Chapter Twelve: The Placement Test-Back Before the College Entrance Exam, I Became a Sensation in the Science Community(Flowing waters fill the goblet.)

"Wu Tong, have you finished your summer homework yet?" Zhang Shumei greeted her vaguely without even looking up, her hands busy as ever.

"All done!"

Wu Tong took her seat, clipped the neatly organized completed assignments from her backpack to the front edge of her desk for convenient submission, and then pulled out an Oxford Dictionary, opening it to continue memorizing words from where she’d left off.

During the summer break’s morning reading sessions, after memorizing all the textbook vocabulary and passages, she had recently begun reciting the dictionary from the beginning and was now up to words starting with E.

"That’s great. I played like crazy all summer, so I only managed to finish my homework in the last few days—and I still almost didn’t make it!" With a sigh, Zhang Shumei buried her head again, copying furiously, her pen flying across the page.

She had just borrowed a classmate’s assignments and needed to hurry up—others were waiting for their turn, and she was also waiting for the next set to copy.

At eight o’clock, the bell rang. The homeroom teacher, who also taught chemistry, Chen Qiusheng, strode into the classroom right on time. He repeated the usual reminders for the start of term, especially emphasizing the need to refocus after the holidays and ringing the "wake-up call." Most students, however, were preoccupied—some were still copying homework, some were idly daydreaming, and only a handful of the most diligent students in the front rows listened in earnest.

Finally, perhaps sensing he hadn’t achieved the desired level of intimidation, the homeroom teacher dropped a bombshell: "Next Friday, we’ll have a placement test for your chosen subjects. The questions won’t be hard—just the basics—to help you refocus…"

A collective groan swept through the classroom. Everyone had played hard all summer—who had bothered to review? Wasn’t this just setting them up to fail?

"Alright, enough of that. You all act like this every time there’s a test. Stop complaining. What, you didn’t think to study all summer? You should know, you’re already in your second year now! Time flies—next year you’ll be facing the university entrance exams, and you’re still taking things lightly..."

The homeroom teacher launched into a loud lecture, then called on the class president and a few enthusiastic male students to fetch the new textbooks, before sitting at the podium to collect tuition fees one by one. Starting from the first row, each student handed over their fee, signed their name, and received a receipt.

Thus, the morning passed with paying fees, distributing textbooks, and ending with a self-study period. Wu Tong, upon receiving her new books, glanced at the math textbook and found it was the same edition her brother had used—she had already mastered it. She decided to begin previewing physics, chemistry, and biology.

Sitting in a corner by the wall, naturally undisturbed, Wu Tong lost herself in enthusiastic self-study, only getting up when it was her turn to pay the fees. For the rest of the time, the outside world held no sway over her.

She was never particularly talkative, and her desk mate didn’t find her behavior odd; after all, she too was busy flipping through her new textbooks. On the first morning of the new school year, everyone was still in a relaxed mood—some whispered to friends, some copied homework, some read magazines, some secretly played on their phones, and some began previewing lessons in advance. The more than a hundred students in the classroom each had their own unique style.

In the afternoon, formal classes began, with the main and elective subjects, plus the occasional class in PE, music, or art. The schedule had already been posted on the blackboard that morning, and everyone had copied it down and tucked it in the corner of their desks.

High school schedules were intense: from 6:30 a.m. early self-study to 9:30 p.m. when evening study ended, the day was packed with lessons.

With the start of Wu Tong’s new school year, the Wu family entered a state of tense but orderly routine. Wu Jingzhong and Jin Yu took turns—whoever came home earlier would take charge of lunch and dinner, ensuring Wu Tong never had to wait for her meals. If both were tied up with work, they’d alert the Jin family in advance so Wu Tong could eat there; only on rare occasions would she eat out.

With the new textbooks, Wu Tong used her spare time to preview all her subjects, comparing her understanding in class with the teacher’s explanations to identify any gaps. She never misunderstood the material, for the Enlightenment Stele she possessed could deduce and clarify any errors; if she misunderstood something, she would sense it immediately. Over the summer, she had gradually verified this ability during her self-study, ensuring she stayed on the right path.

Now that her concentration was well trained, once she entered a state of deep learning, her comprehension of classroom teaching soared. She absorbed every detail the teachers explained, grasping it instantly. When teachers repeated their explanations, she was already a step ahead, moving on to self-study the next chapter.

Thus, when the next lesson began, hearing the material again became an in-depth review for Wu Tong.

In the evenings, after finishing her homework efficiently during evening study, Wu Tong dedicated all remaining time—including the period after returning home, washed and ready for bed but not yet asleep—to advance study in all subjects. She started with physics, then moved to biology and chemistry, spending three to four days on each, aiming to master all high school science subjects before the placement test.

She quickly conquered every knowledge point, consolidating her understanding with practice papers—one after another—just as she had with math. She integrated all the scattered and advanced concepts, building a solid framework for each science, constructing a complete "knowledge tree" for every subject.

The study aids and reference books she had purchased were used up during these drills; two thick stacks piled against the wall, along with a growing collection of empty pen refills, bore silent witness to Wu Tong’s efforts.

During early morning self-study, she continued to devote her reading time to Chinese and English. Within two weeks, she had successfully memorized all the remaining key classical Chinese texts, ancient poems, and English vocabulary for high school. For these two subjects, Wu Tong focused mainly on memorization, while her main efforts were directed toward the pure sciences—math, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Wu Tong generally woke at 4:40 a.m., washed up quickly at battle speed, began her breathing and exercise routine at 5:00, finished grooming by 5:40, and headed out with breakfast to school. The Agricultural Bureau residential building wasn’t far from No. 1 High School—just three streets away. Riding her bike, she could make it to school in about fifteen minutes, parking and heading upstairs with perfect timing.

She kept to five hours of sleep each night, but after adjusting with the Enlightenment Stele—falling asleep instantly and sleeping deeply—it was equivalent to ten or even fifteen hours of high-quality rest. This fully restored her energy each day, and her morning breathing exercises further replenished her vitality.

As a result, despite such an intense deep-learning schedule, Wu Tong was not even slightly pale or fragile. On the contrary, she became more energetic and clear-minded, entering a virtuous cycle.

In this orderly and hectic routine, the placement test finally arrived. The classroom books were moved out in advance—day students typically left theirs in a trusted boarder’s dorm room or stacked them on extra desks at the back. Wu Tong moved her books to her desk mate Zhang Shumei’s dormitory on Thursday night.