Chapter 63: National Top Scholar, Explosive Rewards!

"Another full score?"
"The third full score this year, is it from Dongjiang?"
"Dongjiang is about to take off against the heavens!"

Lin Yi also overheard the discussions among the accompanying personnel, who, like Li Yuanjing, had come to see off the examinees.
Their discussions made Li Yuanjing beam with pride.
It felt so good!
In front of his peers nationwide, he had lost no face at all!

Meanwhile, Li Yuanjing lowered his voice and said to Lin Yi, "There are two others who achieved a full score in the first four rounds just like you. The three of you are currently tied for first place."

Lin Yi was not too surprised.
Given the strength he had currently displayed—merely that of a Tier 4 ordinary professional—he knew that once he stepped beyond the province of Dongjiang to compete with the true geniuses of the entire Great Xia, he was certainly not the only one at this level of strength.
As for whether others had to exhaust all their efforts to get a full score, that remained unknown.
Because Lin Yi only needed to make a slight effort, and he had already reached the pinnacle of the provincial examinations.

"Classmate Lin Yi, let me introduce you to my dog of a son, Li Zerui." Li Yuanjing led Lin Yi over and quickly found the other Dongjiang provincial examinees who had also come this time.
"Zerui, come, say hello to Classmate Lin Yi. Once we enter the domain later, you will be in the same team. According to past practice, the fifth round will not only evaluate individual first place, but also provincial team first place. If you can secure a good ranking, you will all be able to obtain greater rewards."
"This is a rare honor as well. I hope you can cooperate with each other..."

Before Li Yuanjing could finish his sentence, he was rudely interrupted by Li Zerui.
"Who wants to team up with him?"
Li Yuanjing was stunned.
He saw his son's expression was gloomy, evidently harboring extreme hostility toward Lin Yi.

Actually, Li Zerui hadn't had such a strong opinion of Lin Yi originally.
To trace the root of this matter, the fault lay with Li Yuanjing.
Because this time, not only did he personally issue the reward to Lin Yi, but he also abandoned his own biological son and instead took the initiative to bring Lin Yi to the imperial capital, leaving behind his son and the others to travel to the capital by themselves.
This disparity in treatment completely angered Li Zerui, who had been pampered since childhood and was accustomed to being the center of attention.
Now harboring a bellyful of resentment, he naturally would not speak politely to Lin Yi.

Li Yuanjing frowned, wanting to scold him a few words.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yi nodded first and took the initiative to say, "That's right, I was thinking the exact same thing."
"Uncle Li, I am used to being a lone wolf and don't like team battles, so I won't cause them any trouble."
Seeing that Li Yuanjing still wanted to say something, Lin Yi quickly added another sentence.

To completely sour the relationship—for Lin Yi, he had not the slightest interest in this kind of unnecessary socialization.
He did not belong to the so-called "genius ecosystem" in the first place; trying to force his way in would only make him look like a bootlicker.
Why bother?

Li Zerui sneered, "Don't get too full of yourself. So what if you took first place in the first four rounds? You haven't used all your trump cards, have you?"
"Is it possible that we all kept our trump cards hidden, waiting to use them in this round?"

Lin Yi believed this statement.
Because under the vision of the [All-Seeing Eye], when he looked at Li Zerui, Qi Xiaying, and the others, he discovered that the highest-tier skills they possessed were more than enough to secure a good grade in the first four rounds—grades far better than their current ones, in fact—without much difficulty.
Yet they had all chosen to conceal them.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Yi understood why they did this.
Backing aristocratic families, especially when their parents were either deputy directors of the education bureau or high-ranking officials of the Professionals Alliance, the intelligence they obtained would undoubtedly be far more than what he could get.
It was just that Li Yuanjing couldn't possibly tell him these true "inside information" details.
The test footage of the first four rounds could presumably be viewed mutually by all provinces nationwide, leaving no room for secrets.
Since they were in a competitive relationship to begin with, the content of the fifth round examination surely required these more than three hundred top ten geniuses from various provinces to kill each other.
Therefore, it was perfectly understandable to keep a few trump cards in reserve to use during this round.

Having figured this out, Lin Yi actually felt a bit more relaxed.
Trump cards?
He had no idea how many atomic-level bombs he held in his hand that hadn't even had the chance to be used yet!

"Ring-ring-ring—"
A sharp bell rang.
In an instant, all conversations and discussions in the entire underground space vanished.
Because everyone knew this signified that the examination was about to begin!

Lin Yi's eyes narrowed.
He looked toward the center of the venue.
Under the perspective of the [Omniscient Eye], only he could see seven or eight figures clad in the black uniforms of a certain Great Xia department, suddenly and abruptly appearing out of nowhere.
The leader among them exuded an extremely fierce aura.
With a resolute face, the two ugly claw scars on the corner of his eye and the side of his face made him look both cold and grim.

Seeming to sense Lin Yi's gaze, he cast his gaze toward Lin Yi as well.
Even Lin Yi could perceive his overwhelming murderous intent.
He must have taken quite a few human lives with his own hands.

"Boss, I didn't expect that among this batch of examinees, there would actually be someone capable of detecting our presence in advance."
Li Qian夜 gave his subordinate a silencing look.
Then, they simultaneously deactivated their stealth states.

Afterward, Li Qianye spoke to announce to all the examinees present, "Will the examinees from all provinces please maintain silence."
"I am Li Qianye, your chief examiner for this fifth round of examinations."
"Before reading the rules of this round, according to convention, I will display this year's national top three individual and team rewards."

Following Li Qianye's narration, a holographic projection of spirit crystal light curtain also appeared in the center of the venue, allowing everyone to see it clearly.
The very instant they saw the rewards, Lin Yi could distinctly hear the sound of Li Zerui and the others around him—and even Li Yuanjing—gasping sharply.

The first thing everyone checked was, naturally, the reward for first place.
On the large screen, four rewards were impressively listed!

"1. Great Xia Meritorious Points: 1,000 points."
"2. A customized Platinum-grade set of equipment (permanently acquired)."
"3. SSS-grade Talent Spirit Crystal * 1!"
"4. Trial Tower Great Xia National Division Exemption Quota * 1!"

Aside from the qualification to freely choose a Platinum-grade weapon, Lin Yi was almost completely ignorant of the other rewards.
However, judging from the reactions of Li Yuanjing and the others, as well as the surrounding crowd, this reward was terrifyingly generous.

"Uncle Li, can you tell me what use these rewards have?" Lin Yi asked.
Although Li Yuanjing felt some regret that the relationship between his son and Lin Yi hadn't gone well, he knew that Lin Yi was definitely not someone who would stay in a small pond for long, and he could not completely sever ties with Lin Yi just because of his son's attitude.
Therefore, he patiently explained to Lin Yi: "You should know what concept a Platinum-grade equipment set is. In short, the state has opened a backdoor exclusively for the national top scholar, directly rewarding you with a set of equipment most suited to your profession."
"This is a permanent acquisition, reasonable and legal."
"Then there are the Great Xia Meritorious Points."
"For a professional, this is something only attainable by professionals who complete missions issued by the Professionals Association above Grade A, or join the Great Xia Professional Allied Forces and render meritorious service!"
"Within our Great Xia territory, meritorious points are the highest-level currency of exchange!"
"You might not have a very precise concept when I put it this way."
"Take the breakthrough spirit crystal you chose earlier, for example—you can exchange for one with just 50 meritorious points!"