No matter the scores in school, the societal status in the future, or even lifespan, they were far inferior.
"...fourteenth place, Zou Xiyuan, cultural score 411 points, cultivation 377 points, total 788 points."
The homeroom teacher Guo Kui's usually stern face finally showed a hint of a smile, and he lifted his head slightly.
"Level 2 of Qi Practicing, an improvement over before, keep up this momentum. With one more year until the College Entrance Exam, if you can break through to the Middle-Stage of Qi Practicing, or if you can increase your scores in geography, biology, history, and chemistry, the Qianling University Taoism Department is within reach!"
The reason it's these subjects is because the educational goal of Lanying Planet is to select talented individuals for cultivation. Chinese, mathematics, and physics involve the principles of Cultivation Method meridian circulation, as well as Talisman and Formation Method, which are extremely difficult to improve without talent and effort.
However, having already completed the high school curriculum in the first and second year, unless a miracle occurs, it's basically impossible to significantly improve the scores in these three foundational subjects in the remaining year. Efforts must be made in the other subjects.
As for ideology and ethics, it's a subject that examines the understanding and support for the Xianmen Sect system. As long as one is a normal person who studies regularly, without too many heterodox thoughts, and is able to express this in writing, it's basically passable.
But high scores are also very hard to come by, very subjective, with no specific answers. The Central Array Spirit Computer, which embodies the wisdom of ancient Xianmen Sages, marks the papers. It also gives scores based on its programmed logic, considering the exams, student's past experiences, online and real-life speeches, and even family political backgrounds.
Over the years, there have been high-scoring papers in the ideology and ethics subject but, in essence, no two papers are the same. Countless tutoring teachers have studied day and night without discerning any commonality, making improvements difficult.
This is also the reason why Jiang Ding, who didn't excel in cultural or cultivation subjects, was able to enter No.1 High School.
After all, the teachers and principals of No.1 High School support the Xianmen Sect, have high political awareness and would not let someone talented be left outside the school.
The gaze of over twenty people in the classroom all turned toward a girl with some freckles, filled with envy, fervor, inferiority, and other complex emotions.
The prospect of joining the Cultivation Department!
Jiang Ding's feelings were also very complex.
The advantages of cultivators,
were too many!
During the Qi Practicing Phase, you get an additional 200 points for cultivation, 20 points for Level 2 of Qi Practicing. With subjects like precision shooting, transboundary shooting, and coverage shooting in the use of heavy firearms, those with Divine Sense could easily achieve the martial artist's maximum perfect score of 30 points.
—The remaining 30 points, named after tank driving combat, were out of reach for non-Divine Sense martial artists, even for Xiantian Martial Artists, who are said to be comparable to the Qi Practicing cultivators; they didn't even qualify to participate.
"Tenth place..."
"Ninth place..."
...
"Second place, Wu Tianli, the Fifth Level of Qi Practicing, cultural score 730 points, cultivation bonus 467 points, total 1197 points."
Whoosh!
In an instant, almost all eyes were attracted to him, including those at the same phase of Qi Practicing.
He was a confident, sunny, and handsome young man, who nodded slightly and politely responded to his classmates around him.
"The Fifth Level of Qi Practicing!"
There was a stir all around.
"Wu Tianli seems to have a Quadruple Spiritual Root, how can his cultivation speed be so fast?"
"His Spiritual Root attributes are fairly good, possibly very close to a Three Spiritual Roots."
"Three Spiritual Roots! Not counting those from the Outer Realm, that's almost the epitome of talent..."
Jiang Ding listened to the discussions of his classmates around him silently, as if he were invisible.
More than ten thousand years ago, Lanying Planet was a spirit-less planet. Even after intersecting with the Cultivation World for more than ten thousand years, the native Spiritual Veins and Spiritual Roots were still exceedingly rare. A Quadruple Spiritual Root was extremely uncommon, almost one in eighty to ninety thousand people, let alone the Three Spiritual Roots and Twinling Root, not to mention the legendary Sky Spiritual Root.
What is called a faux-Spiritual Root cultivator in the Outer Realm is already considered a genius on Lanying Planet.
"Guaranteed entry into the Taoism Department of one of the top fifteen universities, hopeful for No.12 University, and even No.12 University is not entirely out of the question," Guo Kui said beamingly.
You should know that out of the thirty-nine universities that offer a Cultivation Department, No.12 University is generally only within the hopes of a Three Spiritual Roots cultivator.
"I will work hard, teacher," Wu Tianli said earnestly.
Everyone knew what he was referring to.
Beidou University and Qingfeng University, among the top twelve universities, have a nickname: the land of Golden Pills!
According to statistics of past students, the probability of culitvators from the top twelve universities becoming Golden Pill Monks is ten or even a dozen times higher than all other universities combined with Loose Cultivators.
"This..." Guo Kui said encouragingly, "Keep it up; your teacher believes in you!"
Cultivation departments of the top twelve universities, also known as the Twelve Dao Palace, where each palace harbors Nascent Soul Immortals in meditation. Even the native Three Spiritual Roots cultivators find it extremely difficult to gain admission unless they have reached the pinnacle of their Dao and cultivation base.
Outer Realm Cultivators have a name for the students of the top twelve universities.
Nascent Soul Immortals' acknowledged disciples!
At least in the eyes of Outer Realm Cultivators, the identity of a student from the top twelve universities is equivalent to that of a Patriarch Nascent Soul's acknowledged disciple, and if there is interaction, they would treat them as equals.
Given this, one can imagine the difficulty involved.
Essentially, out of the hundreds of millions of people in a province, only about a hundred students each year have the qualifications to enter the top twelve universities.
"First place, Hua Bing! Level 6 of Qi Practicing, cultural score 723 points, cultivation bonus 479 points, total 1202 points."
Many admiring eyes turned to a woman in the center of the front row, with her wheat-colored skin and valiant appearance exuding the aura of a big sister.
"Most likely No.12 University, with a small chance of making it into the top twelve universities."