nagpurpolice Chapter 31 In the world of martial arts, strength reigns supreme! Conflicts arising from the running
Chapter 31 In the world of martial arts, strength reigns supreme! Conflicts arising from the running
"To be honest, your recent exam scores have improved significantly compared to before!"
He pointed at Su Chen with the cup lid, his tone filled with undisguised affirmation: "That deserves praise!"
Su Chen chuckled.
Having lived two lives, one should theoretically be immune to this kind of praise.
But when I actually heard it, I felt really happy.
"However..." Zhou Qingguo changed the subject, put down his thermos, and placed his hands on the table with his hands crossed. "The results of the meeting did not mention whether we would provide special funding for students with grades like yours."
He looked at Su Chen with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and also a knowing look in them.
"You may need to pay for your own training."
Su Chen nodded but didn't reply.
For Chen Xue, those above 660 might only be able to receive a portion of the special funds.
My score... is way off.
"Next," Zhou Qingguo continued, "students who tame beasts will receive extra resource rewards because of their beasts. However, overall, the resources are not much, definitely not enough to raise and strengthen their beasts."
"For the vast majority of people, if they were to forcibly train beast tamers, they would definitely have to take a large portion of their own resources."
"But you...shouldn't be too worried about these things."
"Your parents will definitely talk to you about the specifics once they know about the new regulations. I won't say any more."
He picked up the cup, blew on the foam, and then put it down.
"However, as your homeroom teacher, I still have to ask: what are your thoughts?"
His tone became more serious: "Although your parents are well-off, don't think you can rely on your beast taming skills to carry you. The new rules clearly state that if a beast tamer performs significantly better than you, not only will they not get a high score, but they will also lose a lot of points! You need to understand this."
Su Chen paused for two seconds, organizing his thoughts.
"Teacher Zhou, I understand this principle."
"I don't treat beast taming as a skill for the sake of results; I treat it as a partnership."
"Whether it's the college entrance exam or a practical assessment, the core is always myself. Beast taming is a means to help me make up for my weaknesses and increase my tactical options, not a tool to take the exam for me."
"Furthermore..." He paused, considering his words, "I think the scoring logic of the new rules should be based on the level of teamwork and coordination, not simply on whose pet is stronger."
"So my current approach is to train with Xiao Zi more in daily life and work together to achieve that level of synergy, like two animals working as one. We need to push our abilities to the limit! That's in line with the new scoring criteria."
"As for resources..." Su Chen smiled, not saying it explicitly, but the meaning in his smile was clear: My family can afford it.
After listening, Zhou Qingguo nodded. "Good! It's good that you understand this."
He leaned back in his chair, his tone becoming more relaxed: "Your parents don't earn money easily, but you're an only child! After the eight-year apocalypse, which family didn't have three, five, or even seven or eight children? Your parents only have you!! Don't be fooled by their silence; they definitely hope you'll be successful!!! Your current performance lives up to their expectations. I hope you continue to work hard!"
Hearing this, Su Chen felt a warmth in her heart, and even a little tingly.
His family wasn't very happy in his previous life, but his parents in this life are truly wonderful! He also wants to make a name for himself!
"I know, Teacher Zhou."
"Alright, go ahead."
Su Chen turned around, walked to the door, and opened it.
"Oh, right!" Zhou Qingguo's voice came from behind.
Su Chen turned around in confusion.
"Do you think you can get into the top 350 in the grade for the next monthly exam?"
Su Chen paused for a moment, then smiled: "I'll give it a try."
"Haha, I haven't told your dad about your results from those two mini-tests yet. I'm planning to see if you can maintain that level during this week's test. If you do... well, you can tell him yourself!"
"Okay! I guarantee I'll give my parents a real fright. They'll have a heart attack from the shock!"
"Haha~ Go ahead."
.......
In the corridor.
The moment Su Chen stepped out, he felt much lighter.
Sunlight streamed in through the window at the end of the corridor, falling brightly on the terrazzo floor.
He took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the thoughts in his mind about special resources and special treatment for geniuses.
No need to be so sour!
They earned that through genuine skill.
I already have a cheat code, what's the rush?
He looked down, took out his phone, and glanced at the time.
There's still a while before my run with Wang Yichuan.
He glanced at the pet space again, almost unconsciously.
[Task 1 is refreshing...]
Countdown: 44 minutes and 21 seconds
It'll be soon!
Su Chen licked his lips, already planning what would happen next.
After Xiao Zi consumed a Wind and Thunder Pill last time, her seven skills gained an average of 150 experience points.
Three days, seven skills, that adds up to over a thousand points!
Even if I cheated the whole time and took a lot of drugs every day, it wasn't much more exaggerated than this.
"One Wind and Thunder Pill can have this effect?"
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed.
If the Fenglei Pill sold on the market had the same effect, he would definitely buy it from others at a high price!
But Su Chen knew in his heart that it was probably because the system's products were always of the highest quality.
The same kind of pill can have vastly different effects, just like how a single batch of pills in a cultivation novel can be divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and extreme.
The Fenglei Dan on the market costs eight to ten thousand for human use and even more for animal use, ranging from twenty to thirty thousand.
The three pills provided by the system are at least three to four times more effective than similar products on the market.
"Anyway, money isn't an issue. I can buy a commercially available veterinary Wind and Thunder Pill and compare the results."
Su Chen silently made a mental note of it.
He glanced at the task refresh countdown again.
[43 minutes 17 seconds]
It'll be soon!
I wonder what level of mission it is this time.
Is it even harder than Mission 3?
Or is Task 1 itself relatively simple?
Su Chen rubbed his hands together, a little excited.
The contract period for humanoid pets is too short. If you want high rewards, you still have to rely on Xiao Zi.
"Just in time for the new regulations..."
As he walked downstairs, he muttered to himself, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.
"Teacher Zhou said that we will be allowed to bring beasts to the practical assessment this week."
"Then I'm going to show off my skills!"
He took a deep breath, suppressed his barely contained excitement, and looked at the mission.
Task 1: 3km Race
Task details: (omitted)
Progress: Omitted
Rewards: Pet Energy x100, Ice Jade Essence Pill x5
"Time to go play some games."
One hundred energy points! That's enough for four days' worth of use.
Su Chen turned the corner of the stairs with light steps, silently making plans in her mind.
"The Ice Skin Jade Marrow Pill can cleanse the meridians and widen acupoints..."
"It's a system-generated product; I wonder just how exaggerated the effects will be!"
Just thinking about it made him incredibly eager to get his hands on it.
.......
Track No. 4.
When Su Chen arrived, there were about twenty people scattered in twos and threes along the side of the track.
Wang Yichuan was chatting with Liu Xiangdong, Guo Hao, and others.
In the rest area, Lin Xiyue sat in the stands drinking water.
Zhang Yan was panting heavily, her hands supporting her knees, her ponytail half-undone, clearly indicating that she had just finished running.
Su Chen walked over, stood next to Zhang Yan, and gestured with his chin towards the track: "What... are you doing?"
Zhang Yan straightened up and wiped the sweat from her face.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she was still panting as she spoke.
"A running race! It was suggested by Liu Xiangdong and a few others. 1,000 meters, 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters, divided into four rounds, with five runs in each round."
"The 24 people are divided into six groups of four. The first place gets 24 points and the last place gets 1 point."
"After each round, the teams' total scores are compared. Later, there might be additional weight-bearing conditions or something, and you'll have to keep running! It's essentially a test of endurance."
Su Chen glanced at the crowd.
Wang Yichuan and the others appear to be team captains, calculating the scores of each team in the first round.
"We just finished the first round of five 1000-meter races," Zhang Yan pointed her thumb towards the timer, "Now we have to run the 3000 meters, are you coming?"
Su Chen pondered for a moment.
"I'm okay with the 3,000 meters. But the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters... are my weak points. My performance is nowhere near yours."
His gaze swept across the faces of those people.
Although he didn't know them all, the dozen or so he did know all scored above 600.
The remaining few are probably not much worse, with an average score of around 640.
Zhang Yan's speed is probably among the bottom three in this group!
Zhang Yan's eyes lit up when she heard Su Chen say this.
"Very good!"
Then she immediately realized she had been too excited, so she composed herself and adopted a serious expression: "What I mean is, since it's a weak point, we need to practice it properly! This is a good opportunity..."
"Tch~ You act like you can beat me?" Su Chen interrupted her.
"My endurance is pretty good!" Zhang Yan said, hands on her hips. "Although it takes me eight minutes to run three kilometers, I only need about twenty-eight and a half minutes for ten kilometers, with a fluctuation of about twenty seconds."
"Twenty-eight and a half minutes?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. "Before the apocalypse, the world record for the 10,000 meters was twenty-six minutes and eleven seconds. Your time... is terrible!"
This is a phrase that the speed subject teacher often uses in class, and Su Chen just used it casually.
Zhang Yan's eyes widened: "Hmph! Can you run it in 26 minutes?"
"Hehe~ Maybe?"
Zhang Yan paused, her eyes shifting from anger to suspicion: "No... can you really break 26 minutes?"
"Haha~ Just kidding, you actually believed it?"
"You! I'm going to bite you to death!!!"
Zhang Yan stomped her foot, her ponytail swinging like a rattle.
But her anger came and went quickly. She glanced at the crowd gathering on the track, then turned back, her eyes shining.
"Come on, let's go! Let them add you. That way, we'll have another one at the bottom!" she said, reaching out to tug at Su Chen's sleeve.
"Can you outrun me in 3000 meters? Also, is it convenient to add more people?"
"Convenient! What's inconvenient about it? There were only twenty people at the beginning, and four more joined halfway through the first round. Speed is your strong point, and you're no worse than me, so why can't you do it?"
Without saying a word, Zhang Yan pulled Su Chen toward the crowd.
.........
Liu Xiangdong and several others were gathered around the timer, holding a tablet with the scores of the six teams on it.
Wang Yichuan stood to his left, next to a tall boy in a dark blue training uniform with a stern face.
Su Chen recognized him; it was Guo Hao from Class 5, who was very familiar with Liu Xiangdong, and the two were regular teammates during the practical assessment.
When Zhang Yan pulled Su Chen over, Liu Xiangdong was swiping his finger on a tablet, discussing something with Guo Hao.
"I have a friend here, can we add him?" Zhang Yan's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it.
Several pairs of eyes turned towards them at the same time.
Su Chen stood next to Zhang Yan, his expression calm.
Most of the people present knew him.
It wasn't because of his good grades, but because he had been a regular in the honors class for over two years!
In addition, he was close to Wang Yichuan, Lin Xiyue and others, so he had many opportunities to show his face.
Guo Hao frowned instantly when he saw Su Chen: "We've already done one round of work, and you're adding more people at the last minute..."
His tone wasn't harsh, but his refusal was clear.
Zhang Yan put her hands on her hips and said, "This isn't an official competition, so it's normal to add people halfway through, right? Besides, we added people after only running half the first round, didn't we?"
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Liu Xiangdong for a moment, and she curled her lip: "Besides, Liu Xiangdong's grades aren't even as good as Sister Xiyue's. What kind of captain is he? We might as well dismantle his team. That would make five five-person teams."
A few people nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Liu Xiangdong's smile was a little awkward, but he didn't reply.
In this kind of situation, only Zhang Yan could speak like that.
She was telling the truth, but to others it sounded somewhat disrespectful. However, everyone knew her personality, so no one really took it to heart.
Guo Hao glanced at Liu Xiangdong, and seeing that he didn't speak, he spoke up himself.
"We're grouping people by performance. The four people added in the first round all ran the 3000 meters in under 7 minutes and 50 seconds. What was Su Chen's time?"
His tone was direct, and he was stating the facts.
But this condescending attitude...
Zhang Yan was about to retort.
"Um," Wang Yichuan took half a step forward, "I made plans to go running with Brother Chen a few days ago, how about I..."
"It's nothing!" Su Chen patted Zhang Yan's shoulder, interrupting Wang Yichuan.
He looked at Guo Hao and said in a low voice, "My current time is about 3 kilometers, I should be able to run it in under eight minutes. If you're just comparing speed, adding me shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Within eight minutes?"
Wang Yichuan blurted out, his expression shifting from worry to shock and surprise.
On Monday, he was in Group A for the speed test. He finished the test and left immediately, then went straight to the training mission.
He just got back today and hasn't had a chance to check his results yet. In his memory, Su Chen ran a time of 8 minutes and 08 seconds on Sunday, which was already a huge improvement.
You've made a huge improvement in just a few days?
"Within eight minutes? Didn't you just say the joint entrance exam time was 8 minutes and 23 seconds?"
"I'm telling the truth, both sentences are the truth." Su Chen said, turning his gaze to Liu Xiangdong, "Besides, aren't you and Liu Xiangdong quite good friends? He saw my score on the speed test last time, he should know that."
Guo Hao paused for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and subconsciously glanced at Liu Xiangdong.
He did know that Liu Xiangdong and Su Chen were from the same community and had frequent contact.
Liu Xiangdong nodded, his tone flat: "Yes, 8 minutes and 2.44 seconds."
Upon seeing Liu Xiangdong's confirmation, Guo Hao's expression turned grim.
If he refuses again, it won't just be a matter of grades; it will be that I'm targeting him.
Guo Hao remained silent, and the atmosphere froze.
Su Chen sighed inwardly.
He knew that by getting involved in this matter today, he was being seen by others as someone who was deliberately looking for trouble.
But from his perspective...
The moment Zhang Yan pulled him over, and he didn't resist.
The contradiction was thus inevitable!
Guo Hao wasn't even that familiar with him, but the look in his eyes clearly showed that he looked down on him from the bottom of his heart! It was as if they had a grudge.
If it were Liu Xiangdong, there wouldn't be so much trouble.
In this situation, Su Chen's personality clearly wouldn't allow him to politely say, "Ah, it's okay, I won't trouble you, I'll just wait here."
A martial arts world where strength reigns supreme.
This is not politeness, it's servility and cowardice!
If you are strong, others will respect you!
If you are weak, others will look down on you!
This isn't snobbery, it's instinct!
Of course, if Su Chen had followed suit and left with Wang Yichuan the moment he expressed his intention to withdraw, it might have left Guo Hao and the others in an awkward position.
Given Zhang Yan's personality, she will most likely go with him.
But this is a method usually used by elementary school students and girls. They form cliques, practice isolationism, and try to make themselves seem valuable!
But in a war between men, only the strong reign supreme!
With this thought in mind, Su Chen looked directly into Guo Hao's eyes.
Sensing Su Chen's calm yet sharp and intense gaze, Guo Hao was not to be outdone.
The two stared at each other, and the air seemed to thicken with tension; those around them could sense it too.
Even Zhang Yan didn't know what to say at this moment.
Su Chen suddenly chuckled and asked, "What was your 3000-meter time in the joint entrance exam?"