“This exam, we will achieve absolutely dazzling results— results that will capture the world’s attention and be recorded in history.”
My voice was clear and bright, tinged with the naive arrogance of a child unaware of the world’s vastness.
“You kid, you really are…”
Under the night’s glow, I thought I saw Teacher Xiao Yuan’s eyes glisten with tears.
She embraced Cluru and me.
“Bringing you two back wasn’t for nothing.”
No matter the outcome, hearing those words was already enough for her.
The Master of Spirit exam is divided into two parts: the Wen Test and the Wu Test.
The Wen Test is scored out of 450 points, and the Wu Test out of 300, combining to form the Master’s total score.
The Wen Test covers “Immortal Spirit history and geographic distribution, comprehensive Immortal Spirit cultivation, comprehensive Immortal Spirit combat theory, Chinese language, mathematics, and political ideology.”
Foreign languages became elective courses after university.
Biology also shifted to elective status, but because Immortal Spirits altered biological structures, it’s now called “Ancient Biology.”
“The full score is still 750 points. Scoring above 400 points can get you into a third-tier university… I’m not asking much from everyone here; just get into a third-tier school.”
Shi Tian stood at the podium.
Above the blackboard hung a bright red banner.
【7 days left until the Master of Spirit final exam.】
No feast lasts forever. Watching the little brats before me prepare to spread their wings and scatter across the world, Shi Tian’s square face softened a bit.
“Study well—it’ll be useful.”
He said simply.
“Teacher!” Xinyue suddenly raised her hand.
“What is it?”
“Is our school going to be shut down?”
“…”
Shi Tian frowned.
It wasn’t really a secret— no new students had been admitted for two years; anyone with eyes could tell.
“If our grades are good, can we keep the school open?” Xinyue pressed.
Shi Tian smiled and asked back, “Do you think this is some kind of school idol music instrument? Shutting down a school is a big decision— there’s no way a few students’ scores can change that.”
“…”
“Closure is decided from above. Since it’s come to this, all we can do is accept it. But if you study hard and get astonishing scores, you can at least slap those bastards who ordered the closure hard in the face. Even if the teachers change careers later, they can still hold their heads high.”
“Teacher, what if all of us get into prestigious universities?”
“What?”
“What if all forty-two students in our class get into Beiqing or Jiedandan? What would happen then?” I blinked, asking a ridiculously unrealistic question like an idiot.
“Pfft,” even Shi Tian laughed, “Xiao Luo Xian, getting into a top university isn’t that easy. Maybe it’s not too difficult for a Qilins Master like you, but for the others, it’s like climbing to the sky…”
“But what if we can?”
“If you actually do that, our class will become the focus of the entire world. The whole of Donghuang will know our legendary story. Cameras will pile up at your doorsteps, and wherever you go, reporters will interview you…
Then, you can proudly say to the camera: ‘Ba Ye is the world’s number one! Please release XX swimsuit skin! I like wearing little skirts…’ I think by then, all your wishes will come true.”
If you say that, the classmates definitely won’t be sleepy anymore.
“Forget prestigious schools— if you all got into second-tier universities, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep,” Shi Tian shook his head. “Alright, enough daydreaming. Settle down, it’s time to get back to reviewing.”
Shi Tian continued explaining problems on the stage, while I sat below, deep in thought.
Actually, neither Shi Tian’s nor Teacher Xiao Yuan’s teaching methods or level were the issue.
Teacher Xiao Yuan was rich in theory, Shi Tian had abundant combat experience, and together, the knowledge they taught covered every exam point.
The problem was the students couldn’t remember.
If we could boost their memory and help them recall all the knowledge they’d been taught, getting everyone into top schools wouldn’t be impossible.
Cultivators have extraordinary memories. If they embark on the path of cultivation, their minds clear instantly, their calculation ability skyrockets— from abacus to quantum computer.
“But we only need me and Cluru as cultivators. Too many cultivators, and it’ll just turn into the cannibalistic world of cultivation.”
Then… I got it!
Just body tempering, no Cultivation Method!
Actually, just tempering the body counts as stepping onto the cultivation path.
But without a Cultivation Method, lifetime achievements can’t break through Foundation Establishment.
Without the guidance of a Cultivation Method, you’d just be healthier and mentally clearer than ordinary people.
That’s enough to improve memory.
“If that’s the case… then this approach…”
I secretly operated my phone at the desk and sent a message to Master Lu.
[Master Lu, add a new promotion at Xianlu Magic Potion Shop—students from Kangcheng No. 2 High School with valid student IDs can skip the queue and receive an additional mysterious gift. I’ll send you the gift shortly.]
The gift was Body Tempering Pills.
Cluru and I had once used Body Tempering Liquid baths to cleanse our meridians to 100% purity.
We soaked together in a bathtub, and Cluru even gave me a massage.
I hadn’t thrown away the potion water from the bath but refined it into pills.
Most of the potency was used up then, but it was still more than enough to temper others slightly and open their Qi Channels.
After class, I delivered the Body Tempering Pills to Master Lu.
A week later, a long queue still stretched outside Xianlu Magic Potion Shop, now with more and more people driving in from the big city to line up.
Across the street, under the window of Dali Magic Potion Shop, Mu Tianzhou’s eyes were wide open, bloodshot like a crimson fungus covering his eyes.
From his mouth, I could faintly read:
[They’re definitely going to cut prices… They must cut prices today… They can’t hold on, hehehe…
Crazy again.]
I shook my head.
“Senior Luo Xian, why are you so good to Kangcheng No. 2 High School?” Master Lu asked, puzzled.
“They’re my classmates.”
“Pardon my bluntness, but strong people get envied. Someone as outstanding as you must have been isolated in class. They may not appreciate your kindness.”
“That used to be true. Not anymore.”
“How so?”
“They wrote self-criticism letters and paid protection money. I forgave them.”
“…”
“Writing self-criticisms as punishment should be sent to the nineteenth layer of hell,” I shuddered recalling my own two-thousand-character self-criticism.
It was cruel—having to dig into your faults until you find mistakes even if you have none.
So cruel!
Master Lu was a bit amused.
—In the end, Senior Luo Xian is still a child at heart. His way of doing things is always a bit irreverent, his values strange.
“Master Lu, I’m leaving the shop to you. I have to prepare for the exam.”
“Don’t worry, the shop is stable for now. The Mu Family hasn’t made a move.”
“If they do, let me know.”
“Be careful. I’m afraid they might tamper with your exam scores,” Master Lu warned.
“The Mu Family has that much power?”
“Yes, far more than you imagine.”
“…”
Then we’ll just face force with force, water with earth.
[1 day left until the final exam]
The words on the blackboard hung like the Dharma Sword, inching closer over the students’ heads day by day.
By now, the school no longer gave difficult practice problems or full mock exams.
Only gentle review remained.
“What’s with those looks?” Teacher Xiao Yuan looked puzzled at the students on stage. “This—” She gestured at their impatient expressions that said, ‘This question is so easy, don’t waste our time’ “—what’s that about? Only half of you got it right last time!”
Even the students didn’t know why.
Since this week, they suddenly found those previously impossible knowledge points and complex problems could be casually solved.
It was as if the little universe buried deep in their brains had awakened.
No more ‘not enough brain’ moments.
However, since the awakening came only during the last week before the exam, and the school hadn’t given many big tests, they couldn’t gauge their real strength.
This only made them more eager, waiting to vent in the exam.
“I wish I had Body Tempering Pills back when I took the final exam,” I thought to myself.
“Only half a day of class today. Everyone, rest well and conserve your energy. Tomorrow is the Wen Test, held at Kangcheng No. 1 High School. Be sure to bring your Exam Admission Ticket.”
After saying the last sentence, Teacher Xiao Yuan sighed.
It was over.
Everything.
.
The final night before the exam.
Chi Xiaoyuan and Shi Tian sat on the school rooftop, blowing in the wind.
No peanuts, both clutched beer bottles and dry heaved.
“What will you do after the school closes?” Chi Xiaoyuan asked.
“The Sian Office assigned me to the Violent Crimes Unit in Tianhai City.”
“The Violent Crimes Unit? Going to such a dangerous place again…”
“It’s okay. Tianhai City is an international metropolis with plenty of people. I’ll probably be quite free there.”
“You like being free?”
“No.”
Shi Tian raised his bottle.
Turning to Chi Xiaoyuan, he asked, “What about you?”
“Hm?”
“Where are you going?”
“My family arranged a job for me, also in Tianhai City… at a film company. They said it’s for me to audition and debut.”
“Oh? A big star?” Shi Tian raised his eyebrows.
“A star? Nonsense. Just a high-class lady.” Chi Xiaoyuan rested her chin on her knees. “First create a buzz, then raise the value of marrying into a wealthy family. Satisfy the rich man’s physical desires and his vanity.”
“Your future fans will be very disappointed to hear that.”
“There won’t be normal fans with this kind of hype—just followers, chumps.”
“You might be underestimating your own charm.”
“Hah.”
Chi Xiaoyuan raised her bottle too.
Under her wine-red, slightly curled hair was a tipsy, self-mocking smile.
“So, why did you come here?” she asked.
“To escape.”
“Me too. We’re really in a sorry state, huh!”
They clinked bottles.
After drinking, Chi Xiaoyuan burst into laughter.
Then laughing, she started crying.
Hugging her knees, her sobbing voice trembled: “I’m so unwilling, so unwilling, so unwilling, so unwilling!”
Shi Tian patted her back.
He didn’t know how to comfort, so he stayed silent.
Just gazing blankly at the playground below.
Until dawn.
Before the sunrise, lights flickered on in the buildings. Small ants forced by life to get up and crawl through the cold steel jungle.
“I’m going to pack,” Shi Tian said, standing first.
“Yeah, me too. Let’s keep in touch.”
They descended the stairs.
One headed west, the other east.
Standing at the entrance of Kangcheng No. 1 High School, I read through the exam rules.
- Bring your Exam Admission Ticket.
- Prepare your exam tools in advance, such as a black-ink pen or ballpoint pen, 2B pencil, set square, pencil sharpener, compass, eraser.
- Prohibited items include any cheating devices, such as phones, wireless earphones, cheat sheets, and Bai Ze.
“Student, please put Bai Ze in the Xianling Deposit and retrieve it after the exam.”
I had no choice but to obediently remove the Bai Ze hairpin.
“All other Immortal Spirits must also be temporarily stored in the deposit to prevent cheating via spirit attachment.”
Alright.
I summoned Little Qilin. The little guy happily ran into the Xianling Deposit.
Master not present! Today I’m the boss!
“Then, please enter and prepare to receive the exam papers.”
It’s here!
The exam I missed seventeen years ago because of a car accident.
Long time no see!
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