Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 338: Just this once, just one time! (Thanks to Alliance Leader CLV Orange!)

For the top-scoring academic prodigies, being able to sit here for this class was purely out of respect for the education system and the teachers.

Especially the biology teacher.

When Teacher Hu Youbin saw Li Zheng and Zhang Xiaoke in a state of intense brainstorming, he not only refrained from asking questions but simply let the others also work on their test papers to avoid disturbing them.

For Li Zheng at this moment, doing the college entrance examination simulation papers was a matter of sentiment.

It was like a martial arts expert returning to the village where he first learned to fight, looking at the training dummy that had been his companion for countless days and nights, how could he resist hitting it a couple more times?

For Zhang Xiaoke right now, she admitted...

There truly was an element of gambling this time.

But she also had her own confidence.

After all, a year’s time is enough to make one’s skills rusty, and if those elite school students were to take the college entrance exam again, probably only a few could achieve the same ranking they had before.

And without any surprises, they would be left far behind by their master for the rest of their lives.

Being so mediocre myself, there would be no reason to ever see Master or Jingjing again in the future.

But just this once, she seemed to see a faint glimmer of hope.

Just this once, just one time!

Win against Master just once!

That way, no matter how incredible Master becomes in the future...

He will always remember, once lost to a high school classmate!

There was once a disciple named Zhang Xiaoke!

Driven by this strong will, Zhang Xiaoke’s academic power surged, even her posture as she wielded her pen looked as if it was ablaze.

This intense determination also reached Li Zheng beside her.

And Li Zheng, while trying very hard to summon some competitive spirit, wanted to have a last, thrilling showdown.

But...

[Zhang Xiaoke]

[Academic Power: 98]

He just couldn’t light the spark!

Even betting should have its rules!

At the very least, bring on an opponent of Lin Xiangye’s caliber before we talk.

Ding ding ding—

The bell signaling the end of class rang, and the students didn’t even wait for the biology teacher to declare it over before they automatically started to leave, with a few of them immediately crowding around Li Zheng and Zhang Xiaoke’s desk.

Then, a burst of astonishment.

They clearly saw that Li Zheng’s test paper for all subjects...

Didn’t have a single word written on it!

Not even the student number was filled out—couldn’t he find where to write it?

"What’s going on?" Jiang Qinghua asked, leaning over curiously.

Li Zheng, flipping through a copy of "Sci-Fi World" he had picked up from the library during the last break, smiled lightly, "Wait for half a day."

"Half a day?" Jiang Qinghua pondered, "The marathon cutoff time is 5 p.m.... Are you planning to start answering at noon 12 p.m.?"

"1 p.m."

Beside him, Zhang Xiaoke’s breathing was obviously heavier, even her strokes were somewhat disordered.

"Master... you will regret this..." Zhang Xiaoke gritted her teeth, "Prepare to finish my mission... "

Liu Yuexuan squeezed through from the front and said, "Li Zheng, to finish in four hours including the English listening part is really too extravagant..."

Li Zheng nodded indifferently, "I know, the last time I did the exam marathon, it also took me 4 hours and 40 minutes to complete."

"So..." Liu Yuexuan said hesitantly, "do you... want to do a mission??"

"I’m just seeking the experience," Li Zheng turned another page, "A time limit of 4 hours is what will ignite my competitive spirit. Besides, if I finish too early, Zhang Xiaoke will inevitably sink into despair, and I am actually quite looking forward to seeing her perform."

"But... what if you lose?" Liu Yuexuan swallowed and, looking around at the others, clenched his fists and said, "Aside from the thing about you doing the mission... the key point is... doesn’t that mean Zhang Xiaoke will strut around from now on?"

"Then let her strut," Li Zheng slowly looked up, "I understand your grievances, do what you want to do with your own strength, not by waiting for me."

The classmates fell silent.

Outside the crack of the back door, a girl was writing fervently, her eyes shining.

[Li Zheng Quotation 17: Do what you want to do with your own strength, instead of waiting for me.]

After just finishing writing, suddenly a head leaned over, joining her in stealthy observation.

The girl recoiled in surprise, then turned to look.

It was the person with the most reason to be here—

Teacher Tang Zhifei!

"Well done..." Tang Zhifei gritted his teeth as if to express relief, "Zhang Xiaoke... finally someone has come to teach you a lesson... let’s see how long you keep being so arrogant..."

The girl covered her mouth in shock, "Teacher Tang, you also... "

"Ah..." Tang Zhifei hurriedly waved his hands, "Just kidding, just kidding, I have no complaints about Zhang Xiaoke. "

"It’s alright, we’re all insiders here," the girl approached and nodded fiercely, "I’ve never understood why someone as rough and disrespectful of discipline as Zhang Xiaoke... deserves to study with Li Zheng..."

Tang Zhifei narrowed his eyes and asked, "You’re Zhuo Yue from the first grade, right?"

"Yes, hello Teacher Tang," Zhuo Yue bowed slightly, "If possible, I really want to skip grades and study in your class."

"Hey, as long as you maintain your position as the top student in the key class, you will definitely meet them in the future," Tang Zhifei patted Zhuo Yue with great approval, "As for Zhang Xiaoke... hmph... even though it’s irritating and one wants to discipline her, she hasn’t actually done anything bad, and her academics are top-notch. If I must say, I should even thank her."

"??? Her???"

"Zhuo Yue..." Tang Zhifei put his hand on Zhuo Yue’s shoulder and sighed, "After you graduate from high school, will you still be like this, letting academics occupy all your life?"

"I will."

"Mm... it’s apparent you admire Li Zheng greatly, so what do you think about his situation with Lin Yujing?"

Zhuo Yue’s expression shook upon hearing the words, "A match made in heaven, the choice of history—if God Zheng must be with a girl, then it can only be her!"

"Uh," Tang Zhifei clutched his head in pain, "What about yourself, then? Will you need a match and a choice in the future?"

"......Teacher Tang!!" Zhuo Yue covered her face and twisted her body, "I’m still a middle school student... You, as the teacher of the advanced class... how can you..."

"Indeed, I have no say in this..." Tang Zhifei said, touching his chin, "But recently, some immature little epiphanies..."

"Can I... not listen..."

As if he hadn’t heard, Tang Zhifei continued to speak to himself, "Studying is obviously the first duty for students, but what about after studying? The rest of one’s life? Should one just step into a routine job like a piece on an assembly line? Is a person trained this way healthy? What will the future hold? Actually, you don’t know, Li Zheng was initially the most unhealthy kid, until he met Liu Xin, Lin Yujing, Zhang Xiaoke, Jiang Qinghua."

"Who is Liu Xin..."

"Never mind that, what I mean is, making friends with like-minded, interesting peers is also a task for high school students." Tang Zhifei pushed Zhuo Yue and said, "Stop fixating on Li Zheng, there must be more interesting and suitable people to befriend in your class."

"But Teacher Tang..." Zhuo Yue stood unmoved, her gaze exceptionally firm, "I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to study. Of course, it’s better to study in the same environment as Li Zheng..."

"Uh... I can’t convince you."

"Then could Teacher Tang tell me who Liu Xin is?"

"Ah, the bell’s ringing, the bell’s ringing, the discipline committee must not be late."

"!!!!!"

Watching Zhuo Yue sprint down the stairs, Tang Zhifei sighed.

Congratulations, Sister Chunmei, you have encountered another extraordinary case.

Then, guided by the bell, Tang Zhifei entered the classroom.

Unlike the biology teacher, she cherished the opportunity of Li Zheng returning to school and simply let him take over the class. He talked about his experiences related to studying over the past year as a way to broaden the horizons of the students in the class, possibly set some goals, and by the way, avoid some majors that might look impressive but offer no job prospects.

During the following exercise period, Tang Zhifei called Li Zheng to the office alone for a chat, as it had been a long time since they had seen each other.

However, Li Zheng appeared very uneasy in the office.

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Carrying a cup of water, Tang Zhifei said, "It’s not like you haven’t been here before."

"Mmm..."

"It’s okay, just speak up," Tang Zhifei said generously with a wave of her hand.

"Why." Li Zheng suddenly looked up, "Why deprive me of the chance to exercise?"

"..."

"Do you know how long I’ve waited?"

"Ah... how about you go to the field now..."

"It’s too late, I’ve already lost the rhythm," Li Zheng sighed and picked up the cup of water, "Is the advanced class still easy to manage?"

"It’s okay, everyone’s quite well-behaved... except for Zhang Xiaoke..."

"If you encounter any troubles, you can tell me, and I’ll talk to Liu Xiaodong."

"..." Tang Zhifei scratched her head, feeling that the conversation wasn’t going in the right direction, "Hey, hey, hey... it’s our time to have a pleasant teacher-student chat, why does it feel like an official consolation visit."

"Right..."

"Actually, it’s me who should be asking you," Tang Zhifei leaned forward meaningfully, "what brings you back to school all of a sudden?"

"Well... frankly, I’m still a bit worried about Xiaoke and Qinghua."

"How come I remember you and Liu Xin being best buddies?"

"I’m pretty confident about him, his grades are stable, and he’d be happier taking things easy."

"You should also be at ease about Xiaoke and Qinghua," Tang Zhifei, leaning back in his chair and holding a cup, said, "Both of them are making steady progress. Qinghua is at the cusp of the 985 tier, and without being picky about the major, getting into a 985 university shouldn’t be a big problem. Zhang Xiaoke is at the top of the 985 range, and she could almost choose any major outside of Jinghua Jida... Speaking of which, have you chosen your major yet? Physics?"

"I’ve just told the admissions teacher from Ji University," Li Zheng nodded, "Yingpei class."

"Okay, that seems like your kind of choice..." Tang Zhifei murmured, "But practically speaking, this class isn’t a great choice; in this experimental program, you spend the whole first year on elective courses from different disciplines, only to transfer to your desired major in the second half of your sophomore year. Once in, you not only start off worse than others, but many credits have to be redone from scratch because a lot of time is spent on general education. It’s hard to ensure the level at graduation. It would be better to start with..."

As he spoke, Tang Zhifei waved his hand, "Never mind, your parents surely know better than me."

"Actually... I don’t care much about the major now; I can learn most of the courses by myself, and it would be faster," Li Zheng sighed, looking up, "compared to the classroom, I’m more curious about what kind of people, with the courage, ability, and determination to choose Yingpei, will be like. I look forward to learning alongside them."

"Probably a bunch of freaks with hearts taller than the sky... just like you," Tang Zhifei shook his head with a smile, "Looking at it this way, Yingpei really is your only choice... What about Jingjing?"

"She’s likely going for Astronomy."

"Such a pity..." Tang Zhifei sighed, "Oh well, to each their own; I’m not qualified to judge you anyway."

After a bit more idle chat, the sound of exercises outside reached them, and Li Zheng stood up to take his leave.

Tang Zhifei walked Li Zheng to the door and finally couldn’t help saying, "Oh... there’s also a tiny thing, no need to go out of your way, just keep it in mind..."

"Why didn’t you say so earlier, dragging it out like this," Li Zheng laughed generously, "I’ll do what I can, within my means."

"Hey hey hey... a lot of things have to do with fate..." Tang Zhifei, unusually flustered, began, "That... Tao Feifei and them got things done in January... seeing her become a bride... suddenly felt like... I’ve hit that age too..."

"..." Li Zheng swallowed a huge gulp of saliva, "Someone as outstanding as Teacher Tang... shouldn’t have to worry..."

Tang Zhifei hung his head in humility: "Worried..."

"That’s unreasonable..." Li Zheng began, then suddenly understood, nodding unintentionally toward her boots, "I see..."

"What? You know?" Tang Zhifei, surprised, covered her mouth, "I thought I hid it very well..."

"...It’s not something you can hide."

"Wait a second," Tang Zhifei, following Li Zheng’s gaze, realized something and shrank back exclaiming, "Not this, no!!!"

"Huh?" Li Zheng was taken aback, "If it’s not this, do you have any other flaws?"

"Oh, don’t flatter me like that~" Tang Zhifei laughed, fanning herself with her hand, "Mainly... personally... I prefer someone more mature, but not too old, maybe between 35–40 years old~~~"

"Wow..." Li Zheng’s mouth gradually opened wider as his repository of strange knowledge expanded yet again.

"Don’t go spreading this, okay? This is a grown-ups’ conversation."

"If I don’t say anything... how can I help?"

"You just think of someone suitable to remind me." Tang Zhifei continued, raising her hand and babbling on, "And also, that person should be smart and funny, of course, the higher the education, the better. Having less money isn’t an issue; more time would be better, especially someone who can go out and have fun with me during summer and winter breaks~~ It’s okay if they don’t have a house or car; we could get a loan and buy one together. Since I’m a teacher, there are many policy benefits, so I don’t really need a school district house. Also, my parents... firmly forbid me from dating someone who’s been divorced, but within this age range, it’s really hard to find someone who hasn’t been..."

Li Zheng thought for a moment and asked, "What about looks, height, and place of origin?"

"Just not shorter than me," Tang Zhifei said shyly, looking down, "As for looks, that old man flavor is good~~"

"Hmm... would the intellectual flavor from the 90s work? Like Teacher Hai Zi?"

"There are still such people??" Tang Zhifei exclaimed, "Then that flavor would be just perfect, and if they also had the identity of a poet, it would be the ultimate."

```

"Alright... I got it," Li Zheng said stiffly, looking down. "I’ll start by asking about their marital history."

"Someone’s already in mind?!" Tang Zhifei exclaimed, grabbing Li Zheng’s shoulder. "True to form, Li Zheng! Even after entering Ji University, you need to mingle well. Several single female teachers at our school are counting on you to organize the Lake Ying Ji University Singles Gathering."

"Stop giving me weird tasks."

Li Zheng wasn’t sure if it was psychological, but after leaving Tang Zhifei’s office, whenever he encountered female teachers, he felt their gazes were...odd.

Maybe it’s better to visit the school less in the future...

Too many tasks, too little time.

At 12:55, after having lunch and playing basketball for a while, Li Zheng returned to his seat.

In Zhang Xiaoke’s desk, chocolate crisp wrappers were stuffed to the brim.

Zhang Xiaoke herself was dizzy and wide-eyed, mustering all her willpower to work on English.

"I’m going to start," Li Zheng said, smoothing out his test paper with a light smile. "No, I should say—’you’re already dead.’

Zhang Xiaoke didn’t reply or show any reaction.

From behind, Jiang Qinghua heaved a deep sigh.

"Since the fourth class this morning, she hasn’t heard a thing. Now her entire mind is possessed by the sole obsession to solve problems."

The classmates around them also sighed.

"Suddenly, I feel sorry for her..."

"She really wants to win."

"If you think about it, Xiaoke has put more effort into showing off than anyone."

"Maybe we should cheer for Xiaoke."

"Given the current situation, it might be more satisfying if Li Zheng loses..."

Hearing this, Li Zheng simply picked up his pen lightly.

He too was curious as to how much he had improved over the year.

Watch closely, friends from the newbie village.

The god has arrived.

Then, with a fierce glare,

he began to write on the desk in a very awkward posture.

Nevermind the details, this stance was truly agitated.

There was no helping it; even at normal speed, Li Zheng’s hand couldn’t keep up with his thoughts anymore, especially when facing this kindergarten-level math test, where he could solve problems at first glance.

Even the most capricious subject, biology, became unstoppable owing to the training from the biology competition.

It could be said, the only thing that could spark even a flicker of fighting spirit in Li Zheng was the challenge of speed.

...

Ring Ring Ring Ring—

With the final bell ringing, Jiang Qinghua suddenly stood up.

"Time’s up! Pencils down!"

"Aaaaah!" Zhang Xiaoke immediately went crazy, flinging her pen and grabbing her messy hair, shrieking, "I’m done!!! I finished!!!"

Looking at Li Zheng, he was frowning and massaging his finger joints.

"Hahaha, I knew you couldn’t finish," Zhang Xiaoke laughed maniacally with bloodshot eyes. "Xiaoke for the sky! Xiaoke for the sky! From today, my Canine God Sect..."

"Calm down..." Jiang Qinghua collected Zhang Xiaoke’s papers, shaking her head and walking out. "Li Zheng turned in his paper 15 minutes ago, the teachers are grading..."

Whew...

Zhang Xiaoke’s entire body slumped.

"Just... this one time... is that not enough..."

Zhang Xiaoke’s cheeks gradually melted, and everything she had done turned into a joke.

She slowly lowered her head and looked blankly at her own hands, chafed from solving problems.

"I did my best... that’s it... forever and ever... I’ll never see master’s back..."

Under the serious gaze of the entire class, the howling Zhang Xiaoke became a figure of tragedy.

"Xiaoke..."

"You did your best. To stay the course the whole way, you’re no mere mortal..."

"That’s Li Zheng, after all. To hold out until now, you’re a hero."

"Stay strong!"

Only Zhang Xiaoke herself, shaking her head gently towards Li Zheng, whispered with a quivering smile, "Alright, this is the final bet, master. Go to Ji University at ease with Jingjing!"

"Challenging me comes at a price," Li Zheng said with a chuckle as he rubbed his fingers. "Task."

As he was speaking, Jiang Qinghua hurried back, carrying a stack of papers and rushing to Li Zheng’s desk.

"Li Zheng’s scores are out..."

"Chinese, 139"

"Math, 150"

"English, 149"

"Science Comprehensive: 300......"

"Full marks in all sciences..."

"738......"

"Time taken, 3 hours 45 minutes..."

The class was in an uproar.

Although everyone knew he was a superhuman by now,

this situation undoubtedly refreshed the very concept of "superhuman" itself.

```

Facing this even more extreme breakthrough, shock was secondary to fear.

"This... is definitely not human anymore."

"Can this thing get into the Guinness World Records?"

"For the real college entrance exams, he must be a sure shot for first place..."

"I’m telling you, I think Teacher Tang is targeting him when grading papers."

"Teacher Tang is upholding the dignity of the college entrance exams!"

Zhang Xiaoke herself accepted the outcome calmly.

She turned around and bowed.

"My master is still my master!"

"I’ve wasted half your day, Xiaoke apologizes to you."

"Assign me my task."

But Li Zheng still indifferently rubbed his hands, "Wait a little longer."

Zhang Xiaoke wrung her legs together anxiously, "Master... haven’t you already thought of the task..."

"Yes, but wait," Li Zheng said with a very stern expression.

Seeing his increasingly determined demeanor...

The classmates all became excited again.

If Jiang Qinghua were the loser, the subsequent task wouldn’t be much interesting.

But since it was Zhang Xiaoke...

It was bound to be satisfying.

About ten minutes later, Jiang Qinghua brought back Zhang Xiaoke’s test papers and spread them on the desk together with Li Zheng’s.

"Zhang Xiaoke... Chinese, 129 points."

"Math: 141 points."

"English: 140 points."

"Science comprehensive: 276 points."

"Total score: 686..."

"Leaving other things aside... at least forty or fifty points higher than me..."

Faced with this result, the class had to admire her.

In this kind of marathon-level intensive training, to endure for a whole day and achieve such a score meant Zhang Xiaoke was definitely a formidable contender.

Unfortunately, she was still just a mortal.

From this perspective, she hadn’t lost; it was the limit of human intelligence that had lost.

"I’ve already performed beyond my best," Zhang Xiaoke said as she looked at her test paper and wiped her eyes, "The final gap... is even bigger than the one in our first bet..."

After speaking, she set down the test paper.

And Li Zheng, picking up the papers, examined them and spoke calmly.

"My rebellious student, the task I am punishing you with is—"

"Get into Ji University and continue to study with me."

"???"

"!!!"

"Master... I... this task..." Tears welled up in Zhang Xiaoke’s eyes as she choked up, "I... I..."

"With these scores, combined with your previous report cards, you definitely have a chance," Li Zheng said, tossing the paper and turning his head, "For your final trial, I will assist you."

"Wow!!!!" Zhang Xiaoke could no longer contain herself, grabbing Li Zheng’s arm and shaking it furiously, "I knew it, I knew it! Master would never abandon me! Xiaoke can still fight for another 100 years!"

"Take it easy..."

"Not gonna, not gonna! I thought you and Jingjing couldn’t be bothered with me anymore, I thought this was our last meeting!"

"Don’t say that." Li Zheng sighed as he looked at her pouty face, "Over time, emotions do grow."

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm..."

As for the others.

They were very disappointed.

"So uncreative..."

"What have I been watching all day..."

Jiang Qinghua also sighed and returned to her seat, "In the end, it’s you, and it’s such a task."

"Oh?" Li Zheng squinted and turned back, "Why, do you also want to do a task?"

"No, no, no, let me just assign one to myself..."

"I’m planning to take Xiaoke for special training; are you interested?"

"I don’t have her endurance... I prefer to study... You go ahead."

"Pity," Li Zheng shook his head, then finally shook off the clinging Zhang Xiaoke, "I’ll speak to the school. Ask your parents for permission, and if everything is okay, we’ll start secluded study with me from next Monday."

"My parents will definitely agree," Zhang Xiaoke had already dried her eyes and began excitedly packing her bag, "Speaking of which, Master, you’re already so accomplished, what else is there for you to learn?"

"You joke, my learning has just begun."

Li Zheng stretched a huge yawn.

The first phase of learning had been completed.

Everything was ready.

Lin Yujing had entered seclusion.

How could I, Li Zheng, remain idle?

Let the strife of the divine realms begin.