The admissions officers from the various universities were all seasoned veterans who had witnessed dozens of college entrance exams.
But this was truly their first time seeing anyone clear the stages as quickly as Bai Qiu Li.
Even Sun Yi, who currently ranked second in progress, had only just reached the Combat Exam's second stage-the dungeon challenge.
Bai Qiu Li, meanwhile, had already fought her way to the final stage: combat against simulated Evil Demons!
Her opponent was a simulated Demon Monster-class Evil Demon-a Dark Giant.
Demon Monster-class opponents were already beyond most examinees, so scores in the Combat Exam depended more on their performance in battle.
Yet Bai Qiu Li was not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
"Ahem... Yi Tian!"
Just then, an admissions officer from South University quietly approached Yi Tian and said:
"Yi Tian, Bai Qiu Li is your girlfriend, isn't she? What do you think of South University?"
At this, the admissions officers from the three elite institutions-National Martial University, Capital University, and Huaxing University-all widened their eyes, inwardly crying foul!
Unable to recruit Bai Qiu Li through special admission, he had switched to winning over her "boyfriend"?
But the other officers soon caught on. Given how readily Bai Qiu Li had listened to Yi Tian earlier...
If a university could recruit Yi Tian, Bai Qiu Li might well follow him there!
They had no idea how capable Yi Tian was, but with Bai Qiu Li performing like a potential top scorer, what did it matter if they handed him a special admission slot for free, as long as they could recruit her?
Once they realized this, the admissions officers all crowded around Yi Tian...
Leaving him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"You want to recruit me?"
He had to admit, these admissions officers had some rather unusual ideas.
Before Yi Tian could speak, Wei Yuan, standing beside him, could not help clearing his throat.
"You're trying to poach someone from me?"
"Yi Tian here belongs to East China. Don't get any ideas."
Never mind these university admissions officers-even if the heads of other regions came in person, Wei Yuan would not bear to let Yi Tian go!
None of them had expected Wei Yuan to value this young man so highly. There seemed to be something extraordinary about him!
At his words, they hurriedly laughed to cover their embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry. That was presumptuous of us..."
Another two minutes of the Combat Exam passed.
By now, Bai Qiu Li had gained complete control of her battle against the Dark Giant.
Even Wei Yuan and Ling Luo, both top-tier class holders, could not help watching her with immense approval.
Wei Yuan remarked, "Bai Qiu Li might become an ace for us in the Race Championship!"
Ling Luo said, "Sun Yi, in second place, is actually quite good too. He's a candidate we could consider for the Race Championship!"
The Race Championship still referred to the Freshman Tournament against the Yagu Dynasty.
Held once every five years, it consisted of one team dungeon speedrun and five one-on-one elimination matches.
Great Xia had to send newly awakened class holders, while the Yagu Dynasty could only send newly born members of the Other Races or dragonkin.
In other words, Great Xia needed to field at least five contestants.
With his epic class and epic equipment, Sun Yi was a decent candidate in Ling Luo's eyes.
After all, five people needed to compete. Having Bai Qiu Li alone was not enough, especially since the dungeon speedrun required teamwork.
Wei Yuan smiled without saying anything.
Sun Yi was certainly quite good, but if Ling Luo knew Yi Tian had three more people as powerful as Bai Qiu Li, she probably would not be calling him "quite good" anymore.
At this point, no one besides Bai Qiu Li had reached the third stage.
Bai Qiu Li moved like a swallow, her sword energy frosty. Waves of icy light from the Ice Soul Sword suppressed the Dark Giant from every direction.
Then Bai Qiu Li drew back her sword, and her cool voice rang out. "Cold Moon Sword Dance!"
"She killed it!"
"She actually killed a Demon Monster-class Evil Demon outright! She made it look so easy!"
On the viewing platform, even though the admissions officers had anticipated this outcome, they still could not help being shocked when it actually happened.
The Dark Giant's fall meant Bai Qiu Li had completed her trial.
Her result had already been recorded by the proctor and uploaded to the national examination management system.
Once the scores were assessed, the college entrance exam rankings would probably be available that evening.
"Looks like she's very likely to take first place!"
Yi Tian was pleased, though he had expected as much. Once the rankings came out, he would receive another payout from Profit Sharing and advance his class!
Five or six minutes after Bai Qiu Li finished, Sun Yi finally passed the Combat Exam as well.
But when he saw the gap between himself and Bai Qiu Li, his confident expression instantly turned to disbelief.
Just over half an hour later, the Combat Exam ended completely.
Its conclusion also marked the end of the college entrance exams.
The examinees headed home one after another to wait for their scores, while the university admissions officers began approaching candidates for special admission based on their performance in the trials.
Yi Tian had not automatically detected anyone with high potential, however, so he did not take part.
Wei Yuan was taking him to the City Lord's Mansion.
After confirming that they would establish a Special Squad base-Yi Tian's "mercenary base"-Wei Yuan decided to give him a site for it...
"Seriously? This is it?"
Yi Tian looked up at the office before him, a few dozen square meters in size, about as large as a meeting room, and voiced his doubts.
As offices went, it was certainly spacious. It was even right next to Wei Yuan's office...
But the problem was, they were giving an entire Special Squad base nothing more than an office?
Wasn't that a bit shabby?
Wei Yuan smiled and explained, "You'll have a base. You just don't have enough people under you yet!"
"This 'office' gives you an official identity to make operating in Great Xia easier."
Yi Tian certainly agreed with that. In a country with regulations as strict as Great Xia's, having a suitable official identity would make things much easier.
Otherwise, he would need a permit every time he even wanted to leave the city.
He could hardly call Wei Yuan over to pull a surprise power reveal every time an emergency came up.
Wei Yuan also promised that once he had enough people for two Special Squads, he would immediately approve a separate base for him.
"All right."
Wei Yuan casually pointed to the office sign by the entrance.
"Why don't you come up with a name for your office..."
"This can serve as your base's office in the future, too."
The question sent Yi Tian into a brief spell of contemplation.
As a Special Squad base similar to the Hidden Dragon Base, it ought to have an imposing name.
"Make It Big and Strong!"
Yi Tian raised a finger. This was the choice he had arrived at after careful consideration, while Wei Yuan fell silent.
"..."
And so, the office's name was settled:
The Make It Big and Strong Office.
Afterward, Yi Tian entered Bai Qiu Li, Wan Jiang, Jiang Che, and Ye Xiu's names on the Special Squad membership list.
They were now officially under the office's command.
A Special Squad was supposed to consist of five people. Without counting Yi Tian, they were still one person short of a full squad.
At around seven that evening, the college entrance exam rankings were released.
Bai Qiu Li had taken first place in East China!
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