ASER - Chapter 63
Chapter 63: The Little Booklet
The next day, A'Diao showed no signs of anything unusual. She had buried the matter deep down, as if she had never learned of it.
The equipment class on the third day was relatively straightforward, focusing on recognition and understanding. It was considered the simplest of the three days of classes. For now, they were primarily familiarizing themselves with military equipment; more complex and powerful forbidden items would come later. However, scheduling this simpler content was likely also due to the exam in the afternoon.
"My class is like P.E.; it gets requisitioned by whoever needs the slot. In the early stages, it's fine. Your minds are sharp enough, and you can handle it. But later, when you start learning about various forbidden items, it won't be so easy."
The weapons and equipment teacher, a gray-haired old man clutching a thermos, left quickly. And the afternoon exam... was incredibly daunting.
It was exceptionally tough.
Even though A'Diao had begun to digest the materials Chen Xun had left her, it had only been two days, and there was still much knowledge she hadn't encountered. Consequently, the afternoon's exams, covering several subjects, left her feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.
It was too difficult; the level of difficulty was much higher than the written entrance exam.
But while she found it difficult, some others handled it with ease.
Among the five of them, Song Ling was the most relaxed. She received her scores on the same day the exams concluded.
They were all adults, 18 years or older, so naturally, a ranking list was compiled.
A'Diao took a look—oh, 41st place. Not bad.
Tian Zhongye was on the verge of tears.
Indeed, he was in last place, and by a significant margin from the second to last—undisputedly at the very bottom.
However, there was also someone who claimed first place by a significant margin.
This person was, surprisingly... Jiang Yena.
Who was this person?
Song Ling was more familiar with this person than they were, so she told A'Diao and the others a few things about him, leaving them utterly amazed.
A true god of studying!
Someone couldn't help but mutter, "Truly incredible. I don't know how he studies. But his combat skills are terrible. Yesterday, I saw him get beaten up badly. Although that A'Diao took the most hits, she also attacked frequently, and she didn't even use that 'Suancai' skill…"
Jiang Yena was the tenth person to master Spirit Power, but he didn't really have much of a presence. This was because he wasn't fond of cultivation; whenever he had free time, he would be engrossed in a book or exam papers, exuding a very bookish aura. Yuan Shu and the others rather looked down on him.
However, he was initially chosen for the internal selection primarily because his written exam performance was exceptionally strong. He was, without a doubt, a super-achiever in academics. A'Diao had once heard someone hail him as the 'second Chen Xun'.
On a high-difficulty exam with a total of 700 points, he scored 680—truly heaven-defying.
This time, even Song Ling didn't break 600. The only ones to score above 600 were Jiang Yena and Zhongchuan Mingxiu. Following them, Mingze and Ye, the couple, both scored in the high 590s—truly excelling in both academics and combat.
A'Diao scored 440.
However, the others didn't seem to mind much. Their own academic scores weren't weak, mostly above five hundred, so they weren't a drag. As long as they dominated the combat assessments, it was fine.
After the exams, their individual study packets were distributed that same evening. The efficiency of these teachers was truly impressive. When A'Diao saw the contents of her study packet, her expression turned slightly bitter.
Weren't study packets meant for reviewing and filling in gaps? Why did this one seem to increase the difficulty instead?
However, she could only resign herself to diligently working through them.
Classes were held three days a week, and the remaining time was free. In the days that followed, A'Diao spent a few hours studying daily, with the rest of her time dedicated to soaking in medicinal baths and absorbing Spiritual Energy.
The longer she cultivated, the faster her mental power was consumed. She had initially thought her one hundred thousand units of mental power would last for several days, but it was depleted by the third day.
Primarily, '101' and '202' consumed an enormous amount, even more than the daily fixed expenditure of over ten thousand units for releasing Spiritual Energy.
This was too hard. A'Diao even pulled out a map of Jinling Academy's restrooms, contemplating whether to blow up a few and pin the blame on Yuan Shu.
But when she thought about the unfathomable capabilities of people like Qu Jiangnan, she abandoned the idea.
"What should I do... Maybe I should go back to Qishan High School and blow up their restrooms. The teachers and government officials there would surely never trace it back to me."
As A'Diao was flipping through maps, she suddenly glanced at the wall full of books, and an idea struck her.
Her older brother, Chen Xun, had earned ten million just by tutoring Song Ling?
Of course, tutoring someone at Song Ling's level was too difficult; she herself didn't possess that kind of skill.
But what about others?
A day later, after finishing dinner, A'Diao strolled over to the girls' dormitory building.
The dormitory auntie was cooking tea eggs. Upon seeing A'Diao, she asked, "Who are you looking for?"
A'Diao replied, "I'm looking for you, Sister. And also to drop off some snacks for my classmate."
The dormitory auntie: "?"
A'Diao glanced around furtively, then, with a mischievous air, she pulled a small, yellow-covered booklet from her spacious pocket and carefully tried to pass it over... Thwack! The dormitory auntie instantly slapped her large hand over the booklet, saying sternly, "Jinling Academy strictly prohibits the sale of indecent literature! Little girl, I advise you to mend your ways before it's too late."
A'Diao: "?"
After reading the contents of the little booklet, the auntie looked surprised and suspicious. "This is…?"
"Sister, I'm Chen Xun's younger sister."
Oho!
Chen Xun's reputation was immense. He was already recognized as a god of studying at the academy, and his subsequent meteoric rise straight into the Central Academy of Sciences had made him a renowned 'Star of Literature' throughout all of Danzhou.
The auntie's attitude immediately softened, but she still eyed the booklet. "So…"
A'Diao pulled the auntie into a small room, carefully shushed her, and whispered, "Sister, I'm currently staying at my brother's place. While organizing his things, I found these notes that I think are still quite useful. I want to print a batch and sell them through you here. According to academy rules, the private circulation of study notes isn't forbidden, is it? As long as the quality is good and they don't mislead students, it should be fine."
This was indeed true. The academy prided itself on such matters; otherwise, so many people wouldn't have clamored for Chen Xun's tutoring. Unfortunately, Chen Xun was like an unattainable 'flower on a high peak' (purely seeking to tutor wealthy families for exorbitant fees, looking down on ordinary people), not at all down-to-earth like his sister.
But after some consideration, the auntie still refused. "I'm just a gatekeeper here; I'm afraid I can't help you with that."
A'Diao pleaded, "Oh, please don't say that, Sister! Do I look like someone who's only after money? I just want to help those students who are struggling with their academics. You know, nowadays everyone is focused on martial training, but Spiritual Energy cultivation is incredibly time-consuming. Eventually, their academic performance falls behind. Yet, to get into a good university, academic scores are crucial differentiators. How can ordinary families afford tutoring resources? The gap between them and the children of the rich and powerful will only widen. Don't you have grandchildren too? It's to help them that I decided to do this. I'll price each booklet at 20 star coins, which should be quite reasonable. It covers most of the essential exam knowledge points and techniques. And for every copy sold, you'll receive a 5% commission. What do you think?"
The dormitory auntie was silent for a moment.
It really wasn't expensive. She had initially expected A'Diao to demand a fortune.
Being a gatekeeper here didn't mean she was just a gatekeeper. Her own standards were quite high, thank you very much, and she could naturally discern the high quality and value of the booklet.
Coupled with A'Diao's generous offer, she… found it rather difficult to refuse.
Tian Zhongxiang, having come downstairs to pick something up, happened to see A'Diao looking quite chummy with the dormitory auntie, who was even offering A'Diao one of her home-cooked tea eggs.
Tian Zhongxiang: "?"
A few minutes later, she went upstairs with the items, found Song Ling's single dorm room, and shared what A'Diao had brought for them.
It was just one tangerine.
A single one.
A very small Shatang tangerine.
Song Ling: "? Did you sneak some on the way?"
Tian Zhongxiang exclaimed, "No, I didn't!"
That incredibly stingy Chen A'Diao! Who ever heard of giving just two tangerines to two people? And she even had the audacity to say, "One for each of you, okay?"
Spreading the blessings evenly, huh?
The auntie's efficiency was astonishing. After A'Diao contracted a printing company and had a hundred booklets made, the auntie promoted them at her station once or twice.
She was still relatively restrained in her efforts.
But the results were excellent. After all, students admitted to the academy generally had a solid academic foundation. Moreover, A'Diao's timing was impeccable—all three grades had just undergone exams, which had dented the pride of many students. They were also pressed for time due to their intense cultivation training and desperately needed academic help to reduce the hours spent on coursework.
However, students from ordinary families couldn't afford tutors and could only fret helplessly. When they chanced upon the auntie promoting the booklets, picked one up, and skimmed through it, their eyes immediately lit up, and they paid without the slightest hesitation.
It was only 20 star coins—not a difficult sum for ordinary families to afford.
The girls' dormitory building overseen by the auntie housed a thousand female students. Initially, only a dozen or so copies sold in the morning, but by the afternoon, they were completely sold out. By evening, students were even coming to place pre-orders.
Cultivating at home, and mental power rained down from the heavens.
The more insights these students gained from the booklet, the more 'favor-generated mental power' they contributed, and with greater frequency. For now, however, it was only a few hundred people contributing a few points each time.
But this was a continuous stream. In a single day, A'Diao netted seven to eight thousand units of mental power.
And this was only the first day.
Toilet remarked, "You're quite adept at this."
A'Diao, while leisurely absorbing Spiritual Energy, replied, "In the past, when I was really broke, I did some tutoring at school. But there weren't many wealthy people in Qishan, and too many were incredibly stingy. Plus, they were arrogant, always thinking a few star coins entitled them to have their children tutored to achieve grades comparable to mine. When I encountered students who were both dull-witted as pigs and mischievous, it truly tested my patience. So, I started making and selling notes instead. But many people, after reading them, didn't want to pay; they just wanted to freeload, spouting nonsense about friendship and classmate camaraderie. It was quite annoying."
"I used to worry about encountering parents who might try to get handsy or harass me, but I later realized that never happened."
As she mentioned this, her expression turned somewhat indignant, as if she felt she had been slighted.
It's clearly not like that in novels and TV dramas!
Did those people think I wasn't pretty enough?
Toilet: "…"
Toilet commented, "If you were to go back to tutoring now, there might indeed be a few sleazy men who would try to get handsy."
The effects of Marrow Cleansing were no joke, and her natural aptitude was already…
A'Diao asked skeptically, "Really?"
Toilet: "Mm-hm."
A'Diao instantly cheered up.
Toilet thought she was nuts.
But sometimes, thinking back to when she was just a half-grown child, constantly picked apart and schemed against by adults, both openly and covertly… The grievances she had endured back then seemed almost trivial to recount now.
But over time, her disposition had been forged, and she was already different from ordinary people.
However… she did seem somewhat preoccupied with her appearance, as if harboring some kind of psychological hang-up about it.
Toilet said, "So, you're not promoting these to the wider market yet because it's largely filled with mediocre individuals. You're waiting for the students here at Jinling Academy to benefit first. Then, through word-of-mouth, and because people trust Jinling Academy students, these booklets can achieve widespread dissemination."
Money was actually secondary; what A'Diao desired most at the moment was mental power. As long as this venture could gain traction, she could continuously update and improve it. Once accepted by the market, it would provide an endless stream of both mental power and money.
But by the same token, creating these booklets also demanded significant effort and time. If others were to find out in the future, they might think she had her priorities backward.
Driven by money, with no foresight.
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