The Real Test

Chapter 43: The Real Test

"Fifteen years old, Houtian Eighth Layer cultivation!"

After hearing the examiner announce the test result, Qin Shaofeng smiled faintly and silently walked over to Du Meng's side.

The first and second tests had not yet ended, while the final strength test would still require some waiting.

But Qin Shaofeng realized that at this rate, there would be quite a few people taking the third test!

After asking around, however, Qin Shaofeng finally learned that not everyone could take the final third test.

First, anyone over eighteen could not participate, because there was no need for them to!

At eighteen, anyone with even a little talent would already be a Xiantian Martial Artist. Such people could become Official Students of Lianyang Academy, and once the three-month period ended, they could even be promoted directly to Star Students.

Second, those below the Houtian Fifth Level did not need to take the third test either, unless they were under fifteen years old.

This third test examined the students Lianyang Academy truly needed. Those whose ages were unsuitable or whose cultivation was too low would all be eliminated.

Although some people could still pass the tests, they could at most become Probationary Students of Lianyang Academy. Once the three-month period ended, they would have no chance of remaining at Lianyang Academy.

After learning this, Qin Shaofeng began looking forward to the third test more and more.

Time passed bit by bit. From early morning until the afternoon, all those participating in the tests were finally examined.

During that time, Qin Shaofeng also heard plenty of discussions about powerful geniuses appearing at testing sites near certain city gates.

However, the most gifted among them was still the little boy Qin Shaofeng had seen that morning, a nine-year-old Xiantian Martial Master.

Aside from that, quite a few Xiantian Martial Masters under eighteen had appeared as well.

Qin Shaofeng truly realized that compared to the entire Lianyang Kingdom, Lanjiang City was merely a remote little corner, completely unfit to grace the stage.

That made sense. After all, Lianyang Academy's recruitment was one of the Lianyang Kingdom's grandest events, gathering countless geniuses from every corner of the kingdom.

Yet even among the geniuses of the entire Lianyang Kingdom, probably not many would ultimately enter Lianyang Academy and become its students.

More than one hundred and fifty thousand people had participated in this recruitment test, but fewer than thirty thousand could take the true third test.

And among those thirty thousand, how many would pass remained an unknown.

The third test was a strength assessment.

Those taking the test would enter a special venue and defeat Lianyang Academy's puppets. The process consisted of ten checkpoints.

Only by passing the first three checkpoints could one be considered to have passed the test.

If one could not even pass three checkpoints, then sorry, someone at that level was not even qualified to become a Probationary Student of Lianyang Academy. After staying at Lianyang Academy for three months, they would leave directly!

If one could pass seven checkpoints, they could directly become an Official Student of Lianyang Academy.

Of course, passing the Seventh Checkpoint was no easy feat.

In every Lianyang Academy recruitment test, only the top two or three hundred people could pass the first six checkpoints. By the Seventh Checkpoint, having a hundred people make it through was already quite good.

As for the Eighth Checkpoint, only the top twenty or thirty geniuses could generally manage it.

But that was usually the limit, because those who could pass the Ninth Checkpoint were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. If three to five appeared in each intake, that was already impressive.

The reason for this was that before the test even began, some truly exceptional geniuses had already been taken away by Lianyang Academy's powerful experts.

In those experts' eyes, the geniuses they favored had no need to participate in any strength assessment.

And because of that, since Lianyang Academy had been founded, fewer than a hundred people had passed the Tenth Checkpoint of the third strength assessment during recruitment.

Lianyang Academy had already stood for over a thousand years.

Fewer than a hundred people in over a thousand years—one could see just how extraordinary the difficulty of the Tenth Checkpoint was!

After learning this, Qin Shaofeng and Du Meng were both greatly shocked.

Qin Shaofeng even secretly wondered how many checkpoints he himself could endure.

In the end, Qin Shaofeng understood one thing: if he truly aimed for first place, then he would have to pass at least the Eighth Checkpoint, and perhaps even challenge the Ninth Checkpoint.

For the Level 1 reward, the 1,000 points, and that one chance to draw a prize.

No matter what, Qin Shaofeng had to give it everything he had!

As for the academy's recruitment test, aside from the academy's mentors and powerful experts, some students also attached great importance to it.

Where there were people, there would be conflict. Lianyang Academy was no exception. Among Lianyang Academy's students, countless factions had formed, and every faction had its struggles against the others.

The academy's mentors did not stop this. On the contrary, they were somewhat pleased to see it happen.

After all, only through conflict could there be progress!

As long as no lives were lost and Lianyang Academy's rules were not violated, those mentors would not care in the slightest.

A recruitment test meant new students would be joining Lianyang Academy. Naturally, every faction in Lianyang Academy would send people to watch, then recruit fresh blood to strengthen their own faction.

At this moment, in a separate special area, quite a few students dressed in Lianyang Academy Student Uniforms were watching the candidates who had already begun the third test.

Lianyang Academy had standardized Student Uniforms, differing only in color.

White was the Student Uniform of Probationary Students, green was the Student Uniform of Official Students, and blue was the Student Uniform of Xiantian Martial Master Realm Star Students.

As for uniforms above blue, they were no longer called Student Uniforms. They were the golden student robes of Lianyang Academy's Elite Students. Such students held positions within Lianyang Academy no lower than ordinary mentors.

In fact, many of Lianyang Academy's mentors were Elite Students clad in golden student robes.

Naturally, such figures could not possibly appear here to watch a recruitment test.

Among this group of students, most wore the green Student Uniforms of Official Students. Only seven or eight wore the blue Student Uniforms of Star Students.

Among those seven or eight, three were particularly eye-catching. Five gleaming golden stars were embroidered on each of their blue Student Uniforms.

This represented that all three were Five-star students, Xiantian Fifth Layer Martial Master experts.

The three consisted of two men and one woman, representing Lianyang Academy's three largest factions: the Heavenly King Party, the Lone Wolf Gang, and Nine Phoenix Garden.

Watching the candidates who had begun the strength test, the Five-star student from the Heavenly King Party frowned before long and said in dissatisfaction, "Weak! Weak! Weak! The newcomers this time are truly too weak. A quarter of an hour has already passed, yet not a single person has passed the Fifth Checkpoint. What a disappointment!"

"Heh, Brother Lin, don't be so impatient. It has only just begun, and you are already restless? If you truly cannot stand it, then just leave!"

The one who spoke was the Five-star student from the Lone Wolf Gang. He was not tall, only about one meter sixty, but the unceasing sharp gleam in his eyes made it clear that he was no simple person. Anyone who judged him by appearance would definitely suffer at his hands.

The Five-star student of the Heavenly King Party, Brother Lin, naturally knew this. He shot the other man a fierce look and snorted coldly, but had no intention of speaking.

Leave?

What kind of joke was that? He had worked hard to obtain this recruitment assignment precisely so he could recruit some strong newcomers and earn the appreciation of the Heavenly King Party's higher-ups. How could he leave so easily?

For a time, he felt somewhat irritated and embarrassed by the Lone Wolf Gang member.

But the other man's status was not low, so there was nothing he could do to him.

Seeing that the atmosphere had grown somewhat tense, the only woman among the three suddenly smiled. "Why must you two be like this? Everyone understands that the newcomers with true talent were recruited long ago. This strength assessment is merely a hope. Whether anyone who truly catches the attention of those behind us will appear remains unknown."

This woman was an external affairs supervisor of Nine Phoenix Garden, which was a faction composed entirely of women.

Though they were all women, Nine Phoenix Garden was indeed not weak. In particular, several leaders within it bore the name Phoenix, and they were all outstanding figures among Lianyang Academy's students.

Even the always arrogant and domineering Heavenly King Party and Lone Wolf Gang did not dare underestimate Nine Phoenix Garden.

Once the woman spoke, the Five-star students from the Heavenly King Party and Lone Wolf Gang ultimately fell silent.

The real test had begun!

Seeing people enter the puppet testing venue, Qin Shaofeng began watching closely.

But what left Qin Shaofeng dumbfounded was that the first person to enter their testing venue came back out after only a minute.

Qin Shaofeng also noticed that the person's chest was stained crimson with blood. Clearly, he had been injured.

Though Qin Shaofeng did not know what had happened inside the testing venue, he was certain that person had not even passed the First Checkpoint.

That was because ten circular rings were also set into the doors of the puppet testing venue.

Whenever someone passed a corresponding checkpoint, the matching ring on the door would light up.

The first person could be said to have gotten off to a disastrous start. He had not passed a single checkpoint and was destined to have no connection with Lianyang Academy.

As for the second person, he did slightly better. He passed the First Checkpoint, but was defeated at the Second Checkpoint.

Not until the tenth or so person did someone finally pass the Third Checkpoint.

By then, two quarters of an hour had already passed.

After the test began, it took two quarters of an hour before someone passed the Third Checkpoint.

As for someone passing the Fifth Checkpoint, that did not happen until an hour later.

Of course, this was only at the testing venue where Qin Shaofeng was. He did not know about the other places, but he assumed the difference was not great.

This made Qin Shaofeng sigh inwardly. As expected of Lianyang Academy—joining it for real was truly no easy matter.

While he was sighing, it became the turn of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth.

But what made Qin Shaofeng frown was that before entering the testing venue, that youth actually looked in his direction with a trace of provocation in his eyes.

At first, Qin Shaofeng thought the other party was targeting him, but he soon realized that the youth's gaze seemed to be directed at Du Meng beside him.

Unfortunately, the provocative look was destined to go unnoticed by Du Meng.

With Du Meng's personality, after waiting for over an hour, he had long since grown bored.

Right then, he was sitting there and dozing off. How could he care about anyone's gaze?

But Du Meng might not care, while Qin Shaofeng did.

He already understood Du Meng's personality well. Du Meng definitely would not take the initiative to provoke trouble, so that meant the other party had started it?

But why?

Qin Shaofeng was puzzled, but he quickly remembered.

That youth was one of the people who had been taking the test alongside him and Du Meng from the very beginning.