"Ding, ding, ding..." The urgent sound of the bell echoed across the campus of Yian District No. 1 High School. The anxious parents, who had been sitting on the grass or along the pathways outside the examination halls, immediately rose to their feet, peering through the metal railings of the campus wall to look inside.

The bustling crowd of examinees streamed out of the halls.

The Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) of Jiangnan City in 2056 was officially over.

All that remained for the students now was to wait for their scores to be released a week later.

"Haobai." A middle-aged man, slightly balding but possessing an outwardly refined appearance, stood at the school gate and called out with a smile to his son emerging from the examination hall.

"Dad." Zhang Haobai walked over with a smile.

"How did the exam go?" the middle-aged man asked genially.

Zhang Haobai shook his head with a look of mild frustration. "I'd say I performed adequately, but the math section was genuinely brutal. From the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to the calculation problems, there were so many tough ones. Especially the calculation problems... there were five, and I only managed to fully solve two. For the other three, I could only complete parts of them, so I should still get some partial credit based on the steps shown."

The five major calculation problems in mathematics tested fundamental thinking, so credit was indeed awarded based on the steps taken.

"Oh?" Zhang Haobai's father, Zhang Zelong, frowned slightly. "It seems your math score this time might be quite low."

"It's fine, Dad. If it was hard for me, it was hard for everyone. I’m not the only one." Zhang Haobai chuckled. "Since the math section was so difficult, the cut-off score for undergraduate admissions will surely be a bit lower. I should still be fine for getting into a military academy."

"Oh, speaking of which."

Zhang Zelong smiled. "While we were waiting for you at the gate, we heard something interesting. That highly famous student from your school, named 'Luo Feng,' actually collapsed in the examination hall with about an hour left before the test ended."

"Collapsed in the exam hall?" Zhang Haobai’s eyes widened. "Dad, you mean Luo Feng?"

"That’s right. Everyone saw the ambulance take him away," Zhang Zelong confirmed, nodding. "Listen, lots of parents around here are talking to their kids about it."

"Luo Feng collapsed?"

Zhang Haobai turned to look around, carefully straining his ears. Indeed, he heard numerous parents discussing a student fainting in the exam hall. He distinctly caught several mentions of the name 'Luo Feng.'

"Haha, this poor kid finally got what was coming to him. Haha." Zhang Haobai couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Dad, you don't know this guy. He constantly bothered me back in school," Zhang Haobai vented his anger. "Relying on being stronger than me, he always overshadowed me in everything. Well, look at him now." Zhang Haobai felt an immense sense of satisfaction. His resentment toward Luo Feng was intensely deep.

In reality, Luo Feng had always largely ignored Zhang Haobai, but Zhang Haobai persistently viewed Luo Feng as a rival. Since Luo Feng surpassed him in both academic scores and combat strength, it caused Zhang Haobai significant distress.

"Haha, these young hotheads never see the bigger picture. Too much pressure, and they just crack. Forget about him. Come on, your uncle has already booked a celebratory banquet for you since your Gaokao is over. Let's go." Zhang Zelong said with a smile.

"Uncle?" Zhang Haobai's eyes lit up.

The Zhang family was considered wealthy and influential in Yian District precisely because of his uncle...

His uncle was a Martial Artist!

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"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Wei Wen, just stepping out of the exam hall, immediately became agitated in front of his parents. "How could Ah Feng collapse in the exam room? Fainting from nervousness? No way. Setting everything else aside, Ah Feng's mental fortitude has been specifically praised by instructors even at the Limit Martial Arts Center."

Wei Wen and Luo Feng could be considered closer than actual brothers.

"Ah Wen, do you think we'd lie about this? We saw it with our own eyes. Luo Feng’s father and his younger brother, who is in a wheelchair, were frantic and rushed to the hospital with him." Wei Wen’s father insisted.

"The hospital? It must be the nearest one. Dad, Mom, I’m going to see Ah Feng first. We can eat lunch later."

Without another word, Wei Wen handed his stationery to his parents and bolted toward the hospital.

...

Inside Yian District People's Hospital.

Luo Feng managed a strained smile as he walked out of the hospital lobby entrance with his father and younger brother. Luo Hongguo and Luo Hua were both worried that Luo Feng might be too crushed by the news.

"Dad, I'm fine. Let's go home and eat." Luo Feng appeared very composed. Although a seed of resentment lingered in his heart, Luo Feng knew that what had happened was irreversible; the only choice was acceptance!

"Ah Feng, Ah Feng!" A voice called from a distance.

Luo Feng looked up and saw a figure sprinting toward the hospital entrance—it was his good brother, 'Wei Wen.'

Seeing the sweat-soaked Wei Wen running towards him in haste, Luo Feng felt a surge of emotion. Then, a thought struck him, and he quickly asked, "Ah Wen, how difficult were the last three calculation problems on the math paper?" I never got a chance to work on those last three. If those three problems were extremely difficult, preventing most people from solving much of them...

Then his own score might still have some hope.

"They were quite hard," Wei Wen confirmed with a nod. "The math questions this year were exceptionally tough. Out of the five calculation problems, only the third one seemed slightly easier; the other four were very difficult."

"That’s good." Luo Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He still had a sliver of hope...

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The results of the Gaokao were accessible via phone or the internet on the evening of June 16th, starting at 8:00 PM, at which time the undergraduate cut-off scores would also be released.

Around 7:00 PM on June 16th.

In Luo Feng's home, in the room shared by Luo Feng and Luo Hua, only Luo Feng sat alone. He was hunched over his laptop, repeatedly clicking the refresh button with his mouse. Although the score inquiry was scheduled for 8:00 PM, the system usually opened a little early.

"I probably won't make it into Jiangnan First Military Academy this time."

"However, for the math paper, I completed the multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank questions, and the first two calculation problems. Although I didn't fully solve the second one, I wrote down many steps. With step-by-step grading, I should get some points." Luo Feng calculated in his mind. "If luck is on my side, I should score over 120 in Math."

Luo Feng hoped: "My scores in the Arts and Sciences exams were normal performances. If I’m lucky, I might just clear the undergraduate cut-off line."

"As long as I hit the undergraduate line, I can get into the Second Military Academy."

The First Military Academy was naturally superior, but it required significantly higher scores. Luo Feng had already given up hope on that.

However, based on his own estimations, he still had a chance for the Second Military Academy.

"Hmm?" Luo Feng's eyes brightened.

The score inquiry page had refreshed.

"Heaven, please help me pass the undergraduate line. Just passing it means I can get into the Second Military Academy." Luo Feng felt anxious, navigated to the Gaokao result page, input his name, ID number, and examination permit number, then clicked the word 'Inquire.'

Flash!

The laptop screen flickered momentarily, and a table appeared.

Candidate: Luo Feng Gender: Male ID Number: 426123203806083211 Exam Permit No.: 5878643567890766 Arts Score: 216 Science Score: 223 Mathematics: 118 Total Score: 557 Undergraduate Cut-off Line: 561

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