If I Can't Pass the Exam, I'll Fight My Way In

The screams outside the gate grew more and more numerous.

There was no need to probe with spiritual power; the thick stench of blood outside was unmistakable.

Xiao Ran sighed and fell silent. Beside him, Shao Hongzhang couldn't help cursing. "Th-those beasts! Don't they have wives and children, parents and elders here? How can they bring themselves to do this?!"

Chen Cheng and the Tan brothers were one thing, since they were all outsiders. But the vast majority of these examinees were natives of Ghost Capital. They had families and homes here. Strictly speaking, this was their home.

How could they bear to attack these people, to massacre the civilians here?

Before long, the screams and wails outside grew faint—not because the slaughter had stopped, but because nearly every living thing nearby capable of making a sound was on the verge of extinction.

Meanwhile, fewer and fewer examinees remained in front of Xiao Ran. By the time most of them had rushed out through the gate, Xiao Ran was still standing there, unable to move.

"Enough!"

The old eunuch raised his hand and looked contemptuously at the examinees who remained in the square. "A bunch of good-for-nothings. That's all the places on the list. The rest of you can get lost."

The crowd stared in shock. Someone asked, "Does Your Highness mean... we... failed?"

"What else?"

Wang Qiang sat in his chair, his face piled with fat wearing an expression that mixed mockery, cruelty, and smug superiority.

"The sage gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it. With roots like yours, how could you serve the sage?"

Wang Qiang spoke in a shrill, affected voice. He even deliberately pulled out an embroidered handkerchief and pretended to dust away nonexistent specks.

After speaking, he made a point