After the exam ended, the homeroom teacher, Guo Aiqing, once again called Zhang Yi to her office. Unlike last time, he didn’t delay. Sima Yuan knew it must be for something important, so he simply told Zhang Yi, "See you next week," before leaving on his own. Without hesitation, Zhang Yi walked out of the classroom and headed toward the teacher’s office. Halfway there, he spotted his homeroom teacher not far ahead. He was only a few seconds behind her and followed her right into the office.

Compared to his last visit, Zhang Yi felt his homeroom teacher, Guo Aiqing, was much warmer toward him this time. Perhaps it was because Shen Mengting wasn’t there, or for some other reason.

After Zhang Yi sat down, Guo Aiqing smiled and explained why she had called him in. As he listened, he finally understood.

So it turns out relationships between teachers aren’t always so harmonious.

As for Teacher Bai, who had argued with Guo Aiqing during her explanation, Zhang Yi had heard of them before. They had been a teacher for the previous year’s Class Nine. Since they rarely interacted, he didn’t know much about them.

But I never expected a teacher to actually doubt my exam results. Is doing too well a mistake now?!

When he heard that it was the principal, Tang Weihua, who had come to his defense, Zhang Yi couldn’t help but feel a greater sense of respect for him. At the same time, Zhang Yi suddenly remembered his dad saying he was going to see the principal. I wonder what came of that visit. I can ask him when I get home after school today.

"This is a Four-Star Divine Domain Card I’ve treasured for a long time: [Destined Encounter]!" Guo Aiqing began with a smile.

"It’s an extremely rare, destiny-type Divine Domain Card. You can use it directly, without it taking up your monthly slot for loading cards! Its effect is to grant the user the most suitable fortuitous encounter for their current situation. It can be used not only in the real world but also within a Divine Realm!

"If you’re short on money and use this card in the real world, you might win the lottery! But if you use it in your Divine Realm, you’re very likely to encounter whatever it is your Divine Realm is lacking! In short, it’s absolutely incredible! The scale of the encounter is determined by a combination of the Divine Domain Card’s Star Level and its Level!

"This is a Four-Star Divine Domain Card of Rare quality. It’s a card I’ve treasured for a very long time! So, I’d like to give it to you as a reward for helping me achieve my dream of becoming the homeroom teacher for the honors class!"

After hearing his teacher’s explanation, Zhang Yi understood the full story. He believed that even without him, she would have become the honors class homeroom teacher anyway. Based on what she had said before, she just needed enough students from her class to qualify. For her to give me such a priceless Divine Domain Card as a reward for ’helping’ her fulfill her dream... it’s just too much!

However, Guo Aiqing’s next words stopped any thought Zhang Yi had of refusing.

"You know that as your homeroom teacher, I probably won’t have a chance to go to the battlefield anymore.

"I got this Divine Domain Card on the battlefield. If it just sits here with me, it’ll be a complete waste!

"But if I give it to you students, if it can help you—even if it just helps you kill one more enemy on the battlefield in the future—then it will have been well worth it!"

Zhang Yi hadn’t realized that his teacher, Guo Aiqing, had such a history before she started teaching. Based on her words, he deduced that she must have joined the military right after graduation, but for some unknown reason, she later transferred to a teaching position.

Still, what his teacher said was true. He would indeed have opportunities to enter the Divine War Space and battle enemies in the future. From the First Era to the Third Era, the Blue Star Federation had been in a constant state of struggle and expansion. As the Federation controlled more Crystal Wall Systems, more Powerful Divine Beings arose, but this didn’t come without a price. The number of battlefronts—and the enemies encountered on them—also grew.

Since the First Era, almost every Divine Being had served on the front lines. To graduate from university, students had to meet a strict requirement: they had to have been to a Divine Realm battlefield at least once and fought against an alien race. Better universities even required students to obtain at least the rank of Low-Level Noncommissioned Officer to graduate. Because of this, every Divine Being who graduated, regardless of their future career path, possessed a keen sense of impending crisis.

His teacher had put it that way, and after hearing about the Divine Domain Card’s effect, Zhang Yi truly wanted it himself. Refusing again would just seem disingenuous, so he accepted his teacher’s kind offer.

"Don’t worry, Teacher Guo. When I get to the Divine War battlefields, I’ll be sure to kill a few extra alien enemies!"

Having accepted the Divine Domain Card, Zhang Yi was determined to fulfill his promise to his teacher.

"Good. Your words are enough!" Seeing Zhang Yi accept the Divine Domain Card, the teacher felt a complex mix of emotions, but she was mostly gratified. "I won’t say any more. Go home and get some rest."

Guo Aiqing patted Zhang Yi’s shoulder encouragingly. Hearing this, Zhang Yi prepared to leave. But just before he left, he suddenly remembered what he and Sima Yuan had been discussing earlier that day. He turned back and asked directly, "Teacher Guo, were you aware of the rumor that was already going around the class—the one saying you’d be moving to the honors class to be the homeroom teacher after this exam?"

Hearing Zhang Yi’s question, Guo Aiqing paused, clearly taken aback. She obviously hadn’t known. "I honestly had no idea. I’ll have to ask around. Before you come to school on Monday, remember to check the class assignments. We’ll be switching classes then, so don’t go to the wrong one!"

Zhang Yi nodded at her reply and walked out of the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

Once outside, he felt the Divine Domain Card clutched in his hand and let out a long, deep breath, only then truly feeling a sense of relief.

For this placement exam, he had been working tirelessly ever since the semester began, ever since awakening his Divine Realm. For two months, not a single day had gone by where he hadn’t pushed himself. Today was finally the day he reaped his reward.

The exam results were in. He would be entering the honors class with the top score on the placement exam. This is great news I can share with Mom and Dad when I get home!