Li Yang wasn't sure if he would suddenly forget the answers to the entrance exam, so he took some time to transcribe his mental notes.
However, he invented some rules only he could understand.
For example, multiple-choice questions would be represented by words, where the answer was the first letter of the word.
It looked like he was copying words, making it hard to associate them with answers.
And the order of the subjects was known only to him.
Some answers lacked the solution process, requiring him to recall the original questions.
Some solutions only had the process written down, like calculations on scrap paper, with the final result mixed in the margins.
Perhaps doing this was pointless; he wouldn't easily forget something he'd memorized for over a decade.
After he finished dealing with all the answers, he realized getting into Qingbei wouldn't be that easy.
The answers summed up to around 600 points, with another 150 points missing answers.
For instance, the Chinese reading comprehension, essay, and English essay.
He might score some points on these, but he couldn't guarantee getting over 80 out of 150.
Without 680, how could he get into Qingbei?
Not to mention that many key universities had entrance exams; even though they weren't too strict, knowing nothing would be a disaster.
His workload in the last month was heavy.
Unknowingly, two hours passed until Wu Tianqi called.
"My friend, have you mastered the cultivation technique?"
Li Yang packed up his answers, saying, "More or less."
"Great, I got caught by Liu Dayou while playing basketball. He took my ball, so go to the office later and steal it back for me."
"Why me?"
"You must remember, as cultivators, we must avoid owing karmic debt, or heart demons may arise in the future when you break through."
"Speak human language."
"Please! My dad is mad, and Liu Dayou is a member of the Righteous Qi Sect."
Li Yang: "…"
He remembered Wu Tianqi's father spent hundreds of thousands to get him a special admission spot as a sports student.
Each exam, scoring over 200, he was forcibly pushed into Zhongzhou University.
The university that's called the worst 211 school.
And Liu Dayou would really dare to report to the dean.
"How am I supposed to steal? I'm not some good student; if I step into his office, I'll be watched like a thief."
Wu Tianqi, consistently scoring over 200, ranked last; Li Yang, scoring over 400, ranked second to last.
The third last started with at least 550 points.
Wu Tianqi chuckled, "Didn't Liu Dayou set up those extended courses? You just say you want to study, sneak in after night study, and find a chance to steal it."
"Extended courses?"
The memory began to resurface.
So-called extended courses were exclusive to Class 16 and 17, the elite science classes.
Normally, night study ended at 9:30, but Liu Dayou contacted some subject teachers to stay in the office until 10:30, calling in top students for the final sprint.
In essence, it's like having an extra practice, where a three to five-point improvement could surpass three to five thousand people in Zhongyuan's exam battlefield.
Admitting a few more to key universities would earn these teachers handsome bonuses.
Li Yang helplessly said, "If I, the second to last in the class, claim to want to study, Liu Dayou has to believe it."
Wu Tianqi confidently said, "You're more reliable than me; if I, the last, say I want to study, he'd believe it even less."
Li Yang thought it over and couldn't argue.
But he quickly noticed something off. It seemed there was a mock test yesterday, and today was a holiday.
So, he asked, "Isn't today a holiday? Why did Liu Dayou take your ball?"
"Holiday? What nonsense are you spouting? That's for regular classes. When did our elite class ever get a holiday?"
Li Yang suddenly realized he was skipping class.
"Damn it, you got me to skip class again!"
Wu Tianqi countered, "My friend, speak with conscience. You said you wanted to come over for some practice and show off a dunk for that witch. Now that you've had fun dunking the witch's basketball, you start blaming me after feeling good? My friend, are you an undercover from a rival sect?"
Li Yang blushed a bit. While Wu Tianqi just disliked studying, his own vice was simply enjoying skipping class.
Even now, Liu Dayou wouldn't bother calling his parents as they'd stopped caring.
"I'll head to the classroom now and seize the opportunity. By the way, I forgot to mention, I'm actually a good student. Consider those past truancy episodes as sleepwalking."
Wu Tianqi: "???"
Li Yang hung up and dashed towards the teaching building.
The dormitory building wasn't far from the teaching building; a cafeteria separated the male and female dorms, and crossing the road from the cafeteria entrance led to the teaching zone.
In just two minutes, Li Yang reached the third floor.
The stairway led to Class 11, with left and right options, and he chose the right.
A few steps in, he found Class 10 ahead.
He confirmed he'd taken a wrong turn, turned around, and headed the other way.
Meanwhile, a girl by a Class 10 window nudged Wang Manqi, saying, "Manqi, your boyfriend Li Yang seems to be looking for you."
Unexpectedly, Wang Manqi responded without looking up, "Who's Li Yang? I don't know him!"
"Isn't he the one who brings you milk tea every day?"
"Bringing milk tea ≠ boyfriend. My primary goal now is to raise my scores to pass the 211 threshold."
Wang Manqi's words left her deskmate speechless.
They were from a regular liberal arts class, and less than ten students might make it to college. Wang Manqi was just barely above the cut for third-tier colleges.
Everyone knows, third-tier colleges aren't considered real colleges.
"The gap to a 211 is... a bit big, right?"
Wang Manqi's deskmate mumbled softly, just loud enough for her to hear.
With confidence, Wang Manqi replied, "It's just my math that needs improvement. The homeroom teacher arranged for me to join the elite science class's extended courses. This coming month, I'll diligently seek guidance from the top ten students in the school for science."
With those words, she awaited the start of night study.
She was quite familiar with Li Yang; they attended the same elementary school. But she never considered agreeing to Li Yang, unless she ended up in a third-tier college.
Third-tier college tuition was too steep, and her family wouldn't pay for it.
That guy claimed to be tough today, any regrets now? Too late.
In this matter, she might not consent, but Li Yang couldn't stop pursuing.
...
Li Yang arrived at the entrance of Class 17, his mind frantically recalling his seat.
It had to be in the last row, seemingly in the far right corner? A single-seater, no less.
But when he glanced up, someone was already sitting in the far right corner.
It was even a girl, her head bowed, working on problems.
From the side, she looked quite pretty.
Not that it mattered; the key was, if not there, where else could it be?
While steadily moving further into the classroom, he scanned the seats, unable to pause.
If he stopped suddenly, the scene could become quite awkward.
Class 17, being an elite class, had fewer than forty students.
In contrast to other classrooms holding seventy to eighty students, Class 17's rear was quite spacious, with just one spot in the last row. Even Wu Tianqi, with his two-hundred-plus scores, hadn't been relegated there.
It seemed there was a vacant seat in the second row, and Wu Tianqi had already settled into his own spot, so...
Damn, this was really mind-boggling.
What happened? Could his memory be this faulty?
Could it be that he was actually in the third row?
But the vacant spot in the third row was beside a girl.
Liu Dayou, the conservative, never permitted co-ed seating.
Had he not seen Wu Tianqi in his seat, he would have thought he'd walked into the wrong class.
Of course, there was one open spot—the platform.
Could it be possible that his seat was on the platform?
He was finally forced to a halt.
Several students working on problems paused, as everyone has a sixth sense; someone was standing, likely a teacher had arrived.
Those who didn't look up were in deep concentration.
Despite his thick skin, in this scenario, he resorted to a smile to ease the tension.
Coincidentally, a small-sized, somewhat mustached middle-aged man appeared at the classroom door.
Li Yang quickly sat down at the empty spot.
The girl next to him jumped, looking at him like she'd seen a ghost.
But she glanced at Liu Dayou at the door and remained silent.
"Li Yang, step outside."
Just as Li Yang settled into the seat, he heard Liu Dayou call out.
The first to react wasn't Li Yang but the girl in the last row.
She lifted her head, eyed Li Yang who had just stood up, then checked her seat... feeling a bit at a loss, maybe she'd caused trouble for Li Yang...
And as Li Yang approached the door, Liu Dayou berated him, "Why are you in Jiang Banxia's seat?"