Chapter 2

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The first person on the podium was the belle of Class Seven, Lin Yun’er. Her oval face and exquisite facial features made women unable to help but admire her.

Her unique aura that even the plain school uniform could not hide immediately attracted the attention of the entire class.

Lin Yun’er stretched out her slender hand and placed it on the dark instrument.

“Generating combat strength comprehensive score… Measured successfully.”

“76 points, qualified. Result: Excellent!”

A cold mechanical voice sounded, and the students present instantly erupted.

“Damn, she scored 76 points first. As expected of the belle of our class!”

“I heard that there were only two Excellent students in the previous year. I didn’t expect our class to have one.”

“Look at how happy the form teacher is.”

“…”

The students congratulated Lin Yun’er enthusiastically. After all, there were not many top students with 76 points in the entire school.

In the future, she would become a powerful Martial Artist.

As the person involved, Lin Yun’er could not hide the joy in her heart and returned to her seat.

Then, a few students went up to the podium to test, instantly causing the atmosphere to return to a freezing point.

“Generating combat strength comprehensive score… Measured successfully.”

“41 points, failed. Result: Intermediate!”

“36 points, failed. Result: Intermediate!”

“53 points, qualified. Result: Good!”

“39 points, failed. Result: Intermediate!”

The student on the podium was livid. He returned to his seat as if he had lost his soul.

At this moment, some were happy and some were sad.

The strong-willed students gritted their teeth and could not stop their eyes from being filled with tears.

Those who broke down lowered their heads and wiped away their tears. They cried one after another, not wanting to believe in the reality of failure.

The qualified students laughed wantonly and began to look forward to becoming a Martial Artist.

“Next, Class Representative Li Mao.”

The form teacher shook his head slightly and spoke.

“It’s finally my turn.”

Li Mao stood up and mounted the podium.

Before the test, he looked at Lu Xiao with a mocking gaze.

All these years, he had been living in comparison to Lu Xiao.

Although he could be considered to be from a rich family, other than that, his height and looks could not compare to Lu Xiao, who came from an ordinary family.

Even the position of Class Representative was given to him because Lu Xiao found it troublesome and did not want to take it.

It was humiliating!

Therefore, this was his last chance to crush Lu Xiao!

“Generating combat strength comprehensive score… Measured successfully.”

“55 points, qualified. Result: Good!”

The mechanical voice slowly sounded. The smile on Li Mao’s face became even more ferocious as he stared at Lu Xiao without any concerns.

As if to release years of repression, Lu Xiao pretended not to see him.

He didn’t have time to be angry with a boring person.

Lu Xiao was the last one.

He walked to the podium and took a deep breath as he looked at the instrument.

Whether he was a worm or a dragon depended on this moment.

He put his hand on the device. The first thing he felt was cold.

Sizzle … sizzle …

The instrument vibrated with minimal force.

“Generating combat strength comprehensive score… Measured successfully.”

“50, unqualified. Result: Intermediate!”

The moment the mechanical voice sounded, Lu Xiao’s mind went blank.

50?

Why not 49 or 51?

It had to be the intricate number like 50!

The difference of one point directly cut off his chance of taking the martial arts exam.

It was as if the heavens were playing a joke on him, making him feel both helpless and ridiculous.

The form teacher and the other students couldn’t help but sigh.

“Tsk tsk, one point short. If I were him, I’d be exploding.”

“I thought that my 49 points were the worst. I didn’t expect Lu Xiao to be even more miserable.”

“Lu Xiao won’t take things too hard, right?”

“If I were Lu Xiao, I would probably want to jump off a building.”

“Haha… Fortunately, I scored 51 points. Otherwise, I would have to jump off a building like Lu Xiao!”

Lu Xiao, who had returned to his seat, was in no mood to listen to his classmates’ whispers. Only he knew the bitterness in his heart.

The difference of one point was worlds apart.

There was nothing crueler than opening a window that gave you a glimmer of hope before closing it completely.

After the test ended, the form teacher felt quite sympathetic towards Lu Xiao.

But the world was cruel.

Students who passed the test could receive special martial arts training from professional teachers. They had to be prepared for the upcoming martial arts examination.

They were ready to run to the battlefield that was theirs.

It was a new world.

The remaining students who did not pass looked at them enviously, wishing they could become one of them.

For the students who failed, the form teacher gave them another choice.

“I understand how everyone feels. No one can accept the taste of failure.”

“But don’t easily lose confidence in yourself.”

“I have teaching materials specially prepared for you by the school. As long as you’re willing to study hard, it’ll be helpful in improving your combat strength.”

The form teacher took out a few thick books and began to persuade the remaining students.

However, the students who remained all smiled reluctantly.

These textbooks were all public editions that could be easily bought outside.

It was equivalent to Ancient Chinese or Old English.

The content was dry and difficult to understand.

It was indeed useful, but there was only a small chance that they could allow one to comprehend and increase their combat strength.

It was about as likely as winning the first prize in a lottery.

It was more like dissuading the students from studying hard.

After some students struggled with their thoughts, they gradually accepted the fact that they were not qualified. They went forward and took the teaching materials from the form teacher.

One by one, the remaining students followed.

The whole process was full of abject indignation. They were the losers in this test.

After coming back to his senses, Lu Xiao finally left the table and was the last to walk to the form teacher.

Facing this student who was one point short from qualifying for the martial arts exam, the form teacher naturally felt regretful.

“Don’t be too sad. You’re still young. Perhaps…”

Halfway through his sentence, the form teacher realized that no matter how he comforted Lu Xiao, it would hurt him, so he did not continue.

Some things needed to be thought through by oneself. The persuasion of others was futile.

“It’s fine, sir.”

Lu Xiao returned a polite smile and received a book entitled Tao Te Ching.

After flipping it open, he read, “The Dao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name… The highest excellence is like that of water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving to the contrary, the low place which all men dislike. Hence its way is near to that of the Dao.”

Just looking at it made him dizzy, making Lu Xiao lose the mood to continue reading.

Trying to increase his combat strength with such a thing was simply a fool’s dream.

“Lu Xiao, you’re really pitiful. You’re only one point away, but don’t be sad.”

“I heard that someone in their thirties can become a Martial Artist. You can too!”

The class representative, Li Mao, walked over and comforted him hypocritically.

In fact, he was already feeling extremely good.

After so many years, he had finally dwarfed Lu Xiao!

Hearing this, Lu Xiao closed the textbook expressionlessly. Suddenly, a clear voice sounded in his mind.

Ding! The Strongest Simplification System has been awakened!