The second examination venue was a vast, empty hall.
It was not just Su Yu's group either; instructors from other examination halls were steadily arriving with their candidates as well.
The person presiding over the test was not Section Chief Sun, but the chief examiner from the War Academy from that morning.
Seeing Su Yu and the others arrive, the examiner nodded to Section Chief Sun and continued, "This assessment is far simpler than the War Academy's. When it comes to cultivation realm, the Civilization Academy doesn't care about practical application. So long as your destructive power meets the mark, they count it as a pass."
At those words, Researcher Huang, who had just arrived, chuckled and interjected, "Before reaching the Qianjun Realm, testing so-called real combat is a joke. That's why our Civilization Academy doesn't bother with such superficial gestures. Everything can wait until later."
When it came to bickering, who was afraid of whom?
Testing combat proficiency at the Kaiyuan Realm was like taking off one's pants to fart—completely pointless!
The Civilization Academy side was thoroughly disdainful of it. In their view, until candidates reached the Tengkong Realm, there was no need to test real combat whatsoever.
Once your cultivation reached the mark, wouldn't that settle everything?
As long as you opened the nine apertures and your willpower reached Tengkong, your physical body would soon ascend to the Tengkong Realm as well.
The War Academy leader said coldly, "Combat experience is accumulated step by step from weakness to strength; it doesn't happen overnight. Some Tengkong Realm experts with zero actual combat experience have stepped onto the battlefield only to be slain by Wanshi Realm fighters—it's not as if that's never happened before!"
"Accumulating experience at Tengkong is far safer than at Kaiyuan!"
"If you're afraid of death, don't cultivate at all! If you want safety, why not just cultivate all the way to the Shanhai Realm before ever stepping out the front door?"
Researcher Huang saw nothing wrong with that and laughed. "What's wrong with that? If someone has the ability to keep progressing, cultivating straight to the Shanhai Realm is perfectly fine. In the past, the Great Xia Civilization Academy had an expert emerge from seclusion at the Shanhai Realm who had never stepped beyond the academy gates prior to that. The day he set foot outside was the day he attained fame and glory!"
"Both of you, shut up!"
Section Chief Sun was somewhat annoyed. The sparring between the two academies had been going on for years.
Bickering in a setting like this wasn't just about targeting each other; more importantly, it was about vying for students.
The War Academy also coveted students eyeing the Civilization Academy—this was hardly the first time.
"Preside over the examination! If you don't want to run it, I'll find someone who will!"
Section Chief Sun snapped, and the War Academy leader fell silent. Paying no more attention to the others, he continued, "Before you stands a model puppet. Attack it with your greatest strength!"
"The maximum score is 270 points. The model puppet is connected to a data display. Attack it, and whatever score it shows is what you get."
The leader found it rather dull. This kind of cultivation realm assessment was completely unreliable! It was practically perfunctory!
How could true cultivation realm be determined by a few simple numbers on a screen?
In the War Academy's examination, candidates had to be tested on detecting movements by sound, mounted combat, archery, and more. The Civilization Academy, on the other hand, tested none of that; striking a puppet once was all it took, and they didn't care how long you spent winding up.
Despite his dissatisfaction with this method, the Civilization Academy had used it for many years. The leader added, "Don't assume that being at Kaiyuan Stage Nine means you can hit 270 points. The Civilization Academy doesn't value cultivation realm, and they want to keep realm scores suppressed. It's not unheard of for even a Stage Seven candidate to score only 100 points."
"Even among Kaiyuan Stage Nine candidates, not many manage to score 200 points."
The War Academy capped bonus points from All-Races languages; the Civilization Academy had its own restrictions too.
You might be at Kaiyuan Stage Nine and think you could take 270 points, but walking away with 200 points would already be considered good luck.
Over on the side, Researcher Huang chimed in with a smile, "What he says isn't wrong, but of course, it's not entirely correct either! Students familiar with willpower can try infusing it. Channeling willpower makes it much easier to achieve a high score."
This was the difference between the two academies.
The War Academy advised against candidates using willpower, whereas the Civilization Academy encouraged candidates to use it to secure higher marks, because being able to wield it showed that one had already grasped the fundamentals.
At that moment, Wu Lan suddenly looked toward Su Yu, wearing a triumphant smile!
So what if you're Kaiyuan Stage Nine and I'm Stage Eight? When it comes to the scores we get, who ends up higher is anyone's guess.
By channeling willpower, she could potentially strike for 270 points, while Su Yu might only score 200. That was the real gap.
"Begin the assessment! Everyone maintain silence!"
The War Academy leader barked, putting an end to the candidates' murmuring. "Candidate 1-104, step up for the exam!"
A candidate from Examination Hall 1 stepped forward. In front of him stood a model puppet resembling the ones found in martial training halls.
"Instructor, may I use a weapon?"
"It makes no difference."
The leader said nonchalantly, "In this kind of test of theirs, using a weapon or not has the exact same effect. It primarily assesses the amount of yuanqi and the strength of willpower. Using a weapon yields virtually the same score as not using one."
The contraption didn't measure damage dealt; its scoring evaluated the density of yuanqi in the body and the intensity of willpower.
"Then I choose to use a saber..."
The candidate didn't dwell on it. During martial cultivation, many grew accustomed to weapons, and without one in hand, they couldn't perform at their best.
There was a weapon rack right beside them, and the leader didn't stop him.
The youth soon picked up a saber, stepped forward, gathered his strength for a moment, and slashed down at the puppet with all his might!
Bang!
A dull thump rang out, and a television-like monitor beside the puppet displayed the readout.
"22 points..."
The examinee froze in shock and couldn't help but protest, "Instructor, I'm at Kaiyuan Stage Four! How could I only score 22 points?!"
The leader replied deadpan, "That's how the Civilization Academy operates. They don't care what stage you're at; they look at your yuanqi reserves and willpower strength. Understood? If you have objections, you can take the War Academy's exam next year."
"Enough!"
Section Chief Sun said impatiently, "Continue the exam. The model puppet scores according to fixed standards. Anyone with objections can apply for a retest afterward, but you'll have to pay the retest fee. Activating this device costs a pretty penny each time. Whoever wants to spend the money is welcome to apply!"
The first candidate was crestfallen. For Kaiyuan Stage Four, the baseline score should have been 60 points, yet he only got 22—a sudden drop of 38 points. The difference from his expectations was far too great.
"Candidate 1-139, step up!"
Bang!
This one was straightforward, throwing a punch right into the puppet the moment he walked up.
"26 points!"
"Heh heh, I'm only Stage Three. Not bad!"
The second student was in high spirits. Comparison was the thief of joy, but here it worked in his favor: the Stage Four guy got 22, while he at Stage Three got 26! Although it was 4 points below standard, by comparison, he felt blessed!
"Candidate 3-009!"
Bang!
"36 points!"
"..."
"Candidate 2-025!"
"..."
Scores continuously appeared on the screen, leaving some dejected and others ecstatic.
Su Yu furrowed his brows. This test was genuinely tricky to gauge.
One Kaiyuan Stage Five student scored an impressive 110 points!
Yet another Kaiyuan Stage Five candidate scored in the low 30s. It was utterly unbelievable, and the poor guy was currently questioning his entire life.
"Candidate 3-176!"
At this point, Su Yu spotted a familiar face.
Liu Yue stepped forward, selected a sword from the rack, let out a clear cry, and thrust forward with the blade.
Thump!
"63 points!"
Liu Yue beamed. She was at Kaiyuan Stage Four, which theoretically maxed out at 60 points, yet her thrust had yielded 63 points, exceeding the standard.
So far, the highest score belonged to that Stage Five candidate who had hit 110 points; several Stage Six candidates hadn't managed to score that high.
"Congratulations!"
Su Yu quietly offered his congratulations. 63 points was already very good; after all, Liu Yue was only at Kaiyuan Stage Four.
Delighted, Liu Yue walked over and whispered, "Attaching willpower to your weapon gives a higher score. You should be able to do it too."
Su Yu had previously read willpower texts, so he ought to understand.
Su Yu nodded slightly. Having paid close attention the entire time, he naturally had some grasp of it, and he felt reasonably confident. Whether he could reach 270 points was hard to say, but his score wouldn't be low.
"Candidate 5-179!"
Another familiar face—a fellow student from Nanyuan Secondary Academy. The candidate looked somewhat anxious.
Foregoing weapons, the candidate struck the model with an open palm.
"14 points!"
"..."
This was likely the lowest score in the hall so far.
14 points!
And at Kaiyuan Stage Three.
By the time of the exam, many students who had originally been at Stage Two or Three had made breakthroughs. Very few Stage Two students remained, with most concentrated at Stage Three—at least among the Nanyuan locals, whereas out-of-towners were mostly Stage Four or Five.
At 14 points, the student's face instantly flushed red with extreme dejection. It was simply too low!
Seeing this, Su Yu sighed inwardly. The formidable candidates could score four or five hundred points across the first two exams, while the weaker ones... if this student hadn't scored much on the earlier test, his combined total might barely reach seventy or eighty points. The disparity was enormous!
The next one was another acquaintance: Zhou Tianqi from Examination Hall 3.
Bang!
A loud noise echoed. Rather than a saber or sword, he had thrust with a dagger.
"180 points!"
Kaiyuan Stage Seven had a standard maximum of 170 points, but Zhou Tianqi scored 180 points, living up to his reputation as a Great Xia genius—or rather, a "lesser genius."
He had scored 190 points on the cultural exam, which combined with this brought him straight to 370 points, already qualifying for the middle tier.
Such a result wouldn't be considered low even back in the Great Xia Prefecture.
Zhou Tianqi showed no sign of joy. Several candidates who had come with him wore sour expressions, visibly disgruntled.
Under the agreement reached earlier, Zhou Tianqi was supposed to yield his slot and take the retest, but he had refused. The Zhou family had paid a heavy price to quell the anger of the other families. Now that several of the others clearly had no hope of being admitted, they naturally weren't going to be pleasant toward him.
Severing someone's future was a deep grudge.
With Zhou Tianqi's turn over, Wu Lan was itching for a try. She could hardly wait to take her test. She wanted to see Su Yu's face darken once more—it was bound to be amusing.
"Candidate 3-003!"
Wu Lan stepped forward briskly, slightly excited yet maintaining her composure. Without glancing back, she raised a sword, let out a light shout, and swiftly thrust toward the puppet.
Screeech!
This time there was no dull thud, only a sharp, screeching scrape.
"265 points!"
Seeing the readout, Wu Lan beamed with delight and turned to look at Su Yu, her eyes radiating pride!
595 points—just a hair shy of the high tier!
Across just two assessments, she was already on the verge of the high tier.
At this, even Researcher Huang couldn't resist speaking up: "Remarkable willpower, very good! Across the entire Great Xia Prefecture this year, probably fewer than ten could manage this. How long have you been at Character Cultivation?"
"Three months!"
Wu Lan was overjoyed inside, but forcing herself to look composed, she said, "I didn't like cultivating before and wasted a lot of time, or else I would already be at Kaiyuan Stage Nine. In that case, I definitely would have scored over 300 points..."
Su Yu was slightly startled and hastily asked, "Instructor, is it possible to score above 270 points?"
"Of course,"
Researcher Huang answered promptly, "However... at Kaiyuan Stage Nine, there's usually little hope of that. In terms of willpower..."
He glanced at Su Yu and said no more.
You're still a bit lacking; your willpower is somewhat weak, far from as strong as Wu Lan's.
After all, she was a genius with hopes of reaching the top-high tier, nurtured since childhood. How could a half-baked newcomer like Su Yu compare?
595 points—a mountain to look up to!
At this point, the way the other students looked at Wu Lan had completely changed.
This was what a true genius of the Great Xia Prefecture looked like!
Many hadn't even reached 100 points, while she was already near 600. The chasm was so vast that they didn't even have the heart to try catching up.
Su Yu paid them no mind, thinking silently to himself.
"Zhou Tianqi used a dagger, and Wu Lan used a sword; both concentrated everything onto a single point of eruption. Those who scored low had very dispersed force, unconcentrated yuanqi, and flimsy willpower..."
"If I use a saber, I'd also need to condense my yuanqi onto a single point to score higher."
"With the Thunder Yuan Saber, my mastery isn't proficient enough, which makes it harder to focus onto a single point..."
He had originally planned to use the Thunder Yuan Saber, but after careful observation and analysis, he realized using it would actually work against him.
"It has little to do with weapons, forms, or martial techniques. What's mainly being tested is the degree of yuanqi concentration and willpower control."
Su Yu had experience with this. Last time, in order to learn the Thunder Yuan Saber, he had deliberately activated the Tear skill to experiment bit by bit with ways of converging yuanqi.
Now at Kaiyuan Stage Nine, capable of connecting with external yuanqi, his control over yuanqi was far more practiced.
"Using a fist... no, I can use a finger. Concentrating onto a single point is easier to manage with a finger."
Su Yu formed his judgment. Though not entirely certain, he still resolved not to use a weapon or martial techniques, but instead pour all his yuanqi into a finger for an all-out strike. Perhaps that could yield a higher score.
After waiting a bit longer, Su Yu heard his candidate number called.
"Candidate 3-015!"
Su Yu stepped forward, drawing the attention of many. He had kicked up such a massive storm outside earlier that almost everyone present recognized him.
Seeing Su Yu walk out, many grew curious: how much could he score?
"Just being at Kaiyuan Stage Nine doesn't guarantee a good score. Who knows, he might only get 100 points..."
someone muttered under his breath, dripping with envy. Even if 100 points was higher than what he had scored, in his eyes it would still be humiliating—the War Academy's top scorer only getting 100 points, while candidates at Stage Seven and Eight could score higher!
Su Yu ignored them. Yuanqi converged into his right index finger, and his willpower gathered there as well. In truth, he had not yet mastered willpower, but at his stage, it came down mostly to focus, just like when subduing a divine character.
Being focused was, in essence, the concentration of willpower.
His index finger gently jabbed toward the puppet. Seeing this, quite a few onlookers looked astonished. "Is this guy... not trying for a high score?"
Everyone else had gathered all their might to slash or punch, yet you casually stick out a single finger? What's the meaning of this? Why not just flip the middle finger while you're at it!
They couldn't make sense of it. Even Wu Lan didn't quite understand, but the several Tengkong Realm experts saw it clearly.
Seeing this, Section Chief Sun smiled, his lips moving as he transmitted his voice, "Interesting. This little fellow... is quite the sharp one. Surely no one coached him on this?"
"Hard to say. Liu Wenyan likely doesn't care about such things. Even if someone gave him a pointer, it would only be a minor trick. What matters is that this kid is merely at Kaiyuan Stage Nine, yet his control over yuanqi is by no means weak. And his willpower... it's very faint, but when he focuses, his degree of concentration is remarkably high."
As they discussed this, the leader from the Great Xia War Academy beside the puppet transmitted his voice: "A bunch of idiots! Can't you see deeper than that? What makes this kid formidable isn't any of that. Yuanqi is converging into his index finger to the point where his finger is about to burst, yet his expression hasn't shifted in the slightest, showing not a trace of agony. That is the true crux—resilience!"
"A student like this belongs in the War Academy, not buried under mountains of books in the Civilization Academy!"
At this moment, he genuinely valued Su Yu highly. It was only because the Demon Suppression Army chiliarch wasn't present; otherwise, he really would have dragged Su Yu straight into the military. A student like this was tailor-made for the army.
Though scolded, Section Chief Sun and the others didn't take offense. Only now did they suddenly realize something... this was Kaiyuan!
They were all at the Tengkong Realm, their physical bodies long having become immensely powerful, so they had forgotten.
The physical body at the Kaiyuan Realm was far too fragile. Concentrating yuanqi like that was like slicing with blades.
One had to understand that it usually took a Yellow-grade weapon to withstand such concentrated yuanqi, yet Su Yu was actually using his bare finger. While this indeed increased the concentration of yuanqi, the agony he endured was ten or a hundred times greater than what Wu Lan and the others experienced.
To get a high score, this kid was truly playing with his life!
With this single jab, his index finger might not recover for seven or eight days. The nerves in the fingers ran straight to the heart; only he knew the sheer agony involved.
Their discussions all took place via sound transmission, completely unbeknownst to Su Yu and the other candidates.
It hurt terribly! Su Yu was well aware—he knew his own body best. But he had experience: last time, in order to observe yuanqi convergence, his right hand had been swollen for days.
And that was during ordinary times. Right now was an exam; only by scoring high could he possibly win back those twenty merit points. Spending a few hundred yuan to buy some ointment was nothing. Between a few hundred yuan and twenty merit points, Su Yu had a very clear sense of priority.
If he didn't give it his all during the exam, was he supposed to wait for later?
A shrill hiss sounded!
His index finger made contact with the puppet. The sound was not loud, but Su Yu felt the resistance, and the pain in his finger grew even more intense. Su Yu held on for a good while until his finger could scarcely bear it any longer, and only then did he pull it back.
Calm and unruffled.
There were no grand movements, no earth-shattering commotion. Yet when the students looked at the monitor, they were stunned.
"327 points!"
Wu Lan was completely dazed and couldn't help blurting out, "How is that possible... he..."
How could Su Yu possibly score that high!
So what if he was Kaiyuan Stage Nine? There were plenty of Stage Nine candidates who couldn't even reach 200 points. A higher realm didn't automatically equate to a higher score, or else the Civilization Academy would have far more people.
Zhou Tianqi was also stunned. "327 points... his willpower isn't strong..." How could this be!
Section Chief Sun, however, broke into a smile, and the other examiners nodded slightly. It was well within expectations. Those who were ruthless to themselves always reaped some reward. Still, had the kid's finger been crippled?
Seeing the disbelief on Wu Lan and the others' faces, Section Chief Sun said mildly, "Student Wu Lan, you could try using a finger yourself. You might even score 350 points."
Hearing this, Wu Lan hurriedly asked, "Then may I retake it?"
"..."
Section Chief Sun felt mentally exhausted. Didn't your family teach you anything? What on earth has your family been teaching you?
"Ahem!" Clearing his throat, Section Chief Sun said impassively, "Perhaps next time. There is only one chance. By the way, don't go recklessly trying it!"
If Wu Lan ended up breaking a finger, even he wouldn't easily bear the fallout. Fining her ten million was nothing, but duping the precious daughter of the Wu family into snapping a finger would subject them to genuine pressure.
It was just an exam; who told them to give reckless advice?
Since the Wu family hadn't taught her this, they clearly didn't want her getting injured. After all, it served little purpose—aside from squeezing out a few extra points on an exam, families like hers were never short on powerful weapons.
Wu Lan was unwilling to accept this. With Su Yu scoring 327 points, his total leaped to 527 points, narrowing the gap between them. She was thoroughly unhappy!
She had wanted to see Su Yu's face fall with a look of heavy gloom. Now, instead, the guy looked delighted, even looking over at her with an arrogant grin...
If Su Yu knew what she was thinking, he would probably feel deeply wronged. He was merely smiling. Having scored high, he was naturally pleased—what was wrong with smiling? How on earth was that arrogant?
Little did he know that even if he had maintained a blank face, Wu Lan would probably still have cursed him. When a woman got angry, her imagination would construct its own interpretations.
595 to 527—a gap of 68 points.
Su Yu had narrowed the distance in one stroke. Wu Lan was on the verge of tears from anger. She had expected to lead Su Yu by more than 150 points after this round, but instead the lead had drastically shrunk.
Noticing Wu Lan's furious look, Su Yu found it baffling. Why did she look... like she was about to cry? Could this fool really be about to cry? I didn't provoke you; I'm just trying to win back my twenty merit points. Did I eat your food or something?
"Completely baffling!"
Su Yu muttered inwardly, too lazy to care. Women were just obstacles—his teacher's words were proven true once again. How bizarre; I'm not even familiar with you.
"A good score..."
At this point, Section Chief Sun spoke up as well, chuckling. "For the next assessment, those who have never come into contact with willpower texts, divine characters, or original All-Races cultivation manuals do not need to take it, lest you injure yourselves!"
Evidently, the upcoming test was not suited for ordinary candidates. Their examination might well end right here.
If their cultivation score was unimpressive and their cultural exam performance mediocre, the Civilization Academy's doors were already shut to them.
Su Yu paid that no mind. Thinking for a moment, he walked over to Wu Lan and whispered, "Dummy... er, I mean, how many extra merit points do you have accumulated?"
Wu Lan glared at him furiously and remained silent.
"Fine, don't tell me. I suspect you don't have any at all. After all, besides All-Races languages, it seems like you don't know anything, so you couldn't have gone on missions..."
"Nonsense! You're the one who has none!"
Wu Lan snapped angrily, "I do have accumulated merit points! Back at the academy, I helped teachers with translating All-Races languages. Even though it was only assisting, I accumulated 6 merit points!"
"..."
Su Yu was dumbfounded. That was an option too? Was the Great Xia Prefecture that impressive? Having intermediate academy students do All-Races language translations—was that for real?
Unable to hold back, he whispered, "Did you use the back door? Otherwise, why would they ever need you to translate? That sounds way too fake..."
"You're the one who used the back door!"
Wu Lan raged, "Last time, a massive number of original All-Races manuals were captured. Powerful experts weren't willing to waste their mental energy on low-grade cultivation manuals, and the other instructors were swamped, so we students at the Character Cultivation stage stepped in to help translate. How is that using the back door?!"
She was thoroughly infuriated!
She continued fuming, "Even at the Civilization Academy, students at the Character Cultivation stage are needed to assist with translations, and it all counts toward merit points. Isn't that how Civilization Masters earn merit points? By the way, why do you have accumulated merit points?!"
She should have been questioning whether Su Yu was the one who pulled strings! Where did Su Yu get accumulated merit points from?!
She had been present during the morning exam, but had forgotten in the heat of the moment: Su Yu seemed to have quite a few, a whole 10 accumulated merit points... Yes, 10 points!
Wu Lan's mental state collapsed!
How could he have so many? She had forgotten before—where did Su Yu get his merit points? Did Bai Feng pull strings for him?
Hearing this, Su Yu understood a little better. So that was how Civilization Masters below the Tengkong Realm earned merit points. As for himself... he had actually walked the path of a warrior. He was the outlier among Civilization Masters!
"You only have 6 points... then you're only at 655 points, and I'm at 627."
Su Yu was thoroughly satisfied! The gap was very small—only 28 points. He had worried he wouldn't be able to catch up, but it seemed his chances were great.
"By the way, if someone has mastered a divine character, how many points is each divine character worth?"
"..."
Wu Lan ignored him. She was truly enraged now.
28 points—only 28 points behind! Why?!
She was a genius aiming for the top-high tier! Why could this guy from Nanyuan also score over 600 points, doing so even more easily than in the morning, and already qualifying for the high tier?
That morning, he said he didn't rely on luck, but on strength, and that he was stronger. She hadn't taken it seriously then, but now... she refused to accept it!
After fuming for a moment, Wu Lan couldn't hold it in and snapped, "Have you... really mastered a divine character?"
"Can't say. It's a secret."
"What's so great about that? I can do it too!"
Wu Lan huffed. It wasn't as if she couldn't; who cared? "What's the big deal about mastering a divine character? I mastered one years ago!"
"..."
Su Yu paid her no more attention. He had obtained most of the intelligence from this fool, so there was no need to waste more time on her. With a 28-point gap, he had to find a way to wipe it out. Letting this fool take first place would be a waste, as she clearly didn't care about that bit of merit reward anyway.
Beside them, Section Chief Sun called out, "The rest of you, follow me to continue the exam. Oh, and... don't try to imitate Su Yu... never mind, imitating him wouldn't work anyway; none of you can pull it off."
He had initially intended to warn them against hurting themselves by copying Su Yu, but then realized upon second thought that these candidates couldn't even gather yuanqi. Below Kaiyuan Stage Eight, they couldn't even manage basic convergence, let alone anything else.
Why say all that? It was too demoralizing.
He walked off, leaving behind the candidates who hadn't tested yet with mournful expressions. Why did Section Chief Sun have to be so discouraging?
What did he mean by 'imitating him wouldn't work anyway'? Wasn't it just poking with a finger? As if nobody else could do it!
Most didn't dare attempt it rashly, afraid of getting a poor score. But some who already had no hope of admission threw caution to the wind and decided to try it out—maybe there was a glimmer of hope.
And so, less than ten minutes after Su Yu and his group departed, the lowest score of the exam emerged.
3 points!
The lowest in the entire hall! In fact, perhaps the lowest in the history of the examinations: someone had actually scored a single digit on the cultivation realm test. A little brat at Kaiyuan Stage One could probably score higher than that!
That 3-point candidate was currently questioning his entire existence.
Even if he hadn't harbored much hope to begin with, actually scoring 3 points... he suspected he would be beaten to death by his parents once he got home.
A Kaiyuan Stage Three scoring 3 points—who would believe it if told?
"Su Yu scored 327 points. One poke of his finger could kill 109 of me... I don't believe it!"
The student's sanity completely shattered! He refused to believe it, truly refused to believe it. That guy had only poked it once—how could the gap between two human beings be this massive?!
Chapter 57