Zoe Shen clearly realized why Ron Tao had chosen this moment to give her the medicine. She hesitated briefly before accepting the jade vial and said, "Thank you. If I ever get the chance to go to Celestia, I will definitely repay this favor."
Whether or not Ron Tao's medicine could cure her, she had accepted this favor. She wanted to try it—after all, she didn't want to pass the Wood Martial Hall test only to fail the physical exam in the end. Besides, Ron Tao said this medicine was refined from ingredients found on Celestia.
Perhaps it was a kind of blind yearning for Celestia—not just Zoe Shen, but anyone who heard something was from Celestia would think it was superior.
"Hurry up and take it. The Wood Martial Hall trial is about to start." Seeing Zoe Shen accept the jade vial, Ron Tao urged her from the side.
Zoe Shen saw that someone had opened the doors to the Wood Martial Hall, and the test instructors and scorekeepers had arrived. The allure of Celestia was simply too great for her. After a moment’s hesitation, she opened the jade vial, poured out a dragon-eye-sized pill, and swallowed it.
A gentle warmth spread through her body, and for a moment, she felt as if her strength had increased.
The instructor overseeing the test clearly saw Zoe Shen take the pill. However, no one stepped forward to say anything. This trial wasn’t just a test of strength—the Wood Martial Hall also tested agility, and taking a pill wouldn’t help much. Besides, there was no rule against using medicine.
"The exam begins now. Everyone, line up and enter the Wood Martial Hall one by one—every five minutes, one person goes in. Anyone who exits through the main door has passed. Remember, if the wooden training dummies knock you out of the passage, you’ll have to leave through the side door, which means you’ve failed." The speaker was Principal Winston Wang of Northlake University.
This was the first time Northlake University had the chance to participate in the Celestia test. It was a major event for the whole school.
There was no room for cheating here—Earth Federation proctors were specially assigned to supervise. Only those who passed the Wood Martial Hall could enter Celestia.
Zoe Shen was sixteenth in line. With nervous anticipation, she walked to the entrance of the Wood Martial Hall, donned a set of protective clothing, and stepped inside.
Training in practice was one thing, but facing these Wooden Sentinels in actual combat was a real test of skill.
As soon as she entered the Wood Martial Hall, a fist came hurtling toward Zoe Shen. In that instant, her rigorous training paid off—she instinctively raised her arm to block the blow.
Her arm tingled with numbness, but she had successfully blocked the Wooden Sentinel's punch.
This lifted Zoe Shen's spirits. She felt she might actually be able to clear the Wood Martial Hall trial.
At first, only one or two punches or a few kicks came at Zoe Shen. But the deeper she went, the more attacks she faced.
Fortunately, Zoe Shen had fully adapted to the Wooden Sentinels' punches and kicks, and each time she managed to block them precisely.
Sometimes, she couldn't avoid taking a few hits. But thanks to her nimble and agile movements, Zoe Shen managed not to be knocked out of the passage.
In the first half of the passage, Zoe Shen could still counterattack or block with her legs. But by the latter half, all she could do was barely dodge.
It wasn't that she couldn't block anymore—it was simply that she had run out of strength.
After taking dozens of hits and feeling as though her bones were about to shatter, Zoe Shen suddenly saw the Wooden Sentinels' attacks vanish before her eyes.
Zoe Shen breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she had made it out of the Wood Martial Hall, though she wasn't sure if this counted as passing. She had survived simply by enduring the blows—if the Wood Martial Hall had been any longer, she would have been swept out of the passage.
"Candidate Zoe Shen has passed the Wood Martial Hall preliminary test." When the instructor at the exit announced her success, Zoe Shen clenched her fists in excitement.
She had succeeded—she was about to set foot on Celestia. From now on, her fate would be entirely in her own hands, whether or not she could live past thirty-six...
Just as Zoe Shen thought this, a voice called out again, "Candidate Zoe Shen, please proceed to the next test: the health examination."
Zoe Shen's heart sank—there really was a health test, and it was happening immediately.
Even though Ron Tao had given her a pill, Zoe Shen didn't truly believe it could cure her heart condition. Even if it could, it wouldn't work so quickly. She simply didn't want to miss any chance to enter Celestia—nothing more.
Whether she wanted to or not, she still had to undergo the health check.
As soon as Zoe Shen entered the health test room, she saw a familiar doctor—Dr. Ethan Zhao, principal of Beijing Traditional Medicine University. Besides Dr. Zhao, there was a man and a woman she didn't recognize.
Dr. Ethan Zhao was also slightly surprised to see Zoe Shen. He knew her well—he had treated her before. Zoe Shen's illness was cardiac asphyxia, and so far, there was no definitive cure.
Since Zoe Shen's illness couldn't be cured, how could she possibly be here?
"Uncle Zhao." Zoe Shen hurriedly bowed in greeting to Dr. Ethan Zhao.
Dr. Ethan Zhao quickly asked, "Ziyu, how did you end up here?"
"I passed the Wood Martial Hall trial," Zoe Shen replied.
"That's impossible. I know your condition—how could you practice martial arts? With your illness, any intense activity would cause asphyxia. How could you possibly pass the Wood Martial Hall?" Dr. Ethan Zhao said, utterly incredulous.
He had treated Zoe Shen personally. With cardiac asphyxia, martial cultivation—especially vigorous exercise—was out of the question. Entering the martial academy meant far more than just intense activity; with Zoe Shen's heart, she couldn't possibly handle it.
"Uncle Zhao, when I'm not having an episode, I'm just like any normal person," Zoe Shen explained quickly.
Dr. Ethan Zhao shook his head. "That's only because you've never experienced this level of strenuous activity, especially martial training. It's complicated to explain. For your case, I even searched medical literature from around the world. I'm sure I haven't misdiagnosed you—you simply can't handle intense exercise. It's just..."
(This chapter is not finished yet~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the rest of the exciting content!)
As he spoke, Dr. Ethan Zhao grew puzzled. If Zoe Shen couldn't handle strenuous activity, she certainly couldn't practice martial arts—so how had she passed the Wood Martial Hall?
"Go ahead and take the test," Dr. Ethan Zhao said. Even if he was overseeing the test, if Zoe Shen couldn't pass, there was nothing he could do to help her.
The examination here was designed to assess physical fitness and the health of major organs, and each test was completed swiftly.
In less than half an hour, the results were ready.
Dr. Ethan Zhao stared at the results, mouth agape, unable to believe it. He had personally diagnosed Zoe Shen's condition—there was no way he could have been wrong. Yet the results showed she was in perfect health.
"No wonder you can practice martial arts—your illness is completely cured? Can you tell me how you recovered? Who treated you?" Dr. Ethan Zhao asked in astonishment.
Was she truly cured? Zoe Shen clenched her fists in excitement. No matter how optimistic she was, her heart condition had always been a shadow over her life.
She had always avoided checkups—she simply didn't want to face the truth.
But now, her illness was truly gone? That’s right—it was Ron Tao. Ron Tao had saved her once.
"Thank you, Brother Ron Tao." Zoe Shen murmured, then explained to Dr. Ethan Zhao, "Uncle Zhao, it was Brother Ron Tao. Before I entered the Wood Martial Hall, he gave me a pill, saying it could cure my heart disease. I was skeptical before, but I never imagined it would truly heal me..."
Zoe Shen was still overwhelmed by the joy—her mind echoed with one thought: she no longer had to count the days she had left to live.
For so many years, what she had longed for had come so easily. Was this a gift from the heavens? It felt like the greatest turning point in her life.
Dr. Ethan Zhao, however, frowned and shook his head. "That's absolutely impossible..."
"No, Brother Ron Tao’s pill came from an auction—I heard it was refined from Celestia’s medicinal herbs." At this moment, Zoe Shen’s gratitude for Ron Tao was heartfelt. He hadn’t just saved her life, but had given her the chance to pursue her dreams like anyone else.
Dr. Ethan Zhao sighed. "I’m not doubting the pill’s efficacy. I’m saying, according to my research, before your illness was cured, you shouldn’t have been able to practice martial arts. So how did you..."
He trailed off as another student who had passed the Wood Martial Hall entered for their health test.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)