Chapter 124: The College Entrance Examination Begins

June 7th, 2054.

The weather is fine, with clouds scattered high in the sky; by all appearances, there is no chance of rain.

In Jiangcheng—no, across the entire Yunzhou Alliance, and indeed the whole Great Nine Provinces Alliance—the College Entrance Exam, which has held everyone’s gaze, has finally begun amidst great anticipation!

"May everything I’ve studied be on the test, and every guess I make be correct!"
"Sweat and blood, but no tears; shed skin and flesh, but never fall behind!"
"A life in senior year without struggle is a life wasted; a senior year without exhaustion is a life without flavor!"
"A soldier who does not wish to be a general is not a good soldier; a student who does not aim for the Four Great Universities is not a good student!"

...

I don’t know about other cities, but every street in Jiangcheng has had its banners replaced with slogans like these, all designed to spur students to greatness.

This has become a traditional custom, much like the countdown to the exam, making fruit dumplings for the New Year, watering the jungle for the obsessive on Qingming Festival, or standing on a rooftop to catch the breeze on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Every desk, chair, and bench in the schools, including the floors and walls, has been completely restored by Ability Users from top to bottom, ensuring everything looks brand new. You won’t find a single trace of knife carvings or scribbles on the desks or inside the desk cubbies.

As for the reason, everyone knows why.

The exam is expected to last half a month.

First, the liberal arts: four subjects a day, with two combined exams held in the morning and afternoon.

Then, the martial arts portion, featuring sports competitions followed by the final comprehensive combat. If things go quickly, it lasts twelve or thirteen days; if they drag on, half a month or even longer is not unheard of.

***

Teacher apartment district, early morning.

For once, Ye Chao didn’t pull an all-nighter; he actually got a decent night’s sleep.

He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and opened the door...

Outside, the breakfast spread was dazzling.

At first, it was arranged by the General Affairs Elder and delivered by Guan Junyuan, but later, the quantity grew, the variety became more complete, and the styles kept changing. Who knows where it all came from—there was enough there to set up a breakfast stall.

Ye Chao didn’t pay it much mind. He gathered it all inside and shouted to Alpha Ji, "Breakfast is here!" before pulling out an infinite pacifier and starting to "munch, munch."

Alpha Ji appeared lazily, fluttering between the food containers like a butterfly visiting flowers—

"Eww, is this a grub? If you’ve sliced it, don’t stack it so neatly that the original form is still obvious. Ugh..."

"More soy-marinated fruit, more artificial eggs and artificial meat. Can’t you come up with something else?"

Even though she had eaten grass and half-year-old pancakes wrapped with green onions in the instances, she still found these bizarre foods difficult to swallow.

Eventually, like a flower thief who had mistakenly broken into a dormitory for female engineering students, she slipped away in disgust: "I... I think I’ll just eat the panda’s feed instead..."

Originally, Alpha Ji held onto the resolve that as a creation of humanity... she would absolutely not eat pet food, until she took one bite...

Pet food... it was delicious!

Big fish and thick meat, substantial dishes—no wonder the people of Jiangcheng were as thin as needles and thread, while their pets were all sleek, shiny, and well-fed!

After finishing breakfast amidst Alpha Ji’s routine complaining, Ye Chao checked the time, grabbed his pens, ruler, and stationery case, and set off under the "bon voyage" wishes of Uncle Bird and the "coo-coo-coo-coo" encouragement of the panda.

"Ye Chao, good luck!"
"Don't be nervous, you only need to perform at half your usual level!"
"If you can't write the essay, just recite one. You’re the best at memorizing, aren't you? Just don't try to improvise..."

On both sides of the street, minor subject teachers poked their heads out to offer earnest advice.

This was their prize pupil! If he could use his daily performance to get into one of the Four Great Universities, every minor subject teacher would receive a bonus!

Half his level? Why would he need half? A quarter—no, a tenth would be enough.

Even if he were sleeping with his eyes closed, do you think Alpha Ji couldn't finish the paper for him?

Ye Chao wasn't the least bit nervous. In fact... he didn't know how to greet so many people at once, even as Alpha Ji prompted him in his ear: "Don't panic. Head up, chest out, a confident smile, raise your right hand, wave, and say after me..."

"Greetings, comrades! You’ve all worked hard!"
"Everyone stay here, don't move around, I’m going to go buy some tangerines..."

Even with his emotional suppression, Ye Chao could sense Alpha Ji’s slight mischief. "Okay," "Thank you," "I will"... he managed to exit the long street in a somewhat flustered manner, responding just like an obscure author leaving replies to every reader's comment.

However, he had only just escaped the tiger's den to enter the wolf's lair.

Outside the teacher apartments was the long line of examinees entering the venue.

"Ye Zichao, you're here?"
"How did you sleep last night?"
"We're in the same exam hall later, take care of me..."

In the blink of an eye, everyone’s gaze converged on him. Whether they were acquaintances, mere nodding acquaintances, or complete strangers, they all greeted him—some with jealousy, some with envy, and others with open hostility.

"I'm here!" "Not bad!" "Okay..." Ye Chao responded woodenly. He muttered to himself: What is the point of these greetings? Even after I say it back, you all recognize me, but I don't recognize you...

Oh, wait, this one is meaningful. Seeing Fang Ju not far away, Ye Chao waved.

Rarely, Fang Ju actually responded.

You have to understand, for the past month, he had been lectured by teachers in turns at school, beaten by his parents in turns at home, and even when he went online, he wasn't participating in the student battlefields, but in the teachers' late-night battlefields.

If others' efforts were a 10, his were at least a 20. Because, just like Ye Chao, he only had an hour or two of rest a day—his parents had bought him nutritional supplements said to boost brainpower...

In short, it was fine at first, but after a week, the kid became a bit slow, and after another week, he was practically a walking corpse, not responding for a long time even when spoken to.

His once round, tiger-headed face had become gaunt and hollow...

It seems his parents finally gave him the night off before the exam...

Come to think of it, Ye Chao bore some responsibility. Originally, he was supposed to be part of the special training, but after his two incidents, and then becoming a disciple of an expert from the Imaginary Space for no reason, who would dare play with him anymore?

If an Imaginary Space bigwig and Seven-Star master doesn't know how to teach their own apprentice, do you really need to help?

With him out of the picture, Fang Ju became the only one left to bear the brunt of the pressure...

Just as he was about to go over and chat with Fang Ju, a commotion stirred in the crowd. Like the Red Sea, it parted on both sides, and Xu Tiange, who, like Ye Chao, was greeted by everyone and was the center of attention, walked over.

Is... is that Xu Tiange? Ye Chao rubbed his eyes in confusion.

Her wheat-colored skin was now deathly pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, her hair was a bit messy, and even her high ponytail looked slightly limp; she didn't look as spirited as she usually did...

Only then did Ye Chao realize with a start: he hadn't seen Xu Tiange for a month since they returned from their internship.

Although she lacked her usual energy, Xu Tiange's gaze was as sharp and focused as ever. She stopped a few meters away and looked him up and down: "Hmm, you've grown two centimeters, and your aura is stronger... but it’s useless, Ye Zichao. You still won't win this time! First place is mine!"

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Trash talk before the match!" Alpha Ji, who was feeling a bit sulky because her suggestions hadn't been adopted, suddenly perked up. "Come, come, come, I’ll tell you what to say. Stand tall, chest out, and say this: As long as you want it, I’ll pluck the moon from the sky for you!"

[Alpha Ji, Favorability -23!]

???

He didn't think he felt annoyed, though?

Stunned for a moment, Alpha Ji suddenly realized that this time, it was Ye Chao who had deducted her favorability.

"You, you’re going to lose me sooner or later for acting like this!"

Although she said that...

[Favorability +33!]

(￣┰￣*)

Can someone tell me what my settings are exactly?

In the end, Ye Chao just replied flatly: "Mm, see you in the exam hall."