Chapter 15: High School Entrance Exam Results

Chapter 15: The High School Entrance Exam Results

June 26, clear skies.

Qiming Star welcomed its most important day of the year—the Secondary Education Diversion Exam.

On this day, the rhythm of the entire planet seemed to slow down.

The usually bustling air lanes, except for official shuttles handling exam transport and security patrols, became unusually empty.

All non-essential commercial and industrial activities voluntarily reduced their operational frequency, making way for this exam that would determine the fate of countless youths.

At 7:30 in the morning, Qin Feng, accompanied by his father and uncle, arrived at the exam site of the Twelfth Junior High School.

The school gate was already packed with people.

Countless examinees and parents gathered here, forming a tide of anticipation, tension, and hope.

Above the tall school gate hung a massive crimson holographic banner, with the Empire’s standard font bold and vigorous, shimmering with a metallic luster:

[Today, bury your head in the exam hall; tomorrow, fight across the star sea. Cultivate for the rise of the Empire!]

On the walls on both sides of the gate, instead of the usual school rules and mottos, were large dynamic holographic posters.

The protagonists of these posters were several of the Empire’s most renowned young powerhouses.

On the left was "Fist Emperor" Rocks.

He stood in a simple black combat suit, bare-handed, atop a fragment of a shattered planet, surrounded by visible, tangible golden aura.

Beneath his feet lay the remains of a giant alien beast, its size comparable to a mountain.

On the right was "Dragon Snake" Wang Chao.

He held an ancient-looking long spear, sitting cross-legged in the void, his eyes slightly closed.

Behind him was the magnificent Nebula of Creation, as if the spiritual energy of the entire galaxy ebbed and flowed with his breath.

These poster protagonists were idols worshipped by billions of teenagers in the Empire, the goals they aspired to become.

Further back were "Gun God" Lin Shuwen, "Iron Face" Shi Yu, "Little Knife River King" Luo Feng...

Qin Feng, his father, and his uncle made their way through the crowd, surrounded by all kinds of chatter.

"Did you hear? The city education bureau released the mock exam data this year—overall, it’s 0.02 percentage points lower than last year. Word is, because the front lines are tight, several batches of high-quality spiritual energy potions have been requisitioned by the military, and resources on the market have tightened up quite a bit."

"Yeah, my son’s school’s top student barely scraped a 1.0 on this mock exam. At this rate, the cutoff for key martial arts high schools might drop a little this year."

"A drop would be good, give kids from ordinary families more of a chance. My boy, busting his ass, only managed 0.85. If the cutoff drops to 0.95, maybe he can sneak into the tail end of a key high school."

"Don’t even think about the top seven high schools—they’re reserved for true geniuses. I heard last year the minimum admission score for Qiming First Martial Arts High School was 1.21. Even if it drops this year, it probably won’t go much lower. Monsters at that level are in a different world from us."

Qin Dahai and Wang Ming listened to the surrounding discussions, exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of suppressed excitement in each other’s eyes.

"Xiaofeng, go on in. Don’t be nervous. Just show them what you’ve trained at the martial arts hall."

Qin Dahai patted his son on the shoulder.

"Dad, Uncle, I’m going in."

Qin Feng nodded.

"Go ahead, we’ll wait for you outside."

Wang Ming waved vigorously.

Qin Feng turned around, alone, walking against the currents of worry and hope, into the exam hall that would decide his fate.

Following the signs, he found Building B, Test Field No. 7.

The exam hall was a vast indoor space, the floor paved with high-strength composite materials, the walls lined with various precision monitoring instruments.

The air carried a faint smell of disinfectant and metal.

Many examinees were already inside, sitting in their waiting areas according to their admission ticket numbers, their expressions serious—some meditating with closed eyes, others stretching their limbs.

Qin Feng found his seat. As soon as he sat down, a familiar voice sounded beside him.

"Hey, Qin Feng! What a coincidence—we’re in the same exam hall!"

Zhou Heyuan, carrying a branded sports bag, walked over and sat down familiarly in the empty seat next to Qin Feng.

He looked a bit nervous, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Coincidence." Qin Feng replied calmly.

"Ah, I’m so nervous I could die."

Zhou Heyuan lowered his voice. "I didn’t sleep well last night, afraid I’d mess up today. My dad said if I get into a key martial arts high school, he’ll buy me the latest Peregrine-class personal shuttle."

He rambled on, trying to ease his own tension with words.

Qin Feng didn’t respond, just sat quietly, regulating his breathing.

At 8:30 a.m., a mechanical synthesized voice echoed through the hall.

[Attention all examinees: The exam is about to begin. Please proceed in order to the designated area for the first test: Vitality Index Assessment.]

The examinees immediately stood up, forming several columns, and under the guidance of the proctors, walked toward the precision instruments in the center of the hall that resembled silver giant eggs.

"Candidate No. 1, Ding Wei, please enter Detection Pod No. 1."

"Candidate No. 2, Wang Hao, please enter Detection Pod No. 2."

...

One by one, the examinees entered the pods, and the doors closed silently.

A dozen seconds later, a line of numbers representing their martial potential would appear on the display above the pod door.

"Ding Wei, Vitality Index: 0.88."

"Wang Hao, Vitality Index: 0.91."

"Li Xue, Vitality Index: 0.85."

The hall was dead silent, broken only by the proctor’s cold announcement of scores and the examinees’ subdued exclamations of surprise or disappointment.

Most candidates scored between 0.8 and 0.9.

Occasionally, a score above 0.9 would cause a small stir.

"Candidate No. 23, Zhou Heyuan, please enter Detection Pod No. 3."

It was Zhou Heyuan’s turn.

He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and walked into the pod.

Everyone’s gaze instinctively focused on the display above Pod No. 3.

A dozen seconds later, the numbers stopped.

[Zhou Heyuan, Vitality Index: 0.96]

"Whoa!"

A suppressed gasp rippled through the hall.

0.96!

This was the highest score since the exam began. This result already held immense promise for admission to a key martial arts high school.

Zhou Heyuan stepped out of the testing pod, his face brimming with barely contained excitement and joy.

He gestured a victory sign toward Qin Feng.

The invigilator’s expression remained as calm as still water as he continued calling names from the list.

"Candidate number twenty-four, Qin Feng, please enter testing pod number four."

Qin Feng stood up and, under the gaze of everyone present, walked calmly into the silver testing pod.

A month ago, this name had been bound to the shameful number "0.41" in the archives of No. 7 Middle School.

Zhou Heyuan watched with keen interest, curious to see just how much progress this "madman," who had buried himself in training for a month, could make.

0.8? Or 0.9? The door of the testing pod slowly closed.

Inside, a soft blue light glowed, and countless invisible streams of data, like warm ocean currents, enveloped Qin Feng’s body.

From cell activity to blood and qi intensity, to meridian resilience… every corner of his body was precisely scanned, analyzed, and quantified.

Time, in that moment, seemed to stretch endlessly.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

The pitch-black screen suddenly flickered.

Then, a string of crimson numbers, as if burning with flames, boldly appeared before everyone.

[Qin Feng, Vitality Index: 1.23]

The entire examination hall fell into a dead silence.

So quiet that a dropped needle could be heard.

Everyone’s movements froze, all gazes solidified, and every breath stopped in that instant.

They stared fixedly at that number, eyes wide as bells, mouths unconsciously agape, as if they had witnessed a prehistoric beast abruptly descending into this small examination room.

1.23!

This number struck like an invisible heavy hammer, slamming into everyone’s heart.

It not only surpassed the record of 0.96 set earlier by Zhou Heyuan.

It even exceeded the admission standard of 1.0 for key martial arts high schools.

And it surpassed the distant, unreachable threshold of 1.2—the chasm symbolizing the gateway to top-tier martial arts high schools, which loomed before countless geniuses!

"Hiss—"

Someone gasped sharply, breaking the suffocating stillness.

Then, the entire examination hall exploded like a powder keg ignited.

"Did I see that wrong? 1.23?!"

"Are you kidding me! Our exam hall produced a monster who can get into the top seven high schools?!"

"Qin Feng? I’ve never heard that name! Which key middle school’s ace is he?"

"This… this is impossible!"

The smile on Zhou Heyuan’s face completely froze.

He stared blankly at the number, then at Qin Feng, who calmly walked out of the testing pod, his mind a blank.

A month ago, he was a sickly weakling with a Vitality Index of only 0.41, advised to drop out by the school.

A month later, he had produced a result so terrifying that even Zhou Heyuan could only look up to it.

This… this defied all logic!

Even the invigilators, who had seen all kinds of prodigies, could no longer remain composed.

The chief invigilator strode quickly to testing pod number four, repeatedly verifying the instrument’s data, and then pulled up Qin Feng’s academic file.

When he saw the glaring "0.41" from a month ago on the file, his hand holding the data tablet began to tremble slightly.

He raised his head and re-examined the unnervingly calm young man with a look reserved for a monster.

"Pod four, re-test!"

He ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

Qin Feng said nothing and entered the testing pod again.

This time, everyone held their breath, eyes glued to the screen.

After more than ten seconds, the number reappeared.

[Qin Feng, Vitality Index: 1.23]

Exactly the same, not a fraction off.

The chief invigilator let out a long breath and shut down the data tablet.

He walked up to Qin Feng, and for the first time, a complex expression—mingling shock and solemnity—appeared on his stern face.

"Candidate Qin Feng, your result is valid. Return to the line and prepare for the next test."

Qin Feng nodded and went back to the queue.

Wherever he passed, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, automatically moving aside.

…

The subsequent physical fitness tests went smoothly.

Qin Feng dominated effortlessly, achieving perfect scores in all events.

As for the cultural exam, it was like taking candy from a baby for him.

When the bell rang for the last subject, "Basics of Alien Linguistics," the two-day high school entrance exam officially came to an end.

Qin Feng walked out of the exam hall, the dazzling sunlight spilling over him.

At the school gate, his father and uncle still stood beneath the plane tree.

He strode over quickly.

"Finished?" Qin Dahai asked.

"Yeah."

"Let’s go home."

…

Three days later, the day results were released.

In the Red Leaf District, the Qin and Wang families sat together in the living room.

Qin Feng opened his personal terminal and entered the official score-checking channel of the Qiming Star Education Bureau.

He typed in his exam registration number.

Click to query.

A detailed report card instantly popped up.

[Name: Qin Feng]

[Vitality Index: 1.23]

[Comprehensive Physical Fitness Score: Full Marks]

[Cultural Course Comprehensive Rating: A+]

[Martial Arts Total Score: 1388]

[Qiming Star Overall Ranking: 67321]

"Vitality Index 1.23???"

"Over sixty thousand... into the top seventy thousand!"

Wang Ming stared at that number, his voice trembling with excitement, "Across all of Qiming Star, tens of millions of examinees, top seventy thousand!"

"Bro! Bro!"

He slapped Qin Dahai's shoulder forcefully, "Xiao Feng! Xiao Feng is safe! Top Seven High is secure!"

Qin Dahai looked at that ranking, his eyes instantly turning red.

He suddenly stood up, pulling his son beside him into a tight, tight embrace.

(End of chapter)