Why keep final exams at all?
Sitting in the exam hall, Xu Chuyao figured the academy probably believed that, for these underage spirit users, final exams were a microcosm of the real worldโif youโre talented, test day is just a relaxed break. If youโre not, well, youโve got your work cut out for you.
A chance to let the students get a taste of post-graduation life.
Especially the academic tests. If you couldnโt hand in a passing paper within the two-hour limit, youโฆ wouldnโt actually be punished. Youโd just be asked to copy textbook passages as a form of physical labor instead of mental exertion.
Nobody wants to copy out textbook chapters, so everyone was trying their best to answer at least some of the questions. But for students used to slacking off in class, something like linear equations was way too much.
Xu Chuyao finished everything early, stretched discreetly, and took a little stroll around the classroom like a proctor.
Her roommate, Mi Xiaolu, was diligently working on the multiple-choice sectionโjust getting started, it seemed. Watching her seriously pull out a compass for measurement, Xu Chuyao couldnโt help but wonderโthere arenโt any questions requiring a compass, are there?
Whatever, thereโs some room for error. Letโs check on our dear protagonist now, shall we?
WhoaโShen Ning wasnโt even working on her paper, just staring out the window. She must really have this exam under control. Goes to show, looks can be deceiving.
But what Xu Chuyao didnโt know was that Shen Ning wasnโt confident, and she wasnโt admiring the scenery either. She was busy talking with her two inner reflections.
Sheโd assumed these twoโone always eloquent, the other dripping with literary flairโwould breeze through an academic test. But they just clung to the reflection in the glass and shrugged:
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโNo idea. Chuyao never taught us this stuff.โ
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโWe learned lots of idioms and poetry from her, but none of that showed up on the test. Maybe the test is just too basic.โ
So basically, they didnโt know how to do anything?
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโNot nothing. Multiple choice gives us a shot. We can guess. Like this oneโit should be C.โ
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโI remember Chuyao said, โif three long and one short, pick short; if three short and one long, pick longโโฆ Pick from the three.โ
After the academic test ended, Xu Chuyao slapped her answer-filled scratch paper onto the desk:
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโIf you wanna check answers, here. Itโs all right. If you didnโt score points, itโs because the test answers are wrong.โ
Her scratch paper was quickly passed around like a sacred text. One admiring look after another landed on the lightning girl, who had grown completely used to this.
Every semester, around this time, she became the goddess of wisdom in her classmatesโ eyes.
The morals and conduct test wasnโt worth much discussion. Unless you were mentally challenged or unstable, youโd know exactly what to write to pass. Of course, writing one thing and doing another were two different matters entirely.
For example, if someone cuts in line while youโre queuing at a shop, a โlow EQโ answer might be: โFirmly remind them to respect the order.โ
A โhigh EQโ answer: โRemain calm, itโs no big deal to wait a bit longer.โ
Only someone really off would write: โDrag them out and give them a beating.โ
In practice? Students would often just cough loudly, tap the offenderโs shoulder, and โaccidentallyโ flash their student ID showing the prestigious Spirit Elevation Academy logo.
At that point, forget the line-jumperโthe whole line would disappear, and the student would suddenly be first in line.
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโThis is definitely the most boring exam,โ Xu Chuyao commented.
โItโs just a way to measure how rebellious students are during puberty.โ
Mi Xiaolu nodded in full agreement.
Last semester they had to recite the โTen Glories and Ten Shames.โ Not this timeโprobably because of curriculum reform.
The next day was the final testโalso the most important theoretical exam after the reforms.
[Q: Why do most young spirit users remain at Stage One before adulthood?]
Xu Chuyao raised her pen and answered without hesitation:
[A: I donโt know. Iโm already Stage Two.]
[Q: What practices can accelerate the path to Stage One peak?]
[A: I donโt know. Iโm already Stage Two.]
[Q: How can you gain the upper hand in Stage One combat?]
[A: I donโt know. Iโm already Stage Two.]
[โฆ]
She finished the A side in one go and flipped to the B sideโthen chuckled aloud.
[Q: During the first mall attack, how should a student team respond to unexpected danger?]
After thinking for a moment, she wrote:
[A: Iโd just show up and kill them all.]
[Q: The second mall incident saw three special team members defeat more than ten Joker Gang members. What does this suggest?]
[A: That Iโm a brilliant strategist, masterful with tactics.]
[Q: Your reflections on the battle at the Commerce Plaza?]
[A: Whatโs there to say? Just C all the way.]
[Q: After the plaza battle, how should strategy against the Joker Gang change?]
[A: Are you trying to teach me how to fight?]
She commanded both mall missions. How dare they ask her such questions? Truly outrageous.
With exams done, Xu Chuyao leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, peacefully enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
She hadnโt had such a chill two days in forever.
Meanwhile, Shen Ning had been off the whole time. Not because sheโd slacked off during the semester, but because sheโd spent the night before studyingโstudying techniques.
The expert-level methods and moves she read had completely shattered her worldview.
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmSo youโre supposed to go in, huh?
No wonder Xu Chuyao said her skills were lacking and she had “lots of room to grow.โ Smacking at a kitten was clearly low-level stuff. That really pissed her off.
Sheโd made the girl cry that night, and now a few days later, she gets mocked for doing it wrong?
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโTold you already,โ said her repressed desire reflection, โChuyao doesnโt deserve your pity. If sheโs gonna be that way, then give it to her.โ
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโBut for now,โ it continued, โjust focus on the exam. Donโt go scribbling weird stuff again.โ
Snapping out of it, Shen Ning looked down and found every question filled withโฆ questionable content, as if writing feverishly would somehow push her to Stage One peak.
She silently erased all the weird phrases. On the A side, she simply wrote โIโm already Stage Two.โ On the B side: โI was on site, nothing to reflect on.โ
And with that, a relatively easy test was done.
The semester officially ended. Tomorrowโs celebration banquet would honor the special teamโs performance during the Commerce Plaza operation.
Shen Ning didnโt care about the awards. All she wanted was to find a way to sneak into Xu Chuyaoโs dorm afterward.
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโRemember,โ said her repressed reflection, โact calm, burn with rage inside.โ
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโDonโt watch anything tonight. Rest up. Get up early tomorrowโIโll teach you some new moves.โ
Her decaying shadow wanted to speak up, but before it could, the repressed one cut in:
PseudorandomContentGeneratedByCustomAlgorithmโYou shut it! This time, we must actโto put an end to Chuyaoโs arrogance once and for all. Otherwise, whereโs our dignity?โ
lmao they basically wrote the same answers for this exam