December 30th, the final exams!
On this day, Zhang Yi left home early, arriving at school by seven-thirty. When he reached his classroom, most of his classmates were already there. Sima Yuan, Hong Tianyi, and even Wan Hua were all seated inside.
In the month leading up to the exams, the classroom had been dead silent, as if every student was completely absorbed in their studies. In contrast, on the day of the exams, the room was a clamor of noise. It seemed like everyone was trying to talk away their stress.
When the door was pushed open, the other students saw that it was their class president, Zhang Yi. They glanced his way for a moment before resuming their conversations. It wasnât yet eight oâclock, so class hadnât started. There were no classes today, only exams, so naturally, no one was enforcing the rules. This wasnât limited to the top-tier Class One; the same was happening in every other class throughout the entire sophomore year.
Just as Zhang Yi sat down, Sima Yuan, who was next to him, leaned over. "How confident are you about these final exams?"
"I donât know," Zhang Yi blurted out.
He genuinely didnât know. His dad had told him that the final exams at Golden City No.1 Middle School would be jointly supervised by the schoolâs teachers and the military to ensure student safety, but his dad hadnât leaked a single detail about the actual content. Because of this, he truly had no idea what form the final assessment would take.
Seeing the calm expression on Zhang Yiâs face, Sima Yuan sighed.
"Youâre like this before every single exam!
"Before the exam, I ask you, and you say you only reviewed a little bit! After the exam, I ask you again, and you say you only know a âlittleâ bit! Then the results come out, I look at your score, and youâre first place again!
"Tell me, seeing you like this again, how can I possibly be at ease?"
Zhang Yi was actually amused by Sima Yuanâs rant. "Why doesnât anyone believe me when I tell the truth these days?"
"Forget it. Asking you is pointless. Iâd rather not crush my own confidence! Whatâs your Transformation level now?" Sima Yuan suddenly asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Third Transformation!"
"Holy shit!" x2
"Freak!" x3
The first exclamation was shouted in unison by Sima Yuan and Hong Tianyi. The second was also in unison, but with Shen Mengting joining in.
"How are you so fast?"
"Arenât Elves a long-lived race?"
"Donât they reproduce really slowly?"
"Where did you get so many Clan members?"
"Did you use a Reproduction Card?"
Facing the barrage of questions from the three of them, Zhang Yi shook his head and said, "I didnât use a Reproduction Card, but I had a fortunate encounter in the Subspace!"
Hearing Zhang Yiâs answer, Sima Yuan, who had been ready to press for details, immediately fell silent. Even friends needed to respect boundaries, and it wasnât appropriate to ask about a fortunate encounter in the Subspace.
"So, do you think youâre the strongest in our class?"
The one who asked this question was Hong Tianyi. Compared to the past few months, his face was brimming with fighting spirit today, and his question carried a hint of provocation.
Seeing Hong Tianyiâs expression, Zhang Yiâs hands started to itch. "Ohâ? The rain has stopped, the sky is clear, and you think youâre hot stuff again? You want to compete with me in the final exams?"
"Thatâs right!" Hong Tianyi answered without hesitation, his intentions clear on his face.
This was why Zhang Yi was willing to be friends with Hong Tianyi after they were assigned to the same class, even though they hadnât been close before and Hong Tianyi had even tried to trade for the Divine Domain Card in Zhang Yiâs hands. It was because Hong Tianyi wore his heart on his sleeve, never hiding his thoughts. Zhang Yi preferred dealing with people like that. In contrast, he detested sneaky and secretive people like Li Boyang the most.
"Donât think youâre the only one whoâs been improving. Weâve been making progress too!" Hong Tianyi declared. "Besides, if Iâm challenging you now, do you really think I donât have an ace up my sleeve?"
Hong Tianyiâs words piqued Zhang Yiâs interest. "How about it, then? A little competition?"
"Compete over what?"
"How about our final scores?"
"Should we make a bet?"
"Letâs bet."
"No, no, no competition! Weâre not competing!" Hong Tianyi hurriedly said.
His hasty backpedaling surprised Zhang Yi.
If youâre not going to compete, then what was all that talk just now?
Seeing Zhang Yi staring straight at him, Hong Tianyi gave an embarrassed laugh. "I just suddenly remembered Li Boyang, who made that bet with you last time! Betting against you never ends well. Iâd better not!"
Hong Tianyi kept smiling, looking thoroughly sheepish. Seeing him like this, Zhang Yi didnât press him any further.
However, Hong Tianyiâs words did serve as a reminder. He had prepared for these final exams for a long time, but so had all the other students. They were all students in the top-tier class; one careless mistake could let someone else overtake him.
I canât let my guard down during the exams.
The rules for this final exam would be announced by their head teacher in a moment. If it wasnât explicitly forbidden, it was entirely possible that someone might resort to underhanded tactics.
Iâd better be careful.
Zhang Yi had been lost in thought for only a few minutes when their head teacher, Guo Aiqing, entered the classroom.
When Head Teacher Guo Aiqing walked in, the class instantly fell silent. Once the room was quiet, she stepped onto the podium. Her oppressive gaze swept over every student before she spoke, her voice grave.
"This final exam will be held on a Small Magic Plane!
"The duration will be 30 days in the Main World. The time ratio between the Main World and the Small Magic Plane is 1:50!
"In other words, the exam period within the Small Magic Plane will last for a full 1,500 days! Thatâs equivalent to more than four years!
"In keeping with the principle of selecting the best of the best, the school will permit students to perform a Descent of the Divine Soul, a Saintâs Descent, or a True Body Descent!"
The students of Class One were all strictly disciplined. They wouldnât normally cause an uproar unless the announcement was truly shocking. But after hearing their head teacherâs words, the students simply couldnât hold back the commotion.
One student stood up and asked Head Teacher Guo Aiqing, "Teacher Guo, since the school is permitting True Body Descent, does that mean the death quota for this exam includes students?"
When the student asked this crucial question, the other students all turned to look at Head Teacher Guo Aiqing with grave expressions, awaiting her answer.
"Thatâs right. This time, the death quota does indeed include students."
As Head Teacher Guo Aiqing delivered her definitive answer, the entire classroom erupted. The faces of many students went pale.