The next day—
Early morning.
After waking up, Zhao Xuan instinctively soothed his overly "excited little brother," then nimbly jumped out of bed.
Once he had washed up, he got ready to head out.
Time waits for no one!
According to the usual schedule, the results of the College Entrance Exam were typically released fifteen days after the exam ended.
By then, each major university would have also announced its admission thresholds, and most students would begin filling out their applications.
However—
That only applied to ordinary students.
Once the results were out, the top scorers would face a second round of testing.
First came the Provincial Exam—a one-on-one arena challenge among the top twenty students within the same province.
The first-place finisher would not only receive a huge allocation of resources, but would also earn the right to represent their province in the National Exam.
In other words—
Every participant in the National Exam was the provincial top scorer from across all regions of Shenzhou.
The higher one ranked nationally, the greater the fame and benefits that followed.
Not only would top scorers receive invitations from elite universities at home and abroad, but they'd also attract investment offers from major corporations.
After all—
Anyone qualified to enter the National Exam was a prodigy.
No, scratch that—every single one of them was an extraordinary genius.
Unless something went terribly wrong, these students would at least advance to Mid-Tier Level Three ability users, and many even had a chance to reach the Upper Third Tier.
For tycoons and magnates, investing a bit of money to earn the goodwill of a potential high-ranking ability user was an absolute bargain.
To clarify—
Level 1, 2, and 3 ability users were considered Low-Tier Ability Users.
Levels 4, 5, and 6 were Mid-Tier Ability Users.
Levels 7, 8, and 9 were High-Tier Ability Users.
The reason for this classification was simple: there were major thresholds between Levels 3 and 4, and again between Levels 6 and 7.
Because of these gaps—
A single Level 4 user could overpower a group of Level 3s.
Similarly, a Level 7 user could easily crush several Level 6s.
It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Xuan pushed himself so hard, training relentlessly.
He wanted to strengthen himself as much as possible before the exam results came out—before the Provincial Exam began.
Although Zhao Xuan was confident in his abilities, he was far from arrogant.
He didn't believe his strength alone could guarantee him a top spot among all National Exam participants.
After all—
There's always someone stronger.
From his research into past National Exams, he discovered something shocking—
In every National Exam, at least one participant had already reached Level 4.
Level 4!
That was a Mid-Tier Ability User!
In a small city like Tongcheng, that was the absolute peak of power.
The entire city of Tongcheng had only two Level 4 ability users—
one was the Tongcheng Governor,
The other was the President of the Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild.
As Zhao Xuan walked downstairs, planning to grab some steamed buns from the shop nearby—
He suddenly met a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.
A moment later, he saw Xiao Liu, the guild receptionist who'd helped him yesterday, approaching quickly with a sturdy, broad-shouldered middle-aged man—the owner of those eyes.
"Mr. Zhao!"
Liu Huan greeted him with an ingratiating smile.
"Xiao Liu, you live in this neighborhood too?" Zhao Xuan squinted curiously.
"No, no, Mr. Zhao," Liu Huan said hastily, "we actually came here specifically to find you."
He gestured toward the man beside him. "Mr. Zhao, allow me to introduce you—this is President Lian Jie, head of the Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild."
"President Lian, hello."
Zhao Xuan's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he quickly offered a respectful greeting.
"Hello, young friend Zhao Xuan," Lian Jie replied warmly, nodding with a kind smile.
"I wonder what brings President Lian to me today?" Zhao Xuan asked evenly, neither humble nor overbearing.
"Well, young friend Zhao," Lian Jie said amiably, "I've heard all about your accomplishments at our guild yesterday. Truly impressive! When I was your age, I was still scraping by with second-tier bounty missions. You're a remarkable talent!"
"Haha, President Lian flatters me." Zhao Xuan chuckled awkwardly, though confusion lingered in his eyes.
"The truth is," Lian Jie continued, dropping his polite tone, "I have a commission I'd like to entrust to you."
"A… commission?" Zhao Xuan blinked.
"Yes." Lian Jie nodded. "I'd like to invite you to represent our Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild in the relic trial at the small ruin within the Wutong Mountain Range outside the city—and help us obtain the Heart of the Ruin."
"As for your reward, I can promise you this: if you succeed in retrieving the Heart, we'll pay you ten million yuan in cash."
"Of course, even if you fail to pass the relic trial, we won't let you walk away empty-handed—you'll still receive 200,000 yuan as compensation, along with a permanent cultivation permit inside the relic itself."
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