On the Eve of the Show

The Human Race Unified Exam was short for the All-Academy and School Alliance Unified Entrance Examination for Higher Education Institutions and Sects.

It was an examination organized by the All-School Alliance—the abbreviation for the All-Academy and School Alliance—in conjunction with forces from every level of the Human Race.

The exam was intended to select outstanding members of the Human Race's younger generation for focused cultivation, and was an important cornerstone in ensuring the Human Race's continued development.

October 5, 7:30 a.m., West District Central Plaza.

Students stood in dense, orderly rows across the enormous plaza. Waiting there for the annual major exam to begin were almost all the young awakened of Yin City's West District.

Most of them were in the first realm, while the rest had reached the second realm.

But among the candidates who had reached the second realm, more than half were repeat candidates. Only a handful of the rest were true heaven's chosen.

"Beep."

A short chime sounded, signaling that the exam was about to begin.

"Candidates, please line up voluntarily and proceed in an orderly manner to the exam site entrance for realm testing and identity verification.

After entering the exam site, candidates must not linger or gather inside. Proceed directly to your assigned examination area for a security check."

The exam instructions rang out clearly across the plaza. One after another, the candidates entered the spatial portal at the Yin City exam site, ready to head to their assigned examination areas.

The students of West District No. 1 Middle School were also waiting in line for their realm tests. Two boys from senior year Class B had drawn together and were talking quietly.

"Old Li, are you nervous?" The sturdier young man spoke first.

Beside him, the boy named Li Jie moved his lips and replied, "Obviously. Who wouldn't be nervous? This is the damn Unified Exam!"

Despite what he said, Li Jie was clearly not all that nervous.

Rather than being untroubled, he simply knew his own limits. He was well aware that a second-rate institution was the best he could hope to scrape into, so he felt no pressure to aim higher.

After that, both fell silent again.

As the long line gradually shortened, the sturdier boy's nervousness only continued to build.

Noticing this, Li Jie nudged his good friend's arm.

"Old Song, say something! You usually yap nonstop all day. How come you've gone quiet today?"

The sturdier Song Haomiao was momentarily speechless. He gathered his thoughts before saying, "Come on, man, it's a wonder I haven't passed out in this sun."

"Bull fucking shit. You awakened a fire-type talent. How could a little sun kill you?"

"All right, I don't know what to say. I'm a weakling at the peak of the first realm, going in there to compete with a bunch of second-realm candidates. How am I supposed to win?"

"Old Song, don't give up! I'm a whole stage below you, and I haven't given up. Give it your all, and you'll win!"

Seeing that his good friend was still looking somewhat dispirited, Li Jie decided to give him a push.

"So what if you can't get into a top institution? Can't you still get into a first-rate one? Stop thinking so much. Once the exam's over, let's go have some fun over in Meifeng. My treat this time!"

Song Haomiao's anxiety eased somewhat, and he replied with a smile, "Thanks, brother."

Their turn for testing was coming up, so Li Jie simply patted him on the shoulder and said no more.

A moment later, it was Li Jie's turn for the realm test.

"Please enter the testing gate."

Li Jie followed the staff member's instructions and entered the partially enclosed testing device.

"Identity confirmed: Li Jie, West District No. 1 Middle School, middle stage of the first realm. Meets the exam requirements. Next."

Li Jie obediently left the testing gate and walked toward the teleportation device nearby.

Just before stepping into the spatial portal, he heard a muffled voice behind him.

"Identity confirmed: Chen Xiao, member of the Chen Family, peak of the second realm. Meets..."

"Did he get through?"

"Yes, everything went smoothly. No one noticed."

"Go report to the family head. Notify the Research Department to raise the confidentiality level of the Hidden Realm Ring. Everyone else, continue monitoring Owl's condition through the examination area's live feed."

"What did those neutral noble families say?"

"The Reformist Faction snatched several promising talents they'd set aside, so they've made it clear they're coming over to our side."

"Hmph! I said it before: sooner or later, fence-sitters get kicked off."

"The Reformist Faction is dead set on targeting us, so don't hold back. The higher-ups have decided to make a move when night falls on the first day."

"If this succeeds, make sure to clean up afterward."

"Understood."

Lou Shisui, using the alias Chen Xiao, held a standard-issue longsword as part of his disguise and passed the realm test without a hitch.

His appearance had changed slightly. Beneath his fine, tousled black bangs was an utterly ordinary face.

The soft curves tempered the aggressive beauty of his original appearance.

As soon as he entered the exam site, he heard the instructions for candidates playing on a loop.

"...Please proceed in an orderly manner to your assigned examination area for a security check."

"When it is your turn for the security check, you must present any weapons you are carrying, your weapon permits, exam admission permit, and identification to the proctors for verification, and submit to the security check."

"If a candidate refuses to cooperate with the check, the proctors have the right to bar them from entering the exam site. The candidate will bear the consequences."

"After the security check, candidates will receive their exam admission brooches."

"Only after pinning on the brooch may a candidate pass through the exam site portal and enter the exam site."

"After entering the exam site, candidates will appear inside waiting barriers and wait for the exam to begin."

"While waiting, do not attack, damage, or forcibly break through the waiting barriers."

"Anyone who attacks, damages, or forcibly breaks through a waiting barrier will, in accordance with exam regulations, be barred from the exam on the spot and detained for fifteen days."

"After the exam ends, exam-completion barriers will appear. Candidates must stop acting of their own accord, conclude the exam, and wait to be teleported out of the examination area."

"Anyone who continues acting after the exam ends will receive a warning in accordance with exam regulations. In serious cases, their exam results will be invalidated."

"Exam times are based on sub-city time. Candidates may begin acting only after the starting signal sounds and the waiting barriers are deactivated."

"Candidates may not enter the exam more than fifteen minutes after it begins. Before the exam ends, candidates may not leave early unless they have suffered a fatal injury."

"During the exam, do not deliberately attack or damage the examination area's proctoring and live-streaming equipment..."

Shisui walked straight to the entrance of Examination Area Three and began the security check.

"Documents."

He presented the longsword he carried, along with the weapon permit, exam admission permit, and identification on his wristband.

"Hold both arms out to your sides."

He obediently raised both arms to his sides and let the proctor scan him.

"All right, you can go in."

He passed without a hitch.

Shisui pinned on his exam admission brooch and slipped into the examination area's secret realm.

As soon as he entered the examination area, a pale golden rectangular barrier enclosed him.

Shisui surveyed his surroundings through the barrier. A vast forest stretched out as far as he could see.

The major exam was held in a single, enormous secret realm designated by the All-School Alliance. Candidates were assigned to different examination areas merely so the proctoring teams could record and monitor them in batches.

He gently touched the waiting barrier and sensed its strength.

Its flexibility was good, and its strength was probably only at the middle stage of the third realm.

It seemed that most of the Psychic Energy in this secret realm was being used to maintain its size, power the monitoring equipment, and produce large numbers of second- and third-realm prey.

He recalled the task the Chen Family's steward had given him yesterday.

After the exam began, he was to use the Hidden Realm Ring's navigation function to find Chen Haoyu, then help Chen Haoyu defeat enough candidates and prey.

As for the examination area's surveillance, Chen Haoyu had a new type of jamming device that could briefly divert the surveillance cameras' view, keeping them out of the proctoring team's sight.

"The exam is about to begin. All candidates, please prepare."

The announcement in the examination area brought Shisui's wandering thoughts back.

Shisui, who had fiddled with his hair until it was black, made himself less conspicuous and lay low like a lurking crocodile.