Chapter 4
The reason Li Yang returned to school today was to make it in time for the military academy’s general assessment.
This assessment wasn’t an exam in the traditional sense; it was to determine whether students were eligible to register.
Getting into a military academy wasn’t easy. Li Yang knew from her previous life that there were political reviews and physical exams involved… but in this world, the political reviews were omitted, and the physical exam was much simpler and more straightforward—it measured one’s physical constitution value.
As long as the physical constitution value met the standard, a student could apply to the corresponding military academy.
China had many military academies. Apart from the two top-tier institutions, Zhongdu and Zhanxing, there were over thirty first-class academies and more than a hundred ordinary ones.
Most students would be satisfied just to get into an ordinary military academy. Getting into a first-class academy was equivalent to attending a 985 university in Li Yang’s former life.
As for Zhongdu and Zhanxing, they were elite schools that ordinary students could hardly dream of attending; even qualifying to apply was rare.
Around eight in the morning, students intending to apply gathered on the sports field.
They needed to register and pay the fee before being tested one by one in order.
Li Yang winced slightly when paying—300 yuan was not a small sum for her!
Other students didn’t seem to mind; they were used to it. To become a Star Executor, physical constitution value was a critical reference point, so almost every formal hospital in China could test it.
Going to a hospital for the test would cost at least 500 yuan, so the 300 yuan for the military academy’s general assessment actually saved money.
“I measured 63 yesterday. My mom made me drink old hen soup all day. Do you think I can reach 65 today?”
“Heh, did she put Spirit-Condensing Pills in that old hen soup?”
“If I could afford Spirit-Condensing Pills, would I be drinking old hen soup?”
“Stop believing in those folk remedies. To improve your physical constitution value, either train hard or spend money on pills. Everything else is superstition!”
After the crowd buzzed, the two most eye-catching students in the school appeared simultaneously.
The tall, sturdy boy was Yu Hongyuan, Li Yang’s classmate. He stood proudly, dressed in black sportswear, his muscular chest and abdomen visible beneath the fabric.
Beside him stood Fang Chuyun, a tall girl at least 1.8 meters, who did not lose presence despite Yu Hongyuan’s imposing stature. With her upright posture, long legs, and sharp, cold features, she overshadowed Yu Hongyuan in terms of aura.
A few gasps came from the crowd, and someone whispered excitedly, “Ahhh, Sister Fang is killing me!”
“Yu Hongyuan walking with Sister Fang looks like her bodyguard.”
Yu Hongyuan had fans too and quickly retorted, “What’s there to be cocky about? My physical constitution value broke 85—I’ll beat Fang Chuyun hands down!”
“Pill-popping, huh? Why so smug?”
“Fang Chuyun’s whole family are Star Executors. You think she hasn’t taken pills? Besides, there’s no shame in taking them—the Spirit-Condensing Pills were developed by Zhanxing Military Academy!”
“Everyone’s improving their physical constitution value through their own methods. Who’s more noble? Yu’s family doesn’t have a fifth-rank Star Executor father or a third-rank Star Executor sister; if they did, Yu’s value would have surpassed 90 long ago!”
“Ha! What does family have to do with it? Does Yu Hongyuan have Fang Chuyun’s discipline and diligence? The secret to improving physical constitution is no secret anymore—it’s intense training. How many actually do that? Everyone just wants a shortcut!”
Yu Hongyuan and Fang Chuyun were the school’s celebrities, equally supported and disliked. When their supporters and critics gathered, the noise was deafening.
Only after all the registrations were complete and the examiners entered did the students quiet down.
The military academy’s general assessment was an annual event. The examiners came from the Provincial Education Bureau, spending over a month testing schools one by one to ensure fairness.
Principal Sun of Huangcheng No.1 High School personally welcomed them. Usually stern and reserved, he was now respectfully deferential.
The lead examiner was a middle-aged man named Chen Xiangrong, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He pushed them up and said, “Principal Sun, I heard your school has two promising talents this year.”
Principal Sun replied immediately, “Yes, Director Chen! One is Fang Chuyun, the other Yu Hongyuan. Their latest self-measured physical constitution values are 85 and 86 respectively.”
“Fang Chuyun? Is her sister…”
“Yes, Fang Suyun. She’s currently studying at Zhongdu Military Academy and is a third-rank Star Executor!”
Chen Xiangrong cleared his throat and said, “So she’s Sister Fang, the Star Master… They do look somewhat alike.”
Star Executors held high social status.
In a small place like Huangcheng, first- and second-rank Star Executors were already remarkable. Even Director Chen from the Provincial Education Bureau was only a junior third-rank Star Executor.
However, despite his rank, he had to respectfully address Fang Suyun as “Star Master.”
There was no comparison between a fifty-year-old third-rank and a twenty-year-old third-rank—the former likely at the end of his career, the latter exceptionally talented with an unlimited future, possibly even reaching Grandmaster status!
Chen Xiangrong admired, “…This Fang Chuyun, without even having opened the Star Aperture, has a physical constitution value of 86. Her future is boundless.”
Principal Sun smiled awkwardly, “Fang is actually 85.”
Chen raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Then 86 is Yu Hongyuan’s? He is…”
“I heard he took Spirit-Condensing Pills.”
“Oh.” Chen responded indifferently.
Every year, students in various provinces would take Spirit-Condensing Pills to boost their physical constitution values before applying to military academies. Though a single pill started at a million yuan, many families in China could afford it.
Still, physical constitution value was only a prerequisite; admission also depended on subsequent academic performance and practical assessments.
Chen said, “Self-measurements can be somewhat inaccurate. We’ll see during the general assessment.”
Principal Sun nodded repeatedly, feeling quite reassured.
Both could apply to Zhongdu Military Academy, and having two students a year was satisfying. Other high schools in Huangcheng might not have any!
China had many provinces and cities, but the two top academies had limited enrollment, causing application standards to rise yearly.
Chen suddenly added, “Your Huangcheng hasn’t produced a ‘prodigy’ in several years.”
A “prodigy” referred to those whose physical constitution value reached 90 before becoming Star Executors.
Generally, military academy students with values over 80 could attempt to open their Star Apertures. Success marked them as first-rank Star Executors.
Opening the aperture allowed them to draw stars into their bodies, rapidly increasing their constitution values. Scores of 90 or even 100 were easy, explaining why Star Executors could effortlessly defeat mutated creatures—they were far stronger than ordinary people.
However, values before aperture opening were different.
Without drawing stars into the body, improving physical constitution through training alone was difficult.
But this difficulty had its advantage.
The higher the pre-aperture value, the faster the aperture opening and star-drawing process post-opening, allowing them to dominate their rank or even fight above their level. This was why many from prominent families delayed opening their apertures.
A solid foundation allowed subsequent progress to be more stable.
There was an unspoken belief that the higher the pre-aperture value, the further one could advance after becoming a Star Executor.
Thus, a 90-point constitution was called a prodigy.
The Chinese Education Bureau had quotas. If Huangcheng produced a prodigy with a 90-point value, education funding would increase significantly, even raising the school’s rating.
The testing began.
About 400 students from Huangcheng No.1 High School registered.
Li Yang was unhurried, not rushing to the front but joining a random line near the end.
Online information was too scant; chatting with students preparing for the military academy was more informative.
The more Li Yang listened, the clearer it became.
Her own physical constitution value was indeed a bit high.
But with only a year left to live, she couldn’t retest.
Besides, even if she tried again, the score might not drop; it could even rise.
So she settled on it, thinking that since she would be last, most teachers and students would have left the sports field, making her less conspicuous.
One should stay low-key; she only wanted to quietly earn the 100,000-yuan scholarship and happily reap the rewards at Zhongdu Military Academy.
The testing proceeded quickly, each student taking less than ten minutes on average.
Li Yang overheard two students ahead nervously saying, “Breathe deeply! Don’t be nervous! I must perform as well as my self-test!”
“Ah, it’s hard not to be nervous. My self-test barely meets the cutoff; if I get nervous, it’s over!”
“So don’t be nervous!”
“The more you say that, the more nervous I get!”
Suddenly, loud crying came from ahead. A boy who had just finished testing sobbed, “Give me another chance! I can reach 65! Please, one more chance!”
The examiner expressionlessly replied, “You have used both chances. Please don’t waste everyone’s time.”
The students watched in horror, growing more anxious.
“So cruel! 65 points is enough to apply to a third-class military academy, but he missed it by one point!”
“He usually scores 65, but he must have been too nervous this time…”
“That’s why you need to leave a margin. Self-test scores should be one or two points above your target academy’s cutoff.”
Li Yang’s thoughts stirred.
So the physical constitution value could fluctuate?
Of course—it was still a test, and one’s condition affected the score.
Everyone discussed how to improve their state for a better score… but Li Yang pondered how to lower hers.
A 90 was too conspicuous.
86 was good.
But a fluctuation of four points wasn’t easy.
She observed for a while and saw most fluctuations were only one or two points.
88 would be acceptable.
That number brought fortune.
The first testing peak arrived as Fang Chuyun began.
Li Yang’s line was shorter now, and she immediately spotted the tall girl under the testing machine.
Fang Chuyun had short hair tucked behind one ear, revealing cold, sharp eyebrows. She was stern and unsmiling, radiating an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
She stood calmly under the machine, showing no panic or unease—only certainty and confidence.
The result came quickly. The examiner smiled and said, “Congratulations to Fang Chuyun. Your physical constitution value is… 85.”
Compared to other students, 85 was outstanding.
65 points qualified for third-class military academies.
70 for second-class.
75 for first-class.
The top schools Zhongdu and Zhanxing had raised their cutoffs this year from 80 to 83.
In Huangcheng No.1 High School, only a few dozen exceeded 75, making Fang Chuyun’s 85 a clear first.
Upon hearing the score, Fang Chuyun remained composed, politely thanking the examiner.
He then asked if she wanted a second test.
She declined decisively.
The students applauded and cheered.
So steady!
Fang Chuyun’s demeanor was truly exemplary.
Yu Hongyuan snorted coldly, crossing his arms, “Only 85.”
His follower urged, “Go crush her, Yu!”
Yu replied, “No rush. I’ll be the last tested and close the assessment perfectly for Huangcheng No.1.”
He scanned the field then headed toward the longest line.
At the end stood a familiar-looking girl.
“Li Yang?” Yu called, disbelief in his eyes.
Earlier in class, Li Yang had sat in a corner, unnoticed among Yu’s crowd.
They had been classmates since senior year one and remained in the same class after grouping. Even though Li Yang had taken nearly half a year off in senior year three, Yu immediately recognized her.
In his memory, Li Yang was pale and timid, never daring to look at him. Now, hearing his voice, she turned to him.
Her school uniform was still faded and washed out, but her aura was completely different. Her black hair was tied in a half-high ponytail, revealing a slender neck. Her skin was fair and radiant. Her confident and graceful demeanor, with clear black eyes that met his gaze steadily, exuded calm and composure.
Yu still couldn’t believe it—was this really Li Yang?
Seeing him behind her, she asked, “Yu, are you planning to line up behind me?”
“Uh…” Yu hesitated, then asked instead, “You’re applying to military academy?”
Li Yang was silent for a moment—otherwise, why would she be standing in line here?
Yu immediately realized his question was silly and quickly followed up, “What’s your physical constitution value? You need at least 65 to apply to a third-class academy, right? Yours… did you reach 65?”