The Whole School Is Shocked

With little time left before the exam ended, Cao Xiaochun and the others gave up on going out to grind levels. Instead, they gathered together and talked about their plans for the future. As one idea after another was voiced, time slowly passed.

It was only when the coordinate teleporters sent out a notification that everyone slowly rose to their feet. After Xu Laoba fiddled with things for a while, their seven-day journey finally came to an end.

When Cao Xiaochun opened his eyes again, he was back on the familiar athletic field. But unlike when they had first set out, medical personnel stood by around the teleportation array, while ambulances filled the outer perimeter.

The high-spirited students who emerged seemed as though they had become entirely different people.

The moment they saw familiar classmates and teachers, they burst into tears. Some were dressed in rags, their faces yellow and gaunt from hunger. Worse still, some had barely stepped out of the teleportation gate before being carried away by medical staff.

Who knew what they had gone through in there over those seven days?

Cao Xiaochun paid it no mind. After letting a doctor examine him, he slowly made his way to the mission submission area with Li Hanyi and the others.

The person handling the registrations was a white-haired old man. He went through scenes like this every June, so he was already used to it.

Zhang Dingding, Level 5, 10 Ice Souls, 90 points, Excellent.

Xun Taotao, Level 5, 12 Ice Souls, 92 points, Excellent.

Gu Xiaoxiao, Level 5, 8 Ice Souls, 88 points, Excellent.

Zhang Sanfeng, Level 6, 20 Ice Souls, 100 points, Excellent!

The old man appraised the Ice Souls in the coordinate teleporters and assigned each student a score. This exam was actually quite simple, and it also had an unspoken rule.

As long as a student remained inside for seven days, they would receive eighty points. Each Ice Soul was worth one additional point. With a score of ninety-eight, they could independently choose the college entrance trials of several elite universities.

After all, this was only their first time entering a dungeon alone. Reaching that level was already quite impressive.

In fact, on the very first day of the exam, countless students had dropped out, including quite a few combat-class professionals.

The old man was rather satisfied as he looked through the students' scores. This year, the number of students submitting materials was ten percent higher than in previous years, which meant that one-tenth more people could choose a higher-tier university.

He had some impression of that Zhang Sanfeng fellow. He had awakened as a wind-element mage, and in an environment like the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain, he had a certain advantage. It was only natural for him to achieve such a score. Another promising prospect.

Casually taking the teleporter from Cao Xiaochun's hand, the old man froze when he saw the name.

Cao Xiaochun? The student who had awakened the Gu Master class?

He slightly raised his head and looked at the delicate-looking youth before him, unable to help feeling a little regretful. Such a handsome young man—what a pity.

Still, since he had come to submit his materials, it meant he had worked hard. Fine. If he only had one or two Ice Souls, this old man would use his authority to add a couple of points for him.

After all, it was a hidden class, wasn't it?

The old man slowly placed Cao Xiaochun's coordinate teleporter into the machine. After a slight lag, a line of text abruptly appeared.

[Cao Xiaochun, Level 8, 300 Ice Souls, tied with Shui Yunji's record. Information has been uploaded to the official system website of Nine Provinces University!]

????

"Gasp!"

The mechanical announcement left the old man and the surrounding crowd stunned for a moment, followed immediately by waves of sharp inhalations!

"Level... eight? Three hundred Ice Souls?" The old man's eyes widened, disbelief filling them. Could the machine be malfunctioning?

It wasn't as though students with such results had never appeared before. After all, every decade or so, some students would awaken high-tier classes or hidden classes.

Therefore, if such students achieved extraordinarily outstanding results in their first trial, their scores would be directly uploaded into the academy system. It could be said that they were already guaranteed admission to Capital University!

These results were mainly judged by level and Ice Souls!

Each coordinate teleporter could hold up to three hundred Ice Souls, which was already the limit. Levels, however, had no limit. Generally speaking, reaching Level 7 was enough to secure guaranteed admission!

As for Level 8, that was usually something only powerful hidden classes could achieve. Although Cao Xiaochun's Gu Master class was the only one of its kind in the world, its limitations were known to everyone.

How could such a situation not be shocking?

"Holy shit, Cao Xiaochun actually reached Level 8! And you call that the weakest class?"

"That practically guarantees him a spot at Capital University!"

"Ah, I get it now! It must be because of Li Hanyi. He definitely rode her coattails!"

The previously quiet submission area instantly erupted with cries of shock, curses, envy, and jealousy. It was as if no one could believe what they had heard!

Cao Xiaochun did not say much. He had already anticipated this reaction before coming out, and he could not be bothered to care.

Under the old man's stunned gaze, Cao Xiaochun took back his score sheet and slowly stepped aside to wait for Xu Laoba and the others to submit their missions.

The old man sat in his chair and took several deep breaths before accepting Li Hanyi's teleporter. Clearly, he had not yet recovered from the shock.

[Li Hanyi, Level 8, 300 Ice Souls, tied with Shui Yunji's record. Information has been uploaded to the official system website of Nine Provinces University!]

???

Fuck, another one!

Li Hanyi's results nearly made the old man jump out of his seat. What the hell was going on? Even when Shui Yunji had taken the exam last year, none of the students in her team had achieved results like this!

After carefully checking the machine and confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, the old man seemed to accept reality.

The wails around them grew even louder. Some people were practically grinding their back teeth to dust.

"See? I told you. Cao Xiaochun definitely latched onto someone powerful. Heaven is unfair—why don't I have that kind of luck?"

The commotion here also caught the Academic Affairs Office's attention. The pot-bellied dean walked over in confusion, and after hearing the old man's report, his expression was no better.

He seemed to have fallen completely slack-jawed.

[Xu Laoba, Level 8, 300 Ice Souls, tied Shui Yunji's record. Information uploaded to Nine Provinces University's official system website!]

[Li Wenbin, Level 8, 300 Ice Souls, tied Shui Yunji's record. Information uploaded to Nine Provinces University's official system website!]

[Hong Jianjun, Level 8, 300 Ice Souls, tied Shui Yunji's record. Information uploaded to Nine Provinces University's official system website!]

Three more nearly identical announcements rang out. It seemed everyone had accepted reality; aside from the gasps rising ever higher, not another sound could be heard across the venue.

The dean held the score sheets for Cao Xiaochun's group, his hands seemingly trembling. Only after carefully checking them over once did he look up and ask in a shaky voice.

"Are you all on the same team?"