Chapter 2: Huaguo Water Curtain Group
This was the first time that Lotus Sun had taken the initiative to start a conversation.
Unexpectedly, the other party hadn't responded at all!
She felt that this boy in a white shirt and a refreshing crew cut had a completely different style to the frisky lowlife-types that she usually encountered.
Rather than a proud and aloof air, he had a special aura and a strong sense of mystery about him which had caught Lotus Sun's attention at first glance.
"This classmate, are you also doing the interview in Grade One, Class Three?"
"Classmate, may I know your last name?"
Along the way, Lotus Sun tried her best to become friendlier with Wang Ling. However, his poker face never changed, and he showed no intention of responding to her at all.
This was really embarrassing.
...
This was the first time Wang Ling had given directions to another person.
If he and Lotus Sun hadn't happened to share the same destination, he wouldn't have even bothered to raise his arm.
He really hated interacting with other people, especially once he had reached the Soul Formation stage the year he turned seven. He had mastered the ability to read minds, and was hearing people's inner voices all the time. Since then, his ears had never had a moment's peace, especially at night; if he didn't put in earplugs, he probably would go insane.
Just like with Lotus Sun, who on the surface looked like she was just trying her best to break the ice between them, Wang Ling could very clearly hear what she was thinking.
She was wholly unhappy with his indifference.
To be honest, Wang Ling felt that it was a waste of her talent to study in No. 60 High School. With her strength, it wouldn't matter which key high school she went to, she would definitely be in the elite stream.
Lotus Sun's reason for coming here was completely opposite to Wang Ling's.
Wang Ling went out of his way to hide his status, while Lotus Sun had racked her brain for a way to emphasize her presence.
In a key high school, top students were a dime a dozen, and standing out wouldn't be easy. But in an ordinary environment like No. 60 High School, Lotus Sun felt she would definitely be able to showcase her presence.
She had never expected that just as she entered the school, there would actually be a boy who would turn a blind eye to her. Damn it! Was this blockhead gay or something?
Wang Ling had never expected that just as he entered the school, he would actually attract a girl's attention.
What a shitty situation!
At this moment, the two people walking abreast of each other could not help but sigh silently.
...
The enrollment interview was just like the placement test that had been used hundreds of years ago. It was aimed at determining each student's rank without prejudice amidst massive student numbers. Having said that, students who could enter No. 60 High School were all already at the Foundation Establishment stage. But the stage was further divided into several levels.
While there seemed to be just a narrow gap between early and late Foundation Establishment, the difference in overall strength was very large, and students on both ends in the same class were bound to clash with one another.
In the relatively small classroom, three examiners sat in a row.
There were also a number of other teenagers already present who were all there for the interview.
Wang Ling walked directly to the back of the classroom, and slipped into the most inconspicuous seat there.
The instant Lotus Sun walked into the classroom, her movie-star looks caught the eye of all the teens, and even that of the three examiners.
The men in the classroom, young and old, blushed in spite of themselves. Even a few of the girls dropped their heads shyly.
"My name is Lotus Sun, we're going to be schoolmates from now on. I look forward to your guidance." Lotus Sun had always been both a man- and lady-killer, and enjoyed being in the spotlight. Bowing naturally and gracefully, she tossed back her beautiful hair and gave an easy and confident smile.
The only thing that dissatisfied Lotus Sun was Wang Ling's damn unchanging poker face.
In this world, how could there be a man unmoved by her?
In her heart, she started to think of a plan to capture Wang Ling's attention.
On the other side, the three examiners were astonished after Lotus Sun introduced herself.
"Sun... Sun... Lotus Sun?" One of the male examiners had a stunned expression on his face.
"Which Lotus Sun? Don't tell me it's that Lotus Sun?"
Another examiner hurriedly flipped through the interview materials for the candidates that day, and in the end couldn't help swearing.
"Holy shit! The eldest grandchild of the Huaguo Water Curtain Group... Lotus Sun?"
That was the Fortune 500 company that made its name selling elixirs!
On the other side, a silent Wang Ling heard what the three examiners said, and frowned suddenly. He had already guessed that Lotus Sun's identity wasn't so simple, but he hadn't expected that she would come from such a powerful family. His plan was to keep a low profile, which was why he had chosen a relatively ordinary high school. Who knew that even before school officially started, he would already encounter such a huge headache.
Wang Ling watched as Lotus Sun smilingly came over, directly drawing up a chair to sit next to him. He was speechless.
Why the hell would the eldest granddaughter of a Fortune 500 company come running to such a mediocre high school to prove herself?
Or were the rich second generation nowadays fond of moving around incognito?
Wang Ling closed his eyes, directly ignoring the way Lotus Sun was making eyes at him.
Anyway, as long as he was careful not to reveal too much of his real strength, he should be able to get rid of this annoying person without a hitch, right?
Wang Ling didn't want an obsessive maniac staring at him non-stop in class the whole day.
A moment later, the voice of one of the examiners sounded from the dais. "The interview is about to begin. Everyone, please prepare yourselves."
For all senior high school students who were at the same Foundation Establishment stage, the enrollment interview wasn't as complex as they might have expected, and was mainly about testing their strength.
Scientific research had shown that it was not as difficult to reach the Foundation Establishment stage as one might have imagined. As long as a person had adequate nutrition as a child, along with a bit of innate skill, it wasn't hard to achieve this stage.
Of course, there was also one extraordinary freak in particular who had advanced at a rate of one stage every two years completely without the help of elixirs.
Unlike the Wang couple's generation, which had suffered from a lack of nutrition, almost every child in urban areas nowadays had access to all kinds of health care products from a young age. Things like "Diamond Partners" and "Brain Gold," popular brand-name health care products that enhanced a person's cultivation base, increased intelligence, and built up the physique, were all produced by Huaguo Water Curtain Group.
But the reliance on supplements to enhance one's foundation had also created the worst problem; as the common saying went, "Gold and jade on the outside, rot and decay on the inside."
The threshold for entering the Foundation Establishment stage was already low enough, yet the school couldn't be certain whether a student's true strength actually matched the stage.
This was the real reason why high schools had set up an entrance test. Apart from obtaining clear assessment results, it was also for identifying potential genius.
By the time Wang Ling's batch graduated, the number of students who would be able to break out of the Foundation Establishment stage to become a master at the Golden Core stage (Golden Core Transformation Rate) would have a direct impact on the school's reputation. More importantly, it would be a critical evaluation criterion in the school's application to become a key high school at a later date.
On the dais, a middle-aged examiner with a sharp face said slowly, "Over the years in our No. 60 High School, the success rate for attaining Golden Core has been two in ten thousand. That is to say, out of ten thousand students, there might be two in their graduating year who will be able to become what people in the modern age all dream of — Golden Core masters. They in turn can take their dreams of reaching the Nascent Soul stage to a better university. I hope that in the next three years, every student here will work hard, aim high, and strive toward becoming a qualified successor of cultivation principles..."
Two in ten thousand might sound a little embarrassing, but No. 60 High School recruited just under three hundred students each year, after all. Wang Ling knew that this wasn't too terrible a statistic, since some of the worse schools couldn't even achieve that.
"Next, we shall begin with the strength test. Everyone, please put on your VR glasses for phase one of the test."
With a roll book in his hand, one of the examiners cleared his throat slightly and called out a name. "First candidate, Lotus Sun."