017. The Beginning! Beneficial!
The public flying carpet is a very convenient means of transportation. A few magic arrays combined with a piece of carpet, and the assembly line can produce hundreds of thousands of them a day. The flight can avoid most terrain obstacles, and its speed can reach 190 kilometers per hour. Aside from the low capacity, as it can only carry people and not cargo, there are no major issues.
If there's one complaint, it's that there are no seats. People lie down, sit, or stand in all kinds of positions, but with the wind-blocking magic array, passengers' posture doesn't look too dignified.
From the beginning, the magical civilization took the lead in information and transportation, but the process of industrialization and urbanization lagged far behind the technological civilization.
Li Aozi and others' exam site, Oran City, was not close. The flying carpet took half a day, departing in the morning and arriving in the afternoon. The young students marveled at the bustling city and were fascinated by the hustle and bustle, with various magical products filling the shelves of the chain magic shops.
Unlike rural areas, where most spellcasters are wild mages, the residents working and living in the city have generally received compulsory education. Their quality of life and hygiene conditions are evidently much better.
However, for Li Aozi, a third-tier city like Oran did not impress him at all.
The reason is simple. The urbanization of magical civilization is mainly centered around Mage Towers, with satellite towns being built in rings outward. Sometimes, it looks just like a rural-urban fringe: a few magical workshops surrounded by dormitories and streets, and that counts as a city district.
This is also one of the shortcomings of magical civilization. If you want to fully automate and create a smart city purely through magic, you'd need at least a galaxy-level civilization to pull that off.
However, precisely because urbanization progresses slowly, there is one aspect of magical civilization that technological civilization can never catch up with.
Li Aozi and his group got off the flying carpet. The members of the Scholarship Society had already booked the hotel in advance. To save expenses, the group sat directly on the grass, took out their food, and started chatting and eating lunch.
Oran City, or all magical cities for that matter, had a vast amount of green space, with hills, forests, wetlands, and swamps everywhere. Every corner could be a scenic area. With the sparse artificial structures, anywhere you walk is a sightseeing spot. The moist, fresh air, and the visible wildlife and birds make one feel relaxed and happy.
The comfort of magical cities is quite high. Li Aozi, who came from the Azure Star, felt like he was in paradise. The pleasant temperature and slow pace made it hard to focus on studying.
During the meal, there were some interesting little episodes.
Li Aozi noticed that people from his village were surprised to see how popular he was among others.
"Just now, someone from Blue Chrysanthemum Village told me that Leoz is a big villain and that we should be careful."
Cardife, biting into a fruit pie, chimed in jokingly:
"Look at that, if you're excellent, people will envy you. Even someone like Leoz isn't an exception."
"Exactly," a girl giggled. "That guy Luthor too. He acted all earnest, telling me, 'Don't trust Leo, he's a bully!'—Haha, does he think we're blind?"
"Exactly, exactly, Leoz is so nice. Handsome and strong. He's got the looks and the build. Even men would like him. Anyone who badmouths Leoz must be jealous."
"Maybe it's because he just scolded Vic so badly, and they mistake Leoz's straightforwardness for rudeness?"
"Leoz would never be a bad guy."
Li Aozi kept his face unchanged, smiling while eating quietly.
The image of him being a bully was deeply ingrained in the minds of the people from Blue Chrysanthemum Village, but in front of these outsiders, he could act differently.
Leoz could still put on a better front. After all, he needed this avatar for many tasks.
For example, this triggered challenge in his hand:
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[You have triggered a Career Task—"Youthful Elegance Among Classmates"]
[Type]: Career Achievement
[Deadline]: Lifetime
[Task Difficulty]: E
[Description]:
"The Tanas people have a strange sentimentality. They have an average lifespan of three hundred years but always feel like time is running out. They are particularly sensitive to parting and the melancholic changes of seasons."
"Student, this is your best era, your last time stepping into a relatively pure realm. I hope you don't let fear or isolation rob this period of its color."
May you look back on this time, with regret but also with reflection.
[Completion Requirements]:
A. Enter a higher educational institution, establish a student-led group with no fewer than 25 members, and maintain it for at least one semester.
Reward: Specialty—[Perpetual • Pioneer]
B. During this period, host at least two gatherings and recruit two members of similar rank to join your team.
Reward: +20% to any one attribute
C. Lead group members to collectively participate in at least 10 main storyline tasks.
Reward: [Race Potential Optimization]
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This task wasn't difficult. Although the rewards were nice, the long time frame made it seem less significant.
What Li Aozi valued was the reward for condition A—[Perpetual • Pioneer]. The Scholarship Society he formed had already been established for three hours and currently had 27 members.
After entering university, he would further expand the number of members in the society.
The development of civilization can be measured by its ability to mobilize and effectively use potential.
In feudal times, an emperor's power could never reach the common people at the bottom. But in a cosmic civilization, as long as those in power wished, they could mobilize the entire civilization like a machine.
Although the Scholarship Society had just been established, it was already showing some advantages.
Those candidates who were working alone had to handle booking hotels and finding exam locations on their own, leaving them with much less time to review.
Luthor, carrying three large backpacks, was fine since it was his third time taking the exam and he had more experience. But most students were first-timers, unfamiliar with the city, and the vast greenery of the magical city gave them a sense of anxiety, like they were on a wilderness expedition.
Li Aozi, on the other hand, had no such worries.
The two initiators of the Scholarship Society, Cardife and Mitty, were polar opposites: one had social anxiety, the other was naturally sociable. Together, they quickly got things done by asking around and gathering information.
With the other members joining in, they hardly wasted any time on unnecessary tasks. Soon after lunch, they gathered at the hotel to group up for discussion and review.
Anyone who's taken an exam knows: self-review and review under supervision are entirely different. You often only realize certain aspects when someone else is overseeing it.
Even Li Aozi was no exception. Though he excelled in theoretical knowledge, when it came to the practical aspects of the exam, he found himself struggling.
When they began exchanging ideas and helping each other, they became exceptionally efficient at identifying weak points, especially when faced with a magical aptitude test that included 3,500 objective questions, 600 subjective questions, and 12 experimental questions. It was easy to overlook personal weaknesses.
The more people there are, the better things go, especially when the group is bound by Li Aozi's [Charisma], making them more aware of their place within the group.
People in this environment quietly compare themselves. When someone starts slacking off and sees others studying intently, they feel embarrassed and quickly refocus on their work. Sometimes, even if they're not really absorbing information, they'll at least put on an act to match the atmosphere.
Every now and then, someone would remind them to take a break, stretch, or chat. The pre-exam pressure soon melted away.
The more familiar people become, the more they relax and stop hiding their true selves. Within the group, feeling a sense of resonance and support, people become more comfortable, volunteering to help with collective tasks like fetching water, ordering food, or cleaning up.
Li Aozi also noticed a few standout candidates in terms of their studying and discussions. He deliberately interacted with them more, switched into combat mode to check their stats, and confirmed that several of them were clearly capable of getting into university.
"I still need to nurture a few core members. I'll need these people for my smuggling business later."
Talented individuals with higher education will never be in short supply.
After dinner, the members of the Scholarship Society returned to their rooms to focus on reviewing the weak areas they had identified.
Soon, the night passed, and it was time for the formal exams.
It's worth mentioning that the night before the exam, a girl became severely anxious and developed a high fever in the middle of the night. Fortunately, as part of the Scholarship Society, she was taken to the hospital in time, where she received healing magic and medicine, allowing her to take the test normally.
This little episode further improved the students' impression of the Scholarship Society.
The first day of the exam officially began.
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For Luthor, the first day in Oran City wasn't exactly pleasant.
The pressure was too much, and seeing Leo being treated like a star by the students from other villages made him feel even more uncomfortable.
"Just wait and see, that thug who's never read a single book will be returning to the village in shame. If he doesn't submit a blank exam paper, I'll be surprised. I'm not bothered by this at all."
But the more he said he didn't care, the more he replayed all the times Leo had deliberately isolated and bullied him.
"What did I ever do wrong? Why is he always targeting me? I absolutely can't let him surpass me!"
Li Aozi's performance was so outstanding, coupled with his powerful [Charisma], that every move and action drew the unwavering gaze of onlookers. Even after they looked away, his image lingered in their minds, forming an echo.
The more Luthor tried not to think about Leo, the more "Leo's" figure became inescapable in his mind. He grew increasingly restless, unable to focus on studying. In the end, he simply tossed his book aside and decided to take a nap.
But then, he had a nightmare. He dreamt that Leo returned to the village, rich and famous, having become an official mage. All the girls who used to admire him now looked at that bastard Leo with newfound respect...
The members of the Scholarship Society, having shared information, knew each other's exam locations well in advance. They avoided the rush and arrived early at the exam sites.
The first day's test included the Spellcaster Qualification Test. By the time Li Aozi had already started his medical examination, Luthor rushed in late.