Lanchi Doesn't Want Attention

The day of the entrance exam.

Iketerite Academy, Learning and Education Building.

Natural light streamed into the interior through large glass curtain walls.

Lanchi arrived at the examination hall on the seventh floor early and sat quietly in the waiting area, waiting for the exam to begin.

Talia, who came with him, couldn't enter the seventh-floor examination hall, but she waited on the outdoor terrace downstairs.

A spacious terrace area was set up on one corner of the building's exterior, paved with wooden floors and furnished with benches for students and staff to rest. It offered views of the campus scenery while also allowing them to enjoy the outdoor sunshine and fresh air.

And, directly facing it was a giant magic screen displaying school information on rotation.

According to many people also waiting there, the live broadcast of the Knight Institute and Sage Institute entrance exams could be watched on any screen throughout the school later.

Seventh-floor venue, the massive atrium.

The space was open and transparent.

Several giant magic devices stood tall, like a group of silent giants.

The lights shone on the magic devices, reflecting dazzling and magnificent rays of light.

The components of these giant magic devices wound and connected for tens of meters, built entirely from Mithril and Magic Crystals, exuding a cold aura while also looking exceptionally spectacular.

Many candidates in the waiting area who saw them for the first time couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary achievements of magical engineering.

In this exam, Iketerite Academy would activate this breathtaking "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal" to provide candidates with an immersive Shadow World practical exercise.

Compared to some candidates who looked excited or anxious, there were also candidates who appeared exceptionally calm, as if they were already very familiar with how to conquer the Shadow World.

Since the Shadow World practical simulation was a joint exam for the Knight Institute and Sage Institute, those waiting here included not only candidates from the Sage Institute with a more refined demeanor but also many candidates who clearly looked like martial artists.

Of course... it wasn't impossible that they were also Sage Institute candidates.

Only those who passed this test would undergo the final assessment by professors from the two institutes respectively.

Sitting on a rest chair and waiting for a long time, Lanchi nervously rubbed his palms.

The live broadcast of the exam would be shown later, and the academy's professors and people walking around the campus would see it.

Precisely because of this, "public executions" often occurred over the years.

Many senior students would watch the new students' entrance exams on campus with an attitude of finding entertainment.

But looking on the bright side.

The magic screen would display in a split-screen, scrolling rotation format.

The probability of him being noticed among so many candidates was not high.

Moreover, he had always acted cautiously and kept a low profile, so he shouldn't attract attention.

Lanchi thought.

Unbeknownst to him, light footsteps began to sound in the venue, yet they seemed to override all other sounds and reached the ears of the waiting candidates.

This extremely strong presence emanating from a powerful individual naturally caused the originally slightly noisy, spacious examination hall to instantly fall silent.

Lanchi's thoughts were also interrupted, and he looked up in the direction everyone's gaze was converging.

He saw a figure walk out from the inner side of the venue. At this moment, it seemed as if only his footsteps echoed throughout the entire seventh floor.

As the footsteps drew closer, people finally saw that the newcomer was wearing a black classical suit paired with a white shirt and a gold tie. The buttons and collar of the formal wear were adorned with rhombus and cross-shaped holy radiance patterns.

It was a brown-haired young man, much younger than they had imagined, appearing to be under thirty years old.

However, no one dared to underestimate him because of his age. The ability to wear such decorations indicated that he was not only a teacher at Iketerite Academy but also a high-ranking divine official within the Goddess of Fate Church.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow.

He walked to the front of the waiting area.

He looked at the group of examinees.

"I am Loren Krantel, the chief examiner today, and also the Dean of the Sage Institute."

The young man's eyes were gentle, and his entire demeanor exuded no sense of threat.

This relaxed the hearts of many examinees who had been feeling somewhat nervous.

Compared to the stern and sharp examiner they had imagined a moment ago, the Dean of the Sage Institute actually seemed very approachable.

"The theme of this examination is 'Wisdom and Temperament'."

Loren continued to speak in an orderly manner,

"In most cases, during the process of challenging a Shadow World, following the correct path to decipher and advance the main objective will not require you to defeat enemies far exceeding your own level."

"However, if unexpected events or errors occur midway, it will lead the Shadow World into an extremely dangerous situation. Not only will you encounter enemies strong enough to instantly kill you, you might even be hunted in return... or even slowly tortured to death."

"Therefore, being able to successfully decipher and obtain key clues within the Shadow World is extremely important."

At this point, Loren's voice suddenly paused, and his eyes became somewhat complex,

"Iketerite Academy actually experienced a regrettable accident. It was a failed Tier 4 Shadow World. Of the seven students who participated in the challenge, none survived."

His voice was not low, but this sentence echoed like muffled thunder throughout the entire atrium.

For teenagers, "death" might be a concept far removed from them.

However, many people might not have been prepared for the corresponding consequences before coming to this academy.

The examination hall was eerily silent, and the eyes of many examinees seemed to waver.

As if anticipating the students' reactions, Loren remained silent for a few seconds before continuing:

"The fundamental reason was that the students in the team were too arrogant, causing the main mission to not only deviate from the normal direction but also lacking sufficient ability to cope with the rapidly deteriorating chaotic situation."

"This is the imbalance between temperament and wisdom."

"Therefore, this year, both the Knight Institute and the Sage Institute will pay special attention to the examinees' comprehensive ability to maintain a firm mindset and properly handle situations."

"The test you will face shortly is a replication of a real Shadow World."

"Each of you will independently face the same single-player Shadow World. Successfully clearing it means you pass."

After a brief introduction to the exam process.

Loren embedded a black crystal key into the control panel of the "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal".

Subsequently.

The space directly in front of the magical device seemed to gradually distort, its color deepening until it gradually took shape, becoming a seemingly illusory gate. Within the massive mirror-like surface, countless distorted souls appeared to be swirling.

This was almost identical to the Void Gate that allowed entry into the Shadow World.

Loren stood quietly in the hall of the venue.

Meanwhile, other school staff began guiding the examinees.

They directed them through the Void Gate, into the artificial Shadow World.

At the same time.

The giant screen hanging on the wall of the atrium no longer displayed its usual content.

Instead, it switched to showing the Shadow World scenes from the entrance exam!

Generally speaking, Xi Gouzi is accustomed to updating during the daytime hours of 6 to 8 AM, but sometimes he might release it earlier, during the Netherworld hours of 0 AM. The next chapter will be Lanchi's battle that makes him famous!