Anhe Middle School, High School Division.
In the office of the grade director, a group of teachers sat in readiness.
Sitting at the front, a middle-aged woman faced the crowd. She wore a gray professional suit and her hair was meticulously combed. She held a book in her right hand, striking it forcefully on the table beside her.
"We are the best middle school in Anhe City; how can we let someone who hasn't attended a single day of class just come in?"
As she said this, her sharp gaze swept through the teachers in the room, finally settling on a corner.
There sat a female teacher in a beige long dress.
Her hair was slightly naturally curly, leaning toward chestnut color, and her exquisite makeup made her stand out sharply among the other modestly dressed teachers.
The surrounding teachers were already accustomed to such meetings and showed no expression, maintaining silence.
Only the teacher in the beige dress frowned slightly, disagreeing with her statement, and voiced her objection: "Director Wang, although the person hasn't attended school, the recommender said she has been self-studying at home and has excellent knowledge and ability."
As the grade director, Wang Li had always disliked this unconventional young teacher. Her gaze deepened, and her tone was rather harsh: "Self-study can't be as good as learning in a school system? Haven't there been such cases before? Teacher Li, don't be too naive."
Li Jingjing, finding her words too unkind, was somewhat annoyed, "Director Wang, you can't speak like this. The school should respect every student who wishes to learn. We can't just because she hasn't attended school..."
"Teacher Li, I ask you, can you guarantee the school's entrance rate?"
"I..."
"The new teachers nowadays are so naive and laughable, continuously talking about respecting students. I wonder if you'd still talk so easily if the responsibility for the entrance rate weighed upon you?"
Li Jingjing's pale skin slightly reddened, yet she continued to argue rationally: "Director, that student has a residential certificate, and the special enrollment process is compliant. The principal has approved as well. We can't deny someone's enrollment based on one-sided words."
"Teacher Li, I'm always straightforward with my words. To be blunt, your class already has several 'Bai Xiaotangs'; are you truly prepared to become a class for misfits?"
"Director Wang, they are not misfits..." Li Jingjing was so angry that her hands clenched into fists.
Wang Li just glanced at her before sweeping her gaze over the other teachers, lecturing, "As I said, although accepting students is a decision for you homeroom teachers, if it affects the school's entrance rate, I don't care what the background is, just pack up and leave! Anhe Middle School is not a shelter for failures. Teacher Li, a word of advice: if your class's performance doesn't meet standards, you, as a teacher, will have to pack your bags and return to where you came from."
"You..."
"Meeting adjourned!"
The teachers in the office immediately stood up and moved their chairs to exit.
One female teacher, seeing Li Jingjing still sitting motionless, quickly pulled her along, whispering, "Jingjing, let's go."
After pulling Li Jingjing a bit farther from the Director's office, she raised her hand to tap her on the head, "Jingjing, are you silly? Daring to go against Master Extinction? Be careful she might give you a low evaluation score at the year's end."
"But she can't target a student like this, right? Look at the special admission exam topics; how can you make someone about to enter sophomore year take a senior's test paper and physical test?"
Xu Baixue rolled her eyes subtly and whispered a reminder: "Master Extinction hates connections. It's rumored she had a huge row in the principal's office when Bai Xiaotang was admitted. Now another one comes in, so she must be even more upset. Not even the principal can handle her; don't try to challenge her limits."
"But basically, our class is full of connections..."
"Which is why your predecessor no longer works here."
"..."
Xu Baixue glanced around and, seeing no one, whispered again: "I heard Master Extinction has already applied to the education committee to restructure the school. Soon, there might be an implementation of a last-place elimination system. All underachieving students will be transferred. Your future work..."
The rest of the words went unspoken, but her expression told Li Jingjing what she meant.
"So for this special admission exam, just leave it alone. If the student can pass, of course, it's a cause for celebration; if not, don't readily accept the student."
Li Jingjing looked up at the sky and sighed helplessly.
The hem of her beige skirt swayed gently in the autumn breeze.
***
The special admission exam soon arrived.
Ji Ning entered the examination hall of Anhe Middle School, escorted by Bai Xiaotang and Ye Tong.
The exam was divided into two sessions: the first was a cultural exam, the second a physical exam.
Each session lasted 1 hour, with a 20-minute break in between.
Ji Ning was wearing a trendy red tracksuit today, with two prominent letters on her chest: Hua Continent.
The back had four large words written in flamboyant script: Universe No. 1.
This tracksuit originally came in four styles. The one Ji Ning fancied, Ye Tong didn't dare let her wear, fearing she wouldn't get into the school.
Because the front two words were: Son.
The four words on the back were: I'm your dad.
Even wearing this, Ji Ning was still not favored by Wang Li behind the surveillance screen.
She crossed her arms, scoffing coldly, "Students these days are more arrogant than ever; Universe No. 1? Why not just go to space?"
As soon as she finished, the person in the surveillance screen looked up, meeting her gaze directly.
Those beautiful doe eyes were so calm it seemed they could see her right through the screen. Wang Li was startled but quickly composed herself.
Coincidence... it must be a coincidence...
Ji Ning glanced at the empty classroom, then at the exam pass in her hand, pursed her lips, and walked to the center seat in the classroom.
On the desk was an electronic answer sheet. Bai Xiaotang had already explained to her how to operate it.
Ji Ning found it satisfactory; as long as she didn't have to write by hand, it was fine.
Her handwriting was really something she feared others wouldn't be able to understand.
"Ding—— Exam starts!"
A system sound suddenly came from the podium, prompting Ji Ning to look up.
The blackboard in front suddenly lit up, and her exam questions appeared prominently on it.
The cultural exam incorporated all cultural subjects into the exam system, with questions appearing randomly, not a unified subject exam.
This required extremely strong ability to switch thinking modes.
Ji Ning frowned slightly as she looked at the questions.
Unintentionally, she raised her head to look at a particular surveillance camera.
Wang Li's lips curled into a slight smile, with a touch of smugness, as she said to Li Jingjing beside her: "I'm not unreasonable. As long as she can pass this set of exam questions, I'll let her into the school."
Li Jingjing was furious. A difficulty level reaching S-Class, and content beyond the standard exam, requiring someone to pass to get into school? If she could pass, she could enter any prestigious school; why take a special admission exam here?
In the exam hall, realizing she couldn't answer the questions, Ji Ning decisively moved on to the next one.
The system voice then stated, "Incorrect answer, 0 points."
Hmm... is this a test of my mental state?
Ji Ning glanced again at the camera, ever since entering the school, her spiritual power had enveloped the entire school, clearly aware of everything happening within, including the teacher on a certain floor who constantly monitored her.
Ji Ning answered the questions methodically, writing when she knew the answer, leaving it blank when she didn't, until an hour later when the exam system automatically shut off.
"Your cultural score is 54 points."