Chapter 00031: The First Round of the Examination Begins
# The First Round of the Examination Begins
Chapter 31
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 31: The First Round of the Examination Begins
Every candidate who arrived at the Puhai Martial Arts Square was filled with anticipation.
Even if they knew deep down that they might not pass, there was still a glimmer of hope—what if they did? The top ten academies on Blue Star only admitted five hundred students each year, yet there were two million candidates taking the exam.
Just imagining the acceptance rate was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
Although the total number of candidates was close to two million, only about a hundred thousand were from Huaxia.
Don’t think that a hundred thousand is a small number—in fact, Huaxia had the most candidates participating in the Blue Star top ten academies’ entrance exams.
Some countries only sent a dozen or so candidates, while most others sent between one thousand to ten thousand.
On average, each country had about ten thousand candidates taking the exam.
Huaxia alone accounted for a hundred thousand, more than double the number of the second-place country.
Aside from the candidates and their families, there were also school teachers and staff present.
But the most numerous were the small vendors from all over.
The Martial Arts Square had seating, but because the square was so large, going out to buy something would take a long time.
This was where the vendors came in handy, delivering goods right to your hands.
After all, who would want to leave their seat when their family members were taking the exam?
...
The first round of the exam was the Gene Fusion Compatibility Test.
This test was the simplest, taking only a few minutes per person.
However, with nearly two million candidates, it would still take a considerable amount of time to complete.
To manage this, the Blue Star top ten academies divided the Puhai Martial Arts Square into a hundred examination zones.
The Asian region, having the most candidates, was allocated fifty zones, Europe had twenty, the Americas had twenty, and Africa had ten.
For continents without their own zones, candidates could take the exam in the Americas.
These hundred zones were only for the first round.
If a candidate didn’t pass the first round, they wouldn’t qualify for the second round.
Around the square, huge electronic screens displayed rankings by continent and globally.
No matter where you were in the square, you could see these rankings.
...
Geng Qianxing led Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi to the 38th examination zone.
Although candidates and their families were both in the Puhai Martial Arts Square, they were in two separate areas.
Candidates were in the inner circle, while family members and spectators sat in the outer circle.
Even the president of Yujiang University, Tan Bei, could only sit in the outer circle like the families.
Only training instructors like Geng Qianxing could sit with the candidates in the inner circle’s waiting area.
Sitting in the outer circle didn’t hinder the view of the exam, though.
The first and second rounds were purely about testing potential and talent, so aside from the results, there wasn’t much to see.
The third and fourth rounds, however, were more exciting, especially the fourth round, which was a擂台赛 (martial arts competition).
Despite the crowded square, Huaxia, as the host and home to four of the Blue Star top ten academies, had an advantage.
This advantage was evident in the seating arrangements.
Even with so many candidates, every Huaxia university with participating students had its own designated area.
Each school’s waiting area had between twenty to a hundred seats.
Yujiang University had thirty seats, but only four were occupied, which made Tan Bei feel rather embarrassed.
Yujiang University’s lone teacher and three candidates stood out conspicuously.
Tan Bei had given most of the exam slots to outsiders, partly due to social obligations but mostly because he knew Yujiang University’s students weren’t up to par.
Deep down, he still hoped that those who had taken Yujiang University’s exam slots would at least sit in the university’s waiting area to boost the atmosphere.
“Hmph, it’s one thing for outsiders who took our school’s exam slots not to sit here. But Huang Chengwei and Tong Quan are supposed to be Yujiang University students. How could they not sit here? That’s just too much,” Fang Chong grumbled, seeing only the four of them in the thirty seats.
Geng Qianxing sighed, silently praying that at least one of the three candidates would pass.
That way, Yujiang University wouldn’t have to shut down.
He liked the freedom at Yujiang University and admired President Tan Bei.
It would be a shame if such a school were to close.
...
“Yiyi, what are you looking at?” Qu Fei, sitting next to Qu Yi, noticed her sister constantly glancing around and couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing, just looking around,” Qu Yi replied quickly.
Qu Fei followed Qu Yi’s gaze and saw the Yujiang University sign.
She immediately remembered, “Didn’t that Ding Huan say he was from Yujiang University? I don’t see him over there. What a liar.”
Qu Yi didn’t respond to Qu Fei’s comment.
Instead, she asked, “Does Yujiang University only have three candidates and one teacher?”
“After that Ding Huan mentioned Yujiang University last time, I looked it up. Turns out the school is on the verge of closing. You can tell just by the fact that only three students are taking the exam this time,” Qu Fei added, proud of her foresight.
Qu Yi lowered her head, trying to figure out why Ding Huan had lied to her—or if he had lied at all.
Either way, she decided to ask him after the exam.
At that moment, a platform suddenly rose in the center of the square.
A man in gray robes seemed to walk through the air for a dozen steps before landing gently on the platform.
“It’s President Nong...”
The square erupted in applause.
Those who didn’t know who President Nong was started asking around.
“You don’t know President Nong? What are you even doing here watching the Blue Star top ten academies’ exam?” someone scoffed.
Before the person could continue showing off, someone else answered, “President Nong is Nong Yizhen, the president of Zhenyu Academy, the top-ranked academy among the Blue Star top ten. He’s a先天高手 (innate master) and has融合了四种异基因 (fused four types of异基因).”
“Is there anyone stronger than President Nong?”
“Yan Xia, for one. He’s also an innate master, though I don’t know how many异基因 he’s fused.”
“Isn’t the innate realm an old classification? I heard the Martial Arts Alliance and some martial arts sects revised the martial arts levels. Isn’t the old innate realm equivalent to the current Earth-level martial artist?”
“What do you know? Innate is innate, Earth-level is Earth-level...”
“We don’t understand any of this, so let’s not argue. I just wonder, if we’re cultivating martial arts, why do we need to fuse genes? Isn’t that mixing two different things?”
“You don’t get it. Only by fusing top-tier martial arts genes can you reach the pinnacle of martial arts.”
...
The arguing continued until Nong Yizhen, standing on the platform, spoke up. “Everyone, please quiet down.”
His voice, without any amplification, carried across the entire square.
Many martial arts experts marveled at how refined Nong Yizhen’s internal energy was.
No matter how far away or how noisy the surroundings were, his voice sounded as if it were right next to your ear.
The square fell silent at his words.
Nong Yizhen continued, “Friends from all over the world, we gather here today to strive for the future of humanity. I am Nong Yizhen from Zhenyu Academy, and on behalf of the Blue Star top ten academies, I welcome you all. I also promise that, whether in the past, present, or future, the mission of the Blue Star top ten academies remains the same: to protect Earth and humanity...”
Thunderous applause broke out again.
Once the applause died down, Nong Yizhen announced, “Today, the Blue Star top ten academies’ entrance examination officially begins. On behalf of the academies, I promise that this examination will be conducted fairly and justly, selecting the most talented students from around the world to join the Blue Star top ten academies. Now, let the examination begin.”
There was no unnecessary speech.
After the Earth’s environment changed and survival became harsher, formalities and official speeches at events like this had become rare.
The Blue Star top ten academies’ entrance exam was no exception.
After Nong Yizhen’s two promises, the exam began immediately.
As the exam started, sound barriers were activated between the examination zones.
Each zone’s broadcast only reached its own area.
For example, the broadcast in Zone 1 wouldn’t be heard in Zone 2. All the candidates focused intently, listening carefully to the broadcast, afraid they might miss something.
After all, the broadcast would announce when it was their turn to take the exam.
The broadcast in Zone 38 announced, “Candidates with exam numbers A1721301 to A1721320, please proceed to Zone 38 for the first round of the examination.”
The first round, the Gene Fusion Compatibility Test, was simple.
Twenty candidates could take the exam at the same time.
There was no calling out numbers one by one, let alone calling them three times.
If you missed the announcement or didn’t realize your number was included, then you weren’t a genius.
And if you weren’t a genius, why were you even taking the exam?
The square was eerily quiet.
The chatter from the outer circle of spectators couldn’t penetrate the examination zones.
Each candidate’s number was unique.
For example, the number A1721301: A stood for Asia, 1 for Huaxia, 7 for Zhongyuan Province, 2 for Luohe City, 13 for the school or organization, and 01 for the candidate’s personal number.
(That’s all for today’s update.
Goodnight, everyone!)
(End of Chapter)