Drawing Qi

The candidates below: ?

The citizens of Linjiang City: ?

Viewers flooding in from other streams: ???

The candidates below: Are you gonna tell your dad what this is? What's that flying in the sky?

"Cheats! Cheats! Holy shit~"

"No, okay, the running earlier could still be explained, but now you're literally taking off—what's that supposed to mean?"

"Cheating on the College Entrance Exam, and capitalism's ruined me again!"

The people who'd just been defending Jiang Yan didn't know what to say anymore.

If you claimed he wasn't cheating, well, he was fucking flying. If you said he was cheating, then Jiang Yan was from Linjiang—how could they bring themselves to admit that?

: It's over, I ate some wild mushrooms this morning, and now I'm hallucinating.

: I took off seven times last night, my head's spinning, and I can't see straight.

: Kids, I think I'm still half-asleep.

Jiang Yan's jaw-dropping spectacle was recorded on video, and within no time, it spread across all major social media, racking up over ten million views.

The comments were a unanimous torrent of abuse.

"Great editing skills, OP. Next time, don't bother."

"Some people just have no shame chasing clout."

"To the one spreading rumors with fake clips, I've got a question."

"Upstairs, don't bother asking—there's none."

The rationalists had already started analyzing how absurd the video was, laying it out convincingly.

OP: Don't believe me? Then go watch Stream 9527 yourself.

"Heh, fine, I will. If it's fake, I'm reporting you first."

So a flood of people poured into Jiang Yan's stream.

And then they saw a sight they'd never forget.

Jiang Yan stomped hard on the empty air, each step producing a terrifying, muffled boom. But instead of dragging him down, those powerful strides carried him hurtling toward the horizon.

Boom!

Jiang Yan slammed down onto the top of the Stairway to Godhood.

"Congratulations to Candidate 9527, Jiang Yan, for being the first to reach the top. Reward: 300 Points."

"Congratulations to Candidate 9527, Jiang Yan, for being the first to reach the top. Reward: 300 Points."

"Congratulations to Candidate 9527, Jiang Yan, for being the first to reach the top. Reward: 300 Points."

The same female voice from before rang out, reaching every candidate in every zone and every viewer watching the streams.

The next moment, Jiang Yan's figure flickered, and he appeared in a room like a hotel suite. The stream cut out.

That announcement stirred a massive wave in the hearts of all candidates.

Another zone.

A strikingly handsome man holding a folding fan casually stepped across the long staircase, ignoring the pressure on his body. Seeing only half the stairs left before him, a mocking smile curled at his lips.

Below, everyone was far behind him, only able to stare at his back.

"Is this all there is? How disapp—"

"Congratulations to Candidate 9527, Jiang Yan, for being the first to reach the top. Reward: 300 Points."

The folding fan man's smile froze on his face.

He took a minute to quickly ascend to the top, his expression dark and terrifying.

"Congratulations to Candidate 1, Shang Xingren, for being the second to reach the top. Reward: 200 Points."

"Hahaha, interesting, truly interesting. Looks like this martial exam won't be boring after all."

The smile crept back onto his lips.

"Haters, speak up. All of you who said I edited fake clips, get the hell out here and apologize!"

On Douyin, Jiang Sheng—the blogger who'd been roasted so badly he was down to his last can of soda and still breathing—started his counterattack in the comments.

Jiang Sheng: @xx, where you at now?

Jiang Sheng: @xxx, oh, weren't you shouting pretty loud just now? How about now?

Jiang Sheng: @xxxx, haters, speak up. Tell your dad who's number one?

xxx: Bro, I was wrong, stop @ing me.

xx: Dude, who knew that kid could actually fly? I apologize for what I said earlier.

A farce thus concluded, and Jiang Yan's reputation directly overshadowed the Two Capitals Prodigies, topping the trending charts.

"Shock: A certain college entrance examinee actually took off publicly in the exam hall..."

With such a classic headline, ordinary people clicking in would assume it was some marketing account exaggerating, but those who truly knew the truth understood—

This was just stating the facts!

The media didn't need to hype or exaggerate, because this was merely Jiang Yan's daily routine.

At this moment, in Linjiang City.

Wang Zhong, sniffling with tears and snot, watched the livestream replay over and over.

"Damn, that brat's turned out so impressive now."

Sniff—

Wang Zhong blew his nose into a tissue, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Fuck, if that kid finds out I cried like this, I'll never show my face again."

Sniff—

"As expected of Old Jiang Family's descendant, just as gutsy as his old man!"

Jiang Yan had no idea how much of a stir he'd caused outside. He was currently in a luxurious hotel room, staring at the setup before him in disbelief.

"Does every examinee on Blue Star get treatment this good?"

If so, the official resources were absurdly extravagant.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shang Xingren's face darkened as he looked at a stretch of barren land. Helpless, he sat cross-legged and began meditating.

The unique treatment of being first.

Jiang Yan lay on the soft king-sized bed, estimating that this round of exams still had nearly twelve hours left. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness entered the Divine Martial Space.

In the study room, Jiang Yan sat cross-legged in meditation, sensing the existence of "qi."

"You are meditating to sense qi. Your sensitivity to qi has slightly increased."

The Divine Martial Space had no qi, but it connected his senses to the outside world.

Jiang Yan could already slowly draw in the qi from the air, but he didn't do so.

The First Mother Qi was extremely important for a martial artist, even having a major impact on future development heights. Jiang Yan didn't want to waste this one and only opportunity.

What exactly was the strongest qi like?

Jiang Yan couldn't know, but Heaven Rewards Diligence silently played its role.

"You are diligently searching for 'qi.' Your ability to find high-quality 'qi' has slightly increased."

"You are diligently searching for 'qi.' Your ability to find high-quality 'qi' has slightly increased."

Time ticked by, minute after minute.

Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of understanding dawning.

"I think... I have a clue."

He sank back into meditation.

In the void, he seemed to see a strange, divine light.

This was clearly a different space opened by the Space Martial Saint, yet Jiang Yan's Spiritual Sense seemed to pierce through all barriers, directly connecting with the starry sky beyond.

In the unseen, from the vast cosmos, a profound and mysterious aura drifted toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan's breathing grew smoother, his pores relaxed, and his entire being fell into a wondrous sensation.

Boom!

Suddenly, a golden light shot down like a meteor, crashing toward Jiang Yan.