After receiving another 10,000 points from Mia, Anos walked up to the crystal under everyone's gaze. Many people who didn't know what was going on thought, "Wait, isn't Anos a waste? How could he be a Qi Building Realm 5-star?"
"Release it," Sofia said, her interest in Anos piqued. Perhaps it was because he was the first person to dare flirt with her, but she paid closer attention to him than usual.
Anos placed his hand on the crystal and released his Qi Building Realm 5-star energy. However, the energy he released was only detectable as a Qi Building Realm 5-star level, masking his true strength. As long as he didn't release any higher-level energy, his true level would remain undetectable!
The crystal emitted a light, but its color remained unchanged. Sofia's eyes widened in surprise, "En?" She hadn't expected this outcome.
"Alright." Anos withdrew his hand, his expression calm.
"Qi Building Realm 5-star, spiritual energy 20% higher than the standard, but why do you have no attributes?" Sasha asked, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Anos.
Anos was taken aback, realizing he hadn't noticed this before. He indeed lacked elemental attributes; his meridians flowed with pure spiritual energy, untainted by fire, water, or any other element. This meant he was at a disadvantage compared to those with elemental attributes.
However, Anos didn't seem to mind. He appeared content, almost smug, as if he knew something others didn't.
"Do you want to know why?" Anos asked, gazing at Sofia.
"Speak!" Sofia replied, her curiosity piqued.
"Because you shine as brightly as the stars in the sky, making everything about me seem dull and dim. I don't have the fiery passion of red, nor the calming essence of blue..."
The onlookers were left speechless, unsure how to react to Anos's poetic words.
Sofia's lips curled into a sly smile as she responded, "Do you think I won't suffocate you?"
The crowd below burst into laughter at Sofia's witty retort, impressed by her quick thinking. However, they were also shocked that Anos had dared to flirt with Sofia, the strict instructor!
Anos, meanwhile, remained silent, a hint of a smile on his face.
Anos knew he couldn't afford to offend Sofia, so he played it safe. He didn't earn any scumbag points this time, but instead, got outmaneuvered.
"Yes, I believe everything you say!" Anos replied, trying to appease Sofia.
"Then why don't you have any attributes?" Sofia pressed, her eyes narrowing.
Anos shook his head, feigning ignorance. "I really don't know! !"
Sofia waved her hand dismissively. "You may leave."
As Anos departed, Sofia announced, " Anos, no attributes, 20 points deducted."
As Anos walked away, he stumbled upon hearing Sofia's words. "Damn! Miss Sofia can't be serious, right? Why is my spiritual energy 20% higher than the standard? And why is she deducting 20 points from me?" He had already lost 40 points, and another 20-point deduction would be disastrous!
Sofia smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm the teacher. Do you have any objections, Anos?"
Anos forced a helpless smile, trying to appease her. "No, you're beautiful, so whatever you say is right!" He hoped his flattery would soften the blow.
....
"Who told you to flirt with Miss Sofia and court death?" Mia asked, her voice dripping with schadenfreude. "You've been remembered."
Sasha also felt a sense of relief wash over her. "Serves you right!"
Anos, however, remained unfazed. "Don't panic, I can still make a comeback!"
"How?" Mia scoffed. "You're already 20 points below the passing mark."
Anos grinned confidently. "With my handsomeness, it's enough!" He seemed to believe his charm could overcome any obstacle.
Fatty Tom said, "Brother Anos, even if you manage to snatch a crystal in the final round, you'll only get 10 points... With hundreds of people competing for a few crystals, do you really think you can make a comeback? You still need to help me."
Anos was taken aback, feeling a hint of panic creeping in....
But then, Sasha's eyes widened as she suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute... You easily defeated Jayden, so you shouldn't be at the Qi Building Realm. There's something fishy going on here."
Anos shrugged nonchalantly. "What's wrong with that? Geniuses can overpower opponents in the same realm, can't they?"
Just then, a student pushed a peculiar machine into the room. It resembled a height-measuring device, but with a twist - it had a spreadsheet-like interface with 10 squares. The strongest individuals would light up all 10 squares, indicating their exceptional abilities. A soft, glowing spot on the machine seemed to be inviting challengers to attack.
"The second round of the strength test is next," the instructor announced. "Punch with all your might, but without releasing any attribute power. The stronger your punch, the more squares will light up. Boys need to light up at least 5 squares to pass, while girls need to light up 4 squares. Those with higher scores will earn points, while those with lower scores will lose points. Let's begin!"
One by one, the students stepped forward, unleashing powerful fists. A full-strength punch from a Qi Building Realm Five Star could easily kill an adult cow, yet the machine withstood the impacts without sustaining any damage.
Out of the over 200 participants, more than half failed to meet the standard, with only a handful barely scraping by. Fatty Tom, Sasha, and Mia were among those who had points deducted due to their poor performance.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Anos stepped forward once more. He touched the tip of his nose, then turned to Sofia with a curious expression. "Miss Sofia, how much strength can this machine withstand?" he asked, his tone laced with a hint of mischief.
Sofia paused for a moment before responding, "Qi Building Realm Eight Star, what's your concern?"
Anos smiled innocently. "No, I'm just worried that a punch with too much strength might break the machine."
The crowd was taken aback, unsure how to react to Anos's unexpected concern.
Then, someone burst out laughing. "Hahaha... You want to break the machine like that? If you break it, I'll eat hot shit! Hahaha."
The crowd couldn't help but erupt into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.
Sofia chuckled and reassured Anos, "You don't have to worry about that."
"What if my punch is too strong?" Anos asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "I don't have any special abilities, but my natural strength is far greater than normal people. I'm worried that a full-strength punch might..."
Sofia threw up her hands in exasperation. "If it breaks, I won't hold you responsible, okay? Just go ahead."
Anos nodded, then walked over to the machine and delivered a light, almost casual punch to the top of it. The machine beeped in response, and three boxes lit up: Di di di — —.
The crowd watched in surprise, expecting a more intense display of strength from Anos. Instead, he seemed to be holding back.
"Hahaha... you think you can break it with that puny punch? I'm dying of laughter!" someone joked.
"Pfft... this is embarrassing," another person chimed in. "A grown man only manages three boxes? Even the weakest one can get at least four, right?"
But in the next instant, the machine suddenly beeped rapidly: Di di di di — —. All ten boxes were filled in an instant, and then the machine let out a frantic "di di" sound before exploding in front of Anos....
The crowd was left stunned, their jaws dropping in unison: "…" What the fuck?!
"'Ding... acting cool successful, scumbag value + 10000.'" Anos's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the system's notification.
He turned to the crowd with a mischievous grin and said, "The one who wanted to swallow hot shit, come out."
The student who had made the comment earlier froze, his face turning bright red. He twitched the corner of his mouth, trying to come up with a retort, but ultimately remained silent, unable to respond.
"See you in the washroom after the exam," Anos said with a sly smile, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Then, he turned to Sofia, his expression suddenly transforming into one of innocence. "Miss Sofia..."
Sofia stared blankly at the machine, now emitting black smoke, her mind reeling in shock. How is this possible? She had sensed Anos releasing the power of a Qi Building Stage 5 star, but she couldn't understand how he had broken the machine. The discrepancy between his apparent strength and the destruction he had caused left her baffled.
...
That's right, Anos was initially releasing the power of a Qi Building Stage 5 star, but it wasn't even his full strength. However, in the split second after his fist landed on the machine, Anos unleashed a hidden force that surpassed even the power of a Qi Building Stage 8 star, shattering the machine! This concealed force was incredibly difficult to detect.
The other teachers were left dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost!
Anos's , a sly smile played on his lips. "Miss Sofia, I told you I have a lot of strength, and you said you wouldn't hold me responsible," Anos reminded her, his expression innocent.
Sofia's smile grew wider as she realized that there was indeed something extraordinary about Anos. He was pretending to be weak! It had to be!
"Indeed, strength is a blessing. I said I wouldn't hold you responsible, and I won't," Sofia replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Then, can I get extra points?" Anos asked, raising an eyebrow. He had broken the machine, after all, so he expected a reward.
Sofia picked up Anos's form and began writing on it. "10 points for damaging public property."
Anos's face fell. "What?! Didn't you say you wouldn't hold me responsible?" He couldn't believe Sofia's sudden change of heart.
Sofia's expression remained serene, but a hint of mischief danced in her eyes. It seemed she had outsmarted Anos this time.
Sofia explained matter-of-factly, "Yes, I said I wouldn't hold you responsible because I didn't need you to pay for it personally. However, the assessment rules are clear: damaging public property warrants a point deduction."
At this point, Sofia found Anos intriguing and decided to probe deeper. She wanted to uncover the extent of his hidden abilities!
However, Sofia's punishments for Anos weren't motivated by revenge. Even if he failed the assessment, she would still make an exception for him to enter the Sky Martial Court!
Sofia's actions were guided by her curiosity and interest in Anos's potential, rather than a desire for retribution.
...