Since it was a temporary examination hall, only surveillance cameras were set up around the area.
The invigilator walked into the exam room with a stern expression, unsealed the document envelope, and pulled out the test papers. He then distributed them row by row.
“Do not start writing yet. Read through the questions first. Wait for the broadcast to announce the official start of the exam before you begin.”
Sheets of pristine white test papers and scratch paper were handed out.
There were no answer sheets because this exam had no multiple-choice questions. Even the simplest questions were fill-in-the-blank.
Lin Mo glanced at the paper, and with his spiritual sense, he instantly grasped every question on it.
The difficulty of this test was only slightly higher than the usual practice exams Xu Haoming gave them.
For Lin Mo, that was all it amounted to—just a minor difference.
Five minutes passed.
The overhead broadcast crackled to life.
“The competition has officially begun.”
Lin Mo picked up his pen, swiftly filled in the blanks, and moved straight to the problem-solving section.
Just like during his usual practice sessions, Lin Mo wrote with speed and precision.
Meanwhile, in the corner, Tong Dong was also writing quickly, but he was doing all his calculations on scratch paper.
By then, Lin Mo had already finished the first problem-solving question.
Next was a geometry problem.
There was an accompanying diagram, but Lin Mo ignored it entirely.
Most of these diagrams were just distractions—he could solve the problem directly from the given text.
Half an hour later, Lin Mo was already on the final question.
Because his hand was steady, his paper remained immaculate. However, his writing speed was so fast that to an outsider, it looked like he was scribbling some elaborate calligraphy.
In reality, every number he wrote was clear and precise.
After firmly jotting down the last answer, Lin Mo set down his pen, scanned the entire paper with his spiritual sense, and then raised his hand slightly.
A student from Xinting Middle School nearby stared at Lin Mo in disbelief.
He had noticed earlier—this guy was writing like a machine, leaving no traces on the scratch paper, just blazing through the questions.
It was as if he already knew all the answers.
Though he couldn’t see Lin Mo’s paper clearly, the fact that it was completely filled meant he had finished.
Only half an hour in, and he was done?
Looking down at his own paper, he had barely made it to the second page.
Lin Mo’s raised hand caught the attention of the invigilators.
One of them walked over.
“Is there a problem?”
Lin Mo’s tone was calm, but his voice was firm and clear.
“I’d like to submit my paper.”
“Huh?!” The invigilator froze, wondering if he had misheard.
“What did you say? Repeat that.”
“I’d like to submit my paper.”
The competition had no strict rules against early submission.
The invigilator glanced down at Lin Mo’s fully completed paper and took a deep breath.
Then he looked at the untouched scratch paper on the desk.
His eyes flicked between Lin Mo’s composed expression and his school uniform.
This guy was either cheating or just ridiculously good.
Still, he reached out and collected the test paper and scratch paper.
“Alright, you may leave the examination hall now.”
The shock of Lin Mo’s early submission wasn’t limited to the invigilator.
Even Tong Dong couldn’t help but look up.
But he had seen Lin Mo solve problems before—his speed was far beyond his own.
So, after a moment, he simply lowered his head and continued writing.
The others, however, muttered under their breaths in awe.
This was some next-level skill—even “transforming battle energy into a steed” paled in comparison.
Lin Mo packed his stationery, grabbed his bag from the front, and left the exam hall.
As he walked past several classrooms, many noticed him but assumed he was just running late.
Once he reached the ground floor, he spotted Xu Haoming sitting in the school’s main hall, scrolling through his phone.
Lin Mo approached him.
“Teacher, I’m done. Can I leave now?”
The sudden voice startled Xu Haoming.
“Did you finish without checking?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the time on his phone.
“I checked multiple times.”
Xu Haoming knew Lin Mo’s speed and accuracy well enough. He could only sigh and wave dismissively.
“Fine. Are you heading back on your own, or will you take the school bus with the others?”
Lin Mo thought for a moment before answering, “I’ll just go straight home.”
Watching Lin Mo’s retreating figure, Xu Haoming shook his head. With that kind of speed and accuracy, he might actually make it to the national competition.
Aside from Lin Mo, almost no one else submitted their papers early.
Nearly everyone stayed until the final bell—simply because they couldn’t finish in time.
The biggest challenge of Olympiad math was the complexity of the calculations.
A single problem could fill an entire sheet of scratch paper.
That was why Xu Haoming considered Lin Mo exceptional.
“Ah, shoot—I forgot to ask Lin Mo how difficult the exam was.”
Then again, he mused, no exam seemed difficult for Lin Mo anyway.
......
Sunday evening self-study session.
Everyone was busy with homework.
By now, most students were no longer worried about the first-year comprehensive exams.
Many had already chosen their specialized subjects, focusing on their intended paths.
That was the norm in the first year of high school.
Of course, being a top-tier school, the students’ overall academic level was high. Even if they didn’t prioritize certain subjects, their grades wouldn’t drop drastically—they just allocated less attention to them.
November was nearing its end.
The weather was still uncomfortably warm.
In Goat City, unless a cold front arrived, temperatures rarely dropped.
But according to Lin Mo’s weather app, a cold wave was expected in about a week.
Winter in the south was miserable mainly due to the humidity and lack of heating.
Especially in coastal areas, the high humidity made everything feel damp.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was downright unpleasant.
Now, however, Lin Mo no longer had to worry about such discomforts.
During the break between self-study sessions, Chu Miaomiao—rarely the one to initiate conversations—approached Lin Mo.
“Lin Mo, can you come outside for a sec?”
“Huh?”
Lin Mo was surprised. Chu Miaomiao seldom sought him out.
Even Jiang Yunlu beside them looked curious.
So Lin Mo stood up and followed her out.
Jiang Yunlu didn’t tag along, but her eyes remained fixed on them.
Out in the corridor, the air felt less stifling.
Lin Mo turned to Chu Miaomiao.
“What’s up? Are you transferring schools?”
“Ah?! No, no!” Chu Miaomiao quickly denied.
She lowered her head and spoke hesitantly.
“Actually, my mom’s going on a business trip for a few days, so I was wondering… could I stay at your place? Or maybe… you could stay with me? Just for a few days.”
Living under the same roof as a beautiful girl?
That didn’t sound half bad.
Lin Mo rubbed his chin.
“Hmm, my place is just a one-bedroom apartment, so it’s not very convenient. I’ll stay with you, then. Oh, have you mentioned this to Xie Yuling?”
Chu Miaomiao froze. She… hadn’t actually discussed it with Xie Yuling.
In fact, her first thought upon hearing about her mom’s trip had been to ask Lin Mo.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Mo chuckled and patted her head.
“Looks like I’m still your top-tier best friend, huh.”