Chapter 35 - 35 27 Study Hard Maybe

35: Chapter 27: Study Hard (Maybe) 35: Chapter 27: Study Hard (Maybe) “Top ten winners get 100,000, and the first prize is over 600,000. Isn’t that exaggerated…?” Although Lu Ping’an was initially attracted by the rewards, upon further reflection, it seemed quite reasonable. Compared to the previous world, where they gave away cars, houses, and millions to national or provincial champions, Ancient City University was much more restrained. What they really needed were talents, and they were competing for them. “Six top-tier training institutions are fighting for talents. Every quality graduate is an actual combat power and a member of a great network of connections…” With this background, considering the high income and high risks for Secret Keeper graduates, 600,000 is just an attractive startup fund. No wonder Xia Qin said she could settle her debts in three or four years. Perhaps she was speaking from the perspective of an ordinary professional. For now, let’s set aside the difficult to obtain 600,000. Lu Ping’an had already heard that there was a third-tier expert among the candidates this time. Maybe it’s worth a shot at the top ten prizes of 100,000. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He felt hopeful, but if someone with experience knows about this, they would think he was aiming too high. “A newly awakened rookie is good enough if training institutions want them. Do you still want to get into Ancient City? Even if you manage to get in, you’d be lucky already. And now you want bonuses? Why don’t you just fly up to the sky, Meow?” Alright, it was the little cat who said this. “…What if I win the bonus?” “I’ll be your little sister, Meow!” Honestly, sometimes Lu Ping’an envied Shuiyun’s pure and simple personality. This flag doesn’t even need to be provoked, and he’s already got a little helper. But when he truly had his sights set on the bonus prize, he realized there was some trouble. “…The Tech Tree of this world seems a bit twisted.” He took out the general college entrance examination papers from previous years and tried solving some questions, only to frown. It wasn’t that they were too difficult. After all, he had an Awakening and had already returned all his knowledge to his teacher. But… “…Why is it so simple?!” The Math covered functions and geometry, Physics was about basics of electricity and magnetism, while Chemistry would directly test the periodic table of elements. It was like… “The content of the college entrance examination is only as difficult as junior high school final exams?” This moment, Lu Ping’an became more aware of the differences between the two similar worlds. Due to the existence of “Abnormal Ability”, the Tech Tree of the entire world was distorted in some aspects. For instance, the mainstream flying vehicles in this world were not airplanes but huge and slow steam airships. The reason was simple. During a technological revolution, a new energy source (crude oil refining) and a matching engine from magic potion studies drastically improved the speed and cargo capacity of steam airships, making the then-emerging airplanes a niche market. Subsequent technology innovations naturally followed the steam airships’ Tech Tree path. As generations of increasingly efficient airships emerged, people’s perception of flying machines became synonymous with high cargo capacities, leading airplanes to take on a route similar to “rockets” in terms of speed competitions. Since the flying vehicles’ speed was not outrageous, it led to the relative lag in the development of anti-aircraft weaponry. The tech tree fascinatingly diverted, so missiles disappeared, while firearms and artillery remained the mainstream. Consequently, aircraft carriers were replaced by airship carriers. Heavy battleships with strong firepower were still the kings of naval battles, if not the kings of war. High airborne cargo capacity took over sea and land transportation businesses. Coupled with the “steam omnipotent” created by the power system, land transportation and maritime transportation diverged in subtle ways… But let’s not expand on this for now. One fulcrum, one technological divergence, could change the world. And such differences can be found in every aspect of history and the entire world. More directly, it’s the mobile phone in Lu Ping’an’s hands… “…Without even a search engine, looking for questions is so hard. Web pages are still like those BBS communities from the last century, those text-only ones without images. To send a color image, you actually need manager permission? In this day and age, do you need to have hacker knowledge just for GHS?” The mobile phone, or the portable communication system, appeared earlier in this world than in the last one. Mobile networks also appeared sooner but evolved at a slower pace, as if artificially interrupted. All kinds of forums and websites primarily use text, and only managers could post images. Short videos? Don’t even think about it. VCD discs and videotapes still ruled the market. Is this because of technology? If it were the Lu Ping’an from a few days ago, he would probably still think so, but now…. “Information is a form of pollution; compared to large amounts of rapidly spreading images and pictures, the text with limited input content is easier to control. It seems that the internet will not evolve anymore.” All communication is limited to websites and forums, and there are no direct contact apps between individuals. Text messages passing through network managers’ servers have become the mainstream means of communication. “I can’t believe that only big websites have chat rooms and there are no PVP weapons like QQ and WeChat!” The differences in various aspects led to subtle differences in the test papers in Lu Ping’an’s hands… After all, in a sense, the college entrance examination is a test of the foundation of human civilization. The basic science subjects such as mathematics and physics are much simpler than before, while the memory-heavy science subjects such as chemistry and biology, known as “arts in science,” have inexplicably branched out and added more content. “Biology is too difficult, with many practical and college-level contents taking up more points than physics. Chemistry elements and compounds are simple, but we have to be tested on alchemy and pharmacy, including practical operations….” At first glance, Lu Ping’an thought the test papers were simple and that he could handle them, but reality told him otherwise. “….I also forgot most of the functions, geometry, and electromagnetism.” He also underestimated the tragedy of not flipping through books for twenty years; in the “middle school questions” that he thought he could handle, he only got two out of ten right. At this rate, not to mention getting the bonus, but he might only get one or two points in the 10-point test, setting a new historical record. Collapsed in the chair, Lu Ping’an covered his face with the test paper, knowing that he was most likely done for…… “By the way, Meow, why do we have to take the written test in the Ancient City University’s test center? Isn’t it the same national test paper for everyone?” Lu Ping’an seemed to have thought of something and made a phone call. “…Of course, it’s to prevent cheating, meow. People with abilities tend to abuse them. Professors will personally proctor the test, meow! It’s very strict.” “If caught, will you be banned for life? Will it be counted as a demerit?” “How could you think that? That’s too cruel, meow. Just cancel this year’s written test result, give a zero score, and basically, there’s no chance of passing that year.” “….Oh, even the qualifications for other subjects won’t be cancelled.” After hanging up the phone, Lu Ping’an knew. Originally, they were not guarding against cheating, but against cheating from those who were not proficient enough. “…Is everything permitted in this world? I suddenly like Secret Keeper’s way of handling things…” Then, to be precise, ten minutes later, a dozen test papers and notebooks appeared in front of Chris. Urgently purchased teaching materials and computers were still on the way. The bewildered cat looked at Lu Ping’an with folded hands begging for help, with both her heart and her fingers trembling. “You, you….” “Please, teacher! It’s all up to you!” Yes, this is Lu Ping’an’s solution: carrying a cat teacher with him. Even though he just entered this Otherworldly, flourishing world, Lu Ping’an knows that there are too many Abnormal Abilities and Professions, and it’s impossible to stop them all. Taking a step back, even if there’s a comprehensive restriction, is the restriction itself truly fair? “The first-tier professional skills of the Scholar Path (Taboo Scholar) are ‘reading’ and ‘writing’. When it comes to reading and taking exams, no other Professions can compete.” The Gardener senior, who also had a part-time job in the Scholar Path, shared some of her knowledge and experience about this popular path. “Instead of forcefully creating inequality, it’s better to set elimination rules and weed out those Supermen with insufficient cheating skills; after all, the exam is for selecting talented Supermen…” This is Lu Ping’an’s guess. What if he guesses wrong? Then there’s nothing he can do. Anyway, there’s no way Lu Ping’an can pass the test by normal means. Is there a difference between two points and zero points? “I’m counting on you, Chris! The Secret Keeper’s test probably can’t stop you. Just help me flip through the books during the ordinary subjects. You don’t want me to fail and be unable to hide in Ancient City University’s Secret Realm Campus, do you?” So he forced the cat to study and prepare for the exams. “Lu Ping’an! In not becoming a human, you never let me down!”