The Department of Education and the schools acted quickly. The day after the Mock Exam ended, they held an awards ceremony and College Entrance Exam rally on the main field at No. 1 High School.
As the top scorer in the citywide Mock Exam, Lu Chong was even invited to represent the students and give a speech.
Of course, what mattered more to him was the three hundred thousand yuan in cultivation funds he'd been awarded.
It wasn't cash, but he could choose what kinds of nutritional supplements or medicinal liquids to buy with it.
With all these resources, Lu Chong believed he could break through to Martial Artist before the College Entrance Exam, and bring his Golden Cicada Robe to perfection as well.
It was worth mentioning that Lu Chong had made a name for himself by coming out of nowhere to claim the citywide top spot by a wide margin.
What's more, he was from an ordinary class and had gone from near the bottom of his school to first place in the city in just one month.
The Department of Education and the schools naturally wanted to make use of his inspiring story and rapid progress, so they promoted him heavily.
"Just look at Lu Chong. He went from Martial Apprentice Stage 3 to Martial Apprentice Stage 8 in one month and took first place in the city. And you still say you don't have time to make a final push?"
"Learn from Lu Chong. There are still two months left, so it's not too late."
For a while, Lu Chong became the textbook example of someone else's child among the high school seniors throughout Guanyun City.
Some students were encouraged and began making the most of their time for one final push.
Others complained bitterly, feeling that Lu Chong had made life miserable for them.
But whatever upheavals were happening outside, Lu Chong had already returned home with ample resources, ready to keep cultivating in seclusion.
After the Mock Exam, they had two days off. After that, he would join the top students selected by the school for a special training program organized by the Department of Education.
Class 5 had only him and Lou Qingqing. Lou Qingqing had also performed well in this Mock Exam, which was why she had earned a place in the program.
When he got home, Lu Chong first checked his personal stats—
Name: Lu Chong Level: Martial Apprentice Stage 8 (43%) Martial Skills: Nine-Shadow Step, perfected Monument-Splitting Palm, perfected Cloud Piercing Finger, perfected Mountain Leaning Back, perfected Eagle Claw Technique, perfected Iron Wire Fist, perfected Heart-Piercing Kick, perfected Wind Splitting Leg, perfected Golden Cicada Robe, Microscopic (2%)
"Now that I've reached Martial Apprentice Stage 8, my cultivation is progressing automatically far too slowly."
"And the Golden Cicada Robe is even slower in this final stage."
That was what truly worried Lu Chong. If things continued like this, his advantage from the cheat would keep shrinking.
The same went for training his Martial Skills. The higher their grade, the slower they would improve automatically.
There has to be a way to speed things up further, especially the rate of automatic cultivation. Lu Chong knew perfectly well that this was his greatest advantage. He absolutely couldn't neglect it.
For the time being, he could still speed up his cultivation by consuming higher-grade nutritional supplements.
For example, the mid-grade Nutrition Bars he'd bought today had doubled the speed at which he cultivated the Qi Absorbing Art.
And he could use the medicinal bath needed to cultivate the Golden Cicada Robe without limit now. Before, he'd only dared to use it once a day.
"Let's get started."
Without worrying about the cost, Lu Chong ate a mid-grade Nutrition Bar as he soaked in the medicinal bath.
He planned to spend the next two days in the bathtub.
Lu Chong did some rough calculations. The medicinal liquid cost five thousand yuan per hour, so two days would add up to more than two hundred thousand.
And even after all that, his Golden Cicada Robe still wouldn't be perfected.
"This really is burning money by the second," Lu Chong couldn't help sighing.
At this rate, he'd be broke again in just a few days.
While Lu Chong burned through money to speed up his cultivation, it was costly but quite pleasant.
Meanwhile, at the Zhao Clan Martial Arts School in the north of the city—
Zhao Longfei knelt dejectedly in the underground cultivation chamber. Sitting in front of him was his father, Zhao Jingcheng.
"You little bastard! Do you have any idea how badly you've embarrassed me?"
"The Old Principal summoned me in person and mocked me mercilessly. I was so angry I wanted to shove you back into your mother's womb."
Zhao Jingcheng was about ready to explode. He hadn't found out what his son had done in the Hunting Ground until after the Mock Exam ended.
Not only had Zhao Longfei lost his place in the Mock Exam, he'd also lost his chance to attend the special training before the College Entrance Exam.
Most importantly, the brat had even angered the Old Principal, getting Zhao Jingcheng summoned and given a thorough dressing-down.
Truthfully, Zhao Jingcheng didn't mind being scolded by the respected Old Principal. Countless high-ranking officials in Guanyun City had grown up being taught and chastised by him.
The problem was that so many of Zhao Jingcheng's acquaintances had been in the Monitoring Hall at the time. He'd been humiliated in front of the whole city.
Given the way those teachers were, his son would probably become a cautionary tale for students for years to come.
In front of his father, Zhao Longfei didn't dare talk back. He just said aggrievedly, "Dad, I was only doing what you told me and trying to get close to Xiang Yueya."
"That kid offended Xiang Yueya, so I finally had a chance to deal with him. Who knew..."
Zhao Longfei couldn't finish, but Zhao Jingcheng picked up where he left off. "Who knew it would all be livestreamed, right?"
"Could you at least use your head? That kid stood out so much. Did you think no one would be watching him?"
"Is that how you seize an opportunity?" Zhao Jingcheng said, exasperated.
"What am I supposed to do now, Dad? We can't just let that kid get away with it." What Zhao Longfei couldn't let go of was his hatred for Lu Chong.
Lu Chong had looked down on him time and again, and had made him a laughingstock. For someone as concerned with face as Zhao Longfei, it was a terrible humiliation.
Zhao Jingcheng snorted and gritted his teeth. "That's right. A gentleman takes revenge. This isn't over."
"Before the College Entrance Exam, we'll make him pay."
Zhao Jingcheng's voice turned sinister. "He's about to join the wilderness training organized by the Department of Education, isn't he?"
"We'll use this opportunity to show him what the Zhao Family is capable of."
Zhao Longfei's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated. "But I can't attend the training after what happened. How am I supposed to deal with him?"
Zhao Jingcheng said impatiently, "Leave it to me. It's not just you—even I can't get involved directly."
"The Old Principal thinks highly of that kid, and he's practically become a public role model. We can't touch him openly."
"What do you mean, Dad?" Zhao Longfei asked, confused.
"Think about it, son. What kind of place is the wilderness?" Zhao Jingcheng looked at Zhao Longfei and smiled darkly. "It's the territory of Exotic Beasts—and a paradise for bounty hunters."
"How hard could it be to pay a few unfamiliar Martial Artists to take care of him?" Zhao Jingcheng said confidently.
Zhao Longfei's eyes lit up. He hurriedly flattered his father. "Exactly, Dad. You're right. Let real Martial Artists handle it, and we'll see how that kid dies."
"Hmph! Stay on your knees. I'll go arrange it myself."
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