Several hours later, Nie Shangheng slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a very striking photograph on the window.
Nie Shangheng's pupils contracted as he looked at the photo. He felt a strange sensation, as if his previously empty heart had become full, or as if his previously empty stomach had been filled with food, giving him a sense of satisfaction.
Nie Shangheng frowned, threw off the covers, and strode to the window. He reached out and tore the photograph off the window, examining it closely.
It felt as if she were the person I had been searching for all my life, just looking at her photo gave me a strange feeling. What would I feel if I were to meet her in person? I had never been so eagerly anticipating seeing the person in the photo.
At that moment, all his usual pride and rationality vanished; his entire being was captivated by the photograph. He didn't consider its origin, why it was in his room, or whether it was sent by an enemy.
"The person in this photo looks familiar, like I've seen them somewhere before. I rubbed my temples, but I really couldn't remember, and I felt a surge of frustration."
He lowered his hand, then gripped the photograph tightly, clenching his fist until the photo was crumpled! His cold, arrogant eyes were filled with malice.
At this moment, Suiyi was still in bed, dreaming. It wasn't that she was lazy, but that she had gone to the Central City to take care of some things last night and then returned, so she had only been in bed for a little over an hour.
Inside the academy, a bustling crowd of people, a dense mass of heads, the clamor echoing through the air, stretching as far as the eye could see. Good heavens, just how many people has the academy absorbed over the years? Aren't they worried about traffic jams? Students chatted amongst themselves, all standing along the large plaza, awaiting the start of the assessment.
"Hey, have you noticed that the top ten on our academy's popularity list haven't arrived yet? Usually, people arrive much earlier for events like this, but these few people are still missing." One of the students looked around but couldn't see any of the top figures in the academy, so he asked.
"Tch! What do you know? Usually, the real experts are the last to appear! The real masters are all behind us, letting us small fry fight for a while before they finally step onto the stage. With our strength, we wouldn't even last one move against them." The speaker's eyes held a hint of envy, wondering why he didn't have such talent to stand among the strong.
"Ah Can, don't underestimate yourself. Although we're a bit weaker, we have our strengths. We're not the best, but we're not the worst either! Maybe one day we'll get lucky and become as good as them. Just like our academy's number one loser, I don't know what kind of luck he had, but he's really amazing now!" These people can only envy those who are too high up, but when someone who was once just as bad as them, or even worse, suddenly surpasses them, the disparity is so stark that anyone would feel incredibly unbalanced, turning into envy, jealousy, and resentment!
"Yeah! By the way, I haven't seen her yet. Isn't she a little too arrogant? Just because she's luckier than us and suddenly had an epiphany, she's already this arrogant. Is this woman an idiot?" Because of jealousy, she spoke poorly, even slandering him from the bottom of her heart in order to seek a morbid balance.
"Whether it's true or not, we'll wait and see. Mu Bingying is currently ranked forty-fifth on the popularity list. I think we can challenge her. Perhaps she's not as powerful as the rumors suggest."
"Hmm! I think that's a good idea. If we make it onto the top list that way, we'll have a better chance of winning."
The students discussed their upcoming challenge against Sui Yi, who was still in bed.
"People are here! People are here!" After a moment of jostling, this voice came from the crowd. Everyone stopped talking and looked up. They saw several people walking towards the platform, finding their seats, and sitting down.
"Have you noticed that there are a few people who are about our age here this year?"
"I heard that those three are all the pride of the Imperial Capital Academy. I wonder why they would come to watch the assessment. Besides our academy's elders and dean, there are two very prestigious instructors from the Imperial Capital Academy sitting on the judging panel. I heard they are very powerful and their strength is unfathomable."
"Okay! Then we must perform well and try to be noticed by the two mentors and be accepted into their teams."
"Keep dreaming! You should be thinking about how to get a good score in the assessment later!"
After everyone was seated on the platform, the dean cleared his throat and stood up. Looking at the bustling scene, his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"Students, today is our academy's annual grand event, a day of excitement that will last for three days. Many students, after these three days of assessments, have the opportunity to soar to new heights and enter the Imperial Academy for further studies, while some have returned to their families, and others continue to stay at the academy. Regardless of who you are, we must demonstrate our hard work and dedication, show everyone that our efforts have not been in vain, and I believe that all students will be able to give themselves a satisfactory result. We are very fortunate to have invited several distinguished guests from the Imperial Academy this time, including Instructor Shen Qiu. Please welcome him."
Shenqiu stood up, gestured to the students, and greeted them.
"The second person from the left is Professor Niu Ke!"
The trainees burst into enthusiastic applause.
"The two young men on the far left are about your age. They are the pride of Imperial Capital Academy, the Third Prince of the Royal Family, and Ms. Shen, the granddaughter of the Dean of Imperial Capital Academy! Please welcome them!"
"Wow! The Dean's granddaughter, the Third Princess! That's quite an identity!" A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Um... Um! Students, please be quiet. I won't introduce the other judges one by one, as you are all familiar faces. Next, I will explain some matters concerning this assessment."
"This assessment is expected to last a week and is divided into three steps. The first day's morning session will be for everyone to test their mental strength level. The afternoon will be for pre-competition warm-up, where students can challenge anyone they wish to challenge. If the other party agrees, then you can unleash your full potential. Of course, it's best to act within your capabilities. The second step is for ordinary students to compete for spots, and you can also challenge students on the leaderboard. The third step is the most exciting part: students on the leaderboard will compete for rankings. During the competition, the use of any drugs is strictly prohibited. If discovered, the participant will be disqualified. Also, it must be done in moderation."
"Now I announce that the 299th assessment of the academy has begun. I look forward to your performance."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
