Jianggu City was, at best, an ordinary city under the jurisdiction of Dragon Country's Yinshan Province.
Yinshan Province had never been outstanding in the national college entrance examinations for years, let alone Jianggu City within it.
Not only was there no prominent family in the entire Jianggu City, but in a hundred years, there hadn't been a single student gifted enough to be called a prodigy.
Yet now, one of the city's top high schools had produced two individuals who swept the top two spots – a pair of hidden dragons and phoenixes…
The news was nothing short of explosive.
For a time, Dragon Country's internet was flooded with reports about the two.
Especially Lin Ran, an ultimate dark horse who ultimately clinched the top spot with a purely S-class defensive talent.
"Shocking!!! The top scorer's talent is actually defensive!"
"Must-read: Ten Secret Strategies Behind the Top Scorer's Victory!"
"Why Defensive Talents Are Rising, It's Because of This!"
"Why Are Bloodline Abilities So Powerful? The Top Scorer Explains!"
"Peerless Twins, Pillars of the Empire, Dragon Country's Future Pillars Have Emerged!"
"The Absolutely Stunning School Belle Awakens SSS-class Talent Holy Angel, Yet She's Ranked Second!"
"The Untold Past Between the Top Scorer and the Second Place!"
"..."
Attention-grabbing clickbait articles swept across the internet in an extremely short period.
Originally, the annual college entrance examination of Dragon Country was a matter of great public interest.
Many people, even if they had left academia decades ago, still eagerly discussed the perennial topic of the college entrance examination.
Furthermore, the top scorer and the second place came from an obscure little city, and both were a perfect match, with whispers of romance circulating.
Lin Ran's talent was merely S-class and defensive, seemingly relying on a mysterious bloodline ability to complete the trial.
This provided the media with perfect explosive material!
Once these reports were released, discussions about the two immediately dominated half of the internet.
"My God! He can control black flames?!"
"That's so cool, it fulfills all my childhood chuunibyo fantasies!"
"And doesn't it feel like his bloodline also strengthens weapon attacks?"
"Absolutely! I saw others' alloy long swords getting almost blunt trying to kill the giant zombie."
"He, on the other hand, killed the giant zombie in a few swift blows. I don't believe it's without weapon enhancement!"
"Luo Qingyan is so beautiful, with a great figure, and an SSS-class talent, Holy Angel. When she fights, she's surrounded by holy light, a perfect template for a national goddess."
"It's a shame she's already taken. Do you want to compete with Lin Ran, the top scorer?"
"Haha, brother, you want me dead…"
Especially Lin Ran's replay of the college entrance examination dungeon went viral on various video sites, each breaking ten million views.
As for the high-energy edits and commentary analyses, there's no need to even mention them; they had supported countless up-loaders and video creators.
Amidst this extreme carnival, others who would normally garner attention, like the top hundred individuals nationwide, found themselves awkwardly sidelined.
Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan, these twin stars, were too dazzling, almost completely overshadowing everyone else.
After all, these two were rags-to-riches stories, creating history and miracles, coupled with handsome looks and a hint of romantic ambiguity.
The marketing points were endless.
Just the scene of Lin Ran waiting for Luo Qingyan to exit the dungeon, then holding her hand as they left, laughing and chatting…
To the media and various article writers, this alone could generate hundreds of thousands of small stories.
People are inherently profit-driven; he who doesn't make money is a fool.
Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan had been reported on for three days and three nights without end, so who would bother paying attention to the supporting characters?
Consequently, those whose brilliance was eclipsed by Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan naturally came to resent them.
Especially Lin Ran, the prodigy who had significantly pushed the boundaries forward.
Countless people were sharpening their knives, gritting their teeth, and staring at the momentarily glorious Lin Ran, waiting for an opportunity to drag him down from his pedestal.
…
But all of this had nothing to do with Lin Ran.
At this moment, he had already refused all media interviews and was reading the reward email from the college entrance examination in his inbox.
This was a direct reward from the Ministry of Education, exclusively for the top scorer, and its generosity was outrageously high.
It contained a black gold card with fifty million Dragon Coins, thirty-five high-grade gene modification fluids, three gold-tier magic energy equipment redemption coupons, five gold-tier natural treasure redemption coupons, and one hundred gold-tier one-time-use magic energy item redemption coupons.
Dragon Coins go without saying; no one ever has too much money.
Gene modification fluids are also indispensable for cultivation, without their assistance, the speed of cultivation would be greatly reduced.
Moreover, these are high-grade gene modification fluids, making them even more precious.
As for magic energy equipment, it is also a major means of enhancing combat power.
Compared to ordinary alloy equipment with no special effects, magic energy equipment can generally greatly improve certain attributes or effects.
However, one can only equip a maximum of seven magic energy equipment pieces at a time, provided they don't conflict.
The Ring of Souls that Lin Ran had previously fished up falls under the category of special equipment and is not counted within these seven.
Natural treasures are special consumables that, when used, can permanently provide buffs to the user.
They might increase fixed attributes or enhance talent effects.
Generally speaking, they are also rare and sought-after treasures.
The tiers of magic energy equipment, natural treasures, and other items, from low to high, are Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic, a total of nine grades.
The higher the grade, the rarer and more powerful it is.
However, some extremely high-grade equipment or natural treasures may not even be usable if one's physique or mental power is insufficient.
This is why the rewards for the college entrance examination only go up to the gold tier at most.
The one-time-use items at the end are even easier to understand.
This category includes items like instant life and magic recovery potions, magic scrolls that can cast a single spell, enhancement potions that provide temporary buffs, and even limited-time combat support puppets.
With a hundred redemption coupons in hand, it should be enough for Lin Ran to spend for a long time.
Given his own rewards were so generous, Luo Qingyan, as the second place, wouldn't be far behind, likely only slightly less than him.
Just as Lin Ran finished cataloging his rewards and was about to browse the redemption store using his bio-chip, a call request suddenly came through the bio-chip.