Right about then.
Listening to the constant sounds of “eliminated” coming from the playground,
Yu Feng, up on the platform, was looking worse and worse.
“Well, it seems this batch of students… isn’t very good.”
As the City Lord of Jiangdu City, if too few students from his city were selected, it would naturally be an embarrassment for him.
The key point was that No. 3 High School’s overall strength ranked in the top three in the entire city.
If even No. 3 High School was like this, one could only imagine the level of the other schools.
“Sir, to be honest, the 2% cutoff is just too high! For many people, they’ll never reach 2% in their entire lives, let alone these kids.”
A subordinate next to him complained in a low voice.
“It’s the rules set by the higher-ups. What can I do about it?”
Yu Feng felt a bit helpless too.
…
“Wenchang Emperor God, Spirit-Servant Degree: 3%! Pass!”
Just then, the examiner’s loud, clear voice boomed across the entire field.
Boom!!
The whole place erupted!
“Wow, 3%!”
“Who is it, that’s amazing!”
“It’s Li Ruoyi from Class Three! That’s incredible, 3%! So impressive!?”
Gasps of surprise rose like a tidal wave.
Most of the students who had passed before had barely crossed the 2% threshold.
This value, a full 1% higher, might seem small, but the substance behind it was worlds apart!
“This girl is pretty good.”
Hearing the result, Yu Feng finally showed a faint smile.
“Sir, that girl’s name is Li Ruoyi. She’s an excellent student at our school. She’ll probably pursue a civilian path in the future.”
The principal quickly stepped forward to introduce her, his face full of pride.
Yu Feng nodded. “Not bad. If she enters the imperial court, she’d be worth training a bit.”
If he couldn’t win in terms of numbers, Yu Feng figured settling for better quality was an acceptable second choice.
After all, a Spirit-Servant Degree of 3% at this age definitely makes someone a top-tier talent, one in a thousand!
“Lu Chen, it’s your turn now.”
Basking in the envious gazes of countless people, Li Ruoyi walked up to Lu Chen, radiant and full of energy, and gave him a little word of encouragement.
Then, she went and stood with the other selected students.
“Ruoyi, why are you waiting for him? His elimination is a sure thing.”
“Exactly. If I remember correctly, his Wenchang Emperor God is only 0.5%.”
Facing the teasing from the surrounding classmates, Li Ruoyi just gave a faint smile. “What do you know? Just wait and see.”
…
“Next up, Song Hao!”
“Finally, it’s my turn!”
Song Hao swaggered up to the testing machine.
The moment he saw the testing teacher,
The two of them exchanged a subtle, hidden glance.
Song Hao connected the device.
Soon, the data popped up.
“Kui Mulang (Wolf Star), Spirit-Servant Degree: 3.5%! Pass!”
Whoa!!!
The scene erupted again.
“Damn, here comes another one, even higher!”
“Goodness, Class Three is too strong, they already have two students with over 3%!”
“The key point is, this guy enshrines Kui Mulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions! A deity from the Ministry of Dou (Astrology)!”
“Yeah, purely in terms of power, this is way more impressive than the 3% Wenchang Emperor God from before.”
Everyone around was utterly astonished.
“Not bad, not bad. Finally, some results that shine a bit.”
Up on the platform, Yu Feng nodded repeatedly, quite satisfied.
“It seems No. 3 High School does have some depth.”
The surrounding leaders nodded in agreement one after another.
The principal wore a flattering smile on his face, but inside, doubts started creeping in.
This isn’t right…
He knew this Song Hao kid too.
His family was quite well-off, and he was a known troublemaker at No. 3 High School.
His usual grades were consistently below average.
Why was he suddenly performing so well in this major competition, even surpassing Li Ruoyi?
The principal frowned slightly, feeling like something was off somewhere…
“Haha! Didn’t see that coming, did you? This is my real strength!”
Finished with the test, Song Hao swaggered back, full of arrogance.
“Song Hao, you’ve been hiding your depth!”
“So you’re the one pretending to be weak when you’re actually strong!”
“Awesome, awesome!”
The remaining students gave him thumbs up.
From a distance, Li Ruoyi also found it strange. “How did he suddenly get so strong?”
“Yeah, I remember the last test half a month ago, he was only at 1.8%. I thought he was going to be eliminated. Who knew he’d almost double in just half a month?”
Song Hao walked up to Lu Chen, glanced down at him from the corner of his eye, and then proudly went to stand beside Li Ruoyi.
“Song Hao, how did you suddenly get so strong? 3.5% Spirit-Servant Degree?”
“Yeah, truly, after three days of separation, look at him with new eyes.”
Listening to the praise from several female classmates,
Song Hao felt incredibly pleased, his eyes fixed intently on Li Ruoyi. “Not bad, right, Ruoyi? I enshrine Kui Mulang from the Ministry of Dou.”
Li Ruoyi ignored him.
Song Hao didn’t mind, thinking to himself, “With this result, the Heavenly Official’s Blessing is definitely mine!”
“Dad, your money wasn’t stuffed in vain! Good stuff!!”
…
“Next up, Lu Chen!”
The playground, previously buzzing with voices, was now almost empty.
Only a few dozen people remained.
Lu Chen calmly stepped forward.
“It’s Lu Chen’s turn.”
“Ruoyi, why are you so confident? Do you know what his Spirit-Servant Degree is?”
“Guess~” Li Ruoyi blinked playfully.
Song Hao snorted coldly. “What’s so great about a nobody, obsolete god?”
…
“I wonder if this last one can bring me a little surprise.”
After several students with over 3% Spirit-Servant Degree in a row,
Yu Feng was now quite eager to see if he could dig up another gem.
The principal beside him, however, gave an awkward smile. “Sir, this one… I’m afraid will disappoint you.”
“Oh? His results aren’t good?”
“Let’s just say… ‘good’ doesn’t apply at all. This student’s name is Lu Chen, and he’s the famous bottom-tier student of this year. Last test, his Wenchang Emperor God’s Spirit-Servant Degree was only 0.5%.”
The principal clearly knew who Lu Chen was.
“0.5%?” Yu Feng was stunned. “No matter how bad the talent, it shouldn’t be that low, right?”
“That’s the truth, sir.” The principal’s smile was uglier than crying.
Yu Feng sighed. “Alright then, let’s go.”
“Okay, sir, let me see you out.” The principal quickly bowed.
Yu Feng waved his hand and was just about to lead his subordinates away.
“What’s going on? Is the machine malfunctioning?!” The examiner’s surprised cry suddenly rang out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Principal! This machine seems broken! It’s showing… 51%!”
“How… how much?” Yu Feng’s steps abruptly stopped, and the dozen or so city leaders behind him also halted in unison.
“Reply, City Lord, it’s showing 50%. It’s probably a machine error.”
“Nonsense! Why did it have to break right now?” The principal hurried over.
The examiner looked confused. “I’m not sure. The data just suddenly jumped to this.”
Even Lu Chen was a bit dazed himself.
50%?
His Spirit-Servant Degree went up again?
“Um…” he weakly raised his hand. “Is there a chance that I really am 50%?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! The City Lord is here, be serious!” the principal scolded in a low voice. “Switch to another machine. Go over there and retest!”
Lu Chen: “Sigh, alright…”
…
“Man, that scared me. I really thought we had an ultimate freak on our hands.”
“Me too, my little heart was pounding. Turns out it was just a machine error.”
“50%? That result could be printed in textbooks!”
One second ago, everyone on the playground had their minds go completely blank.
But once they heard it was a machine error,
The students finally sighed in relief.
So it was a false alarm.
…
“Come on, test again!”
The principal personally supervised.
“Principal, this isn’t right. This one is broken too. It’s also 50%!”
A collective hum filled the air.
The expressions on everyone’s faces froze again.
Yu Feng walked over, his expression grave. “What exactly is going on?”
“Sir, this one seems broken too. The test showed 50% as well.”
“Both broken? How is that possible?”
Yu Feng’s sharp gaze fell on Lu Chen.
Lu Chen spread his hands, looking completely innocent. “City Lord, I told them I was 50%, but they just wouldn’t believe me.”
“Lu Chen! Don’t you dare be insolent before the City Lord!”
The principal barked sternly.
Yu Feng’s eyes narrowed, and he reached out a hand. “You. Come here. I’ll test you personally.”
“Sir, this!” several other city leaders quickly tried to dissuade him.
Yu Feng raised his hand to stop them.
The group moved to a third machine.
Yu Feng operated it himself.
At this moment, all eyes were fixed solely on Lu Chen.
Yu Feng stared intently at the screen. The collection result showed: [Lord of Wealth God, Spirit-Servant Degree: 50%!]
“Again! Test again!”
The fourth machine, no surprise: 50%!
“Again!!!”
The fifth machine: 50%!!
“I really don’t believe this! Keep testing!!”
The sixth machine: “50%”!
By the time they got to the ninth machine,
This powerful figure who ruled his domain and held the prestigious position of City Lord of Jiangdu, the top big shot in the city, had sweat pouring down his face like a storm.
He was panting roughly, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.
And the entire playground had fallen into an unprecedented, suffocating dead silence!
Everyone’s face was completely overtaken by utter shock!
“There’s… there’s one more machine! Test! Test again!!!”
Yu Feng practically growled it out.
Yet, there was no suspense.
The tenth machine: 50%!!
Buzz!!!!!
At that moment, the whole world seemed to completely explode in the face of that string of numbers!
“Principal Zhang…”
After a moment of daze, Yu Feng suddenly took a deep breath, spun around sharply, grabbed the collar of the equally horrified principal, pointed at Lu Chen, and said with wide, bulging eyes:
“You call this a bottom-tier student?!”
