Tang Sect's Test, Part 1

Unexpectedly, the second part of the final exam was also not conducted on the academy's grounds. Wu Zhangkong led them out of the academy and onto a soul bus that headed to the outskirts.

"Teacher Wu, can't you at least give us a hint of what today's test is about yet?" Xie Xie asked with a grin.

Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at him. "You'll know when we get there. It's similar to the spirit ascension platform, but not really."

"Eh…" Xie Xie gave a slight nod.

Although Gloxinia had already lived in Eastsea City for over half a year, he hadn't really explored anywhere else besides the academy and their vicinity. He was unfamiliar with the rest of the city.

Unfamiliar scenery flitted past them as the bus entered the suburbs.

Although it was still crowded and bustling with activity, the suburbs were clearly more spacious than other parts of the city.

After getting off in the outskirts, Wu Zhangkong brought them to a gigantic park called Eastsea Soul Technology Park.

The park was filled with greenery and buildings that had a variety of styles. Every single building had its own unique characteristics, but the majority of them were made of metal.

The park was enormous, so it was only after half an hour did Wu Zhangkong lead them to a smaller park within the park.

They were greeted with a wide expanse of greenery. There was a small building in the center, tiny in comparison to the other buildings they had seen on the way there. Along with the vast emptiness that surrounded it, the scene looked disproportionate.

When they reached the building, the students were surprised to see that it didn't have a name plaque. They couldn't make heads or tails of just what this place was. Is the second part of the exam really being conducted here?

The building was dark blue, and its walls shimmered like a mirror, each wall seemingly cut from a block of glass. There was a bizarre sense of beauty to this reflective-like quality. Every angle refracted the light in a different way. It was breathtaking.

No one guarded the dark blue double doors that were also made of glass. Wu Zhangkong walked up and pressed onto the glass.

A blue light suddenly appeared. It projected an image that was accompanied by an amused voice. "Oh, long time no see! It's Eastsea's Little Zhangkong!"

Wu Zhangkong coldly said, "Open the doors."

The voice answered back willy-nilly, "You're still so boring."

With a crisp ring, the doors wordlessly opened up.

Entering the door, they saw the same dark blue walls, but there was now a shining white floor and gentle fluorescent lights overhead. They came together to paint a scene of calm and order, further emphasizing the lack of people. A circular metal platform holding three metal wristbands hovered over.

"Put them on," instructed Wu Zhangkong.

Xie Xie curiously asked, "Teacher Wu, what does it do?"

Wu Zhangkong answered back, "It's to identify you. If you wear it, you won't be considered an enemy by the defense systems here."

Xie Xie gasped. "So high-tech!"

Without wasting any more words, Wu Zhangkong lead them over to another dark blue glass door. A bright blue light swept out once more, but without the voice this time. After scanning them and taking note of their wristbands, it quieted down.

Past the door was a long tunnel with several bends in it. As Wu Zhangkong lead them through the tunnel, he passed through another glass door and disappeared in a flash of light.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue instinctively stopped. This is...

"Spatial technology?" Xie Xie exclaimed. He had been born to a large clan so it was only natural that he had a deep understanding of just how advanced the continent's technology was now. He clearly remembered that spatial technology was still in its development stage, and was far from being implemented into practical uses. Yet, what they had just experienced was the result of spatial technology!

"Forward." Wu Zhangkong's voice resonated from all sides.

Exchanging glances with his three companions, Tang Wulin lead the way forward.

After entering the area Wu Zhangkong had just been in, an odd feeling swept over them. Gloxinia felt as if his whole body was being wrapped up in pure energy. In the next moment, he found himself in a completely different place.

It was a dark blue space. Dark blue stalagmite and stalactite crystals surrounded him. The walls were made from a silver-white metal. The crystals and metal came together to refract light in astonishing ways.

Shortly after, the other students appeared by his side with three flashes of light.

"Wow! It really is spatial technology! Our final exam location is so high-tech!" Xie Xie's voice was full of awe.

Wu Zhangkong was leaning against a wall. A moment later, some unknown mechanism seemed to have been activated as one wall suddenly split open to reveal a large screen with a myriad of symbols on it. A keyboard popped up and Wu Zhangkong began typing. The sounds of his typing was like the pitter-patter of rain that struck down with lightning speed.

"Identity confirmed. Eastsea's Little Zhangkong."

"Test difficulty: medium. Participants: four. Commencing in ten seconds."

"Ten…"

"Nine…"

"What's going on? Why is it starting a countdown?" Xie Xie asked, startled.

Wu Zhangkong turned to stare at them. "Don't tell me you still want more preparation time? Just go do what you always do."

"Eight, seven, six... Three, two, one. Begin!"

Four blue lights descended onto the four students and in a flash, they disappeared.

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Words: 1040

Author's Note: Originally, this chapter was actually a whole lot longer but there was nowhere good to stop the chapter so I had to cut it a bit shorter than usual, though not too much as it's still within my minimum of 1000-1500 words.

Also, I plan to start deviating from original plot in about 5-10 chapters, so it'll get at least a bit more interesting.

Finally, if you know any side characters that had a lot of potential but kind of wasted it in the original novel, let me know!

Thank you for so many collections and powerstones!