A week later, with his body healed, Ling Jiu was discharged from the hospital. He then began his tedious school life.
His results in his past life had been good, and he had been a first-tier student. Yet, it was useless as the curriculum in this world was very different from the one in his past life. Even if you were an English professor, you might still fail this world's college entrance examination because... English was not even part of the subjects.
While he attended the boring classes, the 5th of May arrived in the blink of an eye. Just as the evening self-study session was about to end, the headmaster came in.
"I have something to tell you!"
The headmaster was a bespectacled middle-aged man, named Yin Guoping. "We all know that the Arcana Trials will begin tomorrow. I believe all of you are looking forward to it, but I would like to remind everyone to not place too much hope in it!"
"The chances of an Arcanists appearing is a thousand to one!"
"Hence, for the vast majority of us, the Arcana Trials is just a walk. There are also things that you need to do after the trials!"
"We only have one goal, and that's the college entrance examination next month!"
"Do you understand?"
Yin Guoping looked at everyone in the class.
"Yes, Sir!"
Everyone answered loudly, but the flame of hope was burning bright in their eyes.
Arcanists were upper-class folk. Should their Arcana be detected during the trials, they could jump up the social ladder and completely change their own fate as well as the fate of their family.
Who would give up so easily?
"It all depends on tomorrow!"
Looking at the eyes of the students in the class, the headmaster sighed. He would say the same thing year after year, and it would always fell on deaf ears.
...
Early the next morning, the schoolyard was packed, as all of Lantian First Highschool's third years had arrived.
"Ol' Ling, I'm nervous!"
Ling Jiu's best buddy, Li Kai was particularly nervous. His family background was ordinary, but he was easygoing and righteous. He could get along with Ling Jiu, so their relationship was good.
"Ol' Li, chill. If you're fated to get it, you'll get it. If you aren't, it won't come no matter how much you try!" Ling Jiu smiled and comforted him.
Although he said that, he was equally nervous inside.
It was a moment that would truly determine one's fate, who could stay calm?
"Ol' Ling, you're just too steady!"
The clock struck eight amidst everyone's uneasiness, and the principal, as well as other school leaders, led a group of people up the stage in the schoolyard.
Others carried some instruments and placed them on a pre-prepared table.
After he waited for everyone to settle down, the principal looked at the sea of students as he said with a loud voice, "Today's the Arcana Trials. First, let us all welcome with warm applause, the Manager of the Longwind Arcana Company's Lantian Base City branch, Mister Dai Changsheng and his team!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Thunderous applause rang across the field, and all of the students stared eagerly at Dai Changsheng as well as the employees of the Longwind Arcana Company he had brought with him.
In this world, Arcanites would generally choose to join a force.
The force could be the army, or an Arcana Agency, or a consortium, or a family, or some other organization...
These organizations, which had gathered many Arcanists, were the greatest forces of mankind, and they held resources that ordinary people could never reach.
The Longwind Arcana Company was one of the top 500 Arcana companies in Huaxia, and its branches covered many of Huaxia's various base cities. It was extremely strong.
To be able to become the general manager of the Lantian Base City branch, Dai Changsheng was definitely an Arcanite himself.
Who would not be excited to see an Arcanist?
"Hello, students!"
Dai Changsheng gave the students a simple greeting, and the Arcana Trials officially began.
The testing equipment were a combination of a computer and a mind helmet combination that they just brought.
There was a total of ten instruments, and each time ten people could undergo the trial.
After a class teacher called out names based on the list, ten students walked up the stage.
Then, with the guidance of Longwind's staff, they put on the mind helmets and started the trial.
"Is this the device to test if someone has Arcana talents? I heard it's expensive!"
"It's not ordinarily expensive! To put it bluntly, even if we were sold, the money from that won't be enough to cover one device!"
"Are you for real?"
"You think? The device is made out of two components, a smart computer and a mind helmet. Once we put on the mind helmet, our minds will be drawn into a preset virtual realm by the computer, and we'll experience some extreme situations!"
"At the same time, a special silver needle on the helmet will stimulate the pineal gland at the front of our brain and input the Gene Arcana into it."
"Under the twin stimulation, people who have Arcana talents will generally awaken successfully..."
As the audience below whispered, Longwind Company's staff operated the computers.
The next moment, all ten students screamed because they had encountered something unusual. Some were angry, some were desperate, some were fearful, some were excited..."
Their expressions were varied but all extreme.
Ling Jiu was secretly amazed. While experiencing extreme stimuli and injecting the Gene Arcana into the pineal gland, Arcana would be awakened under the twin stimuli. So this was the Arcana Trials!
Of course, only those with latent talents would awaken. If you did not have any Arcana talent, it would only be as good as tossing about and doing nothing.
"I wonder if these ten students have Arcana talents?"
Ling Jiu stared at the ten students closely, and all of the students on the field watched them nervously as well.
It was the first time most people were watching an Arcana Trial, but it might also be the only time in their lives.
Unknowingly, a minute had passed, and aside from screaming, the ten students showed no abnormal behavior.
"They have no Arcana talents!" Dai Changsheng shook his head and motioned the staff to stop the trial.
"Next batch!"
The school leaders had long gotten accustomed to this. There were too few students with innate Arcana talents, and in the previous years, getting even one was good enough. In fact, for many years, there had not been a single student with Arcana talents.
This year's trials had only just begun, so it would be impossible for them to strike something yet, so they had to be patient.
"Next batch!"
"Next batch!"
"Next batch!"
The North had started to warm up in May, and as time passed, the sun rose increasingly higher while the students waited nervously under the scorching sun.
When it was close to noon, the first to the tenth classes had completed the trial.
What made everyone sad was that the ten classes had more than five hundred students in total, and no one had any Arcana talents.
Seeing this, many students gradually despaired.
"To think that there's no one in the first ten classes with Arcana talents... It looks like we're done for!"
"Damn, the probability is just too low!"
Ling Jiu was secretly anxious. He was not a person without confidence, but he was unable to muster any confidence with the situation before him. Ten classes, and not a single person. That made it impossible to have hope!
"Ol' Ling, it's our class' turn!"