Chapter 273: Examinees bewildered, reading comprehension of cultivation knowledge?

The staff in charge of printing the exam papers had no idea what was going on; they only knew that the higher-ups had attended an important meeting in Mountain City and then dropped a bombshell.

What exactly happened?!

"Leader, shouldn't you confirm this? Such a major matter—could it be a mistake?"

"The college entrance exam is just around the corner, and now they're saying we need to reprint the papers—that's not ideal."

"Yeah, reprinting the exam papers involves a huge workload, plus they have to be shipped to all regions; if anything goes wrong in the middle, nobody can take responsibility."

Facing all these doubts from the staff, the education officials of the several major regions were also stressed, with no time to explain things in detail—and they couldn't explain anyway.

"You know the college entrance exam is coming up—hurry up and make the changes!"

"Instead of protesting here, you might as well put in some extra work."

They directly threw the notice issued with the joint seal of the Capital Headquarters and several major regions onto these people.

"Make sure you see this clearly—this is an order from above; just follow it, and even if something really goes wrong, the blame won't fall on you."

Looking at that glaring red-header document, the black-and-white text especially striking, the education bureaus were stunned—none dared to delay.

The Greater Xia High Officials already knew of the existence of the demons in the Longyuan Mountain Range, but considering it's still not appropriate to let the public know, they kept the information sealed; lower-level staff had no idea about these secrets.

This time, the Greater Xia college entrance exam added questions on cultivation methods; if any examinee actually gains something from it, that would be an unprecedented change for Greater Xia.

If it truly succeeds, a new power system will appear before them, while also bringing many chain reactions and effects.

Just how strong the demons of Longyuan Mountain are is plain for all to see.

Events like those on Hua Mountain, Changbai Mountain, and the Divine Illumination Country are just like the mighty demons in myths who can turn hands into clouds and rain—projected into reality.

If we could truly master and wield this power, it would be a tremendous opportunity for Greater Xia, possibly ushering it into a miraculous age.

Opportunity likewise means the arrival of disaster.

If someone truly cultivates this power, it will also, from the side, fulfill everything the great demons said.

Heaven and earth catastrophe descends upon Earth!

No living being can escape; facing such a catastrophe, how should humanity respond to all this?

Even if one could cultivate in a short time, how could it compare to those ancient immortal civilizations? All kinds of problems weigh on the leaders' minds, almost keeping them from sleep.

Thinking this through, the Greater Xia High Officials only feel a terrible headache, but no matter what, since heaven leaves no one without a way, they can only take things step by step, letting the problems before them be resolved gradually.

Besides the college entrance exam, after the meeting ended the higher-ups immediately sent people to investigate—without looking they wouldn't know, but once they looked they really found something.

Hua Tiancheng, Qi Hai, Zhao En and the other heads of the major regions gathered again, the furrows in their brows never lessening; based on the many things the great demons had previously told them, they went to examine the changes on Earth.

After a brief inspection, their hearts gradually sank to the bottom of the valley.

Hua Tiancheng looked at the report and data in his hand, sighed, and said:

"These data show that magnetic field fluctuations across the country indeed have unstable changes; although the changes are currently inconspicuous, compared with past data they are now very active, and the peak values keep rising."

"Although the range of these magnetic fields is not wide and they usually disappear after a brief fluctuation, there has never been such a situation before; an abnormal occurrence must indicate a demon—without doubt this is an omen."

Qi Hai's face also looked not good: "I've already had the aerospace department closely monitor the cosmic situation; although they haven't captured any life phenomena or signals yet, they feedback that Earth's orbit seems somewhat abnormal."

"Now the aerospace department monitors 24/7; I've had them work overtime to compute the orbital data."

Zhao En added from the side: "Right now the weather is scorching hot, but I've noticed many places have erratic weather, with harsh conditions like hail frequently occurring, and the average temperature is actually lower than in previous years!"

"This is the data sent by the meteorological department; everyone can take a look at these weather conditions and temperatures."

In a short time, we couldn't investigate everything that quickly, but we basically have a general understanding; after the Longyuan Mountain Range demons' reminder, the Greater Xia High Officials have put this matter in mind.

But the results of the investigation weren't good—everywhere across the country, to some extent, there are some anomalies.

Seeing these data reports, Hua Tiancheng and the others' faces grew even uglier, because all of this is too similar to what the Longyuan Mountain demons said.

"This certainly isn't a good omen."

Everyone wore worried frowns; these things don't happen often, and besides they haven't caused any disaster, so at first nobody took them to heart.

But after the Longyuan Mountain demons' reminder, they compiled and summarized all the situations investigated, and only then suddenly realized—how could there be such a coincidence in the world? Everything is a warning from Earth to them.

"Order the lower levels to keep investigating; report any abnormal situation immediately!"

"We absolutely cannot be careless; if it really is as the Longyuan Mountain Range demons said, then we're likely in trouble."

"Never mind, saying all this now isn't of much use; next we'll just see how the college entrance exam goes."

As time passed second by second, the day of the college entrance exam soon arrived.

With the efforts of the various education bureaus, all exam papers were finally printed by the eve of the college entrance exam; seeing truckloads of papers being shipped nationwide, the education officials of the major regions finally breathed a sigh of relief.

You know, these past few days and nights they didn't dare close their eyes, hadn't gotten a good sleep, fearing they wouldn't complete the task assigned from above.

In the early dawn, as the sun rose slowly, heralding a new day, this day is extremely important for all senior high school students nationwide.

Greater Xia's annual greatest examination finally opened its curtain.

Although it was still early morning, the time was early, yet it was already a sea of people—all were examinees streaming in from all directions, plus parents coming to see them off.

On the streets and alleys, vehicles moved with difficulty, like turtles; countless traffic police maintained order, and at key intersections many officers directed traffic.

"Please don't rush; if there's no urgent matter on the road ahead of the exam site, please take a detour—everything gives priority to the college entrance exam, after all it's only once a year, and we hope all drivers can cooperate and understand."

"No honking! Create a good environment for the children's exams!"

"Please pass through this section in order, no cutting in, no overtaking—thank you for your cooperation."

Traffic police, one after another, directed traffic at the major intersections near the exam site, exhausted and drenched in sweat.

And outside the exam hall, countless parents carefully reminded their children: "Did you bring your admission ticket and ID? You must absolutely not lose them."

"During the exam, be careful; if you don't know a question, look at it several more times; if you really can't recall, do the later questions first—don't waste time."

"When the papers are handed out, write your name and admission number correctly—be absolutely sure not to make a mistake, and remember to fill in the answer sheet; otherwise it's all for nothing."

"Keep the paper clean, don't scribble all over it—now everything is machine-graded, so you can't be careless."

"Above all, don't be nervous—just treat it as a regular exam and perform normally; you will always be our finest child in our hearts!"

Before the exam hall, a surging crowd of people—all were parents and elders earnestly advising their children; after years of hard study, it's all for this moment—these young examinees, filled with hope and anticipation for the future, walked into the exam hall.

There were top students who remained calm and composed, holding their little notebooks, seriously filling gaps and making a final push; there were also poor students whose faces were full of worry, anxiously scratching their ears and cheeks.

Besides, there are those whose families are well off, sipping drinks and wandering about leisurely, not seeming like they came to take the college entrance exam; even if they fail the exam, their families have everything ready.

Students of all kinds gather here; one can already see the paths they will take in life, and this place will be one of their major turning points.

Of course, a small minority have good family conditions and need not worry, but for most people nationwide, this is extremely important.

"Beep—"

A clear whistle sounded, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"The exam will start in fifteen minutes! Please enter the examination hall in an orderly manner!"

Upon hearing this sound, countless examinees lowered their hands, took a deep breath, and slowly stepped into the classroom; outside, countless parents waited anxiously.

As time passed, nationwide, all examinees entered the examination hall, and the snow-white test papers were handed to them.

Some examinees were full of confidence, their eyes gleaming with hope, while others looked grim and restless; at this moment, no one realized that this college entrance exam differed greatly from previous ones.

They were even less aware of what awaited them next.

Wu Zhenghao was one of the many examinees, carefully filling in his name, admission ticket number, ID number, and other information on the test paper and answer sheet.

At this moment, examinees could not yet answer questions; during this time, most people would review the questions, skim through them, and Wu Zhenghao did the same.

As one of the most competitive major regions in Great Xia, the cutoff scores in the southeast region are relatively high; to stand out, one must be meticulous and not miss any detail.

The college entrance exam is not a simple test; besides assessing students' knowledge reserves, it also tests one's mindset.

This is the first time all students have faced such an important situation after so long; it can be said to be a major turning point in life.

Many excellent students who usually performed well end up underperforming in the exam, especially during the college entrance exam; such cases are not uncommon, because a single failure can cause them to miss their desired university.

Wu Zhenghao clearly understood this; he adjusted his mindset, for if nervousness prevented him from showing his true ability, it would be a pity.

In this brief period, he would roughly go through all the questions on the test paper, so he would have a sense of them and not panic when putting pen to paper.

Words appeared one by one before his eyes; the youth's expression was solemn and grave, he deeply knew he differed from his peers, and this college entrance exam was the best opportunity to change his fate.

Without looking at background or identity, with machine grading, it can be said to be the last truly fair examination in today's society.

It is also the only opportunity that could let him leave his remote county, enter the city, and allow his mother to stop toiling.

For this exam, Wu Zhenghao has worked hard for a long time, getting up before dawn every day, and has gone through countless question‑sea tactics and test papers.

He has studied so hard for this very day!

"Ding ling ling—"

As the exam start bell rang, Wu Zhenghao picked up his pen and began answering; in that short time, he had already roughly surveyed all the questions on the test paper and had a sense of their difficulty.

What surprised him was that after the college entrance exam essay, there was still another question.

Wu Zhenghao frowned slightly; the last question of the college entrance exam should be the essay, which has long been customary, so why is there an extra question this year?

Could this be a new policy?

With such a major change, why had there been no prior news or rumors?

Logically, this really shouldn't be the case.

Wu Zhenghao did not like this change, as it meant more variables; fortunately he adjusted quickly, and to avoid affecting the exam's progress, he could only temporarily suppress his doubts and first solve the preceding questions.

After all, without an official notice, even if there were changes, they shouldn't be too major.

Wu Zhenghao held his breath and focused, earnestly answering questions; the black water‑based pen rubbed back and forth on the paper, making a scratching sound, and his fluent characters leapt onto the page, vigorous and powerful.

Just looking at the handwriting, it's hard to imagine it came from an eighteen‑year‑old boy.

For the confident Wu Zhenghao, the exam questions were not simple but not difficult either; occasionally one or two questions eluded his grasp, but he did not dwell on them, instead skipping ahead to answer later ones.

After all, time is tight, and many people lose points because they obsess over questions, fail to finish the later essay, and thus lose many marks.

Modern Chinese reading.

Classical poetry and prose.

Classical Chinese.

Wu Zhenghao answered carefully; everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and soon he reached the essay. His speed was not slow; so far only fifty minutes had passed, leaving over ninety minutes, plenty of time for the essay.

Many examinees around him wore worried frowns, still working on the earlier questions.

Wu Zhenghao looked at the essay topic, quickly formed a rough outline in his mind, after a brief thought he picked up his pen again, and his ideas flowed freely, unstoppable.

His essays have always been the best, often used by teachers as model examples for critique; this essay topic is also one he excels at, an argumentative essay.

After finishing the essay, there were still forty minutes left until the exam ended.

Wu Zhenghao's gaze fell on the final major question; from the start it had tugged at his emotions, so to avoid unease he could only suppress his doubts, and now with ample time he could finally see what it was about.

【Divergent Thinking Question】

【Please read the following materials, write down your feelings and thoughts, and answer the related questions (20 points)】

Wu Zhenghao blinked slightly, thinking he might be hallucinating.

20 points!?

This is actually a 20‑point major question?

How could this be possible!?

Wu Zhenghao shuddered all over, as if realizing something; he quickly flipped through the test paper, added up the scores of the preceding questions—the full score was exactly 150 points, plus this final question.

The total score actually came to 170!

Seeing this scene, Wu Zhenghao's gaze turned vacant.

What on earth is going on? The full score for each subject is supposed to be only 150, so how did it suddenly become 170 out of nowhere!?

Such a major change could not have happened without prior notice; his first reaction was that the test paper had a printing error.

Such situations are rare but not unheard of.

Wu Zhenghao hurried to check the answer sheet, only to discover that it too had a space for an answer—meaning the test paper was not wrong; a 20‑point major question had truly appeared out of the blue.

It really is too strange.

He continued reading, and once he saw the question's content clearly, his pupils contracted sharply and his brain plunged again into a state of shutdown.

【"Observing the Heavenly Way, grasping Heaven's conduct, it is exhausted. Heaven has five thieves; those who see them prosper. The five thieves are in the heart, carried out in Heaven. The universe is in the hand; myriad transformations arise from the body."】

【"Heavenly nature is human; human mind is mechanism. Establish the Way of Heaven, to settle humanity."】

【"When Heaven unleashes a killing intent, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth unleashes a killing intent, dragons and snakes rise upon the land; when humans unleash a killing intent, heaven and earth overturn; when Heaven and humanity jointly unleash, myriad transformations establish their foundation."】

Dense characters appeared on the snow-white test paper; he recognized every character, but when combined together they were obscure and hard to understand—he simply had no idea what they meant.

Having only glanced a few times, Wu Zhenghao's eyes went black, his head became dazed and heavy, and a tremendous surge rose in his heart.

Never before had he seen such strange content and questions!

Such a question type was unheard of; let alone the teacher not having lectured on it in class, even outside class they had never encountered it—completely surpassing his expectations.

What exactly are these? Can one really write a reflection after viewing them?

Wu Zhenghao held the pen; his confident expression gradually gave way to bewilderment, and myriad doubts welled up in his heart—he had never felt before that the pen in his hand felt so heavy.

He swallowed, continued looking downward, and upon seeing the problem below this question, his eyes almost popped out—it can be said to be an unprecedented lapse.

【Read the material and answer the following questions.】

【1. What connection exists between the Heavenly Way and all things?】

【2. All things naturally grow in accordance with the laws of Heaven and Earth; people utilize all things to become prosperous. Please describe your understanding of this statement using dialectics.】

【3. Explain the meaning of the underlined phrase in the text.】

【4. Do you believe the Heavenly Way exists in the world? Explain your view with examples from the material.】

【5. If spiritual energy exists between Heaven and Earth, please simulate its operation based on the material and write down your feelings.】

(End of chapter)