On the day of the college entrance examination, Chen Xinglan specially rushed over from Chixia Academy to cheer for his son.
Compared to his parents, Chen Mobai appeared relaxed as he entered the examination room with his admission ticket and stationery.
Since he cultivated his divine consciousness, he had been reviewing the knowledge in his textbooks and had mastered everything within two months.
Although he couldn't say he fully understood everything, he had a thorough understanding of all the knowledge points. When encountering corresponding questions, he could easily recall the relevant content from his memory.
On the first morning, there was the arts paper.
Chen Mobai smoothly filled it out from beginning to end, except for a slight pause on the last question.
This question involved knowledge beyond the scope of high school, but Chen Mobai was well-prepared. Using his knowledge, he deduced the missing parts of the spell and completed it. Although it couldn't be considered the standard answer, he filled in all the blanks.
Amidst the worried expressions of the students around him, he calmly handed in his paper and left.
In the afternoon, there was the alchemy paper.
Although he hadn't studied it in detail, he had learned some knowledge beyond the textbooks during his time with Qing Nv. After writing down everything he knew on the paper, he didn't bother to think anymore and stopped writing until the bell for handing in the paper rang.
On the second morning, there was the artifact paper.
He had no clue about the last question, so he could only do his best to fill it in.
Lastly, there was the formation paper.
Chen Mobai smoothly finished writing the second-to-last question and then approached the last question with a try-it-out attitude.
After experiencing three papers, he already understood the pattern. The last question would involve knowledge beyond the textbooks, and this was where he could score high.
Each paper was worth 100 points.
Based on the previous year's score cutoff, generally, a score above 330 would allow one to apply to the top ten academies and participate in the entrance exams. The qualification for the four major academies last year was 350 points.
However, these scores fluctuated depending on the number of people taking the exam.
At this moment, Chen Mobai finished reading the last question on the formation paper. It was only after reading it that he couldn't help but show a pleased expression.
[10. Please provide at least two methods to repair the incomplete Fu Hai Formation Plate below, and then fill in the effects of the five formation flags of the Fu Hai Formation in the order of appearance to form a complete formation in the form of Figure 1. (This question is worth 20 points, no points will be deducted for wrong answers.)]
"If I can score above 90 on this paper, I will definitely treat Teacher Chan to a meal."
Chen Mobai muttered to himself and took out his ruler. Based on his understanding of the Azure Water Formation, he applied it to the Fu Hai Formation. First, he completed the drawing of the entire formation and then answered the question based on the diagram.
Formations may vary, but the Fu Hai Formation was exactly the same as the Azure Water Formation, a second-level formation rooted in water veins.
Chen Mobai recalled the functions of the Azure Water Formation flags and then matched them with the names of the Fu Hai Formation flags given in the diagram.
Lastly, he wrote down the methods to repair the formation plate. He happened to have repaired the Azure Water Formation before and, to confirm that he hadn't made any mistakes, he had also searched for similar answers online and consulted Chan Si.
Chen Mobai was a person who prepared for the worst. He was afraid that the Azure Water Formation would have problems again, so he had stored more than two methods to repair the formation in his mind.
For the incomplete formation plate of the Fu Hai Formation mentioned in the question, Chen Mobai chose the two most suitable methods from his memory and filled them in satisfactorily.
This formation paper took him the longest to write and was the most mentally exhausting. He barely finished it five minutes before the bell for handing in the paper.
After double-checking with his divine consciousness, he finally put down his pen with relief.
"PHWE! I probably gained an extra 15 points or so."
Regarding the last question on the formation paper, although Chen Mobai was quite confident, the Azure Water Formation was a formation from the Tianhe Realm. Although he had used his knowledge of the Earth Element Star to understand it with the help of Chan Si, there were still differences between the Fu Hai Formation and the Azure Water Formation.
Out of the 20 points, if he could get 15, he would already be satisfied.
Out of the four papers, 320 points were based on textbook knowledge, and he was confident that he could score full marks. Except for the last question on the artifact paper, which he had no clue about and could only fill in as much as possible, he believed he could score some points on the arts and alchemy papers.
If he performed well, he might be able to barely reach 350 points and qualify for the entrance exams of the four major academies.
For cultivators who had cultivated their divine consciousness, the moment they finished the exam, they could already estimate their scores with a high degree of accuracy.
Chen Mobai was the same.
However, he didn't go over the questions. He wanted to leave himself some hope so that he wouldn't spend the entire vacation in a bad mood.
"Finally liberated!"
"It's finally over!"
"To hell with the Fu Hai Formation!"
After the college entrance examination, the entire Immortal Gate Fifth High School was filled with various emotions. Chen Mobai leaned against a pillar in the corridor, watching his classmates' intense fluctuations between laughter and anger, suddenly feeling a bit out of place.After cultivating his divine consciousness, all these emotions had transformed into nourishment for his divine consciousness, making him constantly calm, but also gradually losing the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness that ordinary people should have.
Is this what cultivation is!?
Suddenly, Chen Mobai understood why those with higher cultivation levels preferred to stay away from society.
But he had a feeling that this was not right.
If cultivation made one lose their humanity, then what was the point of becoming an immortal?
Or was it that immortals were supposed to renounce worldly desires and cut off all ties with the mundane world?
While he was deep in thought, a pair of eyes landed on him. Chen Mobai looked up and saw Song Zheng.
They nodded at each other and then left the noisy classroom together, heading to the outdoor playground.
"You've just cultivated your divine consciousness, it's normal to feel a bit uncomfortable. To avoid this, Yan Bingxuan and I decided to act a bit aloof and limit our interactions with you guys," Song Zheng began. It turned out that it wasn't just Chen Mobai, they were also like this.
"So, does cultivation ultimately lead to isolation?"
"My master said that most cultivators in the Immortal Gate cultivate worldly desires. Those who want to become hermits usually end up dying in seclusion."
Hearing Song Zheng's words, Chen Mobai couldn't help but laugh. However, considering the scarce resources on Earth and the spiritual veins controlled by the Immortal Gate, if one really chose to live in seclusion in the mountains without a supply of spiritual energy, they might indeed end up like that.
"Which of the Ten Great Academies have you chosen?"
Song Zheng asked again.
"Oh, you have so much confidence in me?"
Chen Mobai looked surprised. He wasn't close with Song Zheng.
"My master said you often ask him about magic. If you're willing, we can call each other brothers. If we can go to the same academy in the future, we can look out for each other."
"Isn't your goal one of the Four Great Dao Institutes?"
"Only if I can solve the last big question on the scroll, otherwise my score might not reach 350."
At this point, the always proud Song Zheng suddenly sighed, showing a gloomy expression that Chen Mobai had never seen before.
"I'm probably going to choose the Pure Yang Academy or the Taiyuan Academy. I just don't know if they'll accept me."
Chen Mobai also spoke. Although he wasn't close with Song Zheng, the old man Ding was very good to him.
"My three choices are: Taiyuan Academy, Nature Academy, and Heavenly Book Academy. I hope we can go to Taiyuan Academy together."