"Hoo…"
No one knew how much time had passed.
The brilliant radiance on the Awakening Crystal gradually faded away.
Bai Jue let out a long breath and opened his eyes, his expression calm and composed.
The awakening hadn't succeeded—
but it hadn't failed either.
Or rather, to put it more accurately, he was still in an observation phase.
As the consciousness of the seasonal power continued to watch him, once it deemed him satisfactory, the awakening would naturally succeed.
To describe it more vividly—
It was as if supreme beings were choosing disciples.
The awakened were merely candidates, while the seasonal consciousnesses acted like peerless masters, observing their aptitude, temperament, and potential. Only after the evaluation ended, and satisfaction was reached, would they bestow their power.
Historically, no one had ever awakened a second seasonal ability on the very first day.
So Bai Jue wasn't surprised at all.
Even the fastest cases took half a month.
That said, Bai Jue felt he wouldn't need that long.
At most, three or four days should be enough.
What he didn't know was which seasonal power he would ultimately awaken.
"Daoism…"
A flicker of anticipation surfaced in Bai Jue's eyes.
If he remembered correctly, Daoism was recorded in ancient texts as one of the legendary seasonal powers—one that no one had ever successfully awakened.
The so-called Daoist Festival referred to the birthday of Laozi, the founder of Daoism—
the birth celebration of the Dao Ancestor, Taishang Laojun, the Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Virtue.
That alone was enough to convey just how terrifyingly powerful such a seasonal ability could be.
Which was precisely why Bai Jue was surprised it had shown interest in him at all.
"Still… it's probably not something I can awaken that easily."
He shook his head with a small chuckle and didn't dwell on it.
After taking a deep breath, he stood up, left the training room, and headed home.
Over the next two days, Bai Jue stayed at home, preparing quietly for the upcoming college entrance exam.
Another day passed.
Bai Jue finally returned to school after a long absence.
However, before he could even step into the classroom, his homeroom teacher—who had clearly been informed in advance—hurried over and led him into a separate room.
On the way, the teacher said,
"Bai Jue, since you're already a seasonal ability user, your college entrance exam will be different from that of ordinary students. You'll be taking the exam alongside other students from the school, but the content will be special. You should already know this."
"This year's exam will be broadcast live. Not only will our school's teachers be watching, but professors from various seasonal universities will be watching as well."
"If you perform well, you may catch their attention—and that could lead to direct recruitment."
Hearing this, Bai Jue nodded and smiled.
"Understood, teacher. Don't worry."
"Haha, of course I'm not worried," the teacher laughed.
"With your abilities, even if you don't try too hard, you'll still stand out. But of course, performing well never hurts."
"Mm."
Soon, Bai Jue arrived at the classroom.
There were quite a few people inside.
Thirty-seven in total.
Everyone present was a seasonal ability user from No.1 Seasonal High School—just from different classes.
Because awakenings occurred at different times, they were grouped together in batches.
This didn't mean only Bai Jue's original class had awakened seasonal users. That would be impossible.
The moment Bai Jue stepped inside, he spotted Cheng Taihe waving at him. Sitting next to him was Ji Yingying, with an empty seat deliberately left between them.
Bai Jue smiled and walked over. After giving Ji Yingying a quick glance, he said,
"Looks like you've improved a lot."
He could clearly sense it—compared to a month ago, her strength had risen significantly.
Judging by her aura alone, she was already close to Second Rank.
Ji Yingying frowned slightly and asked suspiciously,
"Why can't I sense your realm at all?"
"Because I'm higher than you," Bai Jue replied with a grin, sitting down between them.
"Hmph. Just because you're higher doesn't mean you can beat me in a fight."
She clenched her fist confidently.
"I've gone through special training this past month. Want to spar later and see how strong I've gotten?"
"Let's forget it. We'll meet sooner or later during the exam anyway."
Bai Jue waved his hand, declining.
At the moment, he had no interest in fighting Ji Yingying.
When the topic of the exam came up, Cheng Taihe immediately looked miserable.
"I originally thought the exam would have team and solo stages. Didn't expect it to be fully solo this year."
"I was hoping to cling to you two for dear life. Now I'm on my own."
"That means when the time comes," Ji Yingying said, nodding,
"we'll all be enemies."
Bai Jue nodded in agreement.
Just then—
Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed.
A figure walked into the classroom.
It was a beautiful female seasonal ability user—one of the school's special instructors. She usually wasn't stationed at the school, only returning during important events like the college entrance exam.
Her gaze swept across the students, pausing briefly on Bai Jue. A hint of surprise flashed through her eyes before she spoke.
"Students, I'm your instructor, Ning Ruihuan. You can call me Teacher Ning."
"I'll now explain the details of this year's college entrance exam."
"As you already know, the exam begins tomorrow."
"This year's exam is more difficult—and more dangerous—than ever before. Some of you may already be aware of that."
"You'll be entering Sequence Three Spatial Gate, and you must survive inside for one full week."
"During that time, you are required to hunt and kill marked Forest Centaurs. Different centaurs yield different point values, and your final score will depend on your total points."
"In addition, there will be hidden treasure chests placed throughout the spatial gate. Finding one grants one hundred points."
"Finally, a friendly reminder."
Teacher Ning's tone remained calm.
"This exam carries a very real risk of death. This is not a joke. While protective measures exist, they may not save you in time."
"If anyone wishes to withdraw, you may choose not to participate and wait until next year."
"That's all."
"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, gather here on time."
"Class dismissed."
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