Province-Wide Sensation! Jiangcheng's Pride!

June 12 was the final day for the release of the national Martial Arts College Entrance Examination rankings. 🎈🐧  ☺💛

That meant the rankings would definitely be announced that day!

At the Ning'an City Education Bureau, the capital of Jiangnan Province.

The director and a group of teachers waited in front of their computers for the rankings to be released.

Quite a few cakes, champagne, and drinks had even been prepared in the spacious office.

They were simply waiting for the official announcement so they could have a joyous celebration.

"Lei Zhou from Ning'an First High School performed well this year. He scored over 9,200 points, so the Provincial Top Scorer should be him."

"The odds are high, but nothing is certain. I heard there are several talented students in the neighboring provinces too."

"That's true. We'll just have to see how things turn out."

"..."

The teachers chatted and discussed among themselves.

Lei Zhou of Ning'an First High School, who possessed an A-Rank Ability and First-Order High-Level strength, was a leading candidate for Provincial Top Scorer.

"The rankings are out!"

At that moment, the teacher who had been waiting at the computer brightened and opened the ranking list, only to freeze slightly the next instant.

"What is it?"

Sensing that something was wrong, the Ning'an City Education Bureau Director frowned and leaned closer. Then he saw, to his astonishment, that first place belonged to an unfamiliar name:

'Jiangnan Province First Place: Xu Jingming (Jiang City Second High School), Total Score: 11,124 points.'

"What? The Provincial Top Scorer is actually from Jiangcheng?!"

The director's eyes widened, his face full of shock.

This scene took place not only at the Ning'an City Education Bureau, but also at the education bureaus of other prefecture-level cities throughout Jiangnan Province.

Yet compared to the shock of the various education bureaus, Jiangnan Province's news workers sprang into action at once!

After all,

Jiangnan Province was a heavily populated province in Great Xia Country.

It had as many as twenty-four prefecture-level cities and nearly thirty-four county-level cities.

Ning'an City, the provincial capital, along with several nearby prefecture-level cities, was widely recognized as the most prosperous region. It also had the highest concentration of Metahumans and was the place most likely to produce geniuses.

Jiangcheng, located in the remote northernmost part of Jiangnan Province, was widely known for its lack of resources and scarcity of geniuses.

In previous years, Jiangnan Province's Provincial Top Scorer had always come from Ning'an City or one of the nearby prefecture-level cities.

But this year was completely different!

The Provincial Top Scorer had actually come from Jiangcheng, an obscure place that most people in Jiangnan Province had never even heard of!

What did that mean?

It meant traffic and explosive headlines!

Thus, these news workers began frantically gathering information related to Xu Jingming.

They had no idea until they looked, and once they did, they were utterly stunned!

E-rank metahuman ability. An Awakened who had yet to advance. Every phrase tugged at their nerves.

Their eyes lit up as they clicked their tongues in amazement. This was a naturally trending topic!

So, turning into frantic content machines, they churned out article after article of over a thousand words within mere minutes:

"An Absolute Dark Horse! The Provincial Top Scorer from Jiangcheng!"

"Shocking!! The Provincial Top Scorer Is Still Only an Awakened!"

"Who Says an E-Rank Ability Can't Produce a Provincial Top Scorer?!"

"..."

Every one of those headlines was irresistibly tempting.

The moment they were posted online, they attracted plenty of clicks and views.

Jiangnan Province's netizens in particular kept leaving comments beneath the articles.

"Isn't the Provincial Top Scorer usually a First-Order High-Level Metahuman? An Awakened can get Provincial Top Scorer too?"

"An E-rank metahuman ability Awakened can become Provincial Top Scorer? If that's true, I'll eat shit on the spot!"

"Guy above, just wait. I'm going to find his Martial Arts College Entrance Examination Video right now."

"..."

The most common response to those news reports was skepticism.

After all, Jiangnan Province's Provincial Top Scorers in previous years had all been First-Order High-Level Metahumans!

Their abilities had also been at least A-rank or B-rank.

Now, an Awakened with an E-rank metahuman ability had suddenly emerged as Provincial Top Scorer. Naturally, no one believed it.

Some particularly extreme people even clamored in the comments.

They claimed there was foul play in this Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, that Xu Jingming was actually the useless son of some powerful figure behind the scenes and had been forcibly pushed into the position of Provincial Top Scorer.

Cheating in the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination was an extremely serious matter.

With comments like those appearing, public opinion gradually began to ferment.

Many people even went directly to the Jiangcheng Official Account to leave messages, demanding the truth!

Just as public sentiment showed signs of escalating further, the Jiangcheng Official Account calmly released Xu Jingming's Martial Arts College Entrance Examination Video.

Those trolls with malicious intentions, who had long been ready to unleash a vicious tirade, were immediately dumbfounded.

Jiangnan Province's Provincial Top Scorer, Xu Jingming, really was an Awakened!

"Holy shit, he pierced a First-Order Unicorn Rhino's skull with one thrust! Damn, isn't that strength even greater than a First-Order Metahuman's?!"

"It looks like an Enhancement Type ability that boosts strength, but he's only an Awakened. How could an ability boost be this strong?!"

"Fuck! It's not Enhancement Type—it's Lightning Type!"

"You're telling me this power is an E-rank ability? Those shameless media outlets are spreading rumors without any bottom line just for traffic!"

"..."

Xu Jingming's Martial Arts College Entrance Examination Video was twelve hours long, perfectly covering every moment he spent in the examination grounds.

Thus, once the video was released, the voices questioning Xu Jingming swiftly vanished.

In their place came people's amazement at Xu Jingming's exquisite spear technique and powerful Lightning Ability...

The online discussion surrounding Xu Jingming exploded, and it likewise became a hot topic within Jiangcheng itself!

The Martial Arts College Entrance Examination was a topic everyone participated in.

It was just that, in Jiangcheng's previous examinations, the best result had only ever been a place in Jiangnan Province's top hundred.

It was embarrassing even to mention it!

So Jiangcheng residents had never paid much attention to it before.

But things were different now!

Jiangcheng had produced a Provincial Top Scorer!

Many people eagerly posted about it online.

Some people who had known Xu Jingming before even began presenting themselves as his friends.

As for Jiangcheng's local media, they became even busier, swarming to Jiang City Second High School in hopes of interviewing the principal.

Ever since Xu Jingming had scored over ten thousand points, the principal had anticipated this scene.

So, dressed in a suit and facing a host of microphones, he remained utterly composed as he spoke at length.

In addition, Xu Jingming's homeroom teacher and many of his subject teachers were interviewed as well.

This time, the usually stern homeroom teacher's smile never left his face.

His words were filled with unstinting praise for Xu Jingming.

Besides Jiang City Second High School, senior officials from the Municipal Government and the city education bureau also gave interviews.

"Xu Jingming is Jiangcheng's Pride. Being able to achieve such results is inseparable from his own hard work.

"Of course, it is also inseparable from the school's and Education Bureau's vigorous cultivation..."

As was customary, Education Bureau Director Zhang Wenshan delivered several impassioned, official-sounding remarks.

He then announced that Xu Jingming would be rewarded with a grand gift that included one million in cash and an Ability Training Method!!

After the city education bureau gave its rewards, the Municipal Government followed right behind.

It stated that it would give student Xu Jingming one million in cash and a luxurious villa within the city.

Rewarding Provincial Top Scorers was an old tradition in every province.

Although Jiangcheng was much poorer than a provincial capital like Ning'an City, it could still afford a few million.

Moreover, the attention Xu Jingming had brought Jiangcheng far exceeded what the government had paid...