Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 38 - 32: Astonishing Limit-Break

As evening approached, the number of examinees in the various halls had dwindled by more than half. Those who remained could only sit and wait, their emotions shifting from nervousness and anticipation to anxiety and restlessness, and finally to a dazed exhaustion.

While the day had been a test of physical stamina, that was of little concern to the examinees. The real ordeal was the mental drain, which was utterly torturous.

Chen Chuan only went out to move around during breaks. Unlike the others, he had mastered the Breathing Technique. He just needed to guide it slightly before the test officially began to quickly get in the zone.

As students were called out one by one, the number of people in the hall visibly dwindled. The female teacher was no longer as strict as she had been at the start. Instead, she stood at the main entrance, silently gazing outside, lost in thought.

The remaining examinees finally relaxed a little and began to chat amongst themselves.

"Sigh, it’s so late, and my sister’s still waiting for me outside. I have no idea how much longer we’ll be."

"Hey guys, once this is over, pass or fail, I’m treating everyone to a meal. We all got into Wuyi Academy, after all. That’s worth celebrating."

"Oh, right! Han-something—your family owns a restaurant, right? Weren’t you offering a fifty percent discount?"

The chubby kid laughed. "That’s right. But it’s a bit far, so let’s skip it tonight. You’re all welcome to come to our Han Family restaurant during the day. It’s free for anyone who passes the re-test, and fifty percent off for those who don’t. Heh heh."

"For a free meal like that? Just watch me pass!"

Just then, the female teacher saw a test proctor from one of the sites signal to her. Knowing the previous batch of examinees had finished, she took out her list again, turned around, and began calling out numbers. "Number 401, 16, and 18, go to Test Site One; number 392..."

Another fifteen examinees immediately got up. A few who had been part of the conversation hastily grabbed their belongings and ran toward the test sites.

About seven or eight minutes passed before a flurry of chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed from outside, mixed with cries of alarm. The examinees near the exit shot to their feet, crowding around the windows and the door to peer out.

Fang Mingming lowered his papers, asking in confusion, "What happened?"

The female teacher rushed to the doorway and glanced outside. She turned back, her voice stern. "All of you, sit back down! The examinations are suspended." After saying this, she had the assistant proctor keep an eye on things and hurried out herself.

"What’s going on?"

"I think... an examinee at Test Site Five... is dead..."

"S-someone’s dead?"

Hearing this sent a wave of fear and dread through the examinees. Getting injured was one thing, but the sudden news of a death was a massive shock—even if such incidents weren’t entirely unheard of.

"The examiner for Test Site Five... that’s the one called Zhongwu, right? Since someone died, the academy has to replace him, don’t they?"

"Right, right, they’ll definitely swap him out."

"Yes! That’s fantastic."

When Chen Chuan heard "Test Site Five," he paused to think. ’Based on the numbers called just now, the one who went there should have been...’

He looked up toward one of the seats. A few flyers for the restaurant still lay there, along with a discarded beef jerky wrapper.

「In Test Hall Three」

The Jiang Commission Office was seated at one of the test sites, having just finished watching a confrontation between an examinee and an upperclassman. As he awaited the examiners’ scores, his assistant approached and whispered in his ear.

The Jiang Commission Office’s expression turned serious. "What is the chief examiners’ opinion?"

"The chief examiners’ consensus is... to replace him. They also believe the student at fault should be punished and that the examinee’s family must be given adequate compensation..."

The Jiang Commission Office frowned. "That’s not the proper way to handle this. Anyone who applies for this test is automatically considered to have signed a liability waiver. The students conducting the assessments are under immense pressure themselves; it’s not uncommon for them to lose control. Why replace him?

If we go down this route, what will the other student examiners think? Will they still be able to perform at their best? Will we even be able to gauge the true skill of the examinees?"

The assistant looked troubled. "But the chief examiners..."

The Jiang Commission Office stood up. "I’ll go see them at once." The assistant quickly stepped aside. "This way, please. The chief examiners are in the conference room right now..."

Ten minutes later, the Jiang Commission Office appeared in the conference hall of Test Hall Four. The moment he walked in, he addressed Master Gao and the other chief examiners. "I hear you intend to revoke that student’s qualification as an examiner?"

Yue Hong replied, "That’s correct. We’re discussing it now. This student, Zhong, caused an examinee’s death due to excessive force. Even if it was an accident, he can no longer be allowed to serve as an examiner."

The Jiang Commission Office immediately objected. "I find that inappropriate. The damage to the student would be too great, and it would also be a blow to the other examiners."

After a slight pause, he continued, "I happen to have looked into this student, Zhongwu. He is already a security consultant for the Communication Bureau and is slated to become a private advisor to a council member after graduation. He is, by all accounts, exceptionally talented. If we handle it this way, it will be a stain on his record. We have a responsibility to look after our best and brightest. Besides, if this gets blown out of proportion, how will the Administrative Affairs Hall view graduates from Wuyi?"

Some of the teachers present were clearly displeased with his argument. However, they knew this wasn’t really about any single student, nor was the Jiang Commission Office truly trying to stick up for him. The root of the conflict was that the Jiang Commission Office, as the commissioning party, wanted to wrest control over the re-test from them, the administrative party.