novelraw Chapter 45 : The Century Exam
Chapter 45 : The Century Exam
45: The Century Exam
With nearly a thousand examinees, even with eight people taking the stage at a time, it would take at least the better part of a day.
Water and snacks were provided at the exam site, but who could eat them?
Let alone those examinees whose Primordial Energy values surpassed the Second Tier university admission line, even the average candidates, for whom this was the most critical exam of their lives, having endured so much hardship over the years, what was standing for a few hours?
Fortunately, it was an overcast day today, and the weather was relatively cool.
Xiao Huohuo finished his exam early. His score was not ideal. Even for a typically active boy like him, he didn't say much. He walked down the platform silently, not looking at the ranks of the Lingdu Source Martial Academy students. Just as Yuyin had said, no matter how you usually are, once you truly stand on this stage, who doesn't want to win? Everyone still clung to a sliver of hope for an extraordinary performance.
However, reality was cold.
"Yingluo, it's your turn. Good luck." Seeing Yingluo's name appear on the large screen, Yuyin gave her palm a slightly firm squeeze.
"Mm." Yingluo's face, however, inexplicably flushed slightly. She nodded and walked onto the assessment platform.
At this moment, the situation for No. 21 High School was grim.
Over three hundred students had already been assessed. On the two large ranking screens on the left and right, among the top twenty males and females, there were two from the International Academy and one from No. 39 High School. The rest were uniformly from the Lingdu Source Martial Academy Affiliated High School.
As for No. 21 High School, aside from briefly appearing on the list at the beginning when the numbers were low, they had not been on it since being pushed off. The students around them also wore sullen expressions. Although they had expected this, being surrounded by competitors and being at the bottom was truly disgraceful.
Yingluo and the other eight examinees, who were ranked in the middle of their respective schools, stood on the devices one by one. The International Academy had the fewest students, so this time No. 39 High School, with the most people, took three spots.
The test began.
"Hmm?"
Yuyin, and even the students of Class One, were surprised to find that the column of Primordial Energy behind Yingluo suddenly soared, almost on par with the two girls from the affiliated high school.
"Yingluo!?" Yuyin was a little excited. Last time, Yingluo had said her Primordial Energy value was in the average range for female students. How could it have risen so quickly?
"Wow!" The examinees from No. 21 High School couldn't help but cheer.
In the end, Yingluo's score stopped at 101, ranking second among the eight, actually higher than one of the girls from the affiliated high school in this round.
101? She was a shoo-in for the First Tier line!
"Look, the ranking list!"
"Twentieth Place
Lingdu No. 21 High School, Lu Yingluo, Primordial Energy 101"
"She made it into the top twenty for girls! My god!"
"This girl, isn't she just a top student?" Liu Li was startled, feeling a bit displeased. "She was hiding it well enough."
Yuyin was also very surprised. Even though Yingluo's family was well-off, they were only upper-middle class, not wealthy. Selling everything to buy a pill for a temporary boost of 10 points would be considered very good. From her appearance on stage, her ranking during the last physical exam was below average. For her to have improved by nearly 40 points in just over a month? Could it be... because of their dual cultivation?
After all, the dual cultivation method they used was no longer the rogue technique her parents had bought at a great price, but a mid-tier method-class secret art that had been optimized in the God-Devouring Chess space. And the object of her dual cultivation was Yuyin, whose Primordial Energy was so abundant and pure. It was not an exaggeration for Yingluo to have such a result.
However, the Century Twin Jewels were unimpressed. It wasn't strange for a few outstanding individuals to occasionally appear among the vast ordinary people of lower-tier schools. They hadn't even reached the average level of the affiliated high school. They didn't know what those from No. 21 High School were so excited about.
"Yingluo, beautiful!" Teacher Xie, who was waiting outside the venue and watching the live screen, also jumped up excitedly.
However, Yingluo's ranking was quickly pushed down, and No. 21 High School once again disappeared from the ranking list.
At noon, the exam was halfway through. Those students from the affiliated high school who had not yet been assessed each took out an identical small bottle from their pockets, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.
This pill was provided by the school, allowing students who had been standing for half a day to quickly replenish their blood essence and physical strength, avoiding a drop in performance due to the long wait. Those who had already finished, naturally, didn't take one and were very happy. A pill like this could be resold for 20,000 on a certain fish website.
"Damn, that's despicable..." An examinee from another school saw this and felt it was unfair. It was obvious that the Lingdu Source Martial Academy Affiliated High School had known in advance that the assessment would take a long time and had prepared for it!
A 20,000-yuan pill would cost the school around 10,000 to procure. Giving them away to students for free... truly worthy of a top-tier high school, willing to spend a fortune.
In contrast, what was provided at the exam site was just some biscuits and cake. How could that compare to pills? At such a tense moment, who could eat...
Just then, they saw Yuyin walk to the edge of the track, pick up a bottle of mineral water, and place it between her lips. She tilted her exquisite head back and drank it all down in one gulp, both elegant and refreshing.
"As expected of a tennis champion, a young lady who has seen the world. Her mental quality is truly good," a male student from the International Academy said.
"Humph, what young lady? She's bankrupt!" another female student said coldly. If Yuyin's family hadn't run into trouble, even the children of the International Academy would have been jealous of her family background.
"This woman, does she have to seduce dozens of people just by drinking water?" Yuwen Wenzhi clearly thought Yuyin was sexy and beautiful in his heart, but seeing her different from the crowd, not nervous at all, seemingly not intimidated by the rankings in the slightest, he felt displeased. "Humph, let's see when you get on stage. I hope you're not just a pretty but useless flower vase."
"No? Wenzhi, are you deluding yourself? I'd say she clearly is," the female Twin Jewel, the Student Council President, said with her head down.
The assessment in the afternoon grew more and more intense, after all, the later you took the stage, the stronger you were relatively.
However, groups of examinees came and went like flowing water, but the iron-clad ranking list stood firm.
By the time the exam was in its later stages, there was only one examinee from the International Academy left on the ranking list. All the others were from the affiliated high school.
"Sigh, stop looking at the list. Let's just compete for the top three among ourselves," a few class cadre examinees from No. 39 High School said helplessly.
"How can we compare to the Lingdu Source Martial Academy Affiliated High School? They're the Imperial Guard. The International Academy is all children of foreign executives and wealthy families. How can we ordinary people compare? No matter what, we're all just regular students. We're still better than No. 21 High School," a green-skinned boy said.
"That's right. No. 21 High School is too lame. I think the only thing they're better than us at is their location."
"Hahahaha..."
No. 39 High School was just a pot calling the kettle black.
"No, no, their chests are also bigger than our girls..." a boy said quietly, getting chased and playfully hit by a group of girls.
Only the students of No. 21 High School had the worst expressions. Being in last place truly felt awful.
At this point, fewer and fewer examinees were left to take the stage.
"Students, the next group to take the stage is the third-to-last group. We can probably anticipate that the competition will become even more intense in the final act of this exam. Let us wait and see the contest between these true top students," Teacher Jiang, who had served as a demonstrator earlier, spoke into the microphone.
In an instant, the somewhat scattered atmosphere quieted down.
The third-to-last group took the stage. Seven people. Without suspense, the affiliated high school still led by a wide margin.
"You're about to go on. Stay calm and composed. Don't be distracted by their aura," Long Xiaotian said with a touch of gravity. He had gathered with Liu Li, Li He, and a few others.
"Don't worry. We'll give it our all!" the tall Li He pounded his pectoral muscles.
"Mm!?" Long Xiaotian suddenly realized something and looked abruptly in the direction of the Class One ranks.
"What's wrong, Long Xiaotian?" Liu Li asked.
"She... she... hasn't been on stage yet!?"
"Who..." As soon as the words left Liu Li's mouth, her gaze, like Long Xiaotian's, fell on Yuyin, who was tall and had long, flowing hair, standing at the back of the line.
Only Liu Li and Yuyin among the girls had not yet taken the stage. Two groups remained.
Long Xiaotian had always been bothered by who the mysterious student was, the one whose Primordial Energy had surpassed his during the physical exam. He had all sorts of guesses, but he was never willing to think in this direction.
"Could it be... impossible!"
Just then, the large screen in the middle scrolled, and the names of Liu Li and Li He appeared.
"No!" Long Xiaotian's eyes widened.
Yuyin didn't notice Long Xiaotian's astonishment at this moment. She continued to focus on the assessment platform.
The black youth, Thomas, from the Oriental International Academy, who had verbally flirted with Yuyin earlier, was now taking the stage. He was in high spirits again, swaying rhythmically in front of the device.
"Miss Xia, if my Primordial Energy value is higher than yours, will you be my girlfriend?" The black youth actually shamelessly shouted loudly to Yuyin, waving at her. At this critical juncture, without any excessive actions, the invigilating teachers actually condoned such behavior.
This statement was too contemptuous of all the male students of No. 21 High School. For a moment, everyone was furious. Xiao Huohuo was so angry he wanted to go fight him, but was held back by the others.
"Yuyin... don't mind this psycho," Yingluo also said with a frown.
Given Yuyin's beauty, she encountered this kind of thing all too often. Normally, she would have been too lazy to bother.
But today, Yuyin, uncharacteristically, said casually, "Okay."
"Yuyin!"
"What's wrong with you?"
The other students were stunned. If they hadn't already finished their exams, their mentality would have collapsed.
"Sigh, the pressure is too great," a plump boy with glasses said, shaking his head.
Only Long Xiaotian was not surprised. He stared at Yuyin intently. "This woman... she's serious!"
Thomas was greatly encouraged. After the test began, he went all out and exploded with his Primordial Energy. Liu Li and Li He also gave it their all. Li He was out of the running. Although he had improved quickly before, his potential had reached its limit. As for Liu Li, her final Primordial Energy value was 118. There was hope of passing this year's female line for a 289 university, which was very impressive. But she was nowhere near the top 20.
The top 20 for females now was terrifying. It was 135 and up.
As for Thomas, he got 138. It was indeed an extraordinary performance, but he was one point short of regretfully breaking into the top 20 for males.
"Fellow students, you have undergone such a high-pressure assessment and have waited here diligently. You have worked hard, and you are all outstanding! Now taking the stage is the final group of examinees. They are the top two students from each of our four schools. Let us look forward to them bringing a perfect conclusion to this century's college entrance exam," Teacher Jiang said, a little excited.
Among the four great high schools, who was number one? Who was just going through the motions?
The answer would be revealed in the next moment!