Chapter 29: Alternate Space Examination Hall

Time until the College Entrance Exam: One day

Wang Zhong no longer nagged Jiang Yan in front of him, nor did he disturb him, giving him ample space to rest.

In Linjiang City, news of Jiang Yan testing as an SS-level Talent had spread throughout the entire city.

For a time, all the influential figures in Linjiang eagerly anticipated getting to know Jiang Yan, this top-tier Prodigy.

However, when they realized there was only one day left until the College Entrance Exam, each of these shrewd individuals refrained from appearing, knowing that attempting to curry favor at this time was not opportune and could even risk offending this future superpower.

Local television stations began reporting extensively on Jiang Yan’s glorious achievements. The name “Jiang Yan” quickly became known to everyone, accompanied by titles such as:

“SS-level Super Genius”

“Unprecedented in History”

“Linjiang City’s Rising Star”

In a lavishly decorated villa.

Liu Hairen listened with a troubled expression to the television reports about Jiang Yan. The more he heard, the more terrified he became, his face etched with regret as if written with a pen.

“Damn it, how could he be an SS-level Talent? How could someone who barely managed to open his Apertures be an SS-level Talent?”

A few days earlier, he had been forced to undergo an investigation by the Linjiang City Investigation Bureau, temporarily stripped of his position and still under observation. He had thought that by keeping a low profile for a while and leveraging his connections, he could safely navigate this crisis. But upon hearing that Jiang Yan had tested as an SS-level Talent, he could no longer remain calm.

“What if those old foxes try to win Jiang Yan’s favor…”

Ring, ring, ring…

A noisy ringtone jolted Liu Hairen out of his panic.

Liu Hairen’s face turned pale, as if he had long anticipated this day. His hand trembled as he answered the phone.

“Hello, we are from the Provincial Investigation Bureau. We have received reports from local citizens in Linjiang City…”

Clatter—

The phone fell to the floor. Liu Hairen was plunged into utter despair.

Chu Family Building.

“Quick! Tell that assassin to abort the mission. Do not touch Jiang Yan under any circumstances!”

Bang!

A group of plainclothes officers stormed into the chairman’s office and, without explanation, handcuffed Chu Tianqin—Chu Ming’s father.

“Chu Tianqin, you are suspected of privately hiring an assassin with the intent to murder a national strategic talent. Please come with us.”

“I… I didn’t!”

“The assassin has been captured and has identified you. Please do not resist unnecessarily.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianqin felt as if struck by lightning and fainted on the spot.

An unseen hand was dismantling the potential threats to Jiang Yan in an almost unbelievable manner.

Strength and Talent—possessing either alone was enough to enjoy unparalleled privileges on Blue Star. Yet, more often than not, these two things appeared together.

This was a cruel world, but also a fascinating one.

Jiang Yan checked his registration information on the official website.

The College Entrance Exam was not conducted in the real world but in a space personally created by powerful beings.

On Blue Star, a peak-level Spatial Martial Saint used immense power to open an alternate dimension capable of containing mountains and rivers.

Every year, all examinees would take their exams within this alternate dimension.

Although Blue Star was vast, larger than the planet Jiang Yan had lived on in his previous life, the number of those with Talent or opened Apertures was not particularly high.

Including some examinees who had not Awakened their Talent but hoped to seize an opportunity through luck, the total number of annual examinees was approximately ten million.

The Martial Saint of Space once established an anchor point in every city. Once activated, these anchor points would initiate, allowing examinees to enter the Alternate Space Examination Hall.

Although no cameras were installed within the alternate space, it could accurately project images, making cheating nearly impossible.

The content of the exam changed every year, and no one knew what went through the minds of the examiners.

Every year, predictions were made, and every year, they were wrong.

However, one thing remained constant—strength was the ultimate decisive factor that could overpower everything.

As the College Entrance Exam drew nearer, Jiang Yan’s state of mind grew increasingly restless—not from anxiety, but from anticipation.

What he didn’t know was that his information had already been compiled into stacks of documents and placed on the desks of other examinees.

In the Divine Capital, within a courtyard exuding classical charm, a strikingly handsome man stood holding a folding fan. His noble and elegant Aura did not conceal the dangerous presence he carried.

Not far away, a seductively dressed OL woman held these documents, reading the information aloud one by one.

“Xiao Ziming of the Xiao Family in the Demon Capital, SS-grade Talent, currently known cultivation at the third rank, Innate Middle Stage. Talent ability is… Martial Skills previously used include…”

“Li Qingle of the Li Family in the Demon Capital, S-grade Talent, currently cultivation at the second rank, Perfection. Rumors say this person possesses an exceptionally exaggerated ability to fight beyond their Realm, having once single-handedly defeated a third rank, Late Stage Fierce Beast.”

“Lin Li from xx High School in xx Province, Awakened an S-grade Talent at age twelve, experienced an abnormal secondary Breakthrough in Talent at age seventeen, undergoing Metamorphosis into an SS-grade Talent…”

“And yesterday, in a small city called Linjiang City—”

“There’s no need to mention Martial Artists from such places. I don’t have time to listen to these insignificant figures.”

The man with the folding fan sneered dismissively, not taking it too seriously. Even when hearing about these Geniuses with S-grade Talents, he didn’t bat an eye.

The uniformed female secretary said nothing more, stopping her recitation of Jiang Yan’s information. Her expression remained unchanged, clearly not considering him worth attention either.

People from small places weren’t worth paying attention to, especially since Jiang Yan’s document prominently stated:

“Opened Apertures at age eighteen”—these glaring words lowered his significance by several levels.

The later the Awakening, the smaller the advantage, let alone for examinees from such small cities.

“Oh, right, I’ve heard that those reclusive Families and Sects are showing signs of entering the world. Go gather some information on them for me. As for the others? Hah, let’s not waste time.”

“Yes.”

The female secretary respectfully withdrew.

The man with the folding fan stretched lazily, his handsome face full of indolence.

“I hope they can give me a little surprise.”

“But this first place—I’ve already claimed it!”

…

Investigating examinees’ information before the exam had become a norm, and Linjiang City was no exception.

On major social media platforms, reports about examinees from various regions frequently surfaced.

“Shocking! Prodigy xxx from the Divine Capital, at the third rank Innate Realm, fought against a fourth rank Fierce Beast without defeat. Follow me for the combat video in the group chat.”

“Oh my! Who doesn’t know about this? An 18-year-old examinee Awakened an SS-grade Talent, and the reason turned out to be…”

“Heavens! How could someone cause such a mess? An S-grade Talent examinee from xx City was…”

People scrolled through these half-true, half-false news stories, finding them endlessly entertaining.

Jiang Yan, however, remained immersed in combat, unable to extricate himself.