Chi Chen (2)

"Today, I will announce the results of the mid-term theory examination. I have tested your knowledge of Gu, their food requirements and capacities. There was an open question too, about what is the best Gu combination for the Gu Yue clan based on your experience. I was truly impressed. I promised to give the top 5 students a reward of 20 primeval stones each, and 50 primeval stones for the top grader, but seeing the results, I have decided to increase the reward to 30 primeval stones each and 100 primeval stones for the major"

Every single student in the class nodded in excitement.

They knew that the results of the mid-term examination were of extreme importance. Those who did not pass the test would be expelled from the academy, and they would have to join one of the clan's faction. They knew that if they did not graduate from the academy, their fate would be to be appointed to some rural village and their potential for growth would fall dramatically.

The rewards were just as enticing.

Thankfully, their class representative Mo Bei had offered his help in tutoring them, in exchange for a favour in the future. Many D-grade students, who did not want to mess up with their future, accepted the offer.

Chi Chen had been tempted to accept Mo Bei's offer, but he remembered his grandfather's words:

"You can befriend anyone in the clan, anyone but Mo Bei. This lad is too talented for his own good. The Mo family is our greatest rival in the clan after all"

He cried a lot that night, but his grandfather gave him an opportunity.

His grandfather had managed to get a few hints from the academy elder about the incoming test, allowing Chi Chen to focus his studies on the Gu worms themselves. One must know that there were seven subjects that could fall in the exam: the Qing Mao Mountains Clans, the Qing Mao Mountains Resources, Gu worms, Refinement techniques, Close Combat, the world outside of the Qing Mao Mountains, as well as Philosophy.

Knowing that it would be about Gu worms, Chi Chen only studied the Gu worms selection.

This time, however, Chi Chen felt like he could win. For the very first time since he entered the academy, his eyes flashed with confidence.

Although it felt wrong, Chi Chen knew that the academy elder did not give his grandfather hints about the test for naught. He was not the only one who felt like Mo Bei was gaining too much influence. As the academy elder, Gu Yue Zhong Bu had a duty to create an environment fair to all students. However, it very quickly became an environment where those close to Mo Bei soared, while the others struggled a lot.

Nobody could deny that Mo Bei was a great influence on students, though. His actions had caused the batch of students to possess much more fighting abilities compared to the batches of students that graduate, and the year was not finished yet! Furthermore, every student had grown fond of hunting, allowing them to cultivate faster than usual. Even D-grade talents had managed to break through the middle stage, not leaving one single student behind.

This was definitely unseen and unheard of.

As the academy elder shouted the first place, everyone was shocked: "First place: Mo Bei with 100 points out of 100"

"Second place: Shi Feng with 96 points"

"Third place: Tang Chi with 94 points"

"Fourth place: Luo Ping with 86 points"

"Fifth place: Liang Tu with 82 points"

"..."

"Fourteenth place: Fang Zheng with 66 points"

"..."

"Twenty-sixth place: Chi Chen with 62 points"

At that moment, everyone realized that only those who were close to Mo Bei had gotten in the top 5. Not even Fang Zheng or Chi Chen, who had gotten the topic of the exam, came even close to beating them.

How was that possible?

Although the test was difficult, he expected it to be difficult for everyone...Yet, he had barely gotten the passing bar!

In the commotion, someone threw a piece of paper towards Chi Chen. Inside, there was a message written:

"Chi Chen, you cheater"

Chi Chen's face became incredibly pale. He looked around, but everyone was focused on Mo Bei. It seemed like many had benefitted a lot from his lessons.

Who had thrown this piece of paper?

From the corner of his eyes, Mo Bei was laughing inwardly: 'When my sister overheard Gu Yue Chi Lian and the academy plotting against me, I not only managed to get the topic of the incoming exam, but crucial information to suppress Chi Chen psychologically!'

This was bullying.

This was fun.

Cheaters deserved to be punished

The next day, Chi Chen did not sleep and bloody marks on his arms showed. He was deathly afraid of someone telling the teachers that he had cheated, which would cause a massive reputation loss for the Chi family.

However, Mo Bei would not hurt the Chi clan that way. It would be much smarter to keep the leverage in mind, and blackmail the academy later. This is also why Mo Yan accepted to keep the secret.