The door swung open, revealing a vast classroom. Students were already seated, ready for the test. "This is the writing test class. All we need to do is put this paper inside the green box and take a seat," Ling Wei explained, her voice low.
"Oh," Han Jun replied, making his way to the green box, which sat on a beautifully designed table in the corner. He carefully dropped his paper into the small opening on the box's lid.
As soon as his paper entered, the box vibrated, and a light descended from the ceiling, enveloping Han Jun for a moment before it disappeared. A strange voice echoed throughout the classroom. "Welcome to Cultivators Academy, Han Jun. Your seat number is 111."
Han Jun smiled nervously and scanned the room for his seat. "How on earth will I pass this test?" he thought to himself as he found his spot and sat down.
Next, Shu Fang and Ling Wei followed suit, each dropping their papers into the box. Just like Han Jun, they were briefly captured in a light before the voice announced their seat numbers: Shu Fang was assigned seat 152, and Ling Wei received seat 155.
As three more students entered, the room filled up quickly. The entrance door locked with a soft click as a middle-aged man in a white robe appeared, seemingly out of thin air, and took a seat on the arranged chair at the center of the hall.
"Before the test begins, I will inform you of the purpose of this writing assessment. It is designed to evaluate your understanding of cultivation and the elements you have cultivated in. If you fail this test, you will be disqualified from being a student at Cultivators Academy. I shall also announce the rules. First, if you are caught chatting, you will be banned from the academy forever. Second, there shall be no conversation. Third, questioning the teacher's authority and using your background to oppress the teachers is forbidden. If you violate any of these rules, you will forever be at odds with Cultivators Academy. Understood?" The middle-aged man spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Han Jun, who merely twitched his mouth slightly.
"Good. Now the test begins," he said. And at his command, old brown papers appeared on each desk, accompanied by writing ink. "The paper in front of you will serve as your answer sheet. You must answer all the questions provided". The middle-aged man said, and a bundle of wooden scrolls appeared in his hand. "Here are your questions," he continued, allowing the wooden scrolls to make their way to their intended students through the air. "These are questions related to the element you have cultivated in," the man spoke again.
Each student grabbed the scroll that floated in the air in front of them. Han Jun, Ling Wei, and Shu Fang were no exceptions.
"You only have lunch minutes time to finish all the answers. Good luck to you!" The middle-aged man concluded and fell silent.
As everyone began their work, Han Jun felt a wave of frustration wash over him just by looking at the questions. He rubbed the back of his head and stylishly stole a glance at Shu Fang, whose seat was aligned horizontally to his.
Shu Fang noticed Han Jun's gaze and slowly furrowed her brows, turning her head towards him. "Don't tell me he knows nothing about cultivation", she thought to herself, sending him a questioning look.
Han Jun glanced between the wooden scrolls and Shu Fang, shaking his head lightly with a pleading expression.
Shu Fang's eyes widened as she realized his gesture. "He really knows nothing about cultivation? If he knows nothing about cultivation then How could he use the fire element freely without any side effects?" She murmured softly as she recalled the event when Ling Wei was trapped by the ice rope back then in wonderland. "I couldn't even detect his stage of cultivation... Why is this husband of mine so mysterious?" She cast another glance at the almost crying Han Jun. "Forget it; I should help him out first', she decided and looked at the middle-aged man, who was observing the students with eagle-like intensity.
He is only a stage four balanced cultivator, level six. Though he had been at that level for quite some time, he was still no match for me "Shu Fang thought to herself after confirming the stage and level of cultivation of the middle aged Man". Alright let's do this. "She thought to herself and answered all her questions immediately. After finishing, she placed her palm on the old paper, and a golden light slowly but gently emerged from her palm to her already answered paper. Suddenly, the paper transformed into two sheets, the second one glowing a brilliant gold".
Treasures, wealth... blind every single greedy soul."She chanted inwardly,"
unnoticed by anyone around her. Soft, golden, uncountable needles began to emerge from her hair, shimmering with an ethereal light. One by one, they darted through the air, gently piercing the minds of every single soul present, except for Han Jun and Ling Wei. The middle-aged man, too, found himself ensnared in the enchantment, his eyes glazing over as the illusion took hold.
Ling Wei sensed something was off and raised her head to look at Shu Fang, who was now passing the golden sheet to Han Jun.
"Han Jun knows nothing about cultivation," she murmured to herself. "I just hope my expectations come to reality." She thought to herself as she continued writing.
Han Jun received the golden sheet and checked the answers. "Goodness! All the answers are correct; she didn't ask for the questions, yet she answered them." He was impressed by Shu Fang. "Wait a minute." He suddenly frowned, remembering that Shu Fang hadn't registered the element she cultivated in back in the registration room. "Don't tell me she was answering the fire element question." He looked at Shu Fang, who was also staring at him. "Are you answering the same question as mine?" he asked.
Shu Fang nodded in response. "Be quick and write; time is almost up," she urged.
Han Jun's mouth was wide open. "Forget it; any questions can wait for later," he thought to himself and started copying.
Ling Wei, who was behind him, smiled at Han Jun's childish way of copying.
After some time passed, Han Jun finally finished copying. The golden sheet vanished, and Shu Fang released everyone from the illusion she created. Coincidentally, the time was up as well.
Everyone came back to their senses, exchanging shocked expressions among themselves. Their answer sheets were blank, and they couldn't understand why. They had clearly written something down, but how could nothing be on their answer sheets?. Only those who had written something just before Shu Fang cast the illusion remained calm.
As for the others, they questioned themselves internally but dared not speak out.
The middle-aged man was also confused; he felt something was off, but he couldn't understand what had happened. His gaze landed on the nonchalant Han Jun, who was busy playing with the ink, causing him to frown tightly. He studied Han Jun carefully and, after finding nothing suspicious, looked away.
Han Jun took a secret breath in after the man looked away. "Bastard," he cursed inwardly.
"Alright, time is up," the man's voice echoed throughout the hall. Right after he spoke, the answer sheets on everyone's tables floated up in the air and flew to him. The wooden scrolls disappeared as well. "You all should go out, as the marking will start now. Anyone qualified after the marking will be announced and allowed to enter the next test," he said.
Each student exited the room in order, according to their numbers.
Outside the Writing Test Room, Shu Fang turned to Han Jun and asked with a suspicious tone, "Tell me the truth, did you really know nothing about cultivation?"
Han Jun nodded.
Shu Fang was about to ask more questions when Ling Wei's voice interrupted her. "Shu Fang, don't ask anything more. You'll find out more about him the longer you stay with him," she said.
"How mysterious," Shu Fang pouted, gazing away.
Honestly, Han Jun was completely clueless about Ling Wei's words, but one thing was clear to him: he was not just the ordinary Han Jun he used to be. "But what exactly am I? Why do I have to figure it out myself?" he thought.
Soon, the qualified students were called in. Among them were Han Jun, Shu Fang, and Ling Wei. They were led by a lady to the talent arena.
At the center of the arena sat three white-haired men. The lady who had guided them bowed slightly and left after her task was complete, and the students lined up in front of the judges.
"Welcome to the talent arena," the man on the left greeted them. "You must already be aware of the qualifications needed here; your talent and element must be useful to the academy," he said, and everyone except Han Jun and his group nodded in agreement.
"Good, let's get started," the man on the right spoke up and picked up an old scroll. "Du Bie! Come up," he called, and a well-built man strode confidently into the arena. "You are to destroy the sculpture in front of you within the time limit," the man stated.
The well-built man named Du Bie nodded and then raised both his hands high into the air. As he did, the sky slightly darkened, and a thunderball slowly began to form between his palms. He focused intently, dragging his hands down with deliberate grace, the crackling ball of energy following the movement. He waited with bated breath for the thunderball to successfully take shape, but just as it seemed to stabilize, it suddenly scattered into a burst of sparks, dissipating into thin air. The time allotted for him was already up, and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, his cheeks flushed.
"Alright," spoke the white-haired man sitting in the middle, his voice resonant and commanding. "You are quite talented. Without incantation, you could summon the thunderball. Though you failed to maintain its form, your talent is still appreciated. With further knowledge provided by our academy, your chances of becoming a peerless talent are quite high. Also, the element you have cultivated is very welcomed here."
As he spoke, a bamboo stick materialized in front of Du Bie. "This is your qualification ID. Head to the last room to complete the final confirmation. Once you pass that, you will receive the token for the class that's right for you."
"Thank you, sirs! Thank you very much!" Du Bie exclaimed, bowing deeply with gratitude, his voice filled with excitement. He grasped the bamboo stick tightly, a wide grin spreading across his face, before confidently striding out of the hall, each step echoing with newfound determination.