46: Revisiting the Forest of Hope

August 15th, the first day of the Huaguo Monster Taming College Entrance Examination; night falls.

With the conclusion of the second subject in the afternoon, people's lives returned to normal, yet the internet became exceptionally lively.

The candidates, who had held back all day, began to vent about the exam. Some thought it was too harsh, while others felt they had been careless. In short, on the most popular Social Media Platform, the latest and hottest discussions were all about the College Entrance Examination.

Soon, a netizen posted several pictures on the Social Media Platform, attracting a great deal of attention.

These were posted by a user named 'Troublemaker,' totaling three images.

The first image showed a massive white and blue lion amidst a cold current, prostrating before a beautiful young girl in a long white dress. The girl was reaching out to gently stroke it. The visual impact of the beauty and the beast made many netizens' hearts race.

The second image featured two glowing green eyes within a pillar of fire, casting a terrifying gaze. Due to the distortion of the air, the flickering body was indistinguishable, but it radiated an overbearing aura.

The third image showed over a hundred Demon Tamers Beasts prostrating on the grass, looking with fear at a small, cold figure before them. Compared to the giants in the first two pictures, this one might not have seemed like much, but the impact it gave was not at all inferior to the first two—it was even a notch above.

The caption above the pictures read: 'In Examination Room 4 (the gymnasium) this afternoon, these three were the coolest kids on the block.'

A netizen asked: "What kind of Demon Tamers Beasts are these? They look incredibly powerful."

A candidate quickly replied: "To the person above, I was in Examination Room 4. These were the strongest Demon Tamers Beasts that appeared in our room. I did some serious research; the first picture is a Flowing Fire Ice Lion, a Transcendent Level Demon Tamers Beast, extremely rare. I can't find information on the other two. Say no more, I have to keep searching. If I can't find them, I'm skipping my instant noodles tonight!"

"To the person above, if you want to eat, just say so; no need to find such an excuse."

An anonymous netizen also asked: "Which legend brought a phone into the examination room? I truly admire you."

"These pictures look Photoshopped no matter how you look at them."

"Photoshop my foot! I'll bet my years-long design career to tell you there are no traces of PS in these pictures."

"Three minutes—I want all the data on these pictures! Especially that beauty. Which Wisdom Eye expert can report her measurements and address? I'm picking out my night-raid outfit."

"Person above, your address is Flower City, right? That's the daughter of our Flower City Garrison Commander, Lu Bingyun."

"...Order placed, but the night-raid outfit is out of stock. After I finish kneeling on this durian, it should still be edible. Please don't come knocking on my door! (Crying emoji)"

The anonymous netizen asked again: "Who exactly is the legend who brought the phone? Please tell us, let us pay our respects."

The photographer, Troublemaker, replied: "Seems like you're a brother from the same examination room. I'm wearing red clothes, in the fourth group of the assessment. The third seat in the first row to the northwest is me. My Demon Tamers Beast is Black Iron Rank 9. Want to team up tomorrow? I'm not asking for a high score, just as long as I pass."

Zhang Zhen from the Monster Taming Alliance: "Found you. But let's forget about teaming up. I am today's Examiner, Zhang Zhen. Now, go find an Alliance teacher and confess your guilt. Who gave you the guts to bring a phone into the examination room! And you even dare to leak other candidates' information here!"

Troublemaker: "Holy crap! Entrapment!"

"Haha~ Forgive me for laughing unkindly."

"This story tells us to be cautious when making friends online. The person on the other side might not be your first love; they might be the Old Corpse from the Mountain Village."

"OP, you haven't told us how Lu Bingyun and the owner of the other two Demon Tamers Beasts did in their assessments."

Troublemaker: "Sorry everyone, the big boss Examiner just messaged me privately; I can't leak their scores. As for the other person's name... say no more, I have to head out, hope I make it in time..."

"Wishing the OP safety, haha~ But based on what the OP meant, those other two Demon Tamers Beasts actually belong to the same person! Which means there's a Bronze Grade Demon in this College Entrance Examination! Whoa! For real?!"

The netizen named Troublemaker was clearly warned and did not leak Xie Ning's name or the assessment results. However, an unintentional remark caused the speculation of a Bronze Grade Demon to spread across the internet, believed by more and more people.

Shortly after, major news media outlets also reported on the College Entrance Examination based on interview data, confirming the news of the Bronze Grade Demon. What was even more shocking was that this Bronze Grade Demon had received an S-rank rating, instantly causing a massive uproar online.

Jaw-dropping news travels faster than positive energy. In just one night, the news of an S-rank Prodigy candidate emerging from Flower City spread throughout the Huaguo internet.

Meanwhile, the protagonist of the news, Xie Ning, was completely unaware... On the morning of August 16th, the second day of the Huaxia College Entrance Examination.

"During the period of Monster Taming Era 300 to 310, many Secret Realms appeared on Earth Star. These Secret Realms varied in size; some contained humanoid life, some contained only Yao Beasts or spiritual Materials, and some were completely desolate."

"After ten years of warfare, the Secret Realm lifeforms were finally driven back into their realms. Later, through the unremitting efforts of Demon Tamers, agreements were reached with some Secret Realms to take them as our own. Among them, 50 li north of Flower City, there is a forest plane, designated NA41ZC3X, which has long been used as a practical site for the Monster Taming assessment..."

"The annual Secret Realm Trial is known as the coming-of-age ceremony for Demon Tamers. Only those candidates who undergo the trial and survive to complete their missions can be considered to have truly entered the door of being a Demon Tamer..."

"According to statistics, an average of 80 candidates die in the Secret Realm Trial every year. Among them, the highest death toll occurred in the NC21ZL1X Secret Realm in Monster Taming Era 602, with 751 deaths. It was the deadliest event since the start of the Huaguo Monster Taming College Entrance Examination. What was even more shocking was that they did not die at the hands of Yao Beasts, but by the greed of the classmates beside them..."

Xie Ning sat on White Fang's back, flashing through the jungle northwest of Flower City. His destination was not the Secret Realm, but the Hope Forest he had visited before.

Closing the thick 'Detailed Explanation of the Monster Taming College Entrance Examination, Era 603 Edition' in his hand, Xie Ning rubbed his temples, checked the time, and asked, "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Don't worry, Master, we've already covered half the distance. That thing is hidden on an old tree demon deep inside the forest." After White Fang finished speaking, its speed increased slightly, becoming like a streak of white light that vanished in the forest, startling a flock of birds.

Watching the trees flash by, Xie Ning couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

More than half a month ago, he was just a nobody, with only a Black Iron Rank 3 Bladed Mantis to accompany him. He worked hard every day, yet his goals seemed far out of reach.

In the blink of an eye, he had broken through to become a Bronze Grade Demon. Not only had Little Mantis undergone a transformation, but he also had a mischievous giant who, like him, persisted in order to become stronger.

Xie Ning had always been looking forward to the Secret Realm.

Thinking of this, the figure of Lame Uncle Wang surfaced in Xie Ning's mind.

For over a week, Xie Ning hadn't seen Lame Uncle Wang again, nor had he been subjected to any more of his underhanded schemes. But the more it was like this, the more uneasy he felt.

He had a premonition that this Secret Realm Trial would likely not be peaceful.

If that person wanted to make a move, this would be the best opportunity.