Chapter 20: Keeping a Low Profile – “Will SSS+ Mental Power Be Dangerous?”
Yu Xia’s exams took a total of two days.
Even though he had done many mock exams in the virtual world, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of tension when facing the real thing. It wasn’t until the exams officially ended that he relaxed.
The moment the final exam was over, Yu Xia let out a long sigh of relief.
Ning Qing looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “You looked quite relaxed during the test. Why are you like this now that it’s over?”
Yu Xia gave a helpless smile. “It was an exam, after all, and it lasted two days. Now that it’s done, of course I’m relieved. No matter the result, it’s temporarily over for me. Though I don’t think my score will be too bad; it was quite smooth.”
“Very confident. In that case, I hope the result is as you wish.” Major General Ning Qing patted Yu Xia on the shoulder. “The other proctor will personally deliver your answer sheets to Imperial Star Academy. After the professors and teachers grade them and your final score is calculated, the proctor will return with your admission notice. All you have to do now is wait.”
Hearing that all he had to do was wait, Yu Xia relaxed completely. “That’s great. Can I go back to my workouts now?”
To avoid affecting his performance, Yu Xia hadn’t exercised these past two days. He only ran for half an hour after his exams were done, but he didn’t dare do more for fear of tiring his body out and affecting the next day’s test.
Ning Qing nodded. “You can resume your workouts, but aren’t you going to rest first?”
Yu Xia shook his head. “No. Physical training is all about persistence. If you stop in the middle, it’s like giving up; it won’t have any effect. Besides, my current level of exercise doesn’t even compare to a normal person’s fitness routine. I can only barely manage to look like a normal person right now.”
Ning Qing was aware of Yu Xia’s physical condition. She had looked into it before coming; Yu Xia’s mental power had reached a level that required special cover.
His mental power was originally SS-rank, but after the surge, it had reached SSS+. However, the public data would omit that “+.” She would be replacing the data during this time and personally escorting the real information to where it belonged.
That was the main reason she, a Major General, was personally proctoring the exam.
Watching Yu Xia pack his things to leave, Ning Qing called out to him, “Yu Xia, remember this: from now on, your mental power is SSS.”
Yu Xia’s movements paused. “?”
Ning Qing sighed and spread her hands. “I originally wanted to keep you at SS-rank, but that idiot from the Ye family made such a scene that the people who needed to know found out. Fortunately, they only know your condition worsened; they don’t know your specific mental power yet. We can still keep a low profile for now.”
Hearing Major General Ning Qing’s words, Yu Xia understood. He nodded. “I see. But do a lot of people know about my condition?”
Ning Qing answered, “A lot of people in the capital know. Ye Zhichen’s father is also a Major General, and plenty of people are watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake. If he doesn’t, they watch his son. The mess that boy made this time is known to everyone who matters. Besides, there was the report Director Xie sent to the military. Even his father got in trouble for it. Of course people dug up everything Ye Zhichen did here.”
“But don’t worry. The hospital took the right measures and reported your situation immediately. The information given to the outside world is just that your mental power rose again, causing your condition to worsen. The only outsiders who know the specifics are Director Xie, and he knows how to keep a secret.”
To be safe, Yu Xia asked, “Will SSS+ mental power be dangerous?”
Ning Qing said, “Well, I’ll just say it’s best to keep a low profile. SSS-rank mental power is already extremely high. If you can protect yourself in the future, it won’t be a problem. But for now, it’s best to stay low.”
Yu Xia blinked. He was still a bit confused, but he felt he wouldn’t get much more of an answer if he kept asking.
However, he soon got his answer from Qing Zheng.
Knowing Yu Xia had exams these past two days, Qin Yizheng hadn’t done anything major with him. He just sat quietly in the library reading and looking through materials.
On this day, when Qin Yizheng logged on, he saw that Yu Xia had already saved a seat for him in the library. He was quite happy to see Yu Xia and sat down beside him. “The last subject should be done today. How do you think you did?”
Yu Xia was lost in thought and only reacted after a while. “Oh, Qin-ge! You’re here!”
Qin Yizheng raised an eyebrow. “Your exams are over today, aren’t they? What’s wrong? What are you thinking about so intently?”
Yu Xia wanted to tell Qin Yizheng about it, but after thinking it through, he felt it wasn’t quite right. Instead, he just asked, “Qin-ge, would someone with high mental power encounter any danger?”
“Quite a bit, actually. Especially these past few years with the Alliance always going against the Empire. The general mental power of their population has been low lately, so they basically resort to tricking naive children from the Empire into joining them. Did someone say something to you?”
“Not really. It’s just that my proctor specifically told me it’s best to keep a low profile. But from her tone, I felt like I’d run into trouble if I didn’t.”
Hearing this, Qin Yizheng understood immediately. He explained, “To keep you from overthinking, the proctor likely didn’t speak plainly. But the meaning is that if you’re too high-profile, you’ll run into a lot of trouble. It’s not just the Alliance; the Empire isn’t entirely stable either. People have been advocating for mental power equality, urging the public not to let those with high mental power take more opportunities. But in reality, the value of high mental power is inherently higher for high-end technology. That’s undeniable.”
“Besides, how many people actually have high mental power? It might seem like they’re everywhere at Imperial Star Academy, but looking at the entire Empire, not even one in ten thousand people would be considered high mental power. That means in a group of ten thousand people, there might not even be one person at A-rank or above.”
Yu Xia: “…”
He truly hadn’t expected that ratio. Ever since he transmigrated, it felt like everyone he met had high mental power. This had given him the illusion that it wasn’t that rare.
Qin Yizheng saw right through Yu Xia’s thoughts and smiled. “Mental Power Disorder patients are in special wards. The people you interact with are naturally doctors from that department. In that field, even the nurses need at least B+ mental power. Of course everyone you meet has high mental power.”
True enough.
Yu Xia nodded in understanding. He suddenly thought of something else and asked, “Then once I go to Imperial Star Academy, will Alliance members come to trick me? Do people from the Alliance look like us?”
Since they were on the subject, Qin Yizheng decided to tell Yu Xia in advance so he’d be aware. “Based on my previous estimate, your mental power is at least SS-rank. In that case, you definitely are a target for the Alliance. They might offer you a lot of tempting conditions. Someone with little experience could easily be tricked.”
Yu Xia was curious. He propped his chin on his hand and tilted his head to look at Qin Yizheng. “What kind of person would the Alliance target?”
Qin Yizheng, who was frequently hounded by the Alliance, knew exactly what he was talking about. “Generally, anyone with S-rank mental power or above will be harassed by the Alliance. There was once a leaked Alliance document that said if an SSS+ mental power holder is found in the Empire and cannot be brought to the Alliance, they should be destroyed directly.”
A “Holy crap” slipped out of Yu Xia’s mouth before he could think. “That’s terrifying! When was that document from?”
Qin Yizheng said, “I know, right? That policy has been in place for over ten years and is still active. However, for S to SSS-rank holders, the Alliance generally sticks to persuasion. But if they come to persuade you, never agree. In the Alliance, you wouldn’t even be able to afford the medicine for your condition. Their promises aren’t enough to pay for your treatment.”
Yu Xia sighed. “Then I definitely can’t go.”
Also, no matter what, he had to keep his true mental power level tightly under wraps.
Major General Ning Qing’s warning was indeed useful; such a prominent figure wouldn’t speak empty words.
Seeing that Yu Xia seemed scared by his words, Qin Yizheng coughed and tried to change the subject. “By the way, which professor or tutor from Imperial Star proctored your exam? I might know them!”
Yu Xia calmed his emotions and took a deep breath. He said to Qin Yizheng, “One was a professor of mental power medicine. My doctor said he specifically came to see my case. The other was quite impressive; apparently she came because I chose the Mechanical Department. She’s a Major General named Ning Qing…”
But now he suspected Major General Ning Qing was there to move his real medical records.
Hearing that familiar name from Yu Xia’s mouth, Qin Yizheng’s brow furrowed. “That Major General… what did you say her name was?”
“Ning Qing!”
Qin Yizheng couldn’t help but let out a “Tsk.”
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