139: The road is right in front of us, there's no reason not to walk it.

After a brief silence.

With a "buzz," the classroom erupted.

Everyone turned their heads, staring at Lin Que as if he were a monster.

"149?"

"Brother Que, you're going to reach the heavens!"

Wu Di was clinging to the edge of his desk, his eyes nearly popping out.

"I remember the highest score for Chinese in the joint exam was 146, right? This broke the record!"

The top students, who had already heard their names called in the front row, also turned around.

They were extremely sensitive to scores.

In the joint Chinese exam, there were many subjective questions, and the graders usually marked down.

This meant not a single point was deducted for reading comprehension or classical poetry fill-in-the-blanks,

Only one point was deducted from the final essay.

Shen Qingqiu tapped on the table.

"Quiet!"

She looked at Lin Que,

Her eyes filled with unconcealed admiration.

"Student Lin Que's essay, 'Summarizing the Past is Also Starting the Future',

was rated as a perfect score essay by the grading committee and circulated as a model essay throughout the city."

"As for that one point deducted..."

The whole class pricked up their ears.

Everyone wanted to know which difficult question this sole flaw had been made on.

Shen Qingqiu held a corner of the test paper between two fingers, showing it to the class:

"The grader wrote a line in the comment section: 'The article is divine, the handwriting is atrocious.'"

"This one point deduction is not unjust; it's to prevent you from becoming arrogant and to remind you to practice your calligraphy."

"Whoa—"

One point deducted because the paper wasn't neat? What's the difference between that and a perfect score!

"Total score..."

Shen Qingqiu continued to read.

"619, class rank 13, grade rank... 89."

From ranking in the twenties in the class, he directly broke into the top fifteen.

From outside the top two hundred in the grade, he rushed into the top one hundred.

This ranking was very subtle.

It wasn't high enough to be scrutinized by teachers as a key protected animal like the top few,

Nor was it low enough to be dragged to the office for tea every day like those at the bottom.

It was in the upper-middle, a safe zone.

He remembered that at this time in his previous life, he was also just hovering outside the top twenty.

It wasn't until his third year of high school, when he realized his family's difficulties,

That he began to study like crazy, finally barely making it into a 985 university.

Now, him,

Although he had the knowledge reserves from his previous life, he had lost touch for so many years,

The formulas and theorems in science subjects had long become unfamiliar.

To score 13th place was already the limit of relying on old knowledge plus recent intensive study.

"Not bad, no regression."

Lin Que expressed satisfaction with his results.

After Shen Qingqiu finished distributing all the students' report cards, her expression became serious.

"I know what you're thinking. You feel it's only the second half of sophomore year, and the college entrance exam is still far away."

She tapped the blackboard.

"But I have to tell you a piece of data.

Next year, the year of your college entrance exam.

According to data from the Provincial Department of Education, the number of college entrance exam candidates in the entire province will reach its historical peak.

Your graduating class is the largest cohort of high school students in Su Province and even the entire country."

A collective gasp was heard from below the stage.

"I don't need to say more about what this means, do I?"

Shen Qingqiu's voice deepened.

"Scores that could get you into a second-tier university in previous years might only qualify you for a vocational college this year.

Scores that could get you into a 211 university in previous years might not even guarantee a first-tier university this year."

"So, focus your minds."

"Those whose grades are hovering in the middle of the class,

Especially those with severe imbalances in science subjects, go home and discuss with your families.

Whether to take independent enrollment, or pursue arts, or..."

Shen Qingqiu's gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept over a few students.

"If you have other special talents that you can bet on."

The atmosphere in the classroom became oppressive.

The students who had just been excited about Lin Que's 149 points,

Were now thoroughly chilled by this bucket of cold water.

Lin Que twirled his pen,

Looking at the countdown display on the LCD screen on the podium, "429 days until the college entrance exam," the pressure had permeated the entire classroom through the walls.

He wasn't flustered though.

Whether as "Hell Dream Weaver" or "Jian Shen",

The income from these two identities was enough to ensure he would be well-fed and clothed for the rest of his life.

But he didn't want to stop there.

If he only wanted to be a rich man, he could drop out of school now and go home to write.

He could still make a fortune with the remnants of those works in his mind.

But since he wanted to be a qualified "Fire Bearer" in this culturally barren world,

Then he had to stand higher.

He needed an admission ticket.

An admission ticket that would allow him to enter the highest institutions and access the top cultural circles of this world.

With his current 13th place ranking,

Even if he worked his hardest, he would at most get into a bottom-tier 985 university.

Far from enough.

The air pressure in the classroom was suffocatingly low,

Shen Qingqiu looked at the anxious, dimmed eyes below the stage and sighed softly.

"Although the path is crowded, it's not the only one."

Shen Qingqiu changed the subject, pulling out a beautifully printed poster from her teaching folder,

And unfolded it, pasting it on the blackboard.

The background color of the poster was a deep ink blue,

A golden roc was spreading its wings, ready to soar straight up.

Above it, a line of strong, powerful characters was printed.

"The 10th 'Fu Zhi Yao Competition' National Middle School Student Essay Competition."

"This is a literary competition led by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and co-organized by seven top universities."

Shen Qingqiu pointed to the poster.

Lin Que's pen stopped.

Fu Zhi Yao Competition.

The great roc soars ninety thousand li on a whirlwind.

The name itself carried an extraordinary aura.

"I'm sure some of you have heard of it."

Shen Qingqiu tapped her knuckles on the roc on the poster.

"The prestige of this competition goes without saying.

Winning a prize can lead to reduced scores for independent enrollment, or even direct recommendation to the Chinese Language Department.

For some students with severe subject imbalances, this will be your last chance to overtake others on a curved path."

Recommendation.

These two words were like a huge stone, thrown into a calm lake.

For these high school students, who were tormented by the comprehensive science exam,

This was simply a 'get out of jail free' card.

"Of course, since it's national, the difficulty is naturally very high."

Shen Qingqiu's tone shifted.

"Moreover, the competition system is extremely brutal.

It's divided into four stages: national submission, regional preliminary, provincial semi-final, and national final.

The cycle lasts for six months.

Without sufficient foundation and talent, you won't even pass the preliminary round."

"It can be said that those who make it to the end are all literary prodigies from across the country."

After Shen Qingqiu finished speaking, she placed the registration form on the podium.

"Those interested, come and get a registration form. The deadline for the first draft is next Friday."

The classroom buzzed with noise, and many literature enthusiasts were eager to try.

But only a handful actually got up to get the form.

Everyone knew their place,

In a competition where 'immortals fight', there was no such thing as luck.

Even if they polished a good piece of work for the submission stage and made it to the preliminary round,

After the preliminary round, it would be on-site essay writing, which was a real battle.

As Shen Qingqiu said, without a strong foundation, they would ultimately become cannon fodder.

Just as the students were whispering,

The sound of a chair scraping the floor rang out.

Lin Que stood up.

With one hand in his pocket, he unhurriedly walked through the aisle, stepping onto the podium under the gaze of the entire class.

Shen Qingqiu watched him approach, not surprised.

"Have you thought it through?"

Shen Qingqiu asked.

"I have."

Lin Que took the form.

"Since the path is underfoot, there's no reason not to walk it."

Shen Qingqiu nodded.

Lin Que knew very well,

This was not just a path, but a springboard.

Since the regular track was too crowded, he would change the game.

What he wanted was not just that admission letter,

But also the qualification to stand on the podium of the highest educational institution and output civilization to this world.

After simply filling it out, he handed it to Shen Qingqiu.

"Alright."

Shen Qingqiu took the registration form.

"Prepare well. Hand in your preliminary draft to me before next Thursday, and I'll revise it for you."

Lin Que nodded, then turned and returned to his seat.

With Lin Que taking the lead, Zhang Ya hesitated for a moment, then also went up to get a form.

Subsequently, a few other girls who usually had good Chinese scores followed suit and registered... In the office,

Shen Qingqiu looked at the registration form in her hand, signed with the characters "Lin Que," and a faint smile played on her lips.

She picked up the desk phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice before being answered,

A hoarse but vigorous voice came from the other end.

"Hello?"

"Chairman Gu, it's me, Xiao Shen."

Shen Qingqiu's tone became exceptionally respectful.

The person on the other end of the phone was indeed the Chairman of the Su Province Writers Association, Gu Changfeng.

"Oh, it's Teacher Shen."

Gu Changfeng smiled, his tone gentle.

"What, has that kid made a move?"

"Yes."

Shen Qingqiu looked out the window at the figure lazily doing exercises among the crowd on the playground,

She whispered:

"Just now, he signed the 'Fu Zhi Yao Competition' registration form."

...