Chapter 33: Lost at the Starting Line

Editor: Tehrn

"As long as you made it, I’d eat it even if it was poisonous," Wang Tong patted his chest as he spoke.

"I will hold you to it," Ma Xiaoru spoke with a sweet voice and followed the rest of their classmates into the classroom.

Wang Tong noticed that Ma Xiaoru had braided her hair into a ponytail, his favorite style, it looked even prettier on her than on any other girl.

Hu Yangxuan finally walked into the classroom after he had completed his piano performance. He was surprised to see that Wang Tong had taken his seat back.

"Wang Tong, you said..."

"Ahh, excuse me Hu Yangxuan, I didn't realize that the classroom regulations forbade exchanging seats at will."

"That's right; we should all strictly follow the rules of the classroom."

"That's right."

Wang Tong wasn't surprised at the fact that Hu Yangxuan seemed to be even less popular than him, after all, he must appear to be much less of a threat.

Hu Yangxuan acted mature and replied calmly, "That's fine, and congratulations on your excellent performance yesterday. I wish I could have an opportunity to spar with you for a round or two."

Wang Tong did not answer him as if he didn't hear what Hu Yangxuan had just said. All the other boys were surprised as they didn't expect Wang Tong to change from soup to nuts in one day.

Hu Yangxuan didn't lose his composure, as he knew that it would only be a short stay at the F class for him. Soon he would attend the A Class with Ma Xiaoru, and he would have endless opportunities. In addition, he could use his continuing support of Ayrlarng as a bargaining chip to win some favor from the principal for his cause.

Hu Yangxuan had always been patient with his prey.

Ma Xiaoru made a circle with the tip of her thumb and her index finger, signaling to Wang Tong a job well done.

Ma Xiaoru had rejected Hu Yangxuan once before, but Hu Yangxuan had been persistent in his efforts. The way he saw it, he would have the rights of pursuing her as long as she did not have a boyfriend.

Although being persistent, Hu Yangxuan never came off as pushy. From his presence at Ayrlarng to his morning piano performance, he had done it without giving Ma Xiaoru too much pressure.

"Why are people so different?" Ma Xiaoru asked herself, "One agitated like a blaze while the other is as cold as ice."

Although it had been a painful few weeks of waiting, the monthly test had finally arrived. The test was about as destructive as Samantha's beauty, and after one day of testing, Wang Tong felt a bit dizzy. Clearly, the teachers of Ayrlarng were trying to send a message through the test.

Although Wang Tong had found the questions on the test hard, neither Ma Xiaoru nor Hu Yangxuan felt the same, and neither did any of the students from the A class.

The next test was METAL combat, time to take off the gloves. Regardless of which faculty one graduated from, as a soldier, it was only a matter of time before one stood face to face with a Zerg. Therefore a METAL combat test was necessary for every student.

Despite the fact that METAL combat was more important to a METAL fighter, it did not mean that the students of the commander faculties were weak. Ma Xiaoru, for example, was living proof of a powerful METAL fighter in the commander faculty.

The subject of the exam sounded easier said than done; it was called "Needle threading".

Fortunately for everyone, the examiner didn't take the test title too literally. Instead of threading a needle, the students would be threading a copper hoop that was three inches in diameter.

Everyone was surprised at the unconventional testing method. Every student had five minutes to complete the test, during which time the student needed to engage a cotton thread with their soul power and guide the thread through the loop.

The distance to pass the test was six meters away from the hoop, but with every other meter, the student would gain ten more points.

This was not a simple test of brute strength, but rather a test of students' control and manipulation of their power. Should one use too much strength, the fragile wire would simply disintegrate.

Although strange and unconventional, this test method could be applied to students in all years since it only tested the student's skills.

To the students, it was a rather refreshing method of testing, and it had quickly piqued their interest. Through trial runs, students had figured that the easiest way to complete the test would be to first, infuse the thread with soul energy and allow it to become stiff, then one could throw the thread towards the hoop like throwing a dart. However, the soul energy had to remain steady and strong; otherwise, the thread could go astray very easily.

Most students felt comfortable with six meters, although there were a few that lacked patience and had given up on the test after a couple of trials.

With the helpful suggestions and advice from the ones that had failed, the ones following them had learned about the key factor to passing the test: the soul energy had to be steady.

However, as they pushed their distance even one meter further, they found their precision decreased dramatically.

Five minutes seemed very long, but it felt like a fleeting moment while the students were engrossed in the test.

There were hails and more sighs rising and falling inside the classroom, as everyone seemed to be enjoying watching the test like a show, in which one brief second would define one's success or failure.

Suddenly a loud hail erupted as Hu Yangxuan, the new trouble maker, had completed the test with a distance of twelve meters. It was the best record across the entire four years of students. This had also upset the boys in the F class as they had realized the gaps with their competitor were not only in looks but also in skills.

Soon it was Ma Xiaoru's turn. Hu Yangxuan couldn't help but draw all of his attention to her. After all, it would be exciting to watch Ma Xiaoru's performance with the help of the Tactics of the Enchantress.

Even the instructor of METAL combat was interested as he was curious about the power of one of the five deadliest tactics.

Ma Xiaoru stood at the starting line calmly as purple-colored soul energy flashed around her. In contrast to what everyone else had done, Ma Xiaoru carefully channeled her soul energy into the thread forcing the thread to slowly but surely glide toward its target.

The classroom suddenly quieted, fearing they would disturb Ma Xiaoru, an unnecessary consideration for such a powerful fighter as Ma Xiaoru. But it sure had helped her to concentrate on what she was doing. The instructor nodded approvingly as the thread passed through one after another copper loops.

The instructor was very impressed, as he figured that Ma Xiaoru's ability to control her power was even beyond his own. He doubted that he could move the thread using his soul power this far without throwing it like a dart.

Finally, Ma Xiaoru took a gentle breath as the thread drifted away and fell to the ground. Fifteen meters was her final score.

The class immediately erupted with applause, Ma Xiaoru bowed, polite as ever.

All the while, Wang Tong had been calculating his odds of passing the monthly exam. Despite his slow math, he figured that he might have failed every other subject except for the dissecting class. So much for Ma Xiaoru's tutoring efforts. He conceded that he had to do exceptionally well on this test to even have a chance of passing the monthly exam.

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