Chapter 73: Traps Everywhere (2)
While the group were talking among themselves, Su Yu sensed some gazes on him. When he turned his head to look, he noted that those people were all dressed fashionably. It was obvious they were all guest students.
Those people seemed to be sizing him up. He looked around and continued walking forward. However, their gazes continued following him. He was now sure that they were looking at him. Of course, there was also a possibility that they were actually looking at Chen Hao. But the probability of that being the case was very small.
"Are they here because of Bai Feng? Or has my role in killing that Infinite Strength cultivator leaked?"
Su Yu mused to himself. Ultimately, he decided to just ignore them.
Right that moment, a man walked out of the examination hall and shouted, "Line up and enter the building. There are five exam rooms in total. You can find them on the first through fifth floors. Enter each room in accordance with the number you've been given earlier.
"Before the exam is over, nobody is allowed to leave. Nobody is allowed to cheat. Anyone caught cheating will be barred for life from all academies.
"Maintain order in the exam room. Troublemakers will be barred from taking any entrance exam for three years.
.
"Those with 200 marks and above in the exam will be accepted on the spot. Those below that will wait for further notice.
"Those who are also taking the cultural research academy exam in the afternoon will have to manage your strength and energy well. If you tire yourself out only to fail both exams, you're the only one who will suffer."
After the series of announcements, the city guards stepped aside and allowed the students to enter.
Su Yu checked the number he was given: 5-101.
He was the 101st student of the 5th floor.
Chen Hao would be taking the examination separately on the third floor.
Chen Hao was getting more and more nervous. He looked at Su Yu and whispered, "Yu, we're not together. What now?"
"It’s not like we’re going to cheat together." Su Yu rolled his eyes. "Just do your best. This isn't a big deal. If a simple exam can make you so nervous, how are you supposed to survive the Allheaven Battlefield? Are you going to piss your pants the moment you reach the front line?"
Su Yu lowered his voice and continued, "We've killed even Great Strength cultivators before. You don't even need to kill anyone for this exam. What are you afraid of?"
Chen Hao found those words reasonable and exhaled in relief. Yeah, he was also someone who had done something big before! Was there a need for him to fear a mere examination?
...
The students entered the building one after another.
Fifth examination room.
Five proctors were in charge of this venue.
For the war academy entrance examination, the proctors came from the Great Xia War Academy, the Martial Dragon War Academy, the Talent Fostering Bureau, the local government, and the military.
The fifth proctor from the military was not from the Martial Dragon Guards. Rather, this was a person sent by the Devil Subduing Army. The Devil Subduing Army had a small group of personnel stationed in Nanyuan. They were mainly in the city for recruitment.
Every year during the entrance examinations, there would be students failing the examinations or unwilling to sit for the examinations for various reasons. The Devil Subduing Army would show themselves and extend an invitation to these people.
The five proctors in charge of the fifth examination room had all arrived. The proctor from the Martial Dragon War Academy was none other than Old Xie.
The proctor from the Great Xia War Academy was a young man. After all the proctors were seated, the young man asked doubtfully, "Instructor Xie, aren't you in the Audit Team in charge of overseeing the entire exam? Why are you here?"
Apart from the proctors, there was also an Audit Team. They were in charge of settling disputes, supervising the proctors, and monitoring the examination. As the leader of the Martial Dragon War Academy's delegation, Old Xie should be in the Audit Team instead.
Old Xie smiled and said, "I'm an old man. It's too tiring to oversee the entire exam. Someone else can do the job. I'll stay here."
The young man did not ask more. It didn't really matter. The proctor from the Talent Fostering Bureau was a middle-aged woman. They weren't familiar with her so nobody bothered conversing with her.
The proctor from Nanyuan was the deputy commander of the city guards. He was an Infinite Strength cultivator, someone much weaker compared to a person like Old Xie. Thus, he was staying comparatively low profile.
The proctor from the Devil Subduing Army was also a silent person, not bothering to converse with anyone. With none of the proctors talking, it was rather quiet in the room. Old Xie looked around and smiled without saying anything.
In truth, all five of them could be considered competitors. They were going to be fighting over any promising young talents they found.
It hadn't been easy for the Martial Dragon War Academy to get the position of a proctor in this examination. In the past, they weren't qualified to send their own proctors to the examinations. Because of that, most of the best talents ended up recruited by the Great Xia War Academy.
Ten years ago, the prefect had helped them get the right to send their own proctors to the yearly examinations as well. Since then, they had been able to fight for the young talents before these young talents were snatched by the other academies.
After a short wait, Old Xie said, "If nobody has any issues, we'll begin."
"Sure."
"No problem."
Old Xie then looked at the city guards stationed at the entrance and said, "Open up. Let the students in."
The city guards did as told and opened the door. Students entered the room one after another. Su Yu was among them. He was curiously looking around. This building was usually closed for the public. This was his first visit here. With one look, he could see that this building was different from the other blocks in the school. The floor was spacious and empty.
This building was obviously a place only used for entrance examinations. There were five examination rooms in total. Each room would handle around six to seven hundred students. All students would take the examination at the same time instead of in batches. Thus, the examination wouldn't take too much time and would be over in one morning.
"Students, find your seats and sit down.
"No noise allowed in the exam room.
"The contents of the exam are not to be leaked.
"Remember, manage your time, strength, and energy well.
"On the battlefield, scenario analysis and decision making are also important. The war academies do not accept brainless brutes."
The person speaking was the young man from the Great Xia War Academy. His face turned stern as he said, "You've all seen the passing requirements. But those are not absolute. You won't be guaranteed 120 marks just because you're a sixth-stage Source Opening cultivator. Your judgment and capability will determine whether you can get all those marks.
"Not all Source Opening cultivators are equal. A sixth-stage Source Opening cultivator might perform worse than a third-stage Source Opening cultivator.
"We will only accept the best of the best. The rest of you will have to seek a different future."
Hearing that, the students who were still busy looking for their seats started feeling nervous. They had heard that for this examination, strength and knowledge were important. However, things might change sometimes. For example, those at the fourth-stage or fifth-stage Source Opening Realm might end up with low marks as well.
"This exam would last four hours. We will start at eight and end at twelve. Remember, manage your time and energy well."
The same reminder was given to the students. Su Yu's eyes flickered as he sank into thought. This wasn't the first time he was hearing that advice.
One of the students muttered, "It's just a matter of balance. Why repeat it so many times?"
Immediately after, Old Xie's eyes turned cold as he said, "Take him out. Put him in detention for four hours."
Two city guards walked over and dragged the stunned student away.
"I...I didn't say anything...I didn't say anything...teacher, give me another chance!"
Old Xie ignored the student. He indifferently said, "Make no noise. Raise your hand if you have any questions. This is the war academy entrance exam. We expect discipline from you. We do not enjoy repeating ourselves. Is this how you're going to act on the battlefield as well? Did the five years at your secondary school not teach you discipline?
"On the battlefield, concealment and ambushes are commonplace. You will always be surrounded by your comrades. If you talk when you're not supposed to, you might cause the entire team or even the entire army to be annihilated. Will anyone give you a second chance?
"You're secondary school students. Not random civilians. Remember to follow the rules."
With that one student serving as an example, the examination room instantly sank into silence. However, Su Yu and several other students had odd expressions on their faces. That person...seemed to be a fake student? He must be a paid actor hired to scare the students.
Most of the students did not notice anything wrong. However, Su Yu sensed that something was off. The student might look nervous when he was being dragged out, but Su Yu could feel that the student didn't really care. In fact, he looked like someone who was glad after finally completing his mission.
Su Yu was speechless. Why did they need to do all that just for an examination? Then again, it seemed to be really effective. The room was now so silent that one could even hear a pin dropping on the ground.