After Yao hung up the phone, Xie Hezhou, lounging with his long legs stretched out, gave a half-smile, saying, "Hidden talent, huh, rebellious little brother."
Yao lowered her eyes, replying casually, "Then what have you revealed?"
Xie Hezhou chuckled, "At least I haven't made such a spectacular debut like you."
Yao glanced up and down at him, "Seems like you're not doing so well in your studies, but at least you're consistent, both inside and out."
Not good-looking, and not doing well in exams?
Consistent, huh?
His words were so sharp.
But Xie Hezhou couldn't boast about his academic performance either, so he just scoffed.
"He ranked thirty-fifth in the comprehensive exam for Jingyang," Xie Qingyan said with a faint smile from the side.
Yao, staring out the window, casually replied, "Wow, impressive, really great."
This wasn't just polite—it was dripping with sarcasm.
Xie Hezhou's fingers twitched, trying to suppress the urge to slap her, and instead muttered, "You're too kind. Can't compare to your stunning achievement of 233rd in the comprehensive exam, and certainly not to Big Brother's 18th place in Jingyang."
Yao raised an eyebrow, glancing at Xie Qingyan, "Seems like you two are quite far apart. Big Brother truly lives up to being the legitimate eldest grandson. He's amazing."
She wasn't even trying to hide her attempts to sow discord between them, her praise blatantly insincere and dismissive. If someone made her uncomfortable, she'd make sure they felt even worse.
The air in the airship grew silent.
Yao could feel the shift in attitude from the Xie family ever since she stepped off the airship and into the gates. The stark contrast between reality and her childhood memories was more evident than ever. She recalled how, when she was young, her parents had just started out in low-ranking jobs. While their family conditions seemed decent by ordinary standards, their income was still quite modest. Her grandparents had been struggling with their own poverty, and relatives from the more prosperous branches of the family often looked down on them. When they visited their ancestral home for ancestor worship, they were treated coldly, with cutting remarks.
Being from a scholarly family didn't matter much if you were still poor.
But as time passed, the family's positions rose, and her parents' careers flourished. The younger generation started excelling in their studies. Yao herself earned quite a bit of money, and when she went back to her hometown, the treatment was a complete turnaround.
However, with the rise in their status came the unrelenting flood of requests for help—people seeking favors, information, and business connections. It became an overwhelming burden, with her father even calling these relatives "poisonous snakes."
"Chuanchuan, remember, all benefits come with a price. What you gain, you must also lose."
Wealth and power could easily blind one's judgment.
So, the Xie family's suddenly warm attitude toward her felt more like the venomous approach of a snake preparing to strike.
Yao played along and pretended to comply. Then, Xie An arrived, bringing the family's doctor, under the pretense of checking her physical condition.
Beep... The instruments displayed some data, and Xie An glanced at it, his expression darkening slightly. "You're at level 11 now, and your attributes are barely on par with a regular student, but your foundation is still weak. You may have trouble with the third-stage exam. I'm wondering if you should go practice with the family's experts tonight, then return for a five-hour session in the gene pool."
His tone was gentle and affectionate, like a father's hopeful expectation.
Yet, he'd never understand that a true loving father would focus on his child's injuries—such as her legs being pierced and bleeding profusely—and make sure they healed first, rather than pushing her to train.
Yao, recalling how her parents had been ready to prioritize her recovery during her high school exams when she had a leg injury, shook her head inwardly.
"No, Dad. I think the gene pool is more important. Maybe I'll awaken our family's genetic talents. I have a feeling I can become the hope of the family."
Xie An no longer saw this illegitimate child as a reckless fool. He knew she was just humorously brushing him off.
"You have such ambition, I'm pleased. Rest well, and go to the gene pool tonight."
After he left, Yao sat in the room, rubbing her aching calf and closing her eyes.
Was she really resting?
Not quite. She was actually mulling over three things:
The education bureau's setup for the middle school entrance exam, including the mysterious duck's role.
Why Xie An harbored such hatred and fear of Oxus.
The basic knowledge of the Primary Arcane.
"The duck is out of scope—it must be targeting the top students. But it's not random. There must be certain rules in place. We must have triggered something, leading it to appear before us. Judging by the traces left in the cave, this wasn't an accident."
"There are five extra question spaces in the mountain itself. This can't be a coincidence."
"Did the duck only appear after we triggered a few spaces, and did it attack us then?"
If this was part of the education bureau's design, it wasn't a conspiracy, just an elaborate setup.
But Yao, ever cautious, remembered something.
"Someone, so poor, managed to raise their score, yet still had leftover medicine."
"Either they're far stronger than I imagined, or they have help. Or, they might have figured out the meditation device's shielding rules long before I did."
If they were much stronger, then their performance during the final assault by the giant goose might have been a façade. If they had help, who would it be? Their sister, of course—they'd been working together until then, but that time, they separated.
The only reason they would have split up was if Lin Hangjing had entered an extra question space.
"In the mountain, five spaces. I entered one, Lin Hangjing entered another, and according to what others said, Mo Ruijing entered a third. That makes three. There were still two left. When we were ten, there was one nearby, so the last one must be in the south."
Yao was deep in thought. If she were the education bureau's planner, she would've set the trigger condition for the giant goose's appearance to be the activation of four spaces.
"Only once the first four spaces were triggered would it make sense for us to gather at the final space. This would create the perfect setup for the goose to block our escape."
The giant goose's main skill was clearly meant for group combat. Its design was tailored to ensure everyone would gather in the last extra space, which then created the perfect condition for it to corner them.
"Now that I think about it, it was probably a strategic move. It's not just about surviving the goose's attack. If we could make it to the last space, there must be something worthwhile in there."
The tension in the air grew heavier. At that moment, the directors of the education bureau were watching the footage of the test.
To their surprise, one person who'd been hit twice by the giant goose didn't retreat. Instead, they broke free with a burst of incredible speed, making a beeline for the extra space.
The goose chased after them, but it wasn't enough. The person was hit again, their calf bleeding profusely. Still, they managed to push through and enter the last extra space.
The goose, frustrated, turned its focus on destroying the equipment inside the space.
She was the lone survivor of ten.
Zhang Ruoxia, watching from the control room, chuckled, "Kids these days, don't have it easy. Taking an exam and hiding everything. That kid's agility must be at least thirty thousand. If the data's correct, they've only been in touch with Arcane for less than a month. That's impressive."
The director, stroking his chin thoughtfully, added, "But they're not the biggest winner."
They both looked at another screen.
Indeed, Lin Hangjing was in the midst of making a choice. She wasn't present when the chaos unfolded, having gone off to do something more important.
Based on the triggered spaces, the giant goose had moved on, leaving its former post unguarded.
Lin Hangjing entered easily, and from the spot the goose had been resting, she retrieved a pet egg—a blue-level egg from the same species.
Her greatest gain from the second-stage test.