Zong Wenxiu: "..."
He could already sense the depth of his younger brother's resentment toward Qin Ye. In that long sentence, not a single positive word was used.
Of course, compared to Qin Ye, the people at Hanlin North Academy were even more intimidating, with an air of studying as if their lives depended on it.
Xu Wan took a step forward and guided with a smile, "Take a closer look. What else is different about these people?"
Zong Jincheng snorted proudly, "Their ages, obviously. Hanlin North Academy even admits children. I wonder how difficult their entrance exams are. Good thing I didn’t fall for your trick and take the exam there, or else..."
Or else he would have been utterly crushed.
Zong Wenxiu pondered for a moment and said, "Their clothing is very simple, with almost no luxurious accessories. This suggests two things: first, they might be so focused on studying that they don’t care about their appearance; second, they might come from poor families. Hanlin North Academy likely only provides them with food and shelter, not clothing."
"Poor families?" Zong Jincheng followed his gaze, trying to understand.
The little guy couldn’t tell the quality of the fabric, nor could he distinguish between linen, cotton, or silk. All he noticed was that their clothes had many wrinkles, something that never happened to his own clothes.
Xu Wan nodded, "Yes, poor families, struggling at the bottom of society for generations. For them, studying isn’t just about making a name for themselves in the future. More importantly, studying at Hanlin North Academy is their only chance to turn their lives around. It’s a do-or-die situation. If they fail, there’s no second chance."
Zong Wenxiu understood and nodded, "No wonder they look so desperate. It’s completely different from the students at Qingbo Academy, where all the kids come from wealthy families. It’s hard to feel that sense of desperation there."
"The atmosphere at Hanlin North Academy is like that. Even if you threw a student from Qingbo Academy in there, they’d be influenced by it," Xu Wan said with a smile. "There’s a term for it: involution. When you see others working so hard, you feel pressured and start working hard too. That’s how it becomes what you’re seeing now."
"Involution?" Zong Jincheng had an epiphany and suddenly understood why he felt so uncomfortable that day on Qin Ye’s wall.
That despicable kid had been secretly outworking him!
No wonder he couldn’t beat Qin Ye!!
Xu Wan called to them, "Let’s go. There’s no point in watching any longer. They probably won’t even spare us a glance."
Zong Jincheng raised his thumb, then flipped it downward, making a gesture to show they weren’t up to par. He declared arrogantly, "Just wait. I’ll defeat them one by one!"
Zong Wenxiu chuckled lightly and was about to follow when he turned his head and spotted a surprising young boy. "Qin Ye?"
"Qin Ye?!" Zong Jincheng whipped his head around frantically, asking, "Where? Where? I don’t see him!"
Zong Wenxiu patted his shoulder and pointed in a direction. Sure enough, Qin Ye was talking to a boy around ten years old. Qin Ye was shorter than the other boy, but the older boy kept nodding, as if Qin Ye was giving him instructions.
After finishing the conversation, the boy headed toward Hanlin North Academy, and Qin Ye walked out.
Zong Jincheng immediately pushed Zong Wenxiu aside and blocked Qin Ye’s path, ready to pick a fight.
Qin Ye raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "It’s you again."
Zong Jincheng declared proudly, "Yes, it’s me! One of the only two students from Qingbo Academy to make it onto the four-academy joint exam rankings!"
Qin Ye finally gave him a proper look. "What rank?"
"Uh..." The little demon king’s heart was instantly pierced, and his proud expression faltered.
The 120th rank sounded terrible, a whole list away from Qin Ye. Saying it out loud would be humiliating.
Qin Ye didn’t miss his reaction and sneered dismissively.
This arrogant demeanor infuriated the little demon king. He was always the one acting like this toward others; how dare someone treat him this way?
He shouted angrily, "What are you so smug about? I’ve only been studying for three months, and I’ve already made it onto the rankings. Beating you is just a matter of a few months. Piece of cake. Just wait to become my defeated opponent!"
"Suit yourself. I’ve switched classes anyway," Qin Ye said indifferently, turning to leave, not wanting to waste any more time.
"Switched classes? To which class?" Zong Jincheng was stunned and shouted at his retreating figure, "We’re not even in the same class! I’ve been studying at home!"
Qin Ye’s figure grew smaller and smaller, not pausing for a moment.
It seemed he truly had no competitive spirit, or perhaps he simply didn’t care about Zong Jincheng and didn’t see him as a threat to his top position.
The little demon king was still howling in frustration behind him, but unfortunately, the person who had provoked him was long gone.
He turned to Zong Wenxiu and asked, "Brother, what does switching classes mean? Is he going to study at Hanlin North Academy?"
Zong Wenxiu shook his head and denied, "No, switching academies is called transferring. Switching classes means he doesn’t want to stay in the eight-year-old class anymore. Qingbo Academy groups students by age, and the content, exam scope, and rankings are different for each age group."
Zong Jincheng said, "So once Qin Ye switches classes, I’ll never have the chance to be on the same ranking as him again? I’ll never get to beat him?"
Zong Wenxiu nodded honestly, "Exactly. After seeing his exam papers last time, I realized that even if he jumped straight to our ten-year-old class, he’d still take first place without any trouble. Qin Ye’s knowledge is really profound."
Zong Jincheng frowned, "Then I want to take the same exams as you guys."
Xu Wan said leisurely, "Keep dreaming. Qin Ye is going to the Child Prodigy Class."
Zong Wenxiu was surprised, "Madam, you know about this?"
Xu Wan smiled, "Of course. I’ve made sure to gather all the information on our young master’s rival."
Zong Jincheng perked up his ears and asked curiously, "What’s the Child Prodigy Class?"
"The Child Prodigy Class, as the name suggests, is for selecting prodigies for the imperial court. Only children under twelve can participate. If they pass the exam, they can bypass the usual age restriction of ten for the imperial exams and skip the preliminary exams like the child scholar and scholar exams."
"Qingbo Academy’s Child Prodigy Class was established for this purpose. The class isn’t grouped by age but includes all children under twelve. If they exceed the age limit and still fail the exam, they’ll be sent back to their original class."
Zong Jincheng’s frown was so deep it could crush a mosquito. He gritted his teeth and said, "That Qin Ye, he’s already aiming for the imperial exams at such a young age!"
Xu Wan chuckled, "Yes, that kid is really confident."
"I’m going to take that exam too!" Zong Jincheng refused to admit defeat and was ready to join the intense competition.
"You?" Xu Wan patted his shoulder and said with a laugh, "Focus on breaking into the top ten first. Think about the 119 students ahead of you. If you can’t even beat these eight-year-olds, how are you going to compete with the kids in the Child Prodigy Class?"
Zong Jincheng protested loudly, "I’m not waiting for the next four-academy joint exam. That’s at least two months away. In that time, I could’ve already beaten Qin Ye!"
Xu Wan smiled and said, "According to the latest news I’ve received, Hanlin North Academy will hold a joint exam with Qingbo Academy next month. This is your last chance."
