Chapter 232: Chapter 198: The Provincial Exam Ends; To a Non-Cultivator, I Am as the Moon to a Frog in a Well; To a Cultivator...

The final month flew by. With Instructor Li Qiongtian’s help—all within the rules, of course—Zhang Yi successfully obtained all the Points from the daily training regimen. He also won every single weekly arena battle assessment, earning another 2,000 Points. However, during the third week’s arena battle assessment, Zhang Yi happened to be matched against Wan Hua. As a result, Zhang Yi won the 500 Points for that week’s arena battle without losing a single soldier.

As for the random missions, Zhang Yi accepted one team-based random mission and also completed a solo mission to explore a plane. The team-based mission was meant to cultivate synergy between Zhang Yi, Hong Tianyi, Wan Hua, and the others. The solo mission, of course, was for Zhang Yi to earn more Points.

In early March, the month-long provincial exam finally came to an end after the last round of arena battles. In the end, only forty-eight students remained—two fewer than the fifty Zhang Yi had predicted.

Originally, Zhang Yi had thought, No matter what, they should be able to select fifty people in the end. But he never expected that the top three students selected from other schools—those who had arrived at the University Alliance Training Camp so full of spirit—would be forced to confront a cruel reality just halfway through the provincial exam: even between geniuses, there can be a vast gap.

It was just as the saying from his hometown in his previous life went: "To the uninitiated, looking upon me is like a frog in a well gazing at the moon. To those who do cultivate, looking upon me is like a mayfly gazing at the vast heavens!"

After arriving at the University Alliance Training Camp and meeting geniuses from across the province and its various cities, these geniuses from smaller regions and cities finally understood the meaning of "There’s always someone better, and a heaven beyond the heavens." They had once been the pride of their alma maters, the best of their generation in their home cities and schools. But when they stepped into the University Alliance Training Camp, halos of confidence still aglow, they learned what a "shattered genius’s dream" truly meant.

At first, they could blame their defeats in the arena on underestimating their opponents. But when they lost just as thoroughly after the second and third battles, they gradually began to accept reality. After all, over the past couple of weeks, they had put forth an unimaginable amount of effort, far more than they ever had in their old schools. Yet, despite all their hard work, their situation didn’t change at all. This feeling—that the gap hadn’t shrunk but had instead widened despite their efforts—was what made them feel true despair. Only then were they forced to accept the harsh truth. The reason they had been called geniuses back in their old cities and schools was perhaps not because their Talent was so exceptional, but because the pond they were in was too small.

It was like a frog at the bottom of a well, mistaking its small patch of sky for the entire world. A summer insect cannot speak of ice.

When these small-town geniuses came face-to-face with the truly chosen ones—students like Zhang Yi, Hong Tianyi, and Wan Hua from Golden City No.1 Middle School, or Lu Mei, Qin Ling, and Zhan Baitian from Golden City Sixth Middle School, whose Talent, resources, and backing far surpassed their own—they felt the full extent of the gap. They experienced it in the arena, where despite their efforts, the gap not only failed to shrink but grew even wider. It was an uncrossable chasm that separated them in every aspect: the application of Divine Power, the development of their Divine Realm, the combat effectiveness of their Clan, and even their perspective and decisiveness at critical moments.

This month of high-intensity competition and elimination had worn away their initial fire and spirit. Some students, unable to bear the pressure and the immense disappointment, chose to withdraw quietly. Others, in this brutal contest, came to terms with reality, their mindsets undergoing a subtle shift. Still others became even calmer and more focused. Since the outcome is already set, I might as well cherish the journey.

When Instructor Li Qiongtian entered the hall once more, after a long absence, the look in his eyes had finally changed as he faced them. As his gaze swept over the forty-eight remaining students, the entire hall fell silent. A complex atmosphere permeated the air. The students were exhausted from a month of grueling, solitary struggle through the provincial exam. Yet, even more so, they exuded the sharp, tempered aura of those who had been forged in fire.

Standing there with Zhang Yi, the remaining students had lost the arrogant air they carried when they first entered the University Alliance Training Camp a month ago. It was replaced by a trace of restraint. Of course, for a true genius like Zhang Yi, that sharp aura had not diminished in the slightest—in fact, it had grown even stronger. But people like Zhang Yi were, after all, the exception.

"Congratulations."

When Instructor Li Qiongtian uttered that single word again, it was filled with genuine emotion—a stark contrast to the last time.

"I am very pleased to see that you have used your own perseverance and effort to earn a chance to advance to the next stage—the true assessment of the University Alliance Training Camp!"

Instructor Li Qiongtian’s rare words of encouragement shattered the surrounding silence.

"Next, you will have three days."

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