BUFF Effect Upgrade

"I wonder how this exam went... I'm so nervous."

"I don't know either... This math was so hard, I don't even know if I can get 90 points—passing is a problem."

"Yeah, when I finished the fill-in-the-blank section, I only had 40 minutes left. When I finished the first long-answer problem, I heard the half-hour bell ring, and I was totally freaked out."

"I'm okay. I took one look at the last multiple-choice and the last fill-in-the-blank and didn't even write anything. Then I did three and a half long-answer problems, half of the second-to-last one, and the last one I didn't touch at all."

"Damn, this math exam wasn't meant for humans."

"Totally, totally."

Murmurs of discussion rose through the classroom, mostly about how unusually hard this math exam was. There was no helping it—this test had practically crushed every student in the grade who was even slightly weak at math, and even those who were decent at it weren't much better off. Complaints filled the air, and the exam setter had probably been cursed out countless times by now.

"Xiang Dong, how many points do you think you got on this math?"

Someone suddenly asked.

Xiang Dong had long been the top student in their Class 3 of Science Stream, always placing in Exam Room 1. Though his rank usually fluctuated between 20th and 30th and never broke into the top 20, that kind of consistency was even more impressive. A steady rank in the 20s was already at the mid-level of the elite Class 1 of Science Stream, and in the college entrance exam, he'd definitely get into a top-tier 985 university.

At the same time, Xiang Dong's math scores had always been first in their class.

But right now, Xiang Dong spread his hands and said, "Don't ask. There were plenty I couldn't do either."

Hearing his answer, the other students started teasing him.

"Brother Dong's being modest again. That's an easy 140-plus, right?"

"Brother Dong's math is definitely a piece of cake."

"Brother Dong, don't say that. If you talk like that, we're totally screwed."

Xiang Dong said helplessly, "Why would I lie to you guys? This math was really hard. I almost didn't finish it myself."

Hearing this, the students stirred again: "'Almost didn't finish it.'"

Xiang Dong rolled his eyes. "I just scribbled something for all three of the hardest problems—no guarantee they're right. The second-to-last long-answer was especially tough too, and I'm not sure I got that right either. No way I'm thinking about 140 points."

As he spoke, he pointed to the other side. "If you don't believe me, ask Old Xiao."

Following his gesture, the students around him all looked at who he was pointing to.

It was Xiao Yi.

Maybe Xiao Yi wasn't the absolute best at math in the whole grade, but in their class, his math was definitely among the top. For example, last semester's final exam, Xiao Yi scored 135 points, ranking second in their class, just behind Xiang Dong.

That's why Xiang Dong said that—probably some kind of passing the buck, in a way.

But just then, someone suddenly said, "I remember Xiao Yi... didn't he hand in his math paper half an hour early?"

As soon as those words came out, the students present all widened their eyes.

Huh?

With this math exam, someone actually handed in early?

Was this guy cheating or what?

More people chimed in.

"Yeah, I saw Xiao Yi hand in his paper half an hour early too."

Among the students in Exam Room 4, plenty were from their Class 3 of Science Stream. They'd all seen with their own eyes that right when the half-hour bell rang, Xiao Yi got up and turned in his paper.

"And that's not all. It seems like Brother Xiao handed in his paper half an hour early for every exam."

For a moment, the students' eyes were wide.

Wang Defa?

Handing in math half an hour early was one thing—after all, in their impression, Xiao Yi was really good at math, and maybe he just had an exceptional performance this time.

But handing in every exam half an hour early? That was a bit too much, wasn't it?

Still, Xiao Yi, now the center of attention, didn't respond. He had his eyes closed, seemingly taking a short rest.

In reality, he was sinking his mind into his thoughts.

Right then, a voice rang out: "[Ruthless Continuous Study] has been active for 30 days. Upgraded to lv2."

"Skill effect changed as follows: For every hour of continuous study, learning efficiency increases by 1.2 times, up to a maximum of 12 times."

[Ruthless Continuous Study] could actually have its effect level upgraded!

For Xiao Yi, this was undoubtedly a delightful surprise.

Before the upgrade, the maximum learning efficiency boost was only 10 times, and that alone had already made him this formidable. Now it had increased by another two times!

That was a 20% improvement over before. Even if it only boosted IQ, it would be enough to turn an ordinary person into a genius, let alone someone like him.

The moment the buff leveled up, he felt as if his mind had changed. His understanding of all the knowledge he'd ever learned deepened in an instant.

At this point, to put it in perspective, if he had lived before 1666, the math world probably wouldn't have had any room for Newton or Euler. The founding father of math would have been Old Man Xiao.

Back then, without Newton, he might have derived calculus on his own.

And now... he suddenly felt that everything he'd studied so far was far too simple—nothing worth looking at.

Now he needed more difficult knowledge to satisfy his thirst for learning.

Opening his eyes again, he began to think.

"So... where do I find harder knowledge?"

"Quiet!"

A sharp sound snapped Xiao Yi back to reality.

He looked up and saw that it was their homeroom teacher, Luo Penghua, who had arrived.

The classroom, which had been buzzing with chatter, immediately fell silent.

With the homeroom teacher here, it was clearly time to announce the monthly exam results.

All the students turned their gazes to Luo Penghua, growing more nervous by the second.

Luo Penghua stepped onto the podium, first sweeping his eyes across the classroom. Finally, his gaze settled on Xiao Yi, a hint of astonishment flickering in his eyes.

This kid...

Really caught everyone off guard.

No, he should say, he had stunned the entire grade.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and decided to get down to business.

Withdrawing his gaze, he spoke: "I am very dissatisfied with this exam!"

"Except for a few students who showed improvement, the vast majority are still stuck in place, making no progress at all. And then there are some whose scores have dropped significantly. After you see the results, I hope those students will understand where they stand."

"The only thing worth celebrating is that our class has produced a dark horse this time."

"No, actually, I shouldn't call it a dark horse. How should I put it..."

Luo Penghua suddenly felt at a loss for words.