Chapter 35: White Frost Falls

The proctor’s eyes filled with shock.

He stepped forward and looked at Jiang Jian.

His expression still held disbelief.

“You actually killed the hanger ghost!”

The proctor sighed, reached out to help Jiang Jian up, and pulled a box of medicine from his chest. “Quick, take this!”

It was a capsule box.

The label read: “Hemostatic and Bruise-Relief Oral Tablets.”

Jiang Jian forced himself to stand, sharp pain throbbing in his ribs.

The proctor opened the box and took out one tablet: “Chew it directly.”

Jiang Jian took the tablet and said, “Thank you, teacher.”

The tablet was small and white.

It emitted a pleasant, fragrant scent.

Jiang Jian had seen this medicine before.

One box of “Hemostatic and Bruise-Relief Oral Tablets” contained nine tablets.

The official price was 180 Alliance Coins per box.

This one tablet was worth 20 Alliance Coins.

After swallowing it, a cool sensation spread through his throat.

The bruised blood in his fractured ribs slowly dispersed.

Even the cracked bones began to heal.

A few minutes later.

The proctor looked at him with concern: “Feeling better?”

Jiang Jian’s face was pale, but he had regained some strength. “Much better.”

“Good.”

The proctor nodded and turned his gaze to Jiang Jian’s wooden sword.

“Though you have a Level-3 Divine-Gifted weapon.”

“This hanger ghost was actually very strong.”

“Shi Xuan’s Moon-Chasing Blade is also Level-3, yet it couldn’t survive two seconds against the hanger ghost.”

“Yet you, in a desperate situation, used yourself as bait and killed it!”

“Your strategy, courage, and combat awareness are all top-tier!”

Here, he paused.

The proctor grew excited. “Jiang Jian, your divisional exam is over. Let’s go!”

He activated his identity device and tapped a few times.

A few seconds later.

A shuttle glowed brilliant blue, slicing through the darkness and landing outside the shopping mall.

Jiang Jian wrapped up Han Guang Sword.

He followed the proctor onto the shuttle.

The proctor mistook Han Guang Sword for a Level-3 Divine-Gifted weapon.

Jiang Jian said nothing.

Naturally gifted weapons are exceedingly rare.

Across the Four Spheres of Earth and Moon, there are one hundred and thirty prefectures.

Fewer than thirty cases of “Naturally Gifted” weapons have ever been recorded.

Such things.

Exist only in textbooks and legends.

To reveal it openly invites unknown fortune or disaster.

Under any circumstances.

Its true origin must never be known.

Not even his sister Jiang Zhao knows.

“Jiang Jian, your exam score is very high.”

As the shuttle sped through darkness, the proctor smiled at Jiang Jian.

“Based on my estimate, your score rivals that of a Level-4 innate talent!”

“By the way, these three items are your spoils.”

Here, he lowered his voice and pulled out a plastic hanger.

Seeing the hanger, Jiang Jian’s gaze shifted.

The plastic hanger looked utterly ordinary.

Jiang Jian had studied cultivation materials—he knew it was the hanger ghost’s true form.

On the left hung a palm-sized octopus toy.

On the right hung a plastic mannequin head.

“The hanger ghost’s true form isn’t valuable, but it can sell for around 1,500 Alliance Coins.”

The proctor wrapped the items and placed them in Jiang Jian’s arms.

“The octopus toy can fetch 300 Alliance Coins.”

“The plastic head is worth 180 Alliance Coins.”

“According to exam rules, these are all your spoils.”

As he spoke, the proctor deliberately omitted the piece of refined iron.

“Thank you, teacher.”

Jiang Jian thanked him but said nothing more.

He stuffed the hanger into his black cloth bag, beside Han Guang Sword.

The shuttle moved swiftly.

In minutes.

It had passed through the first layer of Jiangcheng and descended toward the massive fleet yard.

Having passed through one layer of Jiangcheng, they descended toward the vast fleet yard.

Hundreds of new students, having finished their exams, had gathered.

After enduring the divisional exam.

Many new students bore wounds, large or small.

Many more were critically injured, unconscious.

Under the care of staff, they lay on stretchers, barely clinging to life.

“Jiang Jian, you’re lucky your injuries aren’t severe.”

The shuttle stopped. The proctor handed Jiang Jian the entire box of medicine.

“Take your medicine on schedule these next few days.”

“It shouldn’t interfere with your early cultivation.”

One box of “Hemostatic and Bruise-Relief Oral Tablets” cost 180 Alliance Coins.

For ordinary people,

But in the fifth layer of Jiangcheng, at Linjiang Academy,

Anyone who wished to cultivate spent coins like water.

Jiang Jian did not refuse the kindness—he took the medicine box directly. “Thank you, teacher.”

Seeing this,

The proctor’s smile deepened.

“I’m Wu Hai, a first-year instructor at the academy.”

“Jiang Jian.”

“I look forward to seeing you in my class.”

Here, Wu Hai pointed to the fleet platform. “Scores are about to be announced. Go quickly.”

"I look forward to seeing you in class."

Saying this, Wu Hai pointed to the fleet yard platform, "The results are about to be announced—hurry over."

He stepped off the shuttle.

Jiang Jian immediately spotted Shi Xuan, dozens of meters away.

“Jiang Jian, you’re out!”

Shi Xuan, his arm wrapped in bandages, waved at Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian walked over and said, “Yes.”

Shi Xuan’s arm was wrapped in bandages; he saw Jiang Jian and waved him over.

Jiang Jian stepped forward and said, “Yes.”

Shi Xuan gritted his teeth, voice filled with fury: “That hanger ghost was utterly disgusting—otherwise, our assessment scores could’ve been higher!”

Jiang Jian smiled: “I happened to kill the hanger ghost.”

Shi Xuan froze.

A few seconds later.

He finally processed it, pupils contracting sharply, whispering: “What did you say? You killed the hanger ghost?!”

Jiang Jian nodded: “The hanger ghost injured me, but when it let its guard down, I ambushed and killed it.”

Shi Xuan shook his head hard: “That was a hanger ghost! Even with an ambush, it’s nearly impossible!”

He widened his eyes, scanning Jiang Jian up and down. “I can’t imagine how high your assessment score must be!”

As he spoke,

Song Ling and Du Fang walked over from nearby.

“Jiang Jian, are you alright?”

“Jiang Jian, are you okay?”

Jiang Jian waved his hand: “I’m fine.”

At that moment,

Supervisor Zhang’s voice rang out clearly.

“All new recruits, be silent!”

A few seconds later.

The 300 new recruits fell completely silent.

One by one, they quieted down.

Teacher Zhang scanned the crowd, expression satisfied, and announced loudly: “Assessment scoring is now complete!”

“Now,”

“the scores of these 300 external new recruits are merged into Linjiang Academy’s overall new recruit ranking!”

“You will be ranked together with the 1,500 local new recruits from Linjiang Prefecture!”

Teacher Zhang raised his identity device and pressed several buttons.

Instantly,

A chorus of notification chimes erupted among the hundreds of new recruits!

“I’ve sent the overall ranking to everyone’s identity device!”

“After reviewing it,”

“board the ship assigned to your respective college!”

Teacher Zhang pressed his identity device again.

Instantly,

Seventeen massive whale-ray vessels descended one after another!

The docking field outside Five Rivers City was enormous.

Even seventeen whale-ray vessels occupied only a fraction of the space.

“Actually, I’m not that nervous,”

Du Fang opened his identity device, feigning calm. “Our assessment scores are definitely not low!”

Beep!

A semi-transparent screen unfolded.

The overall ranking of 1,800 new recruits appeared before them.

Each college had a clearly marked dividing line.

So that everyone

Could instantly locate their assigned college.

“Why is only the Seventeenth College’s ranking visible?!”

Du Fang, brimming with excitement, looked up.

But he realized

The top sixteen colleges were blurred.

Completely unreadable.

“My identity device shows the same,”

Song Ling sneered, lifting her gaze to the edge of the docking field and pointing. “Look—many students have already boarded the Seventeenth College’s whale-ray vessel.”

Following her gaze,

Jiang Jian looked.

On the side of the Seventeenth College’s whale-ray vessel were three large characters: “Anhe College.”

The seventeen colleges were named after their prefecture rankings.

Anhe College was the Seventeenth College.

“So that means Anhe Prefecture,”

“is the poorest of Linjiang Prefecture’s seventeen prefectures.”

Jiang Jian lowered his gaze, expression odd.

Shi Xuan stood beside him, squinting: “Our batch of external new recruits is pretty weak.”

“Seventeenth College has over seventy external new recruits.”

"The Seventeenth Academy has over seventy external new students."

More than half of the 300 external new recruits had already left.

Du Fang muttered bitterly: “To be honest, for external new recruits, this assessment was brutal.”

“Without Jiang Jian, we’d have been eliminated on the first floor of the Shang Mall.”

Song Ling nodded in agreement: “Those non-citizens are too cunning.”

“We external new recruits have no divine weapons, haven’t begun cultivation, and don’t even know the assessment details.”

“Reliant only on innate talent, blind as bats.”

“Getting our current scores is already lucky.”

"Getting the current assessment score is already a stroke of luck."

Seventeen whale-ray vessels had already departed.

The overall new recruit ranking had revealed the top 250 names.

“Next will be the Third College’s new recruit names,”

Du Fang stared at his device screen, excited. “My name still hasn’t appeared.”

“Our scores really are high!”

On the docking field,

Fewer than thirty external new recruits remained.

Most of them

Were familiar faces from Cabin 1 when Jiang Jian arrived.

“Third College, new recruit list.”

A mechanical voice announced.

The overall new recruit ranking

From 151st to 250th.

One hundred names suddenly sharpened into clarity.

Du Fang scanned quickly—still no sign of his name. He grew anxious: “Why isn’t it here?!”

“Why are you so nervous?”

Song Ling sighed. “Our names are definitely higher up!”

Du Fang remained distracted, flipping through the lower rankings, terrified he’d missed his name.

Du Fang remained distracted, constantly flipping through the lower rankings, afraid he might miss his name.

(End of Chapter)