Chapter 9

Li Yang listened carefully, and with what she had learned from the materials she had looked up over the past few days, she had a general idea of what to expect.

The first round of this year's practical exam would most likely take place in a special isolation zone.

As for what type of special isolation zone it would be, that was uncertain. Like the essay prompt on the college entrance exam, anyone who leaked it would be held accountable.

Still, from looking through previous years' records, Li Yang had gained a general idea of the types of special isolation zones.

If only it were a mutated plant zone!

She really loved mutated plants. She could take the exam while harvesting lifespan... Li Yang hardly dared imagine how happy she would be!

The hour-long drive wasn't long, and it passed quickly as the group "exchanged information."

After arriving in the provincial capital, they were all placed in a waiting area for the exam.

Everyone had their own exam number and went to the corresponding classroom to wait for the formal assessment.

Li Yang was assigned to group 8.

Fang Chuyun was in group 1.

Yu Hongyuan, meanwhile, was in group 20.

About 200 people in Donghua Province were eligible to apply to the top military academies this year. They were divided into 20 groups of ten.

Li Yang was very pleased with her group "8." What an auspicious number! Maybe there really would be mutated plants in the isolation zone, and she'd strike it rich.

Fang Chuyun said regretfully, "We didn't get put in the same group."

Li Yang hadn't expected the cool girl to be so clingy. Then Fang Chuyun added, "It's all right. There'll be another chance. Li Yang, we will fight someday."

Li Yang: "..." Oh, she wasn't clingy. She wanted to fight her.

Yu Hongyuan was very pleased with his group 20. It was unquestionably the group farthest from Li Yang's. This arrangement was perfect! He finally didn't have to be anyone's lackey, and he could find new soil in which to recruit lackeys of his own!

And so the three parted ways.

Li Yang didn't think the grouping was a coincidence. The examiners had probably arranged it deliberately.

Separating students from the same city was also preparation for the assessment to come.

Could this practical exam be a competition between candidates?

It would be easy for students from the same city to pull tricks if they were pitted against each other, so they scattered everyone?

But in previous years, there had never been a competitive exam in a special isolation zone.

Of course, Fang Chuyun and Yu Hongyuan's information might also have been wrong.

Li Yang went to the group 8 classroom. The moment she entered, she heard the candidates discussing-

"Huangcheng is amazing this year. Someone there actually has a physique value of 90!"

"Who's she with?"

"I heard she's an orphan whose potential unexpectedly erupted when someone close to her died..."

"Wow, that's incredible!"

"Man, it's tough in a small city. This year, 20 people in our province broke 90 physique points, and ten of them are from the provincial capital."

Donghua Province had nearly twenty cities.

Resources were more concentrated in the provincial capital, and it had more students with high physique values.

For example, three-tenths of the 200 applicants this year were students from the provincial capital, and the proportion was even more lopsided among those with 90 physique points.

"I found it! Her name's in the Huangcheng Daily. She's called Li Yang!"

Li Yang: "..." I really have to thank you for that, Huangcheng Daily.

While everyone was talking, Li Yang slipped into the classroom without drawing attention and found a seat in a corner.

Li Yang had originally wanted to get to know a few people and ask around about the assessment, but now...

Forget it. She wasn't suited to introducing herself.

Fortunately, no one had time to ask the names of their groupmates either. Instead, they were gossiping about the upcoming practical exam.

There were all kinds of guesses, but everyone was certain of one thing: this year's assessment would take place in a special isolation zone.

They weren't sure what form it would take, though.

Most thought they would be clearing out mutated creatures, since "survival mode" had rarely appeared in previous years' assessments.

Once everyone had arrived, a middle-aged teacher wearing black-framed glasses came in. He swept a stern glance over everyone and said, "Roll call. When your name is called, stand up and say 'present.'"

The classroom fell silent at once.

Sitting in the corner, Li Yang felt a little as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

Why do they have to call the roll? Didn't we all register when we arrived?

But the teacher couldn't hear her grumbling to herself, and he had already begun. "Chen Song."

"Present!" A boy as thin as a bamboo pole stood up.

"Xu Wenpei."

A round-faced girl stood up and answered crisply, "Present!"

"Li Zhengrui."

A boy with messy hair and thick glasses stood up. "Present!"

After calling eight or nine names in a row, the middle-aged teacher suddenly paused and stared at the next name for a moment before saying, "Li Yang."

The moment he spoke, the candidates in the classroom began looking around.

Who?

Who is Li Yang?

Is she that Heavenly Chosen from Huangcheng with a physique value of 90?

Sitting in the corner did Li Yang no good. Everyone stared at her because she was the only one whose name hadn't been called.

Li Yang could only ignore all the stares, stand up, and answer, "Present."

The middle-aged teacher pushed up his glasses, took a good look at her, and nodded. "All right, sit down."

Li Yang sat down, but several heated gazes remained glued to her.

Someone even whispered, "Damn, damn, damn, she's actually in our group!"

"Is she really Li Yang from Huangcheng? Does she really have a physique value of 90?"

"You can't tell by looking at her!"

The middle-aged teacher cleared his throat. "Quiet."

Everyone shut up, though they still turned around to sneak a glance at Li Yang from time to time.

The middle-aged teacher rapped on the desk and said, "The theme of this year's assessment is-survival."

Those two words drew every candidate's attention back. They stopped paying attention to Li Yang and sat up straight, looking toward the lectern with solemn expressions.

It really is survival mode?

Is this special isolation zone rated that high?

The middle-aged teacher put up a slide and began explaining the rules of the practical assessment.

"In half an hour, candidates will enter the special isolation zone in groups of ten."

"The special isolation zone is rated two stars."

"To pass the assessment, you must last three days."

On seeing this, some students were already wailing. "A two-star isolation zone? We haven't even become Star Wielders yet!"

"Isn't a two-star isolation zone high-risk even for a first-grade Star Bearer? Wouldn't we be walking to our deaths?"

The middle-aged teacher said coolly, "If you're afraid of dying, please don't apply to a military academy."

The student shut up at once.

The slide on the blackboard flickered, replaced by densely packed small print. The middle-aged teacher continued, "For the next half hour, please read the Special Isolation Zone Entry Instructions carefully. Once you're sure you understand them, sign and add your thumbprint."

"Please note that the special isolation zone is a high-risk area. Once you enter, your life and death are your own responsibility."

Chapter 9

The middle-aged teacher walked down from the lectern and handed each candidate two sheets of paper. When he reached Li Yang, he pushed up his glasses again. He didn't say anything more, but the curiosity in his eyes behind the lenses was hard to hide.

A physique value of 90 was one of a kind in Huangcheng, but across Donghua Province as a whole, there were 20 people with that value this year alone.

The other 19, however, were all Heavenly Chosen whose names were already known. They had attracted considerable attention in Donghua Province while they were in high school. When they achieved those physique values on the military academy general exam, no one was too surprised.

Only Li Yang was a dark horse who had appeared out of nowhere this year, making people all the more curious.

The middle-aged teacher was highly professional and didn't say anything more. After putting down the "Special Isolation Zone Entry Instructions," he returned to the lectern.

Li Yang didn't notice any of this. She was focused on the "Entry Instructions," reading them carefully word by word.

This world was not a peaceful era like the one she had lived in during her previous life. Here, there was the Astral Realm, with its hidden, immense dangers, mutated creatures contaminated by Starlight, and Star Wielders who possessed extraordinary abilities.

Ordinary people could live peaceful lives under the protection of the Star Wielders, but choosing to apply to a military academy meant coming into contact with the dangerous side of this world.

Military academy students were military reserves.

In this world, soldiers held an esteemed position and bore heavy responsibilities.

Li Yang had long since thought all this through, and she had no other path to take. The system's note was hanging there in plain sight—she had only one year of lifespan left.

The "Special Isolation Zone Entry Instructions" described the dangers they might encounter in detail. Every item was followed by the same statement: as long as you pressed the rescue device, a teacher would immediately come to your aid, and you would automatically be considered to have withdrawn from the assessment.

The special isolation zone was rated two stars, making it extremely difficult for candidates who had yet to draw a star into their bodies.

The requirement for this assessment was therefore very simple: survive inside for three days, by whatever means. Even finding a dog hole and hiding in it for three days was fine.

The reason they still had to sign this "life-and-death contract" was that, over the years, some students would rather die than give up the competition, while others had recklessly courted death to the point that the supervising teachers couldn't rescue them in time.

The dangers of military academy were already apparent in the practical exam.

Getting into a military academy required not only sufficient strength, but also the courage and resolve to face life and death.

Yet as Li Yang looked at the two sheets of paper, what she thought was-

How is this the "Special Isolation Zone Entry Instructions"? This densely packed text is a survival guide!

In less than two minutes, someone signed, added a thumbprint, and handed in the papers. Others followed one after another.

Li Yang, of course, didn't hand hers in.

Hand it in? With so much important information, she was going to memorize every word!

Seeing that some people had already handed theirs in, the rest seemed afraid of falling behind. They bravely signed their names, added their thumbprints, and readily handed over the "Entry Instructions."

Since they were qualified to apply to the top military academies, their courage and resolve were beyond question. They wouldn't be scared off.

Ten minutes later, Chen Song, who had been the first to hand his in, muttered, "So what if her physique value is high? She's a coward."

Xu Wenpei, the round-faced girl who had just handed hers in, said, "She's being careful!"