Chapter Fourteen: The Rules of the College Entrance Examination

As this latest batch of helmets entered circulation, the stockpiles of cloned bodies on Hanlan Star dwindled rapidly. Following Ye Han’s advice, Yan Qiluo gradually handed over control of the local shells to the Earthlings. Meanwhile, Hanlan Star began to shift its focus, prioritizing the collection of biological remains and the rescue of native survivors. With Earth’s players throwing themselves into the fray regardless of danger, the number of clone deaths and new productions remained in dynamic equilibrium. Hanlan Star’s development was finally on track, and its residual civilization cohesion index rose from “0.1” to “0.2.” The planet was in dire need of reconstruction.

On Earth, thanks to the virtual helmet production blueprints, the Academy of Sciences extracted many advanced technologies—like the helmet chip structure, internal communications architecture, and new programming languages. Some initially incomprehensible technologies were clarified through player rewards and further exploration.

“The college entrance exam is almost here, the situation’s stabilized, and it’s about time for the Inheritance Stele and Spell Awakening to make their debut!” After a few days on Hanlan Star, Ye Han transported newly manufactured virtual helmets to Earth every other day. Under the intervention of the higher-ups, Earth’s own production line was also taking shape, expected to start running in just over ten days.

During the month of exams, Ye Han wouldn’t have the bandwidth to oversee Hanlan Star’s progress. In other words, for the next five months on Hanlan and ten months on Earth, they would have to fend for themselves.

“It’s time to go!” Ye Han tossed the Inheritance Stele beside the gene blood pool, left Spell Awakening for Yan Qiluo to disseminate locally and to upload onto the virtual platform as a reward. With these tasks done, Ye Han returned directly to the Liyang Star Territory.

Now, less than half an hour remained before the exam. In the main plaza of Liyang No. 7 High, a massive portal of light stood, shining brilliantly. This year, the exam required the actual presence of the planetary bondholders. The 3.2 million candidates at Liyang No. 7 High had all lined up before the portal.

“Now, I’ll announce the exam rules!” Ten minutes before the start, an indistinguishable, disembodied voice swept across the entire plaza. Ye Han listened intently.

Each exam venue was fixed at 100,000 factions. Each faction selected ten industries, each industry had ten examinees—making a total of one million examinees per venue. The exam was a unified one for all of pan-humanity: nine sequences, a hundred venues, a billion candidates in total.

There were only five simple rules.

First: Before entering, each bondholder could summon ten native lifeforms. One would accompany them in their assigned industry, while the other nine would hide among the same industry under different candidates of the same faction.

Second: Each faction had a prize pool, initially valued at 100 billion origin points. Every time a candidate eliminated another from a different faction, the pool accrued origin points according to their level: first-level, 1 billion; second-level, 10 billion; third-level, 100 billion, and so on. At the end, the pool was split equally among surviving candidates of the same faction, with intra-faction eliminations not contributing to the total.

Third: For every subordinate slain, a bondholder gained an equivalent number of native summon slots. If a candidate was killed, all their subordinates were wiped, and twice as many natives could be summoned in their place. The same applied to candidates within the same faction.

Fourth: If a candidate was killed, all their accumulated gains transferred to the killer, and their consciousness would be sealed for four years. The right to open the portal to their bonded planet would also pass to the killer, and for four years, all origin income from that planet would belong to the killer.

Fifth: If all candidates in a faction were wiped out, the accumulated origin in their pool would go to the faction of the last killer.

“No wonder they say the college entrance exam is a turning point of fate!” Ye Han kept a calm face, but inside he was chilled to the bone.

“No wonder Luan Shuangyu was willing to give me a magic package!” A trace of frustration flickered in his eyes. This was outright forcing candidates into mutual slaughter.

The whole venue resembled a giant crucible. If a candidate died, their bonded planet’s portal would be handed over to the killer. In other words, if Ye Han was killed by Luan Shuangyu, not only would he be sealed for four years, but Hanlan Star would become her private garden. Four years in Liyang Star Territory translated to twenty years on Hanlan Star. Exchanging 5 trillion origin points for twenty years of exploitation—a bargain indeed!

“Earth isn’t bound to any faction—will it be included?” Ye Han’s face darkened as he pondered which ten native lifeforms to choose.

Around him, candidates were already streaming into the portal. Ye Han moved forward with the crowd. The portal was so large and efficient that entry was swift, and in just three minutes, it was his turn.

Staring at the portal that would decide his planet’s fate, Ye Han’s heart raced wildly. Anxiety, fear, and excitement surged through his mind. This was a one-way path; there was no turning back. At eighteen, everyone had to enter. Anyone who tried to skip the exam would be erased by their faction, their consciousness sealed for ten years, and their planet’s coordinates put up in the faction store. Compared to failing, skipping was much crueler—so no one dared.

“Let’s do this!” With bloodshot eyes, Ye Han stepped through the portal. With no retreat, he could only fight for his life. With twin bonds and six talents, his odds were already high!

Pop—

As Ye Han stepped in, a huge, gray, misty bubble enveloped him. Floating in its center was a contract covered in mysterious runes, its rules spelled out neatly in the middle, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ye Han grimly bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the contract. As the blood was absorbed, the contract burst into golden script, which hung in the air for a moment, seemed to sense his existence, then shot into his chest.

Instantly, Ye Han understood its function. With this sigil, he could not only summon native lifeforms but also locate any candidate within a hundred miles. It displayed basic information about his faction, and, most importantly, allowed him to open a 5-by-5-meter channel to his bonded planet—usable only once per day, and once opened, it couldn’t be closed.

“Only five by five meters, and it can’t be closed for a day…” Ye Han grimaced. Hanlan Star had no real resources left. With the portal opening on Xiyuan Star, exposed for a whole day and with everyone’s position visible within a hundred miles, he’d be a sitting duck.

“But if I can find cover, maybe I can risk opening it…” He thought of the Earth players on Hanlan Star, weighing his options.

The time ratios were: Xiyuan Star to Earth to Hanlan Star to Liyang Main World—30:10:5:1. If Hanlan’s clones descended on Xiyuan, would Earth’s operation slow down? Ye Han did the math: with each brainwave command from Earth to Hanlan taking a second, then relaying a signal from Hanlan to Xiyuan would add a three-second delay. Conversely, feedback from Xiyuan to Hanlan, then to Earth, would give Earth three seconds of Xiyuan data for every second.

“In that case, wouldn’t all the clones be hit with a ‘slow-motion’ debuff?”

Thinking this through troubled Ye Han. Three minutes remained before descent onto Xiyuan Star—he had to choose his summoned natives.

“Forget it, I’ll use clones!” The prospect of his remaining forces being wiped out if he died made him hesitate to risk anyone else. Besides, Yan Qiluo was needed to run the virtual platform; there was no other suitable candidate. The rest of the locals were less useful than the Earth players suffering the slow-motion debuff. Besides, there was one advantage: when clones were dormant, players could call in outside help.

Time ticked by. This time, Ye Han didn’t hesitate. He opened the spatial gate in the bubble and summoned the shells of Xu Hao, Chen Xu, and Yang Qi.

“Chen Xu, Yang Qi? You… huh? Where are we?”

“I was just rescuing a native from the ruins—how did I end up here?”

“And who’s this?”

Suddenly yanked into the bubble, the three were thrown into confusion.

“Here, take in this information.” Without wasting words, Ye Han tapped the sigil on his chest, sending three beams of golden light into their chests. There, a miniature version of the sigil formed, lasted a heartbeat, then vanished. But through his own sigil, Ye Han could sense their presence and establish a mental link.

“Damn!”

“Shit, what the hell!”

“Crap!”

As the three absorbed the exam info, they couldn’t help but curse.

“So you’re the mastermind behind Hanlan OL?!” Chen Xu stared at the handsome face before him, not giving even a little room for mercy.

“The Xiyuan exam site holds ten million candidates, but it’s actually a war of ten million civilizations. Aren’t you worried about Hanlan and Earth’s fate?” Yang Qi’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

Xu Hao was panicking, face twisted: “Why me? There are so many people on Hanlan Star—why’d you pick me? I just wanted to live quietly as a rich kid. I don’t want to die!”

“There are two minutes left—who on Earth is strong, trustworthy, and has connections with the authorities?” Ye Han didn’t bother with explanations. He pointed at the spatial gate: “I still need seven more bodies. Once you descend onto Xiyuan, the bubble will burst, the gate will reset, and your bodies will fall dormant till I reopen it.”

“Two minutes—damn it!” Xu Hao, desperate, rattled off names: “Qi Dasheng, real name Wang Qi; Burning Water, real name Han Ran… they’re all linked to major corporations and officials.”

“Got it.” Following the list, Ye Han summoned their shells. He repeated the sigil process for the seven.

“One minute left. When I open the portal, remember: Earth and Xiyuan’s time ratio is one to three.” With that, Ye Han shut the spatial gate at the last three seconds.