Chapter 92

Li Yao was indeed repairing the boiler.

He was one of the earliest candidates to finish the exam in the entire Starlight Federation. After just over three hours of the college entrance exam, he had completed all the questions and left the classroom with a pat on his back.

With two hours still left until the exam ended, Li Yao, having nothing else to do, strolled around the campus with his hands behind his back, eventually finding himself at the abandoned large bathhouse at the back of the school.

During the most prosperous times of the Gray Rock District, the Miners' Children High School had over ten thousand students. Behind the school, in the living area, a grand bathhouse was built to provide convenience for the students and was also open to the public on rest days.

However, as the ore veins dried up, the Gray Rock District gradually declined, and the number of students at the Miners' Children High School dwindled. The number of people coming to bathe was few, and it was not cost-effective to fill a large pool with hot water for just a few people. The bathhouse was eventually closed at some point.

After decades of abandonment, the boiler room, which provided the heat source for the bathhouse, was now rusted and covered with spider webs and dust.

Li Yao glanced through the broken glass window into the boiler room, and his eyes suddenly lit up, his gaze fixed on the dark, old boiler.

He discovered that the boiler standing in the room was a "Fire Bear" model from over ninety years ago. This model was one of the earliest civilian magical artifacts to adopt a three-dimensional rune array structure. At the core of the boiler, there were two layers of flame rune arrays that could continuously output heat energy, maintaining a very stable temperature. Its structure was considered a classic.

Li Yao had only seen the dissection diagrams of this model in textbooks and had never seen a real one.

As a magical artifact enthusiast, he naturally wouldn't miss such a great opportunity.

The door to the boiler room was not locked, but the hinges were rusted. Li Yao pushed hard, and the door creaked open, sending dust flying and a few bats and birds fluttering out.

One of the birds even defecated on Li Yao's head.

However, Li Yao paid no attention to these details. His eyes sparkled like those of a rat that had discovered a grain bin. He threw himself at the "Fire Bear" boiler, focusing intently on studying it.

For over three hours, he was immersed in the wondrous world of magical artifacts.

Although the Fire Bear boiler was a civilian magical artifact from nearly a hundred years ago, its dual-layer rune array structure was incredibly intricate. A total of thirty-six flame rune arrays were connected by over a hundred extremely fine crystal wires, making it a design where every part was interconnected. Each design element left Li Yao in awe and exhilaration.

Unconsciously, Li Yao squatted down, his entire body crawling into the boiler. His face, hands, and body were covered in grease, and he looked disheveled, with only his two rows of neat white teeth visible. He looked as messy as could be.

However, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. His fingers, as gentle as goose feathers, lightly brushed over the crystal wires, like a master musician gently caressing the strings of a lute, producing beautiful music.

In his mind, he seemed to grasp the essence of the three-dimensional rune array structure. The large boiler transformed into translucent parts, continuously decomposing, dispersing, and recombining in his brain, operating smoothly.

"Ah, it's like this. The design of this structure is so ingenious, collecting the scattered fire elemental energy and preventing the maximum waste of energy. What a marvelously designed creation!" Li Yao marveled.

"Li Yao, Li Yao, Li Yao!"

Principal Mao ran until he was red-faced and out of breath, leaning on his knees at the boiler room door. He called out several times, but there was no response. Seeing no other option, he looked around, picked up a fire poker, and gently poked Li Yao's buttocks.

"Li Yao!"

"Just a moment, Principal Mao, just a moment. I'm almost done. It's like this, it's like this... so amazing! How did I not think of it earlier? It's these three crystal wires that are doing the work!"

Li Yao slapped his thigh, not turning his head, and said excitedly, "Principal Mao, please wait a moment. I'm confident I can repair this boiler and make it as good as new!"

Principal Mao was at a loss, shouting, "Li Yao! What time is it? Why are you still repairing a boiler? Come out and give an interview; you've become the top scorer in Fuguo City!"

"Don't shout, the boiler has an echo, and it's making my head hurt. No matter how big the news, I'll deal with it after I fix the boiler. What? I'm the top scorer in the college entrance exam?"

Li Yao let out a howl from inside the boiler, jumping up in excitement.

However, with a "bang," the entire boiler room shook, and dust fell from the rafters.

Li Yao had forgotten he was still inside the boiler and had hit his head hard against the steel plate, denting the boiler and forming a large bump on his head.

Ignoring the pain, Li Yao held his head and crawled out of the boiler, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He grabbed Principal Mao's shoulders and shook him vigorously, "Principal, am I really the top scorer in Fuguo City?"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to dislocate my old bones? Why don't you check it yourself online?" Principal Mao was in pain, tears streaming down his face.

Li Yao quickly let go, scratching his messy hair, which sent a cloud of dust into the air. He opened his crystal brain, entered the college entrance exam page, entered his student number, and clicked confirm. His scores and ranking soon appeared.

"Li Yao from Fuguo City Miners' Children High School, total score 781, spirit root development 92%, final score 718.52, first in the city!"

"Awesome!"

Li Yao was extremely excited. He used his legs to do three backflips, then jumped three feet high, waving his fist in the air.

He looked like a gorilla that had finally ascended to the throne after a long and fierce battle!

"I succeeded!"

"Within a month, I went from a 7% spirit root development, a waste, to a 92% spirit root development, a cultivation genius, and became the top scorer in Fuguo City's college entrance exam!"

"I haven't let down the trust of Sun Biao, Peng Hai, Ding Lingdang, Grandpa Wang, and Principal Mao!"

"Most importantly, I'm one step closer to my dream. With this score, I can choose any major at the Nine Institutes!"

"Li Yao, calm down. There are over a hundred reporters waiting to interview you. Don't get too excited, stay calm, stay calm!" Principal Mao said, trembling.

He was telling Li Yao to calm down, but he himself looked like he had just been injected with a large dose of stimulants, his face red, neck swollen, hands shaking, and legs trembling, extremely excited.

The top scorer in the college entrance exam! In the over a hundred years since the founding of Fuguo City Miners' Children High School, not only had there never been a top scorer, but not even a top thousandth place had been achieved. How could Principal Mao stay calm, how could he remain composed?

If he weren't old and frail, he would have done a few backflips like Li Yao!

Hearing Principal Mao's words, Li Yao took a deep breath, rubbed his cheeks, and muttered to himself, "Calm down, calm down. It's just a small top scorer in Fuguo City. I want to become a master alchemist, renowned in the Federation, and shock the entire Tianyuan World. Getting excited over such a small matter is embarrassing..."

Despite his words, a silly smile appeared on Li Yao's face. His blackened face and white teeth made him look like a fool.

Seeing him getting carried away, Principal Mao reminded him, "Li Yao, I heard the reporters discussing your relationship with Chixiao No. 2 High School. When you speak, be careful not to say anything that might offend people. After all, there's no deep-seated grudge, and it's not good to completely ruin relations, you understand?"

"Huh?"

Hearing "Chixiao No. 2 High School," Li Yao was taken aback, his smile fading, and a strange light appeared in his eyes. He strode out of the boiler room.

A large group of reporters, like unleashed wild dogs, rushed toward the boiler room.

"Li Yao, Li Yao! Please accept our interview!"

Li Yao's mind raced, quickly formulating his response. A moment later, he straightened his back and stepped forward.

He cleared his throat, about to speak, but the reporters ignored him, parting like a river around a rock, passing by him on both sides.

"Li Yao, where are you? Please come out for my interview!"

Li Yao raised his right hand awkwardly, "I'm here!"

"Where? We don't see anyone, Li Yao!"

The reporters surrounded Li Yao, dozens of puzzled gazes sweeping past him without focusing on him.

It wasn't that the reporters were blind; it was just that Li Yao's current appearance was far from that of a "top scorer" everyone was looking for.

He was covered in soot, as if he had been digging coal for three days and nights. His hair was messy, a large bump on the top of his head, a patch of bird droppings on his shoulder, and his clothes had a large hole torn by the rusted parts of the boiler. He looked as poor and ragged as could be.

The reporters looked at each other, taking over half a minute to finally focus their gazes on Li Yao. A female reporter hesitantly pulled out a wet wipe from her bag and handed it to him, "You... are Li Yao?"

Li Yao said thank you, took the wet wipe, and wiped his face for several seconds, finally turning his blackened face into a cat's face, making his features barely recognizable.

Li Yao was a celebrity in Fuguo City. Many reporters had visited him at the hospital while he was unconscious, and the article "A Fading Demon Star" was written by one of them.

Someone immediately shouted,

"That's right, it's Li Yao!"

All the reporters' eyes lit up, and they rushed over, their amplification crystal rods pointing at Li Yao like spears. The female reporter who had given him the wet wipe took the lead, hugging Li Yao's shoulder and placing an amplification crystal rod between them.

"Li Yao, your performance in this year's college entrance exam was like being possessed by a god or demon, a complete and stunning turnaround that drove everyone crazy! Everyone is very curious about you, but what we are most concerned about is—why did you transfer from Chixiao No. 2 High School to this relatively unknown school? Chixiao No. 2 High School is a prestigious school in Fuguo City, consistently ranking in the top three, while the Miners' Children High School has been at the bottom of the city for over a decade. Is there any hidden reason behind this?"