Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 111: Today, we are all Zhang Xiaoke

"Golden Autumn Camp?" Li Zheng looked completely baffled.

"Oh, that’s right." Wu Shu rubbed his forehead and laughed, "You’re such a dunce you don’t even know what a calculator is."

In the following time, many big shots gave Li Zheng a thorough lesson on elite schools.

For example, at Jinghua Jida, less than 10% of the students in 2018 were admitted purely through college entrance exams.

The rest, over 90%, were admitted through independent recruitment with score reductions.

Most reductions were about 20 points, and a few were 40 or 60, or even a drop to the first-tier line.

The very few remaining were big shots like Ou Xing Zhuo and Wu Shu who were recommended for admission.

Looking at those who received score reductions, over 95% were from a background in academic competitions.

So everything became clear.

If you want to get into a prestigious school, compete in competitions.

At present, most of the badasses in the Dragon Pearl Group had already set their sights on various competitions back in middle school.

From past experiences, the minimum application threshold for Jinghua Jida is provincial first place.

After receiving the applications, the admissions office would invite about 10% of the applicants for a preliminary test.

The preliminary test usually took place in the week after the national college entrance exam, followed by a retest, and then score reductions based on results, usually not exceeding 20 points.

This type of independent recruitment was the channel most people had access to.

But the real big shots had no interest in following such a mainstream path.

They only focused on camps.

Like Ji University Chemistry Golden Autumn Camp, Jinghua Mathematics Talent Class, and other subject-specific camps.

In the selection for the camps, teachers would observe and test for a few days to single out the best of the best for early contracts.

Naturally, huge big shots like Ou Xing Zhuo and Wu Shu were also signed for guaranteed admission at these camps.

About those big shots in the group chat, two of them had already signed with a 985 university.

By the end, Li Zheng’s scalp was tingling.

All these rules and procedures, irksome and boring, were a million times harder than studying...

Maybe just take the exams bare, whatever the score is, the hell with it.

Fortunately, the topic soon changed.

While discussing the various camps of Ji University and Jinghua, the two big shots who had signed with Ji University had already started mocking Jinghua.

"Listen, buddy," Ou Xing Zhuo snickered, "those engineering tech camps at Jinghua aren’t worth attending."

"Don’t be like that," Wu Shu also said with a facepalm laugh, "Network administrator camps are okay."

"Yeah, auto repair is passable too," Ou Xing Zhuo covered his forehead and laughed even harder.

Making fun of Jinghua seemed to be their unique joke, which others couldn’t laugh at, only feeling the chill.

Li Zheng was even more puzzled: "Are you speaking about Jinghua or Lanxiang?"

"Not much difference, one is a technical school, and the other an engineering college," Ou Xing Zhuo raised his glasses with an increasingly sultry tone, "Buddy, you should know, only Ji University is called a university."

Li Zheng didn’t quite believe him and turned to look at the authoritative big sister for confirmation.

"That’s right," Wu Shu immediately nodded and said, "The gap between Jinghua and Ji University is just like that between No. 4 Middle School and Ren Da Fu."

"This analogy is quite spot-on," Ou Xing Zhuo excitedly tapped his forehead, "Outsiders feel they are about the same, but insiders know the essence of the difference."

At this point, a bespectacled guy across couldn’t endure any longer and coughed: "Cough... I’ll be going first... "

After this fellow from No. 4 Middle School left sullenly, Li Zheng then asked, "Isn’t everyone saying Jinghua is strong in science and technology, and Ji University in liberal arts?"

"Ah..." Ou Xing Zhuo’s face twitched, looking at Li Zheng as if he were looking at an animal, "No offense, but your general knowledge... is simply non-human."

Wu Shu also fell into self-doubt, looking up to the sky, "This idiot, yet he scores higher than me... "

This time, even the other big shots showed their disdain for the ignorant.

Li Zheng truly felt it this time.

The look you give to a dog.

Being treated like this every day.

Zhang Xiaoke transferring schools made sense.

After another bout of intense tutoring from the big shots, Li Zheng finally got the rough idea.

According to them,

The so-called strength of Jinghua in science and technology, and Ji University in liberal arts,

was merely the layman’s wishful thinking.

The reality was,

Ji University was strong in both arts and sciences.

Jinghua was strong in engineering.

To put it in a light-hearted way, Jinghua produces engineers, Ji University produces scientists, which roughly represents the difference between the two.

Of course, there were many such jokes.

Like Jinghua produces officials, Ji University produces inmates...

As for the two big shots at present, they had already adopted the campus culture of Ji University, looking down on Jinghua just as Ren Da Fu looks down on No. 4 Middle School.

They had also prematurely adopted the identity of researchers, looking down on engineers.

It was only now that Li Zheng understood why they said Jinghua could only open classes for bricklayers and network administrators.

This mysterious culture, half-real, half-fictitious, was largely laughable.

But one question was of great importance, which Li Zheng needed to clarify in advance.

For this, he bluntly interrupted the two big shots’ mockery with a very awkward question—

"There is another saying, that Ji University’s girls are prettier than those at Jinghua, is that true?"

"Yes," the two replied in unison, authoritatively answering.

After responding, they realized how odd that question was.

Li Zheng, with your bushy eyebrows and big eyes, why are you not considering which major is good, but instead fixating on the girls?

Li Zheng had his own difficult reasons.

It’s said that not only are the girls at Jinghua rare, but they also… have a unique style.

Damn, if you end up stuck in a pile like Qiao Bixia, wouldn’t your life be ruined?

…

After having lunch with the big shots and joining the Dragon Pearl Group, Li Zheng finally took the subway home.

His perspective on the world had inevitably undergone subtle changes.

He also realized the gap between himself and the big shots.

The most obvious point was that real prodigies like Ou Xing Zhuo and Wu Shu had long stopped worrying about scores.

Their eyes were only on the future.

Their whole being exuded a peculiar vitality.

And in their eyes, the future had no concerns about employment or studying abroad.

It was all about science and challenges.

It was purely enviable.

Although this time in the preliminary round, my score might be slightly higher than theirs.

But in learning, I was still two realms behind at least.

Still far behind, Li Zheng.

Li Zheng sat in the carriage, thinking and thinking, and suddenly laughed.

Over the hill.

Someone was waiting.

And not just one person.

It turned out I was not alone at all.

It’s just that I never looked up to appreciate the brilliance of the starry sky.

Thinking of this, Li Zheng felt somewhat regretful.

I really want Lin Yujing to experience this atmosphere too.

This place is full of our kind.

Master Ye.

…

In the afternoon, Li Zheng took a nap.

After waking up, he realized that Yu Hong, Sun Leyang, Tang Zhifei, Old Li, Ning’er, Jiang Qinghua, and many others had sent greetings and blessings, casually inquiring how the exam went.

Although the score for the answers was 90, there was still a margin of error, and Li Zheng, finding it too bothersome to elaborate, simply replied, "Not bad."

Seeing this response, everyone didn’t ask further, assuming Li Zheng had performed averagely.

However, there was someone Li Zheng was willing to say a bit more to.

He then sent Lin Yujing a copy of the standard answer.

The reply was just a "Zzz".

Sleeping, always sleeping, always at sleep!

Must be suffering from competition PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Moreover, Sun Leyang also had explanations for the errors in the exam papers.

Normally, in exams other than the college entrance exam, to save face, no error correction schemes would be published.

99% likely, the problem that was wrong wouldn’t count, effectively giving everyone +5 points.

As for those who lost time because of that wrong question and didn’t finish the paper, they would just have to grin and bear it.

This result was also within Li Zheng’s expectations.

Meanwhile, Sun Leyang kept on stressing that they must not divulge the fact that he had coached them for the exam.

His nervousness was understandable.

He had a deeper understanding of Li Zheng and Lin Yujing’s capabilities, and both were likely to win awards, effectively displacing Ren Da Fu students from the chance to win.

Hence, the stronger these two were, the more anxious Sun Leyang became.

If Lin Yujing and Li Zheng really won an award, once this got out, not only would Old Sun be scolded by the principal, but he would also be cursed by his own students.

What’s more annoying was that his own teaching performance at Ren Da Fu would be affected.

Thinking that Old Sun, cunning his whole life, had dug his own grave with this, he was deeply hurt.

After Li Zheng reassured him multiple times, he went to the living room, set up his exercise mat, and started doing spider lunges and deep squat jumps.

Exercising was not only relaxing but also vital for strengthening the body; it had become his essential routine.

After exercising and showering, the time was nearly three in the afternoon.

Usually, this would be the time to start studying.

But this time, he couldn’t control himself and glanced at the sneaky entry of the Dragon Pearl Group while making tea.

Speaking of QQ groups, Li Zheng had also joined several study material sharing groups in the past.

Regrettably, the atmosphere in these groups quickly declined.

The most apparent sign was that the topics, emoticons, IDs, and avatars of the group members would change with the popularity of different mobile games and anime series.

When "Arknights" was popular, they were all breeding donkeys.

When "Lady Kaguya" was hot, they were all secretaries,

Once, for some reason, everyone was obsessed with singing, dancing, RAP, and basketball.

Under the impact of these trends, the group’s main theme would quickly be forgotten, then degenerate into idle chat, becoming useless groups.

Ultimately, when Li Zheng asked about the intensity of a particular study material, no one responded; they were all discussing which operator should be developed in the game.

He could only sigh quietly at group names like "Mutual Educational Material Recommendation" and "Elite Problem Sharing," and sadly left the group.

But this boss-level Dragon Pearl Group was also following the trend.

However, this trend excited Li Zheng.

Because it was a trend of academic competitions.

Now was the peak of the Chem Competitions fervor, and many group members’ IDs and emoticons were gravitating towards specialized Chem Competitions groups.

[The Inorganic’s Yttrium: Checked it, 51, no chance for provincial first place…]

This person casually posted an exclusive silly Chem Competitions emoticon.

(My Chem Competitions level: 3Ni+2Co=niconiconi)

Soon someone picked up the conversation.

[Decarburized Methanol: Worship the 50+ big boss]

Below was attached a structural diagram of "1-methyl-8-ethylbicyclo[4.2.0]octane."

Surprisingly, this structure was exactly a small figure kneeling in worship.

Seeing this "Octane figure," Li Zheng smiled knowingly.

He liked these chemistry jokes much more than those enticing two-dimensional space girls.

Just like a primary school student entering a group for erotic pictures for the first time.

Li Zheng totally couldn’t control himself, greedily collecting these chemistry emoticons, getting more and more addicted.

[Icosahectane (Eicosane): I got 38… Is there a chance for provincial second place?]

He casually posted a structure diagram of pyrene (embedded naphthalene).

Meaning "panicked Pyr."

Brilliant!

Li Zheng clicked and saved another sensational emoticon.

After collecting dozens of such images, the group owner suddenly refreshed.

[Group Leader][Zhuo: Everyone post your subject score, I’ll do the statistics, and predict the cutoff scores.]

Immediately, below was a series of repeated chemical structure of "Polyrhodium."

Big boss, big boss.

Li Zheng followed with one too.

The feeling of banality was indeed delightful.