Question papers of the top 10 of each section were placed before the 9 representatives.
"There's no shortage of talent this year," Yang Jun said, the representative from Profound Pill Valley, his eyes flicking over the answers.
"Indeed," Ni Kang, representing Ming Shan Academy, added, his voice tinged with awe. "I never imagined we would encounter such surprises."
But then, the King Shu representative Han Jie's lips rose and a small grin began to spread across his face.
"What's got you smiling, Han Jie?" Mo Xiang, from Brilliant Sword Pavilion, asked, his brow furrowing in curiosity. Others murmured in agreement, their faces reflecting a mix of admiration and curiosity.
"I found someone interesting," Han Jie said, a cryptic glint in his eyes. His grin widened, glancing toward a certain answer sheet, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
Mo Xiang leaned in, pressing him. "Come on, explain. Who is it?"
The VIP stands fell silent as all eyes turned to Han Jie, each of them eager for an insight into his thoughts. If Han Jie was intrigued by a candidate, they all knew it was worth investigating.
Everyone looked toward Han Jie, waiting for his explanation. All of them came here to look for good candidates, and if Han Jie showed interest in someone, then they are worth knowing.
Han Jie hesitated, glancing at everyone's eager faces, and let out a heavy sigh. He knew he wouldn't keep it a secret, they will know it sooner or later. "One of them answered 44 questions—every single one correct. Some of his answers are quite... interesting." Han Jie replied.
Yang Jun's brow furrowed. "What's so remarkable about that? There are always candidates who get perfect scores."
Han Jie's eyes gleamed with mystery as he continued, "It's the six questions he didn't answer that caught my attention. I personally added two questions designed to test the candidates' psychology—questions that have no true answer. Anyone who attempts them will receive a single mark, just for engaging.
But this candidate didn't even touch them. It's almost as if he knew the questions had no value."
"The more interesting part is the remaining four questions he didn't answer." A ripple of confusion passed through the group, but Han Jie wasn't finished. He intentionally stopped to build the suspense. Everyone held their breath, waiting for him to continue.
"All of them were about the snake family. Now, someone who answers 44 questions correctly should know their way around these subjects, but this candidate... didn't even attempt them. It's strange, don't you think?" Han Jie's voice carried the weight of his words, building a strong interest in the said participant.
When PM Meng heard Han Jie's observations, his eyes narrowed slightly. He recognized the pattern immediately. Yuan, the name came to mind, and for a moment, his heart skipped.
Meng Hao knew how much Yuan despised the snake family. He recalled a time, years ago, when Mother Bing had asked Yuan about the snakes. The boy had told her about a giant snake that had attacked their family when he was little, causing him to separate from his real family. He was just a child, but his hatred had run deep.
It was because of Yuan that the Menghao Beast Pavilion had set an ironclad rule: never buy or sell anything related to the snake family—unless it was a rare, invaluable treasure.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Meng Hao thought perhaps Yuan was the one who had captured Han Jie's attention. But the idea faded quickly. No way. Is Yuan in the top 10? It was unimaginable even for him, though he was Yuan's father.
Mo Xiang hastily snatched the question paper from Han Jie's hand and began scrutinizing it. "Interesting, interesting. Splendid." He kept muttering the words as he read answers. "Hahaha, truly impressive. Han Jie, your eye is really sharp."
Mo Xiang's reaction caused others to grow interested in the answer sheet. Yang Jun glared at Mo Xiang before snatching the question paper.
Yuan's attention returned to the first cage again, where he had already evaluated the red-eyed rabbit. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. After circling the cage a few times, he noticed something strange: tiny red dots on the rabbit's tail. They were almost imperceptible, but upon closer inspection, they were there.
His heart skipped a beat as the realization hit him—this wasn't a regular red-eyed rabbit. It was a "Red-tail Rabbit", an incredibly rare 2-star species. The red-tail rabbit was known for its unique spirit-sensing ability, capable of locating rare herbs and treasures.
This was no ordinary beast. It was worth a fortune. This rabbit was just too young that its features hadn't been shown yet; otherwise, there was no way it would appear here.
Yuan's mind raced. The appearance of the red-tailed rabbit couldn't be leaked. And there was no way Yuan would let it go off his hands. He quickly walked over to Examiner Jiang, his voice low yet calm voice, not leaking any hint of emergency. "Is there any way to purchase these beasts after the evaluation?"
Examiner Jiang eyed him curiously but nodded. "You can purchase them after the examination ends, but no transactions during the test itself."
A glint filled with joy flashed in Yuan's eyes. He returned to the hall but kept his distance from the 1st cage, his eyes scanning the room to see if anyone else recognized the rabbit.
After submitting his evaluation paper, Yuan made his way back to the resting area with the others, his thoughts fixed on the Red-tail rabbit. He prayed no one had caught on to its true nature, though deep down he knew it was impossible as 200 participants had evaluated the beast. Someone was bound to recognize it beside him.
As the results were announced, a flood of relief washed over Yuan. No one had mentioned the rabbit. They all found it easy to evaluate, but none suspected its true value. Or at least that's what he thought.
His heart settled, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he would have to hurry if he wanted to get his hands on the rabbit before anyone else.
He frowned as he couldn't do it himself—too many eyes were on him.
His mind raced, but he wasn't able to come up with any valid solution at the moment. After hesitating for a while, he decided to contact his parents, but to his dismay, participants weren't allowed to contact outside until the tournament was over or they failed.
Yuan's frustration built, but before he could dwell on it further, Examiner Jiang entered the participants' waiting area and began calling out the results.
"Token number 890, 149 marks."
"Token number 1029, 149.5 marks."
...
"Token number 857, 164 marks."
The tension in the waiting area grew as the top 10 were revealed.
"Token number 83, 167 marks."
"Token number 102, 167 marks."
"Token number 2, 170 marks."
"Token number 1052, 171 marks."
"Token number 722, 173 marks."
"Token number 911, 174 marks."
"Token number 171, 178 marks."
"Token number 206, 179 marks."
"Token number 43, 180 marks."
"Token number 9, 181 marks."
"Enter the hall," Examiner Jiang ordered, turning to leave.