Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: Second Exam
"Is this the Water Elemental Spiritual Law?"
Yun Ye clearly felt the wonders of Spiritual Law in this world.
Compared to techniques like Fireball and Wind Blade, the Spiritual Laws here were evidently more about free and effortless control of the respective elements!
The way the flowing water instantly delivered the exam papers to them was simply stunning, filled with visual shock!
In simple terms…
It was very cool!
Yun Ye already envisioned a future where he could freely control flames.
The feeling of having flames all around didn’t seem too different from the lovely flowing water!
After fantasizing for a few seconds, he lowered his head.
He began to write.
The brush used in this world was something Yun Ye had gotten used to after a year of practice, allowing him to answer the questions swiftly.
The Second Exam topics included:
Qi Cultivation Technique,
Body Refinement Technique,
Tiger Fist,
and various fill-in-the-blank poetry.
There were even a few multiple-choice questions on political topics, such as whom one should pledge loyalty to.
During class, Yun Ye had taken this in one ear and out the other, but the younger children were different.
The younger they were, the easier they were to brainwash.
This showed why younger children had such an advantage in the academy.
They would eventually be insiders, and naturally, they would receive better treatment.
Yun Ye wrote swiftly without holding back.
He was familiar with all of this; after all, reading so many books wasn’t for nothing.
"What are Spiritual Roots? Answer: The foundation for cultivation, the ability to draw spirit energy from the world."
"What is an element? Answer: The orientation of the Spiritual Roots; having a certain element allows one to draw spirit energy of that attribute."
"What are the five major elements? Answer: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth."
"What is the Thunder element? Answer: The fusion of Metal and Water elements."
"What is the Ice element? Answer: The fusion of Earth and Water elements."
"What is Spiritual Law? Answer: The method of using Spiritual Roots and their attributes."
"What are the grades of Spiritual Roots? Answer: None, Extremely Poor, Poor, Average, Good, Excellent, Spiritual Body…"
Yun Ye paused as he reached this point in his answers.
He had not connected the grading scale until now.
Was it E (None), D (Extremely Poor), C (Poor), B (Average)?
Shi Baiyan had said that Yun Ye’s D-level Spiritual Roots were extremely poor, much worse than his own.
But Shi Baiyan’s Spiritual Roots grade was C, which should only be one level higher than Yun Ye, meaning "Poor."
This situation could be explained as Shi Baiyan exaggerating.
Or, was it possible that C-level included both Poor and Average levels?
And Shi Baiyan just happened to have Average quality Spiritual Roots?
Yun Ye shook his head.
Although he had learned about the classifications of Spiritual Root quality from books and classes, there was no detailed explanation.
He couldn’t make a proper connection.
Half an hour passed.
Soon, it was time.
Similarly, the examiner raised his hand expressionlessly, and a rush of water surged, wrapping around everyone and lifting the exam papers.
Then, they were neatly stacked in front of him.
As the exam papers were completed, it was noon, and everyone felt the hunger from practicing the Qi Cultivation Technique, their stomachs grumbling.
But the exam had to continue, so everyone just endured.
After the examiner collected the papers, he directly skipped the Qi Cultivation Technique and Tiger Fist assessments in the Second Exam, just adjusting the scoring since the First Exam had already measured those. There was no reason to retest.
"Tester: Yang Shi."
"Main Subject: Qi Cultivation Technique"
"Mastery: Poor."
"Effect: Poor."
"Cultivation Level: Average."
"Secondary Subject: Tiger Fist."
"Mastery: Poor."
"Evaluation: D-grade, failing."
Yang Shi’s score had significantly dropped in the Second Exam compared to his passing score in the First Exam, and Yun Ye clearly still had a long way to go.
After completing the exam papers and the main and secondary subjects, it was time for the knowledge quiz on monsters and demons.
This time it was a one-on-one question-and-answer format, each question allowing only three breaths to think before time expired and counted as incorrect.
Yun Ye lacked confidence in this format as well; although he had noted plenty of information about monsters and demons, that didn’t mean he could apply it effectively, and three breaths were too short.
"You are a revival of Spiritual Roots with a Fire element. If you encounter a Blue Lantern Ghost in a clearing at midnight, how should you respond?"
The Blue Lantern Ghost was a low-level demon with a phantom-like body, only vulnerable to specific weapons as well as Thunder and Fire techniques, and those techniques had a counter effect, causing great damage.
Normally, a revival of Spiritual Roots with a Fire element could easily defeat the Blue Lantern Ghost by throwing Fire Techniques from a distance.
But the location was an open area, which meant the Blue Lantern Ghost’s light could spread, and there was no way to hide.
Even if the revival of Spiritual Roots was caught in the ghost’s light, they would be unable to move, greatly reducing their chances of winning.
So, the correct approach should be…
“Lie down, reduce your breathing rate, and wait for the Blue Lantern Ghost to leave.”
“Correct. The Blue Lantern Ghost never acts alone; seeing one means there’s likely a group nearby. Without the advantage of terrain, the only option is to retreat!”
The Blue Lantern Ghost had no physical body and could neither see nor hear; it hunted purely based on sensing life waves.
Breathing, as a way of exchanging substances with the outside world, was a clear life feature.
For the Blue Lantern Ghost, faster breathing meant more blood energy to feast upon; slower breathing held no value.
So, once the breathing slowed, the Blue Lantern Ghost would “not see,” avoiding a meaningless battle.
Yun Ye continued to answer questions, but the quiz on monsters and demons was much more difficult than the exam paper. Many things he had never heard of before, and he struggled to answer again and again.
When the exam ended, Yun Ye calculated a bit and realized he had failed 100%. He couldn’t help but show a look of regret.
Finishing the Second Exam early had its benefits; it meant a chance to exchange for a better room, plus an extra serving of D-level Superior Food each day, which would greatly help in cultivation. Otherwise, why would he study so hard?
“I’m still paying the price for not knowing how to read; I spent too much time learning to read and write.”
Yun Ye took a deep breath, not feeling discouraged, and walked out of the exam room with Wang Yao, quickly heading to eat.
If he didn’t pass the Second Exam, there was no need to attend the Third Exam.
In reality, out of more than one hundred sixty people, only about thirty or forty remained for the Third Exam, and even many of them participated just to get used to the environment, with no real confidence.
“Stone, how did you do in the Qi Cultivation Technique?”
Wang Yao said, handing his score report to Yun Ye, and they exchanged reports.
"Tester: Wang Yao."
"Subject: First Exam."
"Main Subject: Qi Cultivation Technique."
"Mastery: Poor."
"Effect: Good."
"Cultivation Level: Good."
"Secondary Subject: Tiger Fist."
"Mastery: Good."
"Evaluation: B-grade, passing."
Yun Ye was somewhat surprised; Wang Yao’s “Effect” rating in Qi Cultivation Technique was two levels higher than his own. No wonder Wang Yao could lay a solid foundation in just one year; he was very suited to practicing Qi Cultivation Technique.
Even Wang Yao’s Tiger Fist rating was better.
“Poor effect but good cultivation level? Stone, have you practiced Qi Cultivation Technique before?”
Wang Yao scratched his head.
“Yes.”
Yun Ye nodded.
“You can’t be serious… ‘Poor’ has only 50% of the rate of ‘Good’ cultivation speed. Even though you’re two years younger than me, it’s actually harder!”
Wang Yao calculated roughly; it might take Yun Ye four or five years to reach Minor Achievement, which was way too long.
Would there really be time to awaken his Spiritual Roots afterward?
“So, earn money.”
Yun Ye scooped food onto his plate and swallowed it down without worries.
Wang Yao admired this mindset and could only shake his head as he also dug in.
