Kind People Are the Loveliest

Outside the examination grounds, order gradually returned. However, far more members of the City Guards were now maintaining control, and the Longwu Guards were keeping watch from not far off. Zhou Tianqi and his companions had not been stripped of their right to take the exam, nor did they leave. Their expressions, however, were thoroughly grim. Ignoring Su Yu entirely, they stepped to the side and began making communications outside. They were merely intermediate academy students who had yet to graduate. Now that trouble had struck, they had no choice but to call on their parents to resolve the situation. …… Su Yu said nothing more and paid no attention to the others around him, retreating to a quiet corner by himself. His heart was still aching over the loss of those twenty merit points. To earn them that morning, he had broken through to Stage Nine right there in the exam arena and even expended an extra drop of yuanqi liquid. To have them vanish in the blink of an eye—how could he not be heartbroken? Not far away, Wu Lan’s serene expression seemed to break into a fleeting smile, though it vanished almost immediately. Having just lost ten million coins, she appeared to be in remarkably good spirits. Su Yu’s expression was far too grim! So grim, in fact, that when Zhou Tianqi inadvertently glanced over, his heart gave an uneasy thud. He began to wonder whether the punishment just handed down had been mistakenly inverted. It looked as if Su Yu were the one slapped with a ten-million fine and saddled with a three-to-one admission ratio. That young man's look was simply too heavy. Zhou Tianqi stole a glance, and Su Yu looked straight back at him, his gaze brimming with anger and fury. It was as if he were declaring, *This isn't over between us!* Recalling Su Yu's earlier words and that blunt threat... Zhou Tianqi had not feared him initially; he was just a nobody from Nanyuan. Yet at this moment, an inexplicable chill crept into Zhou Tianqi's heart. He felt that Su Yu was vastly more dangerous than Wu Lan. A woman like Wu Lan made empty threats that she might forget the next moment. But even without knowing Su Yu well, Zhou Tianqi could tell that this youth truly bore a grudge. If an ordinary student from Nanyuan held a grudge, Zhou Tianqi naturally would not care in the slightest. Yet an examinee already recruited by an academy researcher, a prodigy on the warrior path holding a grudge against him, could truly bring him massive trouble once they entered the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Zhou Tianqi lowered his communicator and stopped looking at Su Yu, his heart in complete turmoil. He had been completely played by Su Yu today. What had started out as petty skirmishing had spiraled into genuine enmity, and there was no telling how severe the fallout would be. And it was not just Su Yu... Among the eight traveling together, the other seven were all harboring some resentment toward Zhou Tianqi. Provoking Su Yu was something they had all agreed to beforehand, but Zhou Tianqi was the ringleader. Now that a disaster had occurred and they would likely have to pay a massive price, their resentment toward Su Yu naturally extended to him as well. Zhou Tianqi had a splitting headache! All eight of them fell silent, exchanging no further words. Only as the examination drew near did one of them murmur in a low voice, "My father went to pull some strings. His advice is that whoever has a backup retest spot should yield their chance this time, while the other families pay a certain price in compensation. Those who step aside can go to the Great Xia Prefecture for a retest, or... take the exam next year." A retest spot meant that, like Su Yu, an exceptional student was already on record with the major academies and possessed the right to take a supplementary exam. The Great Xia Prefecture held its local students to far higher standards. Though all eight were accomplished, it did not mean every single one possessed such an opportunity. The speaking student quickly added, "My father is contacting all your families right now. We're all in this misfortune together, not just one of us. It's best if we join forces so everyone gets in. For now, Section Chief Sun only represents Nanyuan, not the Great Xia Prefecture. We still have a chance if we retest in the Great Xia Prefecture..." A chance at a retest! The students' expressions flickered with uncertainty. Was passing a retest guaranteed? Would going to the Great Xia Prefecture for a retest assure them an admission? If they gave up their chance now to let others pass, what would happen if they themselves failed later? Seeing several pairs of eyes turn his way, Zhou Tianqi's expression darkened. The unspoken consensus was clear: Zhou Tianqi should relinquish his chance to the others and head back to the Great Xia Prefecture for the retest. Out of the eight of them, only two could be admitted, meaning six would inevitably fail. Yet among those present, there might not even be six who possessed backup retest spots. This meant that someone was guaranteed to fail this year, forced to sit for the examinations next year, or... test into another institution entirely, abandoning the Civilization Academy. Zhou Tianqi and the others remained silent, waiting for their fathers to make the call. The matter had already spiraled beyond their ability to decide. Once institutions like the Yuqiang Department were involved, only their parents could resolve it. …… Moments later, an examiner stepped out and shouted, "Examinees, enter the venue!" Exam time had arrived! The crowd streamed toward the testing hall. When Su Yu walked forward, the surrounding examinees stepped aside of their own accord to make way for him. He was an absolute powerhouse! A monster at Kaiyuan Realm Stage Nine, the top scorer of the War Academy exam, a ruthless figure who had nearly slaughtered nine prodigies in a single blow—it was far better to keep their distance from him. Su Yu was glad for the breathing room and paid them no mind. Wu Lan and her group received the same treatment; everyone gave them a wide berth, though the glances cast at them were tinged with sympathy. How tragic—they had been utterly ruined in one fell swoop. …… Just like the morning, there were five major examination halls. However, because the total number of participants was small, only about two hundred students were present in Hall 3, where Su Yu was stationed. Many familiar faces were gathered inside, including Liu Yue, Wu Lan, and Zhou Tianqi. Scanning the room, Su Yu formed a rough assessment: the hall assignments were not entirely random. Almost all the Nanyuan students who had a realistic hope of passing were grouped here. Most were out-of-towners, and likely those with stellar records. Zhou Tianqi and his circle were almost all in this hall as well. There were still five chief examiners: Section Chief Sun, Researcher Huang from the Great Xia Civilization Academy, an elderly researcher from the Jiutian Civilization Academy, Wu Wenhai, and the Demon Suppression Army chiliarch. It was the same lineup as the morning, with two examiners hailing from Civilization Academies. This also reflected the rankings among Civilization Academies in the Great Xia Prefecture. The Great Xia Civilization Academy was first, the Jiutian Civilization Academy was second, and another well-known institution, the Wendao Civilization Academy, took third place. Section Chief Sun had regained his composure. Looking down at the students, he announced, "The Civilization Academy examination is fundamentally different from that of the War Academy! There is no time limit. If you wish, you may take as many days as you need!" "First is the cultural assessment!" "The greatest difference compared to the War Academy is... there is no upper limit!" "Across all intermediate academies, a total of 120 All-Races languages are taught. The examination paper is a compilation of tests covering all 120 All-Races languages, and examinees may choose to answer freely. Answering eight out of ten questions correctly counts as a pass. Passing one language earns ten points. If someone masters all 120 languages and answers every single question correctly, the total score will be 1,200 points!" Section Chief Sun declared in a ringing voice, "Should anyone achieve 1,200 points, they shall enter the top-high tier and receive special recruitment, enjoying lavish benefits. Upon entering the academy, they will be mentored by a senior researcher at the very least, awarded ten willpower texts, countless varieties of blood essence, and divine-demon blood essence for body casting upon reaching the Tengkong Realm..." As a litany of rewards rolled off his tongue, Su Yu’s mouth watered. Unfortunately... none of it had anything to do with him. Who was he kidding? One hundred and twenty languages! Even if someone were a genius who began studying at the age of six, mastering ten foreign racial languages every single year for twelve years—would they not go mad? With so many distinct racial languages, could one's willpower endure the strain without being immensely powerful, perhaps even at the Tengkong Realm? So this entire reward tier... was merely meant to dazzle people! "Distribute the papers!" Following Section Chief Sun's command, thick examination booklets were handed out by the City Guards. Section Chief Sun smiled and said, "Write as much as you can. There is no time limit, so complete as many as you are able. Every examinee in this hall has mastered at least six languages. You are the finest batch among Nanyuan's candidates this year, and I hope to see some surprises." Su Yu took a deep breath. This was a true test of strength. Those who had mastered more could naturally attempt more, while those with limited knowledge could only sit and stare blankly at the booklet. Not far off, Wu Lan wore a proud expression as she turned her head toward Su Yu. "Thirty-three!" Her voice was not loud, but it drifted over clearly. Su Yu could not be bothered to respond. Mastering thirty-three All-Races languages was nothing extraordinary. He had mastered twenty himself. While it was slightly fewer... it only amounted to a 130-point difference. Who was afraid of that? Still, he had to admit that this girl possessed genuine skill. Learning All-Races languages was not purely a matter of talent; it demanded patience and perseverance. One could not master them at a mere glance; it required years of steady study and reinforcement. At the call of "The examination begins," everyone set their pens to paper. The hall was far quieter than in the morning. There was no rustle of flipping pages as everyone wrote with utter focus. With everyone knowing at least six languages, there were no slackers in this room. …… In the examiner area. Watching the students begin writing below, Researcher Huang swept his gaze over the hall and remarked, "In this stage alone, Wu Lan will surpass Su Yu by at least a hundred points. As for Zhou Tianqi and his group, even though they just caused trouble, when it comes to All-Races languages... every one of them knows at least fifteen. They likely won't score any lower than Su Yu." Section Chief Sun nodded, not disputing the claim. Instead, he steered the conversation elsewhere: "Back in the Great Xia Prefecture, what do you think the highest score will be this year?" "Total score?" "Yes." "Over a thousand points!" Researcher Huang replied bluntly, "Several monstrous prodigies are sitting for the exams this year. Their willpower has reached the Character Cultivation stage, their divine characters are fully outlined, and they've mastered a vast number of All-Races languages. Factoring in bonus points from military merits, they will definitely break past a thousand!" Even Section Chief Sun sighed with emotion. "Monsters! When I entered the academy back then, my total score was 420 points, which was considered quite good among my peers. The gap is simply too vast." Researcher Huang smiled but did not reply. He wanted to say that he had scored 500 points back in his day, but... he let it drop, wary that his senior fellow disciple might find another excuse to give him a hard time. Though neither of them had reached the high tier, they had both been among the very best of the middle tier. High-tier students were a rare breed after all. Had they not been exceptional, the two of them would not have attained their current achievements, having already stepped into the Tengkong Realm at their age—and well beyond the initial stage, which spoke volumes about their strength and potential. Beside them, the elderly man from the Jiutian Academy spoke slowly, "Some of the younger generation from the myriad races are also heading to your academy this year... Will there be an assessment for them?" Researcher Huang replied in a low voice, "Of course! Not just anyone can enter the Great Xia Civilization Academy! The principal personally led a team to the All-Heavens Battlefield to receive them and conduct on-site examinations. But given the staggering price paid to send them over, none of them will be mediocre!" Spending such immense resources just to send fools over would be a waste of resources and a death sentence. No matter how foolish the myriad races might be, they would never do such a thing. If they dared to send them, it meant every one was an exceptional talent. Even if they were not the absolute pinnacle of their generation, they were still the cream of the crop among their respective races. The old man sighed softly. "Principal Wan's decision... is hard to evaluate. The emergence of monstrous talents in the Great Xia Prefecture this year is probably related to this matter. Those youngsters were previously studying within their own clans; in truth, they could have sat for the examinations two years ago." Researcher Huang nodded. "It is indeed connected. Juniors from the Xia, Hu, and Wan families have all come forward." The Xia family—of Xia Longwu. The Wan family—of Wan Tiansheng! And the Hu family... the true administrative backbone of the Great Xia Prefecture. The elder Hu who acted like an obedient grandson before Marquis Xia had managed civilian livelihoods, the economy, and administrative governance for years while Xia Longwu focused on warfare. Apart from the prefectural lord himself, Old Hu was the undisputed second-in-command of the Great Xia Prefecture. Researcher Huang then chuckled under his breath. "Not only that, but a junior from the Zheng family has arrived as well." "Hm?" The old man was taken aback. "You mean... Principal Zheng...?" "Yes!" Researcher Huang smiled. "I only heard about it through rumors, so I cannot say if it's true. But for a junior of his household to come to a Civilization Academy... who knows what he's thinking? I'm just worried... what if someone whose fists do all the talking starts throwing punches at the drop of a hat? That would be a real mess." The examiners' expressions turned peculiar. The descendant of the War Academy's supreme leader coming to a Civilization Academy? The two institutions were sworn rivals! Wan Tiansheng truly dared to accept anyone! One dared to take them in, and the other dared to send them over. Old Zheng had some nerve, entirely unfazed by the prospect of his descendant being beaten to death. The War Academy issued challenges to the Civilization Academy every single year—a game played for centuries that gave the War Academy boundless amusement, resulting in who knew how many beaten Civilization Masters. Now that a junior of his had arrived, wasn't he afraid the old fellows would beat the boy black and blue at every opportunity? There were tens of thousands of people in the academy! Could one even find a single person who hadn't taken a beating from the War Academy? Now that the descendant of the opposing head had come over, even Wu Wenhai could not resist interjecting, "Could that child from Principal Zheng's house... not be his biological offspring?" "……" The others stared at him with bizarre expressions. *Wu Wenhai, you're thinking the exact same thing as us, but by actually saying it aloud, are you really not afraid of getting yourself killed?* In truth, all of them harbored the same illicit suspicion. Otherwise, it made no rational sense; the idea of Old Zheng sending someone to a Civilization Academy was utterly terrifying! The examiners chatted and gossiped, yet as Tengkong Realm experts, nothing happening among the examinees below escaped their notice. The next instant, the Demon Suppression Army chiliarch bounded forward, materializing before a student in a flash, seizing him, and hurling him out of the room. "Cheating! Throw him out and record his name. Blacklisted for life from all academies!" The chiliarch's tone was icy. Every year, people like this inevitably appeared. Possessing a brain was entirely wasted on them; they were dumber than some of the fools in the Demon Suppression Army... Ahem! Cheating right under the noses of several Tengkong experts—did these brats have any idea how formidable the Tengkong Realm was? Especially Civilization Masters, whose enveloping willpower left nothing undetected. None of the examiners took it to heart. The student who had been thrown out wept and pleaded for mercy, but no one paid him any heed. If you dared to cheat, you had to pay the price. Academies, and especially the military, despised such individuals most of all. Not only would he be rejected by all academies, but entering the military was also out of the question. With this mark on his permanent record, the army would never accept him. He could spend the rest of his days finding an ordinary civilian job. In the exam hall, Su Yu and the others were somewhat shaken. This was no plant like the morning's test; someone had genuinely been caught cheating. …… An hour passed. An hour and a half passed... Just as the tension in the exam hall reached its peak, Wu Lan suddenly raised her hand. Waiting for the examiner's nod, she announced, "Teacher, I'm finished. I have completed all thirty-three papers!" "……" Below, the faces of several students shifted. Thirty-three papers! Some had only taken seven or eight and still dared not submit their work, checking them over and over. Yet this girl had completed thirty-three papers without even bothering to review them. What immense confidence that required! In less than two hours, Wu Lan had completed nearly twenty papers an hour. It was terrifying, proving that the questions in the papers required no hesitation or contemplation on her part whatsoever. At this moment, even Su Yu felt a twinge of surprise. Out of his twenty subjects, he had only finished eighteen, with two still remaining. From the platform above, Researcher Huang said, "Once you're finished, you may proceed to the next assessment. Do you wish to go now?" "No, I'll wait for them!" Wu Lan stood up and submitted her papers. Turning back toward Su Yu, her face radiated pride! *I will wait for you all!* Submitting early was a display of confidence; waiting to take the next assessment together was to let them witness what a true genius looked like! Below, Su Yu felt a ripple of emotion, then ignored her and continued writing. Gradually, other students began turning in their papers. Those who knew fewer languages had finished long ago and had merely been reviewing their work until they could wait no longer. After another ten minutes or so, Su Yu finished writing. He began reviewing his papers! Above, Wu Lan stood in the examiner area. Seeing Su Yu meticulously checking his work, she frowned slightly. Section Chief Sun and the other examiners were naturally observing Su Yu as well. Seeing him review everything slowly and thoroughly from start to finish, they smiled, finding that the youth knew how to keep his composure. At an age of hot-blooded vigor, having Wu Lan turn in her work earlier should have made him anxious. Yet he still possessed the patience to review at a leisurely pace, proving his steady disposition. Even Zhou Tianqi and his companions had been deeply rattled, rushing to finish and submit their tests one after another. Su Yu, by contrast, gave off the impression of someone who was stumped and merely stalling for time. At that moment, Section Chief Sun smiled. "Since there is still time, let us grade the papers together." The two researchers from the Great Xia and Jiutian Civilization Academies had no objections. At the Tengkong Realm, their grading speed was astonishing; reviewing an exam paper within a minute was effortless. Only the three of them participated in the grading, while the Demon Suppression Army chiliarch and Wu Wenhai sat out. The trio scanned the papers rapidly, cross-checking one another's work. Soon, Wu Lan's papers were graded. "Three hundred and thirty questions, three hundred and twenty-eight correct!" Section Chief Sun nodded slightly with an approving smile. Excellent—330 points. This little girl from the Wu family truly had genuine ability. A moment later, Section Chief Sun flipped to another paper, graded it, and smiled again. "Not bad. Liu Yue, from Nanyuan. Two hundred and forty questions, two hundred and thirty-five correct. All passed, 240 points!" Over to the side, delight surfaced on Liu Yue's face. Ever since Wu Lan's arrival, she, Nanyuan's prodigy, had been completely overshadowed. While she could not match Wu Lan, a score of 240 was something nobody in all of Nanyuan was likely to beat. "Zhou Tianqi... Two hundred questions, one hundred and ninety-two correct. In one of the tests, three questions were missed..." Section Chief Sun turned toward Zhou Tianqi. Seeing him avert his gaze, Sun frowned slightly. "Decent enough, yet you managed to drop ten points. For someone of your caliber, this was an inexcusable mistake. To be so heavily rattled by a trivial matter... your mental fortitude is lacking!" Zhou Tianqi felt deeply aggrieved, but dared not speak back. *A trivial matter?* *That was a massive disaster!* The fact that he had held it together to complete the test with such a low error rate was already proof of remarkable composure. "Kong Sheng, one hundred and seventy questions, one hundred and forty-eight correct. Three or more questions missed on two tests, scoring 150 points..." This was another of the eight, earning 150 points. Section Chief Sun said no more. Failing to secure the full marks they should have attained was their own responsibility; he could not be bothered to lecture them further. A score of 150 was by no means low. Soon, the other examinees' papers were reviewed. Scores of 100, 90... and even lower followed. Some students had mastered six languages but ended up with only 40 points. While such cases occurred, scores lower than that were not seen here, though other examination halls might see scores of twenty or thirty. Fewer than fifty students in this hall were from Nanyuan. Those capable of scoring over a hundred points were exceedingly few. Only after the examiners had graded more than fifty papers did Su Yu finally walk up to submit his booklet. Section Chief Sun took it, scanned it, looked at Su Yu, and finally said, "Two hundred questions, all correct. Two hundred points! But... what on earth is this gibberish written on the pages after that?" Su Yu remained completely unbothered, replying softly, "I've never studied the languages in the back. I just filled them in to see if I might get lucky and score some points." "……" The examiners were left utterly speechless! This rascal Su Yu had filled out numerous sections in the back as well, but... none of it made any sense whatsoever! Every single one was wrong! These were not multiple-choice questions; how could guessing the answers be that simple? Even if he miraculously got one or two right by pure fluke, it would still fall short of passing the subject and yielding points. Nearby, Wu Lan let out a scoffing laugh, her face brimming with disdain. *Fool, trying to guess the answers—what was he thinking!* Su Yu glanced back at her and murmured, "My accuracy rate was one hundred percent." "……" Wu Lan did not deign to respond. *What's so impressive about that? I wrote swiftly and claimed points on every single paper, beating you by a full 130 points!* Beside them, Liu Yue quietly offered a word of congratulations. Both of them had scored at least 200 points, and only three people in the entire hall had achieved that feat. Even if they skipped the remaining assessments, admission to a Civilization Academy was already guaranteed. The examiners exchanged glances. Seeing that some examinees had yet to finish, Section Chief Sun said, "Then we shall escort them to the next assessment. We leave this hall to you." They were looking at the Demon Suppression Army chiliarch. After all, he was an unrefined martial man who might not even understand the upcoming tests, so they had no intention of including him. The chiliarch's face darkened, but he said nothing, remaining seated upright. He was well aware that they were leaving him out of it. As Researcher Huang of the Great Xia Civilization Academy brushed past Su Yu, his lips moved slightly. "Take first place, and those twenty merit points from before will be awarded back to you. Don't say I never gave you a chance. Although... it looks like they're going to Wu Lan!" "……" Su Yu's expression shifted slightly. *Such a good deal exists?* In that case, first place was an absolute must! Otherwise, the merit points he had lost would be gone for good! *First place... a deficit of 130 points...* Su Yu's expression wavered. That was a substantial gap, and he was unsure whether he could overtake Wu Lan in the subsequent assessments, though it seemed formidable. At that moment, countless ideas flashed through Su Yu's mind. For instance... provoking Wu Lan with a few sharp words. That fool might very well forfeit the exam in a fit of rage. *Forget it, no point in bullying a fool.* Su Yu abandoned the thought. Given his read on Wu Lan, walking up and prodding her now—saying something like, *Anyone coming to Nanyuan for the exam is trash, and even if you make the high tier, the prodigies of the Great Xia Prefecture will still look down on you, thinking you cheated in Nanyuan...* A few more words like that, and Wu Lan would likely blow her top and storm off right then and there. "I'm still too kindhearted after all," Su Yu muttered to himself softly. Kind people always ended up taking a bit of a loss. No matter; he had real capability, and crushing her through pure strength worked just as well! He refused to believe that Wu Lan had also mastered two divine characters—fully formed divine characters at that!