My setting is above yours!

Chapter 67 First Encounter, Moen University (5k4)

The night before school starts.

"Thirty-five percent control... Not bad. You were able to successfully expand your personal reality before the start of the semester, training your computing power to Lv.3, and further control your ability model to become Lv.3."

Deng adjusted his glasses, tapped the data screen, and pointed to the records on it:
"Although it took longer than expected, it is entirely within an acceptable range considering the complexity of your ability model."

It's certainly within an acceptable range...

After all, this is the longest predicted time for my Lv.3 advancement based on the schedule, and I'm "advancing" to Lv.3 right on the last minute...

It was supposed to be a promotion before the start of the semester, but today is the last day of the holiday—in just over ten hours, I'll be reporting to school!

We've dragged this far enough out that no one should suspect anything, right?

Ron thought to himself silently, without saying a word.

He didn't dare show off his incomprehensible speed of advancement—he had barely reached Lv.2 before the college entrance exam, but suddenly became Lv.3 a week after receiving investment from [Tian Ting Media]...

Even a fool could easily see that Ron had extraordinary experiences that ordinary people couldn't understand!
He didn't want to become the target of everyone's criticism...

As the saying goes, "the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind," sometimes being too outstanding is not a good thing.

He could become a superhuman with exceptional talent, or even achieve the top score in the college entrance examination, but he must never act in a way that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

So, he stubbornly held back, not showing any ability beyond Lv.2, until even An Hui advanced to Lv.3 in the training room thanks to him. Only then did Ron breathe a sigh of relief and slowly begin to show his Lv.3 abilities...

"Unfortunately... your abilities are nearing their limit."

Looking at the data analysis of Ron's ability model, Dunn shook his head and couldn't help but sigh:

"Based on the reasoning, with just normal calculations and refinements, you can at most improve the model's controllability by another one or two percent—"

"After you construct the [Ability Formula] and perfect it to its fullest potential, your model control might reach forty percent... or even higher?"

"But it is absolutely impossible to cross the 50 percent threshold, and even the 45 percent is a slim hope—because that is already the absolute limit of humankind."

As Deng Yin spoke, a hint of emotion inevitably crept into his voice:
"However, your ability model is indeed more powerful than I imagined..."

"Perhaps, only by obtaining the authority of the [Central Intelligence] can you truly unleash the full power of this ability model."

In other words... only by becoming Lv.5 and receiving computing power assistance from the [Central Intelligence] can one completely master [Vector Manipulation]?

Ron clenched his fist, feeling the "wind" flowing freely in his palm, lost in thought.

Deng Yin's deduction had actually become a reality during his efforts over the past month.

Relying on the financial power of Tianting Media to aggressively spend credit points, he enjoys various cutting-edge technological products in the superpower laboratory every day, doing his best to improve his personal reality and computing power.

On the surface, he seemed to be doing very well, steadily approaching Lv.3 from Lv.2, making significant progress every day.

But in reality, despite his best efforts every day, he couldn't improve his computing power much and was stuck at a standstill...

No matter how hard he tries, he can only slightly improve his computing power and personal performance, and then it's difficult to gain anything more.

However, this newly increased computing power, when converted into the degree of control of [vector manipulation], only increases by about three percent.

If he tries to further increase his control, no matter how much Ron reduces the degree of [Out of Control], his abilities will gradually collapse, potentially even causing a dangerous computational overload...

What a hassle.

Ron couldn't help but sigh. Although superpowers were free to use and very powerful for Ron at the moment, their potential for improvement was unimaginably narrow.

Without the assistance of the [Central Intelligence], no one can cross the threshold above Lv.3 and completely transcend the mortal realm.

...I wonder if, after drinking the Sequence Six potion, I will be able to bypass the authority of the [Central Intelligence] and surpass Lv.3 and reach Lv.4 solely through my own strength and computing power.

He wasn't thinking about what would happen after obtaining the high-level potion; instead, he honestly asked Deng Yin:
"Teacher, once I arrive at Moen University, how do I find [Prometheus] to apply for computational access in order to construct my [Ability Formula]?"

Ron's abilities have reached a limit for improvement, and it's time to construct the [Ability Formula].

He had already accumulated all his credits long ago, and if he could, he would have liked to arrive at school today and immediately begin applying for Prometheus computing privileges...

But Deng Yin shook his head.

"What's the rush? You've only just advanced to Lv.3. You have plenty of time to slowly build your foundation..."

"Have you forgotten that even if Yu An wanted to use connections, he would have to find a way to intercept other candidates' rewards to do so?"

"As one of the twelve sectors of the Central Intelligence, you need to be qualified to meet Prometheus in order to apply for its assistance."

"What qualifications are needed to see Prometheus?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"It's the search privileges for [Prometheus]."

Deng Yin explained, "The top 100 students in each monthly exam will be rewarded with search privileges from [Prometheus], ​​allowing you to use the [Central Intelligence] to retrieve your needs—but it's only search privileges."

"If you want to get anything from Prometheus, you have to honestly accumulate enough credits and exchange them for other things."

This sounds like a search engine and online shopping platform that's only open to students who rank in the top 100 in the monthly exams...

Upon hearing Dunn's words, Ron paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked:

"The top 100 will be rewarded with search privileges, but what about the next 10, 5, 3, or even 1st place... what will those rankings be rewarded with?"

"In any case, we won't treat any candidate unfairly."

The old man smiled and said, "If nothing changes in the year I've been gone, the top ten will receive extra credits, and the top three will even get access to [Prometheus], ​​allowing them to directly access the AI ​​sector and use its computing power."

Can we directly access the intelligent brain sector to borrow computing power?

Ron raised an eyebrow, his interest immediately piqued.

By any measure, the computing power that this so-called "direct access" can utilize is far greater than that of simply having search permissions and then spending credits to purchase computing permissions to construct formulas.

Considering Ron's [Vector Manipulation] is too powerful, if you don't want to experience computational overload like Ji Jin when using a formula, you obviously can't just construct a formula like she does...

Therefore, direct access to this AI sector is of paramount importance to Ron.

We can't just let the top three spots in the monthly exam slip away...

Ron silently said goodbye to Dyn and left the place where he had been frantically training his superpowers for the past two months.

Starting tomorrow, after he goes to school to register, he will be moving into the dormitory at Moen University.

I don't know what Moen University is actually like.

For the past two months, he has been working non-stop in Zones B and D, managing both his work at the Inspection Bureau and the skills training arranged by [Tian Ting Media] without missing a single task...

Consequently, he also lost a great deal of free time.

An Hui had wanted to take him to Moen University several times to familiarize him with the new environment, and he was actually very interested, but each time it just so happened that he was on a patrol mission.

Although sometimes it's just about mediating trivial neighborhood disputes, you can still earn credits for every task...

Earning credits was clearly more appealing to Ron than visiting the school during the summer vacation.

He went back to District D. Not only did he not terminate the lease on that small apartment, he even bought it. Now it is his only property in Ideal City.

Ron was able to pay off his student loan of over 300,000 yuan during high school thanks to Tian Ting Media, which gave him enough spare money to buy this small apartment worth over 100,000 credit points.

Buying this house wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision—whether it's spellbooks, potion ingredients, or things I got from magicians, they're all shady items, and I need a safe place to hide them.

After all, when he was in Zone B, he had to practice his skills under the very nose of [Tian Ting Media]...

Although Irina arranged a luxury apartment for him and An Hui each, who can be sure that there aren't any spies from Tianting Media in there?

Ron didn't want his secret to be discovered by [Tian Ting Media], so he kept these things hidden in his small apartment in District D, and thus never gave himself away.

However, with school starting tomorrow, Ron will soon be moving into the student dormitory at Moen University. He's no longer afraid of being secretly recorded and analyzed frame by frame by [Sky Media], potentially exposing his information. If he continues to hide in his small apartment in District D, he might even be completely robbed by the pickpockets from Ideal City who spawn like game characters every day…

Two beeps sounded on my phone, and a chat window with An Hui popped up:
[An Hui: Where are you? I went to your house and you weren't there... Did you go back to District D again?]

Ron: Yeah, there are still some things to pack up in the old house. I won't have much time to come back every day after school starts, so it's best to take everything with me to avoid thieves...

As Ron typed, he suddenly felt like teasing An Hui:
[Ron: Actually, there's something you left behind when you moved five years ago... that frog plushie you always clung to, it somehow fell under the bed and is all dirty now, should we throw it away?]

Even through the screen, you could see An Hui's nervousness instantly:
[An Hui: No! Please don't lose it! Bring it to me tomorrow, or you can mail it to Room 606, Building D, Girls' Dormitory at Moen University. I'll treat you to ice cream then...]

Ron didn't reply.

Two minutes later, a string of red dots appeared on the phone screen:
[An Hui: You lied to me!]

[Anhui: I only remember holding it last night, how could I have forgotten to move it five years ago?]

[An Hui: You unfilial son! You have betrayed my trust!]

Ron smirked.

[Ron: It's not important. Don't forget to wait for me downstairs at the [TianTing Video] company building with ice cream. Ms. Irina said she'll arrange a car to take us to school for registration... By the way, I want vanilla and chocolate, just to reminisce about desserts from hundreds of years ago.]

An Hui: 凸(=n=)

the next day.

"I clearly said vanilla and chocolate, two scoops! Why did you buy a single scoop vanilla chocolate cone?"

Ron gripped his ice cream cone with some dissatisfaction, while An Hui rolled her eyes and licked her own double-scoop ice cream cone.

"Give it back to me if you don't want to eat it."

"We still need to eat."

Ron immediately suppressed his dissatisfaction.

The vanilla chocolate cone was also delicious, sweet and fragrant with a hint of chocolate richness. It can only be said that the staff canteen of [TianTing Video] still retains a little bit of craftsmanship.

But to everyone's surprise, An Hui shook her head, clearly showing little interest in the ice cream cone in her hand.
"It feels... not as good as Moen No. 1 Cafeteria."

Is this for real? Is this really Huihui?
Ron swallowed the last piece of ice cream cone and watched as An Hui struggled to finish her second scoop of ice cream, seemingly contemplating whether to go against her conscience and throw it in the trash. He was speechless.

If it were back when they were gorging on nutritional pastes and pre-made meals from a certain high school, an ice cream cone like this would have been swallowed whole the moment it touched An Hui's tongue.

Money has a truly dehumanizing effect on people.

Fortunately, I adhere to my principles.

Ron shook his head with a sigh, then expertly opened the vending machine by the roadside and selected the two most expensive bottles of purified water, each costing fifty credits.

Oh dear, I'm used to drinking it, and I couldn't resist.

On a sweltering, sunny day, after drinking ice water and waiting for a while, the familiar driver emerged in an elegant, all-black hovercar, taking Ron and An Hui towards Moen University.

Moen University isn't exactly close; it seems to be on the outskirts of Zone B. Even the experienced drivers from [Tian Ting Media] took a full two hours to navigate the winding roads, crossing mountains, lakes, deserts, snowfields, and forests...

In the past, Ron would have been quite interested in these man-made landscapes and could have even mustered the energy to take a look.

But after driving back and forth here for two months, Ron was actually getting tired of the scenery in Area B and had no interest in it at all. He closed his eyes and rested in a daze.

It wasn't until An Hui nudged him twice with her elbow and said that they were almost at Moen University that he suddenly perked up, leaned out the window to look, and tried to see what this greatest university in the ideal city looked like.

But all that could be seen was a torrent of steel obscuring the sky.

If Ron hadn't known that this was just the start of the school year and not some kind of interstellar war, and that these airships weren't war machines, he would have wondered if he was conducting an indiscriminate ground bombing raid, and if he were the pilot of one of those bombers...

In zone D, it might just be a minor traffic jam, but in zone B...

This steel canopy is expected to expand further, perhaps even covering half of the city.

After all, those who can get into Moen University are either rich or powerful. Even if you were a penniless paramecium before you got your admission, the investment from a giant corporation can turn you into a prince among paramecia in just one summer...

Among these high school students who suddenly became rich, there are certainly some with detached minds, but looking at the whole group, very few can control themselves...

There are plenty of people who would hire a whole convoy and sit in the lead car to pretend to be royalty, so this traffic jam is to be expected.

"Alright, let's get off... I think we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

An Hui shrugged, unsurprised.

Ron nodded in agreement. After the hovercar landed on the ground, he and An Hui got out of the car and walked towards Moen University with the bustling crowd.

At first, Ron had many fantasies, imagining that Moen University was the world's number one school, maybe a super building with 666 floors, housing hundreds of millions of people.
Or perhaps it's some kind of mysterious and technologically advanced mad school where, as soon as you enter, a huge group of students rush out and start fighting each other, pulling the triggers of machine guns until they're smoking, killing everyone and then saying it's Moen University's usual "Free Day".
You could even call this a magicians' school! The moment you step inside, you see magicians riding broomsticks flying through the air, laughing and declaring that Ideal City doesn't belong to you, it belongs to us magicians…

But all of this was just a meaningless fantasy. When Ron actually arrived at the gates of Moen University, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

Ordinary teaching buildings, ordinary school gates, ordinary playgrounds...

Even the clock hanging in the middle of the teaching building and the blurry, illegible school motto on both sides seem ordinary and laughable.

How could it be so ordinary?
It was like the university Ron had seen in his past life... no, it wasn't even the size of a university, it was about the size of a county high school!

Thinking about this, Ron suddenly realized a problem.

If Moen University is really like this...

How could this school possibly accommodate so many students?
"What, you're only just realizing it?"

An Hui, standing to the side, raised her chin, as if to say, "I know this place well."

"Come on, don't just stand at the door... let me take you inside and show you what the real Moen University is like!"

The real Moen University?
Ron had barely formed this thought when An Hui pulled him toward the gates of Moen University.

The old guardhouse was empty, and the electric sliding door looked dilapidated. It made a creaking sound for a while before slowly opening the door to let people through.

But that didn't matter anymore. An Hui pulled Ron through the school gate, and in that instant, he saw the blurry clock on the teaching building suddenly move, then inexplicably begin to spin clockwise, countless times—

Then, everything in front of Ron changed.

The towering, boundless, multicolored skyscrapers pierced through the clouds. These creations, almost like planetary structures, were simply square and boxy like matchboxes, yet they still evoked an incomprehensible sense of awe in people's hearts.

Ignoring the colorful, shimmering advertisements covering the building's silver-white surface, and focusing on the towering, gigantic clock tower in front of the building, one can feel an extremely grand and epic sense of history emanating from the antique clock constructed of brass and gold.

It's as if just watching the second hand of that clock tick once has witnessed Ideal City's century-long history, taking a step forward in human history...

In addition, Ron saw two lines of blurry text on the clock tower—

Upon closer inspection, I found that they were the same as the school motto slogans I had seen before entering, except that they were no longer blurry and unrecognizable; they were clearly visible upon closer inspection.

It says--

The world spins in my palm.

Every penny, every detail, is determined by the heart.

Below the slogan, a name was solemnly engraved:
[Atina, the first principal of Moen University, the "Tower of Truth".]

When Ron saw these lines, he immediately recalled the setting he had once seen in the Dimensional Update Manual—

Atina, who hacked into the "anti-mystical equation" for the world and is both "omniscient" and "omnipotent"...

So, she was actually the first president of Moen University?!

(End of this chapter)