An Ominous Premonition

After saying a few words, Cheng Yu took the lead out of the room. She made a welcoming gesture to Jiang Han, then strode ahead with her cloak swaying behind her.

There was no one in the corridor, only a library-like silence.

Bookshelves made of faintly fragrant wood lined both sides of the passage. Old-fashioned wall lamps decorated the spaces beside them, bright but never glaring, their light exceedingly soft.

The corridor was rather long, with a turn at intervals along both sides. As they passed each turn, Jiang Han could see tables surrounded by shelves inside, hear the voices of various instructors, and catch the soft scratching of notes being taken.

Cheng Yu strode ahead at such a brisk pace that Jiang Han occasionally had to jog to keep up with her.

So what if you have long legs... Jiang Han kept a smile on her face, and when the other woman looked back, she gave her an especially sweet smile.

The black-haired, red-eyed witch entered the bookshelf room at the sixth turn on the left. She switched on the lights, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Please, sit."

It was not quite like a little cubicle tucked between library shelves. On the table sat a mortar and pestle, several glass bottles, a small brass crucible, six wooden spoons of different sizes, and something resembling the carousel test-tube rack from a chemistry lab in her previous life. Except several of the glass tubes on the rack bore names written in different inks. There were also several quills that were clearly not made from goose feathers...

Jiang Han examined them curiously. The chemistry tools were probably for brewing potions, while the writing tools were likely for recording spell models on papyrus.

She had read about them in books.

"Our lessons will focus on practice, with theory as a supplement." Cheng Yu became stern and unsmiling once she entered work mode. After picking up a pen, she snapped her fingers, and it began writing on its own. "A witch must pass the qualification exams one by one before she can enjoy the rights and status due to her, while also taking on certain social responsibilities."

The completed sheet of paper floated into the air. Three terms were written on it: [Witch Qualification Certification] [Advanced Witch Research Academy Exam] [International Arcane General Qualification Exam]

Scratch, scratch, scratch. The self-writing pen drew a circle around the first term.

"The first is Witch Qualification Certification. It certifies that you are a witch, grants you monthly benefits, and gives you the qualification to explore low-intensity folded spaces. Every month, you receive roughly fifty sheets of special papyrus, two hundred yuan in cash, and ten standard portions of common materials. If you wish, you can exchange those for forty witch eggs instead, but the government will not raise them for you. That part is up to you."

After making that joke, Cheng Yu controlled the pen to write another term: [A1]. "This is what we call the A1 Exam. Every witch must take it after turning eighteen. It can be postponed until age twenty or taken early at age ten. The passing score is fifty, and the full score is one hundred thirty. A high A1 score can earn you many excellent job invitations. But you have already taken it, so we can skip A1."

It was probably equivalent to a graduation exam, except the Witch World had no universities... Good thing the original owner had already taken it... Hiss, the score was pretty good.

Jiang Han secretly checked her own information, which hung from her wallet, and jumped in surprise.

A1 Exam: 119 points!

The score was so good it almost did not feel real.

"The Advanced Witch Research Academy Exam is the A2 Exam. It covers an enormous range of knowledge. Fortunately, practical work carries a high percentage of the score. It is commonly used to test a witch's combat ability and degree of technical skill. Passing it grants you the qualification to explore medium-intensity spaces, priority access each month to purchase ten portions of materials from government witch departments at priority level twenty, and the ability to accept commissioned projects from government departments. The merits earned upon completing them can also be used to obtain materials for spells and potions, among other things."

"The total score is one hundred, and the passing score is sixty. There are hundreds of A2 exam subjects, including herbalism, farming, and so on, ensuring that people in every profession have a way to pass. For witches lacking in personal combat ability, passing A2 and completing government commissions is also one route to obtaining materials for spells and potions."

It sounded like a professional certification exam. Jiang Han listened closely, considering what kind of A2 Exam she should take.

"The last one, the International Arcane General Qualification Exam... tch." At the mention of it, Cheng Yu—the witch who had always seemed strong and supremely confident in Jiang Han's eyes—shuddered involuntarily. Jiang Han's heart immediately rose into her throat.

"It is mandatory for expert witches. Many countries have their own different exams, but this one is recognized worldwide. Passing it means you are among the elite of witches. You receive an economic subsidy of more than five thousand yuan every month, may purchase all kinds of materials from local government warehouses whenever you wish, automatically become a member of the International Witch Association, and receive an advanced membership certificate."

Cheng Yu covered her face and laughed. "This is the A3 Exam, an exam so insanely difficult that even passing requires luck. If the questions are not in an area you know well, you basically have a ninety-percent chance of failing. Registration costs ten thousand yuan each time, and after failing, you can retake it every six months. Many expert witches have poured years, even more than a decade, of their income into the A3 Exam."

Her voice was a little hoarse as she spoke, as though she had recalled her own experience taking the exam. Even Jiang Han began to shiver. This witch A3 Exam was probably an upgraded version of the civil service exam.

The civil service exam had already been difficult enough, but from the sound of it, the A3 Exam was on an entirely higher level.

"An Archwitch must take the A3 Exam. There are bonus points, but... those who cannot pass still cannot pass, while those who can pass would have passed anyway." Cheng Yu smiled with a hint of malice. "So for quite a long time after I tutor you through the A2 Exam, I may repeat A3 in your ear ten thousand times. I hope you do not end up like that Archwitch named Theresa, who developed depression from taking the A3 Exam and tried to offer her body as alms, becoming a female bodhisattva."

She must have been driven mad by the exam... Jiang Han shuddered, feeling as if she had returned to the first time she encountered the civil service exam in her previous life.

"However, the other Archwitches and the International Witch Association stopped her. After she hid in some folded space and cried for ten or fifteen days, they finally gave her an honorary A3 certificate."

The witch wore a twisted expression that seemed to want to laugh but could not. "The main thing was that it was too embarrassing. But if you can bear such an embarrassing outcome, you can try that method too. It may not necessarily work, but if you offer your body to several Archwitches, it will definitely work."

Absolutely not!

Jiang Han was rather curious about how witches got turned on, but she absolutely did not want to be turned on in that way.

Sensing that Jiang Han was on the verge of bristling, Cheng Yu changed the subject and controlled the pen to fill another sheet with scratch, scratch, scratch.

"Now then, let us prepare for the A2 Exam first."

"The focus of the A2 Exam is not how many points you can score on the written test, but what level you can demonstrate in actual combat. Unlike the strict A3 Exam, as long as you do not score something like ten or twenty points on the written portion, excellent practical results will definitely see you through..."