Chapter 214: Chapter 88: The End of the Gaokao and the Spiritual Qi Practical Test

After the first day, all the students rested in dedicated rest areas. There were even local Transcendents and a temporary Fortress stationed at the entrance, a level of security reserved for top leaders.

In Zhengguo, a nation under the Supervision of All Saints where one’s future and social standing were determined by academic achievement, it was hardly surprising that they took this annual national exam so seriously.

No disturbances occurred during the break. Everyone stayed in their rooms, quietly studying for the Natural Sciences and comprehensive exams the next day.

Su Zhou, however, even received special food provisions. The other students only got one serving per meal, three times a day, mostly consisting of noodle dishes and steamed buns. This was to prevent them from overeating, consuming greasy foods, or having allergic reactions that could cause physical discomfort and affect their test performance.

However, the local Hongcheng officials were well aware of Su Zhou’s appetite and made special arrangements to ensure he could eat his fill.

He was, after all, first in the physical assessment and a world-class talent personally acclaimed by the Daoist Saint. If his performance suffered because he wasn’t properly fed, they would have to apologize to the entire nation.

"Not bad at all." Having finished a meal fit for more than ten people, Su Zhou patted his stomach in satisfaction. "That’s got me about sixty or seventy percent full. No need to overdo it; eating too much dulls the mind."

June 11, 2015. The morning exam was Natural Sciences, a combination of physics, chemistry, and biology, worth a full three hundred points—as much as Math and Language Arts combined.

Here, the questions started to get tricky. Physics was fine, with no major changes. Chemistry, however, now clearly included some knowledge of Alchemy. Of course, this material had been taught in chemistry class over the past year and was quite simple. For Su Zhou, he could have answered these questions seven years ago, to say nothing of now.

Biology, however, was even more complex and tricky. Topics like the body’s spiritual apertures, the nature of Spiritual Qi, and the physical changes brought on by Cultivation were all considered part of biology. The questions were rather deep, and anyone who had neglected their Spiritual Energy Class would certainly suffer for it here.

’Not that hard, though.’

The questions on Spiritual Qi posed no difficulty for Su Zhou. Ironically, it was the regular biology he had trouble remembering, especially details about human muscles and organs. As someone in the process of remodeling his own Extraordinary Organs, Su Zhou felt like he was writing down some strange data. ’Is this what normal human organs are structured like? Crap, how do pluripotent stem cells in bone marrow differentiate? My head is filled with the model for Transcendent Transformation marrow, which can differentiate any way it pleases... All of these options seem wrong!’

He might lose points on a few minor questions, but Su Zhou wasn’t too concerned. He just mused to himself, ’They say being half a step ahead of your time makes you a genius. As someone at the Extraordinary Tier, I’m probably a step and a half ahead. It’s only normal that I can’t immediately recall such mundane data... right?’

The afternoon exam was comprehensive, covering politics, history, and geography. This part wasn’t difficult at all; they were basically free points for anyone with a good memory.

The only catch was that the history questions were quite novel, introducing an Extraordinary perspective on history. Students were tested on both classical history and the hidden undercurrents of conflict recorded by Transcendents. They had to describe the relationship between the two versions of events. If the recorded processes and outcomes differed, they had to explain the reasons for the discrepancies and what the actual results were.

Warned by his close call in biology that morning, Su Zhou specifically reviewed history during the lunch break, trying to keep his knowledge from getting mixed up with the history of the Divine Wood World. A moment ago, he’d nearly written that the reason King Li of Zhou oppressed his people in the late Anx Dynasty was ’the pursuit of immortality.’ The correct answer, however, was that King Li wanted to use rituals and the Heaven and Earth Power to become Extraordinary before the Era of Spiritual Qi Revival.

’The pursuit of immortality’ wasn’t entirely wrong, but it certainly wasn’t the standard answer.

’Looks like it’s going to be tough for students a few years from now. At this rate, all the textbooks will have to be revised in a year or two. Still, the teachers are damn impressive. They predicted a lot of the questions on the tests these past two days. Leave it to the veteran teachers from a key high school; their skills are truly on another level!’

After finishing all the papers, Su Zhou checked his answers several times. Once he was sure the vast majority were correct and the few uncertain parts at least aligned with his own knowledge, he gave a little ’tsk tsk,’ turned in his exam early, packed up, and left the testing center.

He was likely the first student from Hongcheng’s Holy Ascension Selection Test to leave the exam, so as soon as he stepped out of the school gates, a reporter from the local television station excitedly rushed forward to interview him.

Su Zhou wasn’t nervous in the slightest and spoke with casual confidence.

"Math? It wasn’t that difficult. Everyone else seemed to be breezing through it, so I guess it must have been easy."

"Language Arts was so-so. There’s no such thing as hard or easy with that. The essay topic? It was ’Change’—specifically, ’The Changes Experienced in Life.’ You just had to write an essay on that. It didn’t have to be about yourself, so the prompt was very open. I think I might have strayed a bit from the topic, though."

"Hmm, as for Natural Sciences and the comprehensive portion, those were quite surprising. I’d say they were a bit difficult. After all, they added a lot of new Extraordinary Knowledge related to the Spiritual Energy Revival. If you hadn’t specifically reviewed that material, it could definitely affect your score."

Su Zhou wasn’t being flamboyant; on the contrary, he put on a very serious expression. This made the nearby parents and reporters turn solemn as well, leading them to believe that this year’s exam was exceptionally difficult. Just then, a few other students began to trickle out of the testing center, and judging by their expressions, they hadn’t had an easy time either, which lent his words a great deal of credibility.

Seeing this, the female reporter asked curiously, "In that case, which Academy do you think you’ll be able to get into?"

"Whichever one I want, of course," Su Zhou replied without a second thought.

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar. The reporter seemed stunned by his answer, and it was a moment before she managed a weak question, "And... why are you so confident?"

"Uh, because I’m a genius?"

Meanwhile, other students were starting to talk with their parents.

"Son, how do you feel about the exam?" a parent asked, looking worried.

"It felt fine," the student replied with inexplicable confidence. "I actually thought it was pretty easy!"

"You and your big talk... Never mind. Come on, let’s go get dinner."

Meanwhile, Su Zhou had already shaken off the reporter and was walking away, humming. He ducked into a nearby snack shop, ordered a few grilled skewers, and began to eat while he waited for Shao Qiming.

Soon after, Shao Qiming, who had finished at the regular time, used his phone’s GPS to find him. Waving his phone in greeting, he approached Su Zhou with a composed expression, as if the Holy Ascension Selection Test were nothing more than a simple quiz, hardly worth mentioning.

"How’d it go?" Su Zhou offered him a grilled squid skewer.

Taking the skewer, Shao Qiming smiled slightly. "I have a feeling that, except for Language Arts, I probably got a perfect score on everything else."

"That impressive?" Su Zhou took a bite of a lamb skewer, surprised. "Doesn’t that basically mean you got a perfect score?"

Getting a perfect score on the Language Arts essay was a matter of luck, and essays weren’t Shao Qiming’s strong suit anyway.

"I have your fruit to thank for it, too."

The two of them could see other students trickling out, some flipping through textbooks to check their answers, their expressions alternating between joy and worry. Others compared answers before letting out long sighs. In any case, for the vast majority of candidates, the Holy Ascension Selection Test was over. They could go home and wait for their results.

But for the Cultivator candidates who had passed the physical assessment and had to prepare for the practical Spiritual Qi test, it wasn’t over yet.

Not long after, Su Zhou and Shao Qiming both reported back to the testing center. They then boarded an armored bus headed for the Central Stadium in the heart of the city.

The third day, June 12th. The highly anticipated practical Spiritual Qi test, which would even be broadcast live across the country, was about to begin.

Dark clouds churned overhead, and the oppressive heat remained. For the people of Hongcheng, however, spending summer in an outdoor sauna was something they were used to. This was, after all, a place where temperatures exceeded forty degrees Celsius, where you could fry an egg on the pavement, and where people frequently burned themselves by accidentally touching a sun-baked car hood. With the cloud cover, at least that particular danger was gone.

So, a cloudy day was a welcome thing!

On the morning of the Spiritual Testing, the Central Stadium, now converted into an exam site, was open to the public. The stands were packed with students’ parents, and security was even tighter than during the Holy Ascension Selection Test. There were even translucent, tempered glass panels separating the audience.

Su Zhou, however, wouldn’t be participating in the morning session, as the tests were for music, Magic Techniques, and art. Hard to imagine, right?

In truth, since the Dao of Painting and the Dao of Music were also paths of Extraordinary Cultivation, they fell within the scope of the practical Spiritual Power assessment.

Su Zhou was also in the audience, watching the small number of candidates paint, write calligraphy, and play music in the stadium. For the first two, painting and calligraphy, he couldn’t discern much beyond faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi. But the music that followed had a tangible effect, capable of stirring Spiritual Qi and soothing the soul. After listening for a short while, he felt his own mind grow calmer and more relaxed.

But this moment of tranquility didn’t last long—because heaven knows who decided to bring out a suona!

That instrument was ridiculously loud and completely stole the show. The moment the suona began to play, it drowned out half the other instruments in the stadium. It truly was the hooligan of the orchestra, the king of solos!

After the morning’s assessments, the afternoon was dedicated to the main event: the practical Spiritual Qi test.

At this point, almost all the spectators began to file out. Watching in person could be dangerous, so it was better to view the live television broadcast from home. Those who insisted on staying to watch their children and refused to leave had to be forcibly removed by security or the patrolling Patrols. There was no other way.

"Good day, viewers. I’m Guo Jianshan."

"And I’m Hee Tianlan."

"What we’ll be broadcasting for our viewers across the nation are selected highlights from this year’s Holy Ascension Selection Test: the national practical Spiritual Qi assessment."

"The Spiritual Energy Revival has brought about a new era. But what changes will Extraordinary Power bring to humanity and our society? We shall wait and see."

The two hosts, a man and a woman, sat before the broadcasting desk, smiling at the camera.

They were both seasoned professionals who had seen it all. Even with their superiors repeatedly stressing the importance of this broadcast, they felt no tension.

Central Television began broadcasting selected highlights from the national assessment, while local TV stations and online platforms streamed their own regions’ tests. Then, at the designated time across the country, the Spiritual Testing began.

The first part of the assessment consisted of basic physical fitness tests like running and weightlifting.

Many viewers felt this part was rather dull. It was just running and weightlifting, after all. Even if the candidates were stronger than the average person, how much stronger could they possibly be?

Geniuses are rare, and those who have contact with them are rarer still. The Transcendents and Cultivators most people encountered were generally not that powerful. As a result, even a year after the Spiritual Energy Revival was made public, some people still harbored doubt and a certain degree of disregard for the whole affair.

But no one could have known that from the very first minute of the assessment, something astounding would happen.