"Bweeeeep!!!"
The sharp sound of a whistle pierced the air the moment Zhao Xuan collapsed to the ground—
signaling the official end of his combat assessment.
Shff! Shff! Shff!
Medical staff, who had been standing by on alert, immediately rushed forward.
They swiftly examined the unconscious Zhao Xuan and Lu Sheng,
checking their vital signs with trained precision.
Within moments, both were carefully lifted onto stretchers and carried toward the school infirmary.
"How are they doing?" one of the examiners asked anxiously.
"They're fine," replied a medic. "No serious injuries—just severe exhaustion from overexertion during battle. They both fainted due to complete depletion of stamina."
"Hiss~"
Everyone present drew in a sharp breath.
"Good lord… Lu Sheng I can understand—after all, when he activates his Honey Badger form, his physique probably exceeds a thousand points. It's not surprising he wasn't injured even in that kind of fight."
"But that student—Zhao Xuan—he's also uninjured!?"
"Wait, you're saying… Zhao Xuan's physique broke a thousand too!?"
"Monster! That's just monstrous!"
"What kind of Devil Fruit did he even awaken to have such absurd physical power while still in high school? Could it be a Mythical Beast-Type?"
"Highly possible! Definitely possible!"
Because nearly half the testing grounds had been completely destroyed during Zhao Xuan and Lu Sheng's earth-shaking battle,
the remaining six hundred students still waiting for their combat assessments had no choice but to be postponed until the next day.
That afternoon—
While Zhao Xuan remained unconscious in the infirmary,
news of his explosive fight with Lu Sheng had already spread like wildfire throughout Tongcheng First High.
"Hey, did you hear? Did you hear!?"
"Hear what?"
"About Zhao Xuan! During his practical exam, he beat up the examiner! The guy's still lying in bed right now! That's why today's test got postponed!"
"Hiss~ No way, seriously!?"
"Of course it's true! I heard the teachers talking about it when I passed by the office!"
"Zhao Xuan's defying heaven at this point…"
Another corner of the campus—
"Do you know why the school suddenly postponed the combat assessment to tomorrow?"
"Yeah, isn't it because Zhao Xuan knocked out the examiner?"
"Of course not! Think about it—there were over twenty examiners! Even if one got knocked out, the test would've continued. Why postpone for everyone?"
"Then what's the real reason?"
"It's because Zhao Xuan's battle was so intense, he destroyed the arena! They're literally rebuilding it right now. That's why the test's delayed."
"No way…"
"It's true! Go see for yourself—there's a whole shipment of new blue bricks stacked outside the arena!"
"Hiss~ Zhao Xuan's on a whole other level of terrifying!"
Elsewhere—
"Hey, you heard the news?"
"Huh? What now?"
"Zhao Xuan went berserk during his assessment and wiped out multiple examiners! That's why the whole test got pushed back!"
"Hiss~"
The rumors just kept spreading—
and with every retelling, they grew even more exaggerated.
By the next morning, when Zhao Xuan finally woke up—
The story had evolved into something utterly ridiculous.
According to the students' version,
he had defeated every single examiner,
leveled the entire arena,
and singlehandedly forced the school to postpone all assessments.
"This… this is way too exaggerated…"
When Zhao Xuan heard the rumors, he could only stare blankly, completely dumbfounded.
Later, in the infirmary—
He sat up weakly, pulling up his familiar status screen.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spirit: 20.97 / 42.97
Physique: 99.45 / 209.95
Abilities:
Shave (Proficiency: 77 / 200)
Iron Body (Proficiency: 148 / 200)
Paper Art (Proficiency: 138 / 200)
Moonwalk (Proficiency: 89 / 200)
Storm Kick (Proficiency: 123 / 200)
Finger Gun (Proficiency: 81 / 200)
Swordsmanship (Proficiency: 38 / 200)
Armament Haki (Initiate: 632 / 1000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Proficiency: 14 / 2000)
Zhao Xuan frowned at the display, confusion flickering across his face.
"System, get out here and explain this! I went through that brutal battle yesterday—completely drained myself—and yet, my proficiency hasn't increased at all! What gives?"
The system's calm, mechanical voice answered instantly:
"Because the host was unconscious after the battle, the reward distribution was temporarily delayed."
And almost as soon as it finished speaking—
A second chime followed:
'Ding! You have completed an intense, large-scale battle! Your understanding of the Six Powers, Armament Haki, and Azure Dragon Fruit has deepened immensely!'
Six Powers Proficiency +30
Armament Haki Proficiency +30
Azure Dragon Fruit Proficiency +100
--------------------------------------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters: [email protected] / KaiOynx