Chapter 38: Relaxation? That

【『Fireball Spell』extremely annoyed: What’s that look in that kid’s eyes? Is he mocking me?】

【『Fireball Spell』fuming and flaring: I hate people who look down their noses—his fire element is as weak as a matchstick, who does he think he is?】

“Alright, Little Fire, don’t rush—there’ll be a chance for you to act.”

Lin Mo said slowly in his mind.

“According to past exam rules, the first stage is usually a solo trial, but the second stage typically includes PVP combat—though the specific rules change every year.”

Hearing this, the ‘Fireball Spell’ burst into flickering flames.

【『Fireball Spell』rubbing hands eagerly: Perfect! My blade is starving for blood!】

【『Earth Shield Spell』weakly: Huh? Fight other humans? Humans are way more dangerous than monsters—Master, maybe we shouldn’t enter the second stage?】

Before Lin Mo could respond, the ‘Fireball Spell’ instantly bristled.

【『Fireball Spell』shot a flame finger at ‘Earth Shield Spell’ and yelled: Shut up! You spineless coward! You’re shaming the entire skill community!】

【『Earth Shield Spell』pouting: I’m just worried about Master’s safety… that Zhao Yu looks so terrifying…】

As the two skills were about to argue again,

Lin Mo had to step in once more as peacemaker.

“Enough, enough, Little Fire, calm down your temper. You’re brothers—get along, understand?”

“And you, Little Earth.”

Lin Mo’s tone grew slightly stern, “If Zhao Yu can break through your defense, I’ll write my name backward. What’s there to fear?”

After Lin Mo’s lecture, the two skills finally settled down.

At that moment,

“Quiet, all of you!”

A commanding voice echoed across the entire square.

Everyone looked up to see a towering figure appear on the high platform above the square.

“That’s… Zhang Tiejun, Deputy Commander of Jianghai City’s Defense Army, known as the ‘Iron Wall Lion’!”

Someone recognized him and whispered in shock.

Zhang Tiejun’s face was expressionless, his voice booming:

“I am Zhang Tiejun, chief examiner of this exam.”

I won’t waste time with nonsense—since you’re here, drop that smug attitude!

“This is an exam hall—and a battlefield! You’ll face demons and abysses in the future—if you can’t even take this seriously, go home and drink your milk!”

His speech made many students shrink back, their expressions tightening with tension.

Seeing this, Zhang Tiejun nodded slightly and shouted:

“Now, announce the exam rules!”

“This exam has two stages.”

“Stage One: Trial Tower!”

As he spoke, the ground in the center of the square trembled violently.

Dozens of black towers, dozens of meters tall, slowly rose from beneath the earth.

“The Trial Tower has thirty floors; each floor spawns different types and strengths of demons.”

“The rules are simple: clear one floor, earn 100 points. Final rankings prioritize total points; if tied, the one with shorter completion time ranks higher!”

“After Stage One, the top two hundred candidates qualify for Stage Two!”

Hearing “top two hundred,” the crowd gasped in disbelief.

Jianghai City had tens of thousands of candidates this year—only two hundred would advance; the elimination rate was brutal.

Zhang Tiejun ignored the commotion below and continued:

“For Stage Two, the two hundred qualifiers will be randomly teleported to the ‘Mist Wasteland.’”

“There, a high-level wind mage will cast a storm from outside; the storm circle will shrink over time—do not touch it, or you’ll be torn apart instantly.”

“In Stage Two, killing common monsters grants 10 points; killing elite monsters grants 20 points.”

Here, Zhang Tiejun paused, and a chilling aura surged:

“Of course, there’s a faster way to earn points… defeat other candidates!”

“Defeat a candidate, and you steal all their accumulated points!”

The entire crowd erupted.

Steal all points?

That meant no matter how many monsters you killed early on—if someone ambushed you at the end, you’d have done all the work for them!

Looking at the candidates with varied expressions, Zhang Tiejun coldly said:

“Don’t worry about fatalities.”

“All candidates have been given a ‘Soul Protection’ status.”

“When you receive a fatal blow, the protection activates automatically, preserving your life until the exam ends—but it also means you’re eliminated.”

“Now, line up according to your admission numbers and enter the Trial Tower one by one!”

“The exam begins!”

Lin Mo listened calmly to this year’s exam rules, showing no expression.

Just fight monsters, fight people.

He casually pulled out a bag of fire-element snacks and joined the queue to enter the Trial Tower.

…

…

Monitoring Command Center, second-floor VIP monitoring room.

The decor was luxurious, even with dedicated staff serving tea.

Xu Wenchang sat on the central sofa, Lin Tianhao and his wife on one side, Zhao Lei on the other—the atmosphere seemed harmonious, but undercurrents churned.

“It’s started.”

Lin Tianhao sat upright, watching the candidates’ entrance footage on the big screen.

He gave a command to a technical officer behind him.

As the officer operated, Lin Mo’s internal view of the Trial Tower was enlarged to fill nearly the entire screen.

On screen, Lin Mo sat cross-legged on the floor, snacking.

“….”

“….”

“Your son… is pretty relaxed, huh.”

Xu Wenchang blurted out.

Lin Tianhao’s face flushed slightly, and he coughed awkwardly:

“Cough… uh, old Xu, my boy’s just got a good mindset—that’s called ‘unfazed even as Mount Tai collapses before him.’”

“Hahaha…”

Xu Wenchang laughed loudly, “Excellent—‘unfazed even as Mount Tai collapses before him.’ Nowadays, kids are all so tense; it’s rare to see someone this interesting.”

Zhao Lei, beside them, found these words painfully irritating.

Relaxed? Unfazed by collapse? That’s just laziness—giving up!

Zhao Lei snorted and ordered another officer:

“Bring up Zhao Yu’s feed.”

“Yes, Commander Zhao.”

Soon, Zhao Yu’s feed appeared beside Lin Mo’s, both centered on the screen.

On screen, Zhao Yu held his staff, expression solemn, eyes sharp as a hawk’s.

His demeanor was the complete opposite of Lin Mo’s.

Zhao Lei pointed at the screen, implying:

“Old Xu, look—this is the right attitude for an exam.”

“Even a lion fights a rabbit with full strength. That’s the discipline of a true professional—even against weak foes, never slack off.”

Here, Zhao Lei glanced at Lin Tianhao, sneering:

“Unlike some people who treat the exam hall like an amusement park—such an attitude will cost them dearly on a real battlefield.”

Lin Tianhao bristled at once:

“Zhao Lei, don’t overinterpret.”

Do you have to act like you’re facing a boss at the abyss just to kill a few weak monsters? Exhausting!

“My son’s got effortless grace—you wouldn’t understand!”

Zhao Lei glared at Lin Tianhao: “Effortless grace? I call it slack!”

“So what if he’s slack? Bet who clears faster?”

Lin Tianhao’s face brimmed with defiance.

Seeing the two old classmates about to brawl again, Xu Wenchang rushed to mediate:

“Enough, enough—you’re both in your forties, acting like children.”

“Look, look.”

Xu Wenchang’s gaze swept between the two screens, smiling cheerfully:

One is a genius with extraordinary talent, handling heavy tasks as if they were light.

The other is a top student with solid fundamentals and a rigorous attitude.

Each has their own strengths; let’s keep watching—the trial tower hasn’t even begun, and the best is yet to come.

Hmph!

Lin Tianhao and Zhao Lei both let out a cold snort, ignoring each other.

Although Xu Wenchang spoke these words, his gaze lingered more on Lin Mo.

After all, after all these years, he had never before seen a student so “laid-back” right under the nose of the Longxu Class admissions officer.