Chapter 101 - 63: The Nature of a Top Student

It was the day of the monthly test in June. Early in the morning, everyone at the Immortal Institute was notified to gather at the training field. This time, the arrangement was based on dormitories instead of classes, so Wang Qi stood next to Wu Fan. The July sun was already scorching early in the morning. Wang Qi shielded his eyes with one hand from the glaring sunlight while looking around, "This is for the written test, right? How are we supposed to write the exam later—what do you think?" He nudged Wu Fan with his elbow. Wu Fan reluctantly put down his book and looked up. His face wore deep dark circles, looking quite worried, "It must be the magic of Immortal Law... Wang Qi, you should review as well." "The true academic master never reviews right before the exam." "Not everyone is like you! I need to review my books!" "You would have been fine if you had paid attention in class." "Wang Qi, you're hardly one to talk! As far as I know, you've been absent for almost half a month..." "Ahahaha..." Wang Qi's laughter drew the displeasure of others. He looked around and noticed that among the ten people nearby, nine were clutching their books, reviewing, and seven of them wore tired expressions, clearly having stayed up all night. Wang Qi casually draped his arm over Wu Fan's shoulders, "Hey, any problems? Let me see." Wu Fan jumped, startled, "Wang Qi, what are you doing?" Wang Qi glanced at him sideways, "Don't you trust me?" Wu Fan's body trembled slightly, "I wouldn't dare... I trust your abilities, Wang Qi. It's just... everyone is sharpening their blades for the battle now..." "I don't need to. Dragging things out is boring." Wu Fan then raised his book, seeking Wang Qi's guidance. Wang Qi shared openly whatever he knew. Wang Qi's actions drew sideways glances from the crowd. A new disciple standing in front of Wang and Wu sneered, "This fellow is really confident, isn't he? Aren't you afraid of others surpassing you?" Wang Qi didn't answer his question but countered, "Why, does this brother think what I'm doing is inappropriate?" The disciple looked around warily, shook his head, and said, "No, no, continue brother, keep going." The Immortal Alliance promoted mutual assistance. If he criticized Wang Qi at that moment, someone might report it to the instructors, possibly drawing their displeasure. Wang Qi shook his head, ignoring the other. The pleasure of a true scholar, how could ordinary people understand? True scholars do not derive joy from mocking those who are academically weaker. Such behavior is not only tacky and lowers one's dignity but also shows your half-baked knowledge. Those who mock others performing worse than themselves are often half academically incapable themselves. True scholars find their joy in guiding those who struggle and interacting with fellow scholars on their level. Imagine effortlessly solving a problem that baffles the weaker academics and then casually pinpointing the key to it, making them sincerely say, "So it can be done this way!" Or, discussing a tough problem with a group of scholars, and you're the first to find a breakthrough, making others realize with an "Ah, that makes sense!" The intellectual satisfaction from these moments is second only to making a discovery or gaining enlightenment in seeking Dao! Wu Fan showed Wang Qi the problems he hadn't understood recently. His main focus seemed to be on mechanical energy and Newtonian Mechanics, which in Shenzhou terminology, is called the Path of Elemental Force. The current curriculum of the Immortal Institute was approximately equivalent to Earth's high schools. The problems were not difficult; for every question Wu Fan asked, Wang Qi quickly provided the solution. Seeing Wang Qi indeed had some skills, several people nearby became interested. Unlike how Immortal Institute instructors taught, starting from the beginning and covering everything, Wang Qi would pinpoint the key and let Wu Fan figure out the rest. While Wu Fan was engrossed in calculations, others started asking, "Wang... Senior Brother, may I ask you a few questions?" Wang Qi patted his chest, "Please, ask away." Several people around him competed to ask questions. Soon, even those standing farther away ran over. "Hehehe..." At that moment, a sinister laughter came from behind Wang Qi. Startled, Wang Qi turned around to see a new disciple bowing to him, "Brother Wang, thank you..." "No need, no need..." Wang Qi modestly deflected while trying to recall the person. This person seemed to have the surname Yang and lived not far from him; he had also asked a few questions earlier, presumably he was now thanking him. But to express gratitude, why laugh so creepily? Wang Qi muttered to himself, "Bizarre." After a while, the exam time arrived. Immortal Institute instructor Xiong Mo flew above the crowd and shouted, "Quiet! Everyone, line up and stand at attention!" The crowd around Wang Qi instantly dispersed, and all new disciples returned to their positions. Xiong Mo continued to bellow, "As for the content and scope of the written test, your instructors would have already informed you..." Only then did Wang Qi suddenly remember, he spent most of his time studying advanced content with Su Junyu, missing the "Exam Guidance" and "Key Points." He urgently asked Wu Fan, "What exactly are we being tested on?" Before Wu Fan could respond, Xiong Mo shouted, "Now! The exam begins!" Behind Xiong Mo, Immortal Institute instructor Yunxiang, holding a copper mirror, flew out. She tossed the mirror high into the air, cast a few spells, and the mirror emitted a blue light, spinning several times in the sky before expanding to the size of a pond. The mirror released a beam of white light, covering the entire training field. Wang Qi's surroundings swiftly transformed. The crowd around him vanished, and he seemed to be in a purely white world. "Ten Thousand Immortals Illusion Realm?" Wang Qi examined his hands and then clapped them together vigorously. The texture of his hands was exactly like real ones. Was this constructed based on physical sensation in his brain, was it a function of the Ten Thousand Immortal Illusion Realm, or had the realm only overlaid his vision and hearing? Using the Ten Thousand Immortals Illusion Realm for the exam was unexpected for Wang Qi. The principles of the Great Dao here slightly fell short compared to Earth's scientific theories, which had subconsciously made him think that at least in terms of civil products, Earth had the advantage. He had forgotten that the physical laws of the two worlds were different, and so naturally, their technological trees were dissimilar. Although personal digital products were not widespread in Shenzhou, their augmented reality technology was quite mature, far beyond what Earth could compare to. At this moment, a water-ink style painting appeared before Wang Qi, and a brush appeared in his hand. "The diagram represents two blocks, A and B, with masses of Double Heavenly Element and Heavenly Element, respectively, stacked stationary on a flat surface. The kinetic friction coefficient between A and B is... the kinetic friction coefficient between B and the ground is... let's set Kun Yin's Number as Earth Element... If a horizontal pulling force is applied to A, then..." The exam began! ———————————————— As usual, thanks to the book friends suolaer and Immortal Monsters for their rewards. The third apprentice of this book has also been born!