Chapter 31: The First Round Begins

Every candidate who arrived at the Pu Hai Martial Arts Square carried hope.

Even those who knew deep down they had no chance still clung to a sliver of hope—what if they passed?

The Top Ten Star Colleges admit only five hundred students per enrollment cycle, yet two million students took the exam.

Imagine that acceptance rate—it sent chills down your spine.

Although the total number of candidates neared two million, Chinese students taking the exam numbered only about one hundred thousand.

Don't think one hundred thousand is small—in fact, China has the most candidates for the Top Ten Star Colleges' entrance exam.

Some countries sent only a dozen or so; most sent between one thousand and ten thousand.

On average, each country sent roughly ten thousand candidates for the Top Ten Star Colleges' entrance exam.

China alone accounted for about one hundred thousand spots—more than double the number of the second-place country.

Aside from candidates, their families, school teachers, and staff, the largest group here were street vendors.

The Martial Arts Square had seating arranged, but because it was so vast, traveling back and forth to buy things took too long—so vendors came to you directly.

Imagine: your family is taking the exam—who has the heart to leave their seat?

…

The first round of the exam was the gene compatibility test—simplest of all, each candidate needed only a few minutes to complete it.

Even so, testing nearly two million candidates couldn't be finished quickly.

The Top Ten Star Colleges organizing the exam divided the Pu Hai Martial Arts Square into one hundred testing zones.

Asia had the most candidates, so it received fifty zones; Europe got twenty, the Americas twenty, and Africa ten.

For continents not assigned their own zones, any candidate could take the exam in the Americas zone.

These one hundred zones applied only to the first round—if you failed the first round, you had no qualification to proceed to the second.

Around the square stood rows of massive electronic screens.

These screens displayed continental rankings and global rankings.

Anywhere in the Pu Hai Martial Arts Square, you could see these ranking screens.

…

Geng Geng Qianxing brought Fang Chong, Li Li Wanran, and Lü Zi to Testing Zone 38.

Although candidates and families were all in the Pu Hai Martial Arts Square, they occupied two separate areas.

Candidates sat in the inner circle; families and spectators came to watch sat in the outer circle.

Even the president of Yujiang University, Tan Bei, could only sit with the families in the outer circle—only training instructor Geng Geng Qianxing could sit with the candidates in the inner waiting area.

But even from the outer circle, you could still clearly see the exam site.

The first and second rounds tested only potential and talent—there was little to watch beyond the results.

The third and fourth rounds were more exciting, especially the fourth round—that was the arena combat.

Despite the crowd and congestion in the Pu Hai Martial Arts Square, China, as host and home to four of the Top Ten Star Colleges, held an advantage.

This advantage was visible in the seating: under such a massive number of candidates, every Chinese university with students taking the exam had its own designated area.

Each school's waiting area had between twenty and one hundred seats; Yujiang University had thirty.

Right now, only four people sat in those thirty seats—no wonder Tan Bei felt embarrassed and humiliated.

With only one teacher and three candidates from Yujiang University, the scene looked starkly isolated.

Tan Bei had given most of the slots to outsiders—not just out of social obligation, but because he knew Yujiang's students were truly incapable.

Deep inside, Tan Bei still hoped those who held Yujiang's exam slots would sit in Yujiang's waiting area.

It would at least add some life to the place.

"Hmph, others who took our school's exam slots didn't even show up—fine. But Huang Chengwei, Tong Quan—they're Yujiang students themselves—and they didn't even come to sit here. That's just rude."

Fang Chong saw that only four people sat in Yujiang University's thirty seats and felt deeply resentful.

Geng Geng Qianxing sighed—he could only pray that at least one of Fang Chong's three students passed.

Otherwise, Yujiang University would shut down.

He loved Yujiang University's freedom and admired President Tan Bei—such a school closing would be a terrible loss.

…

"Yi Yi, what are you looking at?" Seeing Qu Yi's companion, Qu Fei, noticed Seeing Qu Yi constantly glancing around and asked.

"Nothing, I was just looking around," Seeing Qu Yi quickly replied.

Qu Fei followed Seeing Qu Yi's gaze and spotted the Yujiang University sign—she suddenly remembered.

"Wasn't Ding Huan supposed to be from Yujiang University? You can't even see him over there—what a fraud."

Seeing Qu Yi didn't answer Qu Fei, but asked instead, "Does Yujiang University have only three candidates and one instructor?"

"After Ding Huan mentioned Yujiang University, I went back to look it up. Turns out the school is about to shut down—just look at how only three students showed up for the exam."

Qu Fei added another remark to prove her foresight.

Seeing Qu Yi lowered her head, trying hard to figure out why Ding Huan had lied to her—or whether he'd lied at all. Either way, after the exam ended, she intended to go ask him.

At that moment, a platform suddenly rose from the center of the square.

A man in gray robes walked as if across the air for ten steps, then landed calmly atop the platform.

"It's Principal Nong…"

The square erupted in thunderous applause; those who had never seen Principal Nong began asking who he was.

"Pfft, you don't even know Principal Nong? Then why even come to watch the Top Ten Star Colleges exam?"

Before the man could continue pretending, someone beside him answered for him:

"Principal Nong is Nong Yizhen—the number one president among the Top Ten Star Colleges, head of Zhenyu Academy, a primordial expert who fused four alien genes."

"Is there anyone stronger than Principal Nong?"

"Senior Yan Xia, he's also an Innate realm expert. As for how many mutant genes he fused with, I have no idea."

"Innate realm experts are from the previous realm, right? I heard that later the Martial Arts Alliance, together with some martial arts sects, revised the martial arts realm. Isn't the previous martial arts Innate realm equivalent to today's Earth-rank martial artist?"

"What do you know? Innate is Innate, Earth-rank is Earth-rank…"

"None of us understand this, let's stop arguing. I just feel that since we're cultivating martial arts, why fuse with genes? Isn't that neither one thing nor the other?"

"You know nothing. Only by fusing top-tier martial arts genes can one reach the very peak of martial arts."

…….

The arguing voices kept going. Standing on the platform, Nong Yizhen said in a clear voice, "Everyone, please quiet down."

With just one sentence, without any amplification equipment, it was heard across nearly the entire plaza.

Some martial arts experts sighed in admiration—Nong Yizhen's internal Qi had truly been cultivated to the point of returning to simplicity. No matter how far away, no matter how noisy the place, when he spoke it was as if the words rang right beside your ear.

The plaza instantly fell silent at Nong Yizhen's words. Nong Yizhen spoke again,

"Friends who have come from all over the world, the reason we have gathered here today is to work for the future of humanity.

I am Nong Yizhen of Zhenyu Academy. On behalf of the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star, I welcome you all.

I also make this promise here—whether in the past, the present, or the future, the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star have only one purpose: to protect the Earth, to protect humanity…"

Warm applause rose once again.

After the applause faded, Nong Yizhen continued, "Today, the entrance examination of the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star officially begins.

Here, on behalf of the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star, I pledge that this examination will be conducted under the principles of fairness and justice, to select the most outstanding genius students in the world to enter the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star. Now, the examination begins."

Not a single unnecessary word.

After Earth's environment suddenly changed and survival grew harsh, all the official speeches at conferences and events dwindled—or vanished entirely.

Take this entrance examination of the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star, for example—no leaders' speeches, just Nong Yizhen making two pledges, and the examination began straight away.

As soon as the examination started, sound between examination zones was blocked; each zone's broadcast only carried within the zone's range.

For instance, the broadcast in Examination Zone One would not carry over to Examination Zone Two.

All participating examinees focused their attention, listening tensely to the broadcast, afraid of missing something. Because the moment it was their turn to take the test would be announced over the broadcast.

From the broadcast of Examination Zone Thirty-Eight came a voice,

"Examinees with candidate numbers between a1721301 and a1721320, please proceed to the Examination Zone Thirty-Eight site to take the first round of the examination."

The first round—the gene fusion degree test—was simple; twenty people could enter and take the test at the same time each time.

As for calling out numbers one by one? Even calling them three times? That doesn't exist.

If you weren't paying attention, or didn't hear it, or it didn't occur to you that your number fell within the range being called—then you're not a genius. Since you're not a genius, why are you here taking the examination?

The plaza was utterly quiet; the murmuring of the onlookers on the outer edge could not carry into the examination zones at this moment.

Every examinee's number is unique. Take a1721301 for example: 'a' stands for Asia, '1' stands for Huaxia, '7' stands for Zhongyuan Province, '2' stands for Luohe City, '13' stands for the school or unit, and '01' is the examinee's own number.