Nine Star Burden

As an Awakened in this world, cultural lessons were mandatory as it was a compulsory subject that would be tested for.

Mandarin, English, Arts, Math, and Science were all included.

The Awakened were already pressed for time in the first place, as they had to spend time on other aspects apart from academics. However, the requirements of the college entrance examination for the cultural subjects were still very strict, and it was rather frustrating for them.

The three major subjects, Mandarin, Math, and English, were worth 150 points each and were mandatory subjects to be tested.

Besides, if one were to choose to sit for the exam as an Awakened, he would not need to take separate cultural subjects.

In other words, the students would also have to sit for exams for subjects including Politics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, which were worth 100 points each.

Notably, every subject had to be tested, but only the grades for three out of the six subjects would be included in the final results.

After the results of the six subjects were released, the three subjects with the highest scores would be selected to be included in the tabulation of the final score. Some of the students had long given up on two or three of the subjects and decided to focus on the topics that they were better at.

The total score for cultural subjects was 750 points.

At the same time, the Awakened also had to sit for another exam called the Star Examination.

When Jiang Xiao heard this professional term for the first time, he felt like he would make his debut after the exam…

Well, it sounds a little corny… 

There were several subjects to the Star Examination, with the first one being Star Study.

Star Study did not refer to astrology but the world’s general ranking of the Awakened.

The written theory test for Star Study was worth 100 points.

Although the points were low, the questions were too vague and the rubrics were too broad.

For example, the students would be tested on the common Dimensional Spaces in the various regions in China and made to identify the areas that contained the special Dimensional Spaces.

They would also have to describe the geographical features and monsters in each Dimensional Space.

They also had to state the year, month, and day that a certain Dimensional Space was developed.

The simpler questions would require them to rank the levels of Star Power in order while the harder ones would require the students to state the hidden effects of a certain Star Technique.

Not to mention, the colorful illustrations of monsters were tough to memorize.

Even the spatial distribution of different Dimensional Spaces all over the world would be tested, as well as the knowledge of the habits of creatures of other dimensions combat effectiveness, Star Beads, and Star Techniques.

Fortunately, its weightage was only 100 points.

However, although the subject covered everything, the focus of the annual examination was still clear, so the students felt much more at ease.

The first part of the Star Examination was the written Star Study test, while the second part was a practical exam.

There were two hard indicators: Practical examination and Star Power assessment.

If one’s physique failed to meet the requirement, some colleges would choose not to allow the student to be admitted. The final result of the physical examination was not a score but a hard indicator.

If one’s Star Power level did not reach a certain standard, some colleges would also not accept them.

The final result of the Star Power assessment was based on a score of 100.

According to the assessment criteria of the previous three years, they would be able to achieve a passing score of 60 once they reached the middle of the Stardust Stage.

The third subject of the Star Examination was a team assessment, with a full score of 300 points.

The weightage of scores clearly showed China’s emphasis on teamwork amongst students.

The candidate would have full control of the 100 points in the written theory test and Star Power cultivation. The remaining 300 points would depend on their performance in the team.

The officials would determine the base point based on the opponents the candidates choose and judge the overall performance of the team.

Everyone knew that the examiner had a very detailed and rigorous scoring scheme, but over the years, there had been various opinions and speculations about the scoring rubrics. It was hard to tell which was true.

However, one principle would not change, and that was the emphasis on teamwork before anything else!

The commanders and members would be graded differently and there were also specific scoring standards for each profession. There were plenty of examples to show that one would have to focus on working with the team instead of striving to be the outstanding one in order to win.

Choosing a reasonable opponent for the battle was also a very important factor. If four powerhouses were to choose to play against a White Ghoul, how was the battle supposed to be like? Child’s play? Continuous bashing? Or should the team focus on showing the chemistry between members?

The exam did require the candidates to perform, but they could not go overboard because the examiners were not fools and would be able to tell when the acting was too exaggerated.

If the candidate chose to have White Ghouls as their opponents, their score would definitely be the lowest. A low score coupled with the examiner’s disdain would result in failure and the candidate would have to go back to school and repeat the academic year.

It would be okay for one person to repeat, but not all four together.

Countless harsh and bloody lessons had made the children too afraid to harbor other thoughts.

There were too many requirements for the examination, and Jiang Xiao planned to study them carefully in the future.

The competitions that candidates take part in during Year Three would award them more points.

The competitions included: Beijiang Province High School League, Beijiang Province Second Wasteland Contest, and the National High School League.

For Jiang Xiao, it was a year of hard work.

…

Some Awakened students had to train hard every day and so did not have much energy left for studying. Hence, they felt uncomfortable about having to meet a minimum score for the Cultural subjects.

After all, the examination was for entry to college, and the rules were set by the nation. Hence, the students had to follow the rules.

In order to become an outstanding individual, they would have to take the suffering.

One could only be called a master of Stars when they become all-rounded.

The only thing to be thankful for was that the cultural subjects exams for the Awakened were easier than that of the normal students.

Jiang Xiao was particularly interested in “Star Study” because he had been going through physical training in the snowfield ever since he arrived in this world.

Now that he had such an opportunity to systematically increase his knowledge of this peculiar world, he was obviously thrilled.

What bothered Jiang Xiao a little was that Han Jiangxue was going to put him through strict training and seemed to have forgotten what Jiang Xiao truly needed to stay in the level.

If he were to pay attention and focus on learning, the exams wouldn’t be too difficult for him.

The problem was that the Awakened had to attend practical classes from time to time, and a considerable amount of their time was spent on physical training.

At the age of 17 to 18 years old, they were at the peak of growth and their Star Power would grow rapidly at this stage too. Hence, they had to take the chance to buck up.

Too many people missed the golden age of Star Power growth, only to regret it when they got older. Countless Awakened were stuck at a certain Star Power level for the rest of their lives. Those were harsh lessons.

Every morning, they would have to go for their workouts, followed by the morning culture class, practical training class in the afternoon, and four more classes in the evening, thus leaving them with barely any time for cultural lessons.

Jiang Xiao gained a rough understanding of his future in school after an entire morning.

It was time for afternoon practical class and Jiang Xiao was looking forward to seeing the teacher who would be taking the class.

During dismissal at noon, Su Rou, who was seated in front of Jiang Xiao, was called to see the teacher. During the lesson in the morning, Ye Lanxiang was still rather kind and concerned about Su Rou’s condition. However, she was now glaring at the latter angrily.

He wondered what trouble Su Rou had gotten into.

She’s already so “ill”, what evil could she have been up to? 

Jiang Xiao initially wanted to leech off Han Jiangxue for lunch at the canteen, but to his surprise, he was stopped by the hunk Li Weiyi, who invited him to have lunch with the team in a bid to welcome him.

Jiang Xiao was obviously willing to join them for lunch because Han Jiangxue’s final score was dependent on the team members too.

Only a harmonious team could create good results.

However, Jiang Xiao did not expect Li Weiyi to take them out for a sumptuous feast, which was actually a session full of public display of affection.

The four of them got into a taxi and arrived at a private restaurant in the city.

As soon as Jiang Xiao alighted, he was greeted with the sight of a tall and slender girl whose hair was draped across her back. She then waved at the four of them and exclaimed, “Hey! Here!”

The girl was dressed in a long, white-colored shirt dress and a pair of gray… long johns?

Jiang Xiao did not know much about women’s clothes and simply regarded the pants that he did not know as long johns.

She was wearing sandals that exposed her fair and tender feet and had a bag slung across her shoulder, looking extremely fashionable.

Her sweet smile made her look extremely young and bubbly.

Li Weiyi smiled and greeted her.

The couple had just met and Jiang Xiao already felt green with envy.

However, the question was, why did Jiang Xiao feel that the gorgeous girl had given Li Weiyi a better image?

Hmm…

Li Weiyi was really handsome enough to become a celebrity, especially since he had naturally wavy hair.

“They’re childhood sweethearts. We can only be envious,” Xia Yan said while putting her elbow on his shoulder.

Xia Yan fiddled with her lips like a female gangster and scanned the girl from head to toe. “This is your Brother Li’s girlfriend, Li Qingmei.”

Jiang Xiao asked, “Li what?”

“Li Qingmei.”

Jiang Xiao asked, “What Qingmei?”

Xia Yan slapped him on the back of the head…

Jiang Xiao got a great shock and he thought, Damn it, Han Jiangxue slapped me into this place. Don’t cause me to go back there because of your slap…