Zhou Ke looked up and saw a boy dressed in an unusual manner.
This boy had long, silky hair—so long that at a glance, one might mistake him for a girl.
His attire was plain and simple. If not for the fact that this school only admitted nobles, Zhou Ke would have assumed he was a commoner like himself.
Zhou Ke replied politely, "Yes. Are you one too?"
The long-haired boy let out an excited cry:
"Ahhh, this is amazing!!!"
"I’ve been so nervous, terrified I’d fail the test!!"
"Finally, I’ve met another new student like me!"
"My name’s Zhang Yang. And you are…?"
"Oh, I’m Zhou Ke."
"That’s a rare name. You must be like me, from some obscure minor noble family."
Zhang Yang chuckled, running his fingers through his long hair:
"Hey, I heard there’s a legendary figure among this year’s freshmen!"
Zhou Ke, eager for more information, looked at him with interest. "Do tell."
Zhang Yang grinned:
"Word is, this guy caused a five-second blackout across all of Donghai City yesterday! Even the Ye Family’s financial tower had its lights completely fail—it made headlines!"
"And get this—he pulled off this stunt while still being underage!"
"That same day, he received his Divine Card and got his admission letter!"
"But the craziest part… he got the rarest one—the Plum Blossom Divine Card!!"
Zhou Ke feigned ignorance. "Oh? Is the Plum Blossom Divine Card really that rare?"
"Of course!" Zhang Yang acted like an expert. "I’ve never even heard of anyone in Dragon Country getting one."
"And…" Zhang Yang lowered his voice conspiratorially, "According to two cops who leaked the info, the guy… is a commoner!"
Zhou Ke pressed further. "What’s the big deal about being a commoner?"
Zhang Yang stared at him in shock:
"Are you serious? He’s the only commoner in the entire world to ever receive a Divine Card from the gods! The school made an exception just to admit him!"
"Tsk, tsk, I’d love to meet him in person."
"What makes him so special? Does he have an extra leg or something?"
Zhou Ke played dumb. "No idea. Maybe he’s just really good-looking."
Up ahead, an upperclassman was shouting to maintain order:
"One at a time, no pushing!"
Zhang Yang noticed him and excitedly shook Zhou Ke’s arm:
"Look… look at that guy!"
Zhou Ke squinted at the tall, dark-skinned senior, too far away to make out his features. "What about him?"
"What about him?" Zhang Yang looked at Zhou Ke like he was crazy. "That’s Li Hanfeng! Rumor has it he ranked first in the entrance exams back in his year!"
Zhou Ke had no idea the entrance exams were even ranked, nor whether it mattered.
He nodded vaguely, pretending to understand.
The line for the entrance test was long.
Zhou Ke watched as freshmen at the front stepped through a device resembling a security gate.
[Beep—Magic Energy Level: 3, Divine Card: Diamond 4, Pass!]
[Beep—Magic Energy Level: 5, Divine Card: Spade 6, Pass!]
Zhou Ke quietly asked Zhang Yang:
"Hey, what’s happening up there?"
"It’s the first round of the entrance test. You must know all freshmen have to go through three trials."
"This one’s called the Bloodline Test—it checks if your Magic Energy level meets the standard."
"So what exactly is Magic Energy?" Zhou Ke continued.
Zhang Yang’s eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? You don’t even know what Magic Energy is?"
Zhou Ke made up an excuse. "I grew up in a commoner household. Nobody told me."
Zhang Yang sighed and explained patiently: "Well, you’ve played games, right? You know what combat power is?"
"Magic Energy is an innate energy nobles are born with—kind of like a power level."
"Through training, you can increase your Magic Energy. Once it reaches 10 points, your Divine Card ascends to the next rank!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement:
"Most people never even reach 10 points before graduation—some never do in their entire lives!"
"I’m not aiming that high. As long as my Magic Energy is at least 3, I’ll pass."
Zhou Ke suddenly felt uneasy. "What if it’s below 3? Will the school reject you?"
Zhang Yang waved it off. "Don’t worry. This test is just for bloodline verification. If you’re a noble, your Magic Energy will naturally be at least 3."
"Only commoners have zero Magic Energy."
"So relax!"
Zhou Ke felt even less confident after hearing that.
Suddenly, gasps erupted from the front of the line.
[Beep—Magic Energy Level: 11, Divine Card: Diamond 8, Pass!]
The announcement drew everyone’s attention.
"Magic Energy Level 11? They say 10 is the threshold—no freshman should be able to break it. How did he reach 11?"
"As expected of the Ye Family, one of the Four Great Nobles. Their bloodline is just superior to us minor nobles."
"The Ye Family is the strongest clan after the royal line. Pure blood, endless wealth."
Zhou Ke peered ahead.
A lavishly dressed boy strutted past the gate, looking unbearably smug.
Zhang Yang’s jaw dropped like everyone else’s:
"That’s Ye Lingtian… He actually broke the 10-point barrier before even starting school…"
Zhou Ke asked again, "Who’s Ye Lingtian?"
"Huh?" Zhang Yang was stunned. "You don’t know Ye Lingtian? Okay, do you at least know the financial tower that lost power yesterday belonged to the Ye Family Conglomerate?"
Zhou Ke nodded. "Even commoners know that."
"Exactly. Ye Lingtian is the Ye Family’s young master. He’s arrogant and ruthless—better not cross him."
Before the crowd could settle down, another commotion broke out.
The gate announced another shocking result.
[Beep—Magic Energy Level: 15, Divine Card: Spade Q, Pass!]
The crowd erupted.
"Magic Energy Level 15? Even among the great nobles, this kind of talent is unheard of!"
"Who is this noble lady? Why is she covering herself up so much?"
"True experts stay low-key, huh?"
Zhou Ke studied the girl who had just been tested.
She wore a black face mask and a flowing white dress.
Most striking was her silver hair—an extremely rare sight in Dragon Country.
His gaze drifted to her left wrist.
A silver bracelet glinted faintly in the sunlight.
Zhang Yang exhaled in awe:
"Damn… Two top-tier geniuses in one year?"
"And her Divine Card is a Q!"
Zhou Ke asked again, "What's the difference between Q and the other point values?"