Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 108 - 107 Am I not just a bit more fashionable and handsome?

In the Jijing area, the preliminary exam was hosted by No. 4 Middle School, a high school not inferior to Ren University Affiliated High School, but there was indeed a fundamental gap with Ren Da Fu and No. 1 Middle School in the City when it came to Chem Competitions, probably just missing that sleazy chemistry teacher.

Li Zheng had been assigned a test location in the junior high division of No. 4 Middle School. After taking the subway to Beihai Park North Station, a ten-minute squeeze through the alleyways brought him there.

At the school gate, when showing his admission ticket, Li Zheng saw that some people had come in groups, many in uniform.

Among the uniformed crowd, those from Ren University Affiliated High School and No. 1 Middle School in the City were the most noticeable.

In fact, not just in chemistry competitions, but in the other four major academic contests as well, these two schools were the most prominent.

Based on overall school strength, the top three high schools in Jijing were roughly in this order—

1: Ren University Affiliated High School.

2: No. 4 Middle School.

3: Jijing University Affiliated Experimental Middle School.

As for No. 1 Middle School in the City, it ranked between fifth and seventh.

But this school placed great emphasis on competitions and had made a name for itself through them, challenging Ren Da Fu’s prestigious position.

Even No. 4 Middle School and the Experimental School could only trail behind in this aspect.

All in all, this time, Li Zheng had his fill of looking at prestigious school uniforms.

In fact, they were no better looking than those of Lake Ying Middle School.

But their school badges were brazenly awesome.

Moreover, these kids, just by looking at them, you knew their studies must be excellent.

Seeing them gave Li Zheng an inexplicable sense of belonging.

Wearing a uniform on the weekend isn’t very common, right?

The hairstyle of a good student is quite obvious, isn’t it?

Why is it so hard to let Tony do a hairstyle that looks studious?

After having his admission ticket checked, Li Zheng walked comfortably towards the academic building, eager to strike up a conversation with someone from the uniformed crowd.

What he didn’t realize was that, because of his outfit and hairstyle, he had become the only outlier in the competition venue.

Really looking like someone whose studies weren’t very good.

This resulted in Li Zheng being avoided every time he tried to exchange glances with someone from the uniformed crowd.

Then, when Li Zheng wasn’t paying attention, they would sneak peeks at him.

These sneaky glances were filled with both confusion and an undeniable disdain that couldn’t be hidden.

Weathering these looks,

Li Zheng was angry.

Angry at this world that judges people by their appearance.

Am I not just a bit more fashionable and handsome?

Does it have to be this harsh?

He could only walk into the academic building alone, clutching his pencil case resentfully.

He had entered what should have been his own sanctuary, yet he was treated like an outsider, becoming a figure akin to Zhang Xiaoke’s ilk.

If there were to be any such events in the future, he must wear a uniform, he absolutely must.

And get a crew cut, that’s a given.

In his frustration, Li Zheng found the classroom he was looking for.

There were only five or six people in the room at the time, all sorting through knowledge on their phones or notes.

Li Zheng, rarely encountering so many of his kin, wanted to share learning experiences with them.

But at the same time, he felt inferior because of his overly stylish look and didn’t have the courage to approach them.

He was much like Liu Xin, scratching his head when facing cute junior girls.

After agonizing for a while, he still didn’t dare to speak. He simply found his seat, placed his pencil case and calculator, and closed his eyes to rest.

Actually, "resting with eyes closed" was mostly about getting a kick out of the numbers—

[Chemistry: 249]

Seeing one’s true capabilities at hand.

He finally felt at ease.

Before, even reaching 200 seemed painfully difficult.

Now, it seemed possible to aim for 300.

Climbing the peaks of learning is an endless journey, but occasionally looking back at the summits one has conquered is quite a pleasurable thing as well.

249, the significance of this score had also been indirectly confirmed by Sun Leyang.

According to Old Demon Sun’s judgment, as long as no mistakes were made, there was hope for the provincial team.

Li Zheng himself couldn’t have imagined that, a month ago the chemistry novice had climbed so high.

Just as he was thinking, a clear female voice drifted to his ears.

"You brought the wrong calculator."

Li Zheng opened his eyes in surprise and turned to look to his right.

The speaker was a short-haired girl in a white sweater, with a tidy parting that gave off a refreshing vibe. Although her face was expressionless and somewhat stern, she had big eyes and a round face that prevented her from appearing aloof.

As she arranged her stationery, she pointed towards Li Zheng’s desk with her mouth, "That model won’t do the calculations you need."

"That can’t be right..." Li Zheng hurriedly picked up his old calculator, whose numbers were almost worn off, "Don’t judge it by its appearance, it can handle addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and power calculations without a problem."

"It’s still best to use the officially designated FX-991CNX," the girl picked up her black calculator to show Li Zheng, "Many problems can be solved using functions and tables, making them faster to work through."

Li Zheng looked at the high-end calculator with twice as many buttons as his own and swallowed hard.

Although he was somewhat lost by what the girl was saying,

There was an unmistakable air of authority about it.

He couldn’t help but have doubts in his heart.

Old Demon Sun, how come you never mentioned this to me?

The girl then asked, "Isn’t this common knowledge? Didn’t your teacher ever tell you?"

This question made Li Zheng even more short of breath.

I’ve lost in style.

I’ve even lost in the exam department.

Poor discipline, lousy gear.

Why bother with Chem Competitions ...

Li Zheng gradually became more and more humble, humble like a lump of academic trash.

Academic trash Li Zheng could only offer an awkward smile, doing his best to conceal his humbleness as he answered, "Our school is pretty average, we hardly do any competitions."

"Average? From No. 4 Middle School?" the girl asked casually as she arranged her stationery.

Li Zheng’s cheeks instantly flushed a shade of red.

What’s this about No. 4 Middle School? Our school ranks either first or second in the whole city for college entrance exams, how’s that average?

Is it that in the eyes of you top-notch pros, the world is either Shaolin or Wudang, and us brothers from Lake Ying Fishery Gang don’t count for anything?

At this moment, Li Zheng suddenly thought of Zhang Xiaoke’s experience.

Right.

Maybe we really don’t count.

Seeing that Li Zheng didn’t reply, the girl then asked, "Experimental?"

"Stop asking..." Li Zheng said, struggling to hold back, raising his hand, "It’s a middle school you wouldn’t know regardless."

"No worries," the girl said with a generous smile, "Last year there was someone who made it to the provincial team from an ordinary school, I remember it was Guangwaimen Middle School, and they got a national silver medal in the end. Contestants like you who come from schools without a competitive environment but manage to break out are really impressive."

Li Zheng’s face was burning so fiercely it felt swollen as he waved his hands dismissively, "I’m far from it, look at me, I even brought the wrong calculator, looks like I’m going to sprain something."

"It’s not that serious, the prelims don’t require much calculation, what you have should suffice," the girl said, then turned around to hang her coat on the back of her chair, "Remember to get one like mine for next time, it’s also useful in physics competitions."

This comment finally brought a little warmth to Li Zheng.

It was like being cared for by a big sister.

This one, despite looking stern on the outside.

Turned out to be quite the chatterbox.

He was just about to express his thanks when a snazzy male voice came from the left.

"You’ve already got a guaranteed spot, why are you stirring up trouble at the Chem Competitions?"

The speaker was a tall guy with a spiky hairstyle and glasses, dressed like an adult in a grey shirt and black trousers. Even though his gaze was sharp, his overall demeanor was quite pretentiously coy.

While speaking, he had already pulled out a chair to sit down, crossed his legs and began taking stationery out of his bag one by one, not even sparing a glance at Li Zheng as he spoke, "Buddy, don’t let her fool you, she’s just putting on an act, careful not to let it affect your performance."

The girl shook her head, her expression returning to its initial sternness, no longer looking towards Li Zheng’s side, and simply sat upright, "And what about you? Are you here to collect five No. 1 Middle School badges to summon a dragon?"

"It’s six," the boy sneered, lifting his glasses, "Sorry, I’ve taken math No. 1 twice."

"Really? Then I’m short three No. 1s compared to you," the girl said without expression, her words getting increasingly cutting, "Except I’ve won one more national gold than you, oh and an IPhO as well."

"Tch..." The boy cursed under his breath, slamming his pencil case down, "Boring, childish."

With the corner of her mouth slightly raised, the girl spoke with a sly smile, "I just want you to face the reality, one national gold is worth ten thousand No. 1s."

"Fine, then I’ll just take another national gold and shut you up," the boy then turned on his calculator and began to type rapidly, warming up, "Let’s make it clear, I’m not like you, I have zero interest in chemistry, nor have I prepared specially, just had too much free time recently."

"Who isn’t?" The girl also took out a sign pen, spinning it around her fingers fancily, "Going in blind is more fun."

Li Zheng, caught between the two, suffered tons of damage.

Could you not fight your immortal battles with me as your collateral damage?

The girl noticed Li Zheng’s pained expression and hurriedly consoled, "Don’t mind us, we’re just crazy."

"Heh, if you can’t handle that much, what are you doing in competitions?" The boy also turned his head, pushing up his glasses with extra force, displaying a condescension unique to the superior, "Buddy, competitions are a brutal thing. By the look of you, you must be from No. 4 Middle School, right?"

"..."

"Experimental?"

Li Zheng was close to crying, why was this happening again.

He had just realized that he had underestimated these monsters.

They were even more terrifying than Lin Yujing.

In their presence, it was just so hard to be human.

I’m begging you, please stop talking about it.

Just mumble, mumble, there’s no need to say more.

It was only at this moment that Li Zheng discovered.

Lin Yujing’s tendency to say little and mumble a lot.

Was actually an act of consideration for others.

Just as Li Zheng felt at a loss for what to do.

The bell finally rang—

At last, the bell rang.

With the entrance of two proctors, a man and a woman, carrying the test papers, those two weirdos finally shut up.

The students all placed their unrelated personal belongings at the designated spot.

Li Zheng, on the other hand, closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, trying not to let them affect him.

But the clicking sound of the calculator from the guy on the left was really annoying.

The girl on the right had already begun to juggle her pens in mid-air, twirling them between her fingers while casually speaking to the guy on the left, "An aftereffect of informatics competitions, I play around with programming on the calculator when I’m bored."

"Wrong," the boy scoffed, raising his glasses, "It’s just pseudo-programming achieved through using the memory function and the ’calc’ loop."

Li Zheng’s painstakingly gathered composure shattered once again.

I’m still just a kid, I’m begging you, please stop this.

As the test papers were distributed, the pair finally quieted down.

But Li Zheng had been completely thrown off by the two of them. Instead of reading the questions first, he caught himself observing their expressions.

That’s when he noticed that both of them had already entered a serious and focused state for solving the problems.

Dammit, how do they switch gears so fast?

Not fooling around anymore, huh?

So, you’re just teaming up to pick on me, is that it?