33-The Calm Before the Storm.
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Still, these past few days hadn't been entirely uneventful.
For instance, every time Su Mo headed to the trial hall to farm the Goblin dungeon, Zhang Chen would glare at him with cold, sinister eyes.
Before, Su Mo might've paid him a sliver of attention.
But after slaughtering 20 Silver-ranks and felling a Gold-rank last time, a guy like Zhang Chen didn't even register on his radar anymore.
If a punk like that stayed quiet and behaved, Su Mo couldn't be bothered to deal with him.
But if he dared to try anything funny, Su Mo would crush him with a single finger!
Walking home, Su Mo pulled up his attribute panel.
[Name: Su Mo]
[Level: 9]
[Awakened Abilities: Absolute Defense, Heart of Slaughter]
[Strength: 1,016] (Base 1,008 + 8 from leveling)
[Defense: MAX]
[Speed: 78 (70 + 8)]
[Physique: 95 (87 + 8)]
[Critical Chance: 14% (13% + 1%)]
[Mental: 26 (18 + 8)]
[Skills: Mountain Collapse Earth Shatter, Devastating Strike]
[Free Attribute Points: 632]
With stats like these, as long as no Gold-rank powerhouses showed up at the college entrance exam, Su Mo was confident no one could withstand a single punch from him.
As for breaking his defense? They'd have better luck figuring out how to survive his fist first.
Staring at his 632 free attribute points, Su Mo started to waver.
Should he dump them into strength? Or strength? Or maybe strength? So tough to decide!
A fierce guy like him, awakened for nine days, and his strength still hadn't surpassed 2,000—what a failure.
If Old Man Wang hadn't insisted he not break past Level 10 before becoming the top scorer,
with his strength, he could've swept every dungeon near Tianfu City daily.
Bronze-rank might be a stretch, but Level 18 or 19 would've been no problem.
Add in all the monsters turning into attribute points, and his strength would've easily blown past 5,000 by now.
Just as Su Mo was about to dump all his points into strength, a thought struck him.
Right now, he was invincible below Gold-rank. Anyone he could hit, he'd kill in one punch.
Someone he couldn't beat? Impossible.
With absolute defense, there was no one he couldn't take down.
So the real issue was—what if someone realized they couldn't beat him and ran, and he couldn't catch up?
Looks like he'd need to boost his speed a bit!
And if he boosted speed, physique had to keep up too.
Plus, raising physique would let him use [Mountain Collapse Earth Shatter] more often.
With that in mind, Su Mo slapped 300 points into physique, bringing it to 395.
The remaining 332 free points went straight into speed, rocketing it to a terrifying 410.
With these stats, the other exam candidates wouldn't just fail to beat him—if he got annoyed, they'd struggle to even touch him.
Humming a tune, he strolled leisurely home.
…
Northwest, An City.
"Xiaotian, tomorrow's the college entrance exam. Remember, your uncle is Chu God—don't disgrace the Chu family!"
"Father, don't worry. With the Chu family bloodline and my Level 50 strength, I'll definitely take the top spot this year!"
"Good, that's the spirit! In the future, you'll be a pride of Great Xia, just like your uncle!"
…
Southeast, Tianhai City.
Inside the Xiao family ancestral hall, a commanding middle-aged man addressed twelve young people below with a stern expression:
"Our Xiao family has claimed the top spot in the college entrance exam for five straight years. This year, I expect the same. Do you have the confidence?!"
"We'll make it happen!"
"Excellent. I'll be waiting at home for your triumphant return!"
...
Southwest, Tianlan City.
"Xueting, we won't aim for the national top scorer, but I have high hopes for you to snag the southwest region's top spot this year."
Jiang Xueting paused, then shook her head:
"I'm afraid that'll be tough. A few days ago, while training outside, I ran into a student from Tianfu High School.
I don't know which family he's from, but his strength was incredible—I doubt I'm his match."
…
Scenes like this played out across the country—in major high schools and families alike.
Some brimmed with confidence, others just hoped to scrape by with a decent rank.
The college entrance exam would decide their futures.
Poor grades meant no university, a lifetime stuck in their hometowns, toiling away with little hope of ever reaching Bronze-rank.
Below-average grades got you into low-tier schools—graduate, and you'd either stagnate at Bronze or risk it all in the military for a shot at more.
Average grades landed you in mid-tier institutions, where only a few might break through to Silver-rank.
Only top grades and elite universities offered abundant resources, better instructors, and the chance to climb higher, becoming Silver-rank powerhouses.
Back in Tianfu City, Su Mo and his sister Su Yu were gathered around a hearty meal.
Since Su Mo's last return, their family's circumstances had improved a lot—
at least when it came to food.
Lately, aside from his twice-daily Goblin dungeon runs, he'd been home keeping his sister company.
Su Yu added another piece of meat to Su Mo's bowl, her voice gentle:
"Little Mo, tomorrow's the exam. Eat up."
"Sis, aren't you curious what kind of score I'll get?"
Su Yu chuckled softly and shook her head:
"It doesn't matter what score you get. If it's good, I'll be happy for you. If it's not, I can take care of you.
But Little Mo's all grown up now—maybe you don't need me to anymore. Plus, you'll be looking for a girlfriend soon."
By the end, her laughter rang out like silver bells.
"I'll be this year's top scorer! Then I'll take you with me to the capital!" Su Mo said, locking eyes with Su Yu, each word deliberate.
"Hahaha, Little Mo, you're amazing! If that's the case, then I'll congratulate you in advance. You've really grown up—starting to look out for your big sis."
Su Yu's smile remained tender. Watching Su Mo declare his intent like a solemn oath, her eyes crinkled into crescents.
"Sis, tomorrow, stay home and watch the exam live stream. See your little brother snag this year's top spot!"
Su Yu turned, ruffled Su Mo's hair, and said with a grin:
"Alright, alright, tomorrow I'm not going anywhere—I'll stay home and watch you in the exam. Now finish eating, take a bath, and get to bed, or you won't wake up tomorrow."
With that, Su Mo started clearing the dishes.
The night passed quietly. The next morning, after breakfast, Su Mo tucked his double-edged battle axe at his waist and headed out.
On the way to Tianfu High School, every student and parent wore a grave expression.
Stepping into the school, Old Man Wang stood out today in a flashy outfit, his face blooming with a grin like a chrysanthemum. He greeted everyone with a cheerful laugh—
especially when he spotted Su Mo walking through the gate. His laughter took on a wild edge.
A Level 9 top scorer was about to emerge from our school! So what if I'm a little smug? Hahaha!
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