Chapter 44: Immortal Rank No. 1! (Requesting Follows)

Good, barely passed the passing line.

Lin Mo took a deep breath; his first-round test score was not far from what he expected.

Although his cultivation had risen by four full levels since the third mock test, his score had only increased by thirty points or so.

But after all, the mock test combined his cultivation and spiritual root scores for a total of 700 points, while the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam’s first round had a maximum of only 500 points.

Since the total scores differed, so did the passing lines.

Overall, Lin Mo’s scores in the first two tests had improved significantly, and even in the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam, he had just barely met the 60% passing threshold.

At that moment, a solemn, authoritative voice reached his ears:

【First-round test concluded. Immortal Exam rankings have been released. Please check!】

As the Heavenly Dao system’s announcement ended, a golden scroll appeared on Lin Mo’s interface.

Simultaneously, dense rows of bold ink characters surfaced upon it:

【Qinzhou’s 1008th Immortal Exam Rankings, published as follows】:

1. Chu Wange, Qi Refining Completion, Sword Spiritual Root: 550 points

2. Feng Ji, Qi Refining Completion, Thunder Spiritual Root: 540 points

3. Zhao Yun Gui, Qi Refining Completion, Super Spiritual Root: 540 points

……

10. Long A, Meridian Completion, Primordial Wasteland Sacred Body: 510 points

……

……

The first name in sight was the three bold ink characters: Chu Wange!

Lin Mo’s pupils contracted sharply, his heart trembling with shock.

He had expected Chu Wange to be strong, but not this strong.

Maximum score was 500—she scored 550!?

His gaze instinctively turned to Chu Wange, standing right beside him; she was bathed in golden light, as if draped in a golden celestial robe, standing out vividly among the crowd, drawing countless exclamations.

Among the distant crowd, other Immortal Exam candidates were similarly marked by golden light—there were exactly ten, matching the top ten on the Immortal Exam rankings.

But compared to them, her golden aura was the brightest.

In contrast, Lin Mo’s own golden aura appeared faint and weak, no brighter than sunlight reflecting off a surface, even weaker than that of ordinary candidates around him.

“What’s my rank again…?”

Lin Mo scrolled down the list, finally finding his name far at the bottom—

10086. Lin Mo, Qi Refining Level 7, Five Element Spiritual Root: 303 points

“…”

Lin Mo’s lips twitched.

With roughly 12,000 Immortal Exam candidates total, and excluding the small group marked “eliminated” for using forbidden methods, his rank still placed him among the lowest tier.

How to describe this rank?

It seemed reasonable, yet deeply embarrassing.

Especially standing right beside Chu Wange—the contrast was too stark.

Fortunately, it was only in Lin Mo’s mind; countless candidates’ gazes were fixed on Chu Wange, and no one noticed him.

At this moment, atop Great Ming Mountain, the viewing pavilion.

“Chu Wange, Immortal Rank No. 1!”

Meng Xianzhang and Feng Xianzhang both rose to their feet, eyes blazing as they stared at the Heavenly Dao golden light on the Ascension Platform.

Their expressions showed a flicker of excitement—Chu Wange’s performance had surpassed their expectations.

Good. Their bet had paid off.

Chu Wange’s talent was unquestionable, but securing first place in the first round was no simple feat.

Just from the rankings, it was clear: all top ten candidates had scores above 500.

Clearly, these prodigies had all maxed out their base scores; the difference lay solely in “bonus points.”

Bonus points could come from many sources: primordial Dao resonance, innate spiritual beasts…

Of course, there was also 【Fate】.

Immortal Masters familiar with the inner workings cast envious glances toward them.

One reason was Chu Wange’s identity as a sword cultivator—unusually rare; the other was that Qingshan Sect and Wenda Academy had moved first, making it nearly impossible for other academies to compete.

Meng Xianzhang smiled contentedly and said:

“This year’s Qinzhou Immortal Exam truly boasts exceptional talent—over a dozen candidates scored above 500. In past years, three or five was already considered many.”

Feng Xianzhang rarely agreed with him, but now nodded: “This year is indeed a golden age of cultivation—the quality is the best in a decade!”

Meng Xianzhang nodded slightly, then added: “Under such circumstances, for Xiao Chu to emerge as the top candidate is truly remarkable.”

Hearing their sincere praise, Principal Zhu and the man beside him—Wang Tou—were nearly beaming.

The latter felt his bonus and title were now secure.

The former felt his resume had gained another brilliant stroke, and Nanshan’s future student intake was guaranteed.

Perhaps, he might even have a chance to rise further.

As for Old Li…

“Ye Chen, 360 points, rank 4999… Huh!? Why can’t I find Lin Mo’s score?”

He scrutinized the golden scroll of the Mirror Moon illusion, muttering to himself.

Meng Xianzhang & Feng Xianzhang: “…”

Almost forgot about this kid…

Meng Xianzhang reminded him: “Little Li, perhaps you should scroll from the bottom up.”

Old Li realized—he should have.

So he obediently scrolled upward, and soon found Lin Mo’s score—

“Found it! Lin Mo, 303 points, rank 10086…”

He read it aloud.

Meng Xianzhang nodded; both score and rank were exactly as expected.

“Not bad…”

Old Li muttered.

If he could score 300 in the first round, then in the second round’s 500-point Immortal Realm, scoring just 200 would put him above the 500-point “guaranteed admission” line.

Thinking like that, it didn’t seem so hard?

Old Li’s face lit up slightly.

Meng Xianzhang saw through his thoughts and silently shook his head.

In truth, though the second round still carried 500 points, it was far from simple as he imagined.

But Meng Xianzhang said nothing more, only smiled and said:

“As long as Little Lin passes the Immortal Realm, scoring 200 points should be no problem.”

Old Li’s face brightened again—he was about to speak, when Feng Xianzhang interrupted:

“But only if he can pass at all.”

Meng Xianzhang: “…”

Old Li’s expression froze. “What do you mean, Feng Xianzhang?”

At that moment, Principal Zhu cleared his throat and said:

“Old Li, you’re probably new to observing the Immortal Exam, so you may not know—the Heavenly Dao Realm has always been the hardest part of the annual exam…”

After Principal Zhu finished explaining, Old Li finally understood.

If the first round tested talent and cultivation, the second round’s realm tested the candidates’ practical ability to handle danger.

This was one of the enduring difficulties of the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam.

Not only did average cultivators like Lin Mo struggle—many prodigies with outstanding talent also failed in the realm.

That’s why Qingshan Sect and Wenda Academy insisted so strongly: Lin Mo must score above 500 to be guaranteed admission.

Because the average admission cutoff across the nine major academies each year was above 500 points, with roughly 1,000 students admitted.

But now, looking at the first-round scores, not only were there over 2,000 candidates above 400 points—far exceeding 300.

Meaning at least half of these top candidates would fail to score even 100 points in the realm.

You could imagine how difficult the Immortal Exam Realm truly was.

Meng Xianzhang said: “Please understand, Principal Zhu and Little Li—guaranteed admission requires a higher threshold than direct admission. Offering 500 as the requirement is already our bottom line.”

Five hundred was the minimum admission line—but even that didn’t guarantee entry.

Moreover, guaranteed students received far better resources and benefits than regular new students.

He wasn’t lying about this.

Old Li’s face twisted into a bitter smile; his hopes for Lin Mo instantly dimmed:

“So… this kid has almost no chance?”

Feng Xianzhang shook his head: “Not necessarily. If he can master a mid-grade spell, he might still pass.”

Old Li thought inwardly: then Ye Chen still had a chance—but Lin Mo…?

How should one handle the dangers within the secret realm with a Peak Realm Kuixing Stake?

As for Lin Mo’s other accomplished technique, since there had been no exams during the final period, Old Li had not deliberately inquired, so it remained unknown.

Nevertheless, given the other’s family background, it should likely be a common low-grade technique.

Thus, Lin Mo’s chance of being recommended for direct admission appeared extremely slim.

He looked toward Zhu Xiao sitting across from him, who gave him a slight shake of the head.

Sigh…

He sighed inwardly.