Mu Yuan drew his number.
54. He was Candidate Number 54, roughly in the middle of the applicants. Perhaps he could finish today's assessment before lunch.
Not bad. That meant he would not have to waste another afternoon.
He looked at the dark-circled young man and gestured with his eyes.
Liver Emperor said, "I'm Number 98, which is a little late. No, wait, thinking about it carefully, the evening session might actually be more advantageous. Before the assessment begins, I can still grind myself half to death for another half a day. Maybe I can raise my main force by one minor level. Good, time to grind!"
Quite a few players had the same idea.
The two of them soon said goodbye to Frog Seller Bro and White Fox Miss, then followed the staff to the designated waiting area to wait for the assessment to begin.
Although it was called a waiting area, it was actually quite spacious. Players could chat in the lobby or enter private rooms and continue burying themselves in the game.
However, all a player needed to grind was a phone, so whether they entered a private room was completely unimportant.
Many newcomers logged into the game to check on things and make adjustments while waiting for notification.
Liver Emperor was one of the best among them. He seemed unable to feel comfortable if he went even a moment without grinding. After exchanging only a few words, his eyes became glued to his phone, and he operated it nonstop, utterly focused. He looked like the kind of person who would grind himself to death as long as he was not already dead from grinding.
Only the player could see their own game screen. In the eyes of everyone else, the players merely kept tapping at phones with locked screens, looking as if there was something wrong with their heads.
Mu Yuan naturally could not see Liver Emperor's game situation. Even if he could, he would not peep. He could only tell that Liver Emperor was performing a huge number of operations, perhaps making meticulous arrangements for each and every unit and exploiting his efficiency to the limit.
The other players were grinding to one degree or another as well.
Mu Yuan took out his phone, opened the game, and glanced at it twice before sinking into thought. Should he rest, drink tea, or have coffee?
What a dilemma~
He actually wanted to grind too, but Deathbone had already led the team out to explore, so there was nothing for him to worry about.
At most, he could send the War Falcon to contact Deathbone and check on the situation.
For the rest of the time, he only needed to watch resources go +1, +1, +1, Evolution Points go +1, +1, +1, and enjoy himself.
Even the Whale Players were grinding at this moment. They might not have to worry about failing the assessment, but they still had to seize the time to develop their territories.
Wasting time was shameful behavior.
In such an atmosphere, Mu Yuan felt completely out of place among the surrounding newcomers and rather uncomfortable. But then he thought about it and realized that this was wrong. How could a lord handle everything personally? A lord ought to delegate work to all the wage earners.
He was merely learning the bearing of a lord in advance.
The Resource Assessment was divided into two parts: the Written Test and the Martial Test. The Written Test examined the player's control and micro-management skills when using a medium, and accounted for only 20% of the score.
It was also completed quickly, ending with a smack.
The true test of a player's potential was the Martial Test. It examined both the tier and level of the player's units, as well as their real-time control and command abilities.
"The assessment requires players to hold out for a period of time against the examiner. In the end, the assessment committee will score each player based on their performance. The sixteen players with the highest scores will receive this term's New Lord Aid Package."
Mu Yuan held the assessment materials handed out by the staff and studied them seriously.
Soon, the first part, the Written Test, began.
At the same time, outside the waiting area.
Countless newcomers who had not participated in the assessment and had merely come to watch the excitement were craning their necks in anticipation.
They could not enter the assessment site to watch in person, and the examination hall had no livestream either. However, the enormous display screen in the Association hall was scrolling through the scores of the various candidates.
First place: Candidate 066, 20 points.
Second place: Candidate 054, 19.8 points.
Third place: Candidate 101, 19.1 points.
Fourth place: ...
Soon, more than a hundred candidates were listed one after another on the big screen. Between sixteenth and seventeenth place ran a golden line separating those above from those below, as if dividing heaven from earth.
"So there are sixteen slots this term?"
Frog Seller Bro stroked his chin.
White Fox Miss stared at the rankings. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, hey, I remember Brother Mu is Number 54, right? He actually went straight to second place? That's amazing! Doesn't that mean his slot is secure and he'll soon become a lord?"
Frog Seller Bro was also somewhat surprised, but he shook his head.
"No wonder Brother Mu managed to obtain Remnant Soul on his first day. His control skills really are something. No, I should say they're very impressive. But..."
"If I'm not mistaken, only the first round, the Written Test, has ended. The Written Test accounts for just 20% of the total assessment score, so it's only a minor portion. Whether Brother Mu can hold onto a top-sixteen position will depend on his performance in the later Martial Test. All we can say is that he got off to a good start."
"However, the Martial Test is also the part where those Whale Players have the greatest advantage."
Frog Seller Bro sincerely hoped that Brother Mu could pass the assessment and let him continue pursuing the dream that had ended before it even began.
Besides, if Brother Mu became a lord, he could use the connection to arrange some trade and become a full member of the merchants' guild more quickly, earning a promotion and a raise.
It was just that...
"It's difficult..."
"Among the Civilian Players, only the Lucky One who commands Skeleton Soldiers and that Macho Man seem fairly secure. As for the others..."
As for Brother Mu? Although he had obtained Remnant Soul on his first day, compared with the first-day results of Macho Man and the Lucky One, he was still somewhat behind.
Those two were still far inferior to the truly wealthy Whale Players.
He hoped Brother Mu could make it through.
Time began to pass slowly. Although the newcomers could not see the battles and there was not even any text commentary, that did not stop them from launching heated discussions.
"The Martial Test has reached Candidate Number 20, and currently in first place is Candidate 007, with a total score of 71.2. How is that score?"
A newcomer asked.
An experienced player who knew the ropes immediately spoke up to explain. "That's quite a good score. The Martial Test isn't as simple as the Written Test. Getting 60% of the passing score is already pretty good."
"With Candidate 007's total score of 71.2, barring any accidents, he has already secured a qualifying spot."
As the assessment proceeded, the rankings on the list changed rapidly again.
Candidate 007 gradually fell to second, then third place.
As for Candidates 066 and 054, who had occupied the top two spots early on, they naturally fell out of sight.
At this moment, inside the examination hall.
Boom--
A Spearman shook his spear, sending it out like a dragon.
With a thrust and a sweep, he sent several thugs in front of him flying out of bounds.
The voice announcement rang out at the appropriate moment. "Assessment complete. Candidate, please leave the waiting area through the passage on the right and wait patiently for the results. Injured units may be taken to Area Three for free treatment."
Several examiners on one side of the hall shook their heads slightly.
"Thugs aren't weak as two-star units. They can both take hits and deal damage. It's just that this newcomer is utterly hopeless at commanding them. He's basically giving random orders!"
"Hmph. This is the worst batch of newcomers I've ever examined!"
"Well, they're ordinary people, after all. We can't set the requirements too high."
"No. Precisely because they come from ordinary backgrounds, they should do their best at every step. Otherwise, how are they supposed to pass the Lord Trial?!"
Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng also sighed.
This batch of newcomers could not truly be called poor. It was just that the performance of the Civilian Players had been somewhat disappointing, while the Whale Players had performed as steadily as ever.
Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng himself was a lord from an ordinary background.
He very much hoped that more outstanding players would emerge from among the common people. However, compared with Whale Players, Civilian Players and extraordinary second-generation heirs were indeed born with a tremendous disadvantage. Only the exceptionally talented could stand out.
The country was not unwilling to support Civilian Player lords. However, from a strategic perspective, the Xuan Kingdom first had to ensure the number of newly added lords. Only after that could it consider whether to support Civilian Players.
Besides, managing a territory was not easy.
Compared with Whale Players, Civilian Player lords were actually less stable. Their territories often collapsed in the end because of one unexpected mishap or another that led to poor management.
Under the current Resource Assessment rules, the scoring did favor Civilian Players to a certain extent. But whether they could seize the opportunity depended on the newcomers themselves.
As for players with criminal records? They could not pass the identity review at the time of registration and would never get the chance to take the assessment.
After all, even the weakest lords were already part of the backbone of the Xuan Kingdom.
"Next should be Candidate Number 54. Let me look at the materials..."
"Mu Yuan, from an ordinary background. His family once suffered a misfortune. Even so, he was not defeated by hardship and performed excellently during university. Upon graduation, he was chosen by the Eternal World..."
"I'll conduct this candidate's assessment."
Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng stood up and strode toward the distance.
Mu Yuan entered this examination hall with a somewhat nervous feeling.
The examination area was quite large, roughly the size of two or three Basketball Courts. A huge arena stood in the middle, while a burly examiner in loose martial arts robes stood opposite him, his gaze carrying an oppressive force.
He snapped his fingers.
Snap~
Three Mysterious Magic Arrays spread out in front of him, and three identical Spearmen emerged from them.
"These are two-star Spearman units, all at Level 9 of Rank Zero. Your task is to hold out for more than five minutes under the attacks of the three Spearmen. Of course, this examiner will not give the Spearmen any orders, and you may use any tactics you can think of."
"Now, summon your units. You have three minutes to prepare. In addition, this arena has a special effect. Summoning units here does not consume Soul Sand, and the mental power consumed will also be greatly reduced."
After a pause, Examiner Jiang Cheng still reminded him, "But mental power will still be consumed. Summon units within your limits."
Jiang Cheng still remembered Candidate Number 54 from the previous term.
That candidate had also come from an ordinary background and possessed decent talent. In just six days, he had accumulated more than a dozen units. He had originally been a promising candidate for qualifying, but during the Martial Test, he had overestimated himself and summoned too many units, exhausting his mental power. Before the battle even began, he had collapsed onto the ground, unconscious and snoring away.
He had been finished just like that.
The moment Chief Examiner Jiang saw Mu Yuan's candidate number, he could not help reminding him. Technically, this was somewhat against the rules.
Mu Yuan observed his surroundings. The entire area was carved with mysterious patterns. Could this perhaps be a Miracle Building?
He was not sure.
Not far beyond the arena floated a pitch-black unit that looked like a ghost. It kept its power restrained, but even looking at it gave one a terrifying feeling, as if one's gaze would be drawn into some great horror.
This was the referee of the examination hall. It would intervene when a newcomer's unit was in mortal danger and preserve its life.
As for the examiner's three Spearmen?
It did not matter. They were merely assessment tools, and few newcomers had the ability to threaten Level 9 Spearmen.
"It's about to begin..."
Mu Yuan took a deep breath and stepped onto the arena.
At once, his connection with the units in the Eternal World became incomparably clear. It was as if the world's gate had already opened wide, allowing him to command units in another world without the aid of a computer, phone, or other medium.
If he wanted to summon them, it seemed he only needed to reach out and pull them over.
No wonder summoning units did not leave the other newcomers physically drained.
Since that was the case, he had no reason to hold back.
My turn, summon!
Buzz--
A Mysterious Magic Array spread out, and an ancient door pulled open to both sides.
From the deep passage, a Skeleton Soldier wearing armor and holding a battle blade slowly emerged. A dim blue soul flame danced in its eye sockets.
Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng had only just nodded slightly when he saw a second, a third, and then the Nth Skeleton Soldier emerge from the passage, their speed growing faster and faster.
Step! Step! Step!
In an instant, the entire examination hall fell silent and dim.
The only sound was the marching of the Skeleton Soldiers in formation.
They raised their battle blades high, fierce soul flames burning in their eye sockets. They formed ranks on both sides, guarding the figure at the far end of the arena.
Reflected by the soul flames, Mu Yuan's figure flickered between light and shadow.
In the glow, the astonished faces of the examiners in the distance seemed to change constantly over the course of several seconds.
Thanks to "Feike" for the 900-coin tip, and to "Lost Wanderer" for the tip~
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PS: Two updates, but six thousand words!
It's Monday. Since there was no midnight update, this failed author has fallen completely off the New Book Rankings. Please send votes and all kinds of data QAQ.
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