Four Teachers and an In-Class Exam (Please Keep Reading and Vote)

Puquan Beast-Taming Experimental High School, second-year Class 1, the Kindling Class.

This classroom was much larger than the one Lin Yuan had used in his first year.

Even with forty students standing at the door, it did not feel crowded.

There were forty seats. Each desk was a meter and a half long, with a locked box on top.

There was even a cabinet and a small stool beneath each desk. The setup was excellent.

Four teachers stood at the front of the room.

"Come in, everyone. Your seats have been assigned," Chen Xuanbai said. "They're based on your talent rankings from the awakening ceremony, from desk one to desk forty. Your names are marked on them."

Lin Yuan quickly found his seat: desk seven, second from the left in the second row.

Huang Zixuan sat right in front of him.

"Most of you already know me. I gave you an assignment a week ago, but the four of us will introduce ourselves again." Chen Xuanbai stepped forward. He wore casual clothes today and looked a little tired.

"My name is Chen Xuanbai. I'll be your general studies teacher and your homeroom teacher."

"More precisely, I'll teach everything covered by the Beast Tamer General Studies section of the college entrance exam."

"That includes understanding pet beasts and talents, how to raise and breed pet beasts, and some basic pet beast research."

He stepped back, then glanced at the muscular, middle-aged teacher in a tank top on the far left.

The man stepped forward. "My name is Sun Xingtian."

"I'm responsible for teaching the Beast Tamer Practical section of the college entrance exam."

"I'll be leading your pet beast combat classes and wilderness exploration classes."

"When I assess you, I'll focus more on the qualities of your pet beasts."

Then the thin, somewhat scholarly-looking teacher beside him slowly stepped forward. "My name is Zhao Liang. I'm responsible for the Beast Tamer Aptitude section of the college entrance exam."

"From now on, I'll teach you Beast-Taming Arts and Nourishment Arts."

The last to speak was the teacher on the far right. He looked rather old, with a high hairline and large earlobes.

"My name is Zhu Neng. I'm responsible for teaching Beast Tamer Resources."

"I'll teach you how to identify pet beast products, use materials sensibly, and understand and properly use Beast Gear."

Lin Yuan looked at the blackboard.

The four subjects were written there, each beside the name of its teacher.

He nodded to himself. These corresponded to the four main sections of the college entrance exam in Chenlong Kingdom.

Once all four teachers had introduced themselves, Chen Xuanbai stepped forward again. "I gave you an assignment a week ago. Has anyone still not contracted a pet beast?"

Not one of the forty students raised a hand. Chen Xuanbai nodded in satisfaction. "Then summon your pet beasts."

The classroom grew noisy at once.

Most of these pet beasts were young, ordinary-rank, and not very large.

Even so, forty pet beasts appearing at once threw the whole classroom into an uproar.

Meows, barks, chirps, and little squeaks rang out without end.

Many pet beasts naturally countered one another. They were born hostile to such creatures and had territorial instincts.

Baishi was fine. He had seen scenes like this before.

During the trips that had carried him from one merchant to another, he had been crammed into tight spaces with pet beasts he had never met. As the smallest, he had often been pressed so hard he could barely breathe.

This place was spacious, not crowded at all. Apart from the smell of those cats making him a little uncomfortable, everything was fine.

He just had to put up with it.

Knowing how to react in any given situation had already become instinct for Baishi.

For now, all he had to do was sit quietly.

Huang Zixuan's pet beast, Wonderstar Grass, seemed quite flustered, but it gradually calmed under Huang Zixuan's soothing. When it turned and saw Lin Yuan smiling at it, it settled down completely.

The commotion lasted a full three minutes.

Then Sun Xingtian nodded to Zhao Liang at the front of the room.

Zhao Liang merely raised a hand and swept it outward as though practicing tai chi. In an instant, the entire classroom fell silent.

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

This had to be the Beast-Taming Art called the Tranquil Heart Technique.

It worked only on pet beasts and was commonly used in pet beast medicine to calm their minds.

To affect so many pet beasts at once—even if they were all still ordinary-rank—Zhao Liang had to be highly skilled in this Beast-Taming Art.

Only after the room had quieted did Chen Xuanbai speak. "Our Kindling Class brings together the forty best students in the year."

"Your assignment was only to contract a pet beast, but you've probably guessed that your first lesson of the school year won't be quite so simple."

"The other three teachers and I discussed it, and we've decided to give you a simple in-class exam."

"My part is a written test. You'll have three hours to answer three major questions. The papers are in the small cabinets under your desks."

"Of course, this exam won't be that simple. The other three teachers will assess you during those same three hours."

As soon as he finished, sharp intakes of breath sounded around the classroom.

In their first year, their exams had usually been written tests and mental strength tests.

They could not imagine how all four sections could be assessed at the same time in just three hours...

Was this really a "simple in-class exam"?

Even Lin Yuan froze for a moment when he heard that.

He had known since yesterday that there would be an assessment today. He had even set himself practice questions in advance, based on his own understanding of what might be tested.

But he had not expected a four-in-one exam.

Excitement stirred in him. Now this was interesting!

"My assessment began the moment you summoned your pet beasts, and it will continue," Sun Xingtian said. "What I'm testing is your pet beasts' discipline."

"In other words, I'm testing the bond you have with your pet beasts and your control over them. Follow exam rules and keep the room quiet."

"Students can't cause trouble, and neither can pet beasts. I'll monitor and score your pet beasts' behavior throughout these three hours."

"Teacher Zhao has used the Tranquil Heart Technique on your pet beasts for now. It won't be so easy later."

As soon as he finished, Zhao Liang smiled and picked up where he had left off. "Teacher Sun is right. As time passes, I'll weaken the Tranquil Heart Technique. You'll have to keep your pet beasts calm while dealing with the pressure of answering questions."

"My assessment focuses on your mental strength as beast tamers. I considered using the Spirit-Binding Technique to add a little mental pressure, but Teacher Chen Xuanbai said to keep this assessment simple, so I won't make things difficult for you."

He flashed a row of neat white teeth.

"My assessment is the simplest. Allocating resources is important for a beast tamer. The boxes on your desks contain pet beast food, products that help resist stress, and even Beast Gear that can help you focus and withstand pressure."

"You'll have to decide for yourselves whether to use them and when."

Zhu Neng's expression remained stern as he spoke.

The requirements were not hard to understand.

But they had never practiced an exam like this in their first year!

For a moment, everyone wilted a little.

Still, they were promising students who had made it into the Kindling Class. Most soon steadied themselves.

"Good." Chen Xuanbai smiled. "Your results in this assessment will determine your new rankings and places in the class."

"Each teacher will also give a small reward to whoever places first in their section."

"And the student with the highest overall score will get a surprise."

As he spoke, Chen Xuanbai's gaze met Lin Yuan's. Seeing how eager Lin Yuan looked, he was quite pleased.

"Now, the exam begins."

At once, everyone took the exam papers from their little cabinets.

The sooner they finished answering, the more attention they could spare in the final hour to controlling their pet beasts.

They were top students, after all. They had experience managing their time in exams.

But when they saw the questions Chen Xuanbai had set, they were dumbfounded.

There were only three questions, and every one was substantial.

One: List the talents of each of your other thirty-nine classmates, the official rankings of those talents, and what each talent does.

Two: Describe the species, attributes, quality, and traits of each of your other thirty-nine classmates' pet beasts, and state whether each has a publicly known evolution path.

Three: Based on your understanding of your classmates' current talents and pet beasts, form the strongest teams you can, with three students per team and each team configured for attack, defense, and support.

Lin Yuan smiled when he saw the questions.

He had not predicted the format of the exam, but Chen Xuanbai's questions were almost all within the scope of his preparations.

After all, Chen Xuanbai had taught him for a year. Lin Yuan understood him to some extent.

He exchanged a few words with Baishi, and with that, their first assessment together began...