Chapter 00033: A Stunning Debut
# A Stunning Debut
Chapter 33
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 33: A Stunning Debut
Early the next morning, before the enrollment assessment had even begun, the Puhai Martial Arts Square was already bustling with people.
On the first day of the gene fusion compatibility test, a group of exceptionally talented geniuses had emerged.
The first name on the massive electronic ranking screen was Aixi, with an assessment score of S (96.0073) from Jianqiao University.
Aixi, the top-ranked student, was a young girl from Europe with an astonishing gene fusion compatibility of 96%, solidly placing her in the S-tier.
But she wasn’t the only one.
Muruku, from Africa, also achieved an S-tier score, just barely crossing the threshold with a 95% compatibility rate.
The students who had arrived on the first day brimming with confidence now felt uneasy after seeing the gene fusion compatibility scores of others.
Most of the students participating in the assessment for the top ten academies on Blue Star had already undergone gene fusion compatibility tests themselves.
However, even tests conducted at the most authoritative institutions, such as the Puhai Square’s Huaxia Martial Arts Gene Testing Center, weren’t entirely accurate, with potential errors of up to 20 percentage points.
“Wanran, are you three really confident?” Geng Qianxing, who had entered the Puhai Martial Arts Square for the second time, couldn’t help but feel a bit uncertain.
To be honest, when he first arrived, he had been full of confidence.
The things Ding Huan had taught weren’t just beneficial for the three students—they had also greatly benefited him.
Moreover, Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi had always been brimming with confidence, which had further bolstered Geng Qianxing’s own assurance.
However, after seeing the partial results from the first round of assessments yesterday, Geng Qianxing had started to feel uneasy.
As the team leader, he couldn’t show any signs of discouragement, so he had held back from asking questions.
But today, upon seeing the massive rankings on the square—with two prominent S-tier scores and a slew of A-tier results—he couldn’t help but voice his concerns.
After asking, Geng Qianxing immediately regretted it.
As a teacher, he was supposed to motivate his students, not dampen their spirits.
What was he doing?
Li Wanran, who had always been confident, replied somewhat uncertainly, “Teacher Geng, even if we don’t achieve a high score in the first round of gene fusion compatibility testing, we should still pass, right? Our strengths lie in the third and fourth rounds of assessments.”
“That’s right. We’re absolutely confident about the third and fourth rounds,” Fang Chong chimed in, seemingly unaffected by the pressure.
The more he practiced the basic long fist technique, the more he felt his skills improving.
Unfortunately, he had only ever sparred with Lü Zi and Li Wanran, so he wasn’t sure how he would fare against outsiders.
Both Li Wanran and Lü Zi also practiced the basic long fist, and their sparring sessions always ended in a draw.
This was precisely why Fang Chong was looking forward to the third and fourth rounds of assessments.
“I should’ve had you all tested earlier,” Geng Qianxing said regretfully.
He wished he had taken the three of them to the Puhai Martial Arts Gene Testing Center beforehand, just to have a better idea of where they stood.
“Teacher Geng…” Huang Chengwei, who was heading toward the waiting area for Luohe Shangwu University, ran into Geng Qianxing and awkwardly greeted him.
To be honest, Huang Chengwei wasn’t happy with his parents’ arrangements.
Since he wasn’t going to pass the assessment anyway, he felt it was humiliating to be sitting in the waiting area for Luohe Shangwu University instead of staying at Yujiang University for the assessment training.
In his opinion, Professor Fu, who had been teaching them, was overrated.
After three months of training, Huang Chengwei felt he had only made minimal progress, despite the hefty fees.
He believed he would’ve been better off staying at Yujiang University, where there were at least two good teachers, including Ding Huan, who was both eloquent and inspiring.
Geng Qianxing’s knowledge of gene basics also seemed superior to Professor Fu’s.
Huang Chengwei couldn’t help but think that a big reputation didn’t necessarily mean great skill.
Geng Qianxing nodded without saying much and led his three students back to the isolated waiting area for Yujiang University.
He didn’t hold any resentment toward Huang Chengwei’s choice—after all, everyone wanted to aim higher—but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it lacked a sense of loyalty.
The assessment announcements began again, and waves of students entered the testing area to continue the first round of gene fusion compatibility testing.
As if timed perfectly, Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi were called in just as they were feeling the most nervous.
“Don’t be nervous. You’ve got this,” Geng Qianxing said, even though he himself was feeling anxious.
It was impossible not to be nervous, but the three students had no choice but to enter the testing area.
The gene fusion compatibility testing here was different from other places.
Instead of standing on a machine and placing their hands in testing slots, the students here had a needle inserted into the back of their hand.
Once blood was drawn, the test was complete.
Before Geng Qianxing could even sit down, the three students had already returned.
“That was fast! How did it go?” Geng Qianxing immediately asked.
Li Wanran shook her head. “We don’t know. They just pricked our hands, drew blood, and it was over. The whole thing took less than three minutes.”
“The results will be up on the big screen soon,” Lü Zi added.
Fang Chong scoffed. “Only the names of those who pass will appear on the screen, and they’ll need at least an E-tier score. If you don’t even get an E-tier, knowing your score is pointless. Wait, if we don’t get an E-tier, we won’t even make it to the third and fourth rounds…”
Fang Chong’s words trailed off as he stared at the massive electronic scoreboard in the square.
On the global ranking screen, the name at the top was none other than Lü Zi, with an S-tier score and a fusion compatibility rate of 98%.
“Lü Zi, you’re first! With a fusion compatibility rate of over 98%! How are you so good?” Fang Chong finally exclaimed.
At that moment, not only Fang Chong but also Geng Qianxing and Li Wanran were stunned.
They had all seen Lü Zi’s S-tier score.
The score was followed by a parenthesis, showing the exact fusion compatibility rate: 98.0339%.
A 98% fusion compatibility rate was almost unheard of in the history of the Blue Star top ten academies’ enrollment assessments.
Lü Zi clenched his fists.
He had always had a feeling that his results wouldn’t be bad, and now it had been proven true.
Moreover, only Teacher Ding knew that he had become a first-level gene cultivator.
As a first-level gene cultivator participating in this level of assessment, he was confident he could excel in the third and fourth rounds.
“Li Wanran, you’re also S-tier… Wait, Fang Chong, you’re S-tier too!” Geng Qianxing was so excited he could barely speak coherently.
Li Wanran and Fang Chong, who had just been envious of Lü Zi, were now equally stunned.
They saw their own names on the global ranking screen: Li Wanran in second place and Fang Chong in fourth.
On the global ranking screen for the first round of gene fusion compatibility testing, Li Wanran’s name was prominently displayed in the second column: Li Wanran, assessment score S (96.1107), Yujiang University.
Fang Chong’s name was in the fourth column: Fang Chong, assessment score S (95.2261), Yujiang University.
Aixi, who had been in first place earlier, had now dropped to third.
Geng Qianxing and the others were overwhelmed with excitement.
Meanwhile, outside the square, the families and friends of Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi were in disbelief, wondering if the electronic screen had malfunctioned.
When they realized the results were accurate, Li Wanran’s mother burst into tears.
Fang Chong’s father rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things.
He had assumed that after today’s assessment, his son would be out of the running.
But now, not only had Fang Chong passed the first round, he had achieved an S-tier score? Fang Chong’s father suddenly remembered how his son had always insisted that he was confident and that their teacher was exceptional.
He had dismissed it as mere talk, but now it seemed to be true.
Compared to Fang Chong’s father, who was completely stunned, Tan Bei, the principal of Yujiang University, was beside himself with excitement.
He kept rubbing his eyes, worried that he was hallucinating.
Deep down, he had always hoped that at least one student from Yujiang University would be admitted to one of the top ten academies on Blue Star, but he knew the chances were almost zero.
He had been deceiving himself, unwilling to accept that Yujiang University might fade into obscurity.
But what had he just seen? In the first round of assessments, Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi—all from Yujiang University—had achieved S-tier scores? And Lü Zi was temporarily in first place? His eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, were they? He had been rubbing them for a while now.
Tan Bei, who had experienced his fair share of life’s hardships, quickly snapped out of his daze and burst into laughter.
He turned around, wanting to share his excitement with some familiar faces, only to realize that there was no one around him.
His excitement quickly subsided.
It was in times of hardship that one truly knew who their real friends were.
Back when Yujiang University was thriving, he would’ve been surrounded by teachers and staff from various departments.
Now, he was all alone.
Wait, no—there was still Geng Qianxing.
Yes, Teacher Geng was a talented and loyal individual.
When he returned to Yujiang University, he would make sure to promote Geng Qianxing to a leadership position.
Only with teachers like Geng Qianxing could Yujiang University thrive in the long term.
(That’s all for today’s update.
Goodnight, everyone!)
(End of Chapter)