Entrance Examination

At dusk the next day, Lu Yuan left the main road and headed toward an archway not far away.

The archway stood about three zhang tall, with three large characters carved in its center: Demon Suppression Bureau.

The strokes were powerful and elegant, their edges sharp as blades. One glance was enough to feel the chill rolling off them.

Beyond it, a cluster of compounds had been built along the mountainside, their black tiles and white walls layered one behind another. At the highest point, the Bell Tower glowed a searing red in the setting sun.

As soon as he approached, two guards in black, close-fitting uniforms swept him with eagle-sharp eyes.

Lu Yuan handed over his Waist Token. The guards checked it and found everything in order.

"Go in and follow the bluestone path to the end."

After walking through two courtyards and passing through three moon gates, he came to a three-story pavilion at the end of the path.

The Demon Suppression Pavilion!

The doors on the ground floor stood open. Lu Yuan strolled inside, finding a space that rose all the way to the ceiling.

Sunlight poured through a skylight, casting shafts of light through the air as dust motes drifted within them.

Inside those shafts stood lifelike demons and monsters.

There were beasts, scaled creatures, birds, insects, strange creatures—each different in size and shape.

From the ground floor to the third story, they lined the walls: more than a hundred kinds in all.

Lu Yuan looked around. Instead of fear, excitement flared in his eyes.

Demons and monsters?

No, each one was a trait waiting to be claimed!

What a shame. If only he had killed them all himself.

"New here?"

A voice suddenly sounded from beside him.

Lu Yuan turned and saw a middle-aged man standing outside the pavilion, looking him up and down.

The man was in his forties, lean, and dressed in ordinary blue robes. He held a ledger in one hand.

Lu Yuan hurried forward and bowed. "Lu Yuan pays his respects, sir."

"Don't call me sir." The middle-aged man waved a hand. "My surname is Zhou. I'm a clerk here at the Bureau. Just call me Old Zhou. Where's your Waist Token?"

Lu Yuan handed it over. Old Zhou took it and checked the ledger for a moment. "Lu Yuan, from Yun'an County, descendant of a loyal martyr... Mm, that matches. Come with me."

They left the pavilion and entered the courtyard, then went into a side room piled high with files and ledgers.

Once they were seated, Old Zhou opened the ledger, picked up a writing brush, and questioned Lu Yuan as he made notes.

"Age?"

"Twenty."

"What cultivation technique do you practice?"

"The Basic Body Tempering Technique issued by the County Office. I've practiced it for five years."

"Cultivation level?"

"Mortal Realm, Second Layer."

Old Zhou paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Five years, and you've only reached the Second Layer of the Mortal Realm?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "That's right."

You're still saying that's right?

Old Zhou's mouth twitched. For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

When he finished writing, he put down the brush and said solemnly, "All right, I've got the basics down. Now let's talk business."

Lu Yuan sat up straight.

"Every year, the Demon Suppression Bureaus in each province recruit new blood from the counties under their jurisdiction. No matter how you got in, you still have to pass the entrance examination."

"The examination has two main parts: first, aptitude; second, practical combat."

"Some martial artists can't break through the Mortal Realm in their entire lives. Some can only reach the Initial Realm, while others enter the Mystic Realm. The difference comes down to their aptitude."

"Then... how do you test it?"

"Simple."

Old Zhou took a foot-long Jade Stele from his sleeve and set it on the table.

"Put your hand on it. The brighter the stele glows, the higher your aptitude."

Lu Yuan looked at the Jade Stele, and an inexplicable tightness gripped his heart.

Five years, and he'd only reached the Second Layer of the Mortal Realm. He hadn't expected much from himself to begin with.

But what if?

Could he actually be a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy?

He took a deep breath and pressed his hand to the Jade Stele.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The stele showed no reaction at all—not even the faintest glimmer.

"It's not lighting up, huh? Don't worry. Eight out of every ten newcomers get no glow at all."

Old Zhou didn't look down on him or sneer. He seemed to have expected this and casually slipped the Jade Stele back into his sleeve.

"Don't lose heart. Even without aptitude, you still have a chance to join the Demon Suppression Bureau. You can kill demons even in the Mortal Realm; you just won't be promoted to Demon-Suppressing Guard."

That stung.

A trace of embarrassment flickered across Lu Yuan's face.

"How do they test practical combat?" he asked.

"Practical combat..."

Old Zhou stepped out into the courtyard and pointed into the distance.

Lu Yuan followed his gaze past the layers of black tiles and white walls to the Bell Tower at the highest point.

"Beneath the Bell Tower is the Demon Locking Well. It holds demons captured from all over, but none of them are especially powerful."

"The practical test measures combat ability, so we can assign people according to their strengths, keep good talent from going to waste, and prevent the incapable from taking dangerous assignments. Naturally, the benefits vary as well."

"Those with the lowest combat rating are assigned menial work. They receive no monthly pay, live in the Thatched Cottage at the Mountain Foot, and can't take outside assignments. They must reach Grade C within a month or be sent back to their place of origin."

"Those with a Grade C combat rating serve as constables for the Demon Suppression Bureau. They receive five taels a month, one dose of Body Tempering Spirit Liquid, and a hut at the mountainside. They may assist with official duties."

"Those with a Grade B combat rating become Demon-Suppressing Guards. They receive ten taels a month, one Meridian Clearing Pill, and a wooden house halfway up the mountain. They may take on investigation assignments or assist with official duties."

"Those with a Grade A combat rating become Demon Suppression Captains. They receive thirty taels a month, one Mortal Shedding Pill, and a residence in the Mountain Villa. They may take on assignments to slay demons."

"You didn't take part in the selection and arrived two days early. The Demon Locking Well won't be opened for the entrance examination until two days from now."

Lu Yuan nodded. No wonder that official had told him to report to the Demon Suppression Bureau within three days. So there was an entrance examination, too.

He continued, "How are those combat ratings divided?"

"The test lasts one hour. Killing fewer than ten demons earns the lowest rating; thirty or more earns Grade C, sixty or more earns Grade B, and ninety or more earns Grade A."

That was simple enough.

Since it was an entrance examination, the demons they faced were probably all in the Mortal Realm.

To earn a Grade A rating, they had to kill ninety demons in an hour. Ordinary people couldn't manage it; even most geniuses would fall short.

It seemed this entrance examination was no easier than the new-blood selection.

"I see. Thank you."

Lu Yuan thanked him and went to the thatched cottages at the foot of the mountain to register.

According to Old Zhou, all new arrivals were housed there. In two days, they would be tested in batches according to the results of a drawing.

Lu Yuan drew the third batch.

By the time he arrived at the Bell Tower, a crowd had already gathered below.

As soon as he approached the Demon Locking Well, he heard waves of gasps and praise from up ahead.

"It's only been half an hour, and Lin Chen has already killed fifty demons!"

"More than that—he's up to fifty-five now."

"He's incredible! Is Lin Chen going to make a run at Grade A?"

"I never expected Yun'an County to have such an expert!"

"Sixty!"

"Heavens! What a furious pace!"

Lu Yuan looked up. Lin Chen's name stood out on the stele beside the Demon Locking Well, and his kill count had climbed to sixty.

Lin Chen of Yun'an County—yes, he was Lin Man'er's younger brother.

Only a quarter of an hour had passed since the half-hour mark, and Lin Chen had killed sixty demons. A Grade A rating wasn't out of reach.

Lu Yuan wasn't surprised. He simply waited in silence.

Soon, the examination ended, and the words on the stele changed.

Lin Chen—seventy-eight demons slain. Grade B combat rating.

"Incredible!"

Though he'd run out of steam toward the end, that didn't stop the newcomers from looking at him with envy and admiration.

The entrance examination had three passing grades, but fewer than one in ten thousand earned Grade A. Grade B candidates were already strong; Grade C was the norm.

A Grade B rating meant becoming a Demon-Suppressing Guard—a tremendous honor for a newcomer.

Figures appeared atop the Demon Locking Well. With an arrogant look, Lin Chen strode out of the second batch.

Then he spotted Lu Yuan in the crowd, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Lu Yuan, you despicable scoundrel! How dare you show your face here and join the Demon Suppression Bureau!"