29: Chapter 29 Martial Arts Exam Questions: The Defense of Yangxi Town

The next day.

In the Western District of Linjiang City, a massive building resembling a bird's nest stood quietly.

This was the exclusive examination venue for the college entrance exam.

At this moment, the observation seats and spectator stands were already packed.

Seated in the observation area were official representatives and observation delegations from various universities.

The spectator stands were crowded with the examinees' parents and people from all walks of life.

As buses from various high schools in Linjiang drove into the venue one after another, the examinees lined up to get off.

A noisy commotion instantly erupted in the spectator stands as parents stood on their tiptoes, eagerly searching for their children in the crowd.

"Boss, look over there! It's the exclusive secret realm for the martial exam!"

Just as Lu Mengmeng stood in line, she excitedly pointed to the vortex emitting a soft white glow in the center of the venue.

Lin Mo looked in the direction she was pointing, a look of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

The vortex hovered in mid-air, and within the swirling white light, it seemed as if another world was hidden.

It was precisely one of this world's proudest inventions, the Martial Exam Secret Realm.

It was said that the illusions and exotic beasts inside were constructed to simulate real-world scenarios, allowing for the most direct evaluation of the examinees' actual combat abilities.

"The strength of the person who could create such a secret realm is probably no lower than the ninth rank."

Although Lin Mo did not understand the principles behind it, he could roughly guess its depth.

"Ah, Boss, look at that old geezer up there. Isn't that Master Bai?"

Hearing this, Lin Mo looked up toward the observation seats and quickly spotted that somewhat familiar figure in one of the rows.

Sure enough, it was Bai Yuntian, who had lost face at the Lu Family's place before.

"Holy crap, that old geezer is actually one of the representatives of the Vermilion Bird Academy?"

"We're done for. The academy we want to apply to is also the Vermilion Bird Academy. Will he target us?" Lu Mengmeng's face instantly fell.

Her absolute dream academy was the Vermilion Bird Academy in Donghai.

Not only was it a prestigious school, but it was also close to home.

This was also what Lin Mo was worried about.

He and Da Chun's Martial Souls were not highly talented to begin with, and they were hoping to rely on their scores to squeeze into the Vermilion Bird Academy.

But if Bai Yuntian tripped them up behind the scenes, they would probably stand little chance.

"We'll see when the time comes. If we really can't get in, at worst, we'll just go to another university in Donghai."

To Lin Mo, the appeal of the four top universities lay more in their archives and information, rather than their resources and teaching.

At this moment, in the observation seats, Bai Yuntian was chatting with an official representative.

"It's truly a surprise that Master Bai was willing to come to our Linjiang City this year. Could it be that there are students here who have caught your eye?"

The speaker was Li Guodong, the commander of the Linjiang City City Defense Army, his tone carrying a touch of politeness.

Hearing this, a trace of unnaturalness flashed across Bai Yuntian's face, and he forced a smile. "Officer Li, you must be joking. There are quite a few good prospects in Linjiang City this year."

"Haha, indeed."

Li Guodong nodded with a smile.

"Compared to previous years, this year there are three SS-rank Martial Souls alone, and as many as eleven S-ranks..."

He suddenly remembered something and quickly corrected himself. "No, wait, including that girl from the Lu Family with the Mutated Martial Soul, it should be twelve! With so many good prospects, it's only natural for Master Bai to come."

In Li Guodong's view, although Bai Yuntian could not be considered a first-tier Martial Soul Master in the Dragon Kingdom, he was firmly positioned as a top-tier master of the second tier.

If a student from Linjiang City could catch his eye, it would also be an honor for the local area.

But he didn't notice that when "that girl from the Lu Family" was mentioned, Bai Yuntian's face darkened a bit more.

"A mutated S-rank Martial Soul is still somewhat lacking after all. It's not worth mentioning."

Bai Yuntian said indifferently, his tone carrying an imperceptible trace of contempt.

Li Guodong was somewhat speechless.

In Li Guodong's eyes, a Martial Soul that could still mutate after awakening was already extremely special. Why did it sound like Bai Yuntian actually looked down on it?

Bai Yuntian picked up his teacup and took a sip, concealing the gloom in his eyes.

Ever since he had lost face at the Lu Family's place, he had secretly harbored a grudge against that family.

Especially that youth who had made him suffer a setback.

With his capability, he had already investigated Lin Mo's background.

A trash F-rank Martial Soul, with nothing more than slightly better grades, actually wanted to pursue the path of a Martial Soul Master? What wishful thinking.

In his view, with Lin Mo's F-rank Martial Soul, he would most likely only be able to develop in the direction of a Martial Soul Instructor.

"By the way,"

Li Guodong seemed to suddenly remember something.

"I heard that there's a student in No. 1 High School with top-tier liberal arts grades and a very solid foundation in theory. I wonder if Master Bai is interested in taking him in as a disciple to groom?"

He didn't say this because he knew Lin Mo and was intentionally speaking up for him.

He had merely heard the principal of No. 1 High School mention it in passing while drinking together before.

He felt that the kid was a pretty good prospect.

Seeing Bai Yuntian now, he just brought it up casually.

In his view, if this student could catch Bai Yuntian's eye,

he might also become a top Martial Soul Master in the future.

At that time, as a native of Linjiang City, he would also share in the glory.

But upon hearing this, Bai Yuntian's face instantly turned livid.

"My apologies, Officer Li, but I have no plans to take on disciples at the moment."

Li Guodong had not expected that a casual remark of his would actually make Bai Yuntian's expression change.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out where he had offended the other party.

He could only give a sheepish laugh and did not pursue the topic any further.

Just then, an announcement to enter the venue came over the broadcast. Li Guodong stood up. "Master Bai, I'll go take a look. Please excuse me."

Bai Yuntian also realized that he had overreacted. He quickly composed himself and smiled. "Please go ahead, Officer Li."

Although he was an instructor of the Vermilion Bird Academy and carried the title of a Martial Soul Master,

there was no need for him to offend an official representative who held military power.

However, having nearly offended Li Guodong because of this minor episode, Bai Yuntian's hatred for Lin Mo deepened even further.

At this moment, a majestic voice echoed from the broadcast:

"Would all examinees please enter the preparation area with your Scoring Devices. Entry into the secret realm will begin in ten minutes."

"This martial exam will use a points system. Examinees, please obtain points through various means according to the college entrance exam rules!"

The spectator stands instantly erupted into a frenzy as parents cheered for their children.

Lin Mo followed the examinees and walked into the preparation area together.

Yesterday, there were over five thousand graduating high school seniors in the entire Linjiang City.

Yet today, only five to six hundred people were taking the martial exam.

As the announcement of the start came through the speakers,

hundreds of examinees immediately surged into the secret realm.

When Lin Mo opened his eyes again, he found himself and hundreds of other examinees already standing beneath a city gate square.

Around them, chaotic and noisy voices rang out.

"Holy crap, this year's exam topic is actually the Battle to Defend Yangxi Town!"

An examinee looked at the surrounding environment and immediately cried out in surprise.

"Yangxi Town! Isn't that the town reported on the news yesterday?"

"Damn, this year's subject is a bit beyond the syllabus. It's a waste of all those prep classes my mom signed me up for."

A wave of noisy wailing instantly rose from the crowd of examinees.

Indeed, according to the exam topics of previous years, they were generally various secret realms like forests, swamps, and mountain ranges.

This year, however, it was temporarily changed to a city defense battle.

This meant that the students who had spent a lot of time and money on prep classes had become suckers.