Chapter Fifteen: I Prefer to Face the Facts

Dozens of pairs of eyes in the hall fixed on Nangong Yuchen and the numbers displayed on the strength-testing machine, as though they had stumbled upon a new continent.

“How… how is this possible?”

“279 kg, 284 kg, 280 kg… That’s an average of 281 kg! That’s 56 kg higher than Lu Ling!”

At these words, the students gasped in shock. Fifty-six kilograms? That kind of gap meant utter domination! Could it be that just now…

“He… Nangong Yuchen, actually defeated Lu Ling with his own strength!”

“Impossible!” Liu Wen cut in immediately. As the physical fitness examiner for Class 12, he clearly remembered that during the last test, Nangong Yuchen’s strength was only 130 kg. In just one month, it had more than doubled? He refused to believe it. Could any human being improve so fast?

He handed the unconscious Lu Ling to two students and strode to the testing platform, as if to see whether the machine was malfunctioning.

“Heh!” Nangong Yuchen, standing on the platform, noticed Liu Wen’s intent and deliberately stepped aside to let him inspect it. “Mr. Liu, since you don’t believe it, why not try it yourself? Throw a couple of punches at the machine.”

The mocking tone only further infuriated Liu Wen. He removed his glasses, rolled up his sleeves, and landed two punches on the machine.

“Bang! 198 kg!”

“Bang! 193 kg!”

The numbers flashed, and laughter erupted from the students below. They watched Liu Wen, now out of breath, finding the whole scene thoroughly entertaining.

“You—!” Only then did Liu Wen realize he had been played, but the red numbers on the machine felt like a personal humiliation. True, his forte was speed, not strength, but the sounds of laughter from below still made his face flush with shame and anger, and he wished he could strangle Nangong Yuchen on the spot.

“Enough!” Shangguan Luohua’s voice rang out, stern and clear, as she looked at the chaotic hall, her brows tightly knit. “Tan Jian, you two, take Lu Ling to the infirmary. The rest of you, continue with the tests!”

She then turned her gaze to Nangong Yuchen, unable to believe these were truly his results. Yet as the class leader, she handled matters with far more maturity than Liu Wen. Her real concern was whether Nangong Yuchen had been hiding his capability since admission, or had suddenly achieved such a breakthrough. Either possibility made it impossible for her to view him with equanimity.

“Hmph! 279 kg, 284 kg, 280 kg—three trials, average strength 281 kg! Excellent!” Liu Wen’s face was ashen as he recorded and announced the result. He now utterly loathed Nangong Yuchen.

“Next: Angel!”

At the announcement, all eyes turned to the girl walking up to the platform. Not only was she the class monitor, but she was also the most outstanding in physical ability.

For the test, Angel had changed out of her uniform. She wore a red-and-white striped short-sleeve top with black trim around the collar and sleeves, perfectly tailored to her petite frame. The modest neckline revealed her delicate collarbones. She wore pale blue shorts that set off her smooth, shapely legs, and her red sneakers were simple yet stylish. The overall impression was one of youthful grace and vitality.

Her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail, swaying energetically as she walked. Her features were exquisite—her brows and eyes like a painting, pure and flawless—but all this beauty was marred by the smattering of yellow freckles across her face.

“What a shame!” Many boys in the class sighed inwardly. Without those freckles, she would be nothing short of stunning.

With a crisp shout, Angel’s face grew serious as she stepped onto the platform. She clenched her small fists, her slender body suddenly accelerating—she dove, curled her arm, and delivered a fierce punch.

“Bang! 87 kg!”

“Bang! 90 kg!”

“Bang! 84 kg!”

No one commented on her results, for everyone, including Nangong Yuchen, knew that the girl’s true strength was not in raw power.

“Angel: 87 kg, 90 kg, 84 kg—average 87 kg. Not passing,” Liu Wen announced.

At Starlight Academy, the passing standards for physical fitness were: strength of 160 kg, speed of 16 meters per second, or a neural reaction score of 8. Achieving any one of the three was sufficient.

“Once again, I didn’t pass! It seems raising my strength just isn’t in the cards,” Angel said as she stepped down, shaking her head.

Her words left the other students speechless. Inwardly, they grumbled, “You’re not satisfied with excelling in two areas? How are we supposed to keep up?”

“Everyone, follow me to the next test: speed. First up, Xiao Yingying!”

Unlike the strength test, which averaged three attempts, the speed test focused on explosive power.

Liu Wen led the students from the strength area to the speed testing zone, where several machines stood ready. The test was simple: stand on the machine and sprint at maximum effort.

Xiao Yingying, the first to go, stepped onto the speed machine. At the signal, she burst into a full sprint. The numbers on the instrument began to climb:

“11, 12… 16 meters!”

After 16, the increase slowed dramatically, finally settling at 16.3 meters.

“Stop! 16.3 meters per second—Xiao Yingying passes!”

“Next, Zhang Rui!”

…

Half an hour later, Angel’s name was called again.

She may have been petite, but her speed was astonishing. As soon as she started, she unleashed an incredible burst.

“18, 19… 22.3 meters!”

“Stop! Angel, 22.3 meters per second. Excellent!” The announcement set off a wave of chatter among the students.

“She’s improved by 4 meters in just a month? No wonder she’s class monitor!”

“At this rate, she might break into the first tier by next semester.”

“Whew! I can’t wait to see her neural reaction score. At this pace, our city may soon have its first dual-specialty mech warrior!”

The students’ praise for Angel was effusive—very different from their attitude toward Nangong Yuchen. After all, the girl had been a prodigy since entering the academy; her growth was witnessed by all. By contrast, Nangong Yuchen’s sudden leap was shocking and made many uncomfortable. It was the feeling of being suddenly surpassed by someone once considered worthless.

At that moment, Nangong Yuchen was watching the girl at the head of the line, recalling the things she had said to him outside the Crystal Wall two nights before, falling into deep thought.

Angel! What are you really trying to say?

While he was lost in thought, Liu Wen switched off the speed-testing machines and addressed the students: “Last test: neural reaction!”

He spoke as he led the way to a small, isolated room at the back of the hall, seemingly having completely forgotten about Nangong Yuchen.

“No test for me?” Nangong Yuchen’s face turned cold. He hadn’t expected Liu Wen to so brazenly target him. Every student was required to take all three tests!

“Mr. Liu, aren’t you forgetting someone?” Shangguan Luohua, who had been observing quietly from the back, finally spoke.

“Ah, Luohua, the administration keeps pressing me for this month’s results. Time is tight, so let’s not waste any more,” Liu Wen said, feigning urgency.

At this, Shangguan Luohua’s brows drew together. She was about to protest when Nangong Yuchen spoke up first. “Waste time? Mr. Liu, are you saying my speed is that bad?”

“Of course!” Liu Wen replied without hesitation. “Or do you think your speed has skyrocketed too?”

He flipped open the results log, pointing to the previous months. “In August, you ran 12 meters per second. September, 12.5. October, 13. What do you think you’ll manage this month, in November?”

“Your strength qualifies, so I’ll just enter 14 meters for your speed—still not passing.”

“See? Nangong Yuchen offended Liu Wen, and now he’s getting his revenge.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. But honestly, Liu Wen isn’t wrong. He even gave Nangong Yuchen an extra half meter. Everyone knows he used to train all three categories, but now that his strength has improved so drastically, he must have neglected or abandoned the others. Finishing quicker means we get out of here sooner. Not a bad deal.”

“Yeah, you have a point. Otherwise, there’s no way his strength would have jumped so much.”

…

“Heh.” Nangong Yuchen suddenly laughed. Staring at Liu Wen’s shameless face, he strode to the speed-testing machine and retorted loudly, “Sorry, but I’m a stickler for facts. Unlike Mr. Liu, who can just alter students’ scores as he pleases!”

His words were sharp, especially the last line, which directly indicted Liu Wen.

So what if he was just a physical fitness examiner? What did it matter if he offended him completely?

Behind him, Shangguan Luohua saw the hall grow restless again. She was about to intervene when she caught sight of Nangong Yuchen’s eyes. Instantly, she held back, choosing instead to watch how things would unfold.

For what she saw in his eyes—something no one else had noticed—was a powerful, unwavering confidence. Confidence that radiated from deep within Nangong Yuchen’s gaze.