Chapter 110: Chapter 109 What to do? (5th update!)

The first round of assessment is over.

There’s a ten-minute break afterward, which also gives the distant observers time to evaluate and score.

Xu Lingjun sat in his chair, still feeling slightly uncomfortable…

His body wasn’t even close to reaching its limits.

But that discomfort felt like motion sickness, something not easily overcome by sheer physical toughness alone.

After a good two or three minutes…

He finally recovered.

“Here, put on your shoes.”

Su Huanqing came over carrying a brand-new box, handed Xu Lingjun a pair of shoes, and said, “I bought these for you while I was out. Are you feeling better? Do you need my help to put them on?”

Xu Lingjun politely said, “No need, thank you, Teacher Su.”

“Never mind, you seem pretty tired, so just rest for now. Let me help you put them on.”

Su Huanqing knelt down in front of Xu Lingjun and took off his ruined shoes.

Zong Xiaoping’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Su Huanqing kneeling before Xu Lingjun and exclaimed, “You… Teacher Su, why are you…”

“Oh, he’s my best friend’s younger brother. She couldn’t make it and asked me to take care of him.”

Su Huanqing casually explained while fitting the shoes onto Xu Lingjun’s feet and adjusting the laces.

She looked up at Xu Lingjun, who was looking down at her, and softly reassured him, “You don’t need to feel disheartened. That Li Jingjun is said to come from a big family with more than one Grandmaster in the Upper Realm. She received the best education from an early age. If you two were to compete in a fair environment, you would surely win. After all, in terms of physique, I have complete confidence in you.”

She recalled the day he fell from over a hundred meters high without a scratch and thought, is there anyone physically stronger than him?

Xu Lingjun was surprised, then amused, “Did you think I was feeling down?”

“Well… it’s just a pity.”

“It’s not a pity.”

Xu Lingjun smiled, “I’ve long known the world is unfair… Family influence is part of oneself. While I might complain about unfairness with that girl, surely someone else might be complaining about me.”

“As long as you have the right mindset. From your performance, I’m confident you’ll get into Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion, whether first or second. As long as you surpass the standard line, that’s enough; don’t set the bar too high for yourself.”

Su Huanqing stood up, clapped her hands, and laughed, “Do your best.”

Xu Lingjun nodded, looking at her tidied clothes, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia… If only it were Sister Yaya who had knelt before me just now.

If only I hadn’t lost those billions, Sister Yaya wouldn’t have cut off my opportunities afterward. It’s a pity.

Meanwhile,

the results of the assessment were already displayed on the floating board not far away.

First place, Li Jingjun, 140 points.

Second place, Xu Lingjun, 137 points!

Third place, Zong Xiaoping, 122 points!

After that… the scores kept dropping…

“So her name is Li Jingjun.”

Xu Lingjun glanced into the distance, meeting the girl’s intense gaze. Noticing Xu Lingjun’s attention, she quickly averted her eyes.

He couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but he sensed some unwillingness or even unease in her gaze.

At this moment,

Someone couldn’t help but call out in a stunned voice, “Wasn’t it said that qualifying depended on enduring the initial tenfold gravity? Why do I only have a little over seventy points? I’m nearly twenty points short of qualifying.”

Other people also couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.

Indeed, the scores kept dropping… it was somewhat unexpected how low the scores were for those who exited early.

“If there hadn’t been that last round of twenty-five times gravity, you would indeed have qualified. But, unfortunately, because there were too many extraordinary individuals in your group, the standard was raised. It’s that simple.”

Gu Xi walked over from afar, clapped his hands, signaling everyone to gather.

Seeing that Xu Lingjun was still in good spirits, Su Huanqing reassuringly patted him on the shoulder, indicating him to keep it up.

Then she gave Zong Xiaoping a few more words of advice before turning to leave.

Zong Xiaoping got up, gave Xu Lingjun a curious look, and said, “I didn’t know you had that kind of relationship with Teacher Su… You didn’t tell her about what I said about finding her fiance, did you?”

Xu Lingjun laughed and shook his head, saying, “Don’t worry, I’m not the gossipy type.”

“Then that’s good.”

Zong Xiaoping paused, then said, “I can’t believe Teacher Su is willing to help you put on shoes voluntarily. When a woman willingly kneels to help a man with his shoes…”

He suddenly looked at Xu Lingjun with an epiphany, “She must be very close to your sister, right?”

Xu Lingjun nodded, saying, “Sister Yaya said they used to be in a state where everything could be shared.”

“In that case, you could easily find out who her fiance actually is through your sister…”

Zong Xiaoping got excited.

“Exams first, exams first.”

Xu Lingjun patted his shoulder, suggesting, “You didn’t perform well in the first round, barely getting third place, even a bit behind me. Though I did benefit from some Body Forging, it might have been an extraordinary performance, but you definitely underperformed.”

“Uh… yes… indeed.”

Zong Xiaoping’s expression turned somewhat awkward.

Thinking to himself, Damn, I already gave it my all, but you’re such a monster… Twenty-five times gravity could be life-threatening.

But who would’ve thought someone could be even more monstrous than Old Xu.

He looked over at Li Jingjun.

She was still in black attire, her expression calm, as if she wasn’t the one who got first place.

When they lined up, she deliberately stood beside Xu Lingjun and whispered, “I took advantage of you this time. Didn’t expect someone like you among those two monsters, but I’m taking the top spot in this Dragon Gate Examination.”

With that, she turned her head away as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

What she didn’t know was that just the one sentence made Xu Lingjun’s gaze toward her instantly become gentle.

At first, she looked at him with a normal, unimpressed look, as if he were just a stranger.

Xu Lingjun hated his own face for this reason; it prevented him from interacting with women normally…

Unexpectedly, there was indeed a woman who could face him so normally.

Thinking of that, he smiled, “Mm, do your best.”

Li Jingjun: “…………………..”

Once everyone was in position.

Gu Xi then chuckled, “Low scores don’t matter, blame it on the strong contestants you faced… If this were a battlefield, meeting teammates like these would be a lifelong blessing. But in an examination setting, you’re just destined to be unfortunate.”

Upon hearing this,

everyone looked at Xu Lingjun and Li Jingjun with less than friendly gazes.

Zong Xiaoping was excellent too, but his excellence was within the range of normal people.

But these two…

Twenty-five times gravity, something they didn’t even dare to think about.

“Don’t blame others; being outperformed has nothing to say. Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion is not a place for ordinary beings. If you don’t blame your lack of skills and instead blame others for being too strong, this mindset won’t sustain you at Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion.”

Gu Xi displayed an amused smile and said, “Now, has everyone rested well?”

“No.”

The crowd replied lazily.

“Then the next test shall be something relaxed.”

Gu Xi reached over, took a handgun from an assistant, and smiled, “The second round tests your firearms shooting skills.”

This time, Xu Lingjun’s face fell immediately.

Shooting?

He’d never shot a gun before; what should he do now?