Chapter 220: Chapter 91: The Committee Has Decided, You Will Be the Professor
The Holy Ascension Selection Test. Ten days later—June 20th, 2015, the Dragon Boat Festival.
Tradition dictated that the results would be posted at twelve noon on the tenth day after the Holy Ascension Selection Test.
On the day the results were to be posted, the Su and Shao families gathered for a meal.
After nearly a year of recovery, Wen Yuefeng’s legs had healed enough for him to walk a little. The four elders were gathered in the living room, watching the noon news, snacking on edamame, and bragging to each other about their recent exploits.
Aunt He was away, having gone home for the holiday, so Shao Nantian had hired a chef to cook for the gathering at his house.
It had to be said that, with the exception of Wen Yuefeng, the lives of the others present were truly tumultuous. Each had their own bragging rights. One would talk about dissecting Demon Beasts, another about tracking Superpower Criminals; one would discuss the highs and lows of the business world, and another, the finer points of crosstalk comedy... Though one of these things was not like the others, no one paid it any mind.
Two bottles of wine later, the atmosphere was as lively as their college days more than twenty years ago.
Su Zhou’s stunning final performance at the Holy Ascension Selection Test had initially shocked everyone who knew him. After all, ’being strong and sturdy’ was a completely different concept from the ability to ’Call Wind and Summon Thunder.’ The destructive force from lifting and throwing a twenty-ton block of iron was far more practical than a Thunderbolt that required an overcast, rainy day to summon, but the difference in sheer spectacle was undeniable.
But no matter how astonishing it was, he was their son, after all. Parents don’t typically hound their children, demanding to know why they’re so smart and handsome. Even though Su Beiluo and Shao Nantian had been watching Su Zhou thoughtfully during that time, as if they’d figured something out, they never brought it up.
—Even if it really was Su Zhou who had been dealing with the strange phenomena in Hongcheng, the one who took care of that Wood Centipede and the mysterious killer; even if it was Su Zhou who had healed Wen Yuefeng’s leg... weren’t these all good things? If Su Zhou didn’t want to admit to it, then they would just let it be.
Sometimes in life, ignorance is bliss. And Su Zhou himself was, without a doubt, the type of person his elders didn’t need to worry about.
As for Su Zhou, after the Spiritual Testing portion of the Holy Ascension Selection Test concluded, he did a complete one-eighty on his previous high-profile behavior. He turned down all interviews and started living a quiet, secluded life.
The power he had displayed was already absurdly impressive; both his reputation and his abilities were now firmly established in the public consciousness. There was no need for any more public appearances. On the contrary, he should lie low and ride out the peak of this wave of attention. You can have too much of a good thing, and that applied to fame and showing off as well. That was the logic.
At that moment, Su Zhou was teaming up with Shao Shuangyue to grind ranked matches for the first time in a while. Nearby, Shao Qiming was lounging in a beanbag chair, following the Cultivation advice from his physical exam. He was sunbathing by the floor-to-ceiling window like a plant, lazily reading a book.
"Help, help, help, help, help!"
A panicked, feminine voice rang out in the steampunk-themed room. Onscreen, Shao Shuangyue was controlling a burly, bull-like Hero. Wreathed in the crimson glow of a Seal, it was making a desperate dash toward their own tier-one tower in the middle lane.
In hot pursuit were three enemy Heroes, chasing aggressively and looking like they were out for blood.
"Brother Zhou! Save me!"
At that moment, Su Zhou was in the middle lane, last-hitting minions with his ranged sniper Hero. Seeing him, Shao Shuangyue practically wept with joy. "Quick, give me a push!"
But there are no tears in esports.
"You’re caught in a Five-star Array. You’re a goner. I’ll just deny you."
Su Zhou coldly calculated Shao Shuangyue’s health. Confirming she was unsavable, he fired a shot and denied her Hero, leaving a giant question mark pinged on the ground where she’d stood.
[Sniper has denied their teammate, Soul Splitter.]
"Augh, I’m dead." Shao Shuangyue wore an exaggerated expression of utter despair. Her stats were a spicy 0/6/7. "What is going on? Lately, it feels like every player has the mechanics and reaction speed of a cheater. I use my skill to charge in, and he just instantly drops a Five-star Array to interrupt me!"
"Probably a Cultivator. Don’t worry, I’ll carry you," Su Zhou said, completely unconcerned. His screen flickered between different views three times a second, yet he still managed to last-hit with exquisite precision. His perfect positioning and farming tempo were unstoppable. "I’ll allow you to die ten more times this game."
As Cultivation became more widespread, the enhancements it provided to a Cultivator’s physical and mental acuity resulted in huge advantages in gaming. After all, when one player could make a single second feel like several and calculate health points down to the last digit, while another had to rely on instinct just to last-hit, the latter was bound to get completely steamrolled right from the laning phase.
Therefore, even young people who were addicted to gaming and hated studying now had no choice but to take their Cultivation seriously. Otherwise, unless they stuck to single-player games or playing against bots, they would just get constantly wrecked by others and wouldn’t be able to enjoy gaming at all.
A dozen or so minutes later, under Su Zhou’s command, his sniper led the team in a push that flattened the enemy’s base, earning him an easy 25 ladder points. There was no challenge to it whatsoever.
For a Transcendent, the process of climbing the ranks was just that simple, that mundane, and even a little boring.
Nowadays, Su Zhou could literally play these games with his eyes closed—because, well, eyelids didn’t actually obstruct his vision. He could predict the enemy’s movements almost instinctively. He wasn’t cheating, but his performance was no different than if he were using a map hack.
"The results are up. Time to go downstairs."
With the game over and the time approaching twelve o’clock, Su Zhou smiled and patted Shao Shuangyue on the shoulder, signaling that they should go downstairs together to check the scores and have lunch.
