043: Rewards

"The first assessment is over. All students who made it onto the leaderboard are considered qualified. The next assessment will begin shortly."

As Vice Principal Zhou Dongbo's voice rapidly spread throughout the wilderness, many surviving students breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Mao let out a loud cheer and crawled out of the dirt, covered in grime, panting heavily with his tongue hanging out.

"What a shame." Tang Jian lowered his detector, which had been pointed at the terrified Hu Lingli, and felt the surrounding environment begin to fade. This energy-based virtual world was rapidly transforming.

He immediately looked at the detector in his hand, pulled an Energy Card from it, and tried to absorb it.

The Attribute Template appeared before his eyes.

His current energy fluctuated.

Current Energy: [12960]+

The remaining 60 points of energy in the Energy Card were absorbed into his body.

Sure enough, in a virtual world constructed from energy, every item was also composed of energy. An Energy Card like this could indeed be consumed and absorbed.

Tang Jian was about to reach for the Fireball Card in his card slot again.

However, the surrounding wilderness had completely disappeared, and even the detector on his arm was gone.

Tang Jian instantly found himself in a quiet, dark space. A faint light, like a burning candle, was visible in front of him.

Zhou Dongbo's voice sounded in Tang Jian's ear.

"The second test assesses your Life Force, willpower, and Card Energy. This is further divided into Card Crafting ability or survival ability.

Students who choose Card Crafting ability, please craft a white-quality one-star or higher Card before the candle burns out.

Students who choose survival ability, please walk in the opposite direction of the candle. We hope you can survive until the candle extinguishes.

In this dark environment, the surrounding gravity will gradually intensify. This will be your final test.

The combined scores of both tests will determine whether you are admitted to the Rocket Class and will also be linked to the rewards for your final assessment."

Card Crafting or survival?

Tang Jian looked at the candle not far ahead and then at the seemingly boundless darkness behind him.

Compared to the faint glimmer of hope offered by the light ahead, the terrifying darkness behind felt like a beast ready to devour one's body and mind, bringing an incredibly strong sense of oppression.

It seems the school places more importance on students' Life Force and willpower.

As for what the first assessment tested, it wasn't just Life Force, but also combat talent.

However, becoming a Card Cultivator primarily depended on Life Force and Card Energy.

In the first battle, even though some students performed exceptionally well and some performed very poorly, that didn't mean the latter lacked the talent to become a Card Cultivator.

Not everyone was exceptionally skilled in combat.

At least in the first assessment, many students weren't very familiar with the initial Cards assigned to them.

Even though they had learned to identify Cards and understood their functions and properties in daily classes, when it came to actual practical application, how many people could truly control Cards with ease?

It was like everyone knew a kitchen knife could be used for cutting vegetables and had seen others' cutting techniques.

But when they actually picked up the knife to cut vegetables themselves, they'd find, damn it, I didn't cut the vegetable, I almost cut off my finger!

Therefore, in this second assessment, the school focused more on testing Life Force, willpower, and Card Energy.

Both survival ability and Card Crafting ability were related to these three aspects: Life Force, willpower, and Card Energy.

If I'm not mistaken, survival in the direction of darkness shouldn't involve any fighting. It's a test of one's willpower when facing boundless darkness, and one's resilience under the pressure of gravity.

If one's Life Force or willpower isn't up to par, it should be difficult to persevere. As for Card Crafting…

Tang Jian looked at the faint candlelight ahead.

Just then, Zhou Dongbo prompted everyone again, signaling them to prepare to make their choice.

Gao Yang, Gu Du, and others who had been eliminated in the first round of the assessment were revived in this round.

If they performed exceptionally well in this round and weren't eliminated, while people like Tang Jian, who performed well in the first round, were eliminated in this one, then they would still have a high chance of turning the tables.

Tang Jian didn't overthink it and walked directly towards the faint candlelight ahead.

It was clear.

Everyone was separated into an independent dark space; they wouldn't be gathered together in this round.

"Survival or Card Crafting? Good. In this test, I want to see if Tang Jian can still compete with me!"

Wu Chun looked at the candlelight ahead, his eyes sharp and determined, and took a step forward.

In the first assessment, he had been far ahead, but at the last moment, he was surprisingly surpassed by an unknown individual.

Tang Jian—he had never heard that name before and had no idea which class he was from. Perhaps he didn't even realize that he had not only seen Tang Jian but had also completely ignored him at the time.

Not just Wu Chun, but even Wang Ba now regarded Tang Jian as a formidable enemy, gritting his teeth, "Wu Chun, I know your Card Crafting ability is extremely strong, but my survival ability is even stronger. And that guy named Tang Jian, I refuse to believe you can surpass me this time!"

He headed straight into the depths of the darkness, choosing the survival test.

Gu Du, who had been killed by Tang Jian, revived with a gloomy expression and also chose the survival test.

Hu Lingli, having narrowly escaped death, looked dazed, as if deep in thought. It took her a while to grit her teeth, compose herself, and choose Card Crafting.

Inside the science museum's conference room.

Nearly ninety screens were displayed on the large monitor, divided into smaller sections, visible to all the teachers and school administrators.

"Tsk, tsk, Teacher Sun, Tang Jian from your class actually chose Card Crafting. Heh heh, could it be that he hasn't heard about Wu Chun's Card Crafting abilities in our class?"

Jiang Zhendong had been paying extra attention to Tang Jian ever since Sun Yiying had made him look bad, hoping to get his own back.

Seeing that Tang Jian had chosen Card Crafting, he immediately glanced at Sun Yiying, a hint of mockery in his expression.

Wu Yu, standing nearby, chuckled lightly at this. "Even if Tang Jian hadn't chosen Card Crafting and instead opted for the survival ability test, he still wouldn't be able to beat Wang Ba from our class.

In the first test, his combat talent was quite good, which is why he got first place. But this second test is about Life Force, willpower, and Card Energy.

The test of one's willpower and Life Force under the boundless darkness and gravity is simply too demanding. However, Wang Ba from our class has experienced similar tests before. His family has the resources for it, so he should win this assessment."

Sun Yiying smiled calmly. "That's just bragging. Talk to me when your student actually gets first place."

"Hahaha, the three teachers are already competing, are they? How about this: no matter which of these three students gets first place in this round, I'll personally authorize a reward of a case of Sunshine Group's low-grade Nutritional Express nutrient solution!"

Vice Principal Zhou Dongbo said with a beaming smile.

He also didn't want to see the three excellent teachers fall out.

Moreover, if a student could get first place in this round, they truly were a top student in the school, definitely worth cultivating, and it wouldn't be a waste of resources.

"Alright." Sun Yiying agreed without a second thought.

No matter whether Tang Jian could get first place, she'd accept the benefit first.

Besides, she had some confidence in Tang Jian's Card Crafting abilities, even though Wu Chun might be a bit stronger...

Many thanks to Gentle Bro, "Luffy S," "Young Master LOST," and "Bloodline Nightblade" for the tips!