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

Chapter 153 Warm-up Over, Great Harvest
The discussion on the forum became increasingly heated, and soon a new hot post appeared: "Virtual Challenge Ranking Updated in Real Time".

The poster, [Dongfeng - Data Analysis Team], compiled all known challenge records:

[Challenge Leaderboard]

1. Dong Feng - Liu Yuan: First level of Stardust level, failed the challenge (specific time not recorded).

2. Helu City - Zhou Yuxuan: Basic Level 4, 4.1 seconds

3. Nanhai City - Zhao Xiaoyu: Basic Level 4, 3.8 seconds

4. Helu City - Chen Yu: Basic Level 4, 3.5 seconds

Below the list, students left numerous comments:

[Chen Yu, Helu City]: "Seeing this list, I suddenly feel that 3.5 seconds isn't unacceptable."

[Jinling City - Li Qiang]: "@Helu City - Chen Yu, don't get cocky, I'm going to break the 3-second barrier tomorrow!"

[Nanhai City - Zhao Xiaoyu]: "I've noticed a pattern: those who last a long time are those who use an evasion strategy. Those who try to tough it out are basically defeated instantly."

[Helu City - Zhou Yuxuan]: "@Nanhai City - Zhao Xiaoyu is right. Principal Lin's attack power is too terrifying; we simply cannot withstand it head-on."

Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan looked at the discussions on the forum and smiled at each other.

"So we're all the same after all."

Chen Yu sighed, "Even Senior Liu Yuan knelt down instantly, and I suddenly feel psychologically balanced."

Zhou Yuxuan nodded: "But this also proves one thing—Principal Lin's strength is indeed unfathomable. Do you think he's been hunting down large lair leaders with ease these past few days?"

"That's for sure!"

Chen Yu said excitedly, "Aren't there battle reports from Yuanwu Army in various places on the forum? Wherever Brother Yi goes, he kills the leader of a large nest in seconds, never in more than three seconds."

"I really want to know how Principal Lin did it," Zhou Yuxuan said longingly. "I'll have to ask him sometime."

"Come on," Chen Yu laughed. "Let's finish the basic level first, otherwise how will we have the face to ask Brother Yi for help?"
-
Meanwhile, in the distant northern border of the Xia Kingdom, Lin Yi had just completed his goal for the day.

The "Starburst" fighter jet hovered in mid-air, below which was a massive frost bear, now transformed into a golden-patterned blue spirit crystal.

With a thought, Lin Yi saw the crystal fly into his hand.

"The seventeenth one." Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction. "A good haul."

Over the past two weeks, he has traveled to seventeen large nests across the country, eliminating the leader-level abyssal beasts of those large nests one by one.

Every action was swift and decisive, without any unnecessary delays.

Besides hunting abyssal beasts, Lin Yi also took this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the development of the Yuanwu Army in various regions.

He discovered that although the Yuanwu Army had been established throughout the country, the level of development varied greatly.

In some regions, the Yuanwu Army has grown strong enough to independently deal with miniature abyssal beast tides, while in other regions, it still needs to rely on the support of traditional armies.

"It seems we still need to strengthen our training," Lin Yi thought to himself.

He brought up the Starburst Control Panel to check the coordinates of the next target.

"Hmm?" Lin Yi suddenly noticed a popular post about him on the forum.

He clicked on it out of curiosity and saw the students' discussion about his mirror challenge, which made him laugh.

"These little guys are quite interesting." Lin Yi watched Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan's conversation.

He continued scrolling down and couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Liu Yuan's reply.

"That kid Liu Yuan was actually killed instantly." Lin Yi shook his head. "It seems the mirror image I set up in the virtual system was still too powerful."

"When we get back, I need to give them some proper guidance," Lin Yi thought. "Especially Liu Yuan, he has good talent and can play a lot of roles in the future."
-
Inside the virtual teaching room of Dongfeng Yuanwu Military Academy, Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan failed their challenge again. They removed their helmets, exchanged wry smiles, and

"This is too difficult." Chen Yu rubbed his temples. "Yi Ge's mirror image is simply inhuman."

“Nonsense, Principal Lin is no ordinary person.” Zhou Yuxuan rolled his eyes at him. “But I’ve discovered a pattern.”

"What's the pattern?"

"When Principal Lin makes his mirror attack, it seems he observes our source energy flow first."

Zhou Yuxuan said seriously, "If our energy flow is unstable, he will immediately attack our weak points. But if our energy flow is stable, he will hesitate for a moment."

Chen Yu's eyes lit up: "You mean, if we can maintain the stability of the energy flow, we can hold out a little longer?"

“That’s right.” Zhou Yuxuan nodded. “I just tried it. Although I was still instantly killed in the end, I lasted 0.2 seconds longer.”

"Then what are we waiting for?" Chen Yu said excitedly, "Let's do it again!"

The two put on their helmets again and began a new round of challenges.

This time, they all paid special attention to maintaining the stability of the energy flow.

In the virtual space, Chen Yu faced Lin Yi's mirror image, took a deep breath, and evenly distributed his source energy throughout his body.

At this moment, Lin Yi's image moved, and its speed was still astonishing.

But this time, Chen Yu could clearly sense that the mirror image hesitated for a moment before attacking.

"Now!" Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately dodged to the side.

"Whoosh!"

Lin Yi's reflection brushed past his body, creating a gust of wind.

"3.8 seconds!" the system notification sounded.

Chen Yu was overjoyed; the duration of his persistence had indeed been extended.

He took off his helmet and saw that Zhou Yuxuan had just finished the challenge as well.

"How is it?" Chen Yu asked.

"4.3 seconds!" Zhou Yuxuan said excitedly, "My method really works."

"That's amazing!" Chen Yu exclaimed excitedly. "Let's post this discovery on the forum and let everyone try it out."
-
While the trainees were having a lively discussion, Lin Yi's hunting operation was also drawing to a close.

"That's about it." Lin Yi looked at the last battle report. "We've basically cleared out the leaders of the large abyss beast lairs that are easy to hunt."

The remaining ones are either too remote or have too special an environment, requiring further consideration.

He brought up the Starburst Control Panel and set the flight path back to Crane Deer City.

"It's time to go back and check on the trainees' training results." A smile appeared on Lin Yi's lips. "I wonder how those little guys are doing in the virtual reality headsets."

"With a little more training, these people will be ready to deal with the Star Core-level Abyss Beasts."

The blue fighter jet streaked across the sky, speeding towards the Dongfeng Yuanwu Military Academy.

Within the academy, the craze for virtual challenges continues to grow, with every student striving towards the seemingly simple yet difficult goal—to pass the basic challenge under Lin Yi's mirror attack.

For them, this is not just a training goal, but also a yearning and pursuit of the Stardust level.

　There will be two more chapters tonight, at the usual time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)