Special Admission Assessment

Days passed by like this. Si Ming wrote novels to earn royalties, absorbed solar energy, and used radioactive metals to cultivate an unknown mental technique.

Several months later, his Internal Cultivation still showed no breakthrough, but his physical fitness had improved significantly. He was radiant with divine light. If there were ghosts in this world, they would probably be melted away by his surging yang energy before they even got close.

The only thing that Si Ming regrets is that his relationship with Hongdou remains stagnant. Although he wants to repair his bond with Hongdou, he can never find the right opportunity. Perhaps it is because he gave up two opportunities that fate has become stingy.

Moreover, he hasn't been able to think about anything else lately because a very important day has arrived for students.

The high school entrance exam.

One of the most important exams in life, it cannot determine a person's entire life, but it can determine a person's life for the next three years.

Among the world's three great powers, Su State and Li State both adopted a unified examination system, just like in Si Ming's previous life. After all, both Confucian School and Mohist School agreed that centralized power could exert greater strength. Only Germany had its own entrance examination system. Their students did not take an exam after graduating from junior high school. If they wanted to attend a certain high school, they had to register and take the entrance exam held by that high school themselves. The arbitrariness of Daoist School is evident.

However, as a top student, Si Ming had seen it all before, and this kind of situation couldn't scare him. Putting aside everything else, there wasn't even a scene of the government blocking the roads and the police escorting the examinees home to get their exam certificates. It was still a bit lacking in atmosphere.

In his previous life, the night before he took the college entrance exam, he secretly read the manga "Hell Teacher" under the covers. Facing the middle school entrance exam in this life, it's really hard for him to feel nervous.

In important exams, as long as you perform at your usual level, you can achieve an exceptional ranking. This is because underperformance is the most common occurrence in such exams. While others fall behind, you remain in place, naturally making you stand out.

As for exceptional performance, it is a low-probability event and is statistically ignored.

On the day the results were released, Si Ming indeed saw his name prominently displayed at the top of the list. The school even put up a banner that read, "Warmly congratulate our student Si Ming on achieving the third-highest score in the city's middle school entrance examination."

"Sigh, we lost again. Math dragged us down once more."

Murong Qing stood next to Si Ming, looked at the published list, and sighed.

Her score ranked second, only two points behind Si Ming, but her ranking in the city dropped out of the top ten. If it weren't for Si Ming, the school would have hung up banners to celebrate, since their school wasn't one of the top schools. But now that they had a single-digit role model, it wasn't appropriate to compare them with those in the double digits.

Si Ming casually remarked, "We might be classmates in high school."

Murong Qing thought for a moment and agreed, "It's not that there's no chance. My dad is the dean of students at No. 1 High School. I just need to say a word. I also hope to run into some acquaintances in my new class."

Si Ming was surprised that it actually worked, but he didn't refuse, since it wasn't exactly a case of profiting at the expense of the public. "Then I'll trouble you. In return, I'll support you as class monitor."

"This kind of support is useless. I will earn the trust of the other students honestly and fairly, and let them choose me willingly."

"So, you still want to be class monitor? Just a heads up, if you're class monitor for too long and leave too deep an impression, even after graduation, people will only call you class monitor, not by your name. That's the norm."

Murong Qing her eyes. "What kind of custom is this?"

Si Ming didn't explain further. This was advice from someone who had been through it all. Moreover, after Murong Qing mentioned it, he was reminded of Liu Qingqing. He wondered how his childhood sweetheart had done on the exam.

Although he had given Liu Qingqing extra tutoring in the month leading up to the high school entrance exam, he couldn't guarantee the results. If she didn't get into the top high school, they would probably see each other less and less in the future...

I'm two places short.

Suddenly, Liu Qingqing's voice came from behind.

Fortunately, Si Ming was already used to it; the hair on the back of his head just stood on end slightly, but he didn't have any other extreme reactions.

"Do you have Mind-Reading Technique?"

After casually complaining, Si Ming immediately looked for Liu Qingqing's name on the list and found that she was indeed two places short of the admission quota for No. 1 High School.

Their school was allocated a total of 10 places at Tange No. 1 Middle School. The top eight students in the school had already met the admission score and did not occupy any of the allocated places. The remaining 9th to 18th students took all 10 places, while Liu Qingqing was ranked 20th, just a little bit short. Si Ming couldn't help but show a regretful expression.

"That's already very good, exceeding my expectations. I usually only rank in the top 50, so it seems your 'mock high school entrance exam' training program was quite effective."

Liu Qingqing wasn't disappointed; at least her tone remained as calm as ever.

Si Ming sighed. He was helpless about it. Liu Qingqing's grades were not bad. She was in the ranking range that teachers trusted and basically didn't pay attention to. She had always been hovering on the edge of the top and couldn't enter the top level. It was already the limit for her to improve to twentieth place in a month.

Exams also involve talent, although it can be compensated for through hard work. While it's not as decisive as in the arts, students who have truly used "diligence can make up for lack of talent" to improve their exam scores have all experienced this: their grades often improve rapidly in the early stages, giving them a feeling of being invincible. But suddenly one day, they hit an invisible wall that firmly blocks them from entering. No matter how hard they try, they can't get past it. Even if they put in double the effort, they can only maintain their current grades without regressing.

It's like a bottleneck in martial arts training; you've clearly reached it, but you just can't break through it, and you can only watch a group of academic geniuses chatting and laughing inside the walls.

While martial arts training can overcome bottlenecks through trials, sudden enlightenment, and life-or-death battles, no one has yet been able to summarize an effective method for breaking through bottlenecks in studying and taking exams.

Liu Qingqing said with a hint of regret, "This is probably what they call talent. I'm ultimately not the same kind of person as you."

"Actually, there is a way," Murong Qing suddenly said.

"What method?" Si Ming seemed more anxious than Liu Qingqing.

"You can apply for special admissions. Every high school has special admissions channels."

Liu Qingqing gently shook her head. "I don't have any outstanding talents."

Murong Qing explained, "You don't need to participate in the special admissions process; we can handle it ourselves. According to the regulations of Tange No. 1 Middle School, if a student who already has the qualifications for admission also meets the conditions for special admissions, then their school will have an extra spot."

Si Ming immediately understood. "In other words, as long as two of the top eighteen students in our school meet the special admission criteria, Qingqing will be able to gain admission to Tange No. 1 Middle School."

"That's right, that's exactly the point! I asked my dad before, and I fully meet the requirements for special admission. Therefore, if we find one more person, the admission scope of Tange No. 1 Middle School will expand to the top twenty students in the school."

While Murong Qing's achievements in painting are insignificant compared to Hongdou's, those are at the national and even global level. By city standards alone, she is already an exceptionally talented individual, firmly holding the top spot among her peers and ranking among the top ten among underage Painting School, fully meeting the requirements for a special talent.

In fact, even if it weren't for Liu Qingqing, the school would still ask Murong Qing to apply for special admission, since every additional spot in a key high school is an additional achievement.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go ask!"

Si Ming acted on his idea immediately.

Chapter Ninety-Three Special Recruitment Examination

"Have you asked? What was the result?"

When Si Ming and Murong Qing met, they both saw the disappointment on each other's faces and shook their heads helplessly.