The exam, in essence, assessed the combat skills of the professionals. Though a bit higher in level, it shouldn't pose a problem for any competent professional. This setup has been used for many years without any issues. Typically, battles last from as short as ten seconds to as long as half a minute, which also serves to reveal the combat capabilities of the professionals. However, Lin's situation was an anomaly. He achieved a kill instantly, leaving no room to assess his combat skills.
"What should we do?" one of the examiners questioned, voicing the collective uncertainty.
Their gazes turned towards a middle-aged man dressed in a mage's robe, as the mage exams were his responsibility. Yet, even he was at a loss, troubled by the failure to meet the intended exam objectives. At that moment, an elder appeared in the room.
"Mr. Ning, what brings you here?" the examiners greeted the newcomer with due respect.
Ning Xuanfeng, with a grave tone, mentioned he came to observe the new professional this year. The display of Lin on the screen caught his attention, commenting on Lin's promising appearance. After being briefed on the situation, Ning suggested that since the usual settings for rare professionals couldn't measure Lin's strength, they should escalate the challenge to legendary professional standards for his second exam. He proposed treating Lin as the top scorer with a base score of 100 points, offering an additional 1000 points for passing the next test, which he personally would provide.
The examiners hesitated over the fairness and scoring of such an approach, but Ning assured them that similar cases had occurred before, where professionals managed instant kills. Thus, deciding to proceed with a special arrangement for Lin, recognizing him as the current top scorer and proceeding to the next test phase.
As Lin waited briefly, a new light barrier appeared before him with a creature identical in appearance but more formidable in aura. The task was the same: eliminate the creature. Lin didn't realize he was being treated differently and proceeded as usual. When the barrier lifted, his soul flame struck instantly, killing the creature in a repeat of his earlier performance.
Back at the top of the tower, the examiners were stunned again by the instant kill, despite the creature being set to a legendary level of challenge. Discussion ensued about Lin's extraordinary abilities, concluding that further testing was unnecessary, and it was time to move on to the next phase of the exam.
All participants completed the first round, with 522 out of 632 passing. Lin ranked first with an astonishing 0.1-second kill time, followed by others with significantly longer times. This result caused a stir among the candidates, with Lin unknowingly setting an unprecedented record. As the second round of exams began, candidates were allowed to choose their difficulty level, warned of potential risks and reminded of the option to forfeit if faced with danger. The round was designed to test the number of kills within 30 minutes across different difficulties, marking a critical phase in the Empire's rigorous examination process.