The education system in Davo is divided into five distinct stages: six years of Basic Education (also referred to as Primary School), three years of Junior Education (Middle School), three years of Intermediate Education (High School), five years of Advanced Education (University), and finally, Professional Education (postgraduate level and above).

Due to the increasing specialization in societal division of labor, by the Junior Education stage, students are already required to study a significant number of subjects—a total of nine core disciplines.

School examinations are graded out of one hundred points, supplemented by another hundred points for daily conduct and ethics, totaling a maximum score of one thousand. Zhong Yun: Eight hundred and one points.

Upon seeing this score, the first instinct for everyone was that they must have misread it. Looking closer, they confirmed it was correct. Could the exam paper have been too easy this time? Even Zhong Yun managed to achieve such a high score? Then, looking at their own results, the vast majority broke out in a cold sweat. My score is lower than Zhong Yun's; I'm finished this time.

For students, scores have always been critically important. Although it's not as brutally definitive as the "one exam determines everything" system on Earth, these results still significantly influence admission into the Intermediate Education stage. Consequently, parents place great emphasis on these scores, and students dare not be careless; otherwise, a poor showing could result in having their allowance docked for a month or two—a fate so dreadful they’d have nowhere to cry.

Trapped by their fixed mindset, when they saw their scores were lower than Zhong Yun's, they initially assumed they had performed at the bottom of the class, which sent a chill through their limbs. Only after a moment did they realize the blunder. It wasn't that they had bombed the test; rather, Zhong Yun had actually performed exceptionally well this time.

Although the law expressly forbids schools from publicly ranking students, the students themselves engage in the practice with great enthusiasm. After every exam, a ranking invariably appears, leading to discussions about who got first place and who landed dead last. Parents, too, are secretly pleased by this phenomenon. School papers vary in difficulty, sometimes hard, sometimes easy, making it difficult to gauge a child’s actual standing purely by the marks.

Zhong Yun’s score this time was remarkably high. When the list was posted, everyone was shocked. Tenth place.

There were forty-nine students in the class. Zhong Yun had leaped from forty-ninth place straight to tenth. Across the entire grade level of over two thousand students, he ranked within the top two hundred. This was akin to traveling by shuttle craft—an extremely rare occurrence since the founding of No. 1 High School.

Everyone was stunned. They knew that academic improvement wasn't achieved overnight; it was a process of long-term accumulation. When the results first came out, the teacher was skeptical, suspecting cheating. She even pulled up the surveillance footage from the examination hall. After replaying it multiple times and confirming he had not cheated, only then was the score officially released. Because of this, the teacher lavished copious praise upon Zhong Yun in class.

Once they accepted the fact, people attributed his progress to Liu Yunqi's tutoring. After all, a dazzling genius like Liu Yunqi made the incredible leap more believable. However, Liu Yunqi herself knew that she had never tutored Zhong Yun; it was entirely the result of his own strenuous effort. As for why the progress was so dramatic, she had an inkling of the reason, but she wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone.

One month later, the comprehensive examination arrived once more. When the results were posted, the class once again crowded around the announcement screen. Zhong Yun: 855 points.

Seeing this score didn't stir up the same excitement as before; people merely thought, The kid has improved again. Then, recalling the sight of Liu Yunqi privately tutoring him, their jealousy deepened by another layer. When the rankings were posted, Zhong Yun placed eighth.

From that point onward, Zhong Yun could finally hold his head high, never again to be scorned for poor academic performance. This was the final exam of the semester, and its conclusion signaled the arrival of the holidays. Much like on Earth, the year here is divided into two semesters, with long breaks occurring during the hottest and coldest periods. Mingzhou City is situated in a subtropical zone, so winters are not extremely harsh. The day before the break began, Tianhai and Chenwen were already deep in discussion about their travel plans. "The entire production team for Card Apprentice will be holding a promotional event at the Mingzhu Tower next week; we absolutely have to go," Tianhai insisted. Card Apprentice was a currently airing television series that had gained immense popularity among otaku due to its novel setting, smooth plot, and its cool, reserved protagonist. "No way. That’s the premiere night for Star Wars V. How could we miss that?" Chenwen countered with a different opinion. "To Mingzhu Tower." "To the cinema." The two argued heatedly over the choice. "Zhong Yun, you decide—where should we go?" Since neither could persuade the other, they turned to Zhong Yun for arbitration. "Me?" Zhong Yun lifted his gaze from his portable computer, glanced at both of them, and said, "I'm not going anywhere." "What? You’re not coming?" Tianhai and Chenwen exclaimed in unison. "Why not?" "Then what do you want to do?"

Zhong Yun sighed, a flicker of melancholy crossing his face. Seeing his burdened expression, Tianhai and Chenwen immediately pressed him for details. Finally, Zhong Yun confessed his worries, "I’m under too much pressure." "The closer I get to Liu Yunqi, the more I feel this suffocating weight. Her dazzling aura, the scrutinizing glances of others—they feel like invisible mountains pressing down on me." As he spoke, he let out a long breath. "I have to chase desperately just to keep pace with her, lest she leaves me far behind."

Tianhai and Chenwen exchanged glances, temporarily at a loss for words. Chenwen felt a degree of sympathy for him. Liu Yunqi was not someone easily matched; Brother, you need all the luck you can get. Considering the caliber of individuals Zhong Yun would have to deal with in the future, he silently offered a prayer for him. "No wonder you’ve been devouring books lately; I thought you’d gone crazy," Tianhai realized with sudden understanding. He clapped Zhong Yun on the shoulder. "Considering how hard you’re working, I won't fault you for valuing romance over friendship." Then, turning to Chenwen, he added, "Since Ah Yun isn't joining, let's play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets their choice." "Deal," Chenwen agreed readily. ...

Seeing that he had successfully misled them, Zhong Yun breathed a sigh of relief. He had something extremely important planned for this one-and-a-half-month holiday. After school, upon returning home, Zhong Yun entered his room. "Are you ready?" ZER instantly materialized in the space—this was panoramic projection technology; since its reboot, ZER no longer conserved energy on this display. "Ready," Zhong Yun nodded. "Departure time is midnight tonight," ZER stated without preamble. Time ticked by, and Zhong Yun remained busy, completing his final preparations. He needed to explain his planned disappearance of a month and a half to several people in advance. His parents were easily managed; preoccupied with company affairs, they hadn't been home for over a month. A simple excuse would suffice to fool them. Tianhai and Chenwen had already been given a preliminary warning. There were still a few others who would seek him out. After racking his brain, he managed to weave airtight excuses and called each person to explain.

At precisely midnight, Zhong Yun, carrying a backpack half his height and a suitcase in his hand, crept quietly to the backyard. Above the backyard, a spherical object approximately one meter in radius hovered silently. The moment Zhong Yun appeared, it descended before him, split open, revealing a seat inside—it was a personal aircraft. Zhong Yun climbed in. The spherical craft sealed itself shut and ascended into the deep night sky. In moments, it vanished into the darkness. Note: For narrative convenience, "Primary School," "Middle School," and "University" will be used henceforth.