Rules and Uproar

On stage, Makarov looked at the excited and expectant children below and smiled kindly.

"Quiet!"

He spoke again, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Since some of you are participating for the first time, I'll go over the rules again."

Everyone immediately perked up their ears, especially Natsu and Gray, who stared wide-eyed, afraid of missing a single word.

Makarov extended one finger.

"These eight selected individuals must find a partner to take the exam with within this week!"

"Partner?"

"Oh! You need to find a partner too!"

"There are two conditions that must be met when choosing a partner," Makarov paused, then held up his second finger.

"First, they must be members of the Fairy Tail guild. Second, they cannot choose S-Class Mage as their partner."

This condition is actually quite easy to understand.

Are you kidding me? If you can choose S-Class Mage as your partner, what's the point of this exam?

If anyone can recruit Jiang Bai, this extraordinary monster, into their team, then what's the point of taking the test? Just declare them qualified.

With Jiang Bai around, whoever he helps is guaranteed to become S-Class.

As for the others, the scene was too beautiful to even imagine.

"As for the exam content, I will tell you once we arrive at Tenrou Island."

Makarov paused to suspense, then abruptly changed the subject, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"However, there's one thing I can tell you in advance..."

"This time, Jiang Bai will still try to stop you. Moreover, Gildarts and Erza will also get involved."

Upon hearing this, a chorus of groans erupted from the audience.

"No! President!"

"Having Jiang Bai alone is bad enough, how come even Gildarts and Erza are..."

"So that's why Laxus made a special trip back?"

"Oh no, oh no, how am I supposed to take the exam now!"

"If all else fails, how about removing Jiang Bai altogether?!"

Upon hearing this news, Lucy was also shocked and turned pale.

Does becoming S-Class Mage require defeating Jiang Bai and his entire group?

That's asking too much of anyone!

Lucy had silently prepared herself for the fact that she would never become S-Class Mage in her lifetime.

"Lucy, you're leaking juice again," Happy said with a mischievous grin as he flew in front of her.

She then added, "Seriously, Lucy is so stupid. If you really have to defeat Jiang Bai to become an S-Class Mage, how did Erza and the others become S-Class in the first place?"

"Oh right!" Lucy exclaimed, realizing what was happening, and roared at Happy.

"That's sweat! Not juice! You perverted cat!"

"It's obviously impossible."

Gray walked over, arms crossed, and calmly analyzed, "S-Class Mages will go easy on you; they're just setting up a checkpoint there to test whether you've met the standards to become S-Class."

"If their requirements are not met, it will be deemed unqualified."

"By the way," Elfman added, walking over as well.

"For the past two years, my brother-in-law has been the final examiner for the S-Class Exam. And not a single participant has met his requirements."

For two consecutive years, no one has passed the qualification test!

"That's so strict!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise after hearing it.

Just how high are Jiang Bai's requirements?

"Alright!"

Makarov clapped his hands and gave his final summary.

"The eight selected individuals and their respective partners, assemble at Hargeon Port in one week! That's all! Dismissed!"

After saying that, Makarov led Jiang Bai and the others away gracefully from the stage.

But the commotion within the guild was only just beginning.

The order to "disband" caused an uproar in the guild hall once again. Everyone gathered around, excitedly discussing the event, as it was the most anticipated annual event in the Fairy Tail guild.

Of course, there are also some older members who, due to their advanced age, have completely become complacent and only want to drink and watch the show.

For example, Macao and Wakaba.

The two had already put their arms around each other's shoulders and huddled around the bar, each holding a glass of ale, ready to place their bets.

"This year's challenge is really high!" Gray exclaimed, looking at the excited crowd around him.

It's not just difficult, it's downright hellish.

Not only were there a lot of monsters among the participants, but the lineup of examiners was also the most impressive in history.

"However, it's quite surprising that this is the first time for both of you and Natsu," Lucy said, looking at Gray beside her.

Gray and Natsu were two of the people Lucy knew best in the guild. In her opinion, these two should have been S-Class long ago, and she thought they had participated many times before.

It seems that Fairy Tail's requirements for S-Class Mages are much stricter than I imagined.

"I'm fired up!" Natsu didn't care about the difficulty; all he knew was that this was a legitimate opportunity to challenge a strong opponent!

"I will definitely become S-Class!"

"It doesn't seem easy."

"Whoa! The road to becoming S-Class man is always arduous!" Elfman shouted to himself, encouraging himself.

"Everyone, keep going!" Lisanna waved her little fist and cheered everyone on with a big smile.