บท 29: Chapter 29: Harsh Reality
Even Chen Tong, who always had a sharp tongue, remained silent, leaning quietly against the wall.
However, Ming Ke clenched his teeth and spoke up.
"Teacher, I don't want to give up. I think we still have a chance to fight for it."
"Forget it. Even if you have confidence, I don't."
"No, Teacher, I have full confidence in you. After all, you graduated from the Royal Court Academy's outer campus. You can definitely lead us to success."
"Well… yes, I did graduate from the Royal Court Academy's outer campus, but, uh…"
Tang Yan hesitated, feeling awkward. He didn't want to admit that he barely scraped through during his time there. He had only made it in due to his family's connections in the Three Cities. After his family fell from grace, he had no choice but to relocate to District 13.
Su Ming looked at Tang Yan in surprise, never expecting that his teacher was an alumnus of the Royal Court Academy, even if it was from the outer campus.
"Teacher, you can do it!" Ming Ke said confidently.
"Exactly!" Zhao Ran and the others echoed in agreement.
Tang Yan sighed deeply but said no more. He got up, walked into another room, and returned with a stack of test papers. Slamming the papers onto the table, he spoke calmly.
"These are last year's comprehensive city exam papers. Give them a try."
The students froze for a moment before each grabbing a test paper. They quietly found corners to sit in and began working.
Su Ming also took a paper, sat down on the floor, and skimmed through it. Compared to the usual exams, this test was much longer—twenty full pages of various questions.
The total score was 300 points.
Su Ming felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. He wanted to see how he measured up, so he got to work, carefully answering the questions.
Tang Yan sat on the couch, silently observing his students as they worked.
Five hours passed quickly, and Su Ming had reached the last page. However, he was struggling. His limited knowledge left him clueless about many of the questions, and some he couldn't even guess at.
For example, one of the last questions asked:
"During the 11th structural reorganization of the Old Federation, what challenges were encountered, and how did it ultimately fail? If you were in charge, how would you have avoided it?"
Su Ming only remembered the date and a rough outline of the event but had no detailed knowledge to answer the question comprehensively.
The most frustrating part was that such questions varied every year. The Old Federation's history was vast, and many major events were only briefly documented, requiring students to delve deep into historical archives for understanding.
This demanded an enormous reservoir of knowledge, and Su Ming lacked the time to prepare.
After checking the time on his phone, Tang Yan patiently waited another thirty minutes before announcing,
"Time's up! Hand in your papers!"
The students put down their pens and handed their papers to Tang Yan.
Tang Yan began grading, while the others crowded around, eager to see how they performed.
He started with Chen Tong's paper. After marking it, the final score was revealed: 129 points.
Chen Tong's expression soured.
Tang Yan moved on, grading Zhao Ran's paper next—103 points. Then Cheng Ran's—72 points, and finally Ming Ke's—141 points.
"Wow, Class Rep, you scored so high!" Zhao Ran and the others exclaimed in amazement.
"It's not enough," Ming Ke replied, clearly dissatisfied.
Then it was Su Ming's turn. Tang Yan marked his paper as Su Ming anxiously watched. With each red X on his answers, Su Ming's heart sank further.
Finally, Tang Yan finished grading and announced Su Ming's score: 92 points.
"Not bad, Su Ming. You've made significant progress," Tang Yan said with a nod. "This is a city exam paper, after all. Based on your previous scores, getting 60 or 70 would've been good for you."
"Keep it up!" Ming Ke and the others encouraged him.
Su Ming could only smile wryly. While the improvement was notable, he still had a long way to go.
Tang Yan cleared his throat to regain the group's attention. The room fell silent.
His expression turned serious as he addressed the students.
"You've seen your scores. Now let me explain why I don't recommend aiming for the Royal Court Academy. For the inner campus, the comprehensive paper requires at least 290 out of 300 points to pass, with a minimum of 90 out of 100 in the subsidiary subjects. Even for the outer campus, you need at least 250 points, and 60 points in the subsidiary subjects. Compare that to your scores."
The students fell silent, even the usually confident Ming Ke. For the rest, the news was utterly demoralizing.
"This is impossible! How can anyone score that high?" Cheng Ran complained.
"People in the Three Cities manage it. Their inner campus requirements are lower: 280 points for the comprehensive paper and 80 points for subsidiary subjects. For the outer campus, it's just 200 points and 50 points," Tang Yan explained.
Hearing this, Su Ming glanced at Tang Yan with a complex expression. Was their teacher originally from the Three Cities?
"That's so unfair! They already have better resources than us," Cheng Ran grumbled.
Tang Yan sighed.
"The Old Federation grants significant autonomy to each region. Naturally, they prioritize their own people. That's just how it is. My advice is to set your sights on ordinary advanced academies instead. Their requirements are much lower—comprehensive scores of 150 points, and subsidiary subjects aren't as strict. Don't underestimate these schools. Getting into one will buy you four more years of education, sparing you from the Red-Black Draft. After graduating, you can apply for public service, join major Federation enterprises, or explore other industries. The future is still bright."
The students nodded, their spirits lifting slightly.
However, Chen Tong suddenly spoke up.
"You're right, Teacher, but what if we can't even get into an advanced academy? If I remember correctly, the minimum requirement is 150 points."
"What?! That high? We're nowhere close!" Zhao Ran and the others looked disheartened.
"Don't panic. Just avoid applying to schools in the Three Cities. District 13's advanced academies only require 120 points, which is achievable with some effort," Tang Yan reassured them.
"Wait, Teacher. Do Three Cities students also need only 120 points to apply to their schools?" Cheng Ran asked hesitantly.
"Yes, that's correct," Tang Yan confirmed with a nod.
"That's so unfair. They only need 120 points to get into top-tier surface academies," Wang Chi lamented enviously.
"What's there to envy? If they applied to District 13's schools,they'd need 150 points, just like you do for theirs," Tang Yan said with a cough, trying to comfort them.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง