Cultural Exam

The registration teacher froze for a second, then nodded frantically.

"It... it's in time! There's still half an hour left!"

Song Chen nodded.

He turned around, looked at his dumbfounded classmates, and suddenly smiled.

That smile held exhaustion, relief, and a hint of pride.

Song Chen began to fill out the form, and the registration teacher handed over the blood-energy meter.

"Student... Student Song, come and test your blood-energy value."

He casually placed his left hand on it, stimulating the blood-energy within his body.

The registration teacher looked at the number on the display, her pupils constricting slightly.

"Song Chen, blood-energy value..."

Her voice trailed off.

"How much?" the staff member recording the data asked from behind.

"15.4."

The entire room fell silent once again.

Someone's pen dropped to the floor, making a crisp clatter.

Someone's mouth hung open, forgotten to be closed.

Someone sat directly on the ground, their face full of disbelief.

Lin Qingxue stared blankly at Song Chen, her mind a complete blank.

Song Chen took the registration receipt and turned around.

His parents had already rushed over; Li Xiuying grabbed him in a hug, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Son, you scared Mom to death. How did you get hurt like this..."

Song Chen patted her back: "Mom, it's fine, just superficial wounds. They'll be healed in no time."

Song Zhengye stood to the side, looking at the wounds on his son's body, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke: "Well done."

Just three words, but Song Chen understood.

He smiled: "Dad, I'm back."

Golden sunlight bathed the playground, and in the distance, the Rune Cannons on the city walls stood silently.

Tomorrow was the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam.

At six o'clock the next morning, Song Chen opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the morning light was faint, and birds chirped crisply.

In the training room of his new home, he sat cross-legged on a cushion, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.

After a night of regulating his breathing and taking medicine, his injuries had healed.

The wound on his left shoulder had scabbed over, and his broken ribs no longer ached; the recovery rate of a Tier 2 martial artist, combined with the efficacy of the healing pill, allowed him to return to his best state in the shortest possible time.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Downstairs, the residential compound was quiet, and on the inner city streets in the distance, one could already see twos and threes of examinees and their parents hurrying toward various test centers.

Today was the first day of the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam.

It was the written exam.

He finished washing up and put on that dark cyan B-Grade Battle Armor—not to show off, but for safety.

Who knew if that bastard Zhao Wei would cause trouble today? It was safer to wear it.

With the Thunderbolt Blade hanging at his waist, he walked out the door.

Downstairs, Li Xiuying had already prepared breakfast.

The table was full—porridge, steamed buns, eggs, and a large plate of braised pork.

Li Xiuying piled food into his bowl: "Son, eat more. The written exam takes brainpower; you need to be full!"

Song Chen looked at his mother's nervous expression and felt like laughing: "Mom, it's just a written exam, not actual combat."

Li Xiuying glared at him: "A written exam is still an exam. You were good at academics when you were little; you'll definitely do well this time."

Song Zhengye sat to the side, slowly sipping his porridge. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of pride.

After finishing his meal, Song Chen walked out of the compound.

A crowd had already gathered at the entrance.

They were all members of the Divine Dragon Martial Hall, both old and young, and upon seeing him emerge, they greeted him one after another.

"Little Song, good luck today!"

"Song Chen, is your academic exam in the bag?"

"I heard your blood-energy value is 15.4? Holy crap, you can pass with scores like that easily!"

Song Chen responded to them one by one, then hailed a hovercar and headed straight for Third Martial Arts High School.

The vehicle wove through the streets.

Through the window, he saw the figures of examinees everywhere.

Some were nervously flipping through study materials, some were whispering with their parents, and others were in groups, cheering each other on.

The entire city was shrouded in a unique atmosphere.

The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam was the most important event in this world, at least for this group of teenagers.

Twenty minutes later, the hovercar stopped at the entrance of Third Middle School.

The school gate was already packed with people; examinees stood in long lines, passing through the security gates one by one.

Parents waited expectantly outside the police cordon, some holding banners, some holding drinks, and others with their hands clasped together, praying silently.

As soon as Song Chen stepped out of the car, he felt countless gazes land on him.

"Song Chen, it's Song Chen!"

"The Sky Thunder Blade who traverses the Wilderness is here."

"That's him? That monster with a blood-energy value of 15.4?"

"I heard he descended from the sky yesterday, covered in blood—it was insanely cool!"

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

Song Chen walked through the crowd toward the security gate.

Along the way, countless examinees cast gazes of admiration, jealousy, or complex emotions his way.

The bold ones walked right up to him, respectfully called out "Brother Chen," and then scurried away.

He felt a bit helpless, but there was nothing he could do; fame was something you couldn't hide from.

He set down his Thunderbolt Blade, passed through the security gate, and walked onto the campus.

On the playground, the assembly points for each class were already lined up.

In the queue for Class 3, Grade 12, Lin Qingxue and the others were waving at him: "Song Chen! Over here!"

He walked over.

"Qingxue, morning!"

Lin Qingxue looked at him, her eyes sparkling: "Good luck."

Song Chen nodded: "You too."

Once the assembly was complete, the homeroom teacher, Li Guohua, began to take roll.

When he reached the end, his gaze fell on Song Chen, his expression complex.

"Song Chen, you..."

He paused, then suddenly smiled.

"Do your best on the exam and bring glory to our Third Middle School. For years, our school has ranked third every single time, and the principal scolds us every day."

Song Chen nodded: "I will."

At 7:50 AM, the examinees began to enter the exam rooms.

The exam rooms were set up in the teaching building, and every classroom had been specially renovated and equipped with anti-cheating arrays.

The examinees found their seats according to their admission ticket numbers and waited quietly.

Song Chen's seat was on the second floor, by the window.

After sitting down, he looked around.

There were thirty examinees in the classroom, both boys and girls, all wearing their respective school uniforms.

Some were nervously flipping through materials, some were closing their eyes to rest, and others had hands that were trembling slightly.

The proctor walked in—an old man in his fifties wearing the uniform of the Martial Arts Association, with a Second-Rank Martial Artist badge pinned to his chest.

"Students, quiet down."

He cleared his throat and began to read the exam rules.

"The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam academic portion has a total of two hundred points, with an exam time of five hours."

"The content includes four parts: Psionic Theory, Exotic Beast Compendium, Combat Strategy, and Basic Academics. Psionic Theory and the Exotic Beast Compendium are worth one hundred points, Combat Strategy is worth sixty, and Basic Academics is worth forty."

"Cheating is strictly prohibited. Once discovered, your qualification for the college entrance exam will be revoked, and you will be banned from taking it for life."

"Now, we will begin distributing the papers."

The test papers were handed out.

In the era of martial arts, the academic exam was taken all at once.

This was both because martial arts were more important in an age threatened by exotic beasts, and because the examinees possessed strong mental power, allowing them to handle the exam in one sitting.