Yes, That Was It

Everyone looked up at the same time.

Ye Qingxue walked out of the exit passage, her white light armor still covered with a little dust, her ponytail was a bit messy, but her back was still straight.

Her face was slightly pale, with a faint bluish tint under her eyes, but her pace remained unhurried.

Zhao Jianguo quickly went to meet him.

"How is Ye Qingxue?"

Ye Qingxue glanced at him and calmly said, "Sixth overall."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Then it exploded.

"Sixth? Sixth in the province?"

My God! Sixth in the province!

"Tsinghua and Peking Universities are definitely in the bag! This student is absolutely a potential Tsinghua and Peking Universities candidate!"

Several teachers gathered around, bombarding the group with questions about the details.

Ye Qingxue's answer was brief, without any extra details, simply outlining the general process of the exam. But everyone's expressions had already shifted from anticipation to ecstatic joy.

Zhao Jianguo took a deep breath, trying his best to maintain the principal's composure, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

Sixth in the province.

Since its establishment, Rongcheng No. 1 High School has never produced a student who ranks among the top ten in the province.

This year, not only did it emerge, it also surged to sixth place.

"Good, good, good." He said "good" three times in a row, then turned to the teacher next to him and said, "Contact the publicity department immediately and prepare the materials. Sixth place in the province—that's our school's best publicity point this year."

"Clear!"

The teachers were all extremely busy.

Ye Qingxue stood in the crowd, but her gaze kept glancing towards the exit passage.

More students came out one after another, and the murmurs gradually grew louder.

"Have you heard? Something happened inside."

"What's up?"

"It seems like the Nest Cult broke in, right during the fourth test."

"What? The Nest Cult? Isn't that a cult?"

"Yes, it's them. I heard quite a few people died."

"Really? How could something like this happen in the Gaokao Secret Realm?"

"How should I know? That's what everyone inside says."

Zhao Jianguo's smile froze instantly. He turned sharply to look at the students who were discussing it and strode over.

"What did you just say? The Nest Cult?"

The student was startled and stammered, "Yes... yes, Principal. When we were inside, during the fourth assessment, some cult members suddenly broke in and sealed the secret realm with something, so the examiners couldn't get in. Then those cult members released a lot of monsters, and they were everywhere."

Zhao Jianguo's face darkened.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Old Chen, it's me, Zhao Jianguo. I have a question for you... Has something happened to the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm? The Nest Cult?... What? Really?... A death list?... Okay, send it over, I'll wait here."

He hung up the phone, his face ashen.

The surrounding teachers also quieted down.

Looking at Zhao Jianguo's expression, they already had a bad feeling.

"Principal Zhao..." the head of teaching affairs tentatively began.

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I just received news that the Nest Cult launched an attack during the fourth level of the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm assessment. Multiple examination centers across the province were affected. The list of the dead... the association is compiling it and will send it over soon."

A deathly silence.

"Death?" A female teacher's voice trembled. "A student... is dead?"

Zhao Jianguo didn't answer. He just stared at his phone screen, waiting for the list to appear.

A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.

He glanced down at it, then closed his eyes.

"Principal Zhao?" The head of the teaching department came over.

Zhao Jianguo handed him his phone. On the screen was a list, with "Rongcheng No. 1 High School Casualty and Injury List" written at the top. The list was short, consisting of only one line of text.

Wang Hao. Level 15. S-rank core card: Chaotic Hair Cloak Hammer. Martial Soul Theme. Death.

The head of the teaching department's hand trembled slightly.

"Wang Hao... is he dead?"

Several teachers gathered around to look, their expressions shifting from shock to regret, and then to silence.

"Wang Hao, that kid..." the old instructor sighed, "He was one of the most promising talents in our school this year. Level 15, S-rank core card, martial spirit theme, even the military was paying attention to him. How come..."

"At which level did he die?" someone asked.

"The attack occurred relatively late in the fourth stage of the assessment," Zhao Jianguo said slowly. "That means Wang Hao's ranking in the fourth stage should be around 200th. His overall ranking would likely be in the top 500."

Everyone fell silent again.

Top 500. In previous years, this result would have been enough to get into a top-tier university. But Wang Hao died just like that.

"However..." the head of the teaching department suddenly spoke up, "Fortunately, our school only has this one death list. Two other students with double S grades also made it to the fourth round and survived. Ye Qingxue got sixth place in the province and is also fine. It's a great stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Everyone nodded, but their expressions remained somber.

Then, a teacher suddenly said something.

"By the way, where's Su Mu? I haven't seen him come out."

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

The head of academic affairs immediately looked through the list on the electronic board, going through it from beginning to end, and then again.

"Su Mu isn't here." His voice was a little strained. "He hasn't come out yet."

Zhao Jianguo frowned. He picked up his phone again and scrolled through the list of the dead. He read it from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning again.

There are no Su Mu.

"Su Mu is not on the list of the dead," Zhao Jianguo said.

"Where is he?" someone asked. "I've counted the people, and almost everyone has come out except for him."

"Could something have delayed you?"

"What could have taken so long? The teleportation array is even stopped."

The group looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Go ask Ye Qingxue," Zhao Jianguo suddenly said. "She entered the fourth level with Su Mu, so she should know the situation."

The dean of students nodded and strode towards Ye Qingxue. Ye Qingxue was standing under a tree by the playground, her white light armor gleaming in the setting sun. Her gaze was fixed on the direction of the exit, as if she were waiting for someone.

"Ye Qingxue," the head of student affairs walked up to her, "Where's Su Mu? Has he come out yet?"

Ye Qingxue turned her head and glanced at him.

He's alright.

The head of student affairs breathed a sigh of relief, "Where is he?"

Ye Qingxue was silent for a moment, then spoke, "He hasn't returned yet. He must have entered the Dragon Gate, so he hasn't come out yet."

The head of the teaching department was stunned.

"Dragon Gate?"

His voice suddenly rose a few decibels, causing the teachers and students around him to turn around and look at him.

"What did you say? Su Mu has entered the Dragon Gate?"

Ye Qingxue nodded, her tone calm. "After the fourth trial, I saw the passage beneath his feet rise up, leading to the Dragon Gate in the sky. He was then Jieyin inside."

The head of the teaching department opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. Then he suddenly turned around and ran towards Zhao Jianguo.

"Principal Zhao! Principal Zhao!"

Zhao Jianguo was looking down at his phone when he was startled by Zhao Jianguo's shout.

"What's wrong?"

"Su Mu!" The head of the teaching department's voice trembled. "Ye Qingxue said, Su Mu has entered the Dragon Gate!"

Zhao Jianguo nearly dropped his phone.

"What did you say?"

"Su Mu! He's passed through the Dragon Gate! He's leaped over the Leaping over the Dragon Gate!" the head of discipline practically shouted. "He's been Jieyin inside, so he hasn't come out yet!"

All the teachers on the playground fell silent at the same time.

Zhao Jianguo stood there, his lips moved, but no sound came out for a long time. Then he slowly and deeply took a breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming joy that surged from his feet to his head.

"Are you telling the truth?" His voice was low and deep, as if he were confirming a fact he dared not confirm.

"Ye Qingxue said it herself. After the fourth level ended, she personally witnessed the passage beneath Su Mu's feet rise up, leading to the Dragon Gate."

Zhao Jianguo closed his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he opened his eyes, and the smile on his lips could no longer be suppressed.

"Leaping over the Dragon Gate." He repeated the three words, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion, "Our school produced two prodigies this year, and one of them Leaping over the Dragon Gate..."

He couldn't continue.

The surrounding teachers were in an uproar.

"Leaping over the Dragon Gate? That's a one in a million chance!"

"Number one in the province! Passing the Dragon Gate guarantees you number one in the province!"

"My God... Su Mu, that Su Mu with the F-level stone card, he got first place in the province?"

"And he even passed through the Dragon Gate!"

"Our school is going to be famous this year! We'll be sixth in the province and first in the province, and the first-place winner even made it past the Dragon Gate!"

"If this news gets out, the entire Rongcheng will be in an uproar!"

Zhao Jianguo took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and then said in a deep voice, "Don't panic. Su Mu hasn't come out yet. Let's wait until we confirm. But don't spread this news outside."

He paused, then added, "Don't spread the news about Wang Hao yet. Wait for the association to release the information."

Everyone nodded, but they couldn't hide the excitement on their faces.

Most of the students have already left.

Most of the parents at the school gate had dispersed, leaving only a few scattered individuals still waiting. The middle-aged woman in the faded work clothes was still leaning against the railing, her thermos cup already cold, but she didn't leave.

On the playground, Ye Qingxue stood under a tree, leaning against the trunk, her gaze fixed on the direction of the exit passage.

Her white light armor was dusty, and her ponytail was a little disheveled, but she didn't tidy it up. She just stood there, waiting quietly.

A teacher came over and advised her, "Ye Qingxue, why don't you go back first? We'll let you know if there's any news from Su Mu."

Ye Qingxue shook her head.

I'll wait for him.

The teacher paused for a moment, then tactfully walked away.

Ye Qingxue leaned against a tree, a gentle breeze ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead. Her gaze remained fixed on the end of the passage, waiting for that familiar figure to appear.

She thought she was just confirming with the teachers that what she had just said wasn't a lie.

It wasn't really about waiting for Su Mu.

Yes, that's it.