Forgot

The square returned to silence.

High in the sky above the square, a figure stood with his hands behind his back.

Elder Xiu stood deep within the clouds, his dark blue robe fluttering slightly in the wind. His gaze pierced through the layers of mist, landing on the spot where the vanished portal had disappeared in the plaza, watching as Su Mu's figure was swallowed by the white light and then vanished completely.

"That kid, he really knows when to leave."

He muttered something to himself, a rare hint of a smile in his voice.

Then he turned around, ready to leave. But as soon as he moved, he suddenly stopped.

He frowned, a strange expression appearing on his face... as if he had remembered something, or as if he had forgotten what he was about to say.

"Etc..."

Elder Xiu stood there, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. He looked up at the sky, then down at the clouds beneath his feet, and then turned his head to think for a moment.

"Su Mu... reward..."

He muttered to himself, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Forgot."

He remembered.

After the assessment at the ancient battlefield, he communicated with the guy who called himself an "old friend." The other party approved one million military merits, which he transferred to Su Mu's account through his own procedures. These military merits would only be officially recorded when Su Mu first entered the military system.

He was thinking of mentioning it to Su Mu when they met. After all, one million military merits was no small amount; it was equivalent to directly obtaining the authority of a major. For any dungeon master, this would be an incredible stroke of luck.

But what was the result?

After meeting Su Mu, he was so busy asking which school Tsinghua and Peking Universities was going to, so busy talking about the benefits of Tsinghua and Peking Universities, so busy making a snap decision and setting the highest contract that he completely forgot about his military achievements.

"I'm getting old." Elder Xiu shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He looked again in the direction where Su Mu had disappeared. The portal had closed, leaving only the empty stone slabs on the plaza. That kid should be in Capital by now, probably already wandering around the campuses of Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

Should we go after them and tell them?

Elder Xiu thought for a moment, then waved his hand.

"Never mind."

He turned around and walked towards the distant void, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

"Let him discover it himself. Young people always need a little surprise."

"Once he settles down at Tsinghua and Peking Universities University, he'll see it when he logs into the military system for the first time. The expression on his face then should be quite interesting."

Elder Xiu's lips curved slightly, then his figure flashed and disappeared completely into the depths of the clouds.

The plaza was now quiet, with only the gray stone slabs and the faint blue rune light remaining.

Rongcheng No. 1 High School, outside the school gate.

The afternoon sun slanted across the gray-white school gate, and the open space in front of the gate was crowded with people.

Parents gathered in twos and threes, some sitting on their own small stools, some leaning against the tree trunks by the roadside, and others pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing into the school gate.

"Why haven't they come out yet? They've been inside for almost a day."

"What's the rush? Time flows differently inside the Gaokao Secret Realm; waiting several hours outside is normal."

My son couldn't sleep at all last night, tossing and turning, he was so nervous. I wonder how he did on the test.

"My daughter slept soundly and even ate two bowls of porridge this morning. She's so carefree, which makes me more anxious."

In the crowd, a middle-aged woman in faded overalls leaned against the outermost railing, clutching a thermos in her hand.

Her gaze remained fixed on the direction of the school gate, her lips slightly pursed, and her fingers unconsciously stroking the threads on the cup lid.

She didn't crowd with the other parents, nor did she speak to anyone. She just stood there quietly, waiting.

Inside the school gate, beside the playground of Rongcheng No. 1 High School, Principal Zhao Jianguo and a group of senior high school teachers stood below the podium. The teleportation array had stopped operating, and students were walking out of the exit passage one after another.

"They're out! They're out! The first batch!"

Several teachers went up to them, holding electronic boards, checking the number of students and updating the score data.

"Zhang Ming, level 12, ranked over 17,000th overall."

"Li Wei, Level 11, overall ranking 23,000."

"Chen Hao, Level 13, Overall Ranking: 9800."

The results popped up one by one, and Zhao Jianguo stood beside him, his eyes scanning the data on the electronic board. Most students were ranked between several thousand and tens of thousands, which was quite average and nothing out of the ordinary.

"Principal Zhao, among the S-level students who have emerged so far, the highest is Liu Yang, ranked 2,100th overall," the Dean of Students whispered as he leaned closer.

Zhao Jianguo nodded, his expression unchanged.

Two thousand one hundredth place. In previous years, this score would have been considered a sure thing for a first-tier university, but it would still be a long way from a top-tier university.

Liu Yang is an S-level core card, and he personally paid attention to him on the day of his awakening.

His ranking of 2,100 indicates that his performance in the college entrance examination was average, without any breakthrough.

"Let's keep watching," Zhao Jianguo said.

The crowd gradually poured out.

Some students were all smiles, while others looked dejected. Some were hugged by their parents, while others quietly sat down on the side. The parents outside the school gate also began to stir, craning their necks.

"Old Li, your daughter is out!"

"How was it? How was it?"

"It's alright, she said she did okay on the test, but the specific rankings haven't come out yet."

"My son came out too, and he didn't look too good..."

Just then, a teacher suddenly shouted.

"Principal Zhao! Ye Qingxue is out!"