43: Lu Bingyun enters the stage

Xie Ning didn't know what was happening with the Shocked Trio.

He chatted with Lu Bingyun while waiting for the assessment to begin.

Although Xie Ning and Lu Bingyun had met before, there had been a misunderstanding, so they had been quite awkward and hadn't talked much.

This was the longest Xie Ning and Lu Bingyun had ever talked.

After this conversation, the relationship between the two had become a bit closer.

"By the way, I told my two female teammates about you, and they're really looking forward to meeting you."

Hearing Lu Bingyun's words, Xie Ning smiled. "Then they'll be disappointed. I don't have three heads and six arms, nor do I look strange."

Lu Bingyun covered her mouth and giggled. "Heehee~ That's not what I meant. They know you saved me, so they're quite grateful to you."

"I see," Xie Ning nodded.

Just then, the gymnasium's bell rang, and the assessment rules began to be read aloud.

This time wasn't really an examination; it was just for everyone to come forward and test their Rank and the strength of their Demon Tamers Beast. However, these test results accounted for 30% of the College Entrance Examination score.

The assessment scores were S, A, B, C, D, and E. S-Rank received 30 points, with each subsequent Rank decreasing by 5 points.

As the bell rang, Xie Ning and the other sat up straight and looked toward the wide lawn in the center.

A group of City Defense Bureau Soldiers surrounded the lawn. Many faculty members pushed various assessment instruments forward. Finally, there were the Monster Taming Alliance members in charge of the assessment, as well as high-ranking Flower City officials acting as notaries.

"I didn't expect so many people. There are about a hundred people in charge of the assessment alone, and each has one or two Assistants." Xie Ning looked at the large group of assessors below and couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Bingyun also nodded and looked at the candidates sitting around. "After all, there are about ten thousand people here. These hundred or so examiners might seem like a lot, but it will probably take several hours to finish all the assessments."

Xie Ning looked around and nodded.

With another ring of the bell, the assessment began.

Each group of 150 people went onto the stage for testing. Both Xie Ning and Lu Bingyun were positioned in the middle.

The first group of candidates stepped forward. After confirming their information, they each summoned their own Demon Tamers Beast. The humans wore helmets to release Mental Energy to test their Mental Energy Rank, while the Demon Tamers Beasts went to specific instruments to release energy for the machine to scan.

Every year's comprehensive examination was a grand scene where Demon Tamers Beasts gathered. For candidates who rarely left the city, it was a visual feast.

"I didn't expect the first group to be so weak. Out of 150 people, the highest-ranked Demon Tamers Beast is only Black Iron Rank 10." Lu Bingyun frowned, appearing somewhat confused and disappointed.

Xie Ning couldn't help but smile. "The difference between them and you is just a father."

Lu Bingyun: "...Okay, thanks for the reminder. It seems my horizons were too narrow."

"The environment you live in and the people you interact with are likely all wealthy or noble, so it's not surprising you don't know this... Actually, they are already very lucky," Xie Ning paused and said with a complex expression, "at least they have a Demon Tamers Beast."

He suddenly thought of those few delinquent youths in the Urban Village. If they had the chance, who wouldn't want a Demon Tamers Beast? But this world was just so unequal. A single wall separated the gap between rich and poor, cutting off the ladder for many poor people to advance. If a poor person wanted a Demon Tamers Beast, they first had to understand the Beast Taming Technique, and then find a way to obtain a Demon Tamers Beast on their own. If they couldn't enter a school, they had to figure everything out themselves.

The two fell into a temporary silence.

The first batch on stage had finished testing. They were all of the Black Iron Rank. Based on the strength of their Mental Energy and the Rank and quality of their Demon Tamers Beast, scores were assigned. Out of 150 people, most were C or D grade, with a few of the worst being E grade. There wasn't a single B grade.

Time passed minute by minute. Soon, ten groups had been assessed. In the 11th group, Xie Ning finally saw someone he recognized.

Jin Feng and Ye Chong—these two were actually in the same group.

Compared to the nervousness of the other candidates, Jin Feng's calmness and Ye Chong's smugness attracted a lot of attention.

"It seems they are very confident."

Xie Ning nodded. He was also curious about the strength of the top students from the Second High School.

Soon, Jin Feng and Ye Chong summoned their respective Demon Tamers Beasts.

As soon as their Demon Tamers Beasts appeared, it immediately caused quite a stir. The other candidates in the same group hurriedly calmed their restless Demon Tamers Beasts. Even Xie Ning cast a curious glance at the two Demon Tamers Beasts.

Jin Feng's Demon Tamers Beast was a Diamond Rock Demon, resembling a rock giant with a metallic luster. Metallic spikes protruded from its back, and it stood three meters tall.

This was the first elemental-type Demon Tamers Beast Xie Ning had seen so far, and it was a dual-attribute metal and rock Demon Tamers Beast.

Ye Chong's Demon Tamers Beast was also quite rare in Flower City; it was a grayish-black Long-Armed Power Tapir. It stood 1.5 meters tall, with its trunk coiled up. It was estimated that when extended, the trunk would be longer than its height. It looked rather silly.

"Both are of Excellent quality, with Ranks at Bronze Rank 4 and Bronze Rank 2." Looking at these two Demon Tamers Beasts, Xie Ning gave himself a mental reminder.

Just because he had a System didn't mean the top students from other schools were pushovers.

Lu Bingyun knew about Xie Ning's status as a Breeder, so she wasn't surprised that he could recognize the quality of the Demon Tamers Beasts.

At this time, the two Demon Tamers Beasts were taken to the instruments for testing, while Jin Feng and Ye Chong put on the testing helmets to test their own attributes.

Soon, this group's testing was complete. To Xie Ning's surprise, Jin Feng and Ye Chong's Mental Energy was indeed quite high, having reached the Black Iron Demon Tamer Late Stage. Combined with the attributes of their Demon Tamers Beasts, they received B+ and B ratings, respectively, earning envious, jealous, and hateful looks from other candidates, along with sparse applause.

The two also saw where Xie Ning and Lu Bingyun were sitting and waved at them.

After this group left, the assessments continued, but there were no highlights until Zhan Yingying's group took the stage, causing quite a stir in the calm and orderly gymnasium.

Her Excellent quality, Bronze Rank 4 Thunder Dragonfly earned her many points, but because her own Mental Energy was slightly inferior, her overall score was the same as Ye Chong's, a B grade. She was clearly dissatisfied with this result and kept a dark expression, making even Ye Chong and Jin Feng speak to her cautiously.

After waiting a while longer, it was finally Lu Bingyun's group's turn.

"I'm going now." Lu Bingyun stood up.

Xie Ning nodded and gave her an encouraging look, saying gently, "Relax, I believe you can do it."

Halfway there, Lu Bingyun suddenly turned back, squinted her eyes, and gave a gentle smile. "Mm."

That momentary glance back made Xie Ning's heart skip a beat, and his nose began to sweat slightly.

When Lu Bingyun's name appeared on the screen, a commotion broke out in the candidate seating area, with everyone buzzing with discussion.

"Look, Lu Bingyun's name is up there. Could it be..."

"It's very likely. In all of Flower City, who would dare to give their daughter the same name as his daughter? Wouldn't that be asking for humiliation?"

"I'm really looking forward to the results of this group. After all, Lu Bingyun is his daughter."

"If her strength doesn't even reach B-Rank, it would be embarrassing..."

Because of Lu Bingyun taking the stage, the eyes of the entire audience were focused on her. Those eating snacks, reading books, or dozing off all perked up. Among them, the Garrison Commander's fanatical fans, the Shocked Trio, were the most exaggerated.

They didn't even bother to speak, standing up directly with their fists clenched tight.

Regardless of whether they were broad-minded or not, at this moment, they all hoped Lu Bingyun would get a good result.

After all, this concerned the reputation of the hero in their hearts.

In the candidate seating area, only Xie Ning looked calm. After all, Lu Bingyun's Demon Tamers Beast was evolved by him.