Chapter 10: Heart

Library.

“Jiang Jian, something’s wrong!”

Ji Ming’s face was pale with panic, “Look at the school forum!”

Jiang Jian put down his textbook and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ming held up his identity device and said, “Your annotated notes for ‘Overview of Deities’ and ‘Brief Analysis of Stars’ are spreading everywhere!”

Even the forums of major schools in the Divine Illumination Zone are buzzing with this material!

Hearing this,

Jiang Jian remained calm, not nearly as angry as Ji Ming expected, and said, “Expected.”

Ji Ming blinked in surprise, “We gave the notes to Yu Ning and Zhang Lu, but they leaked them…”

Jiang Jian smiled and said, “How do you know it was them who leaked them?”

Ji Ming looked utterly certain, “Only they had backup copies.”

Jiang Jian said, “Whoever leaked the notes doesn’t matter—we just need to study well and ensure our own preparation isn’t affected.”

Ji Ming sighed, “I was hoping to use the notes to raise my score.”

“Now look.”

“If students in the Divine Illumination Zone improve their grades,”

“the overall ranking of Shadow Zone students will be crushed again.”

At this point,

Ji Ming kept tapping his identity device, clearly losing all motivation to study.

Jiang Jian ignored him, continuing to study ‘Overview of Deities.’

Occasionally, he wrote new annotations on his sister’s textbook.

Beep.

A message alert sounded.

Jiang Jian opened his identity device and glanced at it.

Then he pulled up the screen and answered the call.

A girl’s pleasant voice came through.

“Jiang Jian, have you been taking your medicine on time? Any recent episodes?”

Jiang Jian said, “No episodes.”

Jiang Zhao nodded, slightly relieved, then added, “I just saw the forum—your annotations for me are spreading everywhere.”

“But I only gave them to my dorm mates, and I can guarantee she wouldn’t leak them.”

The Alliance Law mandates that all middle schools assign only two students per dorm, no exceptions.

Jiang Jian smiled and said, “It’s fine—I’ve written you new notes. I’ll send them to you the day before the big exam.”

Jiang Zhao said, “Alright, then I won’t show them to her.”

The girl hesitated a moment, then spoke again, “Jiang Jian, do you still have enough money? I have 30 Alliance Coins—if you’re short, I’ll transfer them to you.”

Afraid he’d refuse, she hurriedly added, “Chencang No. 1 Middle School gave us a pre-exam allowance—bread, sausage, bottled water—and the dorm fee is waived before the exam, so I don’t need money right now.”

Hearing this,

Jiang Jian lowered his gaze and checked his balance.

“850,138 Alliance Coins.”

He fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Jian told his sister, “I still have enough. Keep it.”

Jiang Zhao shook her head and immediately transferred 20 Alliance Coins, saying, “Last time you gave me 60 Alliance Coins—how could you still have any left?”

“I’m sending you 20 now—I’ll keep 10 for myself, that’s enough.”

A mechanical voice sounded.

“Your account has received a transfer: 20 Alliance Coins.”

“Your balance: 850,158 Alliance Coins.”

After the transfer,

Jiang Zhao reminded him once more to take his medicine, then ended the call.

Jiang Jian closed the communication interface.

He swiped away the identity device’s screen without saying more.

In the Shadow Zone, the Patrol Corps is meaningless.

Here, demons and spirits lurk, non-citizens gather in droves, and corruption runs deep.

This money cannot be touched—for now.

“Jiang Jian, this is really over!”

Ji Ming trudged over, slumped down, face grim, “Your textbook annotations are going viral on the Divine Illumination Zone forums.”

“Many students there memorized your notes and took mock exams—their theoretical scores rose an average of three points!”

“I was barely holding onto a top hundred spot.”

“Now I can’t even make top five hundred!”

Ji Ming groaned.

Before Jiang Jian could respond, Zhang Lu walked over, backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Jiang Jian, I didn’t leak the notes.”

She stepped in front of him and whispered, “Last night, my roommate tried to trick me into giving her the notes—I refused.”

Jiang Jian nodded: “It’s fine.”

Zhang Lu hesitated, then asked, “Could it have been Yu Ning…?”

Jiang Jian waved his hand, “It doesn’t matter.”

With that,

he picked up ‘Overview of Deities’ and continued reading.

Zhang Lu’s expression was complex; she turned and left.

The Divine Bestowal Exam was imminent.

More and more students returned to campus to prepare.

The once-quiet library was now packed with people.

Although Jiang Jian and Ji Ming’s seats were by the window on the sixth floor,

they still occasionally drew glances from others.

“Jiang Jian, Teacher Zhou sent a group message!”

Ji Ming’s voice rang out.

Jiang Jian opened his identity device and indeed received a new message.

“At 8 a.m. tomorrow, our school’s 378 examinees will gather on the playground for the mock exam—each student gets three attempts.”

“The accuracy rate of the Divine Bestowal simulation is approximately thirty percent.”

“Examination order follows registration sequence.”

In the bottom right corner of the message,

a registration button was prominently displayed.

“These bastards are fast!”

Ji Ming clicked it without hesitation and exclaimed, “Already over a hundred registered!”

Jiang Jian read the message, then casually tapped the registration button.

A mechanical voice announced: “Mock exam registration successful! Your examination number is 1.”

Jiang Jian raised an eyebrow.

Clearly,

Zhou Yu had pre-adjusted the registration system.

Ji Ming leaned over, “I’m number 135. What about you, Jiang Jian?”

Jiang Jian smiled, “I’m not taking the mock exam.”

With that,

he clicked to cancel his registration.

His identity device beeped: “Registration canceled successfully.”

Ji Ming stared in surprise, “Why not take it?”

Jiang Jian shook his head, “You took it over ten times yesterday—haven’t you had enough?”

Ji Ming froze, then his face darkened in thought.

A few seconds later,

Ji Ming chuckled and tapped cancel as well: “Living in the same dorm with you, I’ve learned one thing.”

“No matter what, following Jiang Jian’s lead is always right.”

Jiang Jian said nothing, only, “Time’s short—get back to studying.”

Ji Ming nodded firmly: “Alright.”

February 28, 3227.

Only one day remains until the Divine Gift Examination.

The rumor about the notebook has spread like wildfire.

Jiang Jian remained utterly unaware.

He stuck rigidly to the two-point routine: dormitory and library.

He was completely unmoved.

For several days now.

Jiang Jian added new annotations to the textbooks The Overview of the Divine and A Brief Analysis of Stars.

The documents containing the Identity Device had not yet been sent to his sister.

Instead, it was Jiang Zhao who.

Worried Jiang Jian might have an episode.

Every night she called to urge him to take his medicine.

“Soul-Calm Nutritional Tablets don’t work for me.”

Jiang Jian ended his sister’s call and turned his gaze to the wooden sword on his bedside.

What his sister did not know was.

For seven years, he had never taken a single Soul-Calm Nutritional Tablet.

His rare episodes were kept at bay solely by this innate Divine Gift weapon.

As for the money spent on medicine.

It was mostly used to buy study materials and extracurricular books.

Many of these ancient texts were extremely expensive.

They were acquired at high prices from the black market in the Divine Illumination Zone.

Over these past years.

The Alliance Coins Jiang Jian earned by accepting commissions under the nickname “Master.”

Were almost entirely poured into books.

(End of Chapter)