Chapter 216: Entrance Exam [PART 2]
In the same spacious classroom where he planned to test the farming students, Xiang Yu also brought in the appraisal candidates. The room buzzed as disciples from both groups settled into their seats, eyeing each other with a mixture of curiosity and some competitiveness.
At the front of the room, Xiang Yu carefully arranged ten diverse objects on the instructor’s desk. The collection included various weapons with different grades of spiritual energy, several pills of varying quality and purpose, cultivation manuals, and other miscellaneous items like spiritual stones, formation discs, and even a few rare herbs.
Turning to address the appraisal candidates specifically, he gestured toward the displayed items. "For the appraisal candidates, I have given each of you ten sheets of paper. I want you to examine these items here and describe what you see, everything, and I mean absolutely everything about what you observe. I want it to be extremely detailed and thorough."
He pointed to the front side of their papers. "That detailed observation goes on the front page. On the backside of each paper, I want you to describe in complete detail everything you know about that particular item, its uses, its value, its creation method if you know it, anything at all."
Some of the appraisal students gulped nervously, already feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the task.
"You can ask for additional paper if you have more to write," Xiang Yu added, noting their anxious expressions. "Don’t limit yourself if you have genuine insights to share."
He then addressed both groups simultaneously. "Alright, both farming and appraisal candidates, you have exactly two hours. Your time starts now."
The moment those words left his mouth, both groups instantly got to work. The farming students bent over their written examinations, some writing furiously while others stared at the questions with furrowed brows. The appraisal students approached the front desk in small groups, studying the displayed objects with intense concentration.
However, the reactions among the appraisal candidates varied dramatically. Some managed to write only a few sparse lines for each object, fidgeting nervously in their chairs as they watched other students continue scribbling away with apparent confidence. One particularly anxious disciple kept glancing around the room, wondering desperately, "Is there really that much to see or know about just a simple knife?" His confusion only deepened when he watched the student next to him approach Xiang Yu to request additional paper, having already filled his initial sheets completely.
The two hours passed with agonizing slowness for some and lightning speed for others. When time finally expired, Xiang Yu quickly scanned all the papers with his divine sense, his enhanced perception allowing him to evaluate the responses in mere moments.
The farming school results genuinely surprised him. Out of seventy applicants, twenty had passed. The success rate was much higher than he’d anticipated given the impromptu nature of the written test and their lack of preparation. Then again, upon reflection, it made perfect sense. Most disciples had been farmers before entering the jianghu, so they naturally possessed foundational knowledge about soil, crops, seasons, and agricultural techniques.
The appraisal results, however, were exactly what he’d expected. Despite having the highest number of applicants overall as people assumed it would be low-effort compared to the other physically demanding professions, the success rate was abysmal. Out of two hundred candidates, only five had passed. Even then, Xiang Yu wasn’t entirely certain whether these five possessed genuine appraisal talent or were simply creative writers with active imaginations. Well, nothing could be done about that uncertainty now.
"Shen Nong, you’ll be the president of the School of Farming," Xiang Yu announced, addressing a sturdy-looking disciple who had scored highest on the farming examination. "Wen Chang, you’ll be the president of the School of Appraisal," he continued, turning to a thin, scholarly-looking young man whose detailed observations had impressed him.
"Both of you, go find Chairman Liu Qing and she will brief you about your duties and responsibilities," he instructed.
With that task completed, he left the room and made his way back to check on the alchemy students.
When he returned to the alchemy classroom, the scene that greeted him was moderately chaotic but thankfully not nearly as disastrous as the blacksmithing room had been earlier. Various colored liquids bubbled in containers around the room, and the air was thick with strange aromas ranging from pleasant to absolutely revolting.
"Time’s up! Everyone stop what you’re doing," Xiang Yu commanded.
He then walked to each student’s workstation, using his appraisal ability to quickly identify whatever concoctions they had managed to create.
"Bone melting poison—fail!" he announced at the first station. "Rat poison—fail!" came his verdict at the second. "Cyanide—fail! Among Us potion—fail!" His voice carried a note of exasperation as he continued down the line. "Minor strengthening potion—pass!"
The pattern continued as he moved through the room, with far more failures than successes.
In the end, only a handful of disciples had managed to create anything remotely useful or safe. Out of the original fifty candidates, merely ten had passed his standards.
"Lao Zi, you’ll be the president of the School of Alchemy," he announced to a middle-aged disciple whose healing tonic had been surprisingly well-crafted. "Go find the chairman and have her brief you on your duties."
He then turned to address the remaining candidates with a dismissive wave. "The rest of you are dismissed. Better luck next time."
After finishing the recruitment for all the schools, Xiang Yu finally turned his attention to practicing medicine. He also remembered gaining his new Teacher profession and decided to combine both activities for maximum efficiency. He found Wang Cheng, the medicine school president.
"Go gather all the injured disciples who are waiting for treatment and bring them to the School of Medicine," Xiang Yu directed. "This way, I can treat them while teaching you students at the same time."
Wang Cheng nodded eagerly and hurried off to collect the patients. Soon, a steady stream of injured disciples began filing into the medical classroom, taking seats while the medicine students arranged themselves in a semicircle around Xiang Yu’s treatment area.