The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 157 What is a speedrunner? (2-in-1)

The students who returned from Yanjing performed exceptionally well during the morning's assessment.

Therefore, most of the students in Class 1 and Class 2 gave up their afternoon assessment opportunity because they felt there was nothing to compete for.

Only a handful of people who felt they still had room for improvement and could challenge for a top-ten finish participated in the afternoon assessment, preparing to take it a step further.

This led to all the attention in the afternoon focusing on Jiang Chuan.

Everyone wanted to know what level Jiang Chuan was at now, and whether he could surpass Lin Ci's incredibly impressive record of breaking through the formation in 3 minutes and 29 seconds.

This attention made Jiang Chuan feel even more pressured.

And just before going on stage, he checked his pulse again to confirm that he was still not in top condition.

He was surrounded by discussions about Jiang Chuan.

He could even hear some of it himself because he was standing so close.

"Can Jiang Chuan break Lin Ci's record?"

"The fastest timer in Yanjing is 3 minutes and 23 seconds. Our fastest timer can't be too much slower, right?"

"During this exchange trip to Yanjing, I always felt like I was being overshadowed. If Jiang Chuan had gone too, how could they have put on airs? I think Jiang Chuan is definitely better than that Zheng Yang, right?"

"He's definitely stronger than Zheng Yang. Jiang Chuan broke the formation in the first week. When did Zheng Yang break the formation?"

However, as Mr. Cao Zhigang's voice reverberated across the playground, the discussions gradually subsided.

"Class One, Number One! Jiang Chuan! Step forward!"

Jiang Chuan gritted his teeth and walked towards the bronze statue formation.

All eyes were on Jiang Chuan as he walked from the crowd toward the bronze statue formation.

Someone shouted, "Go, Brother Chuan!"

A cheer erupted from Class Two: "Go, Brother Chuan!"

Such cheers surprised Class 1, who never expected Jiang Chuan to have such prestige in Class 2.

Meanwhile, Class One was not lagging behind and was also cheering for Jiang Chuan:

"Jiang Chuan! He broke that kid's record from Yanjing!"

"Go Jiangchuan!!"

At this moment, Tian Tian asked Lin Ci, "How long do you think it will take for Jiang Chuan?"

Lin Ci thought for a moment before giving his answer: "He hasn't been training specifically for the Bronze Man Formation during this period, even though he has made progress in other areas..."

"It's incredibly difficult to surpass the previous record by such a large margin in one go."

Tian Tian asked in surprise, "Then what Jiang Chuan said just now was true?"

Lin Ci nodded: "I think so."

“Jiang Chuan has no reason to lie to us.”

Tian Tian frowned: "Really? I don't believe it."

Chen Ming frowned and said, "Jiang Chuan isn't very lucky. This randomly generated bronze man formation looks quite difficult."

Li Yi nodded.

Amidst the cheers, Jiang Chuan felt that this assessment was utterly meaningless and that it would be better to send himself out on a mission.

What's the point of comparing? What difference does it make whether the grades are high or low? In the end, we still have to go into battle and fight the enemy. What matters is surviving and completing the mission.

But this was just a internal monologue...

He silently took the goggles from Cao Zhigang's hand, and heard Cao Zhigang lower his voice and say "Keep it up".

Jiang Chuan put on his goggles and nodded to Teacher Cao. Then he finally stood in front of the bronze statue formation again.

Having not entered this bronze statue formation for a long time, looking at it again now, I still felt a vague sense of familiarity.

This was the first time he had stood before the bronze statues since he had completely mastered the second state of flow.

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath, entered a state of flow, and the cheers and encouragement around him seemed to disappear in an instant.

What he saw before him was a blurry, chaotic mess, and that strange "premonition" resurfaced in his mind.

At the same time, the perceptual domain is also fully opened.

The pressure was indeed immense, but once Jiang Chuan stood before the bronze statue formation, he discarded all his random thoughts and focused all his attention on it.

This is the most basic ability that comes with being in a flow state: focus.

"Hush...huh..."

Even if I haven't recovered to my best condition, I'm already standing here, so all I have to do is give it my all.

He lifted his leg and stepped into the formation of bronze figures.

In that instant, all sounds on the playground ceased.

Everyone seemed to see Jiang Chuan's figure from when he first broke through the formation again.

What kind of shock will he bring to himself this time?
……

When Jiang Chuan stepped forward and stood in the center of the bronze statue formation...

The two bronze figures closest to him had already launched the first attack!

Seeing this, Lin Ci said:

"The first wave of the Bronze Men Formation's attack will delay them by two seconds; the first five meters will seem a bit weaker than usual."

Chen Ming also spoke up at the same time: "Jiang Chuan doesn't seem to be in a good state..."

Although Song Xi wasn't particularly sensitive to these kinds of things, she could still intuitively tell something: "Did he drink it?"

"Why were you a beat slow to react?"

Indeed, everyone could see that Jiang Chuan did not immediately begin his actions upon entering the bronze statue formation.

As if there was some delay, he paused for a moment before starting his attack when the bronze man launched his attack.

But the result was beyond everyone's expectations.

Jiang Chuan, who thought he would be entangled with the first two bronze men for a while, actually managed to slip through the two approaching bronze men at the last moment!

Aizhe asked in surprise, "What happened? How did you dodge it?!"

But they didn't have time to analyze these things.

Because after Jiang Chuan dodged the first two bronze figures, his speed suddenly increased!

All the bronze figures began to respond to Jiang Chuan's movements, and the steel needles and bronze pellets started shooting towards Jiang Chuan from all angles.

Jiang Chuan's spiritual power emanated from his body.

A wall of spiritual energy, almost tangible, blocked all the steel needles and copper pellets.

But at this moment, even more bronze figures surrounded him from all directions!

Li Yi frowned.

Tang Songming shook his head: "Being surrounded is a major taboo..."

"Brother Jiang, how could you forget?"

However, at this moment, Jiang Chuan's figure, which had been rushing forward at a fast pace, suddenly stopped.

He suddenly turned around and took a step back.

It's just a single step, yet the difference is worlds apart!

Dangdang! !

The density of the surrounding bronze figures was so high that several of them collided with each other because of Jiang Chuan's step back!
When the bronze figures collided and lost their threat in a very short time, the pressure on Jiang Chuan decreased sharply.

However, the encirclement was not yet broken. Although the first bronze figure had paused temporarily, the other bronze figures were fast and arrived in an instant. He was about to be surrounded by the other bronze figures. Everyone's pupils contracted slightly. How should Jiang Chuan deal with this?

Although the bronze figures that collided with each other were temporarily out of danger, that moment was fleeting. Even if the other bronze figures held him back for just a second, he would fall back into the encirclement. How could he deal with this dead end?

Everyone was baffled by Jiang Chuan's judgment this time; it was completely different from his previous style!

After taking that step back, Jiang Chuan bent his left arm and swung his elbow into the air...

Just as everyone was somewhat taken aback, a bronze figure suddenly appeared in the middle of Jiang Chuan's elbow strike!

The bronze figure was struck by Jiang Chuan's elbow, producing a loud sound like a bell!
Boom!
Jiang Chuan seemed to have anticipated the effect of his elbow strike. After stunning the bronze figure, he immediately launched into action, leaping into the air!
Jump up?
No one expected that leaping up in the bronze statue formation would leave him with absolutely no room to maneuver, and in that instant, his position was already fixed.

Cao Zhigang's expression changed. What was Jiang Chuan doing?

But just as Jiang Chuan leaped less than a meter into the air, a bronze figure that had already pounced on him appeared beside him.

The appearance of this bronze figure was almost like providing Jiang Chuan with a foothold in mid-air.

Jiang Chuan kicked out, and while kicking the bronze man away, he himself fell to the other side!
They actually managed to break free of the encirclement like that?!

Chen Ming's eyes widened, and Lin Ci's mouth opened slightly, seemingly completely unprepared for this situation!
His movements were fluid and graceful, almost like something out of a martial arts movie...

Those bronze figures were all extras who had sparred with Jiang Chuan and rehearsed countless times!

It's incredibly visually appealing!
But this isn't a martial arts movie set; those bronze statues can actually cause serious injury!

How did he do that!?

After landing, Jiang Chuan suddenly burst into speed and sped off towards the end of the bronze statue formation!

"what happened?"

Tian Tian forgot she was still chewing bubble gum and stared at Jiang Chuan in astonishment.

Although she didn't think Jiang Chuan would really lose, this way of doing things was indeed very unexpected.

Not only her, but everyone in Class 1 and Class 2 was extremely surprised by Jiang Chuan's actions.

Even teachers Cao Zhigang and Cao Zhiqiang showed expressions of amazement.

These two top-tier experts had never seen Jiang Chuan fight in such a way.

"Not even a second less..."

"Not even a moment's mistake can be tolerated..." "Is this a coincidence?"

Cao Zhigang thought in amazement, recalling that step back, the outstretched elbow, and the time it took to leap up...

Every moment must be perfect in order to achieve the possibility of kicking out of the encirclement.

But this... it's hard to imagine that such a judgment was made in such a brief moment.

Jiang Chuan's movements within the formation did not stop at all; he maintained his extreme speed!
This action is downright insane!
Everyone thought that Jiang Chuan was courting death by continuing to sprint like that.

Because five bronze figures are already charging towards us!

Jiang Chuan had almost coincidentally escaped the encirclement, only to be surrounded again. If he had retreated a few steps earlier, found an opening, and maneuvered around for a moment, he might have been able to escape this inescapable trap. Everyone did just that, including Jiang Chuan himself, maneuvering and avoiding direct confrontation with too many bronze figures in the limited space...

But how did he change?

At this moment, Jiang Chuan's speed remained unchanged, and he charged towards the encirclement without stopping!
Emerging from the tiger's den, only to fall into the dragon's pool!
What people don't know is that in the blurry world before Jiang Chuan's eyes, although the encirclement is powerful, he can still find a sliver of possibility among countless possibilities.

As Jiang Chuan became more proficient in the second state of flow, he gradually gained new insights into the use of flow techniques.

Especially when he was in the main hall of Li Guo'er's tomb, he frequently dodged the light shuttle in order to shatter the stone statue, and he gradually mastered the correct way to use that "premonition".

Don't look, don't think, just feel.

Trust your brain, trust your intuition!
Therefore, what was clearly an encirclement that seemed like an inescapable trap to everyone else was actually an advance by Jiang Chuan!

Instead of slowing down, he went even faster!
"What on earth is Brother Chuan doing?!"

"Won't this mean we'll fail?!"

"Damn it, they actually broke in!"

At that very moment, when everyone thought Jiang Chuan was about to fail, Jiang Chuan began his operation within the encirclement.

He punched a bronze statue, using the impact to knock it back half a step. He also stopped abruptly, grabbing the statue's arm and pulling it to his side while it was still unsteady. As Jiang Chuan changed positions, the bronze statue blocked a punch from his right side that was about to hit him!
when!
There was a loud noise.

Jiang Chuan's body, propelled by the impact from the bronze statue, sped rapidly to the left front!
Lin Ci exclaimed in astonishment: "There are bronze statues here too! This is suicidal!"

In that instant, Jiang Chuan's mental energy acted as a buffer, causing his speed to drop sharply.

His body stopped precisely just before being hit! He was only a hair's breadth away from being struck!
Ripples spread across the clothes, but it just wouldn't hit the mark!
Lin Ci was utterly astonished by what she saw: "How is this possible!?"

"This was also part of his calculations!?"

Jiang Chuan narrowly dodged the bronze man's attack, but this momentary pause allowed the bronze men behind him to catch up.

How could he possibly dodge this time?! It was an unavoidable situation!
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Jiang Chuan, their faces filled with astonishment...

Although the students in Class 2 were not as fast at breaking through the formation as those in Class 1, they still had good judgment.

They could all see that Jiang Chuan, whom they had initially considered a sure winner, was now on the verge of defeat!

Forget breaking records, they can't even break through the formation now!?

Lu Ming muttered in astonishment, "It's over!"

His words almost expressed what everyone was thinking.

There were still bronze figures in front of Jiang Chuan, while seven or eight bronze figures behind him were already waving their fists.

The distance between them quickly shortened, and the bronze man's strangely shaped face appeared in front of Jiang Chuan in an instant.

There are no blind spots under the bronze man's iron fist!

How could Jiang Chuan possibly defend himself at this moment? He didn't even turn around, he just kept charging forward!
But at that moment, an extremely shocking scene appeared before everyone's eyes...

In that instant, Jiang Chuan abruptly stopped, the soles of his shoes rubbing against the finely textured ground of the formation, producing a harsh screeching sound.

He made an extremely bizarre bowing motion, narrowly avoiding the first fist, and then exaggeratedly twisted his waist to avoid the second bronze statue's fist.

These two bronze figures, however, each knocked down two other bronze figures that were in front of Jiang Chuan and were preparing to intercept him.

Immediately afterwards...

The dagger he had been holding, which had been useless until now, suddenly slashed heavily forward out of thin air!

What is he going to cut?

"What does this mean!?"

Just as everyone was surprised, they saw the third bronze figure that was attacking Jiang Chuan be interrupted and fall to the ground. When it fell, it tripped the fourth bronze figure!
Jiang Chuan, who had been gliding, stopped gliding after dealing with the threat and burst into speed again, sprinting towards the finish line without stopping!

"It's solved!?"

"How can it be!?"

A loud bang erupted on the playground.

They found it hard to imagine how Jiang Chuan had managed to do it.

Lin Ci stared intently at Jiang Chuan's figure, analyzing the situation to himself:

"Two bronze figures are still chasing after them..."

"Jiang Chuan can't completely shake off these two bronze men; there are four more bronze men blocking his way ahead..."

"If his speed slows down even slightly, if the twelve bronze men behind him catch up, then it will be a complete loss!"

"As he goes deeper, the situation he faces will only become more and more complicated. How will Jiang Chuan break through the formation?"

"If this method can break the formation, how come everyone is having such a hard time even getting to 3 minutes and 40 seconds?"

However, those punches coming from behind did not threaten Jiang Chuan's actions in the slightest.

The close-combat bronze man, who was originally a great threat to everyone, was unable to threaten Jiang Chuan at all; his punches could not hit him!
Every time she attacked Jiang Chuan, not only could she not hit him, but because she couldn't maintain her speed when attacking, Jiang Chuan kept creating distance between them.

Even without breaking the formation, such a feat is still quite impressive.

"As expected of Jiang Chuan..."

"But that's all we can do."

Because everyone could see that Jiang Chuan would inevitably be slowed down by the four bronze men in front of him, and as soon as he slowed down even slightly, the fourteen bronze men behind him would come galloping up.

This is why no one chose to recklessly charge into the formation; even Song Xi's attempt to break through the formation was not as impulsive as Jiang Chuan's at this moment.

Jiang Chuan, however, maintained his top speed.

A huge question arose in everyone's mind. Rationally, they knew that Jiang Chuan was at his wit's end, but emotionally, they were still thinking about how Jiang Chuan would break the formation as if they were there.

But all of this happened so fast that no one could think of a way to break the deadlock.

Everyone couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Jiang Chuan.

Lin Ci, Li Yi, and the others held their breath, watching intently as Jiang Chuan made his decision.

At this moment, only these four bronze figures remained in Jiang Chuan's sight.

He knew that as long as he could get past the four bronze figures, he would be able to break the formation.

Before Jiang Chuan could get close to the four bronze figures surrounding him, he leaped up again.

"?"

"He's crazy!?"

This leap was seen as a failure by everyone.

As he leaped into the air, all the bronze figures accurately predicted the parabolic trajectory of Jiang Chuan's ascent.

The eighteen bronze figures followed suit, leaping up and launching a final attack on Jiang Chuan!

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Just when people thought Jiang Chuan was about to be defeated, Jiang Chuan used his mental power to shift his position by a few inches in mid-air.

But what's the use?

That short distance was clearly not enough for Jiang Chuan to avoid the bronze man's attack.

Just as this problem occurred, Jiang Chuan's body was struck by a swung fist, producing a muffled thud!
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the sight.

They thought Jiang Chuan's body would be smashed down, and that they would ultimately fail.

But they soon realized they were wrong, terribly wrong!

At this moment, they finally understood the purpose of Jiang Chuan's slight lateral movement in mid-air!

It was precisely because of that slight shift in his body caused by his mental energy that Jiang Chuan deliberately chose which direction the fist would hit him from. So, after being hit, he used the force of the bronze man's punch to fall towards the end of the bronze man formation!

He actually took advantage of the bronze statue's attack!?

How could it possibly be possible to do this?!
It's actually possible! ?
Everyone's pupils followed the parabola that Jiang Chuan traced in mid-air.

The next instant, Jiang Chuan landed smoothly.

All the bronze figures stopped moving abruptly.

At that moment, the entire playground fell silent.

Everyone stared in astonishment and shock at Jiang Chuan's retreating figure as he landed.

Even Cao Zhigang and Cao Zhiqiang were stunned; no one expected Jiang Chuan to end things this way.

In everyone's eyes, Jiang Chuan's performance in the Bronze Man Formation was like that of a seasoned gamer.

He memorized the entire game process, knowing exactly what to do at every moment and what actions to take at every instant, as if it were muscle memory, something he could do effortlessly!

If you've ever watched speedrun videos, you'll know that speedrunners and regular players are playing completely different games.

Jiang Chuan just gave the impression that he was speedrunning!

It seems that all the variables in the formation can be used by him!
But the bronze statue formation is random!
How could he possibly achieve such an effect?!
Jiang Chuan's actions shocked everyone! They even shattered everyone's understanding of the world!
How could this bronze statue formation be broken like this?!

Just as Jiang Chuan started walking back, Cao Zhi came to his senses and glanced down at the timer in his hand.

Upon seeing the numbers above, his pupils contracted sharply.

He gasped, utterly shocked, and said:
"Class One, Number One! Jiang Chuan!"

"Time taken..."

"49 seconds!"

(End of this chapter)