I was determined to prepare for the upcoming exam, with Luo Luo. We decided to study together, knowing that the other students were planning to attempt the exam next year due to their lack of preparation.
Approaching Luo Luo, I asked if she was willing to join me. To my surprise, she revealed that she had already been preparing for the exam ahead of time. It turned out that Ling Er's books, casually strewn about, had served as her secret source of knowledge.
"Wow, Luo Luo, I'm genuinely amazed. I had no idea you were so well-prepared. I have no doubt you'll achieve something great!" I exclaimed with enthusiasm, my admiration evident in my tone.
Her smile held a touch of gratitude as she responded, "I'm incredibly thankful to you. I don't know what brought about this change in you, but I'm just glad it happened."
I chuckled softly, aware of the underlying reason for her gratitude.
—
—
—
The days leading up to the exam were intense, with Long Mingxi lending his assistance to Luo Luo, Ling Er, and myself in our preparations. Finally, the long-anticipated day of the exam arrived.
We stood in front of the exam hall, which was surprisingly not too far from the orphanage. The hall was an immense, hollow space adorned with intricate ornaments on the walls, reflecting the solemnity of the occasion.
As we entered, I swiftly located my designated seat amidst the sea of tables. Other students crowded in, taking their places, creating a buzz of anticipation.
I watched as a tall figure ascended the stage. Adorned with an impressive array of golden and silver badges on her chest, she wore an outfit reminiscent of a soldier, a blend of white and blue.
Her long black hair was pulled tightly into a ponytail, cascading down her legs. She exuded an air of authority, her stern expression mirroring her no-nonsense demeanour.
Her presence commanded attention, and as she began to speak, her voice carried authority and expectation. "Welcome, students, to the Mortal Farming School's annual exam. My name is Long Mei, and I am your head of year I am an Official of the Farming Education government in all 6 continents. Call me Official Mei.
This assessment will evaluate your knowledge and understanding of elixirs and pills, determining your readiness to progress in our esteemed institution."
I could feel the weight of her words, and as the exam commenced, I smiled almost as if seeing an old familiar friend...
The questions started fairly difficult asking things like what was the main ingredient for a high-grade strengthening pill and the answer was sage.
I could see other students physically struggling with this, but it was simple for me. The only difficulty I had was remembering intricate details I had when writing this arc which was a very long time ago.
I came across a very difficult multi-question near the end of the exam.
Question 99.)
What is the hardest elixir and pills to farm?
________ ________
How long does it take to farm and make both of these pills?
____ years
I thought a bit about what I planned back then, and tried to think back to the process I went through creating each grade. It finally hit me as I looked back at the first question, talking about the high-grade strengthening pills, it suddenly acted as the catalyst for my memory to come back.
Pills and Elixirs were divided into 4 grades:
1. Ultra grade
2. High grade
3. Middle grade
4. Low grade
Also for each pill, there were 4 main uses; these were Strength, Durability, Speed, and Power.
Elixirs were primarily used for mental and physical healing aid, and endurance and was especially useful for cultivators because Rare Elixirs could enhance Qi Refinement levels.
These are divided into many other different branches of those 4 categories.
I suddenly remembered I had created Unique pills and Elixirs that didn't exactly fit into the 4 uses. Among the two of them finding Unique Elixirs or pills was much more uncommon.
I wrote the answer distinctly remembering the name and when I came up with it. So I wrote,
'Unique elemental Power boost pill'
and
'Unique elemental self-restoration Elixir'
I put '5 years', for the second part of the question, as I recalled changing the amount of years because farming wasn't supposed to be an extremely long process. Finding the ingredients in it self was seen as the more time-taking task.
I already knew everything I had written according to my memory, was mostly correct, I was not sure about the last question whether it was restoration or restore.
I had pondered in thought for a minute or two but my instinct told me that it was restoration. Looking at my paper I was sure I'd at least get 750 at least out of 800 points because each question was worth 8 points.
Eyes shaking in perplexity at the paper before them, sweat drooling from their foreheads. I shook their hearts as I got up glancing at the time, 30 minutes in.
It had taken longer than I originally planned mostly because each question had 2-6 mini questions inside it making over 200 questions to answer, understanding the clear struggle people had.
However, there were a few in the front who seemed to ease through it like me. I walked past them raising their attention ever so slightly despite the tense fixation that everyone held. Many were alarmed that out of the 2 hours we were given I'd finished in only 30 minutes, and many thought how it was humanely possible to finish in such a short amount of time.
I saw many looking stressed and pressured because the competition to get in was so cut-throat and brutal, even though the school was known for their laborious and torturous timetable for its students.
I had reached the front and the woman looked at me with a discerning look. I was one of the youngest people in the hall as people here range from ages of 9–18 but the majority of the people here were teenagers, few being adults.
"Name and age and sponsor. You can put your paper over here." Official Mei said, I remembered mentioning her at the beginning of the novel, she had a curiosity about special talents like Li Wei in my novel who was quick to catch her attention. She even slightly reminded me of someone.
"Li Wen, 15 years old, sponsor, Long Mingxi."
I replied passively putting my paper in the empty tray which was not too soon to be filled with papers.
I caught her gazing at me with an almost unexpected look of astonishment, almost thinking I heard wrong she repeated.
"Long Mingxi is your sponsor? Hmm, interesting. I never expected him to become a sponsor."
Even though in person she seemed more intimidating, as I wrote her to be, she also seemed to be an easily transparent person so naturally echoing her thoughts.
She had an angular sharp face, combined with a slim nose and arrow-like lips. Yet seemed more eloquent than at first perceived.
She looked at me shortly before dismissing me, as I walked out of the dark hall engulfed by sunshine so bright that my eyes seemed to so naturally adapt to it.
The several suns here amplified the brightness of the day here, which was 100 times brighter than the sun in my other life yet it seemed not so bright but just refreshing.
I saw that the land was mostly used for farming around here, and the school was large and built in a more modern way than the traditional type of houses I've seen.
I had gone looking around the school, venturing far off. The school was oversized and seemed to have any facilities it excited me to study in the very own school I had designed, and the most maddening thing is that it looked better beyond the design I had created for it. It looked modified and more modernly adapted.