Just as Lin Xi stepped out of the tent, the middle-aged plump woman immediately swept her gaze across the others and declared resolutely, "Our Divine Medicine Division will take this Lin Xi."
"Professor Lan, it's not just your Divine Medicine Division that's short on talent."
A black-robed old woman with graying and scorched hair, who looked like a witch, calmly refuted, "You saw it too—he has an innate gift for Heavenly Works."
A thin old man with golden hair squinted at the two, and his voice rang out surprisingly clear and firm:
"Both of you should yield him to our Spiritual Sacrifice Division. Our numbers are far too few—at this rate, the Cloud Qin Empire will soon run out of priests."
The plump woman and black-robed old woman froze for a moment at that, but a stern, rule-bound middle-aged man spoke up, enunciating each word carefully:
"In terms of scarcity and need, he should first go to our Internal Affairs Division."
Then the coldest-looking man with black hair suddenly added, short and direct:
"We from the Peacekeeping Division want him too."
"What's the meaning of this, Professor Qin?"
The plump woman and the old witch couldn't take it anymore when he spoke and shouted angrily,
"Lin Xi's aptitude is only Level 2—what do you want him for?"
But the black-haired man remained stoic, unfazed by their anger.
"Professor Lan, don't forget," he said calmly,
"He's just an ordinary boy from Lulin Town, but when faced with the gory and horrifying things you intentionally laid out, he remained innately calm. All of you must've noticed—throughout the entire exam, he stayed composed, without a trace of nervousness or mistake. When I had him choose a weapon, he didn't even hesitate... Calm under pressure, decisive, with extraordinary memory. A swordsman is righteous, and such people tend to have upright hearts. And though his talent isn't dazzling, that makes him the perfect choice for our covert scout training in the Peacekeeping Division."
After a pause, he added coldly:
"With this kind of performance, I can guarantee that even if he doesn't become a spy, he'll still accomplish great things within our division."
The plump woman and the others who knew his personality well were left speechless with bitter expressions. The tent fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"The one she recommended really is something else…"
The one-armed elder, who had been silently watching, finally chuckled warmly and said:
"Since that's the case, let him be assigned to Destiny Selection. Don't delay the rest of the exam. And don't be so eager to fight over students—you might find even better ones soon."
"Yes," the six professors—each intent on recruiting Lin Xi—nodded in agreement.
"Next." The cold voice of the black-haired man rang out again.
...
"Should be no problem now," Lin Xi thought as he entered the holding room for students who had already completed the exam. He immediately spotted Zhang Ping.
Zhang Ping was still sitting cross-legged in a corner, but now his face was slightly flushed, a mix of tension and excitement.
"How did it go?" he asked, lowering his voice when Lin Xi came over.
Lin Xi smiled faintly. "Seems fine. I think I'll be admitted."
"So confident?" Zhang Ping was surprised, but then glanced around and whispered in Lin Xi's ear,
"I owe you big time. That Heavenly Works professor's question? Two of the material pairings were exactly as you described."
"They switch out the refined metals and glyph patterns each time?" Lin Xi was surprised. He lowered his voice. "What four types of refined metal did the professor give you?"
Zhang Ping answered softly, "One black, one silver, and two bronze pieces."
Lin Xi confirmed his suspicion and gave a slightly apologetic look.
"Shame I only saw that one record—can't help you more."
"That was already an incredible coincidence," Zhang Ping said excitedly.
"The professor looked satisfied. Plus, my aptitude test wasn't bad. I've got a good shot at the Heavenly Works Division."
"That'd be great." Lin Xi nodded with a slight smile.
"Did your test follow the same pattern—weapon selection, material pairing, herb memorization, then egg identification?"
Zhang Ping nodded. "Seems like it was the same for everyone."
"This is kind of absurd," Lin Xi said helplessly. "Looks like it's all down to luck."
Zhang Ping quickly shook his head solemnly.
"The professors are all true experts. What seems like a game to us must have deep meaning we just can't grasp."
Lin Xi rubbed his head—cramming herbal names had left him a bit dizzy. Still, he nodded in agreement.
"Do you have any idea why that black-haired guy made us pick weapons first?"
"No clue," Zhang Ping replied. "I chose a pair of long daggers. What about you?"
"A sword," Lin Xi said.
As they spoke, two more students emerged from the professor's tent.
"Your grandfather is Meng Ren?! And you still dare try to enter the Divine Medicine Division?!"
Suddenly, the plump professor's angry roar shook the air. The voice carried so clearly through the layers of tent flaps that even Lin Xi and Zhang Ping could hear it from where they sat.
They exchanged stunned looks. From the sound alone, they could imagine how furious the professor must be.
Moments later, a pale-faced student named Meng Bai stumbled into view, looking terrified.
"What happened?" Lin Xi and Zhang Ping whispered, curious.
"Is there some history between your grandfather and the Divine Medicine Division professor?"
Given the imposing aura of the six professors and the higher-ranking one-armed elder, provoking such an outburst wasn't something ordinary people could do.
"I don't know…" Meng Bai gasped for air, face gloomy.
"I just mentioned that I liked the Divine Medicine Division, and she looked at my face once and exploded. By all rights, my grandfather's way older than her—there shouldn't be any beef between them."
"She called your grandfather by name," Lin Xi said, shaking his head.
"And from just looking at your face? This definitely has to do with him. Could it be that because they're cultivators, they all look younger than their real age?"
"That's probably it," Zhang Ping nodded eagerly.
"I've heard all the professors at the academy are ancient relics. And these people must be professors."
"If it were just a minor grudge, she wouldn't have lost her temper like that… Maybe your grandpa…"
Lin Xi and Zhang Ping were both about to suggest the possibility that Meng Bai's grandfather had once wooed and dumped the professor—but seeing Meng Bai's face go deathly pale, they shut their mouths.
...
Over a thousand candidates took part in the entrance tests, and it wasn't until nearly noon the following day that everything concluded.
Despite going through an entire day and night without rest, the six professors and the one-armed elder showed no sign of fatigue. A few even had excitement flickering in their eyes.
"So many outstanding talents this year—even the Wen family sent someone…"
As the final student exited, the white-bearded professor said eagerly,
"If Lin Xi doesn't get into Civil Order Division, then don't you all dare fight me for the Wen family's boy. He's not particularly talented in other areas."
"With that kind of talent, he'd also fit right into Peacekeeping," the black-haired professor said mockingly.
"You!" The old man's beard quivered with frustration.
The black-haired man continued indifferently:
"If Lin Xi doesn't enter Peacekeeping, I'll just take the kid named Li. You can have the Wen boy."
"The Li boy? From Jinghua Ridge?" The plump woman looked at him, puzzled.
"He only tested at Level 3. What makes him so special?"
The black-haired man's eyes sparkled slightly.
"Loyalty and honor. I saw in his eyes the light of a true soldier—devout and unwavering."
"What about the Gao family girl?" asked the rigid professor with a hat.
"You all plan to fight over her too."
"The Wen boy, Wen Xuanyu, and Gao Yanan will also go into Destiny Selection," said the one-armed elder.
"Let Lin Xi choose first—whatever he selects, the other two won't be able to. If Lin Xi doesn't pick Spiritual Sacrifice, then that will go to the others. Professor Yu Hua, your family's boy is quite good. He'll fit nicely into your Spiritual Sacrifice Division. How's that sound?"
"Let's do it your way, Vice Dean Xia," the six professors replied, rising and bowing respectfully before beginning to pack up.
An hour later, all the candidates were gathered outside a large tent.
The stern-faced, black-robed instructor from before stood in front of the thousand-strong crowd, holding a long sheepskin scroll. He began reading out names in a steady and serious voice:
"Zhang Qin, composite score 15, admitted to Civil Order Division...
Deng Xin, score 15, admitted to Divine Medicine Division...
Wang Xinglun, score 16, admitted to Peacekeeping Division..."