Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin was charging forward at full steam, so absorbed in his studies he ignored all distractions. During the first period that morning, the Chinese teacher walked in and said something along the lines of, "Due to a scheduling change, we’ll be having Chinese instead of math," but he paid it no mind. Well, to be precise, he didn’t even know that first period was supposed to be math class.

He was simply immersed in the joy of his Basic Rhetoric skill, which was on the verge of advancing to the Profound level. The Champion Scholar Stone couldn’t really help him score points in calligraphy, but the first tier of Basic Rhetoric wasn’t just about calligraphy. It was perfectly capable of giving its little bro a boost in other areas.

After all, the Champion Scholar Stone had become a First Guard Champion Scholar; it was safe to say it had no weak subjects.

And as long as he raised the level to Profound or higher, the "Great Master’s Legacy" attribute would activate, allowing him to perfect his penmanship much faster. Shi Tiexin didn’t know how the students of this world practiced. He only knew that he could use this clever shortcut to exploit the system’s levels and attributes.

While Shi Tiexin was engrossed in his Chinese studies, Electric Old Jia sat in the faculty office, looking utterly baffled. He glanced around. A last-minute meeting had somehow summoned every single teacher from the first-year math department.

’What’s with all the fuss?’

"Esteemed teachers, thank you for making time in your busy schedules to be here." The meeting was being hosted by the head of the first-year students and the director of the Academic Affairs Office. The grade level head spoke first. "We’ve called a last-minute meeting today. Everyone’s time is precious, so we’ll be brief and get straight to the point."

All the teachers straightened up in their seats.

"After discussion by the school’s administrative committee and in agreement with the Academic Affairs Office, the school has decided to hold an additional, mandatory diagnostic math test for the entire student body this weekend. All students, from the first-years to the third-years, will participate. The content of the exam will be..." The grade level head paused here, a subtle expression on his face as he announced, "The four arithmetic operations."

The teachers were stunned for a moment, then the room erupted in an uproar.

"What? The four arithmetic operations?"

"What’s the point of a test on basic arithmetic?"

"Basic arithmetic is something they test in elementary school, not high school!"

The teachers qualified to teach at Fengming First Middle School were all elites, and many of them had short fuses. Hearing the phrase "the four arithmetic operations," they felt as if the school was mocking them, implying they couldn’t even teach elementary-level content properly. Their expressions soured.

Just then, the Director of Academic Affairs stood up. "Settle down, everyone, please. Let me explain the administrative committee’s objective in arranging this special test."

The teachers fell silent, though they were practically fuming, waiting to see what the Director of Academic Affairs had to say for himself.

"Everyone, the committee believes that the most important part of learning is the foundation. As the saying goes, if the foundation is not secure, the earth will tremble and the mountains will shake. And what is the foundation of mathematics? It’s quick, accurate calculation and clear, systematic logic. Of these, calculation is the most fundamental of all, the very starting point of studying math. Am I wrong? The school simply wants to use this exam to remind the students of the importance of their foundation."

A math teacher couldn’t help but speak up. "I understand the principle, but basic arithmetic is far removed from our high school curriculum. Besides, the students at Fengming First Middle School all clawed their way here through the fiercely competitive entrance exams. Anyone with a weak foundation would have been weeded out long ago. Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of this test?"

The other teachers quickly chimed in. "Exactly! It’s a complete waste of time and energy!"

"We’re already behind schedule and moving at a breakneck pace. The pressure on us is immense as it is."

"That’s right! And we’ll have to grade them all afterward. That’s more than a day or two wasted. Pulling a stunt like this right now... Are you kidding me?"

The Director of Academic Affairs quickly raised his hands. "Everyone, it’s precisely because the schedule is tight and the pace is fast that we need to pay *more* attention to the foundation. If your fundamentals aren’t solid, running too fast will just cause you to trip. You are all elite educators on the front lines. Surely you’ve all had a student who is clearly perceptive and quick-witted, but is just... lacking that certain something, and for the life of you, you can’t figure out why. You’ve all experienced that, haven’t you?"

The teachers went quiet, but Old Jia nodded. "I certainly have."

"Principal Liu’s point is that this is because their foundation wasn’t laid properly, which is why they can’t accelerate when it’s time for the final sprint." The Director of Academic Affairs said with a placid smile, "Principal Liu also came up from the teaching front lines. He was a math teacher for nearly twenty years. How could he possibly be unaware of the pressure you all face?

"Principal Liu pushed this initiative through despite the opposition because he wants to run a trial, starting with the math department, precisely because he has seen how weak our students’ foundations are."

One of the teachers scoffed, "Weak?"

"You don’t believe it? You really think your own students have such solid foundations?" The Director’s tone was a mix of coaxing and challenging. "From what I hear, this exam will have a massive number of questions, be extremely high-pressure, and have a steep difficulty curve. The questions are supposedly very well-designed. This exam is unlike any other. It will reveal the students’ true abilities, and more importantly, test their limits and potential. Those ’top students’ you’re all so proud of might just have their true colors exposed."

"If you’re all so confident, what’s the harm in putting it to the test? Let’s trot them out and see if we have mules or thoroughbreds. We’ll see what mettle your classes are truly made of!"

The meeting did not go smoothly. The Director of Academic Affairs and the math teachers clashed several times. In the end, the exam was pushed through by the authority of the administrative committee’s resolution, but many teachers remained unconvinced. They felt the new principal was just an ambitious grandstander, always trying to win through unconventional tricks. They believed he was using so-called "reforms" to score political points for himself.

"Reform is never that easy. Why can’t we just stick to the steady, stable traditions of Fengming First Middle School?"

"Exactly! We have a perfectly good, proven method, but no, he has to pull some weird stunt!"

"Sigh. Principal Liu is still young. He loves all this flashy, superficial stuff. He’s bound to fall flat on his face eventually."

"Basic arithmetic? This is Fengming First Middle School! If you want to practice basic arithmetic, go sign up for a ’Little Genius’ prep course somewhere!"

After the meeting, the teachers were still grumbling. But among them, only Old Jia seemed lost in thought.

’The four arithmetic operations?’

’Foundation?’

’Fundamentals?’

’Could it be that this is what Shi Tiexin meant by ’fundamentals’?’ That mention of "Little Genius" reminded Old Jia of the *Little Genius* workbook he’d found last night.

’Whatever, no point in guessing,’ he thought. ’The test is this weekend anyway. I’ll see then if he’s really planning to start from scratch and rebuild his foundation, or if he’s just putting on an act and talking a big game. The results will speak for themselves.’

All day long, the Director of Academic Affairs personally made the rounds, lobbying the math departments of all three grade levels. The third-year math department put up the most resistance, arguing that with the college entrance exams just around the corner, they couldn’t afford to waste time. The Director had to talk himself hoarse, but in the end, he managed to lock it in.

This Sunday: a school-wide, mandatory test on the four arithmetic operations!