With this in mind, Li Chonglou's stubbornness flared up.
You want to force me to reveal my true strength this way? I refuse!
A determined look flashed in Li Chonglou's eyes.
One must have a broader perspective. If one only focuses on the immediate, even if they overcome the current difficulty, greater challenges will await them, and they will be endless!
However, the biggest reason he dared to do this was because he still had a fallback.
Even if he couldn't find a way to advance at the sub-base, and if time was too tight, he could still seek help from Old Tie and Captain Long.
Well, let's go back to the old ways.
As long as a person has thick skin, there are many ways.
With his mind made up, the subsequent tests became simple.
The second speed test involved standing in front of a machine wearing a belt. This machine was similar to an automatic ball dispenser, which would shoot out a special small ball at different preset speeds.
Li Chonglou's task was equally simple: to avoid being hit by the ball.
This time, Li Chonglou chose his moment based on the reactions of the crowd. When he noticed looks of shock appearing on people's faces, he decisively gave up on the challenge.
His score couldn't be too high, but it also couldn't be too low. Otherwise, some undesirable individuals might come to trouble him, which was not what Li Chonglou wanted.
"Speed test, eight points."
This score was higher than the average, but for those skilled in this area, it was merely passable.
The shock they had experienced during the strength test was thus significantly diluted.
"It seems this fellow is a powerhouse specializing in strength. The strength test should have been his forte."
Someone exclaimed, and those around them nodded involuntarily.
Next was endurance, which was tested underwater.
Li Chonglou's final score was seven points.
As for the fourth item, potential, it was an assessment score, meaning Lin Guang would award points based on the results of the first three tests. This item received a score of ten points.
Not high, and not low.
However, the total score was only forty points, placing him in the upper-middle tier among the crowd.
"It seems I still didn't manage it properly."
Li Chonglou could only sigh inwardly at this result.
According to his original plan, he had intended to achieve a score slightly higher than those in the martial arts districts. But in his haste, he had only paid attention to certain people's expressions and overlooked that each project had its strengths and weaknesses.
When these were combined, his aptitude was only considered good in the martial arts districts, not even astonishing.
"Forget it, the priority now is to find a way to leave here as soon as possible. There's no point in competing with them."
As Li Chonglou cast aside his distracting thoughts, the curious crowd that had gathered dispersed in disappointment.
"What a letdown. I thought someone as hyped up as him would be much more formidable."
"Rumors are just rumors. Take them with a grain of salt. Did you really believe he could single-handedly stop a master of the seventh level?"
"Let's disperse, it's a waste of time."
As the students turned away, Fan Li and the other three had already left without being noticed, but they hadn't gone far. The four were now standing on a teaching building overlooking the training grounds.
Watching that figure, Fan Li suddenly spoke, "Do you think that kid really used his true strength?"
Wu Yin chuckled, "Anyone who believes that is a fool. Although it wasn't quite as the rumors claimed – that he single-handedly held back Yuan Bei, a seventh-level master of the Commoners' Guild – he still chased down Qi Dong, a peak sixth-level expert, and almost killed him."
"You're saying someone who can fight and kill opponents across levels would have this kind of talent and potential?"
The expressions of the other three were slightly taken aback; this was the first time they had heard this.
However, Wu Yin's surname also indicated his background, and his sources of information were generally reliable, so the three did not doubt him.
But this made them even more astonished.
Could a fifth-level individual chase down and kill a peak sixth-level opponent?
Considering that they could at most contend with peak fifth-level against early sixth-level, and now that they had entered the sixth level, the gap widened. They had no confidence in facing a seventh-level opponent, even an early-stage one!
At this moment, Qiu Wenyuan suddenly asked, "Wu Yin, how was Yuan Bei of the Commoners' Guild dealt with? Do you know the details of that matter?"
Upon hearing this, Fan Li and Wang Liqiang both turned their gaze to Wu Yin.
The incident involving Li Chonglou had spread like wildfire throughout their circles by the very next day, although many of the rumors were exaggerated.
For instance, the most prevalent one claimed that Li Chonglou, with his fifth-level strength, single-handedly held back Yuan Bei, a seventh-level expert of the Commoners' Guild!
Who would believe that!
Even outsiders who hadn't witnessed the recent events would undoubtedly approach it with extreme skepticism. Without confirmation, they wouldn't believe a single word!
Much less those who had personally witnessed Li Chonglou's test, they were even more certain that this was absolutely impossible. Even if he had some hidden strength, he couldn't have achieved such a feat!
Therefore, their curiosity was piqued by what Wu Yin, who knew the inside story, had to say.
However, Wu Yin did not explain immediately. Instead, he pondered for a moment.
"I can tell you about this, but you must promise me not to spread it further. It will only be known to us few."
"Why?"
The three were utterly perplexed. Listening to him, it seemed the Wu family intended to help that kid?
But wasn't the Wu family associated with the Combat Guild?
It was heard that the Wu family had also suffered considerable losses during the Yuan Bei incident, right?
However, Wu Yin still offered no explanation, merely stating indifferently, "If you promise, I'll speak. If not, just consider me as having said nothing."
The three exchanged glances.
Wang Liqiang, who had remained largely silent, smiled and said, "We promise. It's not a big deal, and we're not gossipy people, right?"
He said the last two words to Fan Li and the other two, who readily agreed.
Wu Yin seemed to instinctively give Wang Liqiang some face, nodding directly, and then revealed all that he knew.
As the strongest of the Eight Great Families and one of the founders of the Combat Guild, the Wu family's strength and influence were naturally on par with the General Bureau or the Commoners' Guild.
Their access to information would naturally be greater than others.
A relative of Wu Yin was one of the spectators in the courtroom during the trial.
Therefore, he knew the entire sequence of events.
At that time, it wasn't Li Chonglou who held back Yuan Bei, but his four subordinates.
Among them, the one with the highest combat power had reached the peak sixth level.
Wu Yin chuckled, "One side was a desperate fight led by a peak sixth-level expert, while the other was a seventh-level master who merely wanted to maintain the situation and didn't even want to get injured. Do you think it's strange that they were able to hold him back?"