Since it was an assessment, there was naturally a passing standard. Forty seconds was the standard for the speed assessment this time. In other words, anyone who exceeded that time would be judged as having failed the speed test.
The number of students waiting to be tested gradually decreased, and finally, it was Ryan's turn.
"Ryan."
When Teacher Chaucer called out Ryan's name, many students turned to look at him.
As members of the same class, they naturally knew Ryan's strength, as well as the fact that this was his third assessment. If he failed again, he would have no choice but to leave the academy.
"Come on!"
Beside him, Elias clenched his fist and made an encouraging gesture.
His own test was already over. He had scored 37 seconds, which was quite good and comfortably above the passing standard.
"Mm."
Ryan nodded and strode toward the starting position.
After more than ten days of cultivation with the blessing of his Advanced Cultivation Talent, he felt that he had made great progress. Passing the assessment shouldn't be a problem, but he still didn't know exactly how far he had improved.
"The day has finally come."
Derek sneered as he watched Ryan walk toward the starting line.
He knew Ryan's previous strength very well. After all, he had fought Ryan before, and at that time, Ryan had still been far from reaching the assessment standard.
He didn't believe Ryan could make up such a large gap in such a short period of time. If he could, Ryan wouldn't have failed the assessment twice in a row.
Therefore, in Derek's eyes, Ryan was bound to fail the assessment and be kicked out of the academy.
That was exactly what he had been waiting for, because he understood better than anyone the serious consequences Ryan would face once he was expelled from Aegis Martial Academy.
"Start!"
Ryan didn't notice Derek's sneer.
At that moment, all his attention was focused on the finish line.
The instant Teacher Chaucer gave the command, Ryan shot forward like an arrow.
Whoosh!
His legs moved rapidly, and Ryan felt as though his entire body had become unusually light, almost as if he were about to fly.
Of course, this was merely an illusion caused by his speed.
Without a doubt, his current speed far surpassed that of the sprint champions from his previous life. If he had possessed this kind of speed back then, he probably would have won championship after championship.
"Ryan's speed has increased!"
Seeing this, a trace of joy flashed across Elias's face.
It seems the Silver Blood really worked. My efforts to obtain it weren't wasted.
"Hmm? That guy's speed..."
Derek's pupils contracted.
There was no doubt that Ryan's speed had increased significantly compared to before.
"Damn it! How could his speed have increased so much in such a short time?"
Ryan's speed didn't slow because of Derek's shock.
Halfway.
Three-quarters.
Four-fifths.
Whoosh!
Ryan crossed the finish line without slowing down.
"One, two, three... thirty-eight."
Soon, the academy staff member responsible for timing announced Ryan's result.
A total of thirty-eight grains of sand had fallen, meaning Ryan's score was 38 seconds.
"38 seconds?!"
"How is that possible?"
Thirty-eight seconds wasn't an especially impressive result. Among the students who passed the assessment, it would probably rank somewhere in the middle or lower range.
However, when Derek heard the result, disbelief appeared across his face. For a moment, he almost thought he had misheard.
Was this really Ryan's result?
The same Ryan who had failed the assessment twice in a row?
"Teacher Chaucer, there's no way this guy could be that fast. Something must be wrong!"
Derek suddenly pointed toward the academy staff member responsible for timing.
"Yes, it must be him. Did Ryan bribe you?"
The staff member immediately paled.
"No! I didn't!"
Hearing Derek's accusation, the staff member hurriedly tried to defend himself.
Helping a student cheat was a serious taboo at Aegis Martial Academy. If such a thing were discovered, the punishment would be severe, and dismissal would be the least of his worries.
"Ryan, take the test again."
Teacher Chaucer frowned slightly.
Although Ryan's speed had clearly improved, such a dramatic increase made even him somewhat suspicious that something might have gone wrong with the timing.
"Teacher Chaucer, Ryan already passed the test. Why does he have to take it again? That's not fair!"
Hearing this, Elias immediately stepped forward to argue.
Naturally, he didn't believe Ryan had bribed the academy staff member.
However, assessment results could fluctuate, and Ryan's score was only slightly above the passing standard. If his performance dropped even a little during the second attempt, he could easily fail.
"Elias, it's alright. Since Teacher Chaucer asked me to take the test again, I'll do it."
"But..."
"It's fine. Since I passed the first time, I'll pass the second time as well."
Ryan shook his head, interrupting Elias.
It wasn't strange for the teacher to be suspicious after such a sudden increase in speed. However, Ryan knew that his strength was genuine, so he had nothing to fear from being tested again.
"Start."
Once Ryan had returned to the starting line and prepared himself, the command was given again.
This time, however, an academy staff member gave the starting command.
Teacher Chaucer had moved to the finish line, taking the place of the previous timekeeper so that he could personally record Ryan's result.
Whoosh!
Ryan shot forward once more.
His legs moved rapidly as his eyes remained fixed on the finish line, which quickly grew closer in his vision.
A few moments later, Ryan sprinted across the finish line again.
Click!
The instant Ryan crossed the finish line, Teacher Chaucer stopped the hourglass and began counting the grains of sand that had fallen.
One grain.
Two grains.
Three grains.
...
Soon, Teacher Chaucer raised his head and looked at Ryan with a complicated expression.
"39 seconds."
This was Ryan's result on the second test.
It was slightly worse than his first attempt. However, considering that results naturally fluctuated and that there had been almost no rest between his two attempts, the difference was perfectly reasonable.
In other words, there had been nothing wrong with the first result.
"How is this possible? How could this guy suddenly become so fast?"
Derek's face turned ashen.
Since Teacher Chaucer had personally handled the timing this time, there was no longer any possibility of cheating.
That meant Ryan's result was genuine.
For a long moment, Derek couldn't believe it.
Ryan's speed had increased so much in such a short period of time that it was almost as if he had become a completely different person.
"Ryan, that's great!"
Elias was ecstatic. He seemed even happier to see Ryan pass the speed test than he had been when he passed it himself.
"Mm."
Ryan nodded, a smile appearing on his face.
Although he had expected this result, he still felt relieved now that it had actually happened.
Soon, the speed test ended, and the strength test began.
The strength assessment was held near the square metal blocks. The blocks were arranged from lightest to heaviest, and each one had a lifting ring attached to it.
If a student could lift a block to chest level, it meant they possessed the strength corresponding to that block's weight.
"50 kilograms."
"51 kilograms."
"52 kilograms."
One by one, the students stepped forward to test themselves.
The passing standard was 50 kilograms.
As long as a student could lift the 50-kilogram metal block to chest level, they would pass the strength test. Afterward, they could either continue increasing the weight to test their limits or stop immediately.
Most students chose to continue and test their maximum strength, while a small number stopped once they had passed the assessment.
"Ryan."
When Teacher Chaucer called Ryan's name again, almost everyone's eyes turned toward him.
After what had happened during the speed test, nearly all the students were curious about whether Ryan could also pass the strength assessment.
After all, he had already passed the speed test. If he passed the strength test as well, he would have successfully cleared the entire assessment.
If someone had said such a thing before Ryan's speed test, most of them would have laughed.
How could someone who had failed the assessment twice in a row suddenly pass?
But now, they actually felt that it was possible.
"I don't believe you can pass the strength test too."
Derek stared coldly at Ryan.
Different people naturally had different physical strengths. Some were better suited to speed, while others were better suited to raw power.
Undoubtedly, someone with Ryan's slender build seemed more suited to speed.
Even if his overall strength had improved, Derek refused to believe that his physical power could have increased just as dramatically as his speed.
"Yes."
Ryan nodded before stepping forward and looking at the metal block marked 50 kilograms.
Fifty kilograms was the passing standard for this assessment.
For an ordinary person from his previous world, lifting such a weight to chest level would already have been quite difficult.
Yet in this world, it was merely the assessment standard for first-year Blood Warrior Apprentices at Aegis Martial Academy.
It had to be said that the physical abilities of Blood Warrior Apprentices in this world were truly extraordinary.