Lin Moyu was right. In the long history of the Shenxia Imperial Examination, few candidates had ever managed to pass the second stage. The fifth round of the Air Force Exam, the final round, consisted of five stages in the battle space. The highest record ever was making it through the third stage, a feat that had been accomplished over a century ago. Since then, no one had come close to breaking it.
In the examiners' room of Jiangning Province, discussions started as they watched Lin Moyu's progress with growing anticipation.
"I think there's a real chance this time," one examiner murmured, his eyes fixed on the screen. "I don't know what his skills are exactly, but from what we've seen, they're beyond extraordinary."
Another examiner chimed in, shaking his head in disbelief, "Calling it 'powerful' doesn't do it justice—his skills are abnormal."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he's already awakened his talent," someone suggested. "There's no other explanation for how someone can be this strong so early."
"If that's true, it could be groundbreaking. Awakening talent after just transitioning into a new profession is rare. And imagine if he could awaken another talent later on..."
"You might be dreaming," another said with a grin. "Talented professionals are already rare enough. A double-talented one? That's almost unheard of."
The examiners continued their speculative chatter, eyes never leaving the rapidly climbing points on the screen. Whenever Lin Moyu's points changed, it was dramatic—either nothing happened, or his points skyrocketed in an instant. Lin Moyu had dispatched his skeleton warriors with practiced ease, engaging the Felin orcs with an efficiency that was borderline mechanical.
There was nothing innovative about his tactics, but they were brutally effective. His skeleton warriors attracted the orcs' attention, lured them together, created corpses, and then he detonated those corpses in mass explosions, wiping out enemies in droves. Lin Moyu had perfected this method, moving through the trial stages with astonishing speed.
His skeleton warriors had gathered every orc they could find, surrounding the Felin Orc Archers. As soon as the monsters were grouped up, Lin Moyu issued a simple command. The 16th-level Felin Orc Fighters fell immediately, overwhelmed by his skeleton warriors' onslaught. Then, in a series of corpse explosions, the battlefield went eerily silent once again.
In mere seconds, his points had surged by 20,000, bringing his total to an astounding 34,605. Every monster in the second stage netted him 100 points, meaning he had just slain 200 enemies in a single strike.
The examiners watched in awe, their earlier speculations confirmed. "This guy's already breezing through the second stage," one muttered.
"Level 16 monsters? They might as well be target practice for him."
"He's farming points like it's nothing," another laughed. "If I had the authority, I'd crank up the difficulty. Throw in a dozen bosses just to make it interesting."
But as they compared his points to the other candidates, it became clear just how far ahead Lin Moyu was. The second-highest scorer, Xia Xue, an elemental mage known for her powerful group attack skills, was sitting at just over 7,000 points. She had nearly cleared the first stage of 100 monsters but was still far behind Lin Moyu.
Trailing close behind her was Feng Xiu, a holy swordsman with 6,000 points. His class excelled in group battles, allowing him to climb the rankings quickly. Following them were Zuo Mei and Wang Zihao, both in the 5,000-point range. Though slower and less efficient, both were steadily progressing and confident they could break 10,000 points, securing their spot in Xiajing Academy.
The Shenxia Empire's grand examination was a national event, conducted simultaneously across provinces. The most talented candidates across the empire were in the final stretch, all fighting for a place at Xiajing Academy, the institution that trained the nation's future leaders and warriors.
In Xiajing City, the capital of the Shenxia Empire, a massive tower floated in the sky, visible from anywhere in the city. This was the original Trial Tower, the very heart of the exam. The towers spread across the provincial capitals were mere copies, and every time the grand examination was held, the original tower would appear, a symbol of the empire's strength and tradition.
However, this year, something strange was happening.
As the examiners monitored the progress of the candidates, the sky darkened suddenly, and the temperature plummeted. Night fell like a shroud, and a pitch-black, evil light hurtled toward the Trial Tower at unimaginable speed.
"Bold!" A thunderous voice echoed across the city as a massive, ethereal hand appeared in the sky, attempting to block the malevolent force. But a sinister laugh emerged from the black light, and in its midst, a colossal demonic head materialized, its horns sharp and gleaming.
"You cannot stop me!" the demon sneered, its black light clashing with the ethereal hand, both forces vanishing in an instant.
A second giant eye appeared in the sky, releasing a golden beam of light that targeted the dark energy. The evil force split in two, one part colliding with the golden beam while the other streaked toward the Trial Tower with terrifying speed.
"You're courting death!" A second ethereal hand reached out, crushing the demon's head with a sickening crack. But as it was destroyed, the demon let out one final, chilling laugh. "This is only a clone. Do with it as you wish. But those inside the Trial Tower... tsk, tsk..."
And then, with a resounding explosion, the demon was gone, leaving only an ominous sense of dread hanging over the trial.