Urban Cultivation with a Demonic System-Chapter 194 - 176: Preparatory Class Assessment: Eight Against Ninety-Two, Advantage Ours!
Taibai Phecda was quite open-minded, and after understanding that nothing could be changed, he just sighed and said no more.
He looked helplessly at his disciple, whom he both loved and hated, and said:
"Let’s leave the matter of the Vermilion Face White Bone Puppet as it is for now."
"But fifteen days from now, the assessment for the Top Ten Preparatory Classes will begin, and you better not mess up then."
"Absolutely!"
Su Yuan immediately straightened up and said earnestly:
"Rest assured, teacher. I will definitely lead the four other classmates in our class who qualify for the assessment to secure a good ranking."
"Students from the First Preparatory Class will certainly make you proud."
Taibai Phecda spoke slowly:
"I’ve noticed the progress you, Chen Nuoyi, Xiao Kong, Wu Ziying, and Chu Lanxi have made."
"In my opinion, getting into the Preparatory Class should not be a difficult task for you."
"Especially you, in normal circumstances you might even get the highest score to enter the Top Ten Preparatory Classes."
Su Yuan was slightly taken aback:
"Normal circumstances? Does that mean there are abnormalities this year?"
Taibai Phecda nodded slightly:
"Indeed, this time, there are twenty Golden Core Doctors offering places in the Preparatory Classes."
"They’ve each handpicked a hundred exceptional talents from all over the Federation."
"And the talent and strength of these hundred students far exceed the average of past years, with an average Potential Index close to 2.5, and the median is even higher."
"Some geniuses are particularly outstanding, with Potential Indexes exceeding 3.5 at this point; without a doubt, they will establish their Foundation before the college entrance exam."
"Comparing with the median strength of this year’s candidates, Xiao Kong and Wu Ziying are just barely passing, if at all."
Su Yuan lowered his head, deep in thought.
A Potential Index of 3.5? That’s indeed intimidating.
It’s that same old story again!
Every time it’s the protagonist’s college entrance exam, all sorts of prodigies and geniuses that appear once in a century show up.
This creates a strong sense of crisis due to the enemy’s strength, compelling the protagonist to train hard and fight passionately.
Eventually, they defy the odds and become the ultimate dark horse.
Such a cliché, such an old-fashioned trope...
Su Yuan smirked.
According to the usual storyline, the teacher would now have me face the gaps between geniuses and myself, telling me not to aim too high or be overly ambitious.
Then am I supposed to shout out clichés like ’Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a poor young person’?
Thinking for a bit, Su Yuan proactively asked:
"Teacher, then what’s my current Potential Index?"
Taibai Phecda patted Su Yuan’s shoulder, speaking earnestly:
"You’re different from them; your strength can’t be measured by the Potential Index."
"Your current Potential Index might just be breaking three."
"But if you include your various bizarre and diabolical Demon Technique, you might compete with geniuses with Potential Indexes exceeding four."
Su Yuan: "..."
Wait a minute, so these so-called once-in-a-century geniuses aren’t my match at all?
Then what does my previously planned comeback story mean?
And what about you, Old Deng, just now saying I might not secure the top spot in the Preparatory Class?
And as Su Yuan was internally ranting,
Taibai Phecda took a deep breath and said solemnly:
"In any case, your strength is highly unpredictable, and normal exams can’t fully show your capabilities."
"Therefore, I decided to push for a special assessment mechanism called... the Night Watcher Mechanism."
Su Yuan: "How special?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Taibai Phecda: "The prerequisite to activate the Night Watcher Mechanism is that a city must have an outstanding number of recommended candidates, not fewer than five."
"With my five recommendation spots all used in the Special Advancement Class, it already meets the requirement."
"And Junior Sister Ye will allocate her remaining three recommendation spots to Li Zhengxing, Xiao Meng, and Cloud Spirit."
"This way, Taihua City will have eight recommended candidates."
"Once the number of candidates is satisfied, the local candidates can become the city’s Night Watchers, defending against external challengers."
"The standard for Night Watchers to pass the assessment is determined by the examiners based on their performance in resisting external challenges."
"For external candidates, the way to pass the assessment is to defeat more than three Night Watchers and obtain the Night Watcher’s Token from them."
"The more Night Watchers defeated, the better the results will be."
"Also, since Night Watchers are at a disadvantage, they can know the rules ahead of time and prepare accordingly."
"Of course, during preparation, they can’t use external assistance but must rely on their own abilities and materials below the Foundation Establishment Level."
After listening to Taibai Phecda’s explanation of the rules, Su Yuan fell silent.
After a while, he said sincerely:
"Eight against ninety-two, Teacher Taibai, isn’t this unfair!"
Taibai Phecda raised an eyebrow: "Why is it unfair?"
Su Yuan: "I’m just a weak, pitiable, helpless high school student. Those prodigies from out of town will definitely target me as an easy pick, won’t I have to face them ninety-two times?"
Taibai Phecda: "No, you won’t."
Su Yuan: "How could I not? I’m just a poor student, does my background compare to the Xiao Family, the Li Family, or the Chen Family?"
Taibai Phecda: "What I mean is... Although the foreign examinees will initially target you, the result will be that you beat them ninety-two times."
Su Yuan: "..."
Under Taibai Phecda’s teasing gaze, Su Yuan’s tightly pursed lips gradually couldn’t help but break into a smile.
"Teacher Taibai really understands me!"
Su Yuan laughed heartily, slapping his leg as he did!
"Hahaha, those stinking outsiders dare to come flaunting on my turf, I must make them leave with nothing!"
Taibai Phecda nodded in satisfaction.
Having stayed in Taihua City for so long, how could he not know how deeply Su Yuan has established himself here.
Su Yuan’s work friends are spread across all the large and small shops in Taihua City, and the followers on his account can serve as his informants.
Throughout the streets and alleys of Taihua City, there are often people strolling with "pets" made by Su Yuan using the Corpse Refining Technique.
Su Yuan also has good relationships with the three major families in Taihua City, and in the Night Watcher mechanism, a matter of Taihua City’s honor, they will surely open many convenient doors for him.
He even has something he hadn’t initially anticipated, the eight Vermilion Face White Bone Puppets streaming across various places in Taihua City.
These eight puppets combine the strengths of many Demon Techniques, not just flashy appearances.
Their real combat power is probably not inferior to the talents with a Potential Index of above 2.8 at the Qi Cultivation Peak.
Carefully considering it, this kid is simply Taihua City’s biggest local power, without a doubt.
It’s not to say he can defeat all the preparatory class examinees, but he should have no problem knocking down most of them.
"This year, my old friends have nurtured some good seedlings."
"If their proud disciples are all defeated by Su Yuan, their expressions will surely be quite interesting."
Taibai Phecda mused to himself.
"However, pushing the Night Watcher mechanism for my own selfish desires is a bit unfair to examinees like Xiao Meng."
"Their talents are not yet unparalleled in this era, facing top-level talents from outside might lead them to face repeated setbacks.
"In short, I’d better let them know in advance. If they’re willing to cooperate with Su Yuan, that would be best."
With that thought, he looked at Su Yuan again:
"I’ve already told you all the information that needed telling. After school, you should contact Xiao Kong and discuss strategies."
"Now hurry inside for class."
"Yes."
As time flew by, the first day of class upon Taibai Phecda’s return ended.
The Special Advancement Class students walked out of the classroom listlessly one by one.
The students’ lack of spirit wasn’t due to Taibai Phecda setting the course intensity too high.
Rather... it was too ordinary!
Compared to Su Yuan’s demon-like training methods, Teacher Taibai’s classes were like playing house in their adorableness.
During the cultivation class, once the electric shock was set to just level three, Teacher Taibai stopped them, not allowing them to continue increasing the level.
But the level three electric shock just wasn’t strong enough for these battle-hardened students!
Looks like they still have to buy classes from Su Yuan; trustee-style learning is the real deal.
Regarding this, Taibai Phecda was also helpless.
What on earth has this group of students become thanks to Su Yuan!
Such intensity! You all deserve to go to top universities!
Once the other Special Advancement Class students had left, only Su Yuan, Chen Nuoyi, Chu Lanxi, Xiao Kong, and Wu Ziying remained in the classroom.
Taibai Phecda’s recommendation letter was already confirmed to fall on these five.
Su Yuan kept them back, informing them about the average level of this year’s Top Ten Preparatory Classes examinees, as well as the details of the Night Watcher mechanism.
Upon receiving this information, everyone’s reactions differed.
"In summary, I suggest that during the assessments everyone should try to follow my arrangements."
Su Yuan said seriously:
"Going solo, everyone is sure to lose..."
Just as Su Yuan was speaking eloquently, suddenly, the classroom door opened again.
Su Yuan turned to look, the visitor was surprisingly a familiar face.
Xiao Kong’s twin sister, Xiao Meng.
"What is your battle plan? Let me hear it too."
