GAMMT - Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Arcane Truth
At that moment, Fu Chuan was actually thinking of her parents and best friends.
Growing up in a comfortable and privileged environment, it was easy to meet good people.
For a bad person to become good, they only need to forsake some benefits for righteousness. But for a good person to turn bad, they must forsake themselves—a painful process.
She felt a little sad, because she didn't know what she would become long from now, if she was still alive.
Just then, a voice came from the leaderboard in the waiting room.
"Candidate No. 1423, Li Yu, all points cleared. With nothing left to deduct, and in accordance with the exam's hidden rules, the candidate has chosen to forfeit. The exam can be terminated early, and the current score will be saved."
So that person was named Li Yu, and he was one of the top ten in theoretical exam. No one had expected him to be directly eliminated from the second round of the Arcane assessment by having his points wiped clean.
He had withdrawn himself, but he wasn't just withdrawing from this match; he was withdrawing from this year's High School Entrance Exam entirely.
He was finished.
Killing was out of the question. She had chosen to smash an empty wine bottle over his head precisely because it wasn't lethal. As for the fire, it was a process; as long as he chose to withdraw himself, it wouldn't be a major issue.
What if he was so fiercely loyal that he'd trade his life for hers?
That was impossible.
Fu Chuan was certain that this person had targeted her with such a clear objective, even luring a flock of ducks to attack her from behind. It was obviously premeditated.
Did she have many enemies?
Well… it seemed like there were more people who couldn't stand her. But those who would go to such lengths to cripple her could only be from the Lan, Xie, or Teng family. The Lan Clan was the most likely suspect. The cause was almost certainly her climbing the ranks by killing ducks, which was a bit too conspicuous. The Lan Clan already suspected her, so it was natural for them to have a backup plan.
Fu Chuan didn't think this was Lan Chenshuang's doing. That straightforward Lan Clan Head didn't seem to have this level of cunning either.
"This Li Yu is probably from the commoner class. He likely attached himself to the Lan Clan early on in exchange for resources and was assigned to tail me this time. If I revealed anything, he was to take me out… That means someone anticipated the situation in advance. Was it another capable person from the Lan Clan, or was it Lan Xuanyu?"
Fu Chuan believed that before the exam, especially after her meditation aptitude was revealed, probably even Lan Chenshuang thought she had no chance of making a comeback. Yet, Li Yu had come for her very quickly.
This put Fu Chuan on high alert against Lan Xuanyu or another "mastermind" within the Lan Clan. Worried that other members of the Lan Clan might be on their way, she watched as Li Yu's body was dragged out by a force. Her own rank had stabilized at 150th. After glancing at the scores of those ahead of her, Fu Chuan sighed inwardly. These people's meditation aptitudes were indeed high, as were their Arcane skills. And this was just Jingyang City.
She jumped down from the tree, preparing to leave quickly.
Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back. The next second, she immediately rolled sideways to dodge, landing on one knee and instinctively pressing the cigarette butt in her hand into the dirt to extinguish it. The attack that came from the sky slammed into the ground, splashing frost everywhere. Without looking back, Fu Chuan sprinted into the dense cluster of trees in the forest.
The spectators outside saw it clearly. A large yellow duck with a three-meter wingspan was flying above the forest, launching frost attacks at Fu Chuan on the ground. Its speed and attack power were considerable, and with its flight capability, it was an overwhelmingly powerful mini-BOSS.
"This is too much. They even have mini-BOSSes."
"Back in my day, the exam was quite conventional. Theoretical test was just answering questions, and meditation and practical skills were just tests. There weren't so many tricks. But this year's cohort…"
How tragic.
The elemental concentration had been diluted, and the types and levels of usable Arcane arts were so severely restricted… an individual would probably have a hard time taking on this kind of mini-BOSS.
"It's obvious they need to form teams."
As the crowd was discussing, the previously fierce and cool Second Young Master Xie was now fleeing in disarray. But even with the cover of the forest, the flying yellow duck mini-BOSS was only momentarily obstructed before it locked onto Fu Chuan's position again.
It was coming!
Was it over?
After Li Yu was sent away, would she also have to choose to withdraw, stopping at 150th place?
At least for now, she could still keep her points.
"There's a cliff ahead!"
Just as the crowd watched the yellow duck about to catch up to her… suddenly… she leaped out into the open air.
Holy crap! Their hearts leaped with her.
Lan Luoqi frowned.
The big yellow duck paused, then quickly changed its flight angle, diving vertically in pursuit. The cliff face and the trees and flowers on it blurred into continuous lines of color. Below was a sizable lake. But from the spectators' omniscient view, the person who had fallen had vanished.
There were no ripples on the lake's surface from a splash.
What happened?
It was just for a split second.
Whoosh! With its wings held level and beating slowly, the big yellow duck hovered in mid-air, looking at the cliff face before it and scanning its surroundings, completely baffled.
But the crowd understood instantly. There was a meditation monitoring device embedded in the cliff wall.
She had escaped into the device to temporarily avoid the threat.
This meant she probably remembered many of the star coordinates for the White Tiger Constellation's 7th and 8th regions; otherwise, she couldn't have known in advance that there was a device here.
"Now I know why they placed the meditation monitoring devices separately. They can be used for meditation tests, but they also serve as hiding spots scattered everywhere for candidates to temporarily evade these big yellow ducks."
"You say his theoretical scores are bad, but he's really strong in this area."
Playing the pig to eat the tiger could never be a sustainable act. After all, once you make a name for yourself, others will scrutinize and recognize you—unless everyone else is a pig.
However, just as they finished their thought, they heard the big yellow duck cry out. Someone below had locked onto it and was attacking.
The crowd looked and saw Zhang Juan, Wu Long, and the others.
The attacks were dense, a coordinated assault of various level-one Arcane spells. The big yellow duck was pinned down, constantly being immobilized or hit with low-level stuns, forced into a position where it could only be kited and attacked.
They were that strong?
Each individual was strong, but the main thing was their numbers.
There were seven or eight of them, including two girls, one of whom was Shen Qixi. But in terms of attack power, Zhang Juan was the strongest. He cast level-one lightning spells, using the powerful bolts to attack and paralyze the duck while constantly creating distance and directing others on their positioning and attacks.
After ten minutes of this, the big yellow duck mini-BOSS's health bar was finally depleted. With a final cry, its body plummeted, and they received a notification.
Killed a big yellow duck mini-BOSS. Points +1000.
A thousand points for each person was no small amount. It was much more stable and safer than fighting alone.
"What luck. Good thing we came over here to check."
"If we had encountered it alone, we probably wouldn't have escaped."
"Zhang Juan, where are we going next?"
Zhang Juan, however, looked up at the meditation device on the cliff face. His expression made his intentions clear.
Guan Zizai raised an eyebrow. "I used my binoculars just now. That person seemed to be Xie Keli."
Before, no one had paid this person any mind, but his rank had just shot up like a rocket. This was no simple matter.
So… the group exchanged glances. Xu Lingling was tempted.
Since childhood, they had been taught that they were classmates before the exam, but enemies during it.
Whether it was for admission to prestigious academies or anything else, there were always more people than available spots.
So this had nothing to do with morality. Among the eight of them, a consensus was basically reached, except for…
"I'm just a commoner with a weak foundation. I can't afford to provoke a noble's child, nor do I want to get involved in the struggles between the three noble families. I'm out. As for what you do, I won't interfere. Goodbye." Shen Qixi's attitude was decisive, and her words were reasonable. But they immediately served as a reminder to Xu Lingling and the others.
That's right, Xie Keli was indeed a noble's child. Dealing with him carried risks.
Those who had been tempted immediately began to waver. More importantly, Guan Zizai read between the lines.
A glint flashed in Zhang Juan's eyes. "Shen Qixi, what are you implying? A struggle between nobles? Do you think I'm a pawn of a noble family?"
Shen Qixi replied, "I'm not implying anything."
Zhang Juan was about to say more when Shen Qixi added coolly, "Isn't the master you serve a guest elder of the Teng Family?"
So direct, so blunt, so sharp!
Xu Lingling had a realization and immediately took a step back.
No wonder he wanted to deal with Xie Keli. So he was one of the Teng Family's people?
The parents watching also had a moment of clarity and observed the expressions of the Teng Family members.
These nobles really had long reaches.
Zhang Juan's face darkened, and he narrowed his eyes. "We are all students. Why must you speculate with such malice? If this is a personal grudge, then let's settle it personally."
He was clearly about to make a move on Shen Qixi.
Shen Qixi wasn't tall and was young, but she was mature for her age. She wrinkled her pert nose but said nothing as Zhang Juan prepared to act.
Guan Zizai and two others suddenly stepped forward, standing in front of Shen Qixi.
"Sorry, we're all friends from the competition circuit. We've known each other for years."
It turned out the group of eight had already been split into two factions of four. Zhang Juan's expression changed slightly; he had suddenly realized he'd overestimated himself.
No wonder Guan Zizai and the others had teamed up with him so easily. It was because Shen Qixi was with them.
Zhang Juan truly hadn't expected the youngest candidate to be so formidable. "Shen Qixi, you don't look like someone who's wary of nobles."
But Shen Qixi said, "People act for their own interests. I'm still young, not yet at the level of a working adult who toils for others."
She was young, but her words were incredibly sharp, bringing a tear of bitter recognition to many working professionals.
But it also reminded everyone that if Zhang Juan was serving the Teng Family, there was a benefit for him in taking out Xie Keli. If the others joined in, although it would also be for their own comprehensive benefit in the exam, they would ultimately be used. These people were proud and might not be willing.
Zhang Juan saw that Xu Lingling and the others were wavering. Unable to win the argument against Shen Qixi, he could only give up. However, Shen Qixi was strange. Seeing that they weren't going to fight, she asked, "Are we not doing it? Should we continue hunting?"
Zhang Juan was stunned.
She was still willing to team up?
Guan Zizai remained silent, playing with a fallen leaf at his side.
Shen Qixi said, "There's no shame in acting for profit. If we can't agree, we split. If there's still profit to be made, we team up. I've said it before, disagreeing with you doesn't mean I negate you. Shall we continue?"
Zhang Juan naturally had no objections. "Then let's go together. Move out."
The eight of them left, but Shen Qixi turned her head to glance at the meditation device before walking away.
Inside the meditation device, Fu Chuan watched the events unfold outside, a thoughtful look on her face. This Shen Qixi felt somewhat familiar.
Her height and the way she spoke were too similar.
Could it be Ah Qi?
"It's one thing for Zhou Linlang to see through me, but don't tell me this little girl saw through me too?"
Fu Chuan began to doubt her own acting skills, but on second thought, there were no real flaws. It was probably that Ah Qi, given the relationship between her own identity and the Xie Clan, didn't want to get involved.
"This is getting troublesome. All these people are in groups. Fighting alone puts me at a huge disadvantage."
Of course, Fu Chuan wanted to team up too, but given the influence of the Teng and Lan Clan among the student body, she was afraid of being backstabbed if she did.
"Since there are mini-BOSSes here, and their perception seems quite strong and they appear out of nowhere, I can't handle it."
Fu Chuan had a headache. She felt this type of exam was truly malicious towards her.
She sat inside the device for a dozen seconds, then suddenly took out a pen and paper and began calculating something, making it look like a theoretical math problem. The screen, however, had already abandoned her and followed Zhang Juan's group.
On the white paper was a three-dimensional diagram and calculation problems.
She was indeed calculating—planes, cubes, and the mathematical formulas for spatial folding in the Arcane world.
If she hadn't entered this world and was just playing a game, who would learn this? Even now, Fu Chuan didn't understand it very well. After all, she had only been in this world for a short time and had only recently started studying for theoretical exam, learning just the basics.
Fortunately, her spatial reasoning was sufficient, and the problem she needed to solve wasn't difficult.
The main thing was the creative leap.
"320,000 doesn't match up whether you calculate it as square or cubic units. That's because there are dimensionally isolated spaces. The remaining space must be the isolated space?"
She did some calculations but felt it wasn't right. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She calculated the space inside the 1500 meditation devices and subtracted it.
"That leaves three thousand cubic units. This must be its secretly hidden isolated space. This space might be an extra-credit question specially created by the Education Ministry. The main purpose of this reform is to weed out the fakes. In fact, it's to prevent the fakes cultivated by noble families from getting into the academies and using public resources to train their pawns. So, conversely, the goal is also to screen for truly talented students."
Fu Chuan suspected that there were some benefits hidden within this extra-credit space.
The question was, if she guessed these spaces existed, where were they located?
"They should be among the other 100 locations, separate from the 1500 device locations. But 1500 was just a probability. Does finding these extra-credit spaces rely entirely on luck?"
No, that wasn't right. The Education Ministry was screening for ability and talent, not luck. So, there had to be a pattern connecting the 1500 meditation device coordinates among the 1600 light spots and the extra-credit spaces in the remaining 100 locations. And they must have provided a hint.
Could it be those billboards again?
Fu Chuan thought deeply, sketching on the paper, but she couldn't figure it out. She grumbled in frustration, "This Education Ministry is such a pain in the ass. Of all the questions they could ask, they chose this type… And it's a four-hour exam, two hours have already passed. They probably couldn't even solve it themselves. Hey, wait a minute."
Suddenly, she thought of something.
"The most important thing is the remaining number, 100. The number of proctors from the Jingyang Education Ministry plus the security personnel is also 100. Is this number a coincidence?"
Obviously not.
Fu Chuan remembered.
"The symbol of the Education Ministry is the White Crane, representing purity and progress. The star coordinate for the White Crane Constellation's 100th district is 1509, and it happens to overlap with the 1500 star coordinates of the White Tiger's 7th and 8th regions at exactly nine points."
There was something wrong with these nine overlapping coordinate points.
Fu Chuan was truly thankful that she had been blown up by a meditation puppet before. To save her own life, she had crammed meditation knowledge, managing to memorize the distribution patterns of these star coordinates. Otherwise, she would have been helpless today.
After a while, Fu Chuan confirmed the locations of the nine coordinates.
She wasn't greedy, nor could she be sure that she was the only one among the 1499 candidates who had figured this out. To save time, she chose the nearest coordinate point, carefully observed the situation outside, and then stealthily slipped away.
Five minutes later, she found a hidden space at the roots of an old pine tree on the cliff below the canyon. Just as she was about to enter, she heard the squawking, tragic cries of a big yellow duck from the distant forest.
"That Zhang Juan is with the Teng Family. He's also trouble."
Moreover, his team of eight was already extremely strong, with virtually no rivals. They could probably dominate the third district. Even if Shen Qixi's side didn't want to get involved, Zhang Juan's group still had four people, enough to take her down unless she fully revealed her strength. But she hadn't yet received the benefits from the Xie Clan's three Gene Pool sessions. If she exposed her full power, it would make Xie An wary.
She still couldn't understand why Xie An was so prejudiced against Xie Keli.
Fu Chuan was cautious and unwilling to tear off the facade prematurely. So for now, she would avoid revealing her strength if she could, at least until she finished the three stages of the exam and secured a high ranking that guaranteed her a spot in a good academy.
Fu Chuan withdrew her gaze and entered the hidden extra-credit space directly.
"Beep. Jingyang City High School Entrance Exam, Second Stage, Primary Arcane Truth Comprehension Space has been opened. Single entry, can only be opened once. Duration: 30 minutes. Please cherish this time."
Fu Chuan had thought it was an extra-credit question for more points, but she didn't expect it to be a private lesson.
In this private, one-time isolated space, there were three bodies of knowledge for skill Arcane Truths on the wall, glowing with three different colors of light.
They didn't give skill books, but skill Arcane Truths. What was the difference?
There was a difference. An Arcane Truth skill that was comprehended didn't require chanting an incantation. As long as one had enough mental power, it could be cast instantly. Moreover, it wasn't a fixed skill with a set name, but a body of knowledge. What you learned was the knowledge; what skill you created from it was unique. That's why it didn't need an incantation, because incantations were created by the originators of other Arcane arts, and you had to follow their Arcane rules.
This was the biggest difference.
This was usually a university-level course. For them to secretly release it for comprehension during the High School Entrance Exam showed that the Education Ministry was quite determined to give a private lesson to the clever little geniuses with a talent for Arcane Truths.
But what kind of primary Arcane Truth skills were these?
The three halos of light were embedded in the wall. The liquid flowing in the carved grooves emitted red, blue, and green light. From the curves of the text to the totems, everything was a manifestation of Arcane knowledge. This was like a high-end martial arts manual; you couldn't just learn it with a single touch like a skill book.
It depended on your own comprehension.
"Red is an attack Arcane Truth, green is a defense Arcane Truth, and blue is a support Arcane Truth…"
Fu Chuan's gaze swept over them and noticed that a few totems in the blue support Arcane Truth looked a bit like the advanced Mimicry Arcane she had seen before.
Huh?
Was this a primary Arcane Truth for Mimicry?
She seemed to have… a small idea, one that could help her break through the difficulty of the second stage, and even make up for her disadvantage from the first stage.
Half an hour later, the primary Arcane Truth comprehension space closed. When Fu Chuan came out, she found that Zhang Juan and his group were still in this large creek valley.
To complete her plan, she still needed to find one more thing—a meditation device.
Coincidentally, there were meditation devices distributed in this valley as well.
However, as soon as Fu Chuan landed in the valley, her eyes fixed on the soil by the lake.
There were footprints.
Third District.
Zhang Juan led Shen Qixi and the others as they unleashed a barrage of attacks, taking down many big yellow ducks. Under Zhang Juan's leadership, their scores soared.
All eight of them broke into the top fifty, which included everyone from the other two districts.
As they cooperated, they seemed to grow more trusting of each other. But Shen Qixi was not one to trust others easily. As they hunted the big yellow ducks, they pushed deeper into the creek valley.
Shen Qixi had a faint feeling that something was wrong, because she saw traces of others having been here.
Was it a coincidence?
"Seems like there are no more ducks. Let's take a break. We either change locations or split up and go solo."
As soon as Shen Qixi said this, Guan Zizai sensed it too. "Alright, let's do that then."
Zhang Juan said, "Fine, let's do that. We'll disband."
Just as the two sides were about to part, sharp, whistling sounds suddenly pierced the air from their surroundings, attacking all eight of them.
"Who's there!"
Zhang Juan's face darkened as he warned the others. The eight of them immediately responded. The other team ambushing them from the forest was swift, directly targeting the weak points of the eight. The healer, who specialized in support, was controlled in the first round. Next was Shen Qixi, the versatile full-support, who was focus-fired.
"Xiao Xi, you go first! They're targeting you!"
Guan Zizai wanted to protect Shen Qixi and help her escape, but this group had no intention of letting them go. They clearly wanted to cripple them all here.
They couldn't kill, but if they crippled them like Fu Chuan did, eliminating them from competing for a spot in the Big Four Academies, that would be enough.
As for offending people, it didn't matter. If they got into the Big Four Academies, it would be a class ascension. Those who failed would have no future.
"Wu Long, it's you."
After three rounds of exchanges, Shen Qixi's group was clearly at a disadvantage. Just as they were about to be surrounded, the leader of the encircling group was revealed—a tall man with a buzz cut.
The buzz-cut man was tall, at least 185 cm, which was extremely tall for a middle school student. His presence was also strong.
Speaking of Wu Long, many students didn't dare to provoke him. He had the demeanor of a gang leader. His family's foundation was weak in his early years, but later, because a cousin of his had great talent and soared through the exams, he brought the family up with him. The nearby delinquents all respected him for having a powerful older brother. And Wu Long himself was quite something; he was smart and actually started studying after his family's conditions improved.
His grades were excellent.
He made it all the way to No. 1 Middle School.
With both grades and ability, for a teenager of his age, he was the classic "boss" type.
Many people followed him, including some of the top students from No. 1 Middle School. So, in this assessment, the first person to gather a team was actually Wu Long.
"It's me. Little sister, I haven't seen you before. You never made it into the top twenty in any of the joint exams, did you?"
Those words were truly cutting.
He didn't sound like a campus boss, but more like a top student such as He Duan.
Shen Qixi was probably not used to this, so she replied indifferently, "I didn't. But I heard you've always been 21st."
This little dwarf was infuriating.
Wu Long smiled and, without another word, raised his hand to cast a level-one lightning spell.
Why did he dare to confront Shen Qixi's group?
Because they were all from commoner families.
They couldn't win. What should they do?
Shen Qixi shot a look at Guan Zizai, who paused for a moment, then suddenly understood and attacked one person.
But that person was already on guard and quickly dodged to the side.
"Guan Zizai, what are you doing!"
Seeing this, Xu Lingling and the others moved away from Shen Qixi's group of four, thinking they were turning on their own. But Guan Zizai didn't speak. Instead, Shen Qixi said, "I was observing just now. When their first wave of attacks came out, you had already anticipated it. Five times, you dodged all five times. Because they never intended to hit you in the first place."
Zhang Juan narrowed his eyes. "Slandering me again, are you? Where's your proof?"
Shen Qixi replied, "Do I need proof? I remember your image at No. 2 Middle School was that of being righteous and just. A leader should be daring enough to take responsibility for his actions, not scheme against his teammates behind their backs. Besides, a good student and big brother like you, isn't that the reputation you used to gather us and become the captain? So you still don't dare to reveal yourself? Otherwise, you could have just gathered these dozen people to deal with us from the start."
"So, if you want to maintain this persona, so that people will still dare to follow you in the third stage's dungeon assessment, the worst thing you can do is not make a move later."
"Do you dare?"
She had no proof, yet she had grasped Zhang Juan's mentality. He narrowed his eyes and hesitated.
Should he not act?
"Fine, I won't get involved. It looks like you don't need my help anyway."
Zhang Juan felt that if his group of four withdrew, Wu Long's eight should be able to handle Shen Qixi's four.
Wu Long thought so too, but then Shen Qixi added, "Then you should probably move further away. What if we fight until both sides are battered and you stab us in the back? And you could do it in the name of avenging us."
You've already written the whole script?
Wu Long's side immediately frowned. He shot a quick glance at Zhang Juan and shifted his position. The latter felt the situation was becoming tricky. "She's doing it on purpose, and you believe her?"
In that moment of hesitation between the two sides—now! Run!
"Dammit, after them!" Zhang Juan chased after them in a panic. His cover was blown, but he couldn't care less. Shen Qixi and her group were not to be trifled with. If they passed the exam, this grudge would never be resolved.
Shen Qixi's group of four quickly slipped through the gap and fled to the left, with twelve people in hot pursuit.
The chase led them to the very end of the creek valley.
It was a dead end.
Was it over?
Shen Qixi turned around. "No need to run. Let's fight to the death. We'll take down as many as we can."
The other three had no choice but to prepare for a desperate battle. However, Shen Qixi could see the fear and regret in two of them.
They probably regretted following her, or were simply terrified of the current situation. They were likely hoping to pass the exam with a good, stable score, not take such risks.
She suddenly missed a certain groundhog and that captain.
Groundhog was clumsy, but he was always brave and fierce, wielding the most powerful gun! He dared to fight anyone!
And that captain…
Shen Qixi felt helpless. If that captain were here, she wouldn't have let them fall into such a designed and surrounded situation in the first place.
Just as the two sides faced off, suddenly!
The sound of quacking filled the air.
The sound of ducks.
The sound of a large flock of ducks.
Everyone turned their heads and saw a vast, glittering-yellow flock of plump ducks pouring out of the forest.
A flock of at least seventy or eighty. Everyone's scalp began to tingle.
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