GAMMT - Chapter 89
Chapter 89: Peerless Fierce Man
Since she had agreed, the deal was sealed. Fu Qiang proactively presented the card and the pet egg. It should have been a pleasant scene for both host and guest, but he insisted on looking at her with an expression of intense passion and shyness.
Fu Chuan paused, her expression turning a bit strange. "I'm afraid I won't be marrying you as well, so give up. Don't look at me like that."
What the hell!
Fu Qiang was mortified and about to deny it when he saw his golden-turtle brother-in-law turn to his sister and say, "Unless you raise the price."
Fu Ye: "…"
Now she was a hundred percent certain this person wouldn't harm her. For the sake of money, he wouldn't.
Fu Qiang's face flushed with shame and anger. "What nonsense are you talking about? I was just asking if you really don't know that Fu Chuan."
Many people would probe indirectly, but he was so direct.
Fu Ye's gaze deepened slightly as she glanced at Fu Chuan, only to see the other person's calm expression. "You'll have to specify which Fu Chuan. The one from my hometown, I naturally know. If you want details, you can use your connections to investigate. I'm sure the four great clans have sent people up there recently. As for the Fu Chuan who recently appeared at your West Jin Academy, some people have asked me about her. I don't know her yet, but I'll pay her a visit someday…"
"No, no, no, brother-in-law, you've misunderstood. I'm not testing you, I just…" Fu Qiang blushed and leaned against the wall in front of Fu Chuan and Fu Ye. "I think I've met my first love."
Fu Ye turned her face away and walked off.
Fu Chuan took the pet egg and the card and also left immediately.
What nonsense about a first love. On the day of the four great academies' joint entrance exam, she had seen him probing her while a delicate little beauty stood not far away.
However, Fu Qiang stopped them both and gave each of them a small box containing a wedding ring.
For appearances.
This cheap brother-in-law was quite attentive, acting as if he were the one getting married. He had even bought rings from a top-tier brand, and they were expensive—though he'd used Fu Ye's card to pay for them.
Fu Chuan and Fu Ye were both typically calm individuals and thought little of it. But since they had an agreement, it was right to handle these minor details properly, so they both casually put the rings on.
Fu Chuan noticed that Fu Ye hesitated for a moment when she put it on, likely because she was still thinking of Li Wukun. In this matter, she felt a slight pang of guilt.
After all, in Fu Ye's eyes, Xie Keli was, to some extent, a man.
Fu Chuan was actually a bit surprised. Perhaps from her past exposure to the rich and powerful in the real world, and having friends from prestigious families, she knew that men and women of such backgrounds rarely truly fell in love. Even if they invested emotionally, they would ultimately weigh the pros and cons and make a choice.
In her view, Fu Ye was a woman with excellent personal qualities who had received a great deal of affection. It was actually very difficult for such a person to invest genuine feelings in others.
Because they had received so much, lacking neither material wealth nor love, it was incredibly hard to satisfy their emotional needs.
This was true in the real world, let alone the world of Arcanists.
From the looks of it now, Fu Ye had genuine feelings for the father of her child. It was clear that Li Wukun must have been an extraordinary man.
At East Guan Academy, Xie Keli had left in a hurry, but as the top scorer in the second round of exams, who had pulled ahead with such a terrifying point difference, everyone knew. The moment he casually mentioned moving out, the news spread like a plague.
Que Baimo sized up the three fierce-looking men in the dorm. They were from classes A, B, and C, and seemed to have good personalities. Of course, it was also because they were all rather extroverted, without too many hidden complexities, that they were genuinely worried about Xie Keli actually moving out.
"He won't. As long as the academy doesn't allow it, he has no reason to force the issue. After all, the academy doesn't like granting special privileges. That guy is a refined egoist; he would never offend both the academy and you brothers over something so trivial."
Que Baimo was skilled at feigning sincerity. He had already discerned that the three men were truly formidable, with impressive combat strength. For various reasons, he planned to win them over, so he didn't mind showing favoritism and affirming their feelings to curry favor.
Alas, such were the survival tactics of an illegitimate son.
Fierce Man A sighed at his words. "I hope so. I actually really wanted to have him in our dorm. I hear he's super strong, this number one."
Fierce Man B said, "Baimo, tell us, how did you lose to him? I heard you all pretended to be weak to ambush him, but he ended up kicking you out one by one?"
Que Baimo stiffened. The men were fierce, but their emotional intelligence was truly low.
Was that something you could just say out loud? Did he not have any pride?
So, he could only describe the events briefly in a magnanimous and elegant manner, concluding with, "I still admire him a lot. I really want to be brothers with him. Ever since I found out we were in the same dorm, I was too excited to sleep all night. When he moves in, I hope you three brothers can put in a good word for me. I'm quite afraid he'll hold a grudge over what happened in the exam and think I hate him."
In reality, that wasn't the case. If he had the chance, he too wanted to give that scum a taste of the bitter feeling of being instantly eliminated.
The three of them, of course, readily agreed.
And then… they heard a shirtless man from another dorm sprinting down the hallway, shouting as he ran, "Oh my god, oh my god! Xie Keli applied for couple's cohabitation! Holy crap, he's moving into the couple's housing!"
The commotion was so loud it shook the entire dormitory building.
Que Baimo was a bit stunned, his expression shifting rapidly. It couldn't be, right?
That Xie Keli actually…
But he did see the three fierce men looking as if they'd been struck by lightning.
"Brothers, what's wrong?"
Fierce Man A: "Does he despise us?"
Fierce Man B: "I don't know, but the conditions for couple's cohabitation are really good. I think it's right next to the girls' dormitory."
Fierce Man C: "But where did he get a wife? I think he's only eighteen."
Que Baimo: "He has a marriage contract with Fu Ye. It seems they're really going to honor it now. I guess it's understandable. Fu Ye is a great beauty, after all… It really makes one envious."
He thought that since Xie Keli didn't want to be brothers with him, he would use Fu Ye, the provincial-level joint-campus beauty, to stir up some trouble for him. As expected, the group was deeply hurt.
"Are the four of us not even as good as one Fu Ye?"
"Seriously, is one woman really better than the four of us men? This is so sad!"
"Let's go, let's go, time for a shower. Baimo, which scent of soap do you like?"
Que Baimo didn't think much of it at first, just that the three were a bit dense. So he casually picked a bar of soap. It wasn't until he was actually in the bathroom, washing, that four bars of soap clattered to the floor in front of him.
Que Baimo: "?"
Something seemed very wrong here.
Perhaps Xie Keli was right to run.
Fu Chuan didn't like to dawdle. She submitted the report directly, just as East Guan received Fu Ye's transfer notice.
As a Blue Blood noble with powerful connections and an outstanding third-year student, West Jin Academy couldn't stop Fu Ye from transferring according to the Education Ministry's rules, though there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth over at West Jin.
After getting permission, Fu Chuan went to the couple's cohabitation housing. Only then did she realize it was a standalone house. She was strolling down a garden path, leisurely eating an apple, about to enter the small building when she happened to look up at the second-floor balcony of the girls' dormitory opposite.
Someone was washing clothes on the balcony. Tall and slender, with a thick mass of black hair tied up with a simple hairpin. A modest black tank top left her arms and shoulders completely exposed.
The person, who had a sickly pale complexion, seemed a bit surprised as well. She rested her hands on the edge of the washbasin, her deep eyes locking onto Fu Chuan. She didn't say anything, merely pondering why the top-ranked student was here and seemed to be moving in across from them.
The answer seemed obvious.
Sure enough, she soon heard the discussions of the other girls in the dorm.
The biggest news on the first day of school.
Someone had managed to poach the campus beauty of the Beluke joint academies.
West Jin was furious, while East Guan was triumphant!
Fu Chuan, however, just calmly took another bite of her apple, then pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.
"No way, is that Fu Ye really coming to our school? Is this to accommodate Xie Keli? I've heard of her, they say she's really cold and arrogant. Would she cooperate with a man like this? Is it necessary?"
"Even if Xie Keli is the top scorer of this year's second round, the four great academies have a four-year high school system, and you can apply to repeat a year. There are at least sixteen former top scorers accumulated, not to mention the many second and third-place students who have surpassed the top ones. The top thirty in the joint academies' trial rankings are all neck and neck, and the rankings change every three months. I heard even Orange Blood families have sought marriage with the Fu Clan. Her range of choices is huge, so why…"
Xie Keli was formidable and the top scorer, but he had just entered the four great academies, a place teeming with provincial elites. The weakest students here were stronger than the three thousand from Luohe.
Most importantly, for those who didn't understand Xie Keli, his reputation alone was a minefield of red flags for women, so they couldn't comprehend it.
Wei Mingtang continued washing her clothes, her eyes lowered.
What these people couldn't understand, the great nobles probably could. They might even think the Fu Clan had acted quickly.
But based on her observations of Fu Ye and Xie Keli, she felt there was something going on between them.
A transaction.
As they were talking, they saw the Fu Clan's servants arrive, delivering batches of decorations and even replanting the flowers and trees in the outer courtyard…
The eldest daughter of the Fu Clan was truly coming.
Upon entering the residence, Fu Chuan went straight to the training room. Although the four great academies were high schools, the world of Arcanists was vast and very different from high schools in the real world. Fu Chuan knew from her gaming days that there were three core components to academy learning.
1. Courses: Generally divided into individual and public courses. Students in Class A and above, like Fu Chuan, had individual courses with private tutoring. This meant the academy's teachers for each subject would schedule one-on-one private lessons with her.
This was essentially a noble's education, taught by the academy's best teachers, second only to the absolute top-tier masters.
It was said that S-class students were taught personally by the great masters of each academy.
The courses were divided into five subjects: World Studies (including politics, military affairs, sociology, psychology, criminology, literature, and arts—students could choose any number of subjects), Arcane Studies (Arcane Arts + Arcane Truths), Combat Studies (practical combat between students + internal academy dungeon practice), Alchemy Studies, and Control Studies (a specialty of East Guan; other academies had their own unique additional subjects).
2. Trial Tower: This was essentially five examination towers, each corresponding to the difficulty of the five subjects above. There were twelve levels in total. Points were awarded based on different subject coefficients, which were then combined into a total trial score. The five subjects had different weights, so their coefficients naturally varied.
World, Arcane, Alchemy, Combat, and Control corresponded to point ratios with coefficients of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0, respectively.
This formed the Trial Tower score, which could be used to redeem cultivation resources in the Trial Tower shop. The rankings also came with corresponding point rewards, calculated every three months.
3. Arcane Palace: This involved participating in dungeons in the wilderness. The comprehensive coefficient obtained from these dungeons could be converted into points and added to the Trial Tower score. The school would also provide recognition and support in terms of resources. This conversion had a very high value, making it the most profitable way to earn points among the three core components, but also the most dangerous.
On the day she registered, Fu Chuan had received her East Guan Academy student badge, which contained the academic system. Upon entering the system, she saw that the first stage was course selection.
There was no need to think. She had already researched the information and made her plans, so she made her choices directly.
World Studies: Select all (teachers can be assigned randomly, no preference).
Arcane Studies: Specialize in Arcane Truths (hoping for a teacher whose expertise leans towards Space, Light, and Wind elements).
Alchemy Studies: Focus on alchemy techniques, not resource allocation instruction.
Combat Studies: Focus on hard-style combat, not strategic combat (she was already skilled in the latter and needed to improve the former).
Control Studies: Specialize in Plant-based + Pupil Technique control.
If she were an S-class student, she could have chosen from the top-tier teachers, selecting the ones she needed. But as an A-class student, she was entitled to a private tutor but had to be assigned one by the school. Therefore, when selecting her courses, she needed to list her requirements to see if the school would assign a teacher who met her criteria.
Because of this, all the newly enrolled students were anxiously selecting their courses. Noble families even had strategists seriously analyzing and arranging their course selections.
She wasn't particularly demanding about this. East Guan's standards were high, so even if the teacher wasn't a perfect fit, their level wouldn't be poor. She could adjust and fill in any gaps herself.
After making her selections, Fu Chuan went directly to the Trial Tower.
However, just as she was leaving, she happened to run into Wei Mingtang, who was also heading out. Having finished her laundry, she had thrown on a jacket, exuding a cold aura. When they met, she simply gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and walked on, and then… they realized they were heading in the same direction.
Clearly, both were going to the Trial Tower.
Not many people came to the Trial Tower right after the start of the school year, as everyone was busy with course selection.
Those who came now generally met two conditions: they had already chosen their courses but hadn't finalized their point allocation, so they wanted to test themselves in the Trial Tower beforehand to gauge their strengths and weaknesses and decide on their point distribution strategy.
As she walked, Fu Chuan was browsing the items in the point shop. As she looked, she suddenly felt a sense of alarm. She shot her head up and saw a black shadow flash through the woods…
Swoosh! Fu Chuan and Wei Mingtang, who was about two meters ahead, were both startled. They quickly dodged to the side. The long-tailed, pitch-black monster's afterimage was incredibly fast. It darted out, and several afterimages flickered onto the branches. A closer look revealed a pet the size of a calf with the head of a tiger, the body of a bird, and the tail of a scorpion. It was entirely black, exuding a fierce aura. Its purple pupils locked onto the two of them. With just a low cry, they both felt their heads spin, and the next second…
Boom!
A terrifying tail whip lashed towards Fu Chuan.
How long would the dizziness last?
It depended on agility.
Crack! The tail whip sliced past her head as she dodged, snapping two trees in half. Leaves rustled down.
Just as it was about to attack again, it seemed to hear a flute sound. It grinned at the two of them, then turned and scurried away.
Wei Mingtang and Fu Chuan had already gathered dark and light arcane power in their palms. Watching the terrifying monster leave, they exchanged a look.
Wei Mingtang: "A Three Mystic Demon, a special pet. This one is at the peak of the Blue Tier. If its master's attributes match it, it can be as powerful as an Orange Tier…"
This was no small matter. Even a member of an Orange Blood family like Xie Yiyuan didn't have such a pet yet.
Could it be a teacher?
Wei Mingtang: "I've heard that among the S-class students at East Guan, there are four extremely difficult individuals. One of them is the owner of the Three Mystic Demon, Zhan Xuandong. He's also a sixth-year student."
He had repeated two years?
Fu Chuan raised an eyebrow. But countless students repeated years in the academies. Those who took the college entrance exams after just four years were in the minority. Generally, only the children of great nobles graduated earlier. While they were also keen on milking the academies for resources, their need for them wasn't as desperate as others. Family plus academy resources meant they were ready for the exams within four years and could get into their target universities. Only those lacking family support would spend an extra two years in the academy to build a solid foundation before taking the exams.
Thus, twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old examinees were a common sight.
But why would Zhan Xuandong's pet, the Three Mystic Demon, attack them here?
Was it an accident?
Walking his dog without a leash?
Fu Chuan wasn't sure, but if it wasn't an accident, there was likely only one possibility: the other party was one of Fu Ye's suitors.
Wei Mingtang probably thought of this too, but it was none of her business. As for Fu Chuan, she cared even less. Even without Fu Ye, these people would have become their rivals sooner or later.
The two of them emerged from the shortcut through the small woods and arrived at the Trial Tower, where they ran into two people.
The two seemed to be settling a score, the tension palpable, with elements raging in the air. They both noticed the commotion from the woods and then saw Fu Chuan and the other emerge.
They didn't know each other, and only a fool would make enemies for no reason by lashing out. They merely sized up the pair with ambiguous expressions. Fu Chuan brushed a fallen leaf off herself and walked directly into one of the Trial Towers.
Huh. Wei Mingtang was a little surprised.
Because the first one Fu Chuan entered was the World Studies Trial Tower.
"This person never does anything he's not confident about. Looks like he's about to make a splash." Wei Mingtang gave it a couple more glances before entering the Arcane Trial Tower.
Inside the Trial Tower, Fu Chuan, who the dark and alluring beauty assumed was about to make a splash, was negotiating with the receptionist.
"So it costs 3,000 points for one attempt?"
She didn't remember this from the game. Alas, she had been too presumptuous. Or perhaps it was because the academy she attended back then wasn't on the level of East Guan.
"Yes."
"Such a rip-off. Are you guys planning to go public? The company name should be 'Pig-Butchering Scam'."
"…"
Oh, this student was a real troublemaker. Where did this contrarian come from?
Fu Chuan looked at the polite yet elegant and pretty receptionist and suddenly understood why no one was here taking the tests yet.
Because it cost money.
In this world, things that cost money were generally less popular.
She could only suppress the urge to roll her eyes and silently paid the points.
"Alright, it's confirmed that you will be taking the World Studies trial exam. Which subjects would you like to choose? Politics, Military Affairs, Sociology, Psychology, Criminology, Literature, and Arts. You may choose freely."
"No need to choose. I'll take them all."
"?"
"Since I'm here and I've already spent the points, I'd be letting myself down if I didn't take a few more."
It was like a wild boar in a vegetable patch. Since it was already there, it would be a loss not to root up a few more cabbages.
The receptionist continued to smile politely. "Alright, it has been arranged. Please proceed to Gate Number Three to begin your exam. Since you are taking all seven subjects, the total exam time will be twelve hours."
That long?
Fu Chuan left.
The other receptionists at the side looked like they wanted to say something but held back. Only the pretty young lady continued to read her book.
Fu Chuan was serious about the exam and tackled Politics, Military Affairs, Sociology, Psychology, Criminology, Literature, and Arts with the same intensity she would have for the college entrance exams.
But during the very first subject, Politics, her heart sank.
The difficulty was very high.
Fine, she had already paid the 3,000 points anyway. She would just treat it as a way to identify and fill in her knowledge gaps.
Fu Chuan knew her score wouldn't be high, given the vast body of knowledge.
She wasn't strong in this area to begin with… After all, since the high school entrance exams, she hadn't had much time to improve in this field.
What Fu Chuan didn't know was that the news of her and Wei Mingtang going to the Trial Tower had already spread.
They weren't nobodies, after all. The couple's cohabitation had already caused a stir and become a trending topic. The fierce male students from West Jin were up in arms, calling for the head of the scoundrel who had stolen their campus beauty. Even the dedicated students at East Guan were stirred by the news.
Students from the other two academies quickly pulled up their chairs to watch the drama unfold.
Of course, the students from West Jin Academy, like Yun Baobao, were enjoying the show the most. Having been thoroughly crushed by a certain someone, the psychological trauma was significant and needed to be compensated for in other ways. So, the fearless Yun Baobao frantically tagged a certain person from East Guan Academy's student list.
Yun Baobao @Xie Keli: Brother Ah Li, you are so cruel, stealing West Jin's campus beauty! I just enrolled, I haven't had enough of Sister Ah Ye's beauty, and she's already gone to West Jin. My heart hurts so much… So are you two really living together?
Too many people had been humiliated. Now that they were in separate academies, that dead scum couldn't cross over to cause trouble. These people were thrilled, deliberately hyping up the matter, trying to use Fu Ye's fame to fan the flames and make enemies for Xie Keli.
Behind the scenes, Fu Qiang was happy to see this happen. The more their relationship was hyped up, the more the Li Family would have to consider the public impact, even if they had suspicions.
Fu Qiang was almost moved, feeling that his brother-in-law was a truly great man who got things done once he was paid.
He was just about to praise Fu Chuan when he saw the topic of discussion change.
It had shifted to a picture of Xie Keli and a certain female student emerging from a small grove, covered in leaves.
Hmm…
Fu Ye had just arrived at East Guan Academy. At the entrance, someone deliberately sent her the picture. She also noticed the complicated looks the female students on the road were giving her. Unfazed, she dismissed the news and calmly entered the house, which by now was mostly decorated.
Fu Qiang inspected the place and asked if she needed servants.
"No need. Too many people, too many prying eyes. It's hard to find trustworthy people. I can manage on my own."
Fu Qiang thought that made sense.
"Brother-in-law probably went to the trials. Don't be scared at home alone. He'll definitely be back to keep you company later. From my observation, our brother-in-law is actually soft-hearted beneath his cold exterior. You…"
Fu Ye didn't want to hear his nonsense. "Get out."
Once Fu Qiang left, Fu Ye felt tired and drowsy. She subconsciously touched her flat stomach. As she closed her eyes, her consciousness drifted back to a certain rainy night.
The rain was pouring down. She saw a beautiful, heavily pregnant woman being surrounded and attacked… She was holding her, flying with all her might, but was ultimately gravely injured and fell into a cold stream.
The wind howled, the bamboo forest swayed violently. Blood mixed with rain and stream water. She tumbled in the water, trying to grab the woman not far away, but the woman only looked back at her once.
She reached out and released her innate talent, hiding her in the water.
And then… in the water, she saw… she was disemboweled and killed, the torn, half-formed infant floating in the water.
The woman's mutilated corpse tumbled in the water… until only half an arm drifted to her side, as if trying to hold her with one hand in the water.
She snapped her eyes open, realizing it was a dream.
Anyone could tell that the picture was deliberately released to stir up trouble. But people like Que Baimo realized the purpose behind Xie Keli and the other taking the exams early.
"Using the Trial Tower to recognize their weaknesses is secondary. More importantly, it's probably to showcase their abilities, so that the more powerful teachers in the academy will actively choose them, or at least notice them before classes start. How cunning."
Que Baimo's mind was full of twists and turns, and he quickly thought of many possibilities. Then, they also went to the Trial Tower.
And then… few were willing to take the test.
It was too expensive!
Damn it, new students like them only had the few thousand or ten thousand points they got from the second round of exams. Who could afford such an expense?
So, most people waited to see how many points Xie Keli could get, to see if it would offset the cost of the exam fee.
But they waited and waited.
Still not out? Was he giving birth in there?
Two hours later, however, someone saw Wei Mingtang's exam results.
To be honest, it caused some ripples in the school.
Among the 25 students in Class A, a red-haired youth who was painting his nails let out a breath and said slowly, "Not bad. 2,650 points on her first Arcane trial. Although she still lost points, it's above average among those in Class B."
But it was far from being a threat to them in Class A.
A tall youth next to him was wiping a basketball he had just finished playing with. He said faintly, "I checked. This girl is from an orphanage. Her resource conversion ceiling is extremely high. As long as she has enough resources, she'll enter a period of rapid development. My teacher once mentioned her to me, saying that although she ranked fourth in this high school entrance exam, compared to people like Xie Keli, who has been nurtured by Xie Siyi, or Li Cang and Yun Baobao, who come from Orange Blood families, her potential is the highest. In fact, many teachers were paying attention to her when she came to East Guan this time. Including my teacher."
The expressions of the others present turned subtle.
The red-haired youth frowned and sneered, "Only 2,650 points. I got 3,200 when I first came in. How can she be as amazing as you say? Speaking of potential, who dares to say that the poorer someone is, the higher their potential?"
No one spoke. The youth holding the basketball lowered his eyes.
He just wanted to know if that Wei Mingtang had chosen the dark element when she took the Arcane test.
If not, then… she was very unpredictable.
But only a few held such a cautious view. The stir caused by Wei Mingtang was mainly due to the hype surrounding Xie Keli. The photo wasn't very clear, only showing a tall girl, but her name was recognized. Later, when people at the school searched for her, and with her entering the Trial Tower, her beauty quickly became widely known.
After Wei Mingtang came out, she took the same shortcut through the small path. She saw a message from Yue Mingze, but paid it no mind, dismissed it, and slowly walked back.
Right now, she only wanted to know how many points Xie Keli would get.
Of course, no one would find out today.
Because a certain someone spent a full 12 hours taking the test.
At 1 AM, in the dead of night, Fu Chuan came out and saw the pretty girl eating instant noodles in the middle of the night. She walked over and tapped on the table.
The girl looked up, slurped a noodle, and stood up politely. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Fu Chuan's eyelids lifted slightly.
"Sister, you didn't tell me before that this exam could have negative scores."
God knows how shocked she was when she saw the results for the seven subjects.
The pretty young lady wiped her mouth and said elegantly, "If I had, you probably wouldn't have taken it."
Fu Chuan: "?"
The pretty young lady smiled faintly. "Can't be helped. We're trying to go public, you know."
Watching Fu Chuan walk away, speechless and dejected, the pretty young lady lowered her head and chuckled, then sat down to continue eating her instant noodles. But after one bite, she looked up at the registered scores and froze.
Politics (-800), Military Affairs (-550), Sociology (-480), Psychology (1100), Criminology (1200), Literature (-1800), and Arts (-1500).
How should one put it? The results were very strange.
Too extreme.
"Just enrolled, hasn't learned anything yet, but scored so high in Psychology and Criminology alone. This shows that this person is meticulous, has keen insight, and strong logical thinking. But to have so many points deducted in other subjects? That's too many deductions."
Uncultured, weak foundation, that was for sure. But to lose so many points meant that this person answered the questions very quickly, managing to reach the high-difficulty questions at the end on their own merit.
"Even if you answer randomly, you still need neural response speed… To lose so many points, on the contrary, proves his ability."
The pretty girl glanced at the figure that had already disappeared into the distance, looking particularly small in the night.
She had a feeling that this school year would not be quiet.
After Fu Chuan left, she checked the time. Although she was a bit tired, she still went to take the other tests as planned.
Even though she knew she would lose points, she had at least gotten to see the questions.
After a wrong answer, it would provide the correct one with a very detailed analysis, which even included confidential information related to some political and military questions.
She remembered one political question mentioned TK and the case of Zhou Linlang's disappearance.
Such answers would not appear in the teaching curriculum.
Because they were taboo.
So later, she realized the power of this Trial Tower and began to frantically grind through the questions.
Points were deducted, yes, but it was equivalent to exchanging points for high-level information, allowing her to quickly supplement her understanding of this world beyond her game knowledge.
It was great.
In that case, the other subject exams were probably like this too.
Fu Chuan quickly started the alchemy test, and sure enough, the first stage… Boom!
An explosion.
Fu Chuan wiped the ash from her face, looking bewildered. Wait, is Qin Minfeng's luck selective? It still exploded?!
But the Trial Tower's intelligent system quickly sent a notification: Reminder to the examinee, if your skill level is too poor, please do not rashly attempt the alchemy trial, because it will genuinely explode.
Below was the correct alchemy process and techniques.
It was still very detailed.
Fu Chuan awkwardly memorized these techniques, then silently chose another, more difficult alchemy project… and quickly assumed a defensive stance.
Boom!
System: "Reminder to the examinee, please do not…"
Boom!
System: "Reminder to the examinee, please…"
Boom!
…
System: "Reminder to the examinee, I'm a bit tired. Please mute me, thank you."
It wasn't until Fu Chuan had used up all her mental power potions and couldn't cause any more explosions that she changed venues and went to take the Arcane trial.
The Arcane trial was not as dangerous.
Fu Chuan looked at the various elements, directly choosing Space and Wind. For the later Combat and Control trials, Fu Chuan chose the opponents she was worst at dealing with, or those that countered Light, Space, and Wind…
The hardest opponents, the most difficult tests.
At 8 AM, Fu Ye got up to go to class. As she came downstairs, she noticed shoes in the entryway, and the entry system had recorded the time the person had returned.
He had only come back at 8 AM.
Fu Ye didn't think much of it. They didn't know each other well and were just in a cooperative relationship. It was best to act the part outside and not interfere with each other inside.
She went to the kitchen counter to make some food and casually opened the campus system to check for information. After all, she had just come from West Jin and didn't know much about East Guan.
But as soon as she opened it, she saw the most popular post.
It wasn't just popular in East Guan; it was the top trending topic across all four academies.
Have you ever seen someone go to the Trial Tower on the first day of school, diligently spend 15,000 in exam fees, conscientiously test for 18 hours, only to end up with a negative score of 120,000 points? Now, you have. Xie Keli, a peerless fierce man!!!!
The second most popular topic was…
Xie Keli didn't really do much, just took a casual test and ended up with a negative score equal to the combined second-round exam points of the five of us in my dorm.
The unassuming Xie Keli, furiously grinding for negative points.
Fu Ye, who was frying an egg: "…"
This person really… how did their brain work?
So unconventional.
But she felt it had nothing to do with her, until she opened the door to water the flowers before leaving and heard many female students chatting in the girls' dormitory opposite.
"So, on the first day the campus beauty Fu Ye moved in, Xie Keli didn't accompany her… hmm… but ran off alone to grind trial questions for 18 hours, and then lost 120,000 points?"
"Oh my god, if anyone ever tells me Xie Keli is a pervert again, I'll fight them!"
"The points from the pre-enrollment exam don't count towards the rankings; they're only for redemption. So all new students are at the bottom of the rankings. Now he's gone and made himself dead last, and with a negative score of 120,000 points at that. He won't be able to make up for this deficit in the next three months… This is more than just not loving beauty; this is not loving life and wanting to commit suicide."
"His seven hundred thousand points were so valuable. The people in the S-class were all eyeing him. Isn't this like having a mountain of gold and not cherishing it?"
"Is it possible they had a fight? I heard Fu Ye has a very bad temper. Maybe Xie Keli was kicked out and had a mental breakdown out of grief. I've seen my dad, after fighting with my mom, angrily chug eighteen bottles of liquor and then dance the yangge in the public square."
Fu Ye: "…"
I am not worthy, thank you.
She now had a faint feeling that in the days to come, it wouldn't be Xie Keli acting as her tool, but the other way around.
She was ready at any moment to become Xie Keli's pitiful, abandoned, neglected fiancée, the one he would avoid by grinding trial questions for 18 hours, the one who drove her fiancé to a mental breakdown.
On the first day of school, a certain person had single-handedly pushed his point ranking to dead last.
However, Fu Chuan had private lessons and didn't need to rush to class with others. Her classes for the day were scheduled for the afternoon and evening, so she slept until it was almost time before heading out.
The class schedule had arrived, and the teachers were confirmed.
In the afternoon was her World Studies teacher, a man named Li Chuan. Old Man Li was very knowledgeable and open-minded. Holding a thermos, he looked at the student who had caused such a stir on the first day of school, smiled, introduced himself, and finally asked, "To be willing to exchange points for knowledge, are you looking down on me as a teacher? Do you think I can't teach you those things?"
Fu Chuan was still holding a pineapple bun from the table at home. She ate as she said, "No, I just think there are some things you might not be at liberty to tell me. If there's a channel where I won't be held accountable, that's great."
Old Man Li had looked into Fu Chuan beforehand and knew this person was deeply entangled with the great nobles. The matters involved were not something most students in the academy could come into contact with. Different circumstances, different perspectives, naturally led to different needs.
"Alright, let's begin class."
"You'd better make sure your brain can digest all this knowledge."
As expected of a top provincial academy. If Fu Chuan could absorb knowledge of this world by reading books, then Old Man Li was a natural filter, having already sifted out most of the trivial and low-value knowledge for her, ultimately passing on the essence.
As class was about to end, he took a sip of water to soothe his throat and asked Fu Chuan, "Why choose so many subjects? Isn't it tiring? This will cut into your time for other courses. I know you have an Arcane class tonight."
Fu Chuan stood up, thought for a moment, and said, "Of all the areas one can strengthen, willpower is the hardest to improve. It comes from one's understanding of the world and oneself, from judgment and persistence. When facing a desperate situation, a knowledgeable and confident person will always know how to navigate it better than a mere brute."
There was no such thing as a naturally brilliant genius. Just like herself, she had only grown after more than twenty years of diligent self-study, an excellent educational environment, and experiencing some setbacks.
Those people all acknowledged her quick-thinking methods, but they never considered that it was a system of thought cultivated through countless nights of burning the midnight oil, meticulously crafting strategies for a large number of clients.
But the enemies she would face in the future would only get stronger. She had to become stronger as well.
At the very least, she had a premonition that the TK Group would not let go of Xie Keli or Fu Chuan so easily.
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