Su Zhou, however, just blinked.

He’d never paid much attention to the complex emotions others felt toward him. After all, it wasn’t hatred, nor was it blatant jealousy. And even if it were, so what? ’It’s impossible to go through life without being disliked by someone.’

But Ma Jing’s words—his Blessing—carried such immense weight.

"Don’t worry," Su Zhou said calmly to Ma Jing’s retreating back. "You’ll soon see me standing at the top—not just in this country, but in the entire world."

"Besides, who says hard work is useless? If you can progress your Cultivation to the Extraordinary level and form a Spiritual Qi Organ, then even someone with only a tiny fraction of Talent can gradually become a genius. Of course, that step is incredibly arduous and difficult. What I’m saying might just be a bitter pill to swallow; you could work your butt off and still get nowhere, since the chances of becoming Extraordinary are miniscule. But it’s not impossible."

"Keep at it, Ma Jing. I’ll admit, I didn’t remember your name at first, but I know it now, don’t I? And no one is a stepping stone for anyone else—unless they allow themselves to be."

The silhouette of the departing Ma Jing paused for a moment, then gave a silent nod. Su Zhou smiled as well and continued on his way to the examination hall.

Ma Jing was just an ordinary, unremarkable student, caught in the greatest paradigm shift of the millennium: the Spiritual Energy Revival.

But the Spiritual Energy Revival was an age of revolution, and also an age of Miracles.

As long as you didn’t give up on yourself, there was always a chance.

As Su Zhou walked toward the examination hall, his heart felt inexplicably light. Ma Jing’s encouragement had not only freed him from some burden, but had also genuinely inspired him.

’With great power comes great responsibility. I used to think that was just a given.’

’But now that I think about it, if you waste your Talent and power, you’re not the only one who suffers. How selfish would a person have to be to think, ’This power and Talent are mine, so it’s my business how I use them’? Never mind my parents and friends—what about the people who give me their Blessing? Wouldn’t letting them down be a crime?’

’Even if it’s just for the sake of showing off, I can’t waste it. And you can’t show off without a cheering crowd, right?’

His fighting spirit ignited, Su Zhou completely shed his previous, overly relaxed attitude. He would now face this test with the seriousness of a battle.

「June 10th, 2015. The morning exam was mathematics.」

It wasn’t difficult at all. After eating the Wisdom Fruit, Su Zhou’s memory and processing speed were beyond the level of a genius; he was a Monster. He breezed through the questions, not encountering a single tricky problem or trap. He finished the test certain he’d scored a perfect 150.

Judging by the performance of the students around him, quite a few others were also finding it easy. The Spiritual Energy Revival and widespread Cultivation had brought about an across-the-board evolution for humanity. Even students who hadn’t undergone Spirit Awakening had at least been nourished by Spiritual Qi, making them sharper and more perceptive than before.

This year’s test might have been designed to be difficult, but for the current human population, it was perhaps a little too simple.

In the afternoon, the subject was language arts. Again, everything went smoothly, with no major surprises.

The essay prompt for Hongzhou’s Holy Ascension Selection Test had the keyword "Change," requiring students to write about the biggest change they had experienced in recent years.

And in this day and age, what change could possibly be greater than the Spiritual Energy Revival? Su Zhou thought back to his recent conversation with Ma Jing, smiled, and began to write him into the essay.

And so, the first day of the Holy Ascension Selection Test came to an end.