Chapter 41: The Slap in the Face Comes Too Fast
Chapter 41: The Slap in the Face Comes Too Fast
In front of the projection screen, students from Yue City focused all their attention on this year's rankings.
Many looked dejected, grabbing their hair in frustration.
These disappointed students could be found in every school, but in Yue City No. 14 Middle School, a considerable number of students felt lucky instead.
Seeing the frustrated expressions of their peers, they couldn't help but feel grateful.
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The Reason for Their Regret
It was obvious why so many students were in despair.
Just one glance at the large number of 0s in the rankings, and the answer became clear.
These students had chosen missions beyond their capabilities.
Since they failed to complete them, they naturally received 0 points.
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Those Who Listened to Jiang Tian's Advice
In contrast, the students who followed Jiang Tian's advice and adjusted their goals found themselves in a much better position.
They may not have gotten high scores, but because of the large number of students who scored 0, their own rankings improved drastically.
Among the 20,000+ students who took the city-wide exam, only the top 10,000 were eligible for a consolation prize.
The higher the ranking, the better the reward.
Many of them made it into the top 5,000, something they never expected.
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Change of Attitude Towards Jiang Tian
Initially, these students envied Jiang Tian, assuming he was just lucky to be paired with Xue Ruyan.
Now?
Their jealousy vanished.
Instead, they felt that Jiang Tian deserved his success.
Even those who scored 0 points in No. 14 Middle School couldn't complain.
Their awakened talents were poor, they failed the mission, and now they had no rewards.
With the college entrance exam looming, their future looked bleak.
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The "Four Vajra" Were Actually Monsters
Meanwhile, the entire school turned their attention to a different revelation.
Among the so-called "Four Vajra", the other three teams ranked within the top 100 in the city.
At that moment, they realized the truth—
The "Four Vajra" had never been weak.
They had simply been hiding their true strength.
Their real blood energy values were far beyond what anyone imagined.
Especially Guo Qihang, who had been playing dumb all along.
In reality, he was strong enough to enter the elite class.
Because of the strong-leading-the-weak matching system, he exploited the loophole.
He was already strong, and his teammates weren't weak either.
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His Final Ranking?
36th place.
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He had actually competed with the top students from the three most prestigious schools in Yue City.
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Shocking News About the First Place Ranker
At that moment, someone shouted—
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"Wait, the first place changed!"
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Everyone turned their heads sharply.
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"It's Bai Zunren from No. 1 Middle School!"
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Then another student noticed something odd.
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"Wait... why is Bai Zunren's teammate Bai Zunli?"
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Someone gasped.
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"Aren't they siblings?!"
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The Bai Siblings' Controversial Victory
The Bai siblings had been famous since junior high.
But last year, Bai Zunli's grades had mysteriously plummeted.
Now, after this awakening exam, her performance had suddenly recovered.
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Was This Cheating?
The crowd buzzed with suspicion.
Many students frowned, unhappy with the situation.
Even Guo Qihang, surrounded by classmates from No. 14 Middle School, sneered.
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"He must have known the results in advance."
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"You can't pull this off without connections."
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He folded his arms, smirking.
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"Of course, it's unfair, but whatever. At least it helps my school ranking."
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"I'll be sending red envelopes to my good classmates later."
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He grinned mischievously, bowing to his classmates like a generous host.
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A Sudden Argument Breaks Out
A commotion erupted nearby.
Everyone turned to see the Bai siblings arguing with another student.
A long-haired boy from No. 2 Middle School was shouting in anger.
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"Cheating! This isn't fair!"
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The Root of the Dispute
The long-haired boy was defending his teammate, a talented student who had completed all the advanced missions.
Despite his teammate's skill, their ranking barely missed the top ten.
Meanwhile, the top-ranking teams had manipulated the system.
They deliberately underperformed last year to get paired with stronger teammates.
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Bai Zunren's Cold Response
Bai Zunren mocked the long-haired boy.
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"If you're so unhappy, why didn't YOU kill three Level 1 Flame Birds?"
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His tone dripped with sarcasm.
The long-haired boy's face flushed with rage.
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"But what you did is cheating!"
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Bai Zunli, playing with her fingers, lazily responded—
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"Cheating? My strength declined before, but it recovered after awakening."
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She shrugged.
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"Besides, we really did kill the Flame Birds. What's the problem?"
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Bai Zunren sneered.
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"Losers like you always make excuses."
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His words hit hard, making the long-haired boy shake with fury.
The students from No. 1 Middle School laughed and mocked him, enjoying the humiliation.
His teammate sighed.
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"Forget it… there's nothing we can do."
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His resignation made the long-haired boy furious, but he had no argument left.
Reality was unfair.
The ranking seemed set in stone.
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But Then…
A wave of shock swept through the crowd.
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People stared at the screen, speechless.
Some students rubbed their eyes—
As if they had seen a ghost.
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The students from No. 1 Middle School turned around—
And their faces instantly turned pale.
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They Saw the New First Place Team.
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"WHAT?!"
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Yue City Awakening Assessment – Citywide Joint Exam Rankings
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1st Place:
Jiang Tian & Xue Ruyan – Yue City No. 14 Middle School
5,660 Points.
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The Entire Crowd Fell Silent.