Chapter 151: Libationer Wang Xingshun, Preparing for the Minor Provincial Examination

"Alright, fine, no problem!" Bald Szeto fished a small notebook out of nowhere. "Right, let me interview you: how did Lord Libationer blow... I mean, how did he praise our resident talent? Let me write it down so I can put it in the Orphanage Hall of Fame later."

Director Chen wore a displeased expression, followed by a look of helpless resignation as he sighed and said, "Lord Libationer remarked that the young brother's calligraphy carries the legacy of the old masters."

The legacy of the old masters?

Hearing these four words, Shi Tiexin was slightly stunned and blurted out subconsciously, "Wang Xingshun?"

"Oh?" Director Chen said in surprise, "You actually know Lord Libationer's given name? However, out of respect, you shouldn't just go shouting it out so casually."

Shi Tiexin was completely dumbfounded.

Half an hour later.

Clack-clack, clack-clack. Shi Tiexin and Szeto Zhennan sat side by side on the maglev train, both deep in contemplation.

The nightscape of the space city streaked past outside the window, but Shi Tiexin's brow was tightly furrowed.

He truly had not expected to hear this name once more under such circumstances and in such a setting.

Wang Xingshun?

No wonder Lord Libationer had looked upon him with such favor, and no wonder he had praised his work as bearing the legacy of the old masters—wasn't that legacy something he had gotten directly from him!

He never would have expected this, truly never.

Though upon careful thought, so-called worldlines were simply the different evolutions of the same world across varying possibilities. His own worldline and Top Scholar Shi's worldline had diverged a century ago, and over a hundred years of evolution, the variations were countless and infinitely wondrous.

The calligrapher who sold copybooks in that worldline had become a lofty Lord Libationer in this worldline. And a secret transmission from the Libationer—something virtually inaccessible to the vast majority of people—had simply been bought by a punx scaling a wall to purchase a book in that other worldline.

The unpredictability of human fortune and the wondrous nature of fate were truly beyond words.

Yet, were Wang Xingshun in the two worldlines actually the same person? Parents making a baby was a matter of probability; if the timing changed even slightly, or the posture, or even if the entire process were repeated identically, the resulting child would most likely not be the same one.

It was entirely possible that this Wang Xingshun was simply the "brother" of that Wang Xingshun, with their parents following the same train of thought when naming them, ultimately choosing the same name after desperately scouring the dictionary, and raising them with the exact same upbringing. Of course, it was also possible that the two Wang Xanshuns were indeed one and the same.

Forget it. Whether the two Wang Xingshuns were the same person didn't matter at all, and Shi Tiexin currently had no heart to explore the wondrous relationships between worldlines. He simply looked at his field-of-vision system, fixing his gaze on that award badge.

[Heavenly Bestowed Golden Light Smelting Liquid: Reserves, twenty-two]

Twenty-two!

The calligraphy award had only granted him seventeen graduations of golden light—far inferior to tying for first place across the entire Phoenix Cry No. 1 High School, amounting to roughly a third of that yield. But small as it was, it was still enough for Shi Tiexin to continue upgrading. Looking at those precise twenty-odd points, and then glancing back at his natural philosophy and biology, the corners of Shi Tiexin's mouth gradually curled into a smile.

A perfectionist's paradise!

A family should always be complete!

His contemplation attribute and constitution attribute were finally about to be safely secured.

Smack! Szeto the Bald slapped Shi Tiexin on the shoulder. "What are you pondering about, smiling so arrogantly?"

"I'm pondering... that I need to borrow money. Borrow money to buy nourishing essence food, and then welcome the Junior Provincial Examination in my absolute peak state."

"Borrow money? Looks like you've made your decision not to choose 'the present'?"

"I no longer worry about my 'present'." Shi Tiexin clenched his fist, a surging wave of confidence rising from within him. "Director Chen is right. I won't stay cooped up in the Muye District forever; sooner or later, I will step out. The ten thousand points that made my eyes turn red with envy today might not even catch my eye in the future. Therefore..."

"Therefore?"

"Therefore," smack! Shi Tiexin grabbed Szeto Zhennan by the shoulder in return, looking directly at the old bald man beside him, "how about throwing some logistical support my way—comrade?"

"Get lost!"

"Didn't you say all under heaven are comrades?"

"Get lost again!"

Clack-clack, clack-clack. The maglev train continued hurtling forward as if it would never stop.

Over the next few days, Shi Tiexin's life was both fulfilling and steady, and unexpectedly, no one came to play dirty tricks or throw obstacles in his path.

—Inside the Meat Processing Plant—

"Step right up and take a look! Lord Libationer himself has given his imperial word—the number one calligraphy potential in T-Mubur, the premier young master of calligraphy! Privately customized, hand-crafted calling cards, one point each! You'll miss out if you pass this village!" Little Dogdan firmly latched onto Tao Zhongming. "One point won't ruin you, one point won't fool you, but for one point, you can buy style, buy taste, and buy face! Now on limited sale, buy while supplies last!"

—Inside the Orphanage—

"Hello? Oh, President Liu! It's little Szeto here. What? Ah, yes, that matter is real, it's right here with us, this Shi Tiexin fellow. Oh? You want a piece of calligraphy written? No problem, no problem! What would you like—'Welcoming Wealth and Prosperity' or 'A Daily Inflow of a Thousand Gold'? Neither? Then... you want me to copy a performance report? No problem at all!"

The old bald man wore a flattering expression as he spoke into the phone. "No money, how could we ever charge you money? It's just that, you know, we have a few kids here about to reach adulthood, and I was wondering if your side is lacking any personnel. I can send them over to help out—even for free is fine! ...Oh, I see, yes, well... alright, I'll have the performance report sent over to you first."

Hanging up the phone, the old bald man flashed a gesture at Shi Tiexin. "One performance report, write it! By the way, your little bit of fame isn't enough right now. When the Junior Provincial Examination comes, you better make a stunning debut for me! Do you understand what a stunning debut means? It means you at least have to rank on the Silver Roll for me!"

—Inside the Secret Realm—

"Big Brother Tie, I'm coming!" Little Dogdan said solemnly. "Although this is just sparring, out of reverence for martial arts, I won't deliberately hold back or go easy on you. You'd better mentally prepare yourself."

Shi Tiexin assumed his stance. "Come on."

"Hah!"

Swish! Szeto Chongtian moved with incredible speed and an imposing momentum, throwing a punch straight ahead. Shi Tiexin continued to hone his foundational fist techniques under the immense pressure.

—Inside His Personal Room—

Shi Tiexin lay calmly and peacefully on his bed, the azure sky of his mind already glowing with six stars. He breathed deeply and evenly.

At a certain moment, Shi Tiexin suddenly opened his eyes. Within the mystical diagram, the light spot representing Top Scholar Stone completely faded into silence, much like a smartphone with a depleted battery turning off its screen. Shi Tiexin knew that the energy transmitting information from Top Scholar Stone's end had now been completely exhausted.

Crackling, the final few stars flew forward, colliding with the progress bars for mathematics and rhetoric.

The mathematics progress bar flashed brightly, breaking into the "Excellent" tier. As for rhetoric, owing to his experiences and insights at the calligraphy competition, it surged forward by another dozen or so graduations.

Six foundational arts at the First Layer Perfect, two foundational arts at the Second Layer Excellent.

Shi Tiexin took a deep breath. The fake elixir in his lower abdomen, slightly larger than a soybean, pulsed faintly. Having consumed close to five hundred points worth of funds over the past few days to stuff himself with low-grade nourishing essence food, his internal cultivation level had returned to a peak state.

He had reached the absolute limit of what he could achieve right now.

So, opponents at the Junior Provincial Examination, are you ready to face the Iron Overlord?