Era of Mist

"You’ve all probably heard that we had a perfect score on this exam," the dean of education said with feeling. "To be honest, I was shocked myself, because I couldn’t get a perfect score on it. The students are always creating one miracle after another, making me see them in a new light."

He wasn’t exaggerating. The teacher representatives all nodded in agreement. They had all attempted the test themselves and had to admit that getting a perfect score on a paper like that was a truly remarkable feat.

’But who wants to hear all this? We want to hear the results! I even made a bet with the teachers from the other grades yesterday. Today’s the day we see whose students did better!’

"First, let’s announce the list of perfect scores."

’Yes, perfect. This is what we’ve all been waiting for.’

The dean of education looked at the third-year teachers first. "Let’s start with the third year."

The third-year teachers sat up straight, their expressions serious.

"Two perfect scores."

’Two? That many?’ The teachers from the other grades looked visibly surprised.

"And they are—" The dean of education read from the small card in his hand like an Oscar presenter: "From the third year, Class One, Zhou Zhengyang."

Zhou Zhengyang!

The teachers couldn’t help but nod. They had all heard his name; he was a true prodigy. The school was counting on him to compete for the title of Beisu Province’s Champion Scholar in the upcoming college entrance exams. He might even have a shot at becoming the Champion Scholar for all of Nanzhili.

’Right, there’s another one. Who is the one on par with Zhou Zhengyang?’

"From the third year, Class Two, Gu Xuechao."

’Of course. It had to be him.’

The teachers nodded to themselves. The result was completely expected. The two of them were a classic rivalry, constantly pushing each other without giving an inch. Although Zhou Zhengyang had taken the lead in the last few mock exams, Gu Xuechao’s fundamentals were rock solid. In the final showdown, it was anyone’s guess who would come out on top.

"The third-years did quite well this time. Besides these two students, there are eight others who scored over 380. Overall, they were the best-performing of the three grade levels."

The third-year teachers were immediately beaming with pride. They straightened their collars and tugged at their hems, looking on with an air of triumphant superiority.

"Next, let’s talk about the second year."

The second-year teachers also sat bolt upright. The math teachers for that grade exchanged glances, still feeling fairly confident. They might not have as many as the third-years, but at least they had one to represent them.

But the dean of education shook his head. "For the second year, no perfect scores."

"What?!" a math teacher couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. "Didn’t Wang Jinquan get a perfect score?"

Wang Jinquan was the academic star of the second year, the top dog of his grade, and the student council president of Fengming First Middle School. During the initial grading, these teachers had confirmed that Wang Jinquan had gotten all the questions on the latter part of the test correct.

"We reviewed the papers of all the high-scoring students and found that student Wang Jinquan made a small mistake on the fourth page, and another on the fifth. So, Wang Jinquan’s final score is 398.6." With so many questions, not every problem was worth a full point.

The dean of education said, "The two problems he got wrong weren’t actually difficult, at least not for someone of his caliber. But due to carelessness, he ultimately let perfection slip through his fingers."

The second-year teachers couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Wang Jinquan had performed brilliantly on the harder sections toward the end of the test, so everyone thought he was a shoo-in for a perfect score. That’s how the rumor started that he would be able to challenge the third-year Zhou Zhengyang. No one expected him to stumble on the simpler questions. This was not only surprising, but it also gave some teachers pause for thought.

’Making mistakes on the easy parts is a sign of a weak foundation.’

"The second year has no perfect scores. The highest score belongs to Wang Jinquan. Including him, a total of five students scored over 380," the dean of education announced. "In all other score brackets as well, the second year performed worse than the third year."

The second-year teachers slumped in their seats, utterly deflated. At the same time, they couldn’t help but reflect on it; if even Wang Jinquan couldn’t get a perfect score, then acing this exam must be incredibly difficult. In turn, it only highlighted how formidable Zhou Zhengyang and Gu Xuechao truly were. Theirs was a dominating level of skill that put them in a league of their own.

So what about the first year?

"Before I announce the first-year results, I have something to say." The dean of education looked at the first-year teachers, his disappointment written all over his face. "The first year’s overall performance was the worst of the three grades. Only two students scored above 380, and in the 350-point bracket, the 330-point bracket, and so on, they were outperformed by the second year. It seems the saying is true for us at Fengming First Middle School: each generation is worse than the last."

The first-year math teachers were too ashamed to even lift their heads, yet they couldn’t offer any rebuttal. This was the first time in the history of Fengming First Middle School that they had the opportunity to have all three grades take the same unified exam, and they had started out full of confidence. They never expected that once they were all put to the test, they’d find out the other grades were fielding racehorses while they had a bunch of lame mules.

Among the first-year math teachers, only Electric Old Jia remained calm and composed. He knew he could still save face.

"However, the two first-year students who scored above 380 are both exceptionally outstanding." The dean of education smiled and looked at Old Jia. "From the first year, Class Three, Fang Qingjue—a perfect score."

Old Jia couldn’t help but nod with a broad smile, basking in the astonished and envious gazes of all the other math teachers. No one doubted the authenticity of the score. Fang Qingjue was, after all, a peerless genius, the number one student in the entire first year.

The teachers couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

"Governor Fang of Beisu Province certainly provides an excellent upbringing!"

"To be on par with Zhou Zhengyang and Gu Xuechao... the top student of her grade certainly doesn’t have an undeserved reputation."

"Old Jia is so lucky to get such a promising student!"

Old Jia was delighted. ’You can be as jealous as you want.’ He had thought back when the exam was happening that if anyone in the entire first year could get a perfect score, it would have to be Fang Qingjue. And sure enough, true to her name, she was serene and stood apart from the crowd, possessing a talent that was simply peerless.

"Don’t get too excited," the dean of education said, holding up a hand to quiet them. "I’m not finished. There’s another person in the first year who got a perfect score."

"Oh?" This time, even Old Jia was surprised. "There’s someone else who could get a perfect score?"

The other teachers were equally astonished.

By now, the teachers had a clear picture of the first-year students’ capabilities. Generally speaking, no one else should have had the ability to get a perfect score. They mentally ran through all the students in the elite classes, including the usual top-ten powerhouses of the grade, and felt even they would have fallen far short. With only two students scoring above 380, the twenty-point gap to a perfect score wasn’t just a different level—it was a chasm.

It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but the overall level of the first year was indeed a fair bit lower than the other two grades.

In such an environment, who could possibly stand out, leave their peers in the dust, and compete with Fang Qingjue?

The teachers looked to the dean of education, waiting for the announcement. The expression on the dean’s face, however, grew more and more playful. "This is the most surprising part of this exam for me. Everyone, I can guarantee that I’ve had this student’s paper checked and re-checked multiple times by my staff, and there are absolutely no problems with it. If you don’t believe me, I can bring out the test paper for all of you to inspect on the spot."

The teachers looked at each other in confusion. ’What on earth is going on? Why is he being so serious about this?’

"To tell you the truth, even I was shocked. The other first-year student who received a perfect score..." The dean of education dragged out his words in a singsong voice, deliberately keeping them in suspense, before finally announcing: "...is from the first year, Class Twenty-eight, Shi Tiexin."

"What?!" Old Jia couldn’t help but shoot to his feet, completely dumbstruck.