Chapter 31: Province-Wide Sensation! The Pride of Jiangcheng!

June 12 was the final day for the nationwide Wu Ke college entrance exam rankings to be released.

That meant, on this day, the rankings would definitely be announced!

The Nian’an City Education Bureau, capital of Jiangnan Province.

The director and all the teachers waited in front of their computers, anticipating the ranking release.

Even in this sizable office, numerous cakes and champagne had already been prepared.

They were ready to celebrate joyfully the moment the results were officially published.

“Lei Zhou from Nian’an No.1 High School performed well this year, scoring over nine thousand two hundred points—he’s likely the provincial top scorer.”

“High probability, but it’s not certain; I heard a few gifted students from the neighboring province also did well.”

“True enough—let’s see how fate plays out.”

“......”

The teachers chatted among themselves.

Lei Zhou, from Nian’an No.1 High School, possessed an A-rank ability and was at the high end of Foundation Establishment—his name was a top contender for provincial top scorer.

“The rankings are out!”

At that moment, the teacher who had been glued to the computer suddenly brightened, opened the ranking list—and then froze in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

The director of the Nian’an City Education Bureau, sensing something amiss, frowned and leaned forward—only to see the name at number one was completely unfamiliar:

“Jiangnan Province Rank 1: Xu Jingming (Jiangcheng No.2 High School), Total Score: [score].”

“What?! The provincial top scorer is from Jiangcheng?!”

The director’s eyes widened, his face filled with shock.

This scene wasn’t confined to the Nian’an City Education Bureau—it unfolded simultaneously in education bureaus across other prefecture-level cities in Jiangnan Province.

But unlike the stunned officials, Jiangnan Province’s journalists sprang into action!

After all,

Jiangnan Province was one of Daxia Nation’s most populous provinces.

It contained twenty-four prefecture-level cities and nearly thirty-four county-level cities.

Nian’an City, the provincial capital, along with several nearby prefectures, were universally recognized as the most prosperous regions, with the highest concentration of ability users and the greatest likelihood of producing geniuses.

Jiangcheng, however, located in the remote northern tip of Jiangnan Province, was universally regarded as resource-poor and talent-scarce.

In past years, Jiangnan’s provincial top scorers had always come from Nian’an City or its neighboring prefectures.

But this year was entirely different!

The provincial top scorer had emerged from Jiangcheng—a place so obscure that most people in Jiangnan Province had never even heard of it!

What did this mean?

It meant traffic and a viral sensation!

So the journalists began frantically gathering every piece of information related to Xu Jingming.

They didn’t realize what they’d find—until they looked, and were stunned.

Words like “E-rank ability,” “unpromoted Awakened,” struck their nerves.

They marveled—and their eyes gleamed. This was a natural hotspot!

In mere minutes, these journalists churned out article after article, each over a thousand words:

“Absolute Dark Horse! Provincial Top Scorer from Jiangcheng!”

“Shocking!! The Provincial Top Scorer Is Still Just an Awakened!”

“Who says an E-rank ability can’t be provincial top scorer?!”

“......”

Each headline was crafted to hook curiosity.

As soon as they were posted online, they drew massive clicks and views.

Especially among Jiangnan Province’s netizens, who flooded the comment sections with their reactions.

“Aren’t provincial top scorers always high-end Foundation Establishment ability users? Can an Awakened even win provincial top scorer?”

“An E-rank Awakened as provincial top scorer? If that’s true, I’ll eat shit right now!”

“Up there, wait—I’m going to find his Wu Ke exam video right now.”

“......”

The most common response to these news stories was skepticism.

After all, past Jiangnan provincial top scorers had always been high-end Foundation Establishment ability users.

Their abilities were at least A-rank or B-rank.

Now, an E-rank Awakened had claimed the title—naturally, no one believed it.

Some extreme personalities even shouted in the comments.

Claiming the Wu Ke exam was rigged, that Xu Jingming was actually the incompetent son of some behind-the-scenes big shot, forcibly elevated to provincial top scorer.

Cheating in the Wu Ke exam was an extremely serious offense.

With such comments circulating, public sentiment began to ferment.

Many directly left messages on Jiangcheng’s official account, demanding the truth!

As public outrage threatened to spiral, Jiangcheng’s official account calmly released Xu Jingming’s Wu Ke exam video.

For those malicious trolls who had prepared to unleash a torrent of criticism, it was instant shock.

Jiangnan Province’s top scorer, Xu Jingming, really was just an Awakened!

Holy shit! He pierced the skull of a first-rank unicorn rhino with a single shot! This strength must surpass even that of a first-rank ability user!

“Looks like a strength-enhancing ability—but he’s still just an Awakened! How could his ability boost be this strong?!”

“Damn! It’s not a strength-enhancing ability—it’s a Lightning ability!”

“This power level and you call it an E-rank ability? Unscrupulous media, lying for clicks!”

“......”

Xu Jingming’s Wu Ke exam video lasted twelve hours, perfectly capturing every moment of his test.

As soon as it was released, all skepticism toward Xu Jingming vanished instantly.

In its place rose awe for his masterful marksmanship and his powerful Lightning ability...

Online discussions about Xu Jingming exploded—and the same frenzy ignited in Jiangcheng itself!

The Wu Ke exam was a topic of nationwide interest.

But in Jiangcheng’s history, even its best students had only ever ranked within the top 100 in Jiangnan Province.

It was embarrassing to even mention.

So Jiangcheng residents had never paid much attention before.

But now, everything was different!

Jiangcheng had produced a provincial top scorer!

Many enthusiastically posted topics online.

Some who had known Xu Jingming personally now claimed to be his friends.

Jiangcheng’s local media, meanwhile, went into overdrive—flocking en masse to Jiangcheng No.2 High School to interview the principal.

Long before Xu Jingming scored over ten thousand points, the principal had anticipated this moment.

Dressed in a suit, he faced the sea of microphones without a hint of nervousness, speaking confidently.

In addition, Xu Jingming’s homeroom teacher and multiple subject instructors were also interviewed.

For once, the usually strict homeroom teacher couldn’t stop smiling.

In every word, he lavished praise on Xu Jingming without restraint.

Beyond Jiangcheng No.2 High School, education bureau and municipal government officials also gave interviews.

“Xu Jingming is the pride of Jiangcheng. His achievement stems from his own hard work.”

“Of course, it also owes much to the school’s and education bureau’s strong support...”

As per tradition, Education Bureau Director Zhang Wenshan delivered several official-sounding speeches with great passion.

He then announced a reward for Xu Jingming: one million yuan in cash and a cultivation technique for abilities!

After the Education Bureau’s reward, the municipal government followed suit.

They announced a one-million-yuan cash prize and a luxury villa in the city as a gift to Xu Jingming.

Rewarding provincial top scorers was a long-standing tradition across all provinces.

Though Jiangcheng was far poorer than provincial capitals like Nian’an, several million yuan was still within its means.

Moreover, the publicity Xu Jingming brought to Jiangcheng far outweighed the government’s expenditure.