Lin Ye made no extensive preparations. Once the proctor nodded for the test to begin, he simply stood his ground, took a deep breath, and threw a punch.
[Normal Attack LV5]!
Lin Ye hadn't spent any of the precious skill points he'd earned from leveling up on this most basic skill.
But his ten-plus days of sleepless, high-intensity grinding in the Ruined City—killing monsters, swinging his staff and throwing punches thousands upon thousands of times—had built up a massive amount of proficiency. It had been enough to raise this skill from Level 1 all the way to its current cap of LV5.
Now, a casual Normal Attack from him could deal final damage equivalent to 120% of his base strength.
Therefore, the power contained within this seemingly ordinary, unadorned punch was already on par with some well-mastered basic martial arts techniques.
THUD!
A deep thud erupted through the spacious yet noisy gymnasium, its sheer force instantly drowning out the sounds from all the other testing areas.
The proctor in charge of recording Lin Ye's score jumped at the sudden, immense sound, his hand jerking so hard he nearly dropped what he was holding.
The heavy punching target—forged from a special alloy and built to withstand over a thousand kilograms of violent impact—was sent swinging violently backward by Lin Ye's seemingly casual punch!
BEEP BEEP BEEP...!
Meanwhile, on the massive LCD screen above the target, the numbers flickered and jumped wildly.
Finally, the numbers settled.
[567 kg].
"Testing Area 3! We have an equipment malfunction in Testing Area 3!"
"Technician! Get over here and check the equipment in Area 3, now!"
"Examinee Lin Ye, please wait where you are! Do not leave! Prepare for a re-test!"
After his initial shock, the proctor in charge of this area immediately shouted into the communicator on his chest.
His voice was rushed and laced with disbelief, causing the other students and proctors nearby to turn and stare.
Even Lin Ye himself felt a flicker of astonishment.
'It was still just a Normal Attack, but there was a huge difference between a fully charged blow using all my strength and a casual punch like that.'
'But even so, the score from this casual punch was already more than double what it was two weeks ago.'
The announcement demanding a re-test immediately drew the gaze of Chen Meng, who had been waiting on the sidelines.
His brow furrowed. As the homeroom teacher of Class Seven, he was responsible for any issues his students faced during the exam.
Soon, a technician in blue overalls came jogging over from the other side of the gymnasium, panting as he carried his toolbox.
He connected a portable diagnostic device to the punching target. His fingers flew across a light screen as complex data streams flashed past.
A few minutes later, he announced in a puzzled tone, "All the core components are functioning normally, and the force sensor's reading curve shows no logical errors. There's nothing wrong with the machine itself."
The proctor was taken aback by this.
He glanced again at the registration sheet in his hand before finally addressing Lin Ye. "Examinee, even though there's no issue with the equipment, the reading is a massive outlier. According to regulations, you are still required to perform a re-test."
Chen Meng's expression instantly darkened, radiating displeasure.
'If there's nothing wrong with the machine, then the score was authentic. Why force a re-test?'
'It's not just a waste of valuable exam time; it's a public, indirect accusation against my student!'
After finishing his inspection, the technician tactfully stepped aside.
The proctor continued to explain in a professional tone, "Mr. Chen, please try to understand our job. If an examinee's test data shows a massive discrepancy with their archived records—one that exceeds the accepted threshold—then examination procedures require us to conduct at least one re-test."
"This is to ensure the absolute accuracy of every result and the integrity of the exam. If your student really has this kind of strength, won't testing again just be a perfect opportunity for him to prove it?"
Chen Meng shot the proctor a death glare with his sharp, tiger-like eyes.
He was usually a strict and stern teacher at school, rarely cracking a smile.
But outside of school, especially when his students' honor was on the line, he was known for being an unreasonably overprotective teacher.
Ultimately, however, he suppressed his anger and refrained from lashing out.
'This is the joint placement exam, and everyone's watching. I can't let my temper cause problems for my student.'
He just walked over to Lin Ye's side and clapped him on the shoulder. Without saying a word, he gave him a firm look brimming with trust and encouragement.
Lin Ye gave his teacher a solemn nod in return.
'I know why this proctor is so insistent on a re-test.'
'The electronic registration sheet in his hand clearly recorded every single one of my mock and placement exam scores, all the way from my first year of high school until today.'
'My most recent record was barely over two hundred kilograms.'
'This 567-kilogram result is such a massive leap that it's far beyond the scope of normal improvement. Of course it would make people suspicious.'
'And I came here today... precisely to shatter all that doubt and suspicion!'
After receiving confirmation from both the technician and the proctor, Lin Ye began his re-test.
This time, he was a little more serious.
He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, slightly lowered his center of gravity, and drew his breath into his Dantian. In that instant, his entire presence underwent a subtle transformation.
Power exploded from his waist and hips. Like an awakening flood dragon, the force surged up his spine, vertebra by vertebra, then channeled instantly through his outstretched arm before being unleashed without reservation through his fist!
BOOM!
It was another muffled boom, but this one was even deeper and heavier than before!
The entire punching target shuddered violently!
The numbers on the target's screen once again flickered wildly, but this time, their ascent was visibly more stable. Finally, they locked firmly onto a brand-new number.
[612 kg]!
The moment he saw that number, the corners of Chen Meng's perpetually tense mouth curled into a smile.
'A surprise!'
'What the fuck is a surprise? *This* is a fucking surprise!'
'This score wasn't just nearly double the cutoff for Martial University—it was basically on par with the top students from Class One!'
Just as everyone's attention was still fixed on Lin Ye, an even louder uproar of shock and amazement erupted from Testing Area 4, not far away.
Lin Ye followed the sound with his eyes and saw a familiar, tall figure. Dressed in a form-fitting black training uniform, she was slowly backing away from the punching target, her neat ponytail swinging in a clean arc behind her.
'It's her?'