ASER – Chapter 38

A’Diao picked up her backpack, patting off a few fallen leaves, and as she left with the crowd, she noticed that Tian Zhongxiang and the others hadn’t left. It seemed… they had been taken away by the teachers.

Tian Zhongye, however, was walking beside her. Before she could ask, Tian Zhongye informed her, “The top fifty are not allowed to leave the school. Jinling Academy has arranged accommodation. A’Xiang told me it’s probably because they’re afraid they’ll be assassinated.”

So cautious?

After her surprise, A’Diao casually reminded him to be careful too.

“Ah, I’ll be fine. No one will definitely come to kill me.”

“What’s your rank?”

“499th.”

“!”

You were second in the physical fitness test on Field B, and your overall rank is 499?! How terrible must your written exam and illusion realm test have been!?

But then, remembering how this fellow had dramatically mourned for his sister, A’Diao felt it made sense.

His illusion realm exam was probably a complete disaster too.

---

As the two chatted and walked past a teaching building, A’Diao inadvertently glanced into the courtyard. A person stood at a second-floor window, beside a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree. Its leaves, like rustling gold, swayed in the wind, and behind the person’s glasses, their eyes and brows were faintly visible, their ordinary, proper face holding a calm expression.

A’Diao paused for a moment. Just as she was about to take a closer look, the person turned and went inside.

At the school gate, Lao Wang, the waiting driver, looked at the large plaque of Jinling Academy and thought to himself: I wonder how Third Miss did on the exam. Eldest Young Master is at Jinling Academy, and Second Miss is at an academy in another province. Could she also get in? Or did she deliberately apply to this school just to spite her brother? But Master and Madam definitely don’t know about this yet.

After A’Diao came out and got into the car, she glanced at Lao Wang and asked with a smile, “Have you told Father and the others?”

Lao Wang: “Master didn’t give any instructions. The steward only said to take you back after your exam, nothing else.”

Meaning, they didn’t care which school she applied to, or whether she could get in.

“Then don’t say anything. The exam isn’t over yet. It’ll save me the trouble,” A’Diao said, wearily closing her eyes to rest.

Lao Wang was startled.

Jinling Academy was extremely difficult to get into, and all high schools basically had two days of exams. So, she had passed the first round of assessment and been selected for the second round?

So, should he tell them or not?

If he told them, it would be within his duties; after all, he worked for the Chen family. But the Chen family had a total of seven drivers, and he was the most inconspicuous one.

If he didn’t tell, and if this Third Miss rose rapidly through the ranks, it would be much easier for him to curry favor with her in the future.

Is she testing me?

---

After A’Diao and the others left the academy, in the principal’s office of Jinling Academy, the principal retrieved all the files of candidates’ total scores submitted by Zhou Jiang. After reviewing them, he circled some names with a red pen.

Familiar faces like Cui Yun and Xu Luo were naturally not missed, but the names circled later were all unfamiliar.

“Song Ling, her written exam is even stronger than Xu Luo’s, ranked 1st. Physical fitness ranked 7th, illusion realm 2nd, overall rank second. Strange, where did she come from?”

“Cheng Zhang, physical fitness 8th, written exam 8th, illusion realm 24th… overall rank fourth.”

“Tian Zhongxiang, physical fitness 5th, written exam 9th, illusion realm 16th, overall rank tenth.”

“Chen A’Diao, physical fitness 52nd, written exam 88th, illusion realm 1st, overall rank 51st.”

All the noteworthy elite prospects Zhou Jiang had submitted had total scores ranking within the top twenty. This was the only one ranked 51st.

The red pen paused. The white-haired old man merely smiled. “First in the illusion realm, but her written exam and physical fitness scores aren’t outstanding. It seems her innate educational and Spiritual Energy resources weren’t good. A bit interesting.”

The red pen still fell, circling her name.

But that was all. Having controlled Jinling’s top high school for so many years, he had seen far too many geniuses. These individuals were, at best, just excellent prospects.

One had to know that among the students pre-selected this time, there were many who far surpassed them.

---

Compared to Xu Luo’s coffin-like face after discovering he only ranked third, A’Diao’s mentality was quite good. She brainwashed herself: You, a village girl, competing against these elites from all over Danzhou, managing to rank 51st is already incredibly impressive. If that old dog Chen Ran knew, it would be enough to blow his mind!

So she slept until 12 noon. The hotel delivered her meal, but there were some extra, expensive, fine dishes, said to be complimentary from the hotel.

Looking at them, any single dish cost more than a thousand star coins.

Their information network is that good? But it’s normal; the list was public anyway.

The manager said, “Please rest assured. Among our current guests at Liu Guang Hotel, there are ten students who have passed the Jinling Academy preliminary selection. During the exam preparation period, our hotel has strengthened security and will do our utmost to provide you with the most reassuring protection.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

As one of the best hotels in Jinling City, the capital behind it was not to be underestimated. Achieving this wasn’t difficult, but it indeed made one feel at home and was also an investment in talent. After all, graduates from Jinling Academy were 100% guaranteed to be the top elites of Danzhou, and many would go on to the national stage of fame and fortune.

A’Diao marveled at the astuteness of these capitalists. After finishing her meal, feeling refreshed, she began her second medicinal bath, once again using Mental Energy and Spiritual Energy for absorption.

A long time passed, bit by bit.

Her Mental Energy was continuously consumed, and impurities constantly seeped out from her body.

In this process, she was steadily and surely becoming stronger.

What A’Diao didn’t know was that Chen Ran, far away in Lingcheng, already knew.

It wasn’t Lao Wang the driver who told him. Chen Ran was a man with established connections; his ancestral home was still in Jinling, so naturally, he had people in Jinling keeping an eye on the Jinling Academy assessment situation for him.

It had nothing to do with A’Diao; it was merely to understand the talent situation of this generation. After all, he was now a Cishi. As long as his term was completed and his official performance was assessed as superior, he would steadily be promoted to a high official position in Jinling, climbing step by step. In terms of governing the people’s livelihood, he ranked among the best in all of Jinling, which was why both the Song and Wang families were currently trying to win him over.

The Chen family was already rising rapidly; he wouldn’t act like a blind man without certainty.

But he hadn’t expected to see the name of his own unlucky third daughter on the list.

At that moment, Chen Ran truly felt like his own skullcap was about to fly off. Fortunately, he poured a cup of tea to clear his head and reviewed it character by character before confirming he hadn’t misread.

Same name?

No, there weren’t many people in the entire world with this name.

Chen Ran’s expression became peculiar. 51st place – not within the scope of observation for high officials like them, but it was still a very high aptitude. Moreover, no matter how prejudiced he was against A’Diao, he knew one thing very well: she had received her education from a young age in a small place like Qishan. In the eyes of established families, she was basically a lost cause, yet she had fought her way to 51st place.

This held a lot of weight.

“Is my Chen family’s lineage really that good?”

Chen Ran was, of course, also pleased; after all, this was adding flowers to brocade. But the next second, he thought: Since my lineage is so good, and even the seemingly ordinary A’Diao can perform like this, my beloved Yangyang will surely be incomparably outstanding in the future.

However, just as his happiness settled, a call suddenly came in. He looked at the number, and Chen Ran’s expression froze.

Why is Cui Yong calling me?

---

Cui Manor.

After Cui Yun returned to the main Cui residence in Jinling, the ranking among the Cui family’s younger generation originally had Cui Run second and Cui Yun third. However, internal competition within the Cui Clan was fierce. The inherently arrogant Cui Run, priding himself on being the legitimate son of the family head, had always looked down on Cui Yun. So, when Cui Run died, Cui Yun was actually quite pleased. It was just that the Cui Clan suffered a heavy blow as a result. To balance the family’s power, Cui Yong summoned him back, intending for him to replace Cui Run, enter Jinling Academy, and help stabilize their power in Jinling thereafter. Cui Yun couldn’t have wished for anything more.

In this assessment, he also achieved first place as he wished.

But he hadn’t expected…

“What Chen A’Diao? What kind of thing is she?!”

After his father hinted at Cui Yong’s intentions, Cui Yun, the usually calm young master, recalled an unremarkable face and flew into a rage. “Why should I marry her?”

Unfortunately, this anger subsided when he was in front of Cui Yong. He only calmly inquired about Chen A’Diao’s information. When he learned she was Chen Ran’s daughter by a concubine, he felt even worse.

“Eldest Uncle, if we want to win over Chen Ran, a legitimate daughter would probably be better. A concubine’s daughter… isn’t of much use, is she? Besides, this girl has no outstanding qualities. True, she ranked 51st, but my Cui Clan’s standards are high.”

51st place, a match for his first place? Not a match at all!

He was just short of saying outright that the concubine’s daughter was plain-looking.

No, compared to the women he had dallied with, she could be considered extremely ugly. How could he stomach it.

Cui Yong glanced at him and said indifferently, “Chen Ran is extremely cunning and cautious; he will never easily align with me. A concubine’s daughter is a pawn that allows for advance or retreat. Both the Song and Wang families are trying to win him over. This is merely a tactic. Even if she is unremarkable, her aptitude isn’t bad, so it’s not too disgraceful. If you don’t like her, marry her and keep her at home as a decoration. Chen Ran doesn’t actually like this daughter. If relations between our families truly sour, this daughter won’t affect much; you can dispose of her as you please. But if he does have intentions, she becomes a link. Besides, I’m not asking you to marry now, just to establish the relationship, to have it in name. Later, when you rise and the Cui Clan’s situation eases, you can naturally deal with her then.”

He narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent flashing within them.

If it weren’t for thoroughly investigating Chen Ran, he wouldn’t have discovered that a “Third Miss” had been added to the household register under his name. However, by bribing the Chen family servants, he was able to learn that this Third Miss was not favored.

Cui Yun understood. In truth, Cui Yong had no intention of a marriage alliance either. It was to lull Chen Ran, and also to obstruct the Chen family from aligning with the Song or Wang families. Once the Cui Clan passed through its current difficult period and freed up its hands, it would be necessary to exterminate the entire Chen family. At that time, this Chen A’Diao would be like an ant to him, easily crushed.

Nevertheless, the thought of being associated with such an unpresentable woman still made him feel deeply ashamed. However, Cui Yong was forceful, and family interests came first, so he could only respectfully agree. To curry favor, he even proactively asked about the engagement date.

Cui Yong, however, said, “Chen Ran hasn’t agreed yet. He’s probably waiting for her cultivation aptitude test results tomorrow before deciding.”

What does he mean? He still wants to wait for a better offer?!

What a Chen family! What a Chen A’Diao! What things!

Cui Yun lowered his head, disgust and vexation flashing in his eyes.

---

From Cui Yun +1999!

Unfortunately, A’Diao was cultivating and didn’t notice the Toilet’s reminder at all, nor did she know her Mental Energy had increased.

This time, A’Diao still absorbed for 20 hours, consuming 12,000 points of Mental Energy, leaving her with 10,000 points.

Huh, where did that extra bit of Mental Energy come from?

A’Diao couldn’t figure it out, but her Mental Energy was depleting too quickly. If she did this again after today’s exam, she’d have no Spiritual Energy left to absorb.

Toilet: “What’s the rush? Just keep farming it. If not, you still have five Small Spirit Gate cultivation sessions left. But if you were to run the physical fitness test with those people now, you could basically rank in the top 20 out of 3000. Once you’ve completed all six cleansing sessions, even that Cui Yun will be easily left behind by you. People like them are well-nurtured in the early stages, but it instead shows their aptitude limits.”

The Toilet seemed to hold people like Cui Yun in great contempt. In its view, Cui Yun was far from being considered talented.

Of course, A’Diao thought so too.

Based on what she saw in yesterday’s exam, she felt that talents like Tian Zhongxiang were the truly terrifying ones, along with those obscure people like Song Ling.

“It’s a pity the physical test is over. But there’s nothing to be done; I lost out due to time. I don’t know what today’s exam will be about either.”

---

In the morning, the sunlight was bright. Today, the number of examinees and parents outside the school had more than halved, but there were more onlookers, not ruling out people from other schools coming to gather news.

A’Diao glanced around and noticed many of these examinees were eating breakfast.

Eating while queuing.

Oh ho, they were probably reminded by her yesterday and didn’t want to bring their breakfast inside only to have that fat bee snatch it.

However, these people seemed to remember her, the unlucky one, and their gazes swept over. The Tian siblings even greeted her proactively, as there was no one queuing behind them.

Tian Zhongxiang was also queuing outside? It seemed that although the top fifty were staying on campus, they were still treated equally when it came to queuing for registration.

Perhaps due to the urgency of her nearly depleted Mental Energy, coupled with the fact that this was already Danzhou’s most talent-rich group of students, she couldn’t help but walk up behind the Tian Zhongye siblings and whisper in a low voice, “I suddenly feel so stupid.”

Tian Zhongye, who was munching on sticky rice: “Huh?”

Tian Zhongxiang, who was eating a steamed bun: “What’s wrong? Did you forget to bring something?”

A’Diao: “I heard that a lot of media will be here today. They’ll bring the most advanced equipment and hide in the crowd to take pictures of us. Just imagine, soon their headlines will be—Jinling Academy Recruitment Day: Super Geniuses Munch on Buns While Queuing, Waiting to Soar to the Heavens.”

“But I already finished my breakfast in the car. I don’t have a prop, so I’m not eye-catching at all.”

“How about this, lend me a bun so I can pose for a photo?”

You really get the essence of being an internet celebrity.

Tian Zhongxiang: “…”

No, sis, there’s no need, really no need.

I don’t have enough for myself!

Crowd: “!!!”

Are there really paparazzi? MMP, eating breakfast might not look too disheveled, but it definitely won’t be pretty. Under high-definition cameras, even the grease on your lips will be clearly visible. Who wants to be in the news like that! And with such an exaggerated headline, people will laugh themselves to death!

No way!

The geniuses who were eating breakfast suddenly felt that their steamed buns, savory pancakes, and fried dough sticks were no longer appetizing.

From Cheng Zhang +233!

From Bai He +144!

From…

Among them, the paparazzi also contributed a lot of Mental Energy, mainly because this group of geniuses started observing them and wouldn’t let them take photos anymore.

So frustrating!

This month’s performance quota hasn’t been met yet!

Where did this girl come from? Such a jinx! Wants to be famous? We specifically won’t photograph you!

A’Diao watched her 10,000 Mental Energy points rise to 12,000, and her sense of urgency eased somewhat. However, once she settled down, she heard some chaotic topics of conversation among the 500 examinees queuing in a long line, mostly centered on a few individuals.

Song Ling was the most talked-about. Previously, she was on Field A, so A’Diao and the others hadn’t seen her. Now, following the crowd’s discussion, they looked over and saw that she was a girl.

Her figure was like a green willow clinging to bamboo, her aura cool and detached. She wore a black mask and waited silently, her eyes at least slightly lowered, and it was unknown what she was looking at on the ground… perhaps ants?

She looked very low-key, yet she was the center of attention.

Tian Zhongxiang chatted with A’Diao: “Wow, she has such a great aura, she must be a beauty.”

Whether she was a beauty or not was unknown, but anyway, after the teacher announced they could enter, everyone lined up to scan their faces on the device…

Song Ling, taking off her mask, caused a wave of gasps.

People from Field A: Even though we’ve seen her, it still feels like our eyes have been cleansed. Beautiful!

People from Field B: So beautiful and so strong!

A’Diao also found her beautiful, but she was calmer than the others. A single glance was enough for her to compose herself.

For no other reason than she had seen even more beautiful women.

Her own mother was the true ultimate beauty of the human world.

This Song Ling… how much Mental Energy could she farm?

“Hey, register! What are you doing staring at her?”

The teacher had to remind A’Diao. A’Diao was thick-skinned. After Song Ling glanced over, A’Diao said softly to the teacher, “Teacher, I don’t want to either, but it’s human instinct, you know.”

Ah-leh, this little girl is such a sweet-talker.

She really knows how to praise people, and it doesn’t seem greasy at all.

A’Diao was a sweet-talker, but she was soon disappointed. She secretly glanced at Song Ling again: What the heck, is this Miss Song an iceberg? Not even a +1!

Hmph!

After registering, A’Diao and the others went in first and waited for a while, as there were still people behind them.

Around that time, just as the last person was about to enter, a hovercar, like an ice-blue stream of light, sped through the air and quickly hovered to a stop at the school gate. The door opened, and a shoe emerged…

Clang clang clang!

Young Master Cui made a stylish entrance, and the surrounding crowd gasped and sighed in admiration.

Good talent, good background, and handsome too—he was truly too dazzling, practically a natural center of attention.

Although Cui Yun was more low-key and reserved than the flamboyant Cui Run, he still possessed the fundamental nature of a scion from a powerful clan. He wouldn’t obediently wait at the gate like the others.

So he arrived just in the nick of time. But A’Diao secretly grumbled that he had probably arrived by car much earlier, parked nearby, and only came over when it was about time.

So flashy.

Tian Zhongxiang appeared more proper than her brother, but in reality, she had a lot of minor gossipy thoughts and always liked to chatter about something. She didn’t have much to say to the simple-minded Tian Zhongye. Ever since she met A’Diao…

“I think… it’s very stylish, but I always feel like something’s off,” Tian Zhongxiang whispered.

A’Diao also whispered back to her: “This is when an ordinary girl from a common background but with a stubborn heart accidentally drops greasy fried noodles on his shoes. She panics, squats down to wipe his shoes, but he looks down on her condescendingly, kicks her away, and says in a cold tone: ‘If apologies were useful, what would we need officials for? Lick it clean for me.'”

Tian Zhongxiang’s eyes widened, and she subconsciously asked, “That’s too much! She’s so pitiful! And then what?”

No way, you get into character this quickly? I haven’t even used my real skills yet.

A’Diao: “Then the girl, with reddened eyes and unyielding pride, pulled out from her pocket…”

Pulled out what?!

Even the teachers nearby couldn’t help but prick up their ears.

A’Diao: “Then Spiritual Energy surged, coalescing into a physical form… Myriad law patterns roamed the vast sky, the surrounding trees howled like ghosts and gods, whoosh whoosh whoosh~~”

Crowd: Holy crap! It suddenly jumped from campus domineering CEO literature to xuanhuan content! And you’re even providing verbal sound effects! So dedicated! And then what!

A’Diao: “Then the Spiritual Energy condensed into a coffin, and thwack, smashed him into a meat patty! Such a big meat patty! After smashing him to death, the girl said coldly, ‘What officials can’t do, a coffin can.'”

Hahaha! That line is great!

Sis, I’ve already put myself in the shoes of a timid, ordinary, low-key self, who, after being bullied, erupts with extraordinary potential and instantly crushes the scion of a wealthy family! That feels so good!

After the crushing defeat, add another line: ‘Don’t look down on people with your dog eyes, don’t bully the young for being poor!'”

Crowd: I’ve put myself in her shoes. That felt good.

From Tian Zhongxiang +555!

From Song Ling +1!

From Tian Zhongye +666!

From Cheng Zhang +777!

From…

From Teacher 1 +666!

Indeed, unlike those students from Qishan who still focused on vain things like family background, these little geniuses were full of vigor and ambition. Their emotions were only stirred by content related to striving for superiority and winning.

Counterattack, rise to the top, look down on all heroes! Don’t bully the young for being poor!

One must prescribe the right medicine for the illness to win them over.

However, Song Ling finally gave some Mental Energy, but what does +1 mean?

Even stingier than that old dog Chen Ran.

Basically, the small group of people around the two girls all contributed Mental Energy, and Cui Yun’s expression was also very strange.

A’Diao’s “short composition” was very brief, but it vividly incorporated Cui Yun’s characteristics and the crowd’s conjectures about him and the Cui Clan. Among the three great clans, the Cui Clan had risen too quickly, employing many dirty tricks in their fight for power. Because of Cui Run’s reputation at Jinling Academy and his actions in Lingcheng, the crowd’s impression of the Cui family members was already very poor. However, since Cui Yun hadn’t caused any trouble yet, they couldn’t readily show malice.

However, they weren’t necessarily without ambition in their hearts: We are all examinees. You’re first, but I’m not bad either. Besides, you come from a prominent clan and have an advantage in resources. When it comes to talent, who knows who is superior? What’s there to be arrogant about! Watch me pull you down from your pedestal one day! And crush you three hundred times over!

Watching the change in how these people looked at Cui Yun, A’Diao seemed completely unconcerned, but inwardly, her little demon smiled faintly: With my rearrangement of words, I string together your inner conjectures, indulge your desires, and place the shackles of fixed malice upon him. Fear him, detest him, isolate him, make him a despicable figure of power, and let you nurture the ambition to take him down. This is my short composition, an unremarkable short composition.

That dog Cui Yun shouldn’t even think about winning over talented individuals from humble backgrounds like the Tian siblings, hmph!

Nice!

Toilet: You truly are an unremarkable little demon.

---

Cui Yun still didn’t know he had been thoroughly slandered, but he noticed many people looking at him with unfriendly eyes. However, he didn’t care.

A bunch of ants.

It’s just jealousy, that’s all.

Meanwhile, A’Diao was reaping the continuously increasing Mental Energy. Seeing her Mental Energy return to 15,000, she felt she was truly a fickle woman, suddenly falling in love with this group of little geniuses who might very well become her classmates.

Just two days ago, I was deeply in love with my schoolmates from Qishan.

I am guilty.

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