18: Chapter 18 School Examination

'The lower section of Center Street No. 7 has been blocked off. Citizens, please avoid traveling to this area.'

Li Fan was biting into the Spirit Fish pan-fried by Luo Qingqian while surfing the internet and reading the news.

"Why has Center Street No. 7 been blocked off section by section recently?"

He quickly browsed the news with some confusion in his heart. Eight or nine days ago it was the upper section, three or four days ago it was the middle section, and now even the lower section was blocked.

He suddenly remembered that the aircraft from the Junxuan Division and the Secret Realm Administration Bureau he had seen a few days ago were flying in the direction of Center Street No. 7.

"Center Street No. 6, where the entrance exam location is, is nearby. I hope this doesn't affect us taking the exam."

Li Fan muttered, taking another big bite of the charred, fragrant fish meat.

He and Luo Qingqian had been living together for almost ten days. These days, he could mooch delicious meals cooked by Luo Qingqian every day, and life was very comfortable.

According to Luo Qingqian, a few days ago while he was sleeping in during the morning, a woman had been making a fuss at the opposite door for a while; it must have been Qian Zhenzhen.

After confirming no one was there, that woman even came to knock on Luo Qingqian's door to inquire, only to be naturally and calmly tricked away by Luo Qingqian.

When Li Fan belatedly opened the chat box with Qian Zhenzhen, there was only one vicious message inside.

'Just wait, Young Miss, don't let me find you!'

Li Fan looked at the message and didn't dare to reply.

The most important thing right now was the school entrance exam; he would deal with Qian Zhenzhen's matter after the exam.

Just as he was thinking this, Luo Qingqian mentioned something casually, with a hint of undetectable probing.

"The school entrance exam is tomorrow. Are you confident?"

"As long as I can get into university, it doesn't matter which one."

Li Fan put down his chopsticks with a casual look. Top-tier universities were certainly good, but if it was too much effort, forget it; it didn't fit his slacker style.

A flash of amusement crossed Luo Qingqian's eyes as she said softly.

"With your [Outstanding Talent] Aptitude and Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, getting into those top-tier universities shouldn't be a problem. Which one do you plan to go to?"

This was her true intention—she wanted to know which university Li Fan intended to take the exam for so they could coincidentally enroll together.

After these days of living together, she had gotten used to seeing Li Fan's figure a few steps away when she woke up in the morning, gotten used to preparing an extra portion when cooking, and eating and chatting together. Even just a few simple words made her happy.

"Xuanzong University, I guess." Li Fan gave the answer and reason without hesitation. "You can directly enter government departments after graduation, and the benefits are super good."

The full name of Xuanzong University is Xuannü Civilization Comprehensive University. Its department system is similar to other universities, with four disciplines: Arts, Science, Engineering, and Xuan.

It was the number one ranked university even before the resurgence of Spiritual Qi, with a long history.

This answer was somewhat unexpected for Luo Qingqian.

"I thought you would choose Xuanzhuan University."

Xuanzhuan University, full name Xuanling Cultivation Professional University, was the first university established by the Xuannü Civilization after the resurgence of Spiritual Qi that specialized in the Xuan discipline.

Although its comprehensive ability was not as good as Xuanzong University, the depth and professionalism of its Xuan discipline were the top among all universities.

High-Aptitude Cultivators who were devoted to the Dao and pursued Breakthroughs in cultivation would all choose Xuanzhuan University.

But Li Fan was a slacker; Xuanzong University was more to his taste.

A sense of conflict instantly welled up in Luo Qingqian's heart.

She had originally made up her mind to go to Xuanzhuan University to delve into cultivation, but now, she wanted to be with Li Fan even more.

Although Xuanzong University and Xuanzhuan University were both on the Main Planet, they were far apart. If they each went to a different one, it would likely not be easy to see each other in the future.

With a hint of trepidation in her tone, she asked again.

"Then... are you planning to apply for the Xuan discipline?"

Li Fan hadn't thought that far ahead and interrupted this topic.

"Why the rush? I haven't even passed the exam yet... By the way, Qingqian, this Spirit Fish you made today is really delicious."

In the past, hearing Li Fan's praise, Luo Qingqian would definitely have curled her lips.

But at this moment, a faint sense of loss covered her heart.

She could only follow his lead, smile reluctantly, and temporarily suppress the choice in her heart. "That's true, we haven't even passed the exam yet. We'll talk about it later."

She knew in her heart that she would eventually have to make a choice.

...

The next morning, just as the sky was barely brightening, Li Fan and Luo Qingqian headed to Center Street No. 6 together.

Just as they reached the street entrance, Luo Qingqian looked up at the sky, watching the official aircraft flying toward Center Street No. 7 with some worry.

"What exactly happened?"

Li Fan, munching on the Spirit Rice Cake handmade by Luo Qingqian, was nonchalant.

"Who cares? If the sky falls, the authorities will hold it up. As long as it doesn't affect our school entrance exam, it's fine."

It had to be said that the authorities' control over this school entrance exam was indeed strict to the extreme.

Above Center Street No. 6, patrol aircraft flew past every few minutes.

On the ground, teams composed of Foundation Establishment Cultivators walked by in an orderly fashion from time to time, and occasionally, one could feel Spiritual Qi fluctuations far more powerful than those of Foundation Establishment Cultivators—most likely Golden Core Cultivators.

After strict identity verification, the two arrived in front of a huge portal.

This portal had been converted from a Secret Realm entrance.

It was clear that this Secret Realm had existed for a long time, but there was still Spiritual Qi lingering above the portal, so its Rank must not be low.

Li Fan looked up and saw a young figure sitting cross-legged in mid-air directly above the portal, eyes closed, with an aura restrained throughout his body.

Being able to sit in command of the entire scene here, his cultivation must be extraordinary, yet Li Fan couldn't feel a shred of his spiritual power fluctuations.

"A Nascent Soul big shot?" Li Fan's eyes were full of curiosity; this was a big figure he usually couldn't see even if he wanted to. He didn't expect to be able to see his true form before the school entrance exam even started.

He was also a bit of a blockhead. Standing at the entrance of the Secret Realm portal, he wasn't in a hurry to go in, just staring straight at the Nascent Soul Cultivator in mid-air, not knowing what he was trying to figure out.

Just then, the Nascent Soul Cultivator in mid-air seemed to sense something, and a cold gaze swept straight toward Li Fan.

His whole body stiffened, and he subconsciously shrank his neck, not daring to look any more. He quickly took two steps and stepped into the Secret Realm portal.

Fortunately, this was the Xuannü Civilization, which was civilized enough. In other territories, this would count as offending a Nascent Soul Cultivator, and he wouldn't have lived for three breaths.

The moment he stepped into the Secret Realm, the first thing Li Fan felt was that there were many people, but it wasn't crowded.

Countless examinees were lined up on a transparent Formation floating high in the sky, forming an arc that stretched into the distance; it must be a huge ring.

The examinees far away directly opposite were, in Li Fan's eyes, already reduced to dense, blurry little dots.

And beneath the transparent Formation was an endless sea of clouds, with mist churning, making it impossible to see the scene below.

Li Fan understood; he had already arrived at Guangyin Planet, which was very far from Baigong Planet, and this was where the Secret Realm for this school entrance exam was located.

Every year during the school entrance exam, the Xuannü Civilization authorities would consume huge resources to open transportable Secret Realm portals on various planets, uniformly transporting examinees from all over to this Secret Realm for the school entrance exam.

Examinees from the entire civilization would take the exam in the same place and under the same rules, which was absolutely fair and just.

Just then, the center point of the ring formed by the queue of examinees suddenly shone brightly.

Majestic Spiritual Qi surged suddenly, and a Nascent Soul phantom slowly appeared. Judging by the attire, it should be the Vice Minister of the Xuan Gui Department.

The next second, a voice rang in the minds of all examinees.

The voice was not aged; on the contrary, it was full of youthful vigor, clear and powerful.

"The ranking calculation method and school entrance exam rules for this session are as follows..."

The ranking calculation method was very simple: everyone would be issued a Xuannü Token, and the school entrance exam ranking would be sorted from high to low based on the points on the token.

But the key points were vague.

How exactly to obtain points, when the school entrance exam would end, and whether there were special restrictions—none of this was explained in detail.

Clearly, the authorities intended to test the students' adaptability.

The school entrance exam rules were also simple: killing was not prohibited; in times of crisis, you could crush the token to save your life.

But this rule was still not clear enough.

Did 'killing is not prohibited' only apply to the local creatures of the Secret Realm, or did it include all examinees?

After crushing the token to save your life, did that equate to giving up the exam qualification?

These questions were not explained in detail; the rules were so broad that it made people uneasy.

The Nascent Soul phantom of the Vice Minister of the Xuan Gui Department gradually dissipated, and immediately after, another Nascent Soul phantom appeared, wearing the official uniform of the Xuanxing Department, with a steady voice.

"This school entrance exam is executed by the Xuanxing Department. I hope all students..."

Li Fan frowned, his heart full of doubts.

"The ranking method and rules are so simple. What exactly is the Xuanxing Department responsible for executing? Could it be that there is some unknown mystery within this Secret Realm?"

Finally, the third Nascent Soul phantom slowly appeared, wearing the official uniform of the Xuancha Department, with a serious tone.

"This school entrance exam is supervised by the Xuancha Department. All personnel, please do not violate the rules. Once discovered, your exam qualification will be canceled, and you will never be employed."

These words sounded routine and nothing special, but Luo Qingqian always felt something was wrong, with a hint of doubt in her tone.

"These words... seem to be spoken not just to us students, but also to the executive personnel of the Xuanxing Department."

Hearing this, Li Fan also bowed his head and began to ponder.

He had learned about the school entrance exam rules of previous years when surfing the internet, but that information was vague on key points.

He had thought that the experts liked to be riddlers; it turned out that the authorities simply wouldn't explain the rules clearly at all.

Luo Qingqian added softly.

"Furthermore, the rules specifically emphasized 'killing is not prohibited.' It doesn't sound like a normal reminder; it's more like... deliberately telling us that students can also kill each other."

Li Fan's brows furrowed even tighter, and a trace of unease welled up in his heart. "What happened to the examinees from previous years in the end? Is there any news about those who failed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized something.

After the school entrance exam ended in the past, the news headlines were always about the rankings of the successful students; those who failed were never mentioned.

Even he, an expert who surfed the internet year-round, had never seen any news about the failed students; it was as if they had been deliberately hidden by the authorities.

It seemed that this school entrance exam was not as simple as he thought.

"Qingqian, after the school entrance exam officially starts, follow behind me and don't run around."

Li Fan came back to his senses, his tone serious; he had finally become earnest.

He was now at Qi Refining Perfection and had enough strength to protect Luo Qingqian; he couldn't let anything happen to this cook.

Just as he finished speaking, a familiar and arrogant voice came from not far away.

"Li Fan! I've finally found you, Young Miss!"

Most of the examinees from the Yan Region of Baigong Planet were transported to this area.

Qian Zhenzhen stepped on the transparent floating Formation and walked quickly toward Li Fan, her face full of anger, her eyes staring fixedly at him, as if they were about to spit fire.

"Why are you ignoring me?! Why are you hiding from me?!" She walked up to Li Fan, hands on her hips, questioning him, her tone full of anger and grievance.

Li Fan dodged a bit; he was truly afraid of this Young Miss's entanglement.

Seeing Li Fan not speaking, Qian Zhenzhen's gaze fell on Luo Qingqian beside him.

The two were standing extremely close, and it was obvious that their relationship was unusual. Qian Zhenzhen's face instantly became even uglier.

"Who is she?! " Qian Zhenzhen's voice suddenly raised, like a main wife catching a mistress, her eyes full of hostility.

"She is my classmate, Luo Qingqian, who came to take the school entrance exam with me."

Li Fan said truthfully; there was nothing to hide about this.

Qian Zhenzhen was half-believing.

However, she suddenly realized that the figure of Luo Qingqian in front of her overlapped with the figure of the neighbor opposite when she went to find Li Fan's address a few days ago.

"You two wouldn't happen to be...?"

Qian Zhenzhen's eyes widened, her tone full of disbelief.

In her heart, she had long regarded Li Fan as her own Dao Companion, viewing him as her exclusive property that no one else was allowed to touch.

"I'm so pissed off!"

Before Li Fan and Luo Qingqian could explain, Qian Zhenzhen had already imagined various unsavory scenes in her mind. The more she thought, the angrier she became, and finally, she couldn't help but roar.

"You pair of adulterers!"

This voice was extremely loud, and many surrounding examinees turned to look over, their eyes full of curiosity and gossip.

Being scolded in public like this, although Luo Qingqian felt a bit embarrassed, she inexplicably felt a different kind of emotion.

It was a satisfaction of having her relationship with Li Fan recognized by others as unusual.

And Li Fan had never seen such a scene.

Fortunately, Luo Qingqian had seen big scenes before and quickly calmed down. She took a step forward, blocking in front of Li Fan, and explained in a calm tone.

"This Young Miss Qian, you have misunderstood. I am just... Brother Fan's younger sister."

She said it righteously, with no panic on her face, and many students around nodded one after another after hearing it.

Qian Zhenzhen wanted to continue arguing, but just then, a surge of majestic Spiritual Qi fluctuations came.

The school entrance exam officially began.

The transparent Formation holding everyone up instantly collapsed, and the endless sea of clouds under their feet was cut in half by something, and the vast land was suddenly revealed.

All the students fell straight down, and screams instantly resounded through the sky.

High above, the three Nascent Soul stage Vice Ministers listened to the screams rising and falling below and all shook their heads helplessly.

"I wonder how many true geniuses can emerge from this batch of students this year."

The Vice Minister of the Xuan Gui Department spoke first, but no one responded when the words fell.

A moment later, the Vice Minister of the Xuancha Department asked the Vice Minister of the Xuanxing Department in a deep voice.

"My subordinates reported that there are abnormalities in other Secret Realms around the teleportation portals of various planets. Has the cause of this matter been investigated?"

The implication of the words was that it was already assumed that this series of abnormalities must hide a conspiracy.

The Vice Minister of the Xuanxing Department did not respond directly.

"People have been arranged to watch it; it won't be able to make any waves."

Hearing this, the Vice Minister of the Xuancha Department did not pursue the matter, but just spat out a few words lightly.

"I hope so."