Chapter 3 – Speed Test
The sun had barely risen above the horizon when the students of Zhi-An District's Third High School began to gather in the open sports field.
Today was one of the monthly speed tests, a standard practice across schools worldwide since the age of monsters began. In this era, raw strength and reflexes were just as important as academic scores.
Among the students standing in rows, two figures stood side by side.
Luo Feng stretched his arms, his eyes sharp with focus.
Luo Chen, quiet as ever, stood calmly, his posture relaxed, as though this were just another walk in the park.
"Feng, Chen!" Wei Wen ran up behind them, panting. "You two didn't even wait for me!"
"You were snoring like a pig this morning," Luo Feng chuckled.
Luo Chen gave a faint smile. "Maybe we'll drag you out of bed tomorrow."
"Hmph." Wei Wen crossed his arms. "Watch, I'll run 18 meters per second today."
That got a few laughs from nearby students.
---
Across the field, Instructor Jiang Nian, the school's main proctor, stood in front of the high-speed running track. His tall frame and sharp gaze commanded instant respect.
Beside him stood two other instructors holding clipboards, recording devices, and scanning watches.
"Alright," Jiang Nian barked. "We'll be testing your sprint speeds today. 100-meter dash, automated laser timing. Minimum requirement for a Fighter candidate is 25 m/s. We'll be watching closely."
The students lined up.
The first few students dashed off.
17 m/s.
19.5 m/s.
20.3 m/s.
Decent. But nothing impressive.
Then—
"Next! Luo Feng!"
Luo Feng stepped forward, took a breath, and—
Boom!
He was gone.
A blur streaked down the track, kicking up dust.
The timer beeped.
"Twenty-five meters per second!"
Gasps erupted.
"Incredible… He hit the Fighter threshold!"
"And he's just a high schooler!"
Instructor Jiang Nian's eyebrows lifted. "Still stable at 25 m/s. This Luo Feng… he really might pass the Fighter assessment."
Luo Feng exhaled and stepped aside.
Wei Wen grinned and slapped him on the back. "Monster."
Then—
"Instructor, next… Luo Chen."
At the call of his name, several students looked up, confused.
"Who?"
"Oh, his cousin. The quiet one."
"Never seen him do anything special."
Luo Chen stepped forward slowly. His expression unreadable.
He didn't stretch. He didn't posture.
He just walked to the starting line.
> [System prompt: Suppress strength to 18.5 m/s for this test?]
[Confirmed. Display: 18.5 m/s – peak human level.]
With a casual motion, Luo Chen launched forward.
He didn't even look fast.
But the timer read:
"Eighteen point five meters per second!"
The students stared.
"That's… way above average."
"He doesn't look like the type, though?"
"Must be hiding something."
Instructor Jiang Nian narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."
It wasn't enough to raise real suspicion. Not yet. But that name, Luo Chen, was now on his radar.
Luo Chen returned to the crowd calmly.
"You've been holding out on us, huh?" Wei Wen joked.
"I run sometimes," Luo Chen replied simply.
Luo Feng smiled. He was used to it. His cousin had always been calm, reserved… but now that he thought about it, Luo Chen never failed at anything. Not tests. Not sparring. Not memory work.
He just never stood out either.
Until now.
---
As the test continued, Luo Chen stood silently behind the other students, eyes half-closed.
> [Sign-in location: Zhi-An High School Sports Field – Active]
[Sign-in Reward:
— Technique Fragment: Shadow Step Lv.2
— Earth Core Refinement Crystal ×1
— 3,000 Human Race Currency Units Deposited]
A faint pulse of power flowed through his limbs.
He had suppressed his movement down to precise decimal points. Even his breathing had been adjusted by the system for maximum realism.
Soon, the real journey would begin.
But not yet.
First… let the world watch Luo Feng rise.
Then, when the stars begin to shift, Luo Chen would ascend — not as a fighter.
But as a sovereign.