Ch. Your Military Merits to Your Brother 9 Your Military Merits to Your Brother 9

Chapter 9 One Minor Stage With Every Step!

The mock exam followed the same format as the actual SAT and was divided into three sections.
The first section measured each student’s cultivation realm. The passing line was the sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm, with every additional minor stage worth five extra points, for a maximum score of 50.
At Raymond’s command, all the students quickly formed ten lines and stepped forward one by one to have their cultivation tested by a specialized scanner.
“Charlie Wood, fourth stage of the Postnatal Realm. Twenty points.”
“Michael Scott, sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm. Thirty points.”
“Adam Jackson, seventh stage of the Postnatal Realm. Thirty-five points.”
…
As scores were announced one after another, Skyler paid them no attention. Instead, he watched Helen beside him with curiosity.
The attention made Helen uncomfortable. She finally gathered the courage to speak, “Hello, I… I’m Helen Norman.”
Skyler smiled back. “If I’m not mistaken, your natural talent should be exceptional. Did something happen to your body?”
Helen stared at him in shock.
She had heard the earlier conversations. Wasn’t Skyler supposed to be a useless nobody? How had he seen through her condition with a glance?
“Yes.” Her expression dimmed. “About six months ago, I came down with a strange illness. No matter how hard I train, my cultivation doesn’t improve. It just keeps declining.”
Skyler nodded and was about to say something.
Just then, it was finally their group’s turn to take the cultivation test.
Freya and Seamus happened to be in the same group as Skyler and Helen.
Seamus glanced contemptuously at Skyler before confidently stepping forward. At the examiner’s signal, he placed his hand on the testing device.
Brilliant crimson light instantly erupted from the machine.
Even the examiner sounded excited. “Seamus Yount, first stage of the Innate Realm. Fifty points!”
“What? The first stage of the Innate Realm?”
“If I remember correctly, Seamus is actually a year younger than us. He already broke into the Innate Realm?”
“No wonder he said he’d take this year’s state martial SAT top scorer title. He’s actually a genius of this level!”
The students were thoroughly shaken.
Connor, Alice, and the others had already known of Seamus’s cultivation realm, but seeing everyone’s astonished reactions still filled them with pride.
“Freya Sullivan, ninth stage of the Postnatal Realm. Forty-five points.”
“Skyler Yount, sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm. Thirty points.”
“Helen Norman, sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm. Thirty points.”
…
The rest of the scores were announced almost simultaneously.
Freya missed a perfect score by only five points, while Skyler and Helen had barely managed to pass.
Seamus’s disdain grew even stronger. “Skyler, I heard Mr. Webb thinks highly of you. Didn’t he say you had a shot at becoming this year’s national martial SAT top scorer? Is this all the cultivation you’ve got?”
Freya also looked over with contempt.
Looking down at Skyler, Seamus declared arrogantly, “The first place in today’s mock exam will be mine. Second place will be Freya’s.
“As for you?”
He sneered. “Remember this, Skyler. Today is the closest you’ll ever come to me.
“From this day forward, the gap between us will only grow wider and wider until you won’t even be qualified to look up at me!”
Connor nodded repeatedly. That was what his son should be like. Seamus should have such confidence.
“Is that so?” Skyler couldn’t help laughing. “Seamus, this is only the first section of the mock exam. You’re only 20 points ahead of me. Why are you in such a hurry?
“I can tell you very clearly that the person taking first place today isn’t you.”
His gaze shifted flatly to Freya. “And second place won’t be her, either.”
Everyone present immediately shook their heads.
Skyler was already 20 points behind Seamus in cultivation alone. Did he seriously think he could make up that gap in the remaining two sections?
What a fantasy!
Then, Skyler said something that made everyone wonder if he’d completely lost his mind.
Turning to Helen, he asked, “Helen, your talent is every bit as good as Freya’s. Do you want to surpass her in today’s mock exam?”
Everyone was baffled. “What is he talking about?”
“Helen’s talent used to be on Freya’s level, but that was half a year ago. Right now, they’re three minor stages apart in cultivation.”
Helen was completely flustered, her face turning bright red.
“If you trust me, just do exactly as I say later. You’ll surpass her.”
Ignoring the ridicule surrounding him, Skyler looked directly into Helen’s eyes as he spoke.
Her thoughts were in chaos. But the moment her eyes met Skyler’s, she found a quiet strength in his gaze that instantly calmed her heart.
Things couldn’t get much worse than they already were. She might as well take the chance.
Clenching her teeth, she finally nodded. “Okay!”
Seeing that, Freya couldn’t help mocking her. “Helen, Skyler is delusional, and now you’re going to dream with him?”
She looked coldly at Skyler. “You should worry about yourself first.”
Soon, every senior at Riverspire High had completed the cultivation test.
With Raymond’s announcement, the mock exam moved on to the second section—the strength test.
Students would strike the strength tester using their strongest martial technique, and their score would be calculated according to a standardized formula, with a maximum of 200 points.
Before long, it was Skyler’s group’s turn again.
“I’ll go first!” Seamus strode forward and immediately unleashed a fist technique.
Every movement carried the deafening roar of titans, sending chills through everyone watching.
“That’s Chief Yount’s signature technique—Titan Fist!” someone exclaimed.
Even Teagan, who watched from a distance, couldn’t help saying in admiration, “Mr. Yount, Seamus’s Titan Fist has already reached minor mastery, right? The only thing holding him back now is his cultivation.”
Connor nodded proudly. “That’s right. He’s only practiced it for three years and has already reached this level. Give him another five years, and he’ll definitely achieve major mastery.
“But even at minor mastery, it’s more than enough for a mock exam.”
As soon as Connor finished speaking, Seamus drove his fist into the strength tester.
A huge number immediately appeared on the display—13,587!
“Seamus, 13,587 pounds, 189 points.”
The examiner’s announcement triggered another wave of gasps. “My God! Over 13 thousand pounds!”
“That’s terrifying! As expected of someone in the Innate Realm!”
With internal energy enhancing their bodies, martial artists in the Innate Realm naturally possessed far greater strength than those in the Postnatal Realm.
Even so, no one had expected Seamus to unleash over 13 thousand pounds of force with a single punch.
Next came Freya. She executed a set of Profound Palm techniques, delivering a strike that registered 8,900 pounds, earning 148 points.
Although nowhere near Seamus’s result, it was still an astonishing performance.
“Skyler, it’s your turn!” Seamus looked over with a mocking grin. “I’d like to see how much strength someone at the sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm can produce. Don’t tell me you can’t even reach a fraction of my score.”
The others also wore strange expressions. If Seamus were right, Skyler would be completely humiliated.
A fraction of Seamus’s score was 3,587 pounds. Given Skyler’s cultivation, that estimate actually sounded about right.
Not far away, Connor’s face darkened. He snorted coldly. His embarrassing son could shame himself all he wanted, but he had better not affect Connor’s reputation.
Skyler glanced at him indifferently before turning back to Seamus with a cold smile. “If you’re so eager to see, I’ll satisfy you.”
He took a single step forward.
Boom!
The aura surrounding him exploded upward. His cultivation, originally at the sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm, broke through to the seventh stage in an instant.
And it still wasn’t stopping.