130: With the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) approaching, the final sprint begins (Part 1)

At the first glimmer of dawn, the golden sunlight, like a gentle brush, passed through the specially crafted window lattice of the villa's meditation room, casting dappled shadows on the polished floor.

Lin Zhou slowly opened his eyes from his deep meditative state, exhaling a breath of stale air like a sharp arrow, causing subtle ripples in the air.

After a night of nourishment, he felt his divine fire had solidified a bit more. Although still some distance from his Peak, the feeling of steady recovery and growing strength was reassuring.

The Temple of Civilization in his Sea of Consciousness, under the reflection of the morning light—even if simulated—seemed to be plated with a layer of faint golden brilliance, appearing even more solemn and sacred.

Personal status mini-observation:

Divine fire recovery rate: 71% (continuously and steadily increasing)

Divine Power activity: Excellent (running smoothly, as easy to control as one's own arm)

Soul fatigue level: Slight (basically eliminated after deep meditation)

Physical condition: Peak (divine body damage fully repaired)

He stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and did not continue to immerse himself in Cultivate.

Maintaining a balance between work and rest was a principle he had always upheld.

Being overly tense was actually detrimental to adjusting his state.

He walked out of the meditation room and came to the open-plan kitchen on the first floor of the villa.

This residence provided by the military not only had top-tier security but also complete living facilities, all of which were the latest technology.

He simply prepared a high-energy nutritional breakfast, synthesized using some spiritual plants produced in his divine domain combined with high-tech nutritional paste, which could both satisfy the consumption of his demigod body and save time.

Sitting alone in the spacious dining room, enjoying the tranquility of the morning, Lin Zhou's state of mind was not calm.

The clamor of yesterday's triumphant return was still in his ears, but clearer still was the information Su Yueyao had mentioned about the college entrance exam, and the reminder from his homeroom teacher that was about to come.

He knew that after the brief celebration, the moment that would truly determine his fate was rapidly approaching.

Sure enough, just as he finished breakfast, his personal communicator rang with a specific alert—from Yuncheng High School, his homeroom teacher, Teacher Li.

Answering the communication, Teacher Li's familiar and slightly stern face appeared on the light screen.

Unlike usual, besides his inherent rigor, there was a trace of undisguised excitement and pride between Teacher Li's brows, and his gaze toward Lin Zhou was full of gratification.

"Lin Zhou, how are you resting?" Teacher Li's voice was as steady as ever, but listening carefully, one could detect a hint of imperceptible concern.

"Very well, Teacher Li." Lin Zhou responded respectfully.

This homeroom teacher had given him significant help and firm support during his early growth.

"That's good." Teacher Li nodded, his expression then becoming incomparably solemn. "First, I want to congratulate you again for winning unprecedented glory for our Cloud City and for the school! I am proud of you!"

"Thank you, Teacher."

"No need for polite pleasantries." Teacher Li changed the subject, his tone becoming heavy. "Lin Zhou, glory belongs to the past; the future still requires hard work. I am contacting you today to solemnly remind you, and to remind all the Examinees of this year—"

He took a deep breath and said word by word:

"According to the latest announcement from the Federal Education Administration, this year's Human Race college entrance exam for the entire Universe will start on time, three months from today!"

"In other words, there are only ninety days left until the major exam that determines your fate!"

Three months!

Although he was mentally prepared, when this exact countdown was spoken by his homeroom teacher, Lin Zhou's heart still trembled.

An invisible, pressing pressure, like a net gradually closing, quietly descended.

On the light screen, next to Teacher Li's figure, the official announcement of the college entrance exam and a series of data charts popped up.

Core information for the Human Race Federal Higher Deity Academy Unified Entrance Examination (college entrance exam):

Exam time: 90 standard days later.

Exam format: Multi-dimensional comprehensive assessment, including but not limited to:

Divine Domain comprehensive assessment (accounting for 30%): follower strength, divine domain development, resource reserves, rule perfection.

Individual combat power test (accounting for 25%): deity's own combat power, Divine Power mastery, actual combat adaptability.

Theoretical knowledge written exam (accounting for 15%): deity development history, plane knowledge, resource science, tactical command, etc.

Astral simulation actual combat (accounting for 30%): large-scale legion command, astral exploration, civilization conflict simulation.

Examinee scale: The total number of Examinees in the entire Universe for this session is estimated to exceed 300 billion!

Admission rate: The average admission rate for top universities (such as Star Sea Divine Domain University, War God Academy, etc.) is less than one in a million!

Special policy: The Star Domain League champion can receive bonus points for some subjects (specifics pending) and automatically obtain the qualification for autonomous enrollment assessment of top universities.

300 billion Examinees! One in a million admission rate!

These cold data points intuitively demonstrated the cruelty and intense competition of the single-log bridge that was the college entrance exam!

This was no longer a competition within the Star Domain, but a contest with the Prodigy of the same generation from the entire Universe and the entire Human Race!

Among them were heirs cultivated with all their might by deity families, deities of special races born powerful, and lucky ones who had obtained ancient Legacy...

It could be said that no one who could reach the stage of the college entrance exam was mediocre!

Although Lin Zhou had won the championship in the Star Domain League and shown amazing potential, on the scale of the entire Universe, he still could not afford the slightest slack.

After all, the Universe was vast and full of wonders.

Teacher Li looked at Lin Zhou's solemn expression, his tone softening slightly, but still serious: "Lin Zhou, I have no doubt about your strength. Especially the 'Civilization' path you have opened up has infinite potential. But remember, the college entrance exam tests comprehensive ability! Your theoretical knowledge is your weakness; previously, because you were busy with the Star Domain League and Cultivate, there might be deficiencies. These three months, you must cram!"

"In addition, after the great battle and the Fusion of rewards, your divine domain has greatly increased in foundation, but it needs time to fully digest and precipitate, transforming into solid combat power. The Rank of followers, the cultivation of hero units, and the coordination of legions all require a lot of energy."

"In terms of individual combat power, although you are strong, there are countless deities in the Universe who are good at killing, and you need to have means to deal with various strange abilities."

"As for astral actual combat... that is a real meat grinder, testing command, strategy, and even Heart-Nature!"

Teacher Li analyzed them one by one, clearly dissecting Lin Zhou's strengths and shortcomings.

"On the school side, the resource library has been fully opened to you, and the best teachers in each subject are also available to provide you with one-on-one tutoring at any time. You need to formulate a detailed and efficient sprint plan to reasonably allocate these ninety days!"

"I understand, Teacher Li." Lin Zhou replied in a deep voice.

The homeroom teacher's analysis hit the nail on the head.

His theoretical knowledge, especially regarding certain rare planes and special deity systems, was indeed relatively weak.

His divine domain also needed time to fully tap into its potential.

"Very good." Teacher Li nodded with satisfaction. "Remember, these three months are the golden period for you to consolidate your foundation, check for gaps and fill them, and achieve a final leap! Do not be bound by past glory; keep your eyes on the long term! Your stage should be the starry sea!"

Ending the call with his homeroom teacher, Lin Zhou sat in place for a long time.

Three months... ninety days...

It didn't sound short, but for him, who needed to advance on multiple fronts and achieve all-around improvement, every day was precious.

He tapped the desktop lightly, called up the virtual light screen, and began to make initial plans.

Divine domain development (invest at least 6 hours daily): accelerate follower Rank improvement, optimize resource allocation, promote hero unit Breakthrough, coordinate the 【Immovable as a Mountain】 battle formation, and attempt to initially perform Fusion on 【embers of the undying fire】.

Theoretical knowledge learning (invest at least 3 hours daily): cramming general history of deities, plane geography, advanced mathematics (used for complex Divine Power model construction), strategic and tactical theory, etc.

Individual combat power tempering (invest at least 2 hours daily): master existing Divine Power, attempt to develop new Divine Power based on Hundred Schools of Thought, and conduct high-intensity simulated battles.

Rest and adjustment (guaranteed daily): combine work and rest, maintain the best physical and mental state.

This was just a rough framework that still needed to be constantly fine-tuned according to the actual situation.

Just as he was deep in thought, the doorbell rang.

Looking through the surveillance, it was Su Yueyao.

She was still dressed in elegant attire, standing outside the villa door; the morning sunlight plated her body with a faint halo, revealing a hint of warmth amidst her cold and aloof demeanor.

Lin Zhou stood up to open the door.

"So early?" He was a bit surprised.

"Hmm." Su Yueyao walked in and sat naturally on the sofa in the living room, her gaze sweeping over the light screen in front of Lin Zhou that had not yet been closed, seeing the rough sprint plan on it. "Planning for the exam?"

"Just finished talking with Teacher Li." Lin Zhou poured her a glass of water, brewed with clear-heart tea leaves produced in his divine domain, which had a faint calming effect.

"A lot of pressure?" Su Yueyao took the water glass, her fingertips inadvertently touching Lin Zhou's, bringing a hint of coolness. Her expression was normal, but the roots of her ears seemed to turn slightly red, though they quickly recovered.

"Not bad." Lin Zhou sat down opposite her. "As expected. It's just that time is indeed tight."

Su Yueyao gently blew on the heat in the cup, the swirling steam making her beautiful face look a bit blurry. "I just received the notification too. Three months... we need a more efficient way to prepare."

She paused and looked at Lin Zhou: "My individual combat power and theoretical knowledge are balanced, but astral actual combat command is my weakness. Your School of Military thought seems to be proficient in this?"

Lin Zhou instantly understood her intention.

She wanted to seek cooperation to complement each other's shortcomings.

"School of Military does focus on strategy and command." Lin Zhou nodded. "We can conduct simulated battles or analyze some classic battle cases together."

"Good." Su Yueyao agreed straightforwardly, a trace of a smile flashing in her cold eyes. "In addition, Zhao Hao and the others invited us to meet at the 'Star Dust Cafe' at noon, saying it's to thank us, and by the way, to talk about the college entrance exam. You should have received the message, right?"

"Hmm, just saw it, was just about to reply."

"See you at noon then." Su Yueyao stood up and finished the water in the cup. "I won't disturb your planning. Remember, cooperation is a win-win." She gave Lin Zhou a meaningful look, turned and left, leaving behind a faint, cool, and fragrant scent.

Watching Su Yueyao's departing figure, Lin Zhou was lost in thought.

Cooperation is a win-win... indeed, facing such a comprehensive assessment as the college entrance exam, fighting alone is not the optimal solution.

Forming a loose study and actual combat group with Su Yueyao, Zhao Hao, and the others, exchanging pointers and sharing insights, would undoubtedly improve efficiency.

He turned his gaze back to the plan on the light screen and added a note after "Individual combat power tempering" and "Astral simulation actual combat": Conduct in a team with Su Yueyao, Zhao Hao, and others.

After doing this, he took a deep breath, his eyes becoming firm and sharp.

The ninety-day countdown, officially begins!

The final sprint, start!