Special Admission Quota

"Xu Tui, my name is Qu Qingshan. I'm an associate professor in the Manifestation Sensing System at the Mysterious Academy of Huaxia Gene Evolution University." The bald associate professor introduced himself.

"Hello, Professor." Xu Tui and Chai Xiao greeted him together.

"By the way, Xu, I see you've already applied to the Wisdom Heart System. You have sensing abilities, so why not join our Manifestation Sensing System?" The bald associate professor, Qu Qingshan, got straight to the point.

Xu Tui was taken aback.

Was this bald associate professor trying to poach him from the Wisdom Heart System?

Why?

Was it because he was exceptionally talented?

Or because he was too handsome?

Deep down, Xu Tui hoped it wasn't the latter.

Because he really was very handsome.

If this associate professor was trying to poach him because of his looks, that was a terrifying possibility.

Beside him, Chai Xiao was also taken aback.

Generally speaking, poaching students was uncommon at Huaxia Gene Evolution University.

Of course, when it came to competing for the occasional prodigy-level genius, professors, associate professors, and even department heads would fight tooth and nail.

But this junior, Xu Tui, had only opened a few more Gene Points than most. He hadn't shown any particularly impressive genetic talent.

"Thank you, Professor Qu, but I've already chosen the Wisdom Heart System."

"That's all right. You can change your choice.

"I think your talents would be better suited to developing in our Manifestation Sensing System." Bald Qu Qingshan showed no intention of giving up.

"Thank you for the offer, Professor, but my talent for manifestation sensing is actually pretty average. You saw the test results just now." Xu Tui replied.

Bald Qu Qingshan glanced at the testing equipment, then at Xu Tui, and remarked pointedly, "This thing isn't always accurate."

At that, Xu Tui's heart tightened.

Had the professor figured out that Xu Tui had deliberately concealed his results earlier?

But after thinking it over, Xu Tui dismissed the possibility.

He couldn't be that perceptive.

Mental Induction was already mysterious and intangible enough. If this bald associate professor could monitor his mental sensing activity too, he'd be downright godlike.

"Perhaps he only suspects something?"

"Thank you, Professor, I—"

"Don't rush to refuse. I think you're a good fit for studying and developing in the Manifestation Sensing System. Also, I have a special admission quota available.

"I can give you that spot. For one year, you'll receive student benefits one grade higher than your assigned level." Professor Qu Qingshan offered an enticing deal outright.

Chai Xiao's mouth fell open.

A special admission quota.

Damn.

He'd heard long ago that the academy had special admission quotas, but they were usually held by senior professors in the various systems, and there were very few of them.

Yet he'd never heard of anyone actually getting one.

And now he was witnessing it happen in person.

And it was being used by another system to poach a student.

Chai Xiao felt jealous all over again.

Xu Tui's feelings were complicated at that moment.

The terms offered by the bald professor, Qu Qingshan, were tempting.

With a special admission, Xu Tui would receive benefits one grade higher—tangible advantages, not just words.

For a student like Xu Tui, who came from a fairly ordinary family, those benefits really mattered.

They wouldn't merely ease the burden on his family; they could significantly help his future.

But there was no way Xu Tui would immediately switch to the Manifestation Sensing System.

First, there was the fear.

Xu Tui really didn't want to become a spy.

Second, from what Xu Tui had learned over the past few days, his mental strength was probably quite good.

An Xiaoxue's mental strength was also formidable.

On the day they were ambushed by an Earth Element Extraordinary User leading a group, An Xiaoxue had displayed some very powerful abilities.

Most of them were powerful applications of mental strength.

Xu Tui felt that An Xiaoxue might be a better teacher for him.

Nothing mattered more than choosing the right direction.

If you headed in the wrong direction, even a supersonic plane would get you nowhere.

"Thank you, Professor, I—"

"Don't rush to refuse. Think it over. It's a special admission quota, you know. Most systems only have one or two at most."

Associate Professor Qu Qingshan's words carried a hint of temptation. Clearly, he might really have noticed something during the earlier test.

"Brother, actually, overall, the Manifestation Sensing System is much better than the Wisdom Heart System. I think you should give it some thought."

Chai Xiao's words earned an approving look from Qu Qingshan. The kid knew what was what.

"But if you want to switch systems, you'll have to ask your teacher first. She'll need to agree and sign off before you can transfer," Chai Xiao said.

"Don't worry. She won't refuse. If there's a problem, I'll talk to her myself." Qu Qingshan looked confident.

"That's right. Professor An Xiaoxue should be pretty easy to talk to."

Chai Xiao seemed to be muttering to himself, but the name An Xiaoxue made the bald associate professor, Qu Qingshan, change expression. His voice even seemed to catch a little.

"Your teacher is An Xiaoxue?"

"That's right, Teacher An. I'm one of the students she recruited in Jincheng Prefecture this time," Xu Tui said.

"Excellent."

Qu Qingshan's smile looked a little unnatural.

"Well, Xu, think it over. If you join the Manifestation Sensing System, you'll be very welcome.

"Of course, it's mainly up to you—your wishes and your choice.

"If you join our Manifestation Sensing System, it must be entirely your own choice.

"Yes, entirely voluntary!"

Qu Qingshan seemed to deliberately emphasize the word "voluntary," which sounded rather odd.

"Thank you, Professor. I'll think about it."

With that, Xu Tui was about to leave with Chai Xiao.

Just as they were about to go, the young man with the flat nose from earlier finished his test.

"Du Hong, you've opened fifteen Gene Points. Your basic grade is Low D-grade, but your sensing ability is rated excellent, so you can be raised by two grades. Your entrance assessment can be set at High D-grade.

"Well, you're in our Manifestation Sensing System. If you have no objections, you can sign here to confirm."

The test results made Xu Tui a little curious.

The flat-nosed young man he'd just argued with had an excellent sensing ability rating. What were his actual sensing results?

Watching as the bald associate professor, Qu Qingshan, walked away, Xu Tui focused his attention. In an instant, he "saw" the contents of Du Hong's assessment form.

Sensing distance: 2.98 meters. Sensing clarity: clear, greater than 0.5 millimeters.

Compared to Xu Tui, the young man's sensing distance wasn't far behind. His clarity, however, was several grades lower.

The reference objects used by the testing device to assess mental sensing clarity were divided into ten grades.

Greater than 0.5 millimeters.

In other words, the flat-nosed young man, Du Hong—Du Hong—should have seen the seventh grade but failed to make out the eighth.

The seventh-grade reference object was 0.7 millimeters, the eighth was 0.5 millimeters, the ninth was 0.3 millimeters, and the tenth was 0.1 millimeters.

Xu Tui could make out the tenth grade without any difficulty.

Well, I'm still better.

I'm more perceptive, too.

At that thought, a notion suddenly flashed through Xu Tui's mind.

Since Du Hong had been rated excellent in mental sensing, could he be selected as a special talent and given special training?

Sent to work in intelligence.

To become a spy or something?

I'll keep an eye on where he ends up, when I get the chance.

Xu Tui and Chai Xiao left.

The flat-nosed young man, Du Hong, had just received his assessment form. Excitedly, he turned around, wanting to show off his results to Xu Tui, but Xu Tui had already walked away, leaving only his back in the distance.

"Senior Chai, now that I've finished the manifestation sensing test, is my grade basically settled?" Xu Tui asked as they walked and talked.

"More or less. Low C-grade means you'll get a Low C-grade scholarship as soon as you enroll. To be honest, I'm a little envious.

"Ah, when I first enrolled, I was only Mid D-grade. I worked myself to the bone for a year before I got the benefits I have now."

Chai Xiao sounded wistful and a little jealous.

Seeing Chai Xiao's wistful expression, Xu Tui still couldn't help asking, "Senior Chai, the student handbook says that a good or excellent ability can raise your grade.

"So what do you think of my Bean Flicking Divine Ability? Could it raise my grade by another level?

"By the way, does Bean Flicking Divine Ability count as an ability in the Limitless System? And do abilities from the Limitless System count toward the assessment over here in the Mysterious System?" Xu Tui asked quickly.

"They count. Whether it's the Limitless System or the Mysterious System, as long as it's an ability, it counts..."

Chai Xiao felt a little aggrieved. He'd been jealous for so long that he'd forgotten about this.

Based on Chai Xiao's own experience with Xu Tui's teeth earlier, he felt that Xu Tui's Bean Flicking Divine Ability could probably earn a good rating.

Mid C-grade?

He hadn't even enrolled yet, and he was already getting better benefits than a senior who'd worked hard for a whole year.

Chai Xiao felt even more jealous.

Really jealous!

The Bean Flicking Divine Ability had to be tested at the upper-limb strength station in the Limitless System.

Earlier, there had been barely anyone in the Mysterious System, whether in the Wisdom Heart System or the Manifestation Sensing System.

There had been practically no lines.

But once Xu Tui reached the Limitless System, he finally understood what a sea of people looked like.

Ten long lines stretched through the upper-limb strength testing area, and even the shortest had at least thirty people.

There was only one line for the finger and palm strength test Xu Tui needed. More than fifty people were waiting ahead of him.

The line made both Xu Tui and Chai Xiao draw in a sharp breath.

"All right, brother, get in line. With more than fifty people ahead of you, it'll take at least an hour and a half. I'll come back to check on you then.

"I'll go help guide the others." With that, Chai Xiao left first.

Xu Tui then called Cheng Mo.

That guy complained nonstop, saying he'd been waiting so long he was hungry and still hadn't reached the front.

There were too many people.

Of the eleven Gene Points Cheng Mo had originally opened, seven were in his stomach, and four were related to his lumbar vertebrae and lower-back strength. In the end, he'd been admitted to the Strength System at the Limitless Academy of Huaxia Gene Evolution University.

The Strength System had a specialized area for students like Cheng Mo, who had opened unusual or relatively uncommon Gene Points.

So Cheng Mo belonged to the Limitless Academy.

Naturally, there were a lot of people.

Huaxia Gene Evolution University was the top university in the Huaxia region. Its admission requirements were high, but it recruited from across the entire region.

There were more than thirty prefectures, and the university admitted at least six thousand students each year.

This year's total enrollment was reportedly close to seven thousand.

And that didn't include the descendants of heroes who got in through various channels, such as personal recommendations.

The total number of freshmen definitely exceeded seven thousand.

But more than ninety percent of those seven thousand belonged to the Limitless Academy.

The new students in the Mysterious Academy probably made up only about a tenth, or even less.

That figure even included quite a few students assigned to the Wisdom Heart System to fill out its numbers.

So it was no wonder there were so many people being tested in the Limitless System.

Still, Xu Tui was no stranger to waiting in line.

Back in his second year of high school, he'd once waited an hour to check in at a trendy milk tea shop.

In his first year of middle school, one weekend, his father, Xu Jianguo, had taken him to the supermarket at seven in the morning to line up for eggs at a forty-percent discount.

They'd waited a full three hours to buy those discounted eggs.

As for why Xu Jianguo had brought Xu Tui along to wait in line—

The reason was simple.

There was a purchase limit.

Each person could buy only two jin!

Bringing Xu Tui meant there were two of them.

So Xu Tui wasn't in a hurry to wait. He'd already finished most of his tests for the day anyway.

If he got a good rating on the finger-strength test, too—

A Mid C-grade rating would be within reach.

Xu Tui was looking forward to it.

He could scroll through his social media and see if any new anime had come out. An hour and a half would pass quickly enough.

It was just that the sun overhead was a little too strong.

And he hadn't brought an umbrella!

Meanwhile, Chai Xiao brought the students he'd been guiding over to the Limitless System line. Xu Tui still hadn't reached the front.

But it wouldn't be long now.

At last, Xu Tui was almost up.

Xu Tui took out his documents, ready to hand them to the teacher.

Suddenly, his Personal Communication Device began beeping repeatedly.

It was the sound of incoming messages. He received seven or eight in a row.

At that same moment, a commotion broke out behind the grip-strength testing station.

A new student radiating a fierce air, followed by three classmates, charged through the queue from the back, forcing their way toward the front.