May 10th, Monday.
Only 27 days remained until the college entrance examination.
It was 7:30 in the morning.
At this moment, inside Luo City Number One High School, all senior students, except for those opting for the academic track exams, were in the school's training hall for morning exercises.
Of course, there was one exception: Su Yan, who had just returned to school.
He was currently sitting alone in the office, waiting for his homeroom teacher to return.
Soon, CLICK. The office door was pushed open.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses quickly walked in.
He stepped in with his right foot.
This was Han Yuanfeng, the homeroom teacher of Su Yan's Senior Year Class 10.
"Su Yan, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, thank you for asking, Teacher."
Han Yuanfeng sat down opposite Su Yan and casually poured him a cup of hot water. He then got straight to the point, "Su Yan, about your decision to abandon the college entrance examination and apply early to the top three schools, how did your discussion with your dad go?"
Su Yan smiled. "I talked to my dad briefly about it last night. In the end, I've decided I still want to apply for the Evolution Stream."
"You've decided to apply for the Evolution Stream?"
Han Yuanfeng frowned slightly. After a sip of hot water, he said, "Su Yan, let me be frank. With your current situation, your chances of getting into the Evolution Stream are zero."
"Given that, why not give up on the college entrance exam and apply to the top three schools early?"
"That way, you could enjoy reduced tuition and priority job placement."
Su Yan smiled. "Because this is a world that reveres evolution. If I don't pursue the path of the Evolution Stream, my life will inevitably be detached from wealth and power."
Han Yuanfeng shook his head. "What you said sounds very realistic and reasonable."
"But have you considered the prerequisite for what you're saying? You need the ability to get into an Evolution University. Do you think you have that?"
Han Yuanfeng's expression softened slightly as he continued to persuade, "Su Yan, I might be speaking too bluntly, and it might be hard for you to hear."
"But honestly, with your body that's constantly landing you in a hospital bed, how do you expect to take the Evolution College Entrance Exam?"
Su Yan looked up at Han Yuanfeng and said calmly, "Teacher, I've actually already successfully evolved into an Advanced Level Being."
Han Yuanfeng felt a headache coming on. I've trained for so many years and only just reached the Advanced Level Being stage myself. How dare this sickly student make such an outrageous claim?
His expression turned serious. "Su Yan, the college entrance exam is no joke. You can't just claim to be an Advanced Level Being without any basis."
Hearing his homeroom teacher say this, Su Yan subconsciously wanted to find something hard to crush, just to prove he had indeed evolved into an Advanced Level Being.
But on second thought, showing off in front of his teacher, a man in his forties, seemed pointless. If I'm going to show off, it should be in front of my classmates, to really shock them.
"Teacher, thank you for your concern, but I've already decided to apply for the Evolution Stream," Su Yan replied. "As for the outcome, I'll take responsibility for my own decision."
Han Yuanfeng grew irritated. "Su Yan, why are you so stubborn?" he said, his voice rising.
"In your current condition, insisting on taking the Evolution College Entrance Exam is like throwing yourself into a pit of fire!"
"Just listen to my advice: give up the entrance exam and apply to the top three schools early. That's being responsible for your own future."
"Moreover, I happen to have some connections with a director at Lanxiang Institution. If you apply for the Kai Tian Pi Di Machine major, I can ask him to give you some special consideration."
"What do you say? Isn't that a great deal?"
Han Yuanfeng looked at Su Yan, patiently awaiting his answer.
"Teacher, my mind is made up. Don't waste your time trying to persuade me further; it's useless," Su Yan responded.
With that, Su Yan turned to leave. He couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on this discussion; he'd rather use the time for some high-intensity training somewhere.
Seeing this, Han Yuanfeng immediately called out, "Su Yan, wait! Let me get someone to talk to you. Then you can make your decision."
Han Yuanfeng then stood up and left the office, heading straight for the training hall.
Before long, Han Yuanfeng returned, accompanied by a girl with a ponytail.
Su Yan glanced at the girl. She had a captivating, flower-like beauty and a delicate physique that looked easy to knock over; her only minor flaw was her flatness.
The girl was Lin Ruoxi, his class president—the same classmate he had privately chatted with on Flying Letters.
Han Yuanfeng knew all the boys in class had a soft spot for Lin Ruoxi, so he had specifically asked her to come, hoping her presence would be more persuasive.
"You two have a good chat. When you're done, come find me in the training hall."
With that, Han Yuanfeng hurried off. As the homeroom teacher for a senior class, he was very busy and needed to get back to the training hall to supervise the students' morning exercises.
After watching the homeroom teacher leave, Su Yan greeted Lin Ruoxi politely, "Class President, long time no see."
Lin Ruoxi smiled. "It's only been a week. That's not so long, is it?"
Su Yan replied, "Oh, then a short time it is."
Lin Ruoxi blushed slightly. She took out a tissue to wipe her sweat and then asked, "By the way, Su Yan, I heard from our homeroom teacher that you want to apply for the Evolution Stream. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's right," Su Yan replied without much emotion.
Lin Ruoxi tossed the used tissue into the trash can and continued, "Actually, I think, given your current physical condition, it would be better for you to do what the homeroom teacher suggested."
"The Evolution Stream is, frankly, a bit too ambitious for you."
"That's hard to say. Maybe I'll even come back as the top scholar," Su Yan replied with a laugh, though it didn't seem to carry much real emotion.
Lin Ruoxi sighed. "Su Yan," she advised, "the Evolution Stream isn't the only path in this world. Excelling in academics can also allow one to become a dragon among people."
"Is that so..." Su Yan murmured, though he was deeply skeptical of Lin Ruoxi's words.
After all, she was the top student in their class, with the highest scores in the Evolution Stream.
Getting into an Evolution University would be no problem for her.
Her only dilemma was whether to choose Jingdou Evolution University or Demon Capital Evolution University.
"Su Yan, please just listen to me."
Lin Ruoxi's voice carried a hint of pleading; she was fully leveraging her strengths.
Su Yan merely listened with a polite smile, not taking her persuasion seriously.
It was true that excelling in academics could make one a dragon among people. But! A dragon among people was still just a person. In the presence of the high and mighty Advanced Level Beings, they were like ants.
Therefore, Lin Ruoxi's advice sounded a bit like a well-fed person lecturing the starving.
Seeing that Su Yan didn't seem to be listening, Lin Ruoxi felt a touch of bitterness but couldn't help adding a few more words.
"Su Yan, I actually know."
"You've always had a crush on me. You want to get into the same Evolution University as me."
"But..."
Lin Ruoxi paused for a moment before continuing, "Even if we both get into the same Evolution University, it's impossible for us to be together."
"I just want to focus on my studies in university; I have no intention of getting into a relationship."
"So..."
"You really don't need to choose the Evolution Stream just for a chance to be with me..."
Su Something: ???
Hearing Lin Ruoxi's words, Su Yan was completely bewildered. What on earth is she talking about!? She must have some serious misunderstanding about me!
"I'm out of here. Goodbye."
With that, Su Yan stood up and left the office without a backward glance, heading for the training hall.
Lin Ruoxi sighed helplessly and followed him, feeling somewhat defeated.
Just as they entered the training hall, Su Yan saw Homeroom Teacher Han Yuanfeng happily chatting with several female teachers.
Han Yuanfeng, mid-conversation, also noticed Su Yan and Lin Ruoxi. He asked them with some confusion, "You two finished already?"
"I just got back myself. How did you follow me in so quickly?"
"I reckon the whole thing, from start to finish, couldn't have taken more than three seconds, right?"
...