Filling in the Application

Chapter 24: Filling Out University Applications

The frequent, high-intensity sparring left Zhao Rui feeling quite mentally exhausted.

After his sparring session with the coach that afternoon, which earned him 50% experience for the Chaotic Wind Saber Technique, Zhao Rui had just stepped out of the martial arts hall building when he received a call from Bai Xuening.

The young girl asked him how he estimated his score and which university he planned to apply to.

It had been several days since the exam, and she was only just remembering to ask this; she seemed a bit slow on the uptake.

Zhao Rui mentioned he wanted to apply to Dongqi University, but his score was a bit high, estimating it to be around the previous years' cutoff.

It was a bit uncertain.

"Oh, the exam was difficult this year, so your estimated score should be a bit lower. I believe in you!"

"What about you?"

"Me? I'm applying to Chuan University, it's close to Mount Emei."

"Oh!"

Zhao Rui responded with an "Oh," understanding in his heart. After all, she was an introductory disciple of Mount Emei; it was likely Chuan University had internal quotas.

"What have you been doing at home these past few days?"

After asking the important question, Bai Xuening's voice softened, and she asked in a sweet, gentle tone.

"Just messing around, nothing much. I picked up a job as a sparring partner these last couple of days to earn some extra cash."

Zhao Rui said casually.

"Sparring partner? Won't that interfere with your training? Do you need money? I, I can lend you some."

The young girl stammered for a while, seemingly afraid that mentioning money would make Zhao Rui lose face.

"I'm not short on money, I just want to increase my practical combat experience."

Zhao Rui replied dismissively. As for whether he was short on money, did she even need to guess? Of course, he was. Wealth, partners, dharma, and a place to live—money was a hard currency in any era.

"Oh, then you need to manage your time well and not neglect your martial arts training."

"Got it, you naggy old lady! This isn't like you at all."

A smile curved Zhao Rui's lips.

"You don't appreciate a good heart, hmph. I'm hanging up."

Bai Xuening's rosy lips pouted immediately, seemingly with a bit of a temper, and she hung up the phone.

"Hey? You called me!"

Zhao Rui looked at his phone, which had returned to the home screen, and shrugged.

The summer vacation was long and leisurely, without homework or parental nagging.

Only during this time could students truly enjoy a completely relaxing holiday.

Because of the "Fiery Cloud Evil God" incident, Zhao Rui's desire to goof off had considerably subsided.

He spent two full weeks holed up at the martial arts hall as a sparring partner.

Until this day, when the Gaokao results were released.

"Son, what's your score?"

Zhao Jincheng and his wife, who had been anxiously waiting outside Zhao Rui's bedroom door, immediately asked when Zhao Rui came out after checking his results.

"623 points, 16 points above the cutoff for key universities."

"What?"

Zhao Jincheng and his wife were incredulous. They never expected their son to score so high.

This was tens of points higher than their originally predicted Gaokao score.

"This time, my martial arts major theory and practical exams were both full marks... and I did well on math too."

Zhao Rui explained his score with a smile. After all, with his adult mindset, he had a congenital advantage in memory compared to teenagers.

Moreover, the System panel had helped improve his martial arts level.

"That's wonderful, wonderful! I'll quickly tell your grandpa and the others..."

Zhao Jincheng, brimming with excitement, quickly turned to grab his phone to call relatives and friends.

Xue Wenhui was no exception; her phone was constantly in use.

Zhao Rui smiled as he watched his parents excitedly report the good news to relatives.

With the results out, it was naturally time to fill out university applications.

A few days later, it was the day to submit applications. Zhao Rui woke up early and rode his bicycle to school.

It was currently summer vacation, so there were no classes on campus.

Those leisurely walking into the school from the roadside were all high school seniors who had come to participate in the university application process.

"Zhao Rui, what did you score?"

As Zhao Rui approached the school gate, he ran into several classmates from the same class. They rode their bikes into the campus together.

"623!"

"Zhao Rui, you scored so high, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, with your score, you could barely get into Dongqi University!"

The classmates hadn't expected Zhao Rui, whose grades usually hovered around the undergraduate admission line, to do so well this time.

"Just lucky, I guessed everything right!"

Zhao Rui chuckled.

"That's a form of skill too!"

"Exactly, I didn't guess right, I missed several questions! What a shame, otherwise I would have gotten ten more points!"

They chatted as they quickly arrived in front of the teaching building. After locking their bikes, they walked towards the classroom together.

After not seeing each other for a while, there were endless things to talk about upon meeting.

"Look, it's Luo Min. I heard Zhejiang University was going to admit her without an exam, but she insisted on taking it herself. I wonder how she did."

"Her grades are usually so good, she definitely won't do poorly."

As soon as they stepped onto the third-floor stairs, everyone saw a beautiful and graceful girl walking around the corner ahead.

It was Luo Min, the class's renowned top student and beauty.

"Hello everyone!"

A moment later, as they passed each other, Luo Min smiled and waved to everyone, her smile warm and gentle.

No one expected her to greet them, and everyone's heart raced as they squeezed out what they thought were their best smiles.

After the girl left, everyone started to sigh dramatically, "We won't be able to see our Minmin in class anymore!"

"What do you mean 'your' Minmin, she's 'our' Minmin."

"I'm a neat freak!"

"..."

"Disgusting, shameless!"

Amidst the mischievous laughter, Zhao Rui followed the others into the classroom.

"Old Zhao, you're late!"

As soon as he entered the classroom, Yang Fan waved at him.

Zhao Rui walked over. Just as he sat down, Yang Fan whispered mysteriously, "I heard Wang Han didn't do well, only got 596 points."

"So little? That's much lower than his usual score."

"Serves him right for always showing off. If he can charm teachers, he should be able to get into university."

Yang Fan said with a hint of schadenfreude. This Wang Han was one of the two Level Four Martial Artists in the class before. Of course, with Zhao Rui added later, there were three.

"Why do you care about him!"

Zhao Rui laughed.

"I just don't like him!"

Yang Fan grunted twice. Just as he was about to say more, Sun Tiantian from the front row turned her head and looked at Zhao Rui, asking softly, "Which school did you apply to?"

"I applied to Dongqi University!"

"Dongqi?" Sun Tiantian was stunned, then replied with a hint of disappointment, "You really want to go to the same school as Luo Min!"

"Luo Min? I don't know which school she applied to."

"But your score is really borderline. You don't have a sure chance with that school!"

Sun Tiantian said with a displeased look.

"I'll accept any placement."

Zhao Rui smiled and didn't say more. The reason he wanted to apply to Dongqi University was actually simple.

Among the universities in the province, only Dongqi University and a few other schools had their own professional university martial arts training teams.

And they were the kind that could participate in high-level competitions like the provincial league.

Other universities had them too, but their level wasn't high enough, only able to compete in provincial sports meets or martial arts competitions.

"Hmph, it's all an excuse."

Sun Tiantian turned away unhappily, ignoring Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui shrugged helplessly and asked Yang Fan, "Luo Min applied to Dongqi University?"