Ch. 254 - Be a Hero for One Second

"Cut the crap! The Beast Taming practical starts the day after tomorrow — perform well!"

Shen Wushuang patted Chen Shu on the shoulder, feeling extremely reassured.

Playing around was one thing, goofing off was another, but Chen Shu would never joke about the gaokao!

With the written exams over, for regular students, the gaokao was essentially finished — their high school careers were finished too.

The upcoming Beast Taming practical, being held in an Alternate Dimension, was irrelevant to most students, so their gaokao break officially came to an end.

The Special Training Class students were all calmly composed. The written exams weren't difficult for them; they weren't hoping to outperform themselves, just perform at their normal level.

The Beast Taming practical was the real focus, especially for outstanding beast taming students.

Even though it was only worth 350 points, it would be what separated the top from the rest.

"Xiao Xing, Old Xie, how'd it go?"

The two happened to be returning from Nanjiang Third High School when they ran into Chen Shu.

Xie Sunan thought for a moment, then said, "How should I put this... if Xiao Xing and I score below the class average, Du Long will do a handstand while shitting!"

"???"

Shen Wushuang's body shuddered. These three really were from the same goddamn dorm...

Right at that moment, Du Long just so happened to walk back in...

"Do you people have any manners..."

Du Long muttered this, and under Chen Shu's tyrannical authority, he helplessly left the school.

"Be here tomorrow at eight sharp. A special bus will take you to the Alternate Dimension."

Shen Wushuang shook his head. Whenever these three got together, they could drive anyone insane.

"Come on, let's celebrate! Your bro's treating!"

Chen Shu thumped his chest, declaring with immense generosity.

Both of their faces instantly changed. "Forget it! We can't stomach any more meat buns! And they've been sitting there for two goddamn days — they're way past expired!"

"Who said anything about meat buns? I'm treating you to a feast!"

"Really?"

A hopeful gleam appeared in their eyes.

Ten minutes later, the three of them arrived at the Maocai stall on the nearby snack street...

"Damn it, we got scammed again!"

Seeing their lack of enthusiasm, Chen Shu spoke up. "Back then, the first time I treated you guys, this was what we ate. Now, with senior year drawing to a close, this is called narrative bookending.[1] Get it?"

"Get my ass. You're just cheap!"

They talked the talk, but when it came to eating, they held nothing back — they were determined to eat Chen Shu into bankruptcy.

With bellies full and spirits high, the three contemplated the future a bit, then headed back to their dorm.

......

Early the next morning.

Chen Shu, for an extremely rare occasion, arrived at the Beast Taming Arena on time. The gaokao wasn't about to grant you special privileges just because you were a competition champion.

Shen Wushuang had been waiting since early.

"Chen Shu!"

Shen Wushuang was actually doing roll call for the first time in forever — even though he could tell at a glance whether anyone was missing.

"Here!"

Chen Shu raised his hand, munching on youtiao and soy milk.

"Xu Xiaoyu!"

"Here!"

......

Soon, roll call was finished. Shen Wushuang swept his gaze over everyone. Right at that moment, the rumble of vehicles came from outside the arena.

"The rest we'll cover on the bus! Follow me!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Shen Wushuang left the Beast Taming Arena.

Parked on campus was a bus labeled "Gaokao Special."

Flanking the bus, front and back, were two Spirit Suppression Bureau vehicles clearing the way.

Even more eye-catching: above everyone's heads, a giant golden bird flapped its wings, a terrifying aura radiating outward.

A Silver-rank Dragon Guard was personally providing escort — this was, without a doubt, the most prestigious experience the group had ever had.

"Holy shit, it's you!"

Chen Shu recognized the golden bird instantly.

Up in the sky, Wang Xuanyang wore a bitter expression. He had clearly known well in advance that Chen Shu was from Nanjiang Second High School.

He didn't say a word, maintaining the lofty aloofness of a Dragon Guard.

Getting entangled with this guy was truly a mental collapse waiting to happen...

Seeing that Wang Xuanyang wasn't responding, Chen Shu curled his lip and muttered, "Sooner or later, I'm gonna rob you."

"..."

Everyone's bodies shuddered. They immediately backed several paces away from Chen Shu.

This bastard's nerve really was astronomically huge!

But then again, on second thought... this was Chen Shu, after all.

In their hearts, everyone began praying for the Dragon Guard...

The group boarded the bus one after another, which drove straight out of Nanjiang Second High's gates.

"Go, seniors!"

"Go, seniors!"

Outside the school gates, students from every grade had gathered, shouting in unison to cheer on this year's gaokao candidates!

The pot-bellied principal stood at the front of the crowd, gazing at the departing bus as he waved. Expectation shone in his eyes.

Vehicles on the road yielded ahead of time to the gaokao special bus, clearing an unobstructed path.

Today, the entire nation would make way for the seniors!

"Now I'll read out the team assignments. Everyone check for errors."

"Xu Xiaoyu, Xia Bing, Wang Qinghan."

"Chen Shu, Xie Sunan, Xu Xingxing."

"..."

Only once everyone had confirmed the list was correct did Shen Wushuang breathe a sigh of relief.

The bus sped along, arriving by afternoon at Xiaoyang Town, a settlement built specifically for the Lieyang Hills.

At this moment, the town appeared eerily deserted. Aside from the various shops, there wasn't a single civilian beast tamer in sight.

The Lieyang Hills had been sealed off three months earlier — entry only, no exit — to clear the grounds for the gaokao students.

By now, the Lieyang Hills were basically empty. Even if any beast taming corps were still lingering, they surely wouldn't dare interfere with the gaokao.

"After all this time, finally back in an Alternate Dimension."

Chen Shu sat on the bus, looking somewhat excited. He hadn't been to an Alternate Dimension in over half a year.

"Everyone, off the bus."

Everyone filed off the bus. Just as Chen Shu was about to step down,

Shen Wushuang patted his shoulder and said sternly, "This is a special period. No causing trouble!"

Chen Shu hurriedly nodded, putting on the most well-behaved face imaginable.

The group quickly disembarked and headed to their prearranged hotel.

Xiaoyang Town had gathered several thousand senior-year students. Confidence shone in every pair of eyes, and the bustle of people coming and going was brimming with youthful vitality.

In addition to Nanjiang City's various high schools, four surrounding cities were also taking their exams in the Lieyang Hills.

Chen Shu and his two friends shared a room as always. They stowed their luggage.

They'd originally wanted to wander around the town, but with patrol personnel everywhere outside, the atmosphere felt a bit stifling.

Losing interest, the three simply stayed in the hotel for the day.

Early the next morning.

Over five thousand senior-year students assembled in orderly fashion and proceeded deeper into the town.

The crowd stepped into a thick fog. At the same time, everyone received a backpack containing tents, drinking water, and other essentials.

Chen Shu did not take an official backpack. Instead, he brought his own oversized military pack.

Without his urea bags, how could he even survive?

Since exam proctors would be monitoring everyone's behavior at all times, naturally there was no worry about cheating.

"Here we go, here we go!"

Chen Shu and his two companions lined up and reached the entrance to the Alternate Dimension.

With a flicker of vision, a wave of sweltering heat washed over them, as if they'd stepped straight back into midsummer.

"Holy shit, that sun is massive!"

Chen Shu squinted, gazing up at the blazing sun in the sky — clearly an upgraded version of Blue Star's sun.

The three arrived at the Spirit Suppression Army outpost within the Lieyang Hills.

Xu Xingxing remarked, "Nice environment."

The three stood on the soft grassy turf, gazing into the distance. All they could see were rolling hills of varying heights.

The hills were covered in tender green grass. The sky was an impossibly vivid blue, like something out of an anime.

"Too bad it's just so damn hot!"

Chen Shu wiped his forehead. The Lieyang Hills had daytime temperatures in the thirties, dropping to the teens at night, with no distinction between seasons.

"Line up, everyone!"

The Spirit Suppression Army soldiers, their faces dead serious, kept the seniors in order.

Everyone obediently formed their lines. Chen Shu spotted Ye Qing at the front of the crowd at a glance.

Old Man Ye, serving as one of the chief examiners, wore a stern expression. Dressed in a black Zhongshan suit,[2] he looked pretty damn cool.

"Yo!"

Chen Shu waved, aiming to greet him.

Ye Qing's gaze swept over. He didn't speak, but gave a nod.

Even he knew about Chen Shu winning the championship for Nanjiang City.

Not through the internet, of course — it was the square-dancing aunties who discussed Chen Shu every single day...

As for why he had contact with those square-dancing aunties, that was naturally thanks to Chen Shu's introduction...

Soon, the senior students from all five cities had gathered at the Spirit Suppression Army outpost.

Silence enveloped the area. Aside from the occasional beast roar, not a single murmur could be heard.

"Dear students, this year's Beast Taming practical has only two components: combat and Potential Rating!"

A middle-aged man spoke into a megaphone.

Basic technological equipment could function in Alternate Dimensions — only technological weapons were rendered useless.

"Now, everyone line up for Potential Rating registration!"

The five thousand-plus students were divided into ten long lines and began the exam in orderly fashion.

The Potential Rating exam was extremely simple: all you had to do was show the examiner the Potential Rating on your Beast Taming panel.

"There were actually only two components this year."

Chen Shu furrowed his brow. His Potential Rating was definitely not high — this was the biggest obstacle to him getting into Huaxia Academy.

Right at that moment, options appeared before his eyes.

[Option 1: Wait in line obediently for the Potential Rating exam! Completion reward: massive Beast Taming Power]

[Option 2: Give up on the gaokao and go straight to working in a factory! Completion reward: Black Iron Wisdom Potion]

[Option 3: Toss out an Explosion Potion right here and now, and be a hero for one second! Completion reward: become a Silver-rank Beast Tamer]

Chen Shu froze for a moment. Finally, it was here!

He'd originally thought the Beast Taming Power he gained every night from sleeping would be enough for a breakthrough.

But as it turned out, it still hadn't succeeded — he'd actually hit a bit of a bottleneck.

Thankfully, the options had now appeared. What he needed was a massive amount of Beast Taming Power to smash through the bottleneck and become Black Iron rank in one go!

Chen Shu immediately locked onto option three... uh... option one...

[1] 首尾呼应 (shǒu wěi hū yìng): Classical Chinese literary technique meaning "head-tail echo" — a narrative principle dating to Tang-Song literary criticism requiring the ending to mirror the beginning. Chen Shu mock-elevates this concept to justify bringing his friends to the same cheap Maocai stall.

[2] 中山装 (zhōngshān zhuāng): The Zhongshan suit, designed by Sun Yat-sen in 1923, is China's formal national dress. Its four pockets, five buttons, and three cuff buttons carry specific symbolic meanings. Wearing one immediately signals seniority, authority, and old-generation gravitas.