June 10th, 2015. The first day of the Holy Ascension Selection Test.

In the gloomy sky, dark clouds like ink dropped into water shifted wantonly in the gales. Though it wasn’t raining, a muggy, humid pressure blanketed the entire city.

For Hongcheng, this was typical summer weather.

This year’s Holy Ascension Selection Test was different from those in the past. Usually, armed Patrols would be stationed everywhere, and regular Patrols would set up security cordons to clear the way, ensuring that students could reach their exam sites normally and quickly.

But this year, local military forces and armored vehicles were stationed at the entrances to every major city, and groups of two or three White Emperor Guards would appear and disappear from time to time. In more developed cities, there were even armed helicopters circling in the sky. And who knew if there were snipers on the surrounding high-rises.

Honestly, the Sages didn’t have this much of a security detail when they toured the country giving lectures a while ago. But that was to be expected. After all, this was the first Holy Ascension Selection Test since the Spiritual Energy Revival; no amount of caution was too much.

After waking up, Su Zhou quickly prepared all his exam materials. He put his exam admission ticket and student ID in his pocket, double-checking that he hadn’t forgotten them.

’Language Arts in the morning of the first day, Math in the afternoon. On the second day, Science in the morning—that’s a combination of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology—and Social Studies in the afternoon, which covers Politics, History, and Geography.’

’Language Arts is 150 points, Math is 150, Science is 300, and Social Studies is 150. That’s 750 points in total. As for the third day, that’s the comprehensive Spiritual Qi test. No idea what they’ll actually be testing.’

After arriving at the exam site, he could see the uncontainable nervousness on the faces of many students. Even those who were expressionless had lips that twitched slightly, as if they were silently reciting key topics for the exam.

Others seemed to be guessing the exam questions with a methodical certainty, as if they had already seen the test paper. A closer look revealed a top student wearing glasses that were at least 7.00 diopters thick. He had clearly devoured tens of thousands of books and might have very well already reproduced this year’s exam paper in his mind.

Such is life.

But Su Zhou was calm and composed, not the least bit nervous. To him, an exam like this was just a formality.

Su Zhou flexed his fingers slightly and headed toward his designated exam area. Along the way, in addition to students, he could see many professional staff members transporting supplies. A section of simple, prefabricated steel-plate buildings had already been erected on the school’s sports field, intended as dormitories for the students overnight.

The Holy Ascension Selection Test inherited its rules from the imperial examinations of past dynasties. After the first day of exams, students did not return home but stayed at the school to continue on the second day.

However, just as Su Zhou was halfway there, he heard the sound of rushing air to his side. Judging by the sound, someone was jogging toward him. The person was of average build and weight, about 1.73 meters tall, and was gradually slowing down.

’Someone’s looking for me?’

He turned his head and saw that it wasn’t a staff member, but a male student wearing the same school uniform as him.

The person had an honest face and a simple disposition. His eyes were narrowed into slits, making one wonder if they were even open. His legs were sturdy, and his muscles were well-toned, as if he were a track and field athlete.

He looked like a student from No. 1 High School and seemed vaguely familiar. Su Zhou was sure he had crossed paths with the guy before but had forgotten when.

’Probably a sports scholarship student.’

With this in mind, Su Zhou spoke up. "What’s up, friend?"

The student, now stopped beside Su Zhou, opened his mouth. He took a deep breath and said in a very complicated tone, "Su Zhou... you have to take this seriously. Do well on the exam."

"Please, you must treat this Holy Ascension Selection Test with the utmost seriousness. And the Spiritual Testing that follows, too. You have to be solemn about it... Good luck."

After saying this, the student seemed to have exhausted most of his energy and was about to turn and leave. But Su Zhou, who found the encouragement somewhat baffling, quickly called out to him. "Wait, friend, what do you mean by that? I appreciate the encouragement, but you can’t just run over here, say something like that, and not give a reason, can you?"

"At least, tell me your name."

’Did I somehow get a fan without realizing it?’ Su Zhou wondered. ’Otherwise, there’s no reason for someone to just pop out of nowhere and talk to me today.’

On the other side, Su Zhou’s voice seemed to carry a strange power. The student, who had been determined to leave right after speaking, actually stopped and turned back, his expression complicated.

"My name is Ma Jing. I knew you wouldn’t remember me."

He looked at Su Zhou, his expression unreadable behind his narrowed eyes. His tone was a little subdued. "I’m a member of the school’s long-distance running team. I’ve been practicing long-distance running ever since I was a kid. I love it."

"Three years ago, I was one of the sports scholarship students you surpassed in various athletic events."

As Ma Jing said this, a vague memory surfaced in Su Zhou’s mind. When he first started at No. 1 High School, he had indeed shown off his physical prowess during a sports meet or a gym class, taking first place in many events and even seeming to break some school records... It was a while ago, but not so long that he couldn’t recall it. In his memory, a blurry face gradually came into focus. It was, indeed, Ma Jing.

Back then, he had seemingly defeated the entire track and field team without much effort. After all, they were just high school students; they couldn’t possibly compare to Su Zhou, who at the time had the physique of a professional athlete.