**Chapter 24: Mock Exam (9)**
Jiangnan No. 1 High School, Rest Area for Failed Assessments
Xu Jianliang trudged out of the passage, his face dark with frustration. "Damn it. If we'd known we'd run into a ruthless guy like Su Chen, we wouldn't have tried to be clever."
Zheng Liu shot him an annoyed look. "This is all your fault, Jianliang! Su Chen was willing to let us go at first, but you just had to stir up trouble. You practically pushed us into the fire pit!"
"Me?" Xu Jianliang retorted. "Blame Chai Xi! He pointed out that Su Chen's body protection watch had no spiritual power left. He made it sound like Su Chen was out of energy!"
"Chai Xi only mentioned it. You're the one who decided to attack!" Zheng Liu snapped. "If you'd realized Su Chen was baiting us into making the first move to avoid losing points, we wouldn't have been eliminated so early!"
As they bickered, they reached the rest area, where other eliminated students were already gathered. Many of these students had been duped by Xu Jianliang and Zheng Liu in earlier encounters. Though their gazes burned with resentment, none said a word—they could only blame themselves for trusting the wrong people and falling into the traps set by this cunning trio.
Just then, Zheng Liu noticed a familiar figure. "Chai Xi! You're out too?"
Chai Xi walked over, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. "What else could I do? Su Chen sent me flying with his sword."
"But you didn't even attack him! If Su Chen targeted you, he'd lose points," Zheng Liu said, confused.
Chai Xi shrugged. "Do you think he cares about losing points?"
Zheng Liu blinked and then sighed. "I guess you're right. With his strength, he doesn't need to worry about points. He doesn't have to scrape and struggle like us."
Chai Xi nodded. "Exactly. If we had his strength, we wouldn't be sitting here."
Zheng Liu's gaze shifted to the large screen in the lounge, which displayed live footage of the ongoing exam. The sight of Su Chen sitting by a campfire, playing on his phone, filled her with envy. "He's only at the third level of the Qi Gathering Stage, yet his swordsmanship and movement skills are incredible. His comprehension must be terrifying. I wonder how he usually trains… Maybe I'll ask him later."
A nearby student, who had been eliminated early on, overheard and couldn't resist chiming in. "Don't bother. You can't learn it."
Zheng Liu turned to him, puzzled. "Why not?"
The student pointed at the screen, where Su Chen's focus on his phone was apparent, and said sourly, "Because he's been playing games on his phone since the mock exam began. The only time he put it away was when he ran into you three."
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"Wait, what?" Zheng Liu and the others gaped, momentarily at a loss for words.
Though the student's comment was brief, it carried weight.
Zheng Liu stared at the screen, where Su Chen sat calmly by the fire, engrossed in his phone. "You're saying… he's been playing games since the exam started? Maybe he's looking up monster data on his phone?"
"Data?" Chai Xi scoffed. "Have you ever seen anyone turn their phone sideways and use both hands to look up information?"
"…Oh." Zheng Liu slapped her forehead, realizing how ridiculous her suggestion was. If Su Chen were checking information, he wouldn't need to hold his phone like that. The only explanation was…
He was actually playing mobile games.
Zheng Liu's jaw dropped. 'During the exam? Really?'
How much time could someone so addicted to games possibly dedicate to cultivation?
A comical image formed in her mind—most people snuck in gaming after long hours of practice. Su Chen, on the other hand, probably fit in a little practice between gaming sessions.
Then a more unsettling thought dawned on her: if Su Chen spent most of his time playing games but could still achieve such terrifying swordsmanship and agility, what would happen if he dedicated more time to cultivating?
'It's not fair!' she thought bitterly. Hard work seemed meaningless in the face of such innate talent.
Inside the Secret Realm of Wuquan Mountain
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[Name: Su Chen (Qingyun Sect's Servant Disciple)]
[Spiritual Roots: High-grade mixed (gold, wood, water, fire, earth)]
[Cultivation: Third level of Qi Gathering Stage (3700/20000)]
[Current Experience Points: 2500]
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Su Chen frowned at the screen of his phone, which displayed a failed alchemy attempt. A plume of black smoke rose from the virtual cauldron, mocking his efforts.
"Fifty-one attempts," Su Chen muttered, rubbing his temples. "I've tried to refine a Qi Gathering Pill fifty-one times, and I still can't get it right. Why didn't anyone warn me that the most important thing in alchemy is… luck?"
He glared at his dwindling resources—only 200 low-grade spirit stones remained, enough for four more attempts. Once they were gone, he'd have no choice but to chop trees in Qingxuan Forest to earn more.
"This is hopeless. I've never had good luck. I should just borrow Xiao Ye's."
Xiao Ye, with her uncanny knack for fortune, always seemed to turn even dire situations in her favor. Su Chen was sure that with her help, he'd succeed on the first try.
"For now, I'll focus on cultivation. No point wasting more spirit stones," Su Chen decided, opening the game menu.
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[Name: Su Chen (Qingyun Sect's Servant Disciple)]
[Spiritual Roots: High-grade mixed (gold, wood, water, fire, earth)]
[Cultivation: Fourth level of Qi Gathering Stage (4700/20000)]
[Current Experience Points: 1500]
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"If I had low-grade spiritual roots, my spiritual power cap would be 10,000, the limit of the Qi Gathering Stage. But with high-grade roots, I can reach 20,000."
Su Chen pondered. "Most people only talk about the tenth level of Qi Gathering as the peak. I've never heard of anything beyond that. No wonder some geniuses stall at the so-called peak—they're quietly pushing past it."
He chuckled. "So I'm a genius now, huh?"
His thoughts turned to his game character's cultivation.
"At this rate, I'll gain about 1,000 experience points every 20 in-game days, which is only two real-world days. Even without focusing entirely on cultivation, that's an incredible speed."
Su Chen closed the alchemy menu. "I'll put off refining pills for now. I need to figure out how to boost my Foundation Establishment success rate. If I can't even complete the Heavenly Dao Foundation… that'd be embarrassing."
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