main field in 10 minutes for a surprise evaluation exam!"
The atmosphere instantly shifted from calm to chaotic. Students scrambled out of their classrooms, faces panicked. A surprise exam? No one was prepared.
Bao Zhe Fan and Wang Dawei, who were sitting in the cafeteria, hurried to the field. Wang Dawei looked nervous, fidgeting with his fingers.
"A surprise exam? I haven't studied at all!" Wang Dawei complained. "What material will be tested?"
Bao Zhe Fan shrugged. "No one knows. But one thing's for sure, we're not prepared." His face remained calm, but inwardly, he was a little worried. Even though his talent had risen to Rank F, it was still considered low by many.
Upon arriving at the field, they saw a crowd of students already gathered. Mrs. Chen and several other teachers stood at the front with testing machines. Suddenly, a group of students led by Li Hao approached them. Li Hao, with his Rank C Fire Element talent, was always boastful.
"Well, well, look who it is, Rank G!" Li Hao taunted with a condescending stare. "Are you ready to embarrass yourself again?"
Li Hao's friends chuckled. "He probably doesn't even know the basics of spiritual energy!"
Wang Dawei's face immediately turned red. "Hey! Don't insult Brother Bao! His rank might be low, but he tries hard!"
Li Hao stepped closer. "Effort? Effort won't change the fact that he's trash! Rank G is still useless!"
Bao Zhe Fan ignored them, but he saw system notifications appearing. EP started flowing from Li Hao and his friends' negative emotions.
[+150 EP - Negative: Arrogance from Li Hao]
[+100 EP - Negative: Contempt from Li Hao's friend]
Wang Dawei was still angry. "You're so arrogant! We'll see during the physical exam!"
Li Hao laughed louder. "Physical exam? With strength that weak? I'll show you what real power means!"
The written exam was conducted suddenly in the school hall. The questions covered the history of the Spiritual Rupture, spiritual energy theory, and tactics against monsters—all material that Bao Zhe Fan and Wang Dawei hadn't studied due to the surprise nature of the test.
Bao Zhe Fan read the questions quickly. He knew some answers from his life experience, but many were beyond his knowledge. He answered as best he could, honestly based on his ability.
Meanwhile, Wang Dawei looked completely confused. For the essay question on "Strategies Against Class B Monsters," he wrote: "Call a stronger Spirit Knight, then hide behind them." It was his pragmatic answer.
After the exam, the results were announced quickly. Li Hao got the highest score: 96/100. He smiled arrogantly towards Bao Zhe Fan.
When their turn came, Mrs. Chen sighed. "Wang Dawei: 28/100. Bao Zhe Fan: 29/100."
The class erupted in laughter. Li Hao shouted, "Their scores match their ranks! Low!"
Wang Dawei hung his head in shame, but Bao Zhe Fan remained calm. He accepted his test paper without expression.
[+300 EP - Negative: Mockery from students]
[+200 EP - Negative: Schadenfreude from Li Hao]
[+150 EP - Negative: Pity from teacher]
Bao Zhe Fan only thought, "At least I'm one point higher than Dawei." It was a small victory for him.
In the afternoon, the physical exam began. A large "Spiritual Power Measurer" machine was set up on the field. This machine could withstand power up to 11,000 points—the maximum limit for Bronze Wheel peak.
The PE teacher, Mr. Zhang, explained the rules. "Each student will attack this machine with their full power. Points will be measured based on spiritual strength and impact force."
Li Hao went first. Confidently, he gathered fire energy in his hand and threw a punch. The machine beeped! and the screen showed: 8,150 points.
The class gasped in admiration. "Amazing! Above 8,000!" exclaimed a student.
Li Hao puffed out his chest. "See? This is real power! Now watch the Rank G fail!"
Other students tried, with points ranging from 4,000 to 7,000. Then it was Wang Dawei's turn.
Wang Dawei took a deep breath. He activated his Rank B Polar Bear Transformation talent. His body partially enlarged, with strong bear claws. With a roar, he punched the machine. "GRAAWW!"
The machine vibrated and showed: 8,450 points.
The class fell silent for a moment, then cheered. "He's higher than Li Hao!" someone shouted.
Li Hao was shocked. "That's impossible! He's just a polar bear!"
Wang Dawei smiled in relief. "I told you not to underestimate us!"
Now it was Bao Zhe Fan's turn. All eyes were on him. Dismissive expressions were visible on many students' faces.
Bao Zhe Fan stepped forward calmly. He concentrated, feeling the blood in his body flow rapidly. He decided to use a combination of Blood Step and Blood Hole. With a quick step, he used Blood Step to teleport 2 meters forward, then channeled blood energy into his fist. His fist hit the machine with a bright red blood light.
"BEEP!" The screen showed: 8,598 points.
The class fell silent instantly. Then, an uproar broke out. "He beat Li Hao and Wang Dawei!" "But he's rank G—wait, F now!"
Bao Zhe Fan became rank 1 in the physical exam. Wang Dawei jumped for joy. "I knew you were strong, Brother Bao!"
Li Hao's face was red with anger. "That's cheating! The machine must be faulty!"
But Mr. Zhang checked the machine. "No, the machine is functioning normally. The points are valid."
Immediately, negative emotions exploded from Li Hao and the other students who had looked down on Bao Zhe Fan.
[+1000 EP - Negative: Shock from students]
[+800 EP - Negative: Rage from Li Hao]
[+500 EP - Negative: Jealousy from other students]
[+300 EP - Positive: Admiration from some students]
Thousands of EP were collected, making Bao Zhe Fan almost smile.
After the exam, Bao Zhe Fan and Wang Dawei sat on the school steps. Wang Dawei was still excited.
"Did you see Li Hao's face? Priceless!" Wang Dawei said, laughing. "He thought he was the strongest, but we beat him!"
Bao Zhe Fan nodded. "But we're still far from 11,000 points. Need more training."
Wang Dawei sighed. "Yeah, but at least we proved that rank isn't everything."
Then, they discussed future plans. Bao Zhe Fan wanted to focus on increasing his strength and his night market business.
On the way home, they passed the night market and checked the "Fan's Magic Shop" stall. The stall was busy, and Bao Zhe Fan gained more EP from happy customers.
That night, in his shabby home, Bao Zhe Fan checked the system. His EP had skyrocketed today—approximately 3,000 more EP collected. He now had a large total EP.
[Host Status]
Name:Bao Zhe Fan
Spirit Knight Level:Bronze Wheel - 2 Star
Talent:Blood Control (Rank F)
EP:9,400 (after additions)
BP:100
Health:90%
Spiritual Energy:75/100 (after the exam)
He also noticed that his strength had indeed increased, but still required hard work. With this much EP, he could perform gacha spins or save for the 100-spin.
He planned to use BP to increase his blood purity tomorrow. Maybe that would help increase his strength further.
With satisfaction, Bao Zhe Fan went to sleep, thinking of ways to become stronger and collect more EP.