The principal's face was beaming with laughter.

On one side, winds rose and clouds surged; on the other, time passed in tranquil peace.

The clamor of the midday break hadn’t fully faded, and the air still carried a lingering heat and drowsiness.

The moment Lin Mo stepped into the classroom, a figure strode straight toward him.

Xue Zigui had one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone whose screen was lit. Without ceremony, he tapped Lin Mo’s shoulder with the corner of the device—not too lightly, not too heavily.

"Provincial first prize. Congrats." His tone was flat, but his gaze remained fixed on the list of winners displayed on his phone.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Results are out? What about you?"

"Provincial second."

Xue Zigui finally looked up, the corner of his mouth quirking in something like self-mockery. "Made calculation errors in both the first and second rounds. Lucky to even keep the second prize."

He said it lightly, but Lin Mo remembered all too well the sheer frustration radiating off him when he realized he’d messed up.

Then came the red pen, copying every single mistake into his error-correction notebook, tearing through half a draft pad just to master five different solutions to one problem.

Ninety-nine percent perspiration, indeed.

"Anyone else from our school got provincial first prize?"

"Tong Di did, but the scores aren’t out yet—just the winners’ list. Teacher Xu might have more details."

Xue Zigui pocketed his phone, his gaze lingering on Lin Mo. A hint of envy, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, seeped through.

"If you’ve got provincial first, you’ll be heading to national training."

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Probably during G2. Might not be able to come back for classes then."

National training usually lasted three to six months. You either got eliminated or dropped out.

Of course, it wasn’t a closed-off program—Lin Mo could still return for classes.

But the national competition was non-negotiable. The system had assigned the task, and completing it would likely push him to the next stage of cultivation—Core Formation.

Just as he sat back down, Ma Ruixiang’s head popped into the classroom doorway, his voice booming like a megaphone.

"Lin Mo, Xue Zigui! The homeroom teacher wants you in the office. Something about competition results."

The shout jolted the drowsy class awake.

Dozens of eyes snapped toward Lin Mo and Xue Zigui, a mix of curiosity and the usual numb resignation.

"Is this about that competition where Xue Zigui got tied up? Took forever for results to come out."

"Idiot, that was just the first round. The second got postponed. Scores are based on both combined."

"The world of geniuses… wouldn’t miss one more mortal like me."

Amid the murmurs, Lin Mo calmly stood and shot Xue Zigui a look.

Under the class’s collective gaze, the two filed out one after the other.

The office was packed.

A crowd of class representatives had come to submit assignments, and Lin Mo spotted Tong Dong among them.

From a distance, Tong Dong noticed him too, giving a slight nod.

Lin Mo returned the gesture.

When they reached Chen Xiaoya’s desk, her smile was harder to suppress than an AK’s recoil.

After all, Lin Mo and Xue Zigui were only G1. Provincial awards usually went to G2 students at the earliest.

"Congratulations. Not many G1 students make the provincial list." Chen Xiaoya’s eyes settled on Lin Mo.

"Especially provincial first prize. Barring surprises, after the class reshuffle, you’ll join the provincial team’s training and represent us at nationals."

The math competition process was lengthy. After provincial first prize came nationals, then—for top performers—national team selection, followed by internationals.

The whole ordeal stretched until July or August of the following year.

If a G2 student competed, they’d have no time left for G3 exam prep.

That was why national competitors earned direct admission to Huaqing University.

As everyone knew, only about half of Huaqing’s freshmen came through the standard entrance exam.

Top schools actively recruited students with exceptional talent in specific areas—like the author of the perfect-score essay The Death of Red Hare, who got a special admission to a 211 university.

The guaranteed admission rule existed as a safety net. Even if you bombed the entrance exam, Huaqing remained an option.

It was 2013, before the Strong Foundation Program, so only the top sixty at nationals got direct admission.

Lin Mo wasn’t fussed. The system doled out rewards in stages anyway.

System: [Forgot to give the city-round rewards, dammit! Ah well, I’ll bundle them this time.]

Casually, Lin Mo asked, "Teacher, can we see our scores yet?"

"Only the first round’s out. The second’ll take longer, but here’s what we have so far."

Chen Xiaoya pulled up the Guangdong Provincial Math Competition results.

The first-round rankings leapt off the screen.

An Yuesheng: 120

Lin Mo: 120

Tong Dong: 120

Behind Chen Xiaoya, Xue Zigui—silent until now—felt his eyelid twitch.

Three perfect scores?

Gu Muyu: 118

Zhu Ningyan: 116

......

Xue Zigui: 109

Xue Zigui took a deep breath. So this was how he landed provincial second.

But this was just the first round. The second was even harder.

Right then, Chen Xiaoya’s QQ group pinged with a new message.

The second-round scores and combined averages were out.

She clicked open the Word document.

Lin Mo: 120

Tong Dong: 118

An Yuesheng: 117

......

First in the province: Lin Mo.

No need to calculate averages. The title was his.

The first round alone only granted provincial second prize. To earn provincial first, you needed both rounds with an average in the top sixty-four.

The number of provincial first prizes varied by region, matching each province’s national quota.

But Lin Mo was the real deal.

Lin Mo gave a satisfied nod. His divine sense truly was unmatched.

Other math teachers had received the file too, their heads swiveling toward Lin Mo in the office.

Even Tong Dong.

Tong Dong walked right over.

"Congratulations. A true provincial first."

"You’re provincial second, aren’t you? The principal’s probably grinning ear to ear."

Xu Haoming nearly sprinted into the office.

His eyes darted around before locking onto Lin Mo.

"Lin Mo! There you are."

Lin Mo nodded casually. "Already know. Provincial first, right?"

"Exactly! First and second in the province, both from our school. The principal’s definitely grinning ear to ear."

Tong Dong glanced at Xu Haoming, then back at Lin Mo, and nodded emphatically.

"Seems the principal’s face really is about to split from smiling."