Chapter 22: Fitness Tests – (II)
On hearing Tang Mu's response, the supervisors looked at him strangely, probably wondering why he would give up the opportunity to improve his result.
"Are you sure you want to give up your other two attempts at testing your punching strength?" The scholarly-looking gentleman asked after a few seconds.
"Yes, I'm sure," Tang Mu replied without hesitation.
Going by the Psionic Society's assessment's past records, he was sure to be among the top-ranked candidates within the 4th district with the 880 kg punching strength comparable to the power of pseudo-rank-one. And since he had already achieved the threshold of a pseudo-rank-one, he didn't wish to expose more of his cards.
The scholarly-looking supervisor slightly pushed his light-colored glasses up the bridge of his nose. He nodded and said, "Okay, then, Tang Mu. We'll record 880 kg of force as your punching strength. Now go ahead and test your kicking power."
"Yes, sir," Tang Mu replied. Once again, he stepped forward and followed the practiced motions of throwing a kick. He exerted only about 75% of his strength and unleashed a round kick at the punching bag after another stride forward.
"BANG!"
The sound of the kick striking the punching bag reverberated. Tang Mu stepped back to dodge the swinging bag as the eyes of the supervisors turned towards the display of the strength testing machine.
"1,350 kg of power!" The muscular, tall guy whistled again as he saw the figure on the display. He smiled spiritedly and said, "Little guy! Your kicking strength is even more impressive than your punching power. You're well beyond the 1,200 kg threshold of an ordinary pseudo-rank-one."
"Indeed," Teacher Xia Yating also commented. "This is an impressive result. It will allow you to rank among the top candidates in Asia Metropolitan Region's 4th district. Do you wish to test again? Maybe, you could improve your result."
"No need. That's the best I can do at the moment." Tang Mu once again replied without hesitation.
Teacher Xia Yating's pretty lips twitched slightly at the corners. It was as if she wanted to say something. But she eventually sighed and remained silent.
"Tang Mu!" The scholarly-looking supervisor said. "Your score for the kicking-strength test is 1,350 kg of power. You can now step on the tracks and test your sprinting speed."
"Okay."
Tang Mu followed the supervisors and walked towards one of the indoor one-hundred-meter tracks formed by the columns of high-end sports radar guns.
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He had not tested his speed after breaking through to the pseudo-rank-one level. He looked forward to how fast he could go if he used eighty percent of his top speed.
"The same rules apply," the scholarly-looking supervisor declared. "You have three opportunities to test your sprinting speed over this hundred-meter track. After each attempt, you'll only have a minute to rest before attempting the test again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Tang Mu said.
"Don't you wish to switch out of your uniform and into suitable gear?" Teacher Xia Yating suddenly asked.
"No need!" Tang Mu replied. "I'm already wearing running sneakers. They are the most important when sprinting."
"Suit yourself!" Xia Yating shrugged with helplessness.
"Are you ready?" The scholarly-looking supervisor asked while pressing a switch and turning on all the radar guns lining the hundred-meter-track.
"Yes, sir. I'm ready," Tang Mu answered.
"Good," the supervisor said and stepped back. "You can begin."
Tang Mu nodded and took a deep breath. He tapped his right worn-out sneaker on the floor before taking off like a whirlwind.
His recently improved fitness, typical of a pseudo-rank-one, immediately worked wonders.
His agility bloomed with great splendor, allowing him to accelerate to top speed in no time. He flashed through the speed-testing region like a mutated gale panther, bringing along a wind until he came to the end of the race track.
Even though I didn't use all my power, I still feel like I did better than before.
Tang Mu took a few deep breaths. He turned around and jogged back to the supervisors, who were, at that point, looking at him like an extraterrestrial biological specimen. Without minding their strange gazes, he turned towards the display of the sprinting speed testing region.
The next moment, his eyes flickered with unconcealed surprise.
The previous time he tested his speed, he had only managed to sprint one hundred meters in seven seconds. But after becoming a pseudo-rank-one, he had covered the same distance in just 4.762 seconds. With such speed, he could break all those world sprinting records if he returned to the 21st century.
The burly man finally spoke after a few more seconds. "100 meters in 4.762 seconds! That is 21 meters per second! Little friend, Tang Mu. You've really surprised me."
"Indeed," Xia Yating also remarked with a soft smile. "This is quite an impressive result, especially considering your age. You must have worked hard to prepare for the Psionic Society's assessment. Congratulations!"
"Thank you, teacher," Tang Mu replied humbly. He was inwardly rejoicing about not using all his power. Otherwise, if he had gone all out, he might have covered the one hundred meters in only three-point-something seconds.
Such a feat would obviously establish his status as a top-of-the-top genius from Asia Metropolitan region's 4th district. But at the same time, it would attract the wrong attention that could eventually bring trouble to him.
If his luck became terrible, he might even face a fate similar to Earth Federation geniuses from past years, who had been kidnapped by underworld organizations like the terrifying Crimson Brotherhood.
"Tang Mu! Your score for the first attempt at the speed test is 21 m/s," the scholarly-looking supervisor declared with a slight smile. "Would you like to use your two remaining attempts to improve your result?"
"No need," Tang Mu replied.
The scholarly-looking gentleman nodded. "Let's head to the willpower-testing pillars. If you can obtain another good result, you'll most likely rank among the top ten candidates from the 4th district and attract attention from many top universities all over the Greater Earth Federation. So, try your best."
"I'll do that. Thanks for your encouragement." Tang Mu answered without any change of expression.
But on the inside, he was pretty excited as he was very close to achieving one of his long-time goals. His heart was racing as he was only a step away from passing the Psionic Society's assessment and gaining qualification to join a top university on scholarship.