Chapter 272: Popularizing Cultivation Technique via the Gaokao

The old chief received the news and rushed over immediately; all Greater Xia High Officials gathered together, their expressions unprecedentedly solemn.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat quiet, and no one spoke.

The old chief coughed a few times, breaking the silence: "I already know the content of your discussion; I want to know your opinions on this meeting."

Everyone looked at each other, and the first to speak was Hua Tiancheng.

"This talk with Longyuan Mountain exceeded our expectations; although the process had some twists, the result was relatively good—at least we learned that Longyuan Mountain harbors no hostility toward Greater Xia."

Although the black wolf looked fearsome and tried to intimidate them as soon as it appeared, and the northeastern tiger was somewhat unreliable, constantly talking about humans and pets, it never actually did anything outrageous—at most it just barked to scare them.

Their true forms are beasts; although they are monsters and have awakened spiritual intelligence, their animal nature inevitably dominates due to their innate traits, so they cannot be bound by human etiquette and behavioral norms.

Zhao En nodded, saying, "I agree with what Lao Hua said, but that humanoid great demon is somewhat unfathomable; even if an immortal descended to the mortal world, we would believe it, for there is no trace of demonic traits on its person."

Qi Hai also chimed in, "My view is the same as others: Longyuan Mountain's attitude toward the demons and Greater Xia is relatively friendly; for now, this is good news for us."

Compared to the neighboring Shenzhao Country, even Mount Fuji was blown up, causing massive losses; it can be said to have suffered a severe blow to its vitality, difficult to recover in the short term—of course, Shenzhao Country brought this on itself, for they provoked it.

Moreover, these demons' combat power is very strong; according to our current intelligence, such demons number at least several dozen, and we don't know how many more are in the mountains—so their quantity should not be underestimated.

Compared to the huge number of humans, the demons certainly cannot match in numbers, but their high combat power makes even a hundred of them terrifying.

From the earlier Changbai Mountain incident, fighting Tsar soldiers, to capsizing Shenzhao Country's ships on the high seas, and later detonating Mount Fuji, etc., it is sufficient to see their terrifying strength.

Hua Tiancheng gave a wry smile: "I'm afraid what we know is not their limit; their master is still a humanoid great demon—just how terrifying their combat power must be."

Thinking of this, the Greater Xia High Officials all felt a bit troubled, but even more troubling matters lie ahead.

"Regarding the demons of Longyuan Mountain, the danger issue can be set aside for now; at least they have shown goodwill and should pose no threat for the time being. I think the most important thing is what they said about the signal tower."

The old chief looked at everyone present, furrowed his brow, and said, "Our focus should be on this: whether we can believe what the demons said."

The entire conference hall fell into silence.

Heaven and earth catastrophe!

Without a doubt, the words spoken by those demons have dealt a massive blow to their worldview; if true, it will affect all living beings on Earth.

By comparison, the mere appearance of demons is no big deal; after all, it is closely tied to human life and future. If what that humanoid great demon said is true, and they make no preparations, they might even lose their future.

In the conference room, all was silent, and everyone frowned in deep thought.

"Could such a thing really happen? Although the demons have no need to deceive us, this is too unbelievable; if the universe truly harbors a cultivation civilization, why have our space stations never observed it?"

"If they have cultivated, how could our technological detection compare to theirs? Surely we couldn't detect them; as for the demons, their methods are inscrutable, so it's no surprise they know about this."

"That can't be said either; our technology is fairly mature now—if the universe truly had other life and civilizations, we couldn't possibly have seen not a trace."

"Mature? Having confidence is good, but overconfidence is bad."

Everyone spoke at once; the originally quiet conference room instantly became as noisy as a market, with faces flushed red from argument.

The several region chiefs frowned tightly, wondering whether to believe or not.

The existence of the Longyuan Mountain Range has indeed presented them with a tremendous problem.

If they believe it, they must start preparing; such a catastrophe is absolutely not something that can be solved by simply building one or two underground fortresses.

The whole Earth will be affected by radiation; this is undoubtedly a massive project that requires consideration of every aspect.

Pull one hair and move the whole body; if the shelters are completed and all preparations made, but the disaster does not occur, Greater Xia's national strength would plummet wildly by several hundred years.

But if it does happen, and they clearly know yet choose not to believe, when the disaster truly arrives, would they not become sinners of Greater Xia, and even of all humanity?

The old chief sighed helplessly: "This really is a tough problem."

Having been in office for many years without encountering such a thorny issue, whatever choice they make is closely tied to Greater Xia's future, even reaching the point of affecting the nation's fortune.

"What do you think? Share your opinions."

The old chief threw this question out; not only the heads of the several regions, but also many high officials showed thoughtful expressions, obviously aware of the importance of this decision.

The atmosphere in the conference room sank into an unprecedented solemnity, even their breathing grew lighter.

After who knows how long, someone finally spoke: "I think it's better to believe; Greater Xia has an old saying that goes well: better to believe that it exists than to believe that it does not."

Hua Tiancheng rubbed his temples, as if making up his mind: "At least we need to make some preparations; if it's true, it will affect the whole Earth—an unprecedented disaster."

Many showed thoughtful expressions; the Northeast region chief, Qi Hai, spoke slowly: "Lao Hua, I still think this is a bit risky; regarding the words of the Longyuan Mountain demons, we can believe them, but not completely."

Others turned their heads, drawn by Qi Hai's words, asking, "What does that mean?"

Qi Hai pondered for a moment: "We can test it—check whether what the Longyuan Mountain demons say is accurate; if it's all true, we can still decide later."

"How to test it?"

Qi Hai narrowed his eyes slightly: "Wasn't the demons' master supposed to leave us a cultivation technique? Let's use that to test."

Upon hearing this, the others slightly frowned.

"Who should cultivate? That humanoid great demon said the effect is best for people aged 10–20, and according to his meaning, we also need to consider opportunity, requiring a large base to support it."

"The probability of this might be even lower than winning the lottery; just having hundreds or thousands of people try it won't work, and there's also the age restriction."

"We can't just distribute it to the whole populace; it's not fully confirmed yet, or it would cause chaos."

Hua Tiancheng felt somewhat helpless: "You still think it's not big enough, yet you want to give it to everyone."

"Then the problem arises: where are we supposed to find so many young people?"

Hua Tiancheng glanced at the calendar on the wall, as if thinking of something: "If I remember correctly, the gaokao is about a week away."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned strange.

"Wait, Lao Hua, what do you mean?"

Hua Tiancheng nodded: "Exactly as you thought; the gaokao examinees form a huge group, their age fits perfectly, and their knowledge level is high—if they study this technique, their comprehension would likely be higher than others."

"Moreover, these young people always like reading fantasy cultivation novels; right before them lies a tremendous opportunity—we will simply put this cultivation technique into the gaokao!"

Everyone stared, dumbfounded—it was utterly absurd; yet after hearing Hua Tiancheng's explanation, there arose a strange sense of plausibility, as if it really were so.

Qi Hai stammered: "Put, put into the gaokao? How would we do that?"

Hua Tiancheng revealed a mysterious smile: "It's simple—we just need to open our thinking, broaden our perspective; isn't it just a cultivation technique article—"

"Take language arts, for example: replace those reading comprehension passages with this cultivation technique, have the gaokao examinees study it and write their own understanding—essay writing works the same way."

"English can also be borrowed for use; as for the science comprehensive, it's a bit difficult here, we need to think carefully, but solutions are always thought up by people."

The Greater Xia High Officials listened, dumbfounded; even the old chief was stunned.

Replace language arts reading comprehension with cultivation technique!

This is truly unprecedented, the first of its kind; one could say it has no predecessor and no successor.

A senior leader with white‑tinged hair had probably never heard such heretical words; his first reaction was to veto: "No, this is too absurd; the college entrance exam is such a major matter—how could it be used for joking?"

Hua Tiancheng, however, had reason and evidence: "How is this joking? We need to be flexible; our thinking cannot become rigid. Even monsters have appeared—what in this world is impossible? Besides, don't you have any other good ideas?"

As he said, at first hearing it seems somewhat absurd, but upon careful consideration it does make some sense.

Such cultivation rules—if one wants to cultivate, it is extremely difficult, also depends on opportunity, and must certainly be taken very seriously.

In the age range of 10 to 20, what could make these young people take things especially seriously?

That must be the college entrance exam!

Moreover, the examinees are all seventeen‑ or eighteen‑year‑old youths, when the mind is most agile, they are very receptive to new things, and the population base is large.

After such comprehensive consideration, this group seems the most suitable.

"We can handle this test question flexibly, adding it while trying not to affect the total score too much; although it's sudden, we at least have a week to prepare."

Hua Tiancheng's words gradually swayed many people; looking at the current situation, the feasibility of this plan is still very great, after all they really couldn't think of any other solution.

"Chief, what do you think of this matter?"

In extraordinary times, in extraordinary circumstances, we can no longer measure with the old perspective.

The monsters of the Longyuan Mountain Range truly appeared, shocking everyone; especially what they said about the impending heavenly and earthly catastrophe gave everyone an unimaginable sense of oppression.

The old chief pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Adding cultivation techniques to the college entrance exam could perhaps be tried, but how to add it, how to add it without destroying the original balance—this still needs careful discussion."

"Language arts reading comprehension definitely cannot be replaced; it accounts for too large a proportion, it would surely cause an uproar, but we could instead add a twenty‑point extra question."

Someone beside them spoke up: "Wouldn't twenty points be too little? What if the students don't take it seriously?"

"Twenty points is still not enough; it's already sufficient."

"Also, an extra English essay can be added."

Several of Greater Xia's top leaders exchanged views, and quickly they discussed the framework for adding points to the college entrance exam, which would still be cultivation technique.

Hearing their discussion, another group of high‑level leaders couldn't help but show expressions of doubting life.

Adding cultivation technique to the college entrance exam—just hearing it sounds utterly unbelievable!

If this is done, this year's college entrance exam will surely stir up a huge wave; they can almost imagine how the multitude of examinees will feel when they see the extra question on the test paper.

These people were still bewildered, but the heads of the several major regions had basically settled things.

"Time is pressing; we only have one week, we must speed up. In fact, compared with actual construction, building shelters and such, adding a few extra questions to the college entrance exam really isn't a big change."

Hua Tiancheng sighed, his gaze falling on the person in charge of education in the Southwest region.

"There's still one week; can all the language arts and English test papers be reprinted?"

It's actually happening!

He glanced at the silent old chief beside him; apparently the chief had tacitly approved this action. The person in charge couldn't help but swallow, then with difficulty said: "There shouldn't be any problem, right?"

Upon hearing that, the heads of the several major regions all looked toward their own region's education department, their gazes carrying a subtle pressure.

In fact, the leaders of those education departments had long been bitterly complaining inside.

Reprinting the college entrance exam papers in just one week—this is far too urgent!

Nevertheless, with so many bigwigs seated here, they dare not say no; they could only choke out through tears: "We guarantee to complete the task."

"Don't worry, we'll only print for the Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast regions; it's temporarily impossible to roll out everywhere. Moreover, to ensure fairness, the points from these extra questions will only be useful for examinees applying to those major regions—it can be considered a pilot."

Several bigwigs spoke lightly, but those underneath heard it and got a headache—having to reprint the national college entrance exam papers within a week and then resend them to each region, the workload can be imagined as enormous.

Specific exam matters are still under discussion; the education departments of the several major regions have already prepared to go back and handle this, each feeling as urgent as eyebrows on fire, wishing they could fly back, given how tight the time is.

Looking at those education officials, the other leaders exchanged glances, each feeling a strange sensation welling up inside.

The college entrance exam's extra question adds a full ten points, and this question is not ordinary; after the exam ends, it will likely spark heated discussion throughout Greater Xia.

However, even though points are added, the original fairness of the college entrance exam is not compromised; the topics decided by the higher‑ups are all attached 20‑point major questions.

Separately in language arts and English, the other ten‑odd points are mixed into the liberal arts and science comprehensives; the other questions are largely the same, and the scores are identical as well.

Moreover, nobody has had any contact with cultivation methods, so for the examinees this is also fair.

"If that's the case, then let's settle it like this for now; after this college entrance exam ends, we'll discuss further based on the actual situation."

After the meeting ended, everyone became busy again, each setting aside their many affairs to devote full effort to preparing for this "special college entrance exam".

Not only must the test questions undergo multiple reviews, but related public opinion also needs measures; most importantly, regarding what the Longyuan Mountain monsters said, they also need to launch a detailed investigation,

At the same time, the military also drafted some young soldiers, had them sign confidentiality agreements, and printed countless copies of the basic cultivation technique to distribute.

Looking at those dense, obscure texts, the soldiers were utterly bewildered, having no idea what medicine the leaders were selling from their gourds.

But a soldier's nature is obedience; no matter how doubtful they are, they still diligently cultivate.

As for the military side, it's not too bad; however, the education bureaus of the other regions received the layered notice from above and thought the leaders were joking.

"What the heck? Am I seeing things? To revise and reprint the test papers within a week??"

"The college entrance exam only has one week left—now you're giving me this?"

"Are these extra questions for real? Who came up with this nonsense? What is this stuff—today really isn't April Fools' Day, is it?"

"I suspect I didn't wake up properly before going to work today; all this is too absurd."

"Quick, call the bureau chief and ask for the specifics."

The staff of the Education Bureau, upon receiving the news, fell completely into a state of bewildered confusion—not just them, but even the bureau chief of the Education Bureau did the same, repeatedly seeking confirmation from above, and could verify the information was correct.

Reprint the college entrance exam papers!

Now there's only one week left until the college entrance exam!

You must know that as one of Greater Xia's most important exams, the college entrance exam is absolutely strict in every respect—not to mention scores, each year's test papers and questions are selected through absolute strict screening, managed and transported militarily, to guarantee absolute fairness!

During the college entrance examinations, each point is an enormous gap for the students, yet now they have actually gained several tens of points extra.

In the history of the Great Xia, such a thing can be said to be unprecedented.

The key is that this bonus question is also very strange.

Numerous staff members of the Education Bureau in charge of printing, upon seeing the newly distributed exam questions from the leadership, couldn't help but wear expressions of doubting life.

What on earth is going on with these questions? It's simply too bizarre.

(End of chapter)