190: Chapter 190 Only Top Students Can Survive

The morning at the Heavenly River Sword Sect should have been a time of silence and cultivation as the purple qi rose from the east.

But today, the sky was exceptionally noisy.

"Rumble—"

The Nine Dragon Chariot from the Zifu Holy Land in Zhongzhou was hovering directly above the Mountain Protection Grand Array. Those nine hundred-foot-long flood dragons, with scales and claws flying, exhaled dragon breath capable of melting gold and iron. Around the chariot, hundreds of Purple Mansion Cultivators stood in the air, each emitting a powerful aura of the Golden Core Stage or higher, pushing the oppressive feeling of a "villain's grand entrance" to the extreme.

According to the Cultivation World's script, at this time, the Sect Head of the Heavenly River Sword Sect should have brought all the Sect's Elders out to kneel in fear or activate the Grand Array for a desperate resistance.

However.

Ten minutes passed.

Half an hour passed.

Inside the mountain gate of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, it was as quiet as a graveyard.

No one came out to welcome them.

No one came out to issue a challenge.

Even that Big Yellow Dog guarding the gate only looked up and glanced at the dragons in the sky, then pushed the glasses frame on the bridge of its nose, lowered its head, and continued drawing something on a sand table, muttering "Woof woof (this parabola is wrong)."

"Presumptuous!"

On the chariot, the Purple Mansion Holy Son Xiao Tianjiao finally couldn't hold back.

He wore Purple-Gold Qilin Armor and a Triple-Pronged Purple-Gold Hair Crown. He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, naturally carrying a "I am the only supreme being between heaven and earth" BGM.

As a leading figure of the younger generation in Zhongzhou, where would he go without being the center of attention? When had he ever received such a cold reception?

"Heavenly River Sword Sect! Are you all deaf?"

"This Saint has descended, and you dare not welcome me?!"

Xiao Tianjiao waved his hand, and a Nascent Soul Stage Dao Protector Elder beside him immediately stepped forward, circulated his Spiritual Qi, and let out a thunderous roar:

"Where is Tianhe's Sect Master! Get out here immediately! Otherwise, I will flatten your mountain gate!"

This roar contained the pressure of the Nascent Soul Great Perfection, and the rolling sound waves directly shattered several boulders outside the mountain gate.

Finally, there was a reaction within the Heavenly River Sword Sect.

A youth wearing grey work clothes (Servant uniform) and holding a broom slowly poked his head out from the mountain gate.

He glanced at the Formation in the sky, and there was no fear on his face, only a deep... impatience.

"What are you shouting for?"

The youth picked his ear and took out a half-finished notebook from his robes.

"Don't you know it's 'morning self-study' time?"

"The noise level exceeds 80 decibels, affecting everyone's 'flow' state. According to Article 18 of the 'Tianhe Public Security Management Punishment Regulations,' you have violated the rules."

"Violated the rules?"

The Purple Mansion Elder in the sky laughed in anger, "A mere Foundation Establishment Stage ant dares to talk to me about violating rules? Tell your Sect Master to get out here!"

"The Sect Master is busy."

The youth rolled his eyes, "The Sect Master is currently taking the 'Fluid Mechanics' midterm exam paper and has been in seclusion for three days, saying he won't come out until he finishes it. If you're in a hurry, go to the back and take a number to queue up."

After saying that, the youth closed the mountain gate with a "bang."

He even conveniently turned on the "noise-canceling mode" of the Mountain Protection Grand Array.

The Purple Mansion crowd: "..."

Xiao Tianjiao: "..."

What the hell kind of operation is this?

Midterm exam? Fluid Mechanics?

Have the people of the Heavenly River Sword Sect been kicked in the head by a donkey?

...

Actually, the youth was not lying.

At this time, the interior of the Heavenly River Sword Sect was indeed in a state of extremely terrifying atmosphere.

This atmosphere was not called fear; it was called—involution.

Since Li Mo established the "Credit System" and "Bottom-out Elimination System," the survival logic of the entire Sect had undergone a world-shaking change.

Before, when Disciples met, they compared cultivation: "Senior Brother, you're at the Early Stage of the Golden Core? Impressive!"

Now, when Disciples met, they compared their GPA.

"Senior Brother, what was your GPA last semester?"

"Sigh, don't mention it, only 3.8. Although I got a perfect score in 'Alchemy Chemistry,' I failed 'High-Energy Physics.' Because I miscalculated a Planck Constant, I was almost hung on the flagpole by the Old Ancestor for public shaming."

"3.8? Then you're finished. I heard the threshold for 'True Disciples' this year is 4.0. With those points, you can only go to the cafeteria to chop vegetables."

Under this high-pressure environment, the Cultivators burst forth with an astonishing desire to survive.

On the plaza.

A group of Disciples were doing their "morning run."

It wasn't a normal run; everyone had several hundred pounds of dark iron sandbags tied to their legs, and they were holding a copy of "Higher Mathematics (Cultivation Edition)."

While running, they recited:

"The limit of sin x over x as x approaches 0 is 1..."

"Lagrange Mean Value Theorem... there exists a point xi..."

If anyone recited incorrectly or ran too slowly,

The supervising Enforcement Disciple (now called an Academic Affairs Office Officer) would mercilessly strike them with an "Electric Shock Technique."

"Wrong! Recite it again! If you can't even remember these simple formulas, how will you calculate trajectories in the future? How will you strike accurately?"

And on the martial arts field,

The atmosphere was even more tense.

This was originally a place where Disciples sparred and dueled.

Today, there was indeed a duel here.

The two sides of the duel were two top students from the inner Sect rankings.

One was the "Abacus Hero" Qian Duoduo, from a merchant family, skilled in data analysis.

The other was the "Geometry Demon" Zhao Fangyuan, a Genius of the Formation department, who supposedly even drew auxiliary lines in his sleep.

The two stood in the center of the stage, overflowing with Killing Intent.

But they held neither swords nor sabers.

Instead, they held—chalk.

Between them stood a massive blackboard.

"Qian Duoduo, you've gone too far!"

Zhao Fangyuan pushed the thick-lensed glasses on the bridge of his nose, a cold light flickering in his eyes. "This 'Curvature Calculation Problem of Void Fissures' was clearly discovered by me first! What right do you have to rush to publish the paper?"

"A joke!"

Qian Duoduo sneered, his abacus clicking rapidly. "Science has no first-come-first-served; there is only who calculates faster! Although you discovered it, your modeling was too ugly! Only I used the 'Fourier Transform' to provide the optimal solution!"

"Bullshit! Your transform ignored the imaginary part of the Spiritual Qi disturbance! That's pseudoscience!"

"Not convinced? Then let's have a literary duel!"

"Let's do it! Whoever loses gives up the first authorship of this paper and has to wash the other's socks for a month!"

"Deal!"

Below the stage, hundreds of spectating Disciples held their breath.

Even the people from the Zifu Holy Land in the sky, unable to hear the sound because of the sound-canceling Formation, could only watch this scene from afar through a Water Mirror Technique.

"Saint, they're about to fight!"

The Purple Mansion Elder said excitedly, "It seems the Heavenly River Sword Sect is having internal strife! These two have strong auras; fighting will surely lead to mutual destruction!"

Xiao Tianjiao also narrowed his eyes: "Hmph, a motley crowd indeed. Let's see how they kill each other."

However, in the next second,

A scene that made all the outsiders' jaws drop occurred.

The two did not bring out Magic Treasures to clash.

Instead, they turned around simultaneously, back to back, facing the blackboard.

"Referee, present the problem!"

An Elder serving as the referee (formerly the Enforcement Hall Head, now the Dean of Students) stepped onto the stage and solemnly pulled a test paper from a sealed bag.

"The topic for this duel: Calculus Application Problem."

"Problem: Given a demonic Cultivator escaping at a velocity of v(t) = 3t^2 + 2t, while simultaneously releasing a toxic mist with a radius of r(t) = 5t. Find: the optimal entry angle for our Sword Cultivator's pursuit at t = 10s, and the instantaneous rate of change of the toxic mist's volume."

"Time limit: Fifteen minutes."

"Start!"

Gong—!

As soon as the bell rang,

The stage was instantly filled with a shocking amount of... chalk dust.

Da-da-da-da-da-da!

The hand speeds of Qian Duoduo and Zhao Fangyuan were so fast that only Residual Shadows could be seen.

That wasn't writing; that was wild cursive.

The white chalk rubbed against the blackboard, making sharp and piercing sounds as if two peerless divine weapons were clashing.

"Let the entry angle be theta..."

"Establish a spherical coordinate system..."

"Differentiate the volume formula V = 4/3 * pi * r^3..."

While writing, the two were also conducting mental attacks.

"Zhao Fangyuan! Your handwriting is too ugly! The formulas aren't aligned! Point deduction!"

"Qian Duoduo! You skipped a step in your second part! Do you think the grader is blind? Your logic is not rigorous!"

The audience below watched in fascination.

"So fast! Senior Brother Qian's differentiation speed is practically the speed of light!"

"No! Senior Brother Zhao's geometric modeling is more intuitive! He directly drew a three-dimensional dynamic diagram of the toxic mist!"

"Too strong! Is this the battle of top students? I feel like my brain is going to burn!"

Some people even suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood because they stared at the formulas on the blackboard for too long.

"Pfft—!"

"This problem... this problem is too hard! My Divine Soul's computing power isn't enough... I can't take it..."

"Quick! Carry him away! Send him to the infirmary for some electrotherapy!"

Fifteen minutes later.

Gong—!

The bell rang again.

"Stop writing!"

Qian Duoduo and Zhao Fangyuan stopped at the same time.

Both of their faces were as pale as paper, and sweat soaked their backs.

This kind of high-intensity mental calculation consumed Divine Soul power far exceeding that of a normal battle.

"I... I calculated it!"

Qian Duoduo gasped for breath, pointing at the answer on the blackboard: "The rate of volume change is... 1500 pi!"

"I calculated it too!"

Zhao Fangyuan was not to be outdone, "And I even optimized the pursuit path; not only can it avoid the toxic mist, but it can also conveniently land a strike on the demonic Cultivator!"

The Referee Elder stepped onto the stage, holding the standard answer for comparison.

"The answers are correct."

"However..."

The Elder pushed his glasses, his gaze sharp.

"Qian Duoduo's steps took 15 lines. Zhao Fangyuan took 12 lines."

"According to 'Occam's Razor Principle'—entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity."

"Simplicity is beauty."

"The winner: Zhao Fangyuan!"

"Yeah!!!"

The Disciples of the Formation department cheered and jumped for joy, as if they had won a world war.

Meanwhile, Qian Duoduo slumped to the ground, tears of regret flowing from his eyes: "Dammit... why did I write those extra three lines of proof... I hate this!"

...

In the sky, on the Nine Dragon Chariot.

The Purple Mansion Holy Son Xiao Tianjiao was now completely petrified.

The Nascent Soul Elder beside him had even plucked out several strands of his own beard.

"What... what are they doing?"

Xiao Tianjiao pointed at the blackboard below covered in strange symbols, his voice trembling.

"Weren't they dueling? Why are they... drawing talismans?"

"And that person who won, why didn't he kill the loser, but instead... threw him a pair of smelly socks?"

No one could answer him.

Because everyone from the Zifu Holy Land could not understand.

Those unknown symbols, filled with logical beauty yet extremely obscure, made them feel a kind of... dimensionality reduction strike from the level of IQ.

"Saint..."

A follower swallowed hard, "Why do I feel like... this Heavenly River Sword Sect is even more terrifying than the rumors?"

"They don't cultivate spiritual power; they cultivate their brains?"

Just then.

At the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion, a window slowly opened.

Li Mo stood by the window, holding his thermos, his gaze penetrating the sound-canceling Formation and falling upon the chariot in the sky.

"Have you seen enough?"

Li Mo's voice was flat, yet it clearly spread throughout the world.

"If you've seen enough, come down and solve some problems."

"Our school does not accept idlers."

Xiao Tianjiao's whole body shook.

He looked at the youth standing at the high point.

Although the other party did not have the slightest aura of a powerhouse, those eyes...

In those eyes, there was no awe for the Holy Land, only the look one gives to... a failing student.

"You are that sweeping Old Ancestor?"

Xiao Tianjiao took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart and restoring his arrogance as a Saint.

"Playing tricks! This Saint has come here today to subdue you all!"

"Break the array for me!"

He gave the order.

The hundreds of Purple Mansion Cultivators behind him all struck at once.

Various Magic Treasures, Flying Swords, and Divine Abilities converged into a multicolored torrent, fiercely crashing toward the Heavenly River Sword Sect's Mountain Protection Grand Array.

However.

Just as the attack was about to land.

"Sigh."

Li Mo sighed.

"It seems that if I don't give you an 'entrance exam,' you won't know the 'weight of knowledge.'"

He did not strike.

He simply shouted to the plaza below:

"Attention everyone."

"Practical class has begun."

"Problem: Given the enemy's total attack energy is E, with an incident angle of 90 degrees. Find: how to use the 'Specular Reflection Principle' and 'Wave Interference' to... bounce this energy back the way it came?"

"The first ten to solve this problem get +1 to their final GPA!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

The three thousand Disciples who were still watching the "literary duel" were instantly energized as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"GPA! It's GPA!"

"I'll do it! I can calculate it! The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection!"

"No! Use interference! Create a wave with the opposite phase to cancel it out!"

"Don't compete with me! I'm going to use 'Concave Mirror Focusing' to burn them to ashes!"

In an instant,

Countless beams of spiritual light soared into the sky.

That was not a blind counterattack.

That was a Formation reorganization filled with geometric beauty, calculated precisely by three thousand brains.

The light screen of the Mountain Protection Grand Array suddenly changed.

It was no longer a rigid shield.

Instead, it instantly split into countless hexagonal small mirror surfaces.

Every mirror surface was fine-tuning its angle.

The next second,

The Zifu Holy Land's attack torrent crashed into these mirror surfaces.

There was no explosion.

Instead... it slid away.

Or rather, it was perfectly and without loss... bounced back.

"What?!"

Xiao Tianjiao's pupils shrank.

He watched helplessly as the Divine Abilities his own people had launched reflected back at an even faster speed and more cunning angle.

"De... Defense!!!"

Rumble—!!!

The sky became a sea of fireworks.

The fleet of flying ships from the Zifu Holy Land was blown into a mess by their own attacks.

Although no one died (after all, it was their own power and they had resistance), their dignity... was completely lost.

The smoke cleared.

Xiao Tianjiao stood on the chariot looking bedraggled, his originally bright and beautiful purple-gold crown now crooked.

He looked down at the group of Tianhe Disciples who were holding small notebooks and recording data, listening to their excited discussions:

"Oh, the angle was off by 0.1 degrees, otherwise we could have burned off that dragon's whiskers."

"It seems 'Fresnel Diffraction' in actual combat still needs to consider the refractive index of air."

Xiao Tianjiao's Dao Heart cracked a gap.

What kind of Sect is this?

What kind of monsters are these people?

And Li Mo still stood by the window, taking a sip of tea.

"Only top students can survive."

"This is the new school motto of the Heavenly River Sword Sect."

He looked at the Saint in the sky who was about to go crazy with anger and smiled slightly.

"Now, have you passed the first stage of the entrance exam?"

"If not, I don't mind giving you... a final challenge problem."