This entry is suspicious.

Lunchtime at the school cafeteria.

"Wow, Zhou Ran, you're amazing! I never expected you to end Ming Shu's winning streak. This is the first time I've fallen out of the top two in the grade."

A handsome young man sat down opposite Zhou Ran and struck up a conversation with her in a very familiar manner.

Zhou Ran looked up.

[Zhang Tianming], [Eighth Level of Enlightenment], [Third Young Master of the Zhang Family], [Romantic and Foolproof], [Loyal and Reliable], [Undisciplined], [Exceptionally Talented], [Virtual Realm Ladder Player], [Pay-to-Win Player], [Cross-dating]...

It was none other than Zhang Tianming, who was originally second in the grade and is now third.

Zhou Ran had chatted with Zhang Tianming a few times before, asking if he wanted to come for tutoring, but Zhang Tianming refused, saying he had to go on a date with a girl after school and didn't have time.

This guy's a playboy. He's had a lot of girlfriends, but it was all just for fun, and none of the relationships lasted long. Apparently, he's busy collecting the twelve zodiac animals. You could say rich people just live for the finer things in life.

"You'll probably fall out of the top two more times in the future," Zhou Ran said frankly.

He will be number one in the grade from now on, and Ming Shu's strength will improve by leaps and bounds under his guidance.

If there was still a possibility of competition between Ming Shu and Zhang Tianming before, now the latter is no match for the former at all.

Unless Zhang Tianming is willing to devote himself to arduous cultivation—this is the first time Zhou Ran has seen the fate attribute "[Exceptional Talent]", not even Ming Shu has it, which means that Zhang Tianming's cultivation talent may be even higher than Ming Shu's.

However, this guy is carefree and spends most of his energy on chasing girls and playing video games.

Virtual Realm Ladder Players...

This title is even more prestigious than being the top student in your high school grade.

The so-called Virtual Realm is a fully immersive virtual open-world game launched by Tianhuan Federation Game Company. Its content integrates almost all works of art throughout history. It became a hit all over the world as soon as it was released, with hundreds of millions of players.

The fact that Zhang Tianming was able to stand out from countless players and reach the top of the season's ladder rankings is enough to demonstrate his strength.

If he were to focus on his studies, it wouldn't be impossible for him to compete for first place in the grade.

Zhang Tianming laughed and said, "I'm not really interested in my grade ranking. If I didn't need to get money from my family based on it, I'd rather be a nobody. But the money I get for being third in the grade is enough to live on."

He then got down to business, pulling out his phone and displaying a QR code: "I'm here to ask you to join a group. I've created a private group, currently only open to those who have reached the eighth level of the Qi Opening Realm. It's basically a group for top students, where you can exchange cultivation tips and such."

"Okay." Zhou Ran readily scanned the QR code to join the group. This kind of small group is a legitimate way to build connections.

After joining the group, he found that there were only seven people in the group, because currently only seven people in the entire grade have reached the eighth level of enlightenment.

Zhou Ran changed his nickname to his class name and then glanced at the group member list: Ming Shu, Zhang Tianming, Zeng Muyao, Wang Quan'an, Luo Yue, Liu Yi.

Including myself, there are exactly seven.

"Alright, you can eat slowly. I'm going to go keep my girlfriend company." Zhang Tianming said as he got up and left.

Immortal Path High School does not prohibit dating or contact between men and women, because many people practice dual cultivation techniques after reaching the Qi Refining stage.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Ran strolled back to the classroom and habitually took out his phone to scroll through short videos.

Not long after, a shadow suddenly loomed over him. When he looked up, he saw Zhao Tieshan, the instructor of the martial arts class.

"teacher?"

Zhou Ran was puzzled. This class didn't seem to be a cultivation technique class, did it?

"Come with me for a moment," Zhao Tieshan said before walking out of the classroom.

Zhou Ran looked bewildered, but still followed him all the way to the office.

Upon entering the office, he was taken aback to see Ming Shu, Zhang Tianming, Zeng Muyao, Wang Quan'an, Luo Yue, and Liu Yi all there.

Zhao Tieshan got straight to the point: "I called you here to talk about the Qinghe Cup competition."

"Huh?" Zhou Ran was completely confused, having never heard of this before.

"The Qinghe Cup is a competition held by the city. The first prize is 10 yuan, and the winner can also choose a basic-level cultivation technique," Ming Shu explained gently.

"Oh, I see."

Zhou Ran felt that there was absolutely no need for him to participate in this competition. The champion only received 100,000 yuan and a basic-level cultivation technique. What could such a meager amount of money do? He would rather give people a few more tutoring sessions.

"The prizes are secondary. Winning a place and receiving honors in the Qinghe Cup will benefit your future university studies."

Zhao Tieshan explained, "There are many competitions in high school. As long as you participate in three state-level competitions and achieve a top-ten ranking in each one, you can be admitted directly to one of the top ten universities without taking the college entrance examination. However, if you want to participate in state-level competitions, you have to start from the city-level competitions and work your way up."

The top ten universities in the Sky Ring Federation are collectively known as the Top Ten. Each one is a world-class institution, and getting into one of the Top Ten is the ultimate dream for every high school student.

As the saying goes, only mediocre people take the college entrance examination.

Zhao Tieshan continued, "The truly capable and talented students are selected by major universities long before the college entrance examination. Among the senior students in our school this year, two have obtained the qualification for admission without examination. One went to Qingdao University and the other went to Yunnan University."

"The fact that you were able to reach the eighth level within this timeframe shows that you possess such talent, so participating in the competition will only bring you benefits, not harm."

"If you all agree to participate, I will register you. The competition will be held in a month. Get ready."

A month later? Then wouldn't I be able to bully kids with my ninth-level Qi Opening Realm strength... Zhou Ran thought to himself.

He was indifferent to the Qinghe Cup competition; he didn't care whether he participated or not. However, since everyone else was participating, he decided to join in too. After all, it would be over in a day, or half a day if he was quick.

Zhao Tieshan then explained the competition format, rules, and precautions in detail, and helped everyone register.

After finishing, everyone left the office.

In the corridor, Zhou Ran had only taken a few steps when someone gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.

He turned around and saw Ming Shu.

"Zhou Ran, isn't there a three-day holiday for the college entrance exam? Are you free during these three days?" Ming Shu's bright and delicate eyes were as clear as spring water, and there was a faint smile at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, which made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Yes, I do. What's wrong?"

"I'd like to treat you to a meal to thank you for your guidance over the past few months." Ming Shu's attitude was generous and his excuse was reasonable.

"No problem." Zhou Ran agreed immediately. There's no reason not to go when someone invites you to dinner; you'll get to eat something good.

"How about tomorrow?"

"OK."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Ming Shu's lips curled into a slight smile.

Great, everything is going according to plan.

……

……

In early July, the college entrance examination arrived as scheduled, and high school students across the Federation were given a three-day holiday, which was one of the few holidays they had.

Around 10 a.m., at the entrance of Wangyue Pavilion.

"Why are you here?"

As soon as Zhou Ran arrived, he was surprised to see Song Ci, dressed casually, riding a motorcycle up in front of him.

"Of course I'm here to make a living."

In reality, Song Ci was there to act as Ming Shu's wingman. After all, Ming Shu's relationship with Zhou Ran was not as good as hers with Zhou Ran, and she was needed to smooth things over.

"You changed your car? This one's pretty cool."

Zhou Ran looked at the new motorcycle that Song Ci had ridden, his eyes shining. The new motorcycle was not the kind of heavily armed beast he had seen before, but a streamlined pure white sports car with sharp lines that were elegant and technologically advanced. It looked very valuable and appealed to his aesthetic sense.

Seeing his expression, Song Ci smiled and asked, "Would you like to try riding it around?"

This car is the reward Ming Shu gave me after I gathered intelligence last time.

"Can I ride it without a license?" Zhou Ran asked eagerly.

"Um, then let's not. Today is the college entrance exam, and traffic checks are strict. If we run into the traffic police, our car might get impounded. How about I take you for a spin?"

"Okay, let's go." Zhou Ran plopped down in the back seat.

Song Ci started the engine, and a deep, powerful roar sounded. With a twist of the throttle, the motorcycle shot off like a white arrow.

Zhou Ran had never ridden a motorcycle before and did not expect it to start so fast. Caught off guard, he leaned back and instinctively grabbed Song Ci's waist with both hands. Song Ci only trembled slightly and did not react otherwise.

As expected... Zhou Ran became even more certain of his previous guess. Song Ci really liked him, as long as she tacitly approved of this kind of contact!

Perhaps we should find a suitable time to make things clear? This constant guessing isn't going to work, but how should we put it?

As he was lost in thought, the motorcycle had already turned two corners.

Today is the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), and the whole city is filled with a tense atmosphere. Noise is not allowed in the city, especially near schools, and traffic police can be seen on duty at every intersection, creating a strict atmosphere.

Song Ci didn't dare to speed, so she circled around the speed limit strip and returned to the entrance of Wangyue Pavilion.

At that moment, Ming Shu arrived just in time for the appointment.

Seeing the two riding on the same motorcycle, chatting and laughing, Ming Shu's eye muscles twitched almost imperceptibly. He quickly regained his composure and walked towards them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go in," Ming Shu said with a smile.

Song Ci felt a chill for no reason and couldn't help but shiver.

……

On a bench in an amusement park in Qinghe City.

The sun shone lazily on the carousel and Ferris wheel, and the laughter of children could be heard in the distance, while the air was filled with the sweet aroma of popcorn.

However, the two people on the bench did not show any expression that matched the joyful atmosphere.

"Are you sure you want to cause trouble today? During the college entrance exams, the Federation went straight into wartime mode. The Response Bureau and the Counter-Terrorism Department were patrolling 24/7. If you cause trouble now, you're doomed!" the seaweed-haired man in the suit cursed.

Even as a member of the demonic path, he felt that the other party was too crazy and reckless.

Stirring up trouble on the day of the college entrance exam... what's the difference between that and suicide?

"Isn't that what makes it even more interesting? After all, they would never have imagined that we would actually have the guts to launch a terrorist attack on the day of the college entrance examination." The plain-looking man next to him said calmly.

"Interesting? Interesting?" The seaweed-haired man gritted his teeth. "Do you know what this means? All this preparation over so long could be ruined because of your actions!"

"You're insane!"

"Everyone harbors a seed of madness; the difference lies in whether they choose to let it lie dormant or to let it blossom. Also, this isn't an application, it's a notification."

After saying that, he got up and walked deeper into the amusement park, a cold and crazy flame burning in his eyes.

The seaweed-haired man stood frozen in place, his expression shifting constantly before finally letting out a sigh and then disappearing completely.