Chapter 389: Chapter 388 Two Essays

In the classroom, countless teachers were scoring high school exam papers on computer screens.

While the grading criteria for other papers were clear, making scoring easier and less subjective, the Chinese language paper proved difficult with significant fluctuations in scores.

The scoring of the high school exam papers used a double-blind grading method, meaning two teachers scored each paper. If their given scores did not differ significantly, they averaged the scores. But if the scores differed greatly, they referred the paper to the head of the marking team for a final decision.

Two teachers had run into such a situation.

“‘On How the Transcendance Tribulation Stage Can Defeat the Mahayana Realm’? What a strange title,” a teacher muttered to himself. Having marked papers for so many years, he had never come across such a peculiar title.

“Who knows what these kids are thinking these days.”

After a moment’s hesitation, this teacher gave the essay a score of twenty-five.

“‘On How the Transcendance Tribulation Stage Can Defeat the Mahayana Realm’? Now that’s an interesting title,” another teacher said, instantly alert after being in a drowsy state.

“Exactly, writing is about being innovative. What’s the point of churning out the same style using templates and clichés?”

The more this teacher read, the more he liked it. Without a second thought, he gave it a score of sixty.

This was a full score for the essay.

“Hmm? Two essays got auto-submitted to me? It seems like the differences in the assessment scores of these two essays are significant”

The marking team leader chuckled as he opened these two papers.

“‘On How the Transcendance Tribulation Stage Can Defeat the Mahayana Realm’ and ‘How to become an Immortal’… interesting. I just don’t know what those phases mean.”

“Ah, I see, assuming there are people in the world who can become Immortals through hard work, then the closest level to becoming an Immortal would be the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, that’s very well-detailed.”

“The first essay has an excellent writing style and imagination, as if it seriously contemplates how the Transcendance Tribulation Stage could defeat the Mahayana Realm.”

“But the later part seems to be teaching people how to cultivate from scratch.”

“So this is it. Doing this can draw energy into the body. I really want to give it a try… Let me test whether it’s good or bad luck… It’s good luck?”

Little did people know, the marking team leader had a special ability to predict luck.

Not all super power users join the Super Power User Management Bureau or the super power church. Some, like the marking team leader, registered with the Bureau but lived ordinary lives.

“Let’s give it a try, what’s this thing that’s trying to drill its way into my body?!” The marking team leader stood up abruptly, his face filled with horror.

The other teachers looked at him, confused.

The marking team leader, realising he was making a scene, coughed awkwardly and quickly waved off any concerns, trying to control his excitement.

“According to ‘How to Become an Immortal’, I am drawing energy into the body and have entered the Qi Cultivation Stage!”

The marking team leader felt a continual surge of energy in his body. His entire physique seemed years younger, and his various old-age symptoms were also improving or healing.

And this was just the most basic stage of cultivation.

“What happened, why is there nothing else?!” The marking team leader desperately wanted the subsequent instructions and kept scrolling down, but the text ended abruptly there, seemingly disconnected.

“Who on earth limited the essay length to 800 words!” The marking team leader roared internally, his eyes reddening. He had never felt such hatred for an essay’s word limit before.

If the author were allowed to finish the piece, it would benefit the whole world in a way beyond measure.

The marking team leader coughed up blood in frustration. He wanted to check the author’s information, but he did not have the authority to access it.

To check the author’s information, he had to report it to the higher-ups.

Using his ability, he discovered that reporting this matter to the education department would result in neither good nor bad luck,

This meant he would return without accomplishing anything.

“Surely those fools won’t believe me.” The marking team leader knew the modus operandi of these government officials all too well. They would always do their best to avoid extra work.

He used his ability again, imagining himself reporting this matter to the Super Power User Management Bureau.

“Good luck?”

The marking team leader perked up. The Super Power User Management Bureau was reliable indeed.

Unlike government officials, the staff at the Super Power User Management Bureau love to stir things up. They don’t shy away from trouble, on the contrary, the more interesting the matter, the better.

This matter would certainly pique their interest.

To prevent assessment bias, high school exam papers are scanned and sent to another city where teachers there would review them.

The marking team leader wasn’t in Sea City but in a major city several thousand kilometers away from Sea City.

As expected, The Super Power User Management Bureau found the information reported by the marking team leader interesting, especially since he managed to show the results of drawing energy into the body successfully– breaking a massive stone with his bare chest.

The marking team leader was in his fifties, with a beer belly, balding and showing all signs of age. When someone like him said he was okay and placed a large stone on his bare chest, it felt bizarre to the other super power users watching.

People were both anxious and frightened, would it be the chest breaking the stone, or the stone breaking his chest?

“You come, you look the strongest.” The marking team leader called out to a muscular super power user, who looked like he could swing a large hammer.

“Alright.” The muscular man responded gruffly.

Just as the muscular man was about to lift the giant hammer, the marking team leader suddenly asked, “What’s your ability?”

“Hitting a cow across a mountain.”

“…Quick, find someone else!”

Eventually, another super power user who could swing a large hammer was found.

The marking team leader truly reached the Qi Cultivation Stage and lived up to everyone’s expectations, reducing the stone to rubble.

The stone shattered, but it also left him spitting up blood.

He was after all only at the initial stage of Qi Cultivation with a body that was not made of steel.

A healing super power user who was waiting on the sidelines hurried over and managed to save him.

But this incident convinced everyone that the marking team leader was speaking the truth.

The marking team leader’s ability was at first level, with a physique similar to an ordinary person, who after being treated thus and not dying, proved that there had been profound changes in his body.

The Super Power User Management Bureau recognized the value of the article “How to Become an Immortal”, and decided to report it as well.

“Let’s also report ‘On How the Transcendance Tribulation Stage Can Defeat the Mahayana Realm’, add it in.”

The Super Power User Management Bureau was highly efficient, and a person at the deputy director’s level took over the matter within half a day.

“Director, there’s an important development,” the deputy director brought the marking team leader to the director’s office.

At that time, the director was entertaining two guests in his office.

The deputy director felt this matter was of great importance and decided to inform the director, even though he was meeting guests.

“Please take a look at these two essays. They were written by two high school exam takers. Their names have been hidden by the education department. Do you think we should use our jurisdiction to uncover their identities, or wait until the exam results are released to find them?”

The director glanced at the two essays, then at the two guests, an indescribable look on his face.

Jiang Li and Bai Hong were deeply interested in what was happening and called the marking team leader over.

“Are you in charge of marking?”

“Yes.” The marking team leader did not dare to slack off. Any guest invited into the director’s office would definitely hold significant status.

“Tell us, who do you think wrote the better essay?”