Chapter 409: New Buff [Majestic and Steadfast]

[Buff “Eternal Day Engine”: Middle Level]

[New Buff Ready to Claim]

[“Golden Tower of Wealth” Level 3 Unlock Mission Ready to Claim]

The once-resplendent scepter receded back into the darkness, its very tip quietly lighting up. The long-dormant Golden Tower, in turn, began to shimmer with a faint glow, and the mist that had shrouded its third level silently dissipated.

‘New Buff Ready to Claim?’

When Gu Heng saw those words, he was overcome with immense joy.

Take his current buff, [Eternal Day Engine], for example. It was an enormous help to him; its effects were, one could say, all-encompassing.

It was like a giant power bank for his stamina, allowing him to fully restore his mental and physical energy to peak condition after just a short rest.

Now, with the appearance of a new buff, how could Gu Heng not be thrilled?

‘Claim it! Claim it!’

‘Claim it now!’

Gu Heng said to Father Tongzi with his mind.

[Confirming Claim of New Buff]

[Congratulations, Host. You have received the Buff reward: “Majestic and Steadfast”.]

[“Majestic and Steadfast”: When you remain quiet or are thinking, a special aura will automatically be triggered, like the deep, still waters of an abyss, or an immovable, towering mountain. During this time, your cognitive and memory abilities will be greatly enhanced.]

As the screen of light gradually faded before his eyes, an azure radiance materialized, hovering in the void. After a few dozen seconds, just like when he first obtained the [Eternal Day Engine] buff, it suddenly broke through the boundary between reality and illusion and shot toward Gu Heng.

He felt nothing as it merged directly into his body.

‘Triggers a special aura?’

‘Greatly enhances cognitive and memory abilities?’

Gu Heng didn’t know the new buff’s specific effects, but for Father Tongzi to use the phrase “greatly enhanced,” it was clearly going to be incredible.

‘If I’d had this buff sooner, I’d probably have finished all 50 of those history books by now.’

As Gu Heng reflected on this, he turned his attention to the unlock mission for the third level of the [Golden Tower of Wealth].

The unlock rewards for the first two levels of the [Golden Tower of Wealth] had transformed Gu Heng from a penniless kid into a multi-billionaire, so he was full of anticipation for the soon-to-be-unlocked third level.

As Gu Heng’s will focused, the magnificent, glittering high tower trembled slightly.

[Challenge Mission: Score higher than the Tier 1 cutoff for Ji Province in the 2024 college entrance exam.]

[Mission Time Limit: Conclusion of the 2024 college entrance exam.]

[Mission Reward: Unlock Level 3 of the “Golden Tower of Wealth”. Your Wealth Level will be raised to A11.]

When Gu Heng saw the challenge mission for the third level of the [Golden Tower of Wealth], he was completely stunned.

The college entrance exam?

Father Tongzi wanted him to take the college entrance exam?

It was already late February. There were only three and a half months left until the 2024 exam—a hundred days, if you stretched it.

Ordinary high school students would already be in their final sprint by now. But him? Forget high school knowledge; he had forgotten most of the middle school material he used to be decent at.

‘Cram for the Tier 1 cutoff starting from zero in a hundred days?’

The whole thing sounded like a fairy tale!

After all, countless high school students across the country studied hard for three years and still might not score above the Tier 1 cutoff.

Take Ji Province, for example. The Tier 1 cutoff for both liberal arts and sciences was around 500 points every year.

If the exam was easy, it might be twenty or thirty points higher than 500.

If it was difficult, it could be twenty or thirty points lower.

There were four subjects in total: Chinese, Math, and a foreign language were each worth 150 points, while the comprehensive arts or sciences exam was worth 300.

Getting a total score over 500 might sound easy, but it was actually very difficult.

‘Dad!’

‘Don’t mess with me!’

‘Is this for the 2025 exam?’

‘Did you get the time limit wrong?’

On the surface, Gu Heng was feigning sleep, but inwardly, he was wailing in despair.

If the challenge missions for the first two levels of the [Golden Tower of Wealth] were meant to temper Gu Heng’s will and train his body, then this current mission was a test of his intellect and determination.

To transform from a “high school illiterate” who didn’t even know the word “abandon” into a top student who could score above the Tier 1 cutoff, all in a hundred days… Even with his cheats, he’d probably only have a sliver of hope if he resorted to extreme, nonstop studying.

Suddenly, Gu Heng remembered the previous challenge mission, [Shi Mingji].

It was the first challenge mission he had accepted after getting the Reversal Life System that had no time limit. And because of that lack of a deadline, Gu Heng had never felt any sense of urgency.

If it weren’t for that day at the Platinum Association, when Chu Zhengxiong’s ruthlessness had struck a nerve and filled him with a strong sense of crisis, he probably would have continued to work on that challenge mission at his usual pace.

So, if the unlock mission for the third level of the [Golden Tower of Wealth] had been set long ago, what if he had finished the previous [Shi Mingji] mission one or two months later…

At that thought, an inexplicable chill ran down Gu Heng’s spine.

It had seemed like there was no time limit, but in reality, an invisible deadline had been looming over his head all along. The two challenge missions were interlinked. The amount of time he had today to prepare for the 2024 college entrance exam was entirely dependent on how much time he had left for himself after completing the previous one.

‘Whether I can do it or not, I’ll only know once I try…’

Gu Heng thought about the two buffs he now possessed. [Eternal Day Engine] allowed him to gain abundant energy from just a short amount of sleep, while [Majestic and Steadfast] could greatly enhance his cognitive and memory abilities when he was quiet or thinking.