Examination D-Day: Part 1

The day of the Feng Huang Entrance Examination finally started. The students prepare themselves, including the young Xin brothers. Hyunhei prepared many talisman papers in case of unexpected turns of events. He also cleaned the dagger his brother gave him and hid it in his waist. While fixing his robe, he suddenly remembered the paper he had taken from the library. He opened it and admired the figure drawn on it.

"Hyun-Hyun!" Jingyi shouted from behind. "What are those papers for?"

"Ah! It's n-nothing." Hyunhei smiled nervously as he folded the paper and swiftly hid it inside his robe.

"Nothing? I thought you'd be using those for talismans."

"Yes. Yes. Those papers are for the talismans. I suddenly forgot."

"Hyun-Hyun cut that unnecessary nervousness. It'll only burden you. I believe we will pass this examination. Drink some tea before moving to the examination hall." Jingyi handed him a cup of tea to calm his nerves. "Good luck to us, brother!"

Young men from different clans and families came for the entrance examination of the top elemental sect in the whole realm. Crown Prince Zhang Haoran and Second Prince Zhang Muchen also registered as Jianyu and Yanlin for the exam. No one can recognize their true identity in their disguise as a wandering cultivator. They entered the examination hall and went to their designated positions.

"Brother, I'm so excited to pass the examination!" Yanlin looked in the direction his brother Jianyu gazed, "Who are you looking for, brother?"

"I wonder if Haiji Gege registered," he mumbled to himself. As Jianyu searched for him in the crowd, he spotted a familiar figure from a distance. He was the last person he wished to see in his lifetime, the heir of the Dongmei Empire, Crown Prince Wang Laoshi.

"Aiyaa! It's a pleasure to meet you here, Jianyu, or shall I call you Your—"

"It's not a pleasure for me. What do you want, Wang Lao—"

"Shhh… Just call me Hong'yu." He whispered to Jianyu with a sinister smile. Crown Prince Wang Laoshi, courtesy name Hong'yu, was the person Jianyu most hated. His intimidating presence, manly physique, long silky black hair, and piercing emerald eyes—he hates everything about Hong'yu.

They had been the closest friends since childhood, but their friendship ended when the war broke out between the two empires ten years ago. The young Hong'yu and Jianyu met on the riverbank beside the empire's borders. The two young princes are prohibited from meeting due to their status as the heirs of enemy kingdoms, but they promise to play their favorite ball game that day. Hong'yu arrived at the agreed-upon location with a group of royal soldiers, intending to abduct the young prince Jianyu and hold him hostage. It was the order of the former Emperor of the Dongmei Empire, so Hong'yu cannot deny it. He was escorted back by the retired Royal General Xin Jingyue, the father of the current Royal General Xin Yuze.

When the two empires agreed to sign a peace treaty, Jianyu soon learned that Hong'yu did that unacceptable deed to secure his place as the crowned prince. With that, Jianyu promised not to reconcile with the man he hates the most.

"Jianyu Gege, I wish you the best for this exam. Hehe." Hong'yu whispered in his ears and waved goodbye to him. Jianyu shrugged off his anger and patted Yanlin's head. His little brother needs to be made aware of their past. He smiled at his brother, who was studying his own sword.

Soon after, the hall was filled with the examinees. Jianyu's new friend, whom he wished to see, is nowhere to be found, so he gives up the idea. A senior disciple announced the arrival of the exam master as he entered the site with the sect elders and the sect leader, Huo. The crowd was astounded by the sect leader's presence and his beauty. Jianyu was entirely surprised by the appearance of the sect leader, for it resembled his new friend Haiji.

Before the doors of the examination hall closed, two young lads suddenly came rushing, which caught the crowd's attention. It was the young Xin brothers. They were just in time before their uncle started his speech. Jianyu failed to recognize the brown-haired man but felt a familiar aura around the veiled man. Jingyi and Hyunhei were standing at the front, so Hyunhei removed his veiled hat but had his face veil on. Jianyu was so happy to see his friend again; unfortunately, he was four people apart, and the worst part was that he was beside Hong'yu. Sect Leader Huo finally began his speech.

"Greetings, young men. I warmly welcome you to the Feng Huang Entrance Examination. I know that most of you are aware of my identity. I am the leader of the Feng Huang Sect, Xin Huo. You may find it unbelievable that I am the sect leader because of my appearance, but the sect elders can testify. Ahem. Getting back to the topic, I issued a recruitment notice a week ago to gather the talented young men of the continent and help them enhance their cultivation to prepare them for the future. A total of 704 examinees successfully registered for today's event, consisting of 612 male and 92 female cultivators. Let us see if you are worthy to be one of our disciples."

Hyunhei was amazed at the way his uncle delivered his speech. He really was the leader of the top sect on the whole continent. While waiting for the next speaker, the white feline Shandian leaped on Hyunhei's shoulder and meowed at him. He was surprised by his sudden arrival.

"Shandian, what are you doing here?" He whispered to the feline.

"Meow…" Shandian replied to him. He heard an unfamiliar voice before he knew how to hide the feline. "I will accompany you, master." Hyunhei was flabbergasted. All the people inside the hall are silently waiting for the next speaker, but he hears a random voice talking to him.

"Master, you're hearing right. I, Shandian, was the one speaking to you through telepathy." Hyunhei gave the feline a confused look. "I'll explain everything to you later, master."

The Exam Master explained the details of the examination to the students. There will be a series of two trials. First, they need to undergo core screening, wherein the Exam Master will put the Crown of Minzhi, the late Wise Immortal, to the examinee to determine their maximum spiritual aptitude level. The Crown of Minzhi cannot fabricate the actual aptitude level of a cultivator. If the examinee's aptitude level is higher than the maximum aptitude level of an average cultivator, they pass the first trial. On the other hand, they can peacefully return to their respective hometowns.

The second trial will determine the physical and mental strength of each examinee. The sect elders prepared five customized abodes, into which students will enter one at a time to assess their strengths. The examinee will encounter an event based on their current mental condition and see if they can overcome it. They only have two minutes to solve the challenge, but since they will be entering a virtual place, the two minutes, in reality, will become, at most, two hours inside the abode. These time fluctuations used in the exam were a derived form of the Time Expansion Spell of the late Shiwen, the Time Guardian. The sect elders supervising the abodes may halt the exam if the examinee inside cannot continue the challenge.

Before reaching the abode's exit, they must defeat the Legendary Fire Phoenix, the spiritual guardian of the Feng Huang Sect, by piercing the core of its chest. The beast they will face is only a simulated version, but it has the same features as the original one. The only difference is that the simulated beast's spiritual power is lower than the original's. They made it like that to avoid any fatal casualties. Any injuries will heal immediately once the examinee exits the abode. If they defeat the simulated Legendary Fire Phoenix, they will pass the examination and be considered an official novice disciple of the Feng Huang Sect.

The examinees prepared themselves as they were called by the names they used to register for the exam. Jingyi and Hyunhei calmly waited for their courtesy names to be called. In addition, Hyunhei also recalled Jingyi's reminders about hiding their true identity and his beautiful face.

"White-haired Gege!" Hong'yu whispered to Hyunhei. "Your features are really stunning." Hyunhei felt a sudden goosebump when the man beside him whispered. He only gave Hong'yu a gentle bow to say thank you.

"Even your demeanor is admirable. You sure caught my interest. By the way, my humble name is Hong'yu, a lowly cultivator from the Dongmei Empire." He continued to whisper to Hyunhei to avoid the attention of his brown-haired companion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Haiji, a cultivator from the Meilin Empire."

"Master, that man is shady. Be careful around him." Shandian meowed at his master. Hyunhei nodded at his pet's advice.

"Haiji Gege, is the regressed legendary Four-tailed Beast your pet? You're really worthy of my praise."

"Who's worthy of your praise?" Jingyi rebutted, "My dear little brother, why are you so friendly with strangers these days? Where's the cold, white-haired brother I remembered?"

"Hehe…" This was the only reaction Hyunhei could have after being warned by the fierce gaze of his brother. "Please pardon my brother's temperament. By the way, this is my elder brother…." Hyunhei looked at Jingyi confusedly.

"My name is Yi'en, his beloved elder brother. It's quite a pleasure to meet you, Hong'yu Gege." Hyunhei could feel the sparks between the glares of his brother and Hong'yu they were giving to each other. He also sensed some negative vibes coming from behind.

The announcer called Haiji, Yi'en, Hong'yu, and two other students beside them. They proceeded to the platform and lined up according to the list. The exam master carefully placed the Crown of Minzhi on the student on the left, revealing his low aptitude level. The next one has a slightly higher aptitude level than the previous student but lower than the standard one. They were escorted by the senior disciples nearby to the exit. The exam master placed the artifact on Hong'yu's forehead, revealing his aptitude. The standard aptitude level to pass the first trial is 1000, but his level is 10130. The result surprised the exam master and the spectating sect elders. Hong'yu was instructed to proceed in the queueing line for the second trial.

Now, the Exam Master placed the Crown of Minzhi on Jingyi and revealed his aptitude level, which is 10108. It even surprised the spectators, and he was also instructed to proceed to the queue. Before putting the artifact on Hyunhei's forehead, the exam master ordered Shandian to temporarily come down from Hyunhei's shoulder to avoid miscalculations. The white feline complied, and the exam master placed the artifact on Hyunhei. It was about to reveal his aptitude level, but to their disbelief, the Crown of Minzhi broke into pieces. The precious artifact left by the late Wise Immortal is now a pile of broken glasses. The sect elders, including Sect Leader Huo, rushed onto the scene.

"How can this be? The rarest artifact is now gone!" The exam master panicked as he picked up the pile. "The only thing I remembered before it happened was that I saw an infinity symbol corresponding to his aptitude level." After saying this, the sect elders discussed it and decided to fix the artifact to the best of their abilities. Hyunhei, not knowing what to do with the situation, butted in.

"I-I think I can fix it!" He hesitantly declared.

"It's impossible to repair this pile of dust! Unless you're an immortal or something." Sect. Elder Bailu blurted out.

"Aiya! Give him a chance to prove his claim." Sect Leader Huo told his sect elders. He gave a you-can-do-it look to his nephew. Hyunhei responded with a nod and started the repair process. The exam master held the pile of glasses while Hyunhei cast the spell. The spectators were speechless at what they saw: an examinee performing an enhanced revamp spell of the late Jianghu, the Artisan.

Hyunhei managed to repair the Crown of Minzhi based on the book he read the other day. He nervously handed the repaired artifact to the exam master, who was still dumbfounded by the situation. They examined the repaired crown and confirmed that it was the original one. Seeing that the issue had been settled, they resumed the trial and placed the crown on Hyunhei's forehead. It repeatedly disclosed his aptitude level, represented by the infinity symbol. Luckily, the artifact did not break that time, and he was finally instructed to proceed with the queue, leaving the elders and Sect Leader Huo mystified.