Eight Mysterious Rewards
"Maybe...it won't work." Ning Xi was a little embarrassed when the topic came up. "I won't participate in the card repair assessment."
"Why? Because you've already been accepted and don't want to spend more time?" Luo Qing'an asked anxiously. "If you go to take the exam, I'll give you money, how about that?"
"It's not about money," Ning Xi waved her hand. "It's that I don't want to leave a bad impression on the academy teachers."
"Is your restoration skill really that bad?" the girl in the front row asked. "But even so, the teachers will find out after class, so you might as well show your skill now."
“Okay.” Ning Xi thought it made sense.
...
The card restoration exam wasn't too complicated. All you needed was a table, a set of cards to be restored, and a cabinet full of materials.
Ning Xi finished her assessment early and left the examination room.
Luo Qing'an focused all his attention on the cards.
He had high hopes for this assessment in order to surpass Ning Xi and reclaim first place.
The card restoration went well; he restored seven out of a set of fifteen cards.
I wonder how much Ningxi repaired?
The results of the card repair were released quickly, and Luo Qing'an discovered that he was ranked second, while the first place was held by a commoner candidate he was not familiar with.
What is Ningxi's ranking?
Luo Qing'an breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see her name on the first page. However, when he still didn't see her name on the second and third pages, he felt something was wrong.
Scrolling to the bottom, I found that Ning Xi got zero points.
What's going on?
Fortunately, the entire exam was broadcast live, so he could easily see Ning Xi's exam process.
In the scene, Ning Xi sits upright, picks up the first card, and infuses it with her spiritual power.
This is one of the necessary steps to repair the card. The damage to the card will not be fully reflected on the card surface and must be detected with mental power.
But the moment the mental energy was injected into the card, the card shattered.
In a physical sense, it breaks into fragments, which turn into ashes in a very short time, releasing energy that even distorts the air.
After a brief silence, the comments section was filled with question marks and ellipses.
After Ning Xi attempted to use her mental power to examine the seventh card, a comment in the live chat provided a summary.
Is this the domineering nature of spiritual power? It's truly domineering and cunning.
——
The cafeteria at Mingxin Academy is open to all examinees for a limited time, so Ning Xi no longer has to rely on Yu Xiangyin's meal card.
On her way to the cafeteria, she ran into Luo Xian.
The patrol captain looked unwell; he seemed to have just finished a phone call and was in a state of resentment and anxiety. Ning Xi kindly called out to him.
"Senior Luo."
"You are not qualified—" The words were on the tip of Luo Xian's tongue, but he remembered Ning Xi's results this time, gritted his teeth, and did not finish the sentence.
"Thank you for encouraging me, Senior Luo." Ning Xi smiled. "If it weren't for Senior Luo's repeated threats, I might not have been able to get into Mingxin Academy."
I'm just kidding. She'll pass the exam no matter what.
"So, Senior Luo, keep going! No matter what difficulties you encounter, don't give up."
"you--"
"I was just concerned about my senior. If he doesn't need it, I'll be leaving now."
Luo Xian's face twisted in pain. He looked like he wanted to turn around and leave, but in the end he didn't.
"Don't think that the card-making department at Mingxin University is simple." His face was gloomy, and his words carried a warning. "If you can't stay ahead, even the so-called top freshman will become a clown."
"Then thank you for your encouragement, Senior Luo." Ning Xi emphasized the word "Senior Luo," and unsurprisingly, she saw his face darken even more. "Hearing your words, I feel that my chances of keeping first place have increased."
...
Congratulations on your successful enrollment.
As they walked out of the resettlement house, Yu Xiangyin helped her pack her luggage into the space card, revealing a bright smile. It was as if it wasn't Ning Xi who had passed the exam, but him.
...However, to be fair, he did pass the exam.
“Congratulations to you too…” Oh no, Ning Xi quickly covered her mouth, “I mean, I will try my best to pay back the money I owe you.”
Yu Xiangyin patted her shoulder lightly: "Don't worry, I actually have a little money. Besides, with the employment rate and average salary of the card-making department of Mingxin College, I believe you can definitely pay it back."
"Until then, you should focus on your studies."
"I heard that the card-making system is quite expensive. Don't keep thinking about the money you owe me. Just use the money you need, eat what you want, and treat yourself well."
"If you encounter any problems, you can come to me. Although I'm not very capable, I can still help."
"You're already amazing," Ning Xi said sincerely. "You're brave and kind to others."
Yu Xiangyin laughed: "How can you be so sure? What if I'm just being sincere and kind for the sake of credits?"
"You are not."
Ning Xi reached out to touch his head, but Yu Xiangyin quickly dodged. The two arrived in front of the Royal Card Department building and waved goodbye.
Ning Xi carried her luggage and headed towards the dormitory. The dormitory was a double suite; although not luxurious, it was spacious and comfortable, much better than the resettlement housing.
The weather was still very hot, and the dormitory corridor was even more unbearably hot. Ning Xi couldn't help but quicken her pace so as to enjoy the benefits of air conditioning as soon as possible.
But before that, she took a headbutt.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
The person who bumped into her was another freshman. She was also carrying large bags, with slender wrists but a sturdy build, wearing an inexpensive short-sleeved shirt and faded trousers. Perhaps she had been running too fast, as large beads of sweat dripped from her forehead.
"I'm fine." Ning Xi shook her head and opened her dorm room door. Seeing this, the girl exclaimed in surprise, "You live in 409 too?"
"You too?" Ning Xi looked at her attire, then at the free relief clothing she was wearing, and felt a greater sense of kinship with her.
"You're Ning Xi, right?" She smiled, put down her own luggage, and helped Ning Xi carry her things inside first. "I remember you, you came in first place in this assessment."
The final assessment score is the sum of the theoretical and practical assessment scores, not the sum of all three. This rule is supposedly designed to avoid overlooking individuals with strengths in one area. Ning Xi's card-making score was the highest by a wide margin, and her theoretical assessment score was also good, allowing her to take first place in the assessment.
"My name is Zhang Min, I barely made it in. By the way, don't you also think that space cards are too expensive and completely unnecessary? Oh right, I forgot, you can't use cards."
Ning Xi quickly turned on the air conditioner, and the two of them moved all their things into the living room.
A gentle breeze blew by, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
“The accommodations at Mingxin Academy are really too good.” Zhang Min sat on the sofa. “For a double suite like this, the Imperial Academy in the capital would charge three thousand star coins.”
The Imperial Academy in the capital. Hearing this name, Ning Xi felt as if she had been transported to another world. She had once been invited by a teacher at the academy, only to be decisively rejected after her spiritual abilities manifested. To say that she wasn't bothered at all would be impossible.
But she doesn't care anymore. Ningxi's philosophy of life is: what she chooses is the best and most suitable.
She picked up where Zhang Min left off: "That's for sure. They built their school on the capital planet of the Hanhai Star Region, where land is incredibly valuable. Unlike our college, which is built on a border planet where land prices are very low."
"Our college?" Zhang Min repeated her words. "Ning Xi, you seem to have a strong sense of belonging to the college. Is the reward for first place very generous?"
She meant no harm, she was just genuinely curious. Ning Xi, however, was stunned: "The first-place prize?"
"You didn't know?" Zhang Min's eyes widened. "The official website says that the top three in this assessment will receive a mystery reward, which will be distributed before the start of the semester—check your terminal quickly, or you might have missed the message."
Ning Xi's personal computer has been flooded with invitations these past few days. After winning first place, many people wanted to get to know her. She searched for a while and finally found relevant information.
"Yes, there really is. Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome. Shall we go shopping together later?"
Ning Xi accepted her invitation.
The award ceremony was held in the office building of the Card Making Department. Mingxin College covers a very large area, but the office building is not far from the dormitory of the Card Making Department.
She walked through shady trees, along flower-scented paths, and through a square with a fountain, until she arrived at the location indicated by the navigation.
The office building, with its white walls, black tiles, and upturned eaves, is a blend of modern technology and classical style. Finding her office, Ning Xi knocked on the door, and was greeted by a kind-faced middle-aged woman.
"You are Ning Xi?" She gave a gentle smile. "I've heard Murong Xixiu mention you."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Song Shichun. I am the head of the Card Making Department and also a teacher in the department. You can just call me Teacher Song."
Ning Xi was a little embarrassed: "Hello, Teacher Song."
With a kind expression, Director Song took out a velvet gift box and handed it to Ning Xi, saying, "This is your reward for getting first place in the assessment. Open it and take a look."
There was a card inside the gift box.
The cards were white with gold patterns, and the designs were intricate. Ning Xi tried to decipher them with her limited knowledge, but only felt dizzy and lightheaded.
This card does not appear to be made using a conventional graphic pattern.
"Why don't you try channeling your mental energy into it?"
Ning Xi picked up the card, hesitating slightly. Song Shichun smiled and said, "Don't worry, I can repair this card."
So she channeled her mental energy into the card.
Without the aid of a card reader, she was somewhat nervous. Fortunately, the card steadily caught her mental energy without even cracking.
"Very good, the damage is less than one percent." Song Shichun breathed a sigh of relief after checking the card. "This card was obtained by a retired professor from our academy at an auction on a remote planet. The maker is unknown, but the other party seems to have used some special card-making method, which greatly improved the card's toughness and even gave it a self-repair function."
"What is the function of this card?"
Song Shichun shook his head: "We don't know yet. The card system is vast and full of unknown mysteries, and it cannot be summarized by the system in textbooks at all."
"But I'm sure this card isn't useless."
"The academy has done some research on this card and even wrote a paper about it. Let's add each other as friends, and I'll send you the paper later so you can take a good look at it."
Song Shichun looked at Ning Xi and smiled even more broadly: "I look forward to the new possibilities you will bring to us."
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