Chapter 101: Contact with Yan University
Lan Cheng did not have the leisure to announce the rankings of all the examinees.
He only announced the top hundred Apprentice Level examinees eligible for Experience Gem rewards and the rankings of all Official Level examinees, followed by an award ceremony.
The rankings beyond that were posted for public display.
After the other examinees joyfully returned to their respective lines with Experience Gems, Qin Chuan and the chubby boy followed Lan Cheng away from the scene and headed straight for the Special Affairs Group.
Their rewards were not Experience Gems, but what they had received was even more precious than the gems.
Through the rearview mirror, Lan Cheng watched the young faces and his smile deepened.
Qin Chuan, with the strength of an Official Level Player, had defeated a Demon Cat on the verge of its second advancement and had signed a cooperation agreement with the Special Affairs Group—he was the top-ranked player in a certain district.
Although Li Xian's strength was average, his fearless charging through the hordes of Demon Beasts during the assessment was increasingly valiant as he battled, killing countless Demon Beasts and impressing many observers.
These two children were worth cultivating.
It was not in vain that he had pushed against popular opinion and taken out two items from the resources allocated to Changxing City's Special Affairs Group to use as rewards for this assessment.
Colleagues from other cities might not have this level of courage at the current stage.
Low-level Resources were one thing, but Starshine Equipment Material was still very scarce.
What Lan Cheng desired was simply the hope that examinees who stood out in the assessment would remember this kindness when facing major right and wrong decisions in the future, and do some things that would be more helpful to Yanhuang and the Special Affairs Group.
Soon, the car stopped in front of the headquarters of the Special Affairs Group.
Lan Cheng led the two directly to his office and quickly pulled out two lists to hand over, "This is the list of resources currently in the Changxing City Special Affairs Group's warehouse that can be used to reward you."
"You may choose any one item to take as a reward."
"I choose the Rock Core Fragment!" The chubby boy immediately saw one of the two Advanced Resources he was lacking and spoke up without hesitation.
"I'll choose this Coordination Water Drop." Qin Chuan looked over the list from top to bottom, considered for a moment, and made his choice.
This resource called Coordination Water Drop had a Water Attribute and was a multi-directional focus.
'Multi-directional' was equivalent to having no specific focus.
So, Qin Chuan was somewhat conflicted when he chose it.
But among the list in his hands, there was no more suitable resource.
However, after making his choice, Qin Chuan thought again and felt that this resource seemed quite good.
The other eight resources he had chosen were all focused on single Attribute Control.
There is a saying: too much is as bad as not enough; choosing a different yet non-conflicting resource was quite good.
"Choosing the Coordination Water Drop?" Lan Cheng looked at Qin Chuan somewhat unexpectedly but said nothing more, "No problem."
A phone call was made, and soon a staff member entered the office with two boxes containing the resources.
Qin Chuan took out the remaining Physical Recovery Fruits from his inventory to make room for the Coordination Water Drop.
Not until the Coordination Water Drop was secured in his inventory did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
On the other side, the smile on the chubby boy's face with his Rock Core Fragment could not be contained.
Without further ado, Qin Chuan and the chubby boy quickly got up to take their leave.
Just as the two stepped out of Lan Cheng's office, a short-haired woman in her thirties came towards them.
"Excuse me for a moment." The woman smiled at them.
"I'm Zhou Xiaoyu, an admission observer from Yan University. Can I have a private chat with student Qin Chuan?"
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In a nearby coffee shop close to the Special Affairs Group building, Qin Chuan asked a waitress for a glass of water and then turned to the woman who claimed to be an admission observer from Yan University.
"Hello, Teacher Zhou."
"I watched the edited video of your assessment," Zhou Xiaoyu said with a slight smile. "The last few minutes where you killed that nearly Third Rank Demon Beast were spectacular."
"Thank you." Qin Chuan picked up the glass of water the waitress had brought and took a sip, noting a key term in Zhou Xiaoyu's words, "Nearly Third Rank Demon Beast?"
"Yes," Zhou Xiaoyu nodded, "As the power of Demon Beasts grows stronger, our classification of their strength becomes more detailed."
"Ordinary Demon Beasts are First Rank, the ones we often refer to as Advanced are Second Rank, corresponding to levels 11 to 20; above Second Rank, there are Third Rank Demon Beasts."
"At present, Fourth Rank Demon Beasts have not appeared, but they will inevitably do so in the future."
"I see," Qin Chuan nodded in understanding.
That made sense— the black Demon Cat he encountered was stronger than the Advanced Demon Bear, but when compared to Elite Rank Spiritual Beasts, it seemed rather weak.
It turned out that it was a Demon Beast that hadn't completed its advancement.
"Once Demon Beasts reach the Third Rank, they undergo some peculiar evolutions. While they don't reach the level of Spiritual Beasts, they do acquire abilities unique to them and don't just rely on their physicality to fight."
"Your dodging Skill has a strong advantage when facing First and Second Rank Demon Beasts, but it carries considerable risk against Third Rank ones with unique abilities."
"Thank you." Qin Chuan gave Zhou Xiaoyu a nod, acknowledging that the information she had just mentioned was quite important to him.
"This is nothing," said Zhou Xiaoyu as she took a sip of the coffee the waitress had brought, changing the subject, "Yan University and Huaqing have different focuses."
"Yan University emphasizes research in basic and theoretical sciences, while Huaqing leans more toward applied sciences and engineering."
"Of course, this was before the Extraordinary Descent," Zhou Xiaoyu paused slightly, "After the Extraordinary Descent, Yan University became the leader in the field of Extraordinary Theory, thanks to our advantage in the basic sciences."
"In this regard, we're superior to Huaqing."
"Additionally, by integrating various life sciences, Yan University has developed a new Cultivation Method, which will be included as part of the curriculum in the new term of the Extraordinary Practical Department."
"If the coefficient of Basic Boxing Skill is 1, then this Cultivation Method has a coefficient of 5.4."
"While Huaqing also has its Cultivation Method, from what I understand, their method has a coefficient of 4.8."
Hearing this, Qin Chuan became somewhat restless.
It sounded like Yan University was stronger in both theory and practical combat than Huaqing?
"Huaqing also has its strengths."
Seeing Qin Chuan's moved expression, Zhou Xiaoyu spoke plainly, not shying away from anything, "We may have a better Cultivation Method, but Huaqing has better practical combat teachers."
"They collaborate with many Martial Arts Inheritors, making their practical combat teaching staff stronger," Zhou Xiaoyu smiled, "Of course, we're making efforts in this area too."
"This time in Changxing City, we have reached a preliminary intention with Ji Huai, the top expert in the city. After the college entrance examination, he will join Yan University and become one of the lead instructors for the Extraordinary Practical Combat Class."
After laying out her cards, Zhou Xiaoyu played her trump.
"Teacher Ji?!" Qin Chuan looked surprised.
"That's right." A glint of amusement flashed in Zhou Xiaoyu's eyes.
The moment Ji Huai took action in person to rescue Qin Chuan, she had already figured out how to get this young man interested in Yan University.