Everyone moved to the Forest of Solitude and waited for the examiner to come out. Few minutes later, certain people dropped from the sky.
"Oh wow, it's the princess of the water kingdom!"
"Not only that, look over there, that's the prodigy of the Glacier Kingdom!"
All the prodigies of this generation got dropped from the sky by their protectors. They were granted special exemptions from the Imperial Academy and could skip the preliminary assessment. In other words, the Imperial Academy didn't want them to waste time with commoners.
Though the Imperial Academy is viewed as this magnificent institution, it has a lot of dirty secrets behind it. Average cultivators would get discriminated in the institution and only those with the best talents could obtain everything the academy has to offer.
After all the geniuses got dropped from the sky, everyone started to look for Prince Edward, but he wasn't in the area.
"Prince Edward, are you sure you want to attend the entrance exam? Your father already got permission from the headmaster of the Imperial Academy to grant you entry to the academy without taking the exam" Prince Edward's protector, a divine emperor expert from the Alliance Kingdom, advised the prince to not take part in the entrance exam.
Edward's strength is already absolute in the young generation. It is pointless for him to attend the entrance exam. On the contrary, it's actually dangerous for him because the Dark Forces could be hidden in the Forest of Solitude waiting to kill him.
A rule is placed in the entrance exam where no spectators could see the battles that happen within the forests of solitude. This rule exists because the Imperial Academy want to emphasize the absolute law of this world, which is that there is no rule!
In a battle between cultivators, anything is allowed as long as one wins the battle. To protect those who like to play dirty, the academy forbids any spectator in the entrance exam so that all the candidates can use any trick that they have.
At the end of the day, results matter more than talents. So what if one is talented, but died to poison? The Imperial Academy only invests in those who survive and thrive in the future.
"Master Wong, thank you for your advice. I would like to improve my battle experience by fighting my peers in a non-restricted environment. I find it very refreshing to fight to the death. All the battles that I've fought so far has been supervised by my family" Prince Edward did not change his mind at all and intended to challenge everyone in the entrance exam.
"Sigh… If that is your wish, then I can only warn you to be careful. I won't be able to protect you as soon as you enter the Forest of Solitude. Do not underestimate anyone as they could be assassins of the Dark Forces."
"Understood. Thank you once again Master Wong" Prince Edward bid farewell to Master Wong and flew down to the entrance of the Forest of Solitude.
"Look everyone, it's Prince Edward!" The fan girls started screaming when they saw Prince Edward arriving at the entrance. He had pitch black hair, toned body, and an exquisite handsome face. He was quite a lady killer at a young age.
Somewhere in the corner, a girl wearing a veil stared intensely at Edward after he arrived at the entrance. She was wearing a robe with a cross symbol in the middle. She had blonde hair that flowed to her waist. The girl is the priestess of the Church of Light.
Technically, she will be the priestess of the church after she turns 16. But the Church of Light gave her that title to thwart anyone who intends to hurt her. Church of Light is not part of the Alliance Kingdom as it is a behemoth comparable to the entire Alliance Kingdom.
Offending the Church of Light is equivalent to offending the entire Alliance Kingdom or the Dark Forces. Even though the priestess is certainly beautiful, no one had any bad thoughts toward her due to the powers behind her. It is a mystery as to why the Church of Light sent their heir to the Imperial Academy since they have enough resources to groom her themselves.
'Oh yes Prince Edward, please get all the attention from everyone. Let this humble me live in peace while you fight against assassins and the other geniuses.'
Bruce was very pleased to see a shining star taking all the attention away from him. His plan will succeed as long as Edward keeps being the center of attention.
Few moments later, the examiner finally arrived.
"Everyone, quiet down! I will now explain the rules to the entrance exam. Only 3% of you will pass the exam and become students of the academy"
Everyone got quiet and paid attention the examiners except for the prodigies. They didn't seem to care as their spots were already guaranteed.
"I will explain the rules only once so pay attention!"
"Before you enter the Forest of Solitude, you will receive a card that contains 10,000 points. The mission in the exam is to defeat your fellow peers and obtain their points. You can use any trick as you like to defeat your peers. Remember that no one is watching so you're free to use any means to defeat or kill someone!"
"Yes, I did say kill in that sentence. The academy will not punish you for killing other candidates to obtain points. The outside world is harsh, and this exam reflects that reality. Just simply touch your opponent's cards to obtain the points. The exam will last for 7 days and the top 5000 candidates with the highest points will be accepted into the academy"
"Those who wish to not participate in the entrance exam may step out now. There is no shame in stepping out if you're weak and afraid that you may get killed during the exam. There are plenty of other institutions who will gladly take you as students"
The candidates began to whisper among themselves to see what their peers would do. There's a good chance that they might die in the Forest of Solitude if they fall into the schemes of others or meet someone stronger.
After a short while, about 20% of the candidates stepped out and left the exam. Those candidates had good talents and will definitely be accepted by other institutions. While others mocked those who had just left, Bruce actually admired them somewhat.
'You fools shouldn't be mocking them. They know their weaknesses and that is strength itself. It's pointless to die in an entrance exam for a chance to get a spot in the academy. They'll have a much longer life if they leave now'
"Ok, now that those people had left. Your chances of attending the academy now went up to 4%!" The examiner exclaimed.
'Examiner sir, that literally changes nothing' Everyone thought to themselves.
"One last thing about the exam. This exam is not the purge so you cannot carry out any evil deeds beside killing. You'll have to swear to the heavens that you won't rape or torture other candidates"
'I can't wait to hear the incident that caused them to add that rule at the end' Bruce mused to himself.
After everyone is ready, it's time to begin the exam.
"Alright, the Forest of Solitude has 1 hour of ceased fire when the exam begins. You cannot attack anyone as that would automatically disqualify you. I wish you the best of luck in the exam!"
Everyone headed into the Forest of Solitude after the exam began. Bruce's current visible cultivation is peak stage Body Refinement. To make himself not recognizable, he wore a mask. While everyone was looking for strategic locations to ambush people for points, Bruce only had one thing in mind. To find a discrete place to nap for 7 days! After all, naps are very important.