23: Chapter 23 The Top Scholar - Showdown

If one could pass the fourth time, things would truly be different.

Whether it was lifespan or physique, they would experience a massive leap.

The seventh time was even more incredible.

Someone like Mother Lu could be called a superhuman without exaggeration.

Even if she wasn't piloting a mecha, her destructive power was incredibly shocking.

So Lu Qingfeng was very curious and quickly asked,

"Mom... I heard that King-level Espers are amazing even without a mecha. Can I see it for myself?"

"Go, go, go... The destructive power is too great; there's no place to demonstrate it."

Mother Lu rolled her eyes at him.

Lu Qingfeng's eyes darted around. Remembering his childhood, he steeled himself, grabbed Mother Lu's arm, and began to act spoiled.

"Mom... just satisfy my curiosity, please, Mom..."

Lu Qingfeng shook Mother Lu's arm, feeling like he was about to vomit from his own behavior.

Believe it or not, Mother Lu fell for this tactic; she was a typical person who could be swayed by soft words but not by force.

Unable to withstand the shaking, Mother Lu said,

"Wait until your results come out... If you become the Top Scorer, I'll take you to the outskirts, alright?"

Lu Qingfeng nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

He really wanted to see just how strong a King-level Esper was.

The family began to chat happily.

Before long, nine o'clock arrived.

Lu Qingfeng quickly opened his wristband to check the results.

Old Lu and Mother Lu were incredibly nervous.

Name: Lu Qingfeng

History: 150

Mathematics: 200

Chinese: 149

Physics/Chemistry: 100

Biology: 150

Cancerous Mutation: None

Total Score: 749

Jiangyou Province Ranking: 1st

Lu Qingfeng was confident, so he quickly projected the information into the living room.

When Old Lu and Mother Lu saw it, their eyes filled with tears of excitement.

749 points, only one point short of a perfect score.

The title of Top Scorer was well-deserved.

Before long, the class group chat started tagging him like crazy.

At this point, even if he hadn't successfully undergone Cancerous Mutation, no one dared to look down on him.

This score had broken the thousand-year record for the highest raw Gaokao score in Jiangyou Province.

His wristband also began to ring frantically.

It was full of congratulatory messages.

From teachers, classmates, and friends.

"It's really first place!" Old Lu rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"My son is the Top Scorer. I'm the father of the Top Scorer, hahahaha!"

Mother Lu also looked at him with teary eyes; she was proud of him.

Shortly after, Lu Qingfeng's phone rang.

It wasn't a call from admissions; times had changed, and private information could no longer be leaked casually.

If caught, one would have to spend several years in prison.

So as long as he didn't actively disclose his information, no one would dare to leak it.

It was a call from Huangfu Xinyu.

"Congratulations... Lu Qingfeng, the Top Scorer."

"It's all because the teacher taught well. It's just basic operation, basic operation!"

"Remember to come to school this afternoon to fill out your applications. Even if you didn't undergo Cancerous Mutation, no one will dare to slight the title of Top Scorer."

"Also... regarding the TV station interviews and the school interviews, what do you think?"

"Just have them give me the prize money. I'm not accepting interviews."

Huangfu Xinyu nodded. Since Lu Qingfeng had failed his Cancerous Mutation, it was right for him not to accept interviews.

Otherwise, some media outlets would still be very disgusting.

After hanging up the phone, he quickly sent a message to Li Hao.

"Where's the money?"

"Ding-dong..."

A moment later, a notification appeared on his wristband: 100,000 federal credits had been deposited.

Comfortable. At least this kid knows what's good for him.

I'll let him off the hook this time.

There was also the prize money. He didn't know how much the provincial Top Scorer would get.

But it definitely wouldn't be a small amount.

To be safe, Lu Qingfeng decided to lay some cards on the table with his parents. Otherwise, what if they took the prize money away?

He already didn't have enough money to use.

Just as he was about to speak, Mother Lu said,

"Xiao Feng... with these grades, you can pick any major you want. Have you thought about which university and major you want? Mom can give you some advice."

"Uh... Dad, Mom, I actually wanted to talk to you about this. Before I say it, you can't get angry."

Old Lu and Mother Lu looked at each other and didn't say a word, staring at Lu Qingfeng and waiting for his explanation.

"Ahem..."

Lu Qingfeng cleared his throat.

"I want to apply to Yanjing University."

The two of them nodded.

"Major: National Martial Arts Academy."

"No... I don't agree!" Mother Lu said immediately.

"I've seen the news. That major is almost useless. Your academic scores are so good; you should choose a research direction. Even finance would be fine!"

"Mom... we agreed not to get upset. Look at Dad, he's perfectly calm."

Old Lu glared at him but remained silent.

"Anyway, I don't agree," Mother Lu still insisted.

"Mom... listen to me. This was a decision I made recently. I looked it up; because I failed my Cancerous Mutation, my lifespan might not be long, but National Martial Arts can still strengthen the body and maintain health, right?"

Lu Qingfeng had prepared this excuse long ago. He believed that as long as he mentioned lifespan and health, Mother Lu wouldn't be able to refuse.

Sure enough, Mother Lu quickly asked, "Is that true?"

Lu Qingfeng nodded. "If you don't believe me, you can check..."

Old Lu also spoke up this time. "Wife... I support Xiao Feng... He doesn't need to worry about money. It doesn't matter if he works or not. I've run the pig farm for so many years; I can support him for a lifetime."

"As if only you can... I can also support him for a lifetime."

Lu Qingfeng was speechless. How did the conversation turn to this again?

"So you both agree?"

The two nodded. In the face of life and health, nothing else was important.

Seeing that they agreed, Lu Qingfeng continued to prepare them.

"Dad, Mom, literature is for the poor, but martial arts are for the rich... I need to keep that Top Scorer prize money for myself. That's not a problem, right?"

"Yeah, keep it for yourself. If it's not enough, just tell your old man. I might not have anything else, but I have plenty of money."

Lu Qingfeng: ...

I underestimated him. Old Lu seems to be quite wealthy.

So he asked in a low voice, "Old Lu, how much money do you actually have?"

"Brat, stop snooping. Anyway, supporting your practice of that National Martial Arts thing definitely won't be a problem!"

He always felt that Old Lu might not know just how much money he would burn through. Forget it, he'd worry about it later.

Maybe he could earn money himself.

Mother Lu also said at this time,

"Xiao Feng, don't worry about money. Your parents only have one son, so we'll definitely support your practice of National Martial Arts. Once I go to the Starry Sky, my income will be very high."

Upon hearing about the Starry Sky, Lu Qingfeng had an idea.

"Mom... when the time comes, if there are energy bars made from Star Beast meat, remember to save some. I might have a use for them."

"What do you want those for? Can you even digest them?"

Mother Lu looked at him suspiciously.

Star Beasts were a unique kind of creature in the Starry Sky. They were massive, extremely rare, and very difficult to hunt.

Energy bars made from Star Beast meat were extremely expensive.

Moreover, ordinary people simply couldn't digest them and would be blown apart by the violent energy.

"Uh..."

This was hard to explain.

"Anyway, just keep an eye out. They might be useful in the future."

Mother Lu didn't take it to heart and simply nodded.

He wasn't a powerful Ability User; she felt her son might just be purely curious about Star Beast energy bars.

Old Lu, however, looked at his son thoughtfully.