Lantern Sister is still very capable.

On May 15th, on the 51st floor of the Jintie Building, candidates from Haishi who had advanced from the second phase of intensive training to the third phase gathered together to take the early college entrance examination.

Chu Deng stared at the bounty on the AA forum in his computer, scrolling through the details of the bounty for the red fish.

Previously, she posted some cultivation information on the AA forum in order to earn gold coins, but she was busy with exams and didn't pay attention to it. In fact, she had been getting bounties since she posted the information. She only checked it again this time because the system reminded her that the bounty had been increased.

Looking at the string of blood-red numbers, Chu Deng could only think about the money she owed Qing Tian that she hadn't paid back yet. After falling out with Shi Zhong, she wouldn't be able to get involved in the mercenary missions in Haishi anymore. Fortunately, she would be able to join the official team soon, so she needed to speed things up and choose the right time to expose her special abilities.

"Dengdeng, here you go." Jin Xiaoyue returned from the restroom, not forgetting to bring Chu Deng a can of apple juice bought from a vending machine.

When Chu Deng took it, she noticed the gaze of someone nearby. She looked up and saw that the person, unlike usual, did not hurriedly look away. Instead, a pair of black, glass-like eyes met Chu Deng's gaze.

It's Pei Hanxing.

Chu Deng drifted into a daze, recalling the pair of starry eyes overflowing with tears in the dimly lit closet, which she had inexplicably covered with her palms...

Pei Hanxing's face was pale, and his lips were bloodless. He leaned against the wall, pulled down his blue and white baseball cap to hide his expression, and lowered his head, no longer looking at Chu Deng.

"He looks terrible, is he sick?" Jin Xiaoyue followed Chu Deng's gaze and saw Pei Hanxing, and said worriedly, but Pei Hanxing did not greet them, so Jin Xiaoyue did not take the initiative to go forward.

"Xingzai! Where have you been these past few days? You haven't replied to a single message!" Meng Qiuhe saw Pei Hanxing as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, took two steps forward, put his arm around Pei Hanxing's shoulder, and said with a mix of reproach and affection.

Pei Hanxing shook his head. "I got injured during the exam," he said, glancing at Chu Deng. "I'm recovering recently. Sorry, I haven't been checking the news much."

Chu Deng calmly met Pei Hanxing's gaze. How could she not know what kind of injury she had suffered?

Pei Hanxing was framed, and Chu Deng "kindly" helped him out, promising to keep him healthy. He was probably taken to the base for a checkup.

Jin Xiaoyue was the first to notice that something was wrong between the two. Knowing that Chu Deng had eliminated Pei Hanxing, she thought that the two might have had a conflict in the examination room. She looked left and right.

Fortunately, the exam was about to begin, and the invigilator notified them to enter the exam room one by one.

Following the same procedure as the regular college entrance examination, a group of students, after taking the exam for three days, regardless of whether their results were good or bad, were finally free and had a small gathering at the canteen of the Wenshan training base.

Perhaps to make up for them, or perhaps out of sympathy from the staff who knew the inside story, they specially prepared food and drinks for these promising young people who had finished their exams early and were about to be locked up for grueling training. They also prepared entertainment activities so that they could have a good time.

Chu Deng grabbed some desserts, while Jin Xiaoyue eyed the special limited-edition salad. The two of them, each with a cup of black tea, nestled in a corner, eating and chatting.

"Dengdeng, you and Pei Hanxing haven't made up yet?" Jin Xiaoyue asked while pouring sauce.

"Make up for what?" Chu Deng replied, licking her cream and biting her fork.

She and Pei Hanxing didn't argue; it was purely him being difficult on his own.

Jin Xiaoyue said "Oh" twice, not taking Chu Deng's words to heart. She took a bite of salad with the sauce, her eyes shining, and pointed at the plate with her fork, recommending it to Chu Deng: "This is so delicious!"

Chu Deng pressed her burning eyes. "Okay, eat more."

A salad made from the roots of a first-grade greenwood is beneficial to the wood element.

However, the food prepared by the logistics department for their gatherings mostly contained energy, and knowing that they were all latent superhumans, they were generous in feeding them.

Chu Deng ate with a clear conscience. She had just devoured Zheng Weiduo's crystal core and survived the transformation period, so she needed energy.

While eating, Chu Deng observed the other people gathered in twos and threes.

Of the 210 people in the second phase of Group A training, only 15 ultimately chose to take the college entrance examination early.

Besides Chu Deng and Jin Xiaoyue, there were also Pei Hanxing, Meng Qiuhe, Shi Kan, Zhao Jiacheng, Bai Hongxue, Liu Hua, and Li Menglu. There were also 6 other people that Chu Deng didn't recognize, probably from other schools.

"You look so familiar! Haven't we met before?" a girl greeted Pei Hanxing.

Pei Hanxing was taking a special drink from the window when she heard this. She looked over, paused for a second, and then said, "I don't know him."

Actually, he recognized her; she was one of the children rescued from Shangyuan Villa years ago, named Xie Muyun.

"Mu Yun, your way of striking up a conversation is so corny, haha." Another girl giggled. "You should have said, 'Handsome, add me on the phone and let's be friends.'"

"Really? But I really think he looks familiar." Xie Muyun smiled sheepishly. As Xie Yuqin led her away, she didn't forget to tease her friend, "Xiao Xin, your pickup line is so old-fashioned."

"Don't mind them, they're a little silly," Xie Yuqin said, taking the two of them away with her.

Watching the three girls walk away, Pei Hanxing was patted on the shoulder by Meng Qiuhe, who was laughing heartily. "Hahaha, Xingzai, you've finally met your match, hahaha!"

Pei Hanxing silently drank her beverage.

"Let me have a sip." Meng Qiuhe was a little thirsty after laughing. He noticed that Pei Hanxing's drink looked very nice, with blue liquid and tiny sparkles, like stars in the night sky.

Pei Hanxing covered the rim of the cup with her hand, "You can't drink it."

Meng Qiuhe said it casually and didn't care. He turned to tease the lonely Zhao Jiacheng, "What's going on with Haozi not coming to take the exam early?"

Zhao Jiacheng sighed, "He didn't pass the selection."

Meng Qiuhe accidentally stepped on a landmine and quickly changed the subject.

Chu Deng surveyed the entire scene, sensing the movements of all 14 people, but unlike before, he was no longer deeply troubled. His mind was clearer than ever before, and he processed this information with unprecedented fluency.

The sense of control over everything made Chu Deng smile.

She carried her tray to the self-service area to get food, but Jin Xiaoyue didn't follow her. Knowing that her friend was enjoying the food, she went to find Bai Hongxue to catch up.

Noticing Pei Hanxing approaching, Chu Deng was using tongs to pack some exquisitely made pastries. "Is there something you need?" she asked casually.

Pei Hanxing's Adam's apple bobbed. "Can we talk alone?"

Chu Deng put her things aside, agreed, and followed Pei Hanxing outside the restaurant.

The two stood at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, maintaining just the right social distance, but none of Pei Hanxing's emotions escaped Chu Deng's eyes.

Pei Hanxing lowered her head, not daring to look at Chu Deng, "I'm going abroad in a few days, and I wanted to ask you something before I leave..."

Go abroad? What would I do abroad when I've only reached level three? There are so many experts out there... Chu Deng was lost in thought, thinking about the power ranking of superhumans he had seen on the AA forum.

Pei Hanxing's ears burned. She looked up at Chu Deng, but her voice lowered, "Could you... give me a proper status?"

Chu Deng: ...

"We already kissed." Pei Hanxing gently touched her lips with her finger, revealing the unspoken experience between them, "That day, in the exam room, in the closet."