Chapter 222: Chapter 91: The Committee Has Decided: You Will Be a Professor
As for Su Zhou, it was only because thirty thousand was the maximum; otherwise, he could have broken the counter at least twenty or thirty times over.
What he didn’t know, however, was that the National Holy Selection Examination Office had considered creating an additional Extraordinary Level rating just for him. But given his score, they estimated that few, if any, would ever reach it in the future. Designing the new rating would likely be a waste of time, so the idea was shelved.
In physical fitness, Su Zhou also received perfect scores across the board—all top-tier, A Class ratings.
A physical strength exceeding twenty tons—the number alone seemed outrageous. Even though everyone present had seen the original live broadcast and rewatched the videos countless times since, they still gasped in amazement.
For the final category, Su Zhou’s Spiritual Power essence was "Wind Thunder," with a rating of A-Plus Super.
To put this in perspective, many of the prehistoric Giant Beasts that had reappeared with the Spiritual Energy Revival weren’t even rated A Class. For Su Zhou to be designated A-Plus Super meant that his very existence was comparable to the super-class Giant Beasts that required a full military response to take down—he might even surpass them. This showed just how highly he was regarded.
The meaning of this result was obvious.
When it came to Spiritual Power, Su Zhou was number one in the nation.
Shao Qiming’s results were also quite impressive. He was at the Initial Awakening Stage with a Spiritual Power Index of around 5,500, which was already considered very high. A monster like Su Zhou simply couldn’t be used for comparison. The only fair comparison for him would be the Leaders of the major Extraordinary Organizations of various nations or the Zhengguo Holy Seats—and only those with High-level Extraordinary Inheritances at that. Only beings of that caliber could be compared to Su Zhou.
Shao Qiming’s Spiritual Power essence was Light and Wood, and his rating was also a surprising A Class. After all, he was an A Class Talent with an 85% affinity and a rare healing Talent, so it wasn’t surprising that he received such a high rating.
By this point, the admission standards for Zhengguo’s three A Class Extraordinary Academies had also been released. Applicants needed a score of 655 or higher on the Holy Ascension Examination Normal Subjects, or a Grade B+ or A Class Spirit Talent.
The three Academies each planned to enroll 3,500 students. The number sounded large, but in reality, that meant just over 10,000 spots for the entire country. Compared to the nearly ten million people who took the Holy Ascension Selection Test, this was an acceptance rate of one in a thousand.
Although the standards were absurdly high, with Su Zhou’s and Shao Qiming’s results, they didn’t need to worry about which school to choose. It was a matter of which schools would come recruiting them.
"Come on, come on! No one’s going home sober tonight!"
"You two youngsters should have a little, too. Just drink with us!"
What more was there to say after seeing the results? The two families rarely had a chance to get together, so naturally, they raised their glasses in celebration. Su Zhou and Shao Qiming didn’t usually drink, but today was a special occasion. Being happy was what mattered most, so they had a few drinks with their elders.
Throughout this time, friends were calling and messaging both the younger generation—Su Zhou and Shao Qiming—and their elders to ask about the results. And after receiving the astonishing answers, they were met with a flood of congratulations and well-wishes.
"Hahaha. You’re asking for my score? 721!"
"Whoa there, Xu, don’t start swearing yet. I’ve got more good news for you—Qiming scored 742!"
"Hahahaha, you thought you could flex just because you broke 710? Didn’t see that coming, did you? I beat you!"
"Sorry, but being good at cultivation really does mean you can do whatever you want!"
After hanging up on Xu Ming, who had also scored over seven hundred, Su Zhou’s excited, cheerful expression faded slightly.
Xu Ming’s attempt to flex, only to get one-upped himself, and his subsequent theatrical cry of defeat, made Su Zhou think of Ma Jing. He thought of all the students who had probably worked hard their whole lives, only to be surpassed in the final year simply because they lacked any Cultivation Talent.
’The cutoff for a top school is over 630 points... The top students of the past, with just one small slip-up, probably couldn’t even get into an A Class Academy now. In that respect, how is this any different from competitive sports or academics? Even for jobs in the future, one’s cultivation level will surely be a very important criterion.’
He made an excuse to go outside for some fresh air. Staring out at the Shao family’s lush green backyard, he felt conflicted. ’The tides of a new era are so merciless. They don’t care about hard work or persistence. When they roll in, they overturn everything, and some people are inevitably washed away.’
’If this is an age of Miracles, then I’ve undoubtedly found my own... but where are the Miracles for everyone else?’
"Miracles are everywhere." Yara’s voice emerged ethereally. The creature crawled out from Su Zhou’s hair and said with a smile, "Cultivation is a path. And since it’s a path, there are always opportunities to get ahead. The most conventional method is the modification of one’s Spiritual Qi Organ at the Extraordinary Tier. At this stage, most innate Talents are largely leveled out. In fact, the worse a person’s original Talent, the more they stand to gain."
"Of course, reaching the Extraordinary Tier is still quite difficult in your current era. But beyond that, there are many other ways to break through the bottleneck of Talent: consuming Magic Pills, transplanting bloodlines, transformative surgeries... all of them can work. The path is like that. All Great Daos lead to the ultimate truth. Some people start on a rugged road, and others on a smooth one. But as long as you persevere and know how to search, a way forward will always present itself."
"Yes, I understand all that." Su Zhou listened quietly to Yara’s words, not sighing with emotion. He knew full well, ’Life is always unfair. Absolute fairness has never existed.’
So, he smiled and raised his head, looking at the light above. "Since I’m a genius," he said softly, "that makes me a Pioneer of this era. If evil begins to spread, I will be the one to sever it."
’Perhaps this is the true meaning of my Divine Technique, the Evil-Devouring Demon Lord.’
Just as Su Zhou raised his head to look directly at the dazzling sun, his phone rang. A frantic piano melody played, and Su Zhou couldn’t help but glance at the number on the screen.
And then, he froze.
[0-0-0]
The legendary, exclusive contact number of the Central Thirty-Six Saints Committee.
’I thought they’d send a car to pick me up, take me to some mysterious office, and I’d talk to a group of holographic projections. I never expected they’d just give me a normal phone call...’
Su Zhou wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, his choice of academy was significant enough to influence national policy. Whichever Academy he chose would have to prepare a curriculum tailored specifically for him. Everyone knew that the Extraordinary Tier and the Awakening Tier were worlds apart; it was impossible for him to study alongside his peers.
"Hello? This is Su Zhou."
「Meanwhile, inside the Shao Residence.」
The elders were already getting tipsy, taking advantage of the high spirits to reminisce about their glory days. After he finished eating, Shao Qiming acted just like a plant: he found a sunny spot, spread out a blanket, and lay down, apparently planning to take a nap in the sun.
Only Shao Shuangyue was utterly bored, wondering whether she should go back upstairs to play games or find Su Zhou later to ask him about Cultivation.
And just then, she faintly heard Su Zhou’s slightly surprised voice coming from the backyard, just beyond the door.
"Wait, what did you say?!"
"You want *me* to be a professor?!"
