Chapter 18: What Happened to the Previous S-Class?

Little did they know, Chu Zihang also received a text message from Schneider with a similar message.

Having just arrived at the school, they were unaware that the Lionheart Society had long been a breeding ground for fresh blood for the Executive Department, and Schneider naturally wanted his students to join the Lionheart Society.

Despite being rejected, Caesar did not show any signs of frustration or anger; instead, he quickly dispelled the awkwardness.

"No matter what, the Student Union will always welcome you both with open arms. I'm glad to have met you both, and even if we become rivals in the future, the next few years won't be boring."

Caesar's words came from the heart. He was proud and confident, and while it would be great if they joined the Student Union, he would also be happy if these two joined the Lionheart Society, feeling joy for the emergence of outstanding opponents.

With that, Caesar left. He had initially planned to sit down and chat over a meal, experiencing the free food from the window, but seeing the table full and no spare seats left, he decided not to stay any longer.

There's always tomorrow.

"Lü Xiong, what do you think of him?" 

After Caesar left, Chu Zihang asked.

Lü Chen was surprised that Chu Zihang had quickly adopted a new nickname for him, but he replied, "He's a confident and charismatic person. I'm sure there are plenty of girls in the academy who like him."

With a slight change of tone, he continued, "But, Chu Xiong, you probably had plenty of girls pursuing you at your previous school too."

It was both praise for Chu Zihang and genuine. After all, Chu Zihang was extremely good-looking and seemed to come from a good family.

"I'm not sure about that."

Chu Zihang genuinely didn't know, and no girls had ever confessed to him. (They were all just secretly admiring him!)

"What about you?"

Lü Chen asked Chu Zihang about his opinion of Caesar.

"...I feel like there's a bit of... a mismatch in compatibility."

Chu Zihang fell silent, giving an odd conclusion.

Lü Chen found it somewhat amusing; indeed, there was a mismatch in compatibility. One seemed like a luxurious Roman emperor, the other like a medieval ascetic monk; one had a personality that radiated like the sun, the other seemed as cold as the Siberian permafrost.

...

After dinner, Chu Zihang and Lü Chen returned to their respective dormitories. The textbooks for the new semester's compulsory courses had already been delivered to the dormitory. Chu Zihang said he wanted to preview the courses, while Lü Chen lay on his bed lost in thought.

Although it looked like he was daydreaming, he was actually quietly practicing the internal martial arts techniques passed down to him by an old master from his previous life.

The flow of blood within the body was restricted by the high pressure of the muscles, which in turn stimulated the heart to further increase blood supply. This cycle repeated, gradually increasing the strength of the muscles.

Even though he had already reached the end of this path, it was difficult for these techniques to advance any further, but he wouldn't waste any spare time.

It wasn't until evening that he was interrupted by Fingal's excited cries.

"Junior Brother, Junior Brother, Lü Junior Brother, wake up, you've gone viral, you've gone viral!"

Fingal sat in front of the computer desk, calling out.

"What's going on?"

Lü Chen was puzzled.

"Come and see for yourself."

With Fingal's beckoning, Lü Chen got up and walked over to his side, looking at the computer screen, which displayed the night watchman forum of Cassell Academy.

On the forum, there were several threads that had been pinned and given special attention. Fingal even manually refreshed the page a few times, and with each refresh, the number of views and replies on the threads skyrocketed.

"Shocking: New student breaks fitness test record, a new S-level may be born!"

"5.981S, the gap between you and him is this big!"

"New student Lü Chen locks eyes with current Student Union President Caesar Gattuso in the cafeteria, sparks fly. Is it a battle of wills, or...?"

"The recruitment battle between the Lionheart Society and the Student Union has begun ahead of schedule. Did the Student Union strike first? Who will the allegedly S-level new student choose?"

"Bounty post: Seeking information on Lü Chen before his enrollment, the more detailed the better."

"Discussion post: Lü Chen turned out to be a 'specially recruited student.' Guess how Lü Chen was discovered and enrolled?"

"The betting is open, the betting is open! Bet on whether Lü Chen can become the first S-level student in recent years after the 3E exam."

...

Lü Chen felt dizzy looking at the row of posts. He had never encountered such things before. He had only been using his phone for a week, and forums like this were still far from his reach.

But even so, he knew that he seemed to have been thrust into the spotlight on the campus forum. In just one afternoon, he had become a prominent figure in the academy.

"...Senior Brother, is it just because my fitness test results were outstanding that they assume I might be S-level?"

After thinking for a moment, Lü Chen asked.

"Although the fitness test only accounts for a small part of the bloodline assessment, you broke a record. That's a record previously only achieved by S-levels!"

Fingal was excited.

"Isn't running fast enough for an A-level?"

"Running 7 or 8 seconds per hundred meters isn't fast enough? Even world-class sprinters at the Olympics would kneel down and sing 'Conquest' if they saw that. Your performance probably made them consider going home to sell sweet potatoes."

Fingal almost spat out his saliva, thinking, "Junior Brother, you really don't understand worldly affairs."

"Is physical fitness necessarily linked to bloodline?"

"Not absolutely, but that's for B, C, D-level students. Maybe their bloodline gives them different advantages; some may excel in physical fitness and reach A-level, while others may excel mentally, appearing smarter. But these advantages are limited. A B-level bloodline running 7 or 8 seconds per hundred meters is already at the top. Even for A-levels, it's very difficult to advance further, because going beyond that represents a significant leap in physical fitness."

"So..."

"So, Junior Brother, you broke the record left by the previous S-level, proving that your physical fitness is not just superior but also on par with theirs. It's definitely not the standard achievable by ordinary A-levels."

Fingal concluded, and this was why many people on the forum had started referring to him as "alleged S-level" or "likely to be promoted to S-level," and eventually, they just simplified it to S-level.

Basically, as long as nothing unexpected happened during the 3E exam, even if Lü Chen got one or two questions wrong, Norma would most likely give him an S-level comprehensive assessment.

Lü Chen pondered for a moment. Improving his performance was intentional; it was a principle he had understood in his previous life. Being outstanding often led to gaining more resources.

But he hadn't expected S-level to be so valuable in this academy. He had originally thought it was just a commendation for outstanding students.

"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, has my previous S-level senior graduated? Did he join the Executive Department now?"

Lü Chen asked, curious to see the true standard of a real S-level if given the chance.

"He's gone."

Fingal tapped on the keyboard, apparently engaged in an online debate.

"Gone? What do you mean?"

Lü Chen was puzzled.

"He had a mental breakdown a few years ago and committed suicide by swallowing a gun."

Fingal said, then turned and smiled, "But don't worry, Junior Brother, you don't seem like the type to swallow a gun."