Gu Ning almost choked on his food.
"That's because you're a hopeless romantic!" he teased.
Li Ling tapped her personal terminal with a beep, closing the holographic communication screen. She turned to Gu Ning and said, "Sorry, I contacted several schools for you, but none of them accepted."
"None of them?" Gu Ning was a little surprised. After a moment of thought, he asked, "What did they say?"
"You didn't graduate from middle school, so you're not eligible for high school, let alone jump straight into senior year."
Li Ling clearly found the reasoning absurd. "Ridiculous! You're applying to a combat class, not a liberal arts program! You've already awakened—how are you not qualified? That's obviously just an excuse!"
"It is odd," Gu Ning said, swallowing a bite of grilled meat and wiping his mouth. "Most likely, the Superpower Group is pulling strings to retaliate against me."
In the era of psionics, schools with combat classes had high demands for psionic points and related resources. Although government subsidies existed, they were nowhere near enough. Building a strong combat program required private donations.
And the only ones wealthy enough to donate Awakener training resources were local powerhouses.
The Superpower Group was exactly that kind of dominant force, deeply rooted in the Jiangnan District. It was a major player with influence everywhere.
For their own interests, they regularly donated money and resources to schools, hospitals, and other public institutions. As a result, they had significant sway in most schools in Jiangnan.
Recently, the Superpower Group had accused Gu Ning of serious theft, a scandal that went viral. His real-world fame had skyrocketed to a C-class celebrity level. Every school administrator in the region had heard the story.
They didn't even need orders from higher-ups—out of fear of offending this golden goose, schools would instinctively shut their doors on Gu Ning.
Li Ling, an officer with the rank of Captain, was part of the Divine Strategy Army. She often represented the Datang Group in business negotiations and had some standing in Jiangnan District.
However, the Divine Strategy Army was military-based, with little connection to civilian agencies like education or civil affairs. Naturally, her influence over schools was limited—and she couldn't match the donation power of the Superpower Group.
Besides, Gu Ning lacked a middle school diploma. That alone gave schools a solid excuse to reject him.
"Ling-jie, which schools did you contact?" Gu Ning asked.
"Jiangnan University Affiliated High School, Xicheng No. 1 High, West Lake High…" Li Ling rattled off a list of seven or eight schools, her expression blank.
"All top-tier schools," Gu Ning murmured, recognizing the names. Back in middle school, many of his classmates had dreamed of getting into these high schools.
"Your academic foundation is weak, so of course I tried to get you into a good school."
Li Ling rubbed her temples. "Even the Awakener's version of the college entrance exam still includes academic subjects. And there are less than two months left until the test… Maybe you should consider waiting until next year?"
"That's a good idea," said Su Xiaoxiao, nodding toward Gu Ning. "You're only 17 this year. You'll be 18 next year, still within the age limit. With your high aptitude, I'm sure you'll learn quickly and have a much better shot at getting into a good university!"
"Ladies, I think you're missing one key point…" Gu Ning shook his head. "I'm not taking the entrance exam to get into a university. I'm taking it to protect myself from the Superpower Group. Assassinating a regular Awakener and assassinating a top scorer—those are two completely different things. Waiting a year does nothing for me. They'll still try to kill me."
"But can you really become the top scorer with less than two months of prep? Every year, there are over 100,000 Awakeners taking the exam. The competition is insane."
Li Ling shook her head. "I think a better option would be helping you apply for long-term promotional resources to boost your global reputation. That might be more realistic."
Su Xiaoxiao muttered, "Promotional resources are also a type of reward that must be exchanged with honor points—and they require approval from higher-ups. Without honor points, giving you direct access will definitely cause backlash. Unless... you join the army and become a professional soldier. But that means losing your freedom."
Any major organization needs rules and structure. The Divine Strategy Army isn't some small family-run Awakener group—it's a full-fledged force capable of entering the A-Rank League. They weren't likely to make exceptions just for Gu Ning.
"There must be more schools in Jiangnan than just those," Gu Ning said, clearly unwilling to give up his freedom. He steered the conversation back. "Honestly, I just need to qualify for the college entrance exam. I don't care which school I attend."
"You're really that confident?" Li Ling looked at him, puzzled. "Don't assume you'll be the top scorer just because you've awakened. Awakening before 18 is rare—maybe one in a hundred. But across China, with millions of combat-track candidates, how many 'one-in-a-hundred' talents do you think there are?"
Awakener trials in the spirit realm are elimination-based. If you fail the first attempt, the difficulty increases by 30% the next time. That's why combat-track students are very cautious—awakening isn't just about strength. You also need maturity, knowledge, and strategy.
Most Awakeners only go through the trial in college, around age 20. Only a few true prodigies awaken before the entrance exam—and even then, they are still one in a hundred.
But the base population is enormous.
The psionic era has developed a mature system for nurturing Awakeners. Especially for the "strong second generation," it's common for teens to hit 20 points in total attributes by 16 or 17.
With such a large base, there are over 100,000 early-awakened genius candidates every year. Most follow standard profession templates.
What's truly terrifying are the elite second-generation Awakeners, raised from birth by professional mentors in perseverance, knowledge, and tactics. When their stats meet the requirements, they're also equipped with excellent gear from their families.
Fully armed, both inside and out, their awakenings are practically guaranteed. And they aim not just to pass, but to qualify for superior profession templates—starting out far ahead of others.
When Awakeners take the entrance exam, they absolutely crush regular combat-track candidates.
That's why there are two different exam tracks: the "Standard Exam" for non-Awakeners and the "Awakener Exam" for Awakeners.
The Awakener Exam isn't just about academics—it includes mock battles and even spirit realm exploration modules.
Naturally, the national top scorer is always chosen from among the Awakener candidates. No matter how well a non-Awakener does on the standard test, they can't be valedictorian—the two tracks aren't ranked together.
It's not unfair—being able to awaken early already proves you're extraordinary.
"I understand. I just want to give it a try," Gu Ning said with a smile.
"You don't sound like someone who's 'just trying,'" Li Ling muttered, then added, "If all you need is a school to grant you test eligibility, I could recommend my alma mater. Just a heads-up—it's not a prestigious school."
"Doesn't matter whether it's prestigious or not, as long as I can transfer in and get qualified for the entrance exam." Gu Ning confirmed again, "Ling-jie, what's your alma mater? Don't they worry about offending the Superpower Group?"
"Oh, please. It's a rural school—totally off the Superpower Group's radar."
Li Ling said, "The school's name is... Xicheng No. 17 High School."