Vincent’s hand paused as he held his te, an Inexplicable feeling of being challenged rising within him. He nced over at Mirabe, but seeing her expression unchanged, he dismissed the thought.


    Maybe he was just being oversensitive?


    “By the way.” Vincent casually mentioned, “after the prelims today, If you’re free this afternoon, how about we take a stroll around Prestige College? My cousin is studying there and could give <b>us </b>a tour.”


    D


    Mirabe was bncing two tes of breakfast. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’ve got ns this afternoon,” she declined.


    Vincent didn’t press the issue.


    Students began to trickle into the dining hall, and after finishing her meal, Mirabe didn’t return to her room. Instead, she went straight down to the lobby to walt.


    Thepetition was set to start at nine o’clock, and the hotel was only a brisk one–hundred–and–fifty–meter walk from Prestige College–a matter of minutes..


    Anthony led the students, reminding them of several essential points along the way. He especially warned them not to wander around Prestige College once they arrived. Prestige College wasn’t just any university; there were areas strictly off–limits to students<b>, </b>enforced by the college’s stringent rules.


    As the top–ranked institution in the nation, Prestige College was the embodiment of thousands of students‘ aspiratiohs. Merely standing outside its gates, gazing upon the inspirational motto. emzoned on the entrance, could stir a fiery passion in the heart, its century–old legacymanding immense respect.


    Mirabe looked up at the imposing gates of Prestige College, unsure of what others were feeling, but she was quite moved.


    Indeed, the atmosphere of study seemed to be truly found within the walls of an educational institution. She had never felt this before, but now that she had experienced it, it was as though her love for learning had intensified.


    Soon, all the students began to file orderly into Prestige College, where staff were ready to greet and check them in. The regtions were strict: each student had to register and wear an ID badge for thepetition–no badge, no entry. The numbers on the badges were not only for identification but also served as their seat assignments in the exam hall, randomly assigned regardless of previous scores.


    Mirabe’s number was eleven, while Vincent’s was forty–something, so they were not in the same room. As two of the most promising candidates in the nationalpetition from the


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    same school, it was natural they’d be separated.


    Before long, all the students from various regions across the country were escorted by Prestige. College staff to the exam hall in the West Academic Building<b>. </b>


    Before entering the exam hall, students had to surrender all electronic devices like mobile phones. The entrance was even equipped with infrared detectors, making cheating virtually impossible.


    Mirabe found her seat at the end of the third row. As she looked around, she realized she was the only girl among a dozen or sopetitors.


    Shortly after, the invigtors entered with the exam papers and began distributing them. Mirabe skimmed the test, immediately checking the moreplex problems at the end. The big questions were evenly split between chemistry and physics, each appearing intricate and challenging<b>. </b>


    Her eyebrows lifted slightly, a serious glint in her eyes. The previous rounds had been child’s y, but finally, the examiners had decided to pose questions that packed a punch. “This is what a real exam should feel like,” she thought to herself.


    Luckily for her, this thought remained unspoken. If the examiners and her fellowpetitors knew what she was thinking, it would surely attract a horde of ill will.


    The supervising teacher soon announced the start of the exam.