The second test was about comprehension.
Looking at the mountain of books divided into different categories, from elements, professions, materials, and general knowledge, Nero took a deep breath.
Not wanting to risk another imperfection, he didn't push himself and chose the Tier 0 basic water element.
Most contestants were only at the Tier 0 realm. The fact that Nero had reached Tier 1 already placed him among the top few.
It wasn't that they lacked talent or resources but rather that the Etherium Realm suppressed their growth.
No one could be born and instantly reach Tier 9 overnight.
Everyone, regardless of their lineage, could only give birth to a baby with no strength.
No matter how extraordinary or heaven-defying their talent was, they would still undergo a hundred-year growth period.
During these years, no matter what method they used, their progress would be at a turtle's pace.
Even Mira, who possessed a plane-level physique, was severely suppressed, only reaching the Tier 1 realm.
This was a fundamental rule Maximus had set when the Etherium Realm was still at the Tier 11 dimension.
Wanting his people to have the most solid foundation and a deep connection to the Etherium Realm, Maximus enforced this restriction at all costs.
Soon, as the trillions of children chose their topics, they were transported into an accelerated space where time flowed ten times faster than reality.
This special place didn't consume lifespan but energy; thus, no matter how many passed inside, the children wouldn't grow.
Looking around, Nero was ready to lie down and rest.
Having thoroughly studied the water element, there was no way he could fail.
However, as he looked carefully at the book titles, his brows furrowed.
"Tier 0 fire element books? How is this possible?"
He was certain he had walked into the Tier 0 water element section, so how did he end up here?
Unfortunately, with the test already in motion, there was no turning back.
Remembering his father's instructions, he could only grit his teeth, touch the book, and upload it into the Heavenly System.
Seconds passed, and one Tier 0 fire element book after another was uploaded.
"No, this won't work!"
With the acceleration of time, he had only ten months here.
With hundreds of millions of books, ten months would only allow him to upload about twenty million.
That was enough to pass the test, but he couldn't accept such imperfection.
He had high expectations for the world but even higher ones for himself.
If he had to do something, he had to do it perfectly, no matter the cost.
Resolving himself, Nero activated a Tier 0 spell, forming tentacles that allowed him to read hundreds of books at once.
Although the Heavenly System could only upload one book per second under normal conditions, that limitation only applied when he was passive.
Actively reading hundreds of books, the Heavenly System switched to multi-threading, taking only ten seconds to upload all of them.
Nero felt his stomach churn, his eyes bulging in disgust.
It was like being forced to swallow a mouthful of expired, rotten food, making him nearly faint.
For someone with his physique, the imperfection of nature was far worse than the imperfections of any person.
People were born flawed, but nature itself was perfect.
Yet, written within these books, was a chaotic mess of words—an insult and desecration to that perfection.
However, despite his revulsion, seeing the success of his method, Nero pressed on.
Grabbing another hundred books, he continued his operation.
"I swear, if I ever find out who wrote these books, I'll give them a knife!"
Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire
Time passed quickly, and soon, the comprehension phase came to an end.
"Now that you've returned, it's time for the exam. Good luck~" the evaluator announced casually, watching as all the children exited the special space.
A massive countdown clock appeared above them, and a long list of virtual questions appeared in front of their faces.
Like disciplined students far beyond their age, none of them hesitated.
Without asking any questions, they began answering the questions one by one.
The list seemed infinite. As Nero scrolled through the endless questions, Nero began selecting answers like a machine.
As soon as he read a question, the Heavenly System instantly provided the correct answer.
Without pausing, Nero answered each one, taking nearly an hour to finish all 10,000 questions.
"Huh~ This is brutal. Who the hell came up with this test?"
Not only were the questions difficult, but there were also far too many.
Looking around at the group of three-year-old children, he seriously doubted if any of them could even answer a hundred.
Although the test was multiple choice, each question had 30 possible answers instead of 3 or 4.
With such odds, unless someone had overwhelming luck, even a genius would be lucky to get 1,000 correct answers.
Sure enough, as the test ended, their scores were tabulated and displayed on the virtual test panel.
Top 1: Nero – 10,000 ; SSS
Top 2: Mira – 10,000 ; SSS
Top 4: Keily – 997 ; A
"Not bad," Looking at his score, Nero couldn't help but nod.
However, as he turned his attention to the second place, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Someone else got a perfect score?"
Mira? Wasn't she the prodigy with SSS-level talent?
"Tsk, what a cheater!"
For someone to match his score, she had to be cheating.
And since he had also cheated, he was confident in his deduction.
On the other side, while Nero was still processing this, the evaluators were in shock.
First, there had been an SSS-class talent. Now, there was also an SSS-class comprehension?
Was this the effect of the Etherium Realm's advancement to the ultimate tier 12 dimension?
Even the parents watching outside were stunned.
10,000 questions in an hour?
Many of them doubted if they could even answer half correctly in such a short time.
Looking at the results in a daze, the evaluator finally spoke up, leading the children to the final test.
"The next is the Heavenly Stairs."
"This is a test of will. The final challenge that will determine your future."
"I hope all of you give your best and achieve everything you hope for."