As evening drew near, the number of examinees across the testing halls had dwindled by more than half. Those who remained had no choice but to sit and wait. Their moods shifted from tension and anticipation to restless anxiety, then settled into a dazed exhaustion.
Over the course of the long day, though their physical endurance had certainly been tested, that was hardly an issue for these candidates. The real torment lay in the mental strain, which wore them down relentlessly.
Chen Chuan only stepped out to stretch during the authorized breaks. Unlike the others, he had mastered the breathing technique; a brief period of guided circulation before his turn would be enough to bring him swiftly into peak condition.
As candidate numbers were called one by one and students departed, the room grew noticeably emptier. The female proctor was no longer as severe as she had been at the start. Instead, she stood near the entrance, gazing outside in silence, lost in thought.
The remaining examinees finally relaxed a little and began chatting among themselves.
“Sigh, it’s so late. My older sister is still waiting for me outside. Who knows how much longer she’ll have to wait.”
“Brothers, once this is over, pass or fail, I’m treating everyone to a meal at an outside restaurant. After all, we’ve made it into Wuyi College—we’ve got to celebrate.”
“Hey, speaking of which, Han, your family runs a restaurant, right? Didn’t you say something about a fifty-percent discount?”
The chubby youth grinned. “That’s right! But it’s a bit of a walk, so let’s skip it tonight. You’re all welcome to come by our Han Family Restaurant during the day. If you pass the re-exam, it’s free; if you don’t, it’s fifty percent off! Heh heh.”
“Just for that free meal, watch me pass this thing!”
Just then, the proctor noticed an assistant teacher at the testing station signaling her, indicating that the previous batch of candidates had finished. She retrieved her roster sheet, turned around, and began calling numbers: “Number 401, Number 16, Number 18, report to Station 1. Number 392…”
Another fifteen examinees stood up immediately. Several of the boys who had just been conversing scrambled to gather their belongings and hurried toward their designated stations.
Barely seven or eight minutes later, a sudden flurry of disorganized footsteps came from outside, accompanied by muffled cries of shock. Several examinees sitting near the doorway stood up and pressed close to the windows and doors to peer out.
Fang Zhiming put down his materials, bewildered. “What happened?”
The female proctor hurried to the doorway to look outside. Turning back, she barked sternly, “Everyone, back to your seats! The exam is suspended.” Leaving an assistant teacher to watch over them, she hurried out herself.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard a candidate at Station 5 didn't make it…”
“Someone… someone died?”
A wave of dread and panic washed over the examinees. Injuries were understandable, but hearing that someone had actually died was a massive shock, even if such occurrences were not entirely unprecedented in past exams.
“Station 5… isn't the sparring student there that guy named Zhong Wu? Since someone died, the school will definitely swap him out, right?”
“Right, right, they have to replace him.”
“Good, that’s a relief.”
Hearing mention of Station 5, Chen Chuan gave it some thought. Based on the numbers called just minutes ago, the one sent over should have been…
He lifted his gaze toward a nearby seat. A few promotional flyers for a restaurant still lay scattered across it, along with a discarded wrapper from a stick of beef jerky.
***
Inside Exam Room Three, Commissioner Jiang sat at one of the testing stations. He had just finished watching an assessment bout between a candidate and a senior student, and was currently waiting for the examiners’ scores when his assistant hurried over and whispered into his ear.
Commissioner Jiang’s attention sharpened immediately. “What is the chief examiners' opinion?”
“The chief examiners want to… replace him. They believe the negligent student should face disciplinary action afterward, and that the examinee’s family should be given adequate compensation…”
Commissioner Jiang frowned. “That is improper. Anyone sitting for this exam is deemed to have signed a liability waiver. The examining students bear immense pressure; losing control on occasion is perfectly normal. Why should we replace him?
“If we handle it this way, what will the other evaluating students think? Will they still be able to perform normally? How are they supposed to test the true caliber of the candidates?”
The assistant looked troubled. “But the chief examiners…”
Commissioner Jiang stood up. “I will go see them at once.”
The assistant hastily stepped aside. “This way, Commissioner. The examiners are all in the conference room…”
Ten minutes later, Commissioner Jiang arrived at the conference hall of Exam Room Five. The moment he walked through the door, he addressed Master Gao and the gathered chief examiners: “I hear you gentlemen intend to revoke that student’s status as an examiner?”
Yue Hong answered, “Yes. We are currently discussing the matter. Because Student Zhong struck with excessive force, an examinee lost his life. Even if it was merely an accident, we cannot allow him to continue serving as an examining student.”
Commissioner Jiang rejected the idea outright. “I find that inappropriate. Doing so would cause excessive harm to the student, and it would deal a blow to the other examining students as well.”
Pausing briefly, he continued, “I happen to know a fair bit about this student, Zhong Wu. He is already serving as a security consultant for the Bureau of General Affairs, and upon graduation, he is slated to become the personal advisor to a city councilor. He is an exceptionally outstanding talent. If we handle things this way, it will leave a black mark on his record. We must protect our exceptional talent. Furthermore, if this escalates too far, how will City Hall view the students produced by our Wuyi College?”
Several teachers present were deeply displeased by his reasoning, yet they knew full well that this was not really about a single student. Commissioner Jiang was not genuinely sticking his neck out for Zhong Wu; the fundamental conflict was that, as the representative of the client entity, he was vying with the administrative faculty for dominance over the re-examination.
Yue Hong pushed back sharply. “We must protect the evaluating students, but shouldn’t we protect the examinees as well? We must consider the evaluating students’ feelings, but shouldn’t we consider the candidates’ feelings too?”
Commissioner Jiang glanced at him in surprise, as though taken aback that he would utter such words.
Before Yue Hong could speak further, Master Gao held up a hand to stop him and spoke: “The examinations are still underway. Since Commissioner Jiang insists, the disciplinary measures regarding Student Zhong Wu can be set aside until after testing concludes. We will not revoke his status for now. However, every remaining assessment conducted by this student must take place under joint supervision from both our parties.”
Commissioner Jiang knew that the chief examiners would concede no further. Looking at Master Gao, his tone softened slightly. “Supervisor Gao’s proposal is reasonable enough. I accept.”
Master Gao looked sternly at everyone in the room. “Those with duties, return to your posts. The rest of you, come with me to Station 5.”
***
In Exam Room Four, Chen Chuan walked over to the window and gazed out quietly. From Station 5, three paramedics were wheeling out a gurney. The figure atop it was covered from head to toe, leaving only strands of hair visible.
The atmosphere turned stiflingly heavy. The candidates around him sighed in pity, but their thoughts quickly shifted back to worrying about their own upcoming trials, praying that the student at that station would be replaced.
A moment later, the female proctor returned from the corridor. In a voice slightly more subdued than before, she announced, “All examinees, return to your seats. The exam will continue.”
“What? They’re not replacing him?”
“Not replacing him? How is that possible?”
“Look at the notice board over there!”
The examinees looked toward the bulletin board near the station exit. Nothing had changed, which meant no replacement had been assigned. Panic and dread swept through the room; everyone terrified that they would be the next one sent to that station.
Chen Chuan walked back and sat down in his original seat, his gaze turning utterly calm.
The examinations resumed. As the rounds progressed, the first candidate chose to forfeit the re-exam because his assigned post was Station 5.
After all, having passed the preliminary exam, they were already officially enrolled students of Wuyi College even if they failed the re-test. None of them wanted to throw their lives away.
Once the first candidate backed out, a second quickly followed. After several more rounds, the female proctor’s voice rang out once again:
“Number 96, Number 398, Number 421… report to Station 5…”
Fang Zhiming trembled all over. It was his turn. “I…”
Just then, he saw Chen Chuan stand straight up and walk directly toward the door. Not far away, another candidate called out, “I’m not taking it! I forfeit!” The boy hurriedly grabbed his things and marched out with his head bowed.
Chen Chuan did not look back.
Fang Zhiming hesitated for a fraction of a second. Seeing Chen Chuan stride forward, he gritted his teeth and followed. If Chen Chuan dared to go, why shouldn't he? To quit without even trying would leave him with nothing but regret!
The remaining examinees in the room stared after them in shock. Did they really dare? Had they completely lost their minds?
As Chen Chuan stepped through the doorway, he brushed past the female proctor. A sudden wave of goosebumps erupted across her skin, and her muscles snapped taut. She whipped her head around, her eyes locked onto his receding back.
Chen Chuan did not slow his pace. His steps were exceptionally steady, yet each one seemed to fall with immense weight. When he reached the end of the corridor, he glanced at the notice board beside him, then reached out and pushed open the heavy double doors.
Before him lay an expansive hall. Two rows of long tables lined either side of the open floor. Commissioner Jiang was seated at the center of the right side, flanked by his assistant and a liaison teacher.
Directly across from Commissioner Jiang sat Master Gao, flanked on his left and right by Yue Hong and Lecturer Bian Feng—who had originally admitted Chen Chuan—along with several other faculty members. Assistant teachers stood along the perimeter. Not far from the entrance stood the medical staff, several of whom were currently looking at him with expressions of shock, pity, and sorrow.
In the center of the floor stood an upperclassman more than two meters tall. His physique was massive and rotund, extraordinarily thickset, as though he had grown entirely sideways. He gave the impression of a giant vat brimming with water; when he stood there, even the floorboards seemed to compress beneath his weight.
The muscles of his shoulders and back were so overdeveloped that his neck was virtually invisible, his eyes reduced to narrow slits. Beneath his massive arms, his two hands were shockingly enormous, easily capable of wrapping around an ordinary man’s entire skull with a single grasp.
Fang Zhiming, following close behind, jumped in fright. Before laying eyes on the man, he could never have imagined someone like this. Seeing him in person, a wave of regret washed over him. But having come this far, turning back was no longer an option. He gritted his teeth, straightened his posture, and stood firm.
One of the examiners spoke: “Only two candidates arrived? Number 398 will test first.”
Yue Hong offered a quiet reminder: “Examinee, to prevent accidents, we advise you to wear protective gear.”
Fang Zhiming took the advice without hesitation. Even if he couldn't beat the man, wearing gear might at least let him trade a couple of blows safely, right? He walked over to the side, strapped on a full set of protective equipment, and then stepped before Zhong Wu.
At sixteen, Fang Zhiming had only grown to 1.7 meters. The contrast in height and bulk between the two was staggering.
Only now did Fang Zhiming feel the sheer oppressiveness radiating from his opponent. Sensing the waves of heat rolling off that massive body, his mouth went dry. Then he heard the giant speak in a muffled, sluggish rumble:
“Hello, classmate. My name is Zhong Wu.”
Fang Zhiming took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his voice steady as he introduced himself: “Fang Zhiming.”
The moment both parties stood face to face, the exam began. Knowing he would have no chance otherwise, Fang Zhiming decided to strike first. With a sharp shout, he drove a fist into Zhong Wu’s abdomen, following up with a rapid flurry of over a dozen punches. Yet every strike felt as though it were hitting a dense rubber ball; his opponent showed no reaction whatsoever.
Looking up, he saw Zhong Wu gazing down at him. “Oh? You’ve started?”
Zhong Wu reached out to grab him. Fang Zhiming scrambled to dodge, but those hands were simply too large. Though they appeared slow, they moved with deceptive speed; one sweeping claw clamped firmly onto his arm.
“I—I yield—”
Sensing danger, Fang Zhiming shouted out at once, but Zhong Wu acted as if he hadn't heard a word. With a single hand, he hoisted Fang Zhiming into the air like a helpless chick. A terrified shriek tore from Fang Zhiming’s throat.
“Stop!”
Yue Hong stood up, his voice cracking like a whip. “Stop! He has already yielded!”
Zhong Wu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his grip loosened. Fang Zhiming crashed to the floor, clutching his arm in agony. Scratching his head, Zhong Wu spoke in that muffled, seemingly simple-minded rumble: “I’m sorry, Examiner, I didn't hear him just now. I’m sorry. Classmate, I’m sorry.” As he spoke, his massive body bent into a bow toward the boy.
Fang Zhiming felt an enormous shadow engulf him entirely. He cringed, enduring the piercing pain, and stammered, “I-it’s fine…” Only then did that colossal frame slowly straighten, allowing light to fall over him once more.
Yue Hong shook his head and sat down.
The examiners remained silent. Injuries were commonplace during these examinations; since the candidate himself had accepted the apology, they had no grounds to reprimand Zhong Wu.
Bian Feng fixed a deep, searching look on Zhong Wu. The man had just accidentally killed an examinee moments ago, yet here he was, pulling the exact same stunt. Either he truly lacked a brain, or he was acting with complete impunity. But if it were the former, he would never have been recruited into the Mutual Aid Society.
The medical staff rushed forward to examine the boy. Fortunately, it was only a dislocated shoulder with no major complications. After offering a few words of comfort, they quickly escorted him out.
The examiner turned to Chen Chuan. “Examinee 421, you’re up.”
Under the gaze of everyone in the room, Chen Chuan stepped forward. Seeing him approach, Zhong Wu offered his customary greeting: “Hello, classmate. My name is Zhong Wu.”
Chen Chuan said nothing. He walked slowly until he stood right in front of Zhong Wu, keeping his head low so that Zhong Wu could not read his expression. Still, standing directly before him meant the assessment had begun.
Zhong Wu reached out with both hands, clamping down toward Chen Chuan.
Though he appeared clumsy and dull, he possessed a distinct combat intuition that allowed him to gauge an opponent’s strength by feel alone. Chen Chuan radiated a faint aura of danger, so Zhong Wu had no intention of underestimating him. As his hands shot out, he channeled a grappling jin he had not deployed once since the assessments began.
The moment he secured his grip, that jin would penetrate inward, instantly stripping his opponent of all resistance and leaving them entirely at his mercy. Furthermore, at the instant that power was unleashed, the majority of his own body would be suffused with protective jin, leaving virtually no weakness to exploit.
Chen Chuan seemed not to notice the incoming hands, standing frozen without any reaction. The examiners watching the bout grew tense, preparing to intervene at any moment.
At this instant, Chen Chuan appeared entirely oblivious to his surroundings. In his world, only the opponent before him remained. As those massive hands closed in, the very moment the fingertips brushed against his shoulders, a brilliant light ignited within his eyes. The Second Self merged with him in an instant, his knee whipped up, and he drove a skyward stomp straight upward!
This single kick concentrated his entire strength, sparing no cost to unleash a Limit-Breaking Strike. In a split second, virtually every muscle fiber in his body tore, yet at that very instant, the Second Self absorbed the full brunt of the recoil.
Zhong Wu’s colossal frame granted him immense power, but his neural impulses could never outpace Chen Chuan’s. Even if their base reaction times had been equal, with the multiplied enhancement of the Second Self, Chen Chuan was fast enough to leave him entirely unable to respond. That soaring kick landed squarely on his chin.
Yet because Zhong Wu’s grappling jin was suffused throughout his body, even under the explosive impact of the Limit-Breaking Strike, the concussive force only made his head spin slightly. Still, his fluid motion hitched, and though his hands had landed on Chen Chuan’s shoulders, the power failed to discharge. By instinct, he adjusted his breath to muster his jin once more—a process honed by thousands of drills to take only a fraction of an instant.
Yet in that sliver of time, before his jin could coalesce, Chen Chuan’s second kick arrived!
Merged with his Second Self, Chen Chuan displayed a speed that bordered on inhuman. Before Zhong Wu’s physical frame could even react—before his thoughts could even form—the kick had already slammed into the base of his ear!
Under the concussive surge of the Spirit-Startling Fist, a thunderclap seemed to detonate inside Zhong Wu’s brain, instantly severing the hulking giant’s consciousness.
Commissioner Jiang had been conversing with the people beside him, instructing his assistant about dinner reservations. He hadn't paid much attention, assuming there was nothing left to see, when a sharp crack echoed through the hall.
“What was that?”
Commissioner Jiang turned his head. Zhong Wu and Chen Chuan still stood in their original positions, seemingly unmoved. From his angle, Zhong Wu’s hands were clamped onto Chen Chuan’s shoulders, and a sneer of ridicule tugged at the corner of Jiang's mouth.
In truth, Chen Chuan had already won. Yet he did not stop. His leg whipped upward in another brutal kick! Then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth…
Having lost the will that governed it, Zhong Wu’s two-hundred-plus-kilogram body should have collapsed to the floor, yet Chen Chuan’s thunderous kicks held him suspended upright!
*Crack!*
*Bang!*
*Boom!*
Chen Chuan moved with such blinding speed that aside from the chief examiners, those without martial training—such as Commissioner Jiang, the medics, and even the assistant teachers with weaker eyesight—could not even perceive his kicks. They only heard explosive, whiplike cracks detonating through the hall, one after another!
After a few moments, even Commissioner Jiang could tell something was wrong from Zhong Wu’s rolling, white-rimmed eyes and his body swaying like a pendulum.
The medical staff panicked and shouted in alarm: “Hey, stop! Stop!”
“Did you hear that? Stop this instant!”
Chen Chuan remained utterly deaf to their cries, delivering kick after brutal kick. Zhong Wu was now like a punctured sandbag, blood seeping freely from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Yet the instructors and examiners of Wuyi College sat in unbroken silence, not one of them moving to intervene.
Only when blood began pooling onto the floorboards, crimson flecks splattering across the desks on either side, did Master Gao finally speak: “That’s enough.”
His voice was not loud, yet everyone present felt their chests vibrate with its resonance.
Chen Chuan halted. He let the massive body pitch forward and slam heavily onto the floorboards with a dull crash. Slowly retracting his leg, he adjusted his slightly rumpled clothes, brushed his collar, and looked down at the fallen giant, speaking calmly:
“My name is Chen Chuan.”
The examination hall fell dead silent, save for the sound of rapid, ragged breathing.
It took Commissioner Jiang several moments to recover his senses. He shot to his feet, shouting in furious accusation, “You! Didn’t you hear them telling you to stop?!”
Chen Chuan turned to face Commissioner Jiang and replied calmly, “I’m sorry, I didn't hear them.”
Commissioner Jiang’s eyes narrowed as he glared at him. “You did that on purpose!”
Chen Chuan spoke slowly: “Unless an examiner calls a halt, the match is deemed to be proceeding normally. I believe that is the regulation of this examination, and it is posted clearly on the notice board.” He looked toward the seated chief examiners. “Am I correct?”
Master Gao picked up Chen Chuan’s dossier, looked it over briefly, and declared, “Examinee Chen Chuan has knocked down the senior sparring student. The procedure adhered to examination regulations. No scoring is necessary; he is awarded an outright pass.”
Yue Hong immediately chimed in: “No objections. Pass!”
Bian Feng said in a deep voice, “Pass!”
“Pass!”
“Pass!”
“Pass!”
One examiner after another delivered their verdict without the slightest hesitation.
Commissioner Jiang swept his gaze across everyone present, his expression darkening.
Yue Hong looked at Commissioner Jiang and urged, “Commissioner Jiang, please sign. Of course, you don’t have to sign either.” He smiled faintly. “Because when a candidate knocks down the evaluating senior student, they are deemed to have passed directly. That is the rule of Wuyi College.”
Master Gao added in a grave tone, “Indeed. That is Wuyi’s rule.”
Every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward Commissioner Jiang. Under the collective stare of these formidable martial instructors, Jiang managed to keep his composure, but his assistant felt his heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst from his chest, cold sweat drenching his back.
With a grim face, Commissioner Jiang snatched the form from his assistant’s trembling hands, uncapped his fountain pen, and signed his name. He pressed so hard the nib nearly tore through the paper.
He was seething with anger—not because Zhong Wu had been beaten, but because he had lost a round in the power struggle against the administration, coerced into yielding against his will.
Tossing the pen onto the desk, he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. Glancing at Master Gao and the others, he sneered inwardly. *It’s just passing a single examinee. What difference can one person make? The rules of this world will never change because of an individual.*
Master Gao spoke: “Carry him out.”
Only then did the medical personnel shake themselves from the tense atmosphere. They hurried forward, loaded the fallen giant onto a gurney, and wheeled him away for emergency treatment. The remaining assistants hurried over to clean the floor and wipe away the blood splattered across the surroundings.
Bian Feng said to Chen Chuan, “Student Chen, there is nothing more for you here. Go back, gather your things, and await the start of term.”
Chen Chuan turned toward the gathered faculty, bowed slightly, and said, “Thank you, teachers.”
Straightening up, he gathered his belongings and walked out through the side door, stepping onto the outer corridor. Night had already fallen, and the streetlamps along the building and across the campus grounds had flickered to life.
He walked slowly out of the examination grounds, stepping out beneath the boundless night sky. Looking up toward the heavens, he paused for a moment before reaching into his pocket. Pulling out that stick of beef jerky, he tore open the wrapper, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
In his heart, he thought quietly:
*It really is delicious.*
Chapter 32