The results of the written exam were processed with incredible efficiency. Less than thirty minutes after the exam ended, the scores began to appear on the massive electronic screen in the main hall of the Beast Tamer Guild.
The hall was filled with anxious candidates and their parents, all craning their necks to find their names on the towering list.
"I passed! 121 points! Just above the cut-off line!" "Ah, I failed... only 118 points." "Look! Chen Hao from the prestigious No. 3 High School scored 185! What a genius!"
The cut-off score for the written portion was 120 points. Anyone below this score would be eliminated immediately, their journey ending before they even had a chance to show off their battle pets. The hall was a mixture of joy and despair.
In a quiet corner, Lin Ke stood with his arms crossed, his expression calm. He wasn't looking for his own name. He already knew his result. He was observing the reactions of the crowd, gathering data on the general performance level of his peers.
Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted from the front of the hall, centered around the results screen.
"Impossible! Is the system bugged?" "200 points? Full marks?! How can anyone get full marks on this exam?" "Who is this 'Lin Ke'? I've never heard of him!"
The name "Lin Ke" shot to the very top of the ranking list, displayed in a brilliant, dazzling golden font, followed by the unbelievable score: 200.
For a moment, the entire hall fell silent. Then, it exploded into a firestorm of discussion.
The theoretical exam was notoriously difficult, with many obscure and tricky questions. For years, the highest score had been around 190, a record held by a legendary figure who was now a high-ranking member of the Guild. Full marks were considered a theoretical impossibility.
"Lin Ke... isn't that the orphan kid who took a Rock Vole?" someone in the crowd suddenly remembered.
This revelation was like adding fuel to the fire.
"What? The one with the F-rank pet got full marks on the theory exam?" "This must be a joke. He probably spent all his time studying books because his pet is too weak to train." "So what if he's a nerd? This is the Beast Tamer exam. His journey ends at the battle assessment anyway. A Rock Vole can't beat anything."
The initial shock and awe quickly turned into skepticism and ridicule. The crowd's opinion was unanimous: Lin Ke was a bookworm who had neglected practical training, a lopsided "genius" with no real future as a Beast Tamer.
Meanwhile, in the central monitoring room deep within the Guild headquarters, several high-level examiners were also staring at Lin Ke's exam paper, their faces filled with astonishment.
"I've reviewed his paper three times," said an old, white-haired examiner, the chief proctor of the exam. "Every answer is perfect. Not just correct, but perfect. His analysis on Abyssal Corruption is more insightful than some of our official research papers."
"Who is this young man?" another examiner asked, looking at Lin Ke's profile on the screen. "An orphan... initial pet is a Rock Vole... His background is completely ordinary."
"Ordinary? To achieve this level of theoretical mastery through self-study alone is anything but ordinary," the chief proctor said, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "Keep an eye on him. I want to see his performance in the practical assessment."
Lin Ke, unaware that he had already caught the attention of the Guild's upper echelons, simply ignored the buzz around him. He checked the screen, confirmed his placement for the next stage, and walked calmly towards the designated area for the practical assessment.
The written test was just an appetizer. Now, it was time for the main course. It was time for his Rock Vole to take the stage.