Chapter 18: Immortal Exam Test

Li Feng glared, furious: “You—”

“Enough!”

Ahead, Ye Chen seemed unable to endure this tedious farce; he frowned and cut in, then fixed his gaze on Lin Mo and said:

“I thought you were smart. Now I see I was wildly wrong.”

“Fine. More words are useless. Good luck to you.”

With that, he turned away, ignoring Lin Mo and Zhang Dahai.

Hmph, I thought you were an honest man—turns out I was wildly wrong too… Lin Mo muttered inwardly.

Li Feng also snorted at Lin Mo and Zhang Dahai, only to be immediately shot back by Zhang Dahai:

“Got a chicken feather stuck in your throat?”

Li Feng gritted his teeth: “Fine, fine, Zhang Dahai—I’ll remember you!”

With that, he too turned away angrily.

Zhang Dahai sneered, lips curled, his demeanor no less defiant.

Only after they both turned away did he quickly lean close to Lin Mo’s ear and whisper:

“You’ve already shown off—let’s get out of here before you have to kneel to him.”

Lin Mo glanced down and saw Zhang Dahai’s legs shaking worse than before.

He smiled and said:

“How about… you go first? I’ll give it a try.”

Hearing this, Zhang Dahai’s legs instantly stiffened; he put on a look of noble sacrifice and said:

“Try it then—what’s the worst that could happen? We pack up and leave tonight anyway—I never planned on college.”

Lin Mo patted his shoulder with a smile. Good brother—I forgive you for interrupting my moment of glory, seeing how you’re so scared but still sticking with me.

“All quiet! The exam begins!”

As the instructor on the training platform loudly cleared the area, the crowd fell silent.

Everyone’s attention instantly turned toward the stage.

Lin Mo also looked ahead at the training platform, where only a single spiritual energy quality tester stood.

Its function was simple: students placed their panels on it, and the device automatically calculated their scores.

Soon, the instructor’s voice rang out from the stands:

“Students called will come forward in order: Sheng Hao, Yu Yushi, Bian Kangning, Tang Xiulan!”

At the call, the four students at the front, visibly tense, stepped out of line and walked toward the stage.

In truth, the Immortal Exam test was simpler than expected.

It merely converted the panel data into scores—[Cultivation Base] and [Spiritual Root] were easiest to calculate; students could compute their own scores.

Only [Spellcraft] had a complex evaluation system, and the criteria changed yearly.

Scores were determined by the spell’s rank, difficulty of cultivation, and other factors combined.

A few years ago, a new rule was added: live demonstration.

If performance was outstanding, bonus points could be awarded.

Conversely, poor performance lowered the score.

The four on stage wasted no time; they quickly placed their hands on the tester, and two metrics were instantly tallied—

“Sheng Hao, Qi Refining 4th Layer, Cultivation Base Score: 195/500; Spiritual Root Score: 60/200; Total: 255.”

“Yu Yushi, Qi Refining 4th Layer, Cultivation Base Score: 196/500…”

“Bian Kangning…”

“…”

The first two scores for all four were quickly tallied; their cultivation bases all hovered at Qi Refining 4th Layer, and none exceeded 300 combined.

Their faces simultaneously showed the expected disappointment—this score, unless [Spellcraft] exploded, wouldn’t even meet last year’s lowest Dao Academy admission line.

The proctor, expressionless, continued:

“Support spells need not be demonstrated—test directly. Attack spells will be demonstrated in order of student ID.”

Bian Kangning, ranked first by ID, took a deep breath, picked up a wooden sword, and stepped forward, bowing respectfully:

“Teacher, I will demonstrate Basic Sword Art.”

This came as no surprise—over half the students here practiced either [Basic Sword Art] or [Kui Xing Stance].

Both were the most basic low-rank [Spellcrafts], each with advantages and drawbacks.

The drawback: low rank, hard to score highly.

The advantage: easiest to master—even with mediocre [Constitution], diligent practice ensured decent proficiency.

After receiving the teacher’s permission, Bian Kangning swiftly demonstrated Basic Sword Art on the stage.

“Point thrust! Piercing thrust! Downward slash! Sweeping cut…”

Basic Sword Art had thirteen forms; Bian Kangning completed one full set in under three minutes.

How to put it?

Solid fundamentals, but nothing particularly impressive.

Lin Mo silently evaluated from the stands.

Soon, the [Spellcraft] score appeared—

“Bian Kangning, Basic Sword Art Minor Mastery, Spellcraft Score: 50/300; Total: 305.”

As the score appeared, Bian Kangning’s expression visibly sagged.

Last year, the lowest admission line for Qinzhou’s eighty-one Dao Academies was 320—he was 15 points short.

Fifteen points may seem small, but in the remaining half-month, gaining three or five points was already lucky—let alone fifteen.

Unless he miraculously obtained a high-quality elixir to instantly boost his cultivation, Bian Kangning had little hope of the Immortal Path.

As his score was announced, many students around him, also at Qi Refining 4th Layer, grew even tenser.

Qi Refining 4th Layer was merely a baseline; admission to Dao Academies still hinged on luck.

“Next!”

The proctor’s voice was cold, offering no comfort despite Bian Kangning’s despair.

This was the path of the cultivator—cruel and real.

Even one point short meant eternal exclusion from the Immortal Path.

And the Immortal Exam came only once—no second chances.

As Bian Kangning, pale-faced, descended the stage, the previously murmuring crowd fell utterly silent; tension surged severalfold.

The following tests brought mixed results.

Some candidates barely scraped the 320-point admission line.

Others fell just a few points short, yet still had a slim chance to improve.

Of course, some, like Bian Kangning, were far beyond reach of the 320-point threshold.

Additionally, a few rare students surpassed Qi Refining 4th Layer—these were virtually guaranteed admission, differing only in which academy they’d enter.

The preliminary Immortal Exam proceeded smoothly, until the IDs for Class 10 of Grade 12 were called.

When the proctor announced Ye Chen’s name, even students who had just finished and were preparing to leave halted, turning back to the stage.

Ye Chen stood tall, head held high, stepping onto the platform under the gaze of all.

Even the icy-faced proctor’s expression flickered slightly.

These students thought him merely an ordinary teacher—he was not.

He was not a provincial exam supervisor, but an Immortal Master dispatched by the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy to assist with testing.

The Dao Academy took on such duties to identify promising Immortal Seeds before the exam.

Before arriving at Nanshan No. 4 High, he already knew of this school’s [Destiny Child].

Ye Chen was not only a top Immortal Seed from Rongcheng, but also one of the province’s key candidates.

Too bad—the rumored genius of Nanshan No. 4 wasn’t here today…

Today, he focused only on two: the Immortal scion Zhu Hongyuan, and the Destiny Child Ye Chen.

The former was recommended by his senior; the latter was a direct mandate from the academy—uncomparable.

Zhu Hongyuan had already been tested.

Qi Refining 6th Layer—an elite talent in any ordinary Dao Academy, impressive.

But rumors said Zhu Hongyuan had recently lost to Ye Chen—would the latter deliver some astonishing performance?… The proctor’s mind stirred slightly, then he said to Ye Chen:

“Begin your test.”

Ye Chen nodded slightly and placed his hand on the tester…

Minutes later, his total score appeared—

“Ye Chen, Qi Refining 7th Layer, Cultivation Base Score: 394; Spiritual Root Score: 116; Spellcraft Score: 160; Total: 670.”

As the system’s announcement rang out, the crowd erupted in a roar.