Chapter 173: Chapter 153: In Demand
As the time of the National College Entrance Examination approached,
detailed information about the examination was released on the official website.
It then spread rapidly within a short period of time.
Particularly, the answers for the Illusion Realm, which many examinees and netizens were concerned about,
were not like the "single-player mode" that many people discussed online, where each person enters a separate Illusion Realm space.
Nor it was like the "local network mode" debated online, where teams from various prefectures join forces to conquer,
but instead it was a free teaming mechanism, where up to ten people could enter the Illusion Realm.
However, there was one restriction—teammates had to be from the same province, with no cross-province collaborations allowed.
According to the rules disclosed, students entering the battlefield would be randomly allocated an initial identity.
Under their initial identity, students would appear at random locations on the battlefield.
The final grading of the examination was based on the students' performance within.
For instance, even if a teammate performed brilliantly, even turning the tide of battle, if the examinee themselves performed very poorly, the final score would still be quite low.
Chen Xing pondered this, as the heat surrounding the examination had begun to subside recently.
But because of the sudden release of information, the fervor had been stirred up once again.
Topics regarding the Mirage Tower and the Mirage Dragon were once more trending searches.
Shortly after the announcement, message after message popped up on Chen Xing's phone.
The first to appear was from the principal.
Xue Jinbao, "There might be some who want to team up with you, push off anything inconvenient onto me!"
Seeing this message, a warm feeling surged in Chen Xing's heart.
The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
Had he not seen the principal's message, Chen Xing might not have thought of this aspect immediately.
Although it was written in the documentation that grading was based on performance within the Illusion Realm,
there were always those in this world who harbored the hope of striking it lucky.
No doubt many would want to team up with him.
On one hand, he had ranked high in the university cup, and on the other, he had no background.
However... if they were strangers, it would be easy to refuse, but if someone who had done him a favor approached him to team up, how could he have the heart to say no?
Soon after, a phone call came from Old Master Qiu.
"Young Chen!"
"Old Qiu, I'm here. Do you have a friend's child who wants to team up? I still have a spot available."
Old Qiu's voice came through the phone apologetically, "If you find it troublesome, then nevermind.
The person asking for my help is an old friend, also from your Shu State. Do you know the Chi Family?
The junior they want to squeeze into the team is from the Chi Family. You might know her, Chi Ziyao."
Without hesitation, Chen Xing responded, "Old Master, it's no problem on my end."
It was merely a question of teaming up; it didn't really matter whom he teamed up with. Once inside, he wasn't going to play the babysitter, and since everyone would enter at random locations, it was uncertain whether he would even meet them.
Chen Xing had heard of Chi Ziyao before.
However... wasn't she a first-year high school student?
How was she taking the National College Entrance Examination?
Qiu Shangqing sighed. He too had once owed someone a great favor.
As the saying goes, debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.
"Recent changes in the Exotic Region are significant, and my old friend doesn't want to wait any longer. He plans to send his granddaughter to college early. Hence, she is preparing for the exam."
"But you can rest assured, she won't hold you back.
Their family has also trained a Beast Taming ahead of time, and she has already contracted her second Beast Taming.
If you happen upon each other after getting in and it's convenient, please help her out a little, but prioritize your own results," Qiu Shangqing said, sounding somewhat apologetic.
"It's no trouble, I'll help if I'm able," Chen Xing replied.
Qiu Shangqing added, "Right, regarding the Chi Family teaming up with you, I've discussed it with them. They're offering you 50 million as a teaming fee. Take the money; with your status, you're worth it."
After hanging up,
Chen Xing thought for a moment. Chi Ziyao, he seemed to have seen her once in the Secret Realm before.
He'd also caught glimpses of her during the State Cup from afar.
But their interactions had been limited.
Since Old Master Qiu said so, Chen Xing would lend a hand in the Secret Realm if it was within his capabilities.
Before long, a call from an unfamiliar number came through.
Chen Xing did not recognize the string of digits.
But he still answered the phone.
On the other end was a student's parent, polite in manner, who didn't get straight to the point but kept praising Chen Xing.
After listening for a minute, Chen Xing cut him off, "Just get to the point."
Only then did the caller show his true colors, "Chen, this year's high school examination allows team formation, and my child is also quite outstanding with a Beast Taming Level of 39. Moreover, they are generous and serious in their demeanor. Would you consider teaming up with my child? Don't worry, I'm not asking you to do this for nothing—I'll give you one million as a team formation fee.
What do you think?"
Chen Xing was silent for two seconds, "Sorry, my team is already full."
He then hung up the phone.
But as soon as he hung up, another unfamiliar number called in.
Chen Xing looked at the flashing screen of his phone.
He furrowed his brows slightly.
In today's information society, it wasn't too difficult to get his personal mobile number.
Still, he was curious how these people got hold of his number.
After answering the call, a woman's voice came from the other end, but before she could say more than hello, Chen Xing interrupted her, "Where did you get my mobile number?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end before an awkward laugh was heard.
"Chen, I mean no harm. This number was acquired through one of your friends," the caller said.
"Which friend?"
The person on the other end seemed unexpectedly pressured by Chen Xing's aggressive stance.
With a faltering reply, "Actually, that's not important. The main thing is I wanted to ask if you are interested in forming a team for this year's high school exam. My child can team up with you, and I'm willing to offer five million as a team formation fee."
Chen Xing hung up directly.
But soon, another new number rang through.
After hanging up, Chen Xing prepared to set his phone to block calls from unknown numbers.
But almost as soon as he hung up, a new call would come in.
It was causing Chen Xing's phone screen to remain on the home page for far too long.
He simply decided to shut off his phone.
Finally, there was peace.
Chen Xing let out a long sigh of relief.
It was indeed quite troublesome.
But if someone who really knew him wanted to find him, they would also know his address.
Thinking this, Chen Xing's brow furrowed again—surely his address wouldn't be leaked as well, right?
After considering it, Chen Xing put on a scarf, hopped onto his Sìxiàng, and headed to the suburban bus stop, then took the bus back to school.
Arriving at the principal's office, Xue Jinbao was bent over feeding meat to the turtles in the rockery.
The Mountain-moving Dragon Tortoise ate the meat at a leisurely pace.
Its neck stretched out long.
Seeing Chen Xing enter, Xue Jinbao turned around with a smile, "Are you fed up with the nuisance?"
The Mountain-moving Dragon Tortoise chomped down on nothing.
Looking reproachfully at Xue Jinbao, who had turned his back, the Mountain-moving Dragon Tortoise slowly stretched out its neck and took a bite at his rear end.
"I had guessed it would... ouch!"
Xue Jinbao, holding his butt, almost jumped up.
"Here you go, here you go," he said, tossing all the remaining meat into the pond.
The Mountain-moving Dragon Tortoise continued eating the meat at its own pace.
It hadn't bitten hard, otherwise Xue Jinbao's rear might not have survived.
"I'm just worried they might start bothering my family. Clingy like a plaster, it's really annoying," Chen Xing said.
"Don't worry, I will stop them," Xue Jinbao said indifferently.
"Now is a critical moment, and I will not let anyone interfere with my students' participation in the high school exam."
"Turn your phone back on. I've spoken with my friend, and now, besides the numbers you've saved with notes, other numbers won't have the permission to call you," Xue Jinbao said.
"When did you arrange this?" Chen Xing was surprised.
"Since I tried to call your phone and found that it was off," Xue Jinbao replied.