Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 147 The Gap Between People (Double Request for Monthly Tickets)

"I'm really stupid"

Standing in the pure white virtual space, Chen Yu muttered to himself, a bitter and self-deprecating smile on his face, "I overestimated myself."

He thought the 10-second requirement was an insult to him, but now he realizes it's an astronomical figure that's simply unattainable.

"The difference between people..." He shook his head, recalling a crude saying he'd heard somewhere that now seemed incredibly apt, "It's bigger than the difference between a person and a dog."

He could comfort himself by saying that "Brother Yi's strength is unfathomable" after being instantly defeated by the "full-strength version" of the mirror image.

But this time, facing a mirror image with exactly the same parameters, the defeat was so decisive and without any suspense that it was a more profound blow.

It also made him truly reflect on what he was missing from his proud "200 points of perfection".

Chen Yu took a deep breath, his eyes hardening again. Instead of quitting immediately, he looked at the "Basic Training Level 1" option once more.

"Let's try again. I don't believe you can't even last 10 seconds."

The half-hour virtual experience passed in the blink of an eye.

While Chen Yu was still struggling in the arena space against the seemingly equal but actually terrifying Lin Yi mirror image, trying to increase his survival time by even 0.1 seconds, the little sprite kicked him out of the virtual space, and the scene in front of him turned into the blackness inside the helmet.

Chen Yu took off his helmet, still somewhat unsatisfied, and let out a long breath.

Instead of the frustration of being repeatedly "instantly defeated," his face was filled with excitement and fighting spirit.

This feeling of constantly trying and searching for even the slightest possibility of a breakthrough under absolute disadvantage made him feel as if he had returned to the days when he was addicted to those "Souls-like" games known for their high difficulty.

Those kinds of games don't allow for any mistakes; you'll often get brutally beaten by bosses or even regular monsters.

Many people would give up, but he became more determined with each setback, feeling that every failure brought him one step closer to success.

The fifty trainees in the first group took off their helmets one after another, their expressions varied, but most of them carried a similar sense of excitement and contemplation.

They quietly left their seats, put their helmets back in their places as instructed by the administrators, and then walked out of the virtual teaching room in an orderly manner.

In the corridor, they passed by the second group of fifty trainees who were already waiting outside, eager to get started.

The trainees in the second group immediately surrounded them, asking questions in hushed tones:
"How is it? What's it like inside?"

"Is the training difficult? Your expressions are a bit strange."

"Isn't it incredibly realistic?"

The trainees in the first group exchanged knowing glances and smiled.

Having just experienced that "inhuman" ordeal, a subtle sense of shared suffering and the feeling that "we can't be the only ones to suffer" arose spontaneously.

A few of the more mischievous students chuckled and gave vague answers:
"It's really interesting, you'll see for yourself when you experience it."

"Absolutely amazing, guaranteed to satisfy you!"

"Don't ask about the difficulty, it's definitely a great learning experience."

This hesitant, ambiguous answer, clearly hinting at a trap, only fueled the curiosity and competitiveness of the second group of trainees.

With mixed feelings, they eagerly rushed into the virtual classroom.

Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan walked back to the large lecture hall side by side.

The remaining students in the classroom were still struggling with tofu and the control of energy sources, and the air was filled with the smell of soybeans and faint energy fluctuations.

The person in charge of maintaining order and providing guidance is Liu Yuan, who has already been promoted to the Stardust level.

As a teaching assistant, his keen senses allowed him to easily spot subtle deficiencies in the students' self-control, and he would offer guidance from time to time.

"Focus your attention, and let the flow of energy be as natural as breathing; don't try to 'squeeze' it."

"Your wrists are too stiff, and you're not using the right force. You'd crush tofu into dust." "Stop whispering and focus on your practice."

When Liu Yuan saw Chen Yu and the others return, as well as the curious glances from the students behind them, he spoke up to maintain discipline.

However, he was also very curious about the virtual reality headset and planned to experience it firsthand after his shift ended to see what kind of training it was.

Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan retrieved their tofu and plates, found a corner to sit down, and continued the tedious but crucial "tofu-cutting" project.

As Chen Yu tried to condense the source energy into a thinner and more stable "thread," he couldn't help but nudge Zhou Yuxuan beside him with his elbow and ask in a low voice:

"Yuxuan, how many seconds did you last in the first test?"

He remembers his best record was just 2 seconds, still ending in being instantly defeated.

Zhou Yuxuan didn't even look up, focusing intently on the wisp of energy light trembling slightly at his fingertips, and simply replied, "4 seconds."

"4 second?!"

Chen Yu almost cried out, quickly covering his mouth and staring wide-eyed at Zhou Yuxuan, "I was only two seconds, how come you're so much taller than me?"

He and Zhou Yuxuan often sparred, and although he generally won more than he lost, the gap between them was definitely not as large as twice as much.

He instantly realized a possibility and blurted out, "You didn't... just run away from the start, did you?"

Zhou Yuxuan then looked up at him, nodded, and said calmly, "That's right. You wouldn't be stupid enough to rush in and fight, would you?"

He pointed in the direction of the virtual classroom, "Judging from the challenge requirement of 'remaining undefeated for 10 seconds,' isn't the intention quite obvious?"

"When you saw that the opponent was the principal, didn't you ever consider that even if the parameters were the same, it was still not something we could confront head-on?"

"I think the focus of the first level isn't combat at all, but rather how to use source energy more efficiently for movement and dodging, especially in terms of instantaneous judgment and burst speed."

"After all, theoretically, with the same 200 points of source energy, the difference shouldn't be so great that it's impossible to compete."

At this moment, Zhao Gang, who was standing next to him, also came over, his face still showing some resentment.

He was also one of those who chose to face the challenge head-on, with a best time of 2.2 seconds.

Upon hearing Zhou Yuxuan's words, Zhao Gang asked in confusion, "Since you chose the escape strategy, it should have been easier to stall for time, so how did you fail in just 4 seconds?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuxuan smiled wryly.
"I did immediately unleash my source energy in my legs and retreat with all my might, but the mirror image was faster than I expected, closing the distance in an instant."

"That's not all. While pursuing me, the principal didn't slow down. He raised his hand and released three energy finger beams at very tricky angles, blocking my main evasion routes."

"I had to distract myself by mobilizing my source energy to block, and my body faltered for a moment before he instantly closed in. And then, that was it."

After hearing this, Chen Yu's slight frustration at Zhou Yuxuan's better grades vanished instantly.

Instead, he chuckled and patted Zhou Yuxuan on the shoulder: "See? Trying to take shortcuts won't work. In the face of absolute strength and combat wisdom, clever tricks are no match. In the end, you still have to improve your hard power and master the control of source energy to the point of being able to use it as an extension of your own limb."

Zhou Yuxuan rolled his eyes at him but didn't refute him, because Chen Yu was right.

He lowered his head again, focusing more intently on practicing source energy control, and the light threads at his fingertips seemed to be a little more stable than before.

Zhao Gang returned to his position thoughtfully, no longer dwelling on the difference of a few seconds.

On the training field, the cracking sound of plates being chopped and the faint hum of the energy source once again became the main theme.

But in the hearts of each trainee, that half-hour virtual experience planted a seed called gap and direction.

The second group of students, who are about to enter the virtual world, will soon experience firsthand the shock brought about by this disparity.

The pace of the special training course suddenly accelerated under Lin Yi's high-pressure training that combined "real and virtual" elements.

(End of this chapter)