bookandnovel Chapter 7: The Grand Selection Competition – The First Signs of a Conspiracy
Chapter 7: The Grand Selection Competition – The First Signs of a Conspiracy
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Under the care of the Qi and Blood Pill, Lin Jianguo's injuries had stabilized considerably. He was able to get up and eat and rest in bed without Lin Chen having to stay by his bedside to take care of him all the time.
The monthly martial arts assessment at Qingyang No. 3 Middle School coincided with an even more rigorous and demanding test than any previous one. The rankings in this assessment would directly determine the number of participants in the citywide high school martial arts competition.
Qingyang No. 3 Middle School is just an ordinary martial arts high school in Qingyang City. In terms of teachers, training resources, and students' foundation, it is far inferior to key municipal martial arts high schools such as No. 1 and No. 2 Middle Schools. In the annual city-wide high school martial arts competition, No. 3 Middle School has always been at the bottom. Not to mention winning a ranking, there are very few students who can even make it to the preliminary rounds.
The citywide high school martial arts competition is the top arena for all high school martial artists in Qingyang City. The top-ranked students can not only receive high-value training bonuses, mid-grade martial arts techniques, and qi and blood pills from the city's martial arts association, but also be exceptionally admitted to provincial key martial arts high schools, thus rising to the top and breaking free from the limitations of ordinary high schools.
The school has high hopes for this, and all teachers and students are working hard to break through in this assessment, win a valuable spot in the competition, bring glory to the school, and also fight for a chance to change their fate.
After settling his mother in and taking care of his father, Lin Chen changed into a clean, plain-colored outfit and slowly stepped into the campus, bathed in the morning sunlight.
When he returned after several days, the way people looked at him was completely different.
On the playground, in the hallways, and in the corridors, every student whose eyes met his would glance at him furtively, whispering amongst themselves. Gone was the undisguised contempt and mockery of the past; replaced by fear, curiosity, and inquiry. The image of him sending the aristocratic Zhang Hao flying with a single punch on the playground that day had already spread throughout the entire Third Middle School. Even though most people still thought he had gotten away with it or used underhanded methods, no one dared to regard him as a good-for-nothing to be bullied at will anymore.
Lin Chen didn't care at all. His expression remained calm as he walked straight toward the school's martial arts training ground.
The martial arts training ground at Qingyang No. 3 Middle School is the highest-standard assessment venue on campus. The ground is divided into three assessment areas, all in good order: the left side is the basic physical fitness testing area, equipped with four professional devices: a blood and qi tester, a realm detector, a strength tester, and a speed tester; the center is the combat zone, with three enclosed combat platforms standing side by side, the platforms covered with thickened, impact-resistant martial arts boards, and a protective barrier around them; the south side is the judging panel, where the school's martial arts department director, class teachers, and senior martial arts instructors sit to supervise the entire examination and evaluate the results. The number of participants will be determined by the combined ranking of the three assessments.
The chief proctor, Wang Feng, stood in the center of the aptitude test area. His expression seemed serious, but there was a hint of sinister intent hidden in his eyes. He kept glancing towards the entrance of the test field. He was the inside man who had been bribed by the Zhang family with a large sum of money.
In a corner of the training ground, Zhang Hao leaned against the railing, next to a middle-aged man in a dark martial arts uniform with a stern face. This man was Zhang Kun, Zhang Hao's third uncle and a member of a collateral branch of the Zhang family. Zhang Kun exuded a calm and restrained aura, subtly revealing the formidable cultivation of the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm. He had come specifically for two reasons: first, to witness Lin Chen's disgrace and ruin, and second, to pave the way for Zhang Hao, ensuring he could secure a spot in the Third Middle School's competition.
Upon seeing Lin Chen enter, a flash of venomous hatred crossed Zhang Hao's eyes. He raised his hand to touch the bruise on his forehead that had long since faded, and whispered to Zhang Kun, "Third Uncle, it was him. He not only hit me, but also injured my cousin. Today, I'll make sure he doesn't even get a chance to participate in the competition, and is completely kicked out of No. 3 Middle School!"
Zhang Kun glanced at Lin Chen with disdain, a cold smile playing on his lips, and nodded slightly.
The scheme orchestrated by the Zhang family this time was meticulously planned and executed, leaving no room for error. It targeted Lin Chen while also clearing obstacles for Zhang Hao in the competition.
First, he spent a lot of money to bribe the chief proctor, Wang Feng, and secretly altered the parameters of the Qi and Blood Tester and the Realm Detector in Lin Chen's exclusive testing channel in advance. He locked the upper limit of the instrument data at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm and below 90 Qi and Blood, which completely lowered his assessment ranking and directly disqualified him from the competition.
Secondly, in the actual combat phase, bypassing the normal random grouping process, Wang Feng secretly arranged for Lin Chen to be accompanied by Zhao Hu, a sparring partner from the school's martial arts team. Zhao Hu was at the early stage of the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm and had been participating in the school's actual combat training for many years. He was ruthless and merciless in his attacks and had already been instructed by the Zhang family to use heavy blows during the battle to cripple Lin Chen's martial arts foundation and make him completely ineligible for the martial arts competition.
Finally, they colluded with two judges to determine that Lin Chen failed the assessment regardless of his actual performance. They then joined forces with Zhang Hao to accuse him of using prohibited explosive energy pills, using the grounds of "cheating and causing trouble, and having an unrealistic level of cultivation" to force the school to expel Lin Chen and eliminate any future problems!
Before long, all the participating students had lined up. The head of the martial arts department stood up, his expression solemn, and loudly read out the rules and core significance of this diagnostic test:
"This martial arts assessment is to select participants for the citywide high school martial arts competition. The assessment is divided into three parts, which are conducted one by one. The top fifteen in the overall ranking will represent Qingyang No. 3 Middle School in the citywide high school martial arts competition!"
The first item is the basic aptitude test, which includes realm detection, blood and qi value detection, strength strike, and speed sprint. The four data points are included in the basic score.
The second item is martial arts technique demonstration, where participants demonstrate the techniques they have cultivated, and the judges will assess their proficiency and the compatibility of their qi and blood.
The third part is the practical combat assessment, where opponents are randomly matched and the final score is determined by practical skills, on-the-spot adaptability, and control of qi and blood.
Students who rank highly based on their combined scores across the three evaluation criteria will represent the school in competitions, bringing glory to the school and earning themselves a special admission opportunity to a provincial-level martial arts high school!
After the rules were read aloud, the assessment officially began.
The students lined up in order of their class numbers to enter the basic aptitude test area, the atmosphere tense and solemn. Everyone knew that this assessment concerned their future in martial arts and allowed no room for carelessness.
Students who usually rank high in the school took turns to perform, and their results were impressive but limited: as ordinary high school students, most of them were at the sixth or seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, with their Qi and Blood values generally between 500 and 800, and their strength tester readings were stable at 300-500 kilograms. Even so, the students on the sidelines were full of envy, and the teachers on the judging panel nodded frequently – this was already the top level of No. 3 Middle School at present.
Zhang Hao took the stage in the fifth group. He cultivated the family's mid-grade "Fierce Blood Body Forging Technique" and was also supported by the Zhang family's continuous supply of pills. His cultivation level was at the seventh level of the Body Forging Realm, with a blood energy value of 630 and a strength of 420 kilograms. His moves were steady and powerful, and his overall score was in the upper-middle range. When he stepped off the stage, he deliberately looked in the direction of Lin Chen, his eyes full of provocation and pride, as if he had already secured a spot in the competition.
Time passed little by little, and soon it was Lin Chen's turn.
All eyes instantly focused on him, and the previously noisy training ground gradually quieted down. Everyone wanted to see if this young man, who had suddenly unleashed astonishing strength, could catch the last train to the city-wide competition, or if he would remain the same hopeless underdog from a poor family.
Lin Chen stepped into the basic aptitude test area, walked to the exclusive test station designated by Wang Feng, and, in accordance with the assessment requirements, raised his hand and pressed it on the sensor panel of the realm detector, slowly activating the blood and qi in his body and circulating the "Ancient Star Martial Body Forging Technique".
The next second, the detector screen flickered several times, and the value that should have been fluctuating froze, revealing a line of glaring text:
Realm: Body Tempering Realm, Level 3
Qi and Blood Value: 89
Strength: 120kg
Speed: 2m/s
The result is exactly the same as the bottom-ranked performance from a few months ago!
The entire audience erupted in uproar!
"I told you he was just lucky! With grades like that, he wouldn't even make it into the city-wide competition, let alone rank within the school!"
"So they really did use forbidden pills before. Now that the effects have worn off, their true colors have been revealed!"
"I thought he could make a comeback, but it was just a flash in the pan. What a disgrace!"
A wave of mockery, disdain, and discussion swept in once again. Many students even shook their heads and sighed. In their view, Lin Chen had completely lost his eligibility to participate and would never have the chance to stand on the stage of the city's martial arts competition in his lifetime.
Zhang Hao stood in the crowd, instantly straightening his back with an extremely smug smile. He whispered to Zhang Kun beside him, "Third Uncle, it's done! With that score, he's eliminated immediately; he won't even make the competition list!"
Zhang Kun nodded slightly, a satisfied sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, his gaze toward Lin Chen growing increasingly contemptuous.
Seeing this, Wang Feng immediately stepped forward and, feigning sternness, harshly reprimanded Lin Chen, his voice echoing throughout the room: "Lin Chen! After months of arduous training, your cultivation has made no progress whatsoever. You're still a martial arts waste. You even caused trouble on campus and beat up classmates. Now, your assessment results are still appalling. Forget about qualifying for the city-wide competition; with results like yours, you don't deserve to stay in the martial arts class!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he gestured for Lin Chen to retest his blood and qi, and the result was exactly the same, with no change in the values.
Wang Feng immediately seized on this opportunity and loudly addressed the judges and all the students: "Teachers and students, everyone has seen it! This boy's cultivation has stagnated for years. He must have used a forbidden Qi-boosting pill on the playground to temporarily boost his cultivation, violating school rules and regulations. His performance in this assessment was absolutely the worst, directly disqualifying him from the competition. He should be severely punished!"
The judges on the panel frowned and looked displeased as they looked at the fixed values on the instrument. The two judges who had been bribed by the Zhang family immediately chimed in, suggesting that Lin Chen be removed from the list of candidates for the competition.