Global Awakening: Awakening the Empress's Martial Soul at the Start

Chapter 12 Joke

Lin Jianguo's hand holding the water bottle froze in mid-air. The smile on his face was still there, but the look in his eyes had changed, from curiosity to confusion, and from confusion to uncertainty.

"Don't talk nonsense, brat." He reached out and lightly patted Lin Fan on the back of the head, the force being about the same as swatting a mosquito.

"Although your dad doesn't understand martial arts, I still know what 3000 jin (1,500 catties) means."

Last year's national champion only weighed a little over 2,100 jin (approximately 1,500 kg). If you could fight someone weighing 3000 jin (approximately 1,500 catties), your dad would be a level-one martial artist.

"It really is me."

"Alright, alright, just tell me who it is." Lin Jianguo glanced towards the exam hall entrance, then stood on tiptoe and scanned the crowd.

"Is it the tall guy in the blue shirt? Or the one with the buzz cut? They all look pretty muscular, like they're trained fighters."

Lin Fan watched his father intently searching for the "national champion" in the crowd, his lips twitched, but he ultimately gave up.

Forget it.

When the results came out, he believed it.

"Let's go, Dad, let's go home."

"Hey, you still haven't told me who it is—"

"Mom is waiting at home."

"Oh right, your mom made pork ribs. Let's go home."

Lin Jianguo picked up the plastic bag containing the steamed buns. Before leaving, he looked back at the examination hall door with resentment and muttered, "3000 jin, tsk, I really wonder whose child this is. His parents must be very lucky."

Lin Fan took the plastic bag from his father and walked ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

……

At the same time that the father and son embarked on their journey home, a message was spreading across the city's information network at an almost frantic pace.

"Have you heard? Someone in exam room number nine threw a 3000-pound punch!"

"3000 jin? Are you kidding me? Last year's national champion, Chu Feng, only weighed 2130 jin, right?"

"Are you kidding me? 3000 jin is something a Body Refinement Realm cultivator can achieve?"

"Really? Wasn't the college entrance exam record 2300 jin (1150 catties)? This is over 700 jin (350 catties)?"

On the martial arts forum, a post titled "Hot! A student weighing 3000 pounds was found in the No. 9 examination room in Jiangcheng, suspected of breaking the national college entrance examination record!" quickly became the top trending topic within half an hour.

The poster's account was a new one registered this afternoon, and the profile picture was still the system's default gray silhouette. However, the post was full of vivid descriptions, from the candidates' queuing order to the model of the force measuring instrument, from the examiners' reactions to the commotion on site. The details were so detailed that it was like a live recording written on the spot.

But people online don't believe it.

"3000 jin? Did you add an extra zero?"

"Hilarious! Do you even know what 3000 jin means? The threshold for a Di-level martial artist is 5000 jin. Are you implying this candidate is already more than halfway into the Di-level?"

"If you're going to make something up, at least make it believable. People might believe you if you say you weigh 2000 jin, but 3000 jin is just treating people like idiots."

"I took the college entrance exam last year. The top student in our school weighed 1600 jin (800 catties) and was already in the top 50 in the province. 3000 jin (1500 catties)? The national champion? There's a limit to nonsense."

The thread was in complete chaos. The candidates in exam room number nine were desperately trying to defend themselves, but the voices of a few hundred people were like stones thrown into the ocean in a forum with hundreds of thousands of users, not even making a decent ripple.

The comments that claimed "I saw it with my own eyes," "I was also in exam room number nine," and "The chief examiner confirmed it" were immediately drowned out by a flood of "disbelief," "bragging," and "rumors."

Later, even the test takers themselves began to doubt their own lives. They had clearly seen the number appear with their own eyes, and they had clearly heard the examiner say that the record had been broken, yet so many people were denying it with such certainty.

They also began to wonder if they were collectively hallucinating.

Sun Hao sat in the spacious back seat of the Rolls-Royce, legs crossed, his fingers lazily swiping across his phone screen.

He was in a good mood today. Weighing 1536 pounds, he performed exceptionally well, exceeding his best training result by more than ten pounds. The examiners at the No. 1 High School's main examination hall immediately said that this score would easily place him in the top ten in the province, and the admissions officers from Wuhan University in Shanghai had already started taking notice of him.

Wuhan University in Shanghai.

The top three martial arts universities in the country, with a history of three hundred years, have produced three Heaven-level martial artists and seventeen peak Earth-level martial artists. Getting into Shanghai Martial Arts University is equivalent to having one foot in the upper echelons of martial arts in the Chinese Federation.

Isn't Zhao Xiaoyue also going to take the entrance exam for Shanghai Martial Arts University? If they get into the same university, he'll have plenty of opportunities over the next four years.

Thinking of this, Sun Hao's lips unconsciously curled up.

He opened the martial arts forum, ready to see if anyone was discussing his achievements today. Although 1536 jin (758 catties) couldn't compare to those freaks in the provincial capital, in Jiangcheng, it was still something to brag about.

As soon as he opened the trending list, a post caught his eye.

Breaking News! A student weighing 3000 pounds achieved a score at exam room number 9 in Wuhan, potentially breaking the national college entrance examination record!

Sun Hao frowned.

3000 pounds?

He didn't even bother clicking on it; he just swiped the post away.

These kinds of posts appear every year during the college entrance examination season, like weeds that keep growing back after being cut down. Last year, someone even posted that he awakened a Heaven-level Martial Soul in the exam room and punched 5000 jin with one punch. Later, it was revealed that he was just a keyboard warrior who hadn't even awakened a Martial Soul.

3000 jin? That's ridiculous.

People might believe it if you say 2000 jin (2000 catties), since there have been a few extraordinary individuals in history who did indeed reach that weight.

3000 jin? The limit of the Body Refinement Realm is there, like a bucket that can hold a maximum of 2,000 jin of water. If you say you can hold 3,000 jin, is the bucket leaking or is your brain leaking?

If someone could hit a target weighing 3000 jin (1,500 catties), he would eat his phone.

Sun Hao chuckled and was about to put his phone in his pocket when the screen suddenly lit up.

Caller ID: Zhang Hu.

Sun Hao answered the phone casually, "What is it?"

He thought Zhang Hu had come to invite him to celebrate that night. The college entrance exam was over, it was time to relax, and someone had recommended a newly opened club a couple of days ago, supposedly famous for its delicious roasted monster meat.

"Brother Sun! Something terrible has happened! Something drastic has occurred!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was urgent and shrill, carrying a panicked feeling of being terrified by something.

Sun Hao frowned: "What is it? Tell me slowly."

"Lin Fan! That guy Lin Fan—" Zhang Hu's voice cracked on the phone, "He threw 3000 jin! He broke the national record! He's this year's top scorer in the country! The examiner said it himself!"

A question mark slowly surfaced in Sun Hao's mind.

He took the phone away from his ear and glanced at the caller ID on the screen—it was indeed Zhang Hu.

Then he glanced at the post he had just scrolled away: 3000 jin (1,500 catties) and national champion, the two keywords matched perfectly.

He put the phone back to his ear.

"Zhang Hu, did you see that post online? That post is unreliable; someone made it up to grab attention. There are these kinds of things every year—"

"It's not a post! It's real!" Zhang Hu's voice was already trembling with tears. "I was in the same exam room as Lin Fan! I saw him fight with my own eyes! His first punch was 850, the second punch was 2000, and the third punch was 3000!"

He tested every single force measuring instrument in the examination room, and each one weighed over 3000 jin (1,500 catties)! The chief examiner immediately declared that he had broken the national record!

All the examiners checked the equipment, and it wasn't broken! It's true!

Sun Hao remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he chuckled.

That kind of laugh, tinged with disdain and disappointment, is the kind that comes when someone tries to fool you with the worst kind of lie.

"Zhang Hu, are you under too much exam pressure?"

"Brother Sun, I'm telling the truth! I—"

"Alright, I have something to do, I'm hanging up."

Sun Hao hung up the phone, tossed it onto the leather seat next to him, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Lin Fan, weighing 3000 jin (approximately 1,500 catties), was the top score

Putting these three words together makes it sound like a joke that's not funny at all. Lin Fan, the same Lin Fan who, just a month ago, was singled out by the martial arts teacher in front of the whole class and told "you might as well switch to humanities"?

A piece of trash who can't even test the grade of his martial spirit? If he could hit 3000 jin, then Sun Hao himself would be a Heaven-level martial artist.

Zhang Hu used to seem pretty clever, what happened to his brain? Forget it, I won't hang out with him anymore.

……

Ziyuan Villa District, Zhao Family Villa.

Zhao Xiaoyue tossed her schoolbag onto the sofa, sank into the soft cushions, and let out a comfortable sigh.

The exam is over.

The exams are finally over.

She performed exceptionally well in the humanities subjects, and her weight of 1476 pounds in the martial arts subjects also exceeded her usual training level. She has already crossed the threshold of Wuhan University in Shanghai; all that's left is to wait for the admission notice.

She rolled over, picked up a cushion, and began planning her summer vacation schedule. Eating hot pot, drinking milk tea, shopping, watching movies, sleeping in until she naturally woke up—she wanted to make up for all the happiness she had missed out on during her senior year of high school.

Oh right, I also need to treat Lin Fan to dinner; my parents said they wanted to thank him properly. Thinking of Lin Fan, Zhao Xiaoyue's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

I wonder how he did on his martial arts exam. Even though he only weighed 300 pounds a month ago, he's so good at humanities subjects; he could definitely get into a good liberal arts university.

The phone rang.

The ringtone was a cheerful flute tune that she specially set for her best friend, Weiwei.

"Hey, Weiwei, you've finished your exams too?"

"Xiaoyue!" The woman's voice on the other end of the phone wasn't cheerful or excited, but rather a tone that sounded like she'd been stunned by something and hadn't quite recovered. "Have you heard? Your deskmate—Lin Fan!"

Zhao Xiaoyue put the cushion aside, her brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong with Lin Fan?"

"He broke the national record! He's this year's top scorer in the country! 3000 jin! He lifted 3000 jin!"

Zhao Xiaoyue took the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen for a second.

Today is the last day of the college entrance examination, not April Fool's Day.

She subconsciously reached out and pinched her cheek.

pain.

It's not a dream.

She put the phone back to her ear: "Weiwei, have you been drinking? Are you confused? Why are you talking nonsense?"

"No! I'm perfectly sober!" Weiwei exclaimed anxiously. "Quickly check the martial arts forum! The top trending topic: 3000 jin in exam room number nine!"

Zhao Xiaoyue hung up the phone and opened the Martial Arts Forum app. She was an awakener of the Ice Phoenix Feather Martial Soul, a high-grade Xuan-level martial soul, and had passed the Martial Arts Forum's real-name authentication last year, with a bright "quasi-Martial Artist" icon next to her ID.

It's the number one trending topic on the forum homepage.

Breaking News! A student weighing 3000 pounds achieved a score at exam room number 9 in Wuhan, potentially breaking the national college entrance examination record!

The post had already garnered over 100,000 replies. Zhao Xiaoyue clicked on the main text and quickly scrolled down.

The original poster wrote in great detail, recording the exam time, exam room number, force measuring instrument model, and examiner's reactions clearly. Halfway through reading it, she was wondering which school this 3000-pound superhuman went to, and then she saw that name.

Lin Fan.

Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School.

Zhao Xiaoyue's finger stopped on the screen.

Is it a case of the same name as someone else?

This was the first thought that popped into her head. It wasn't that she didn't think highly of Lin Fan; it was simply because she knew him too well.

For three years, more than a thousand days and nights, she had witnessed Lin Fan struggling to get the starting stance of the Returning Mountain Fist right in martial arts class, and she had also witnessed him walking away with his head down after delivering a 300-jin punch in front of the force gauge.

A month ago he only weighed 300 pounds, and a month later he weighed 3000 pounds? This is not progress, it's a completely different person.

She scrolled down the comments section and found that the vast majority of people shared her view.

"3000 jin? There's a basic principle to follow when making up a story."

"OP, I beg you to look at the scores of last year's top scorer in the country and then rewrite them."

"Are the people in exam room number nine so ignorant? They see 200 jin and think it's 2000 jin?"

Indeed, there were people from exam room number nine desperately trying to explain in the post—"The equipment wasn't broken," "The chief examiner checked it," "I personally saw him test all ten force gauges"—but they were too few people. A few hundred candidates were like a few drops of water falling into a river in a forum with hundreds of thousands of users.

The ripples that had just begun were quickly drowned out by a deluge of doubts.

Some even started to mock: "Did everyone in exam room number nine suffer from heatstroke and hallucinate?" "I suggest everyone in your exam room go to the hospital for a check-up, just in case the exam pressure caused a mass hysteria."

Zhao Xiaoyue closed the post, put her phone on the coffee table, and let out a sigh of relief.

It was indeed fake.

She didn't know what she was expecting for that moment, but as the phone screen went dark, a faint sense of disappointment really slipped through her chest.

Also.

3000 jin (1500 catties), national champion – that's Lin Fan.

No matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense.

She picked up her phone again and sent a message to Weiwei: "Don't believe those posts, they're fake. Lin Fan only weighed 300 pounds a month ago, how could he possibly weigh 3000 pounds?"

While everyone was discussing it, a huge uproar also broke out in the martial arts club.