Chapter 54: Negotiation Breakdown!

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　Auspicious Sun City’s No. 1 Physical Assessment Test Center.

　　Outside the building, there were three clearly-defined groups of students.

　　The test center was quite large, and several thousand people gathered in the plaza outside with plenty of space to go.

　　Until it was time to officially start the physical assessments, none of the students were allowed to go in.

　　Just then, there were whispers throughout the plaza.

　　“Those guys are from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School, aren’t they?”

　　“They are! I didn’t think we’d be having our physical assessment with them.”

　　“Everyone from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School has crazy high Vitality. I heard anyone with lower than 110cal won’t even register for the exam…”

　　“No way? So you’re saying all of these hundreds of people have more than 110cal?”

　　“Crap, this time we’re really screwed…”

　　Of the three teams, the students from Serenity District were slightly different. All four to five hundred of them were wearing their school uniforms.

　　Unlike them, Fang Ping and the others were dressed much more casually. The school had not limited what they could wear.

　　On the other hand, everyone from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School was wearing their school uniform.

　　At a glance, the students from Sun City and Rising Stream County looked rather like a motley crew.

　　In comparison, the students from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School seemed slightly cold and arrogant.

　　Students were not particularly as devious and complicated as adults, so they tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

　　Since they had come from the best high school in Auspicious Sun City, the high school with consistently the most candidates to enter martial arts universities every year, the students of Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School had every right to be proud.

　　The same went for how the students of Sun City No. 1 High School felt a sense of superiority over the students from the other schools in Sun City.

　　Even if they were useless in themselves, it did not matter because their school was better. They had a right to be proud, simply because they came from No. 1 High School!

　　Of course, no one would say that out loud, so one had to understand it on one’s own.

　　If someone praised them, they would even say modestly, “Actually, No. 1 High School isn’t all that. Your xx High is pretty good too, you’re pretty strong…”

　　When they said that, one must never take it at face value. Instead, one must continue to praise them for a little longer.

　　If one did not continue with the compliments, they would think, ‘This trash actually thinks their school is good! Tch, aren’t they ashamed to compare themselves with our t No.1 High School?’

　　All of the students had about the same attitude, and it was actually very easy to see.

　　Amidst the whispers in the plaza, the students from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School remained relatively quiet, keeping up their cold and proud image.

　　In truth, Fang Ping could clearly see that many students from Auspicious Sun No. 1 High School were trying their very best to not show their glee on their faces.

　　‘They’re just a bunch of snot-nosed brats. Competing with them feels like I’m bullying the kids…’

　　Fang Ping thought to himself. He simply was not motivated to bully them.

　　Still, that was only what Fang Ping thought. The others around him were long since ready and raring to go.

　　They were not the only ones. The student leaders from Serenity District and Rising Stream County also had their fist gloves on, ready to fight at any moment.

　　Clearly, Tan Zhenping was not the only one with such a plan. The heads from the other sides were also thinking along the same lines.

　　Rather, this was an annual tradition by now.

　　In front of the teams.

　　Tan Zhenping and the team leaders from Serenity and Rising Stream were chatting merrily like old friends.

　　Upon closer inspection, however, it was clear that their smiles were somewhat fake.

　　After a round of false greetings, Tan Zhenping turned around and said with a smile, “Zhou Bin, you and your friends should meet the students from Serenity and Rising Stream.

　　“When you go to the martial arts universities later, you can watch over each other as fellow students from Auspicious Sun…”

　　The two martial artists from Serenity and Rising Stream said much the same.

　　The students who had been tagged in advance also left their respective lines.

　　7 students stepped out Sun City, 5 for Rising Stream, but more than ten appeared at once for Serenity District.

　　The students who were chosen all had one thing in common, and that was that they had crossed the 120cal border.

　　The ones who stepped out were all students, so for a moment, all of them hesitated. Should they start with some pre-match greetings, or should they just roll up their sleeves and dive into it.

　　None of them were really good with greetings.

　　Still, pulling up their sleeves and fighting immediately seemed rather brash.

　　Tan Zhenping and the others did not offer any advice, just standing by with a smile as they watched these model students’ performances.

　　Most of the time, watching these students boast and brag childishly was a rare source of relaxation.

　　Many years from now, if any one of them turned out to be giants in their own right, then they could brag about this in their old age.

　　The martial artists discussed something in whispered tones, their smiles a lot more genuine than they had been earlier.

　　…

　　Fang Ping’s gaze moved from Tan Zhenping and the others, to the students who were beginning to mingle, and finally at the concentrated looks of the thousands of students in the plaza…

　　To Fang Ping, it just felt like they were watching a circus show!

　　Of course, the other students might not think that.

　　When they looked at their peers gathered in the front, their eyes were filled with envy, admiration, and jealousy.

　　They were all well-known in their respective schools, so when they stood out like this, everyone knew what that meant. These were the cream of the crop.

　　Even so, Fang Ping was absolutely certain that Tan Zhenping and the other martial artists were treating this as a show.

　　The same would go for him. If he saw grade-schoolers baring their fangs and declaring duels by the roadside, he too would laugh and stay to watch the show.

　　It was not like they would actually end up fighting, so it was still quite fun to watch little kids engaging in a staring contest.

　　Just then, Fang Ping remembered Tan Zhenping’s words from before. He wanted him to use a Vitality Outburst and dent the competition’s confidence…

　　Would that really work, though?

　　Even if potential martial artists unleashed a Vitality Outburst, they were still students with only around 120cal. Their outbursts would only seem slightly stronger than others’.

　　There was no way they could create any oppressive pressure like that.

　　Someone with more than 130cal might cause a little pressure on the people closest to them.

　　Nevertheless, it was not easy to tell how much of an effect it would have, and the range was limited too.

　　Thinking about it now, and looking at the expressions of amusement on Tan Zhenping and the others’ faces, could this just be a game the leaders play every year?

　　Well, perhaps it was more than just a game. Could it also be a form of investment?

　　After all, they just had to ask the students an outburst and then they would grant the students pills as compensation. Either way, they would not make a loss.

　　Once the students received the pills, they would feel grateful too.

　　As Fang Ping thought this over, he looked at the model students who were still trying to communicate with each other.

　　If these people made it big in the future, would they feel embarrassed when they looked back at this moment?

　　Fang Ping would never know.

　　Still, when he watched them butt heads without actually knowing how to start a fight, Fang Ping felt rather embarrassed himself.

　　With that thought in mind, Fang Ping delayed no longer.

　　Taking a step forth, while the others were still busy introducing themselves, Fang Ping said suddenly, “Friends, let’s just get to the main topic!”

　　The others were stunned, but he did not wait for them to recover.

　　Fang Ping abruptly gathered his Vitality, using a little trick from the Methods of Honing to unleash all of his Vitality at once!

　　He had more than 140cal in Vitality and a Mentality of over 170Hz, and here he used it all.

　　In the next moment, the model students, who were still introducing themselves, looked like someone had choked them in an instant!

　　The ones who were closest to Fang Ping turned red in the face, their eyes dazed and confused.

　　“What’s happening?”

　　“Did negotiations break down?”

　　“I can’t breathe!”

　　“…”

　　These students were taken by surprise. The two students from Auspicious Sun City No. 1 High School who had more than 130cal were not very affected, but everyone else felt an intense pressure.

　　…

　　Not far away, the two martial artists who had been chatting happily with Tan Zhenping also choked, as though someone had gripped their throats.

　　What was this?!

　　The martial artist in charge of Serenity District looked stunned.

　　Immediately after that, he stared directly at Fang Ping before turning to glare at Tan Zhenping. “You went headhunting in River City?”

　　The leader from Rising Stream County woke from his daze as well, swearing, “Old Tan, have you no shame?

　　“This is just for fun, so why is Sun City doing this?”

　　“That outburst is almost as strong as a martial artist’s. He must have at least 145cal!

　　“Old Tan, is that really necessary?

　　“How much did you spend?”

　　The two leaders glared at Tan Zhenping angrily, their expressions dark.

　　Before Tan Zhenping could explain, the leader from Serenity District said hurriedly, “Young man, the physical assessment is almost here. If you unleash an outburst now, your performance during the assessment later will be affected!”

　　The martial artist from Rising Stream County stepped forth too, saying with a wide smile, “Young man, you can unleash it all after you go into the Vitality Chamber. Remember what’s most important.”

　　The two of them had no choice but to worry. Fang Ping’s Vitality Outburst included wisps of Mentality pressure too.

　　The students whose Vitality was just barely at 120cal were about to fall unconscious, their eyes rolling back.

　　At this rate, their performance during the exam will definitely be affected.

　　They were supposed to reach 120cal, so a decline of 1 or 2cal was no joke.

　　None of them had ever expected there to be a potential martial artist like this in Sun City.

　　Usually, even if these students unleashed an outburst, its effects would be limited on other students with similar abilities.

　　However, Fang Ping’s Vitality was overwhelming, on the threshold of Rank-1.

　　That was why the two martial artists spoke to him more politely, too. They had no idea which famous school Sun City had bribed this student from.

　　Only then did Tan Zhenping finally react.

　　He had known before that Fang Ping’s Vitality was high, but Fang Ping did not use an outburst before, so even though he could sense it, it was not too clear.

　　]Finally, at this moment, he could see that Fang Ping’s Vitality was extremely powerful and concentrated. He was clearly on the verge of reaching Rank-1.

　　Aside from that, there seemed to be something else in play as well.

　　Logically speaking, the outburst of a potential Rank-1 should not turn the people around them this pale either.

　　Right now, Tan Zhenping had no time to consider the details. If Fang Ping continued on like this, things could get very bad!

　　The two martial artists from Serenity and Rising Stream went to him, and Tan Zhenping rushed over too, yelling, “Fang Ping, that’s enough!”

　　…

　　When Tan Zhenping spoke, Fang Ping pulled back his Vitality.

　　He then turned around to look at the three people running toward him, and he laughed inwardly. Were they not enjoying the show just now?

　　Why were they acting so nervous now?

　　That was what he thought, but Fang Ping kept his expression dazed, as though asking “Why shouldn’t I continue?” As a result, the leaders’ expressions stiffened drastically.

　　He wanted to continue!

　　If he continued on, at least 5 of these student hopefuls would see their Vitality drop below the 120cal mark!

　　Remember, even in the education system’s key performance index, 120cal was still an important threshold!

　　They were not the only areas and districts in Auspicious Sun. If everything went south here, the few of them present would suffer the consequences.

　　Tan Zhenping had reached him by then, and he first glanced at Zhou Bin and the others, who were panting. When he saw that they looked pale but otherwise seemed to be fine, he finally heaved a slight sigh of relief.

　　After that, he could not help but look at Fang Ping was a frighteningly complicated gaze.

　　‘What the heck… How could you just suddenly attack like that? You’re not following the script at all!’

　　‘If you had taken it a step at a time, everyone would be ready and we wouldn’t end up like this. How could you attack your allies too?’

　　Also, why was this kid’s Vitality so high?

　　That was clearly more than 130cal. He was obviously almost at Rank-1 now!

　　How did that punk Wang Jinyang raise this boy?

　　‘He must have cultivated the Methods of Honing and reached a stable stance in order to have Vitality this high…’

　　‘His Vitality is concentrated, and his outburst swift and deadly. That means that even if he did take a pill, it must be completely digested by now, because his Vitality flowed freely…

　　‘He’s a real potential martial artist who can break through at any time!’

　　Tan Zhenping may only be Peak Rank-1, but he was nearly fifty years old. He had stayed in Rank-1 for many years, so it only took him an instant to come to a conclusion.

　　This Fang Ping fellow was much stronger than he thought!