Chapter 80: The Second

At first glance, Li Zhangsheng found his own name; there was no helping it, his name was in the first position of the first row, and the evaluation behind it was "Best," the only "Best" in the entire venue!

After obtaining his second "Best," Li Zhangsheng did not hide the joy in his heart; this indicated that he had received the highest score in the Verification Exam, and no one could be mentioned in the same breath as him.

If he could obtain another "Best" in the third assessment and collect three "Best" ratings, then he would very likely become the primary target that the Instructors vied to snatch up.

After his joy subsided, Li Zhangsheng began to look for the rankings of the other three members of the Li Clan Four Heroes.

The three of them also had impressive results; Li Runfeng once again obtained an "Excellent" evaluation, while Li Tianyu and Li Jingyi were "Good."

Among the competition of over forty people, being able to obtain a result of "Good" or higher indirectly expressed that the "Li Clan Four Heroes" all possessed a rich store of Spirit Beast knowledge.

"Sigh, another move missed! It turns out the phoenix possesses three characteristics; I only wrote 'Rebirth from Fire' and 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,' how could I have thought there was also 'Heavenly Auspiciousness'? Otherwise, I might have been tied with Zhangsheng for the 'Best'!"

At this moment, Li Runfeng's wailing sounded, and one could see him squatting down holding his head, revealing a look of having no desire to live.

In Li Runfeng's hand, he held the test paper graded by the Instructor; except for the question regarding the phoenix, everything else was correct. Just as he said, if not for the mistake on that question, his results would have been the same as Li Zhangsheng's.

In fact, it wasn't just Li Runfeng; many examinees at the scene were tripped up by this question...

Of course, the most treacherous one was the question about the Nine-Eyed Marten, which tripped people up something fierce.

Compared to the first assessment, the second assessment did not eliminate many examinees; the number of eliminated people was not even ten. Even so, the remaining examinees were already fewer than forty.

By the time all three assessments were finished, it was unknown how many people would remain.

Not long after, led by the chief examiner, the crowd stood at the foot of the mountain. In front of them was a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist; judging by eye, it was afraid to be a thousand meters high, and that did not include the parts that could not be seen clearly.

"The third assessment is very simple: as long as you climb to the peak of Yunwu Mountain within one hour, you can obtain the qualification of a student of Yuanling Academy! During this period, you may only climb to the peak on foot; you are not allowed to use Demon Pets to climb the mountain, you are not allowed to use tools, you are not allowed to obstruct others, and you are not allowed to cancel Demon Pet contracts, otherwise you will be disqualified!"

Before the assessment began, the chief examiner announced the assessment rules.

With the physical fitness of a Monster Tamer, one could barely climb to the peak of Yunwu Mountain within one hour, but the environment of Yunwu Mountain was harsh and it was easy to lose one's way; coupled with the fact that many wild Spirit Beasts lived there, it undoubtedly greatly increased the difficulty and even carried no small amount of danger.

What they did not know was that the wild Spirit Beasts living on Yunwu Mountain were all of the active-attack type; even if they could use Demon Pets to fight, this would inevitably waste a lot of their time.

These wild Spirit Beasts were mostly Lower Rank Jingling, with some Middle-Rank Spirit Beasts mixed in; they had lived on Yunwu Mountain for years and possessed a geographical advantage.

From the perspective of difficulty, even a Second-Rank Beast Master might not necessarily be able to reach the peak within one hour, though there was a ninety percent chance.

Sixteen-year-old Second-rank Monster Tamers were few and far between in the entire Langya Kingdom; every time Yuanling Academy recruited, the number of Second-Rank Beast Masters admitted had never exceeded the number of fingers on two hands.

Judging from the current situation, the third assessment would inevitably eliminate many examinees; the elimination rate might be comparable to Lianxinlu.

"Since everyone has no objections, then I announce the assessment has begun!"

The moment he finished speaking, the chief examiner turned the hourglass over again.

At this moment, except for Li Zhangsheng, the rest of the examinees rushed into Yunwu Mountain at the first opportunity, wanting to reach the peak at the fastest speed.

At the same time, several Instructors took to the air one after another to supervise the condition of the examinees. As long as they discovered examinees violating the rules, they would cancel their assessment qualifications.

Many examinees were quite quick-witted, so after the assessment began, these examinees immediately took action; some wanted to gather the strength of the crowd to climb to the peak together, while others prepared to hang behind other examinees and wait for an opportunity to act.

Unfortunately, their wishful thinking was destined to fail.

There was no other reason; Yunwu Mountain was located in the hinterland of Yuanling Academy, and it was unknown how many years it had been managed. Besides the clouds and mist that lingered all year round, there also existed some miraculous aspects.

"This examinee, why haven't you set off yet?" At the foot of the mountain, the chief examiner looked suspiciously at Li Zhangsheng, who had not moved. Because Li Zhangsheng had obtained two "Best" ratings, the chief examiner naturally had a deep impression of him.

"May I ask the chief examiner, is it possible to forcibly drive wild Spirit Beasts to climb the mountain?"

To put it simply, Li Zhangsheng wanted to exploit a loophole in the rules; he needed a clear answer. Otherwise, with his strength, completing the third assessment was a sure thing, but it would be difficult to snatch the "Best."

"You can!" the chief examiner said concisely.

After receiving a satisfactory answer, Li Zhangsheng immediately set off and soon disappeared into the clouds and mist.

What he did not know was that, watching his back as he was about to disappear, the chief examiner revealed a meaningful smile.

Yuanling Academy had held so many sessions of assessments, and the assessment mechanism was already mature; there were almost no loopholes to exploit.

Yunwu Mountain had steep terrain, countless cliffs and precipices, and was accompanied by rich clouds and mist; visibility was extremely low, and one could see at most ten meters into the surroundings.

Subconsciously, Li Zhangsheng projected his Mental Power, and to his surprise, his Mental Power was clearly restricted; the projection range shrank by more than half, and it was almost no different from the naked eye.

In this place, Mental Power was greatly restricted and almost useless.

Li Zhangsheng examined the surrounding environment; in front of him were several winding paths in different directions, twisting and turning, and he did not know where they led.

Walking in Yunwu Mountain, Li Zhangsheng released the Paradise Bird to protect his safety at all times.

He could use Demon Pets to fight; he just could not use Demon Pets to climb the mountain.

Although Aixi's strength was stronger, because its deterrent power was too great, it was feared that not many wild Spirit Beasts would be willing to approach.

Having walked only a short distance, Li Zhangsheng encountered a wild Spirit Beast.

This was a Black-Backed Rattlesnake; unlike an ordinary rattlesnake, its body was larger, its back was unusually dark, and at the end of its tail was a string of horny rings, remnants from multiple molts. Its snake eyes were cold and filled with undisguised killing intent.

As soon as it discovered Li Zhangsheng, the Black-Backed Rattlesnake began to coil its snake body, its snake tongue flicking slightly, and one could vaguely see sharp Poison Fangs.

At the same time, its tail shook incessantly, emitting an unusually loud sound; this was also a characteristic of the Black-Backed Rattlesnake. When encountering an enemy or moving rapidly, it would quickly swing the tail rings, thereby emitting a loud sound.

"Paradise Bird, finish it off!" Li Zhangsheng shook his head; what he most wanted to encounter was undoubtedly a large beast-type Spirit Beast, and the Black-Backed Rattlesnake was clearly not among them.

While the Paradise Bird rushed toward the Black-Backed Rattlesnake, Li Zhangsheng continued forward, not daring to waste a single bit of time.

He wanted to avoid the possibility of there being no loopholes to exploit; who knew if the Academy had prepared for it? If there were no loopholes to exploit, he could also use normal means to complete the assessment as much as possible.

Under the absolute gap in strength, the Paradise Bird solved the Black-Backed Rattlesnake in a few moves; it pecked off the Black-Backed Rattlesnake's "seven-inch" spot, plucked out a snake gall, tilted its head, and swallowed the snake gall whole.

Li Zhangsheng did not pay it any mind; now was not the time to waste time.

However, before he had walked very far, Li Zhangsheng encountered an unexpected situation.

Suddenly, Li Zhangsheng only felt a blur before his eyes, and by the time he reacted, he was stunned to discover that the surrounding environment had changed; for some unknown reason, his position had shifted.

(End of chapter)