The College Entrance Exam is a Chance to Make Big Money

"The Golden Bell Shield and Golden Light Wave are compatible, merging and evolving into an Earth-Rank Mid-Tier Martial Skill."

As Lu Chong accepted the Golden Light Wave bestowed upon him by Principal Wei, a pleasant notification chime rang out in his mind.

"This is..." Lu Chong was both shocked and delighted. "The Golden Bell Shield has actually evolved again, leaping straight to Earth-Rank Mid-Tier!"

These two Earth-Rank Low-Tier martial skills, both related to the Golden Cicada Robe, not only lacked conflict but successfully merged and evolved into a far more precious and rare Earth-Rank Mid-Tier skill.

If an ordinary Earth-Rank Low-Tier martial skill was worth a million, then its corresponding Earth-Rank Mid-Tier counterpart would be at least double that.

Moreover, the Golden Bell Shield was an even rarer body-tempering martial skill, allowing it to stand out among Earth-Rank skills; it was worth at least five million.

Of course, martial skills could not be measured by money alone, and Lu Chong was not a greedy person.

But this at least served as side evidence of the power and potential of this martial skill.

Hastily checking his personal panel, Lu Chong couldn't help but feel another surge of secret joy.

Name: Lu Chong

Level: Martial Artist Third Stage (10%)

Martial Skills--

Human-Grade Low-Tier: Nine-Shadow Step Perfection... Heart-Piercing Kick Perfection

Human-Grade Mid-Tier: Seven-Step Killing Fist Perfection, Three-Inch Palm Perfection

Human-Grade Top-Tier: Tiger Roar Skill Perfection

Earth-Rank Low-Tier: Wind Blade Leg Microscopic (30%), Gale Shadowless Step Microscopic (30%)

Earth-Rank Mid-Tier: Golden Bell Shield Great Success (26%)

His cultivation had already reached the Martial Artist Third Stage; this was a natural progression, as Lu Chong had broken through three days ago.

What he was focused on now was the Golden Bell Shield that had just evolved into an Earth-Rank Mid-Tier skill.

As expected, after the Golden Bell Shield evolved, its potential increased, causing its realm to drop back to Great Success.

However, Lu Chong knew this was a good thing for him; as long as there was potential, he had the confidence to improve rapidly.

Furthermore, an Earth-Rank Mid-Tier Golden Bell Shield at Great Success was far more powerful than it had been at the Microscopic stage.

He also had a clear intuition that he could not only execute the evolved Golden Bell Shield but could also decompose it back into the Golden Light Wave and the previous Golden Bell Shield.

Even further, breaking it down into the Golden Cicada Robe at the Perfection realm would be a simple task for Lu Chong.

"Alright, you should rest for a while," Principal Wei said, noticing Lu Chong was lost in thought.

"I'll have Teacher Wang take you to move your things over today."

"With the college entrance exam approaching, stop taking on private tutoring jobs outside," Principal Wei cautioned. "I know you earned quite a bit of military merit during your special training that you haven't used yet, and you even came into a large sum of money, right?"

Lu Chong knew Principal Wei was referring to the military merit and the five hundred thousand he had won from Xue Cheng, and he smiled sheepishly.

"It's nothing. A Martial Artist should strive; there is nothing shameful about using your own intelligence to support yourself," Principal Wei said with a smile, showing no sign of blame.

"However, do not put the cart before the horse and let money blind you."

"In the month before the college entrance exam, you must devote your time and energy to cultivation."

"If you need anything, just tell me," Principal Wei said earnestly.

For students, especially those from humble backgrounds like Lu Chong, the college entrance exam was the most important turning point in their lives.

"And you should also know that the college entrance exam is actually an opportunity to earn a massive amount of resources."

Principal Wei looked at Lu Chong meaningfully. "If you seize it, you might not have to worry about money for all four years of university."

Lu Chong nodded, deeply agreeing.

In fact, as his strength surged, his ambitions grew larger, and his goals for the college entrance exam became increasingly distant.

If he could take the top spot in Guanyun City, the municipal Department of Education and his alma mater would both provide a large reward.

Even some local enterprises or martial arts halls would take the opportunity to sponsor the city's top scorer, both to advertise themselves and to build a favorable connection with a promising student.

And if he could take the top spot in the Hedong Province base during the exam, not only would the city's rewards double, but there would be a grand prize from the province as well.

But these were not the truly big earnings, and it was clear this was not what Principal Wei was referring to.

What would truly allow Lu Chong to earn a fortune was the live-streamed combat portion of the college entrance exam.

During the practical stage of the exam each year, in addition to the official broadcast, every candidate would have their own exclusive live-stream channel.

Whether it was the official broadcast room or the candidates' own channels, they would be facing over a billion viewers across the country.

Was this live streaming just to provide comprehensive supervision of the exam, or to give candidates a chance to show themselves off?

Of course not. Since it was a live stream, it would generate traffic and open up channels for tipping and incentives.

Why?

The Huaxia authorities were naturally not doing this for show, but to take advantage of this moment of national attention to promote the martial spirit to the public.

At the same time, as the public watched the performance of these students, they would selectively tip and incentivize those who performed exceptionally well, or the candidates they personally favored.

This is not about milking the system, but a policy genuinely intended to provide benefits to the students.

All funds gifted through the candidates' live streams will be fully disclosed by the authorities after the exam concludes and handed over to the students in their entirety, tax-free.

The public is generally very supportive of these live streams, as everyone knows that it is precisely those outstanding students who, upon graduation, head to the front lines in waves, securing the survival bases of Huaxia and ensuring their safety.

Should these students not be encouraged?

Therefore, how could Lu Chong not be tempted?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to earn a fortune in the college entrance exam live stream through his own strength?

He had specifically looked through the records of past college entrance exam live streams, where some students had netted over ten million in incentive bonuses during the mere six days of the practical assessment.

Ten million might not mean much to the second-generation heirs from wealthy and influential families, but for Lu Chong, it represents the capital for his future cultivation.

If I can pull off a brilliant comeback, I shouldn't have to worry about money for quite some time, Lu Chong thought, feeling invigorated.

That very day, he returned to his somewhat shabby home with his homeroom teacher, packed a few simple belongings, and moved into the faculty apartments behind the school.

Although the place Principal Wei left for him was only a one-bedroom apartment, it came with an underground cultivation room.

This cultivation room was far from comparable to the cultivation building at Lou Qingqing's home, but it still spanned over a hundred square meters and was equipped with various cultivation and testing apparatuses.

It was a case of being small but complete in every detail.

Lu Chong mused that once he had the money, he would also need to set up such a private space to facilitate his daily life and cultivation.

"The college entrance exam!"

"Only after passing this hurdle will the truly vast world open up." Lu Chong was brimming with fighting spirit, ready to face the first major exam since his arrival in this world.

This is a major exam that holds the promise of a meteoric rise.