Chapter Thirty-Eight: The First Round of Examinations, Astonishing All the Examiners

Yang Feng queued up to enter the Examination Institute.

Before arriving, he had already ceased using the Breath Concealment Technique.

As he stepped into the institute, a beam of light shone upon him.

In the next moment, his entire being was transported into an independent space.

The Examination Institute functioned much like a dungeon—each individual who entered was transmitted to a different, isolated space.

At that very moment, atop the highest level of the institute, several imposing elders sat in solemn silence.

Among these elders were warriors, swordsmen, archers, magicians—each representing a different profession.

None of them were below level 80.

These elders were the chief examiners for this year’s Jiangnan Province Entrance Examination.

“Yang Feng, level 18, Cursed Mage?”

A holographic projection appeared before each examiner, displaying Yang Feng’s profile.

“So this is the one who unlocked the unique hidden profession, Cursed Mage?”

“It’s been ages since someone unlocked a unique hidden profession!”

“The last time someone did it was, what, twenty years ago?”

“Yes, twenty years past, someone became a Berserker—a unique hidden profession.”

“Berserkers are combat specialists; in battle, they can unleash power surpassing even warriors.”

“A Cursed Mage? According to the records from Donghai First High, that should be a mage-type profession.”

“Let’s see how strong this Cursed Mage is. Hopefully, he won’t disappoint us!”

“Even though it’s not a combat profession, mages aren’t weak. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached level 18.”

“For now, let’s treat it as a special mage profession.”

After their discussion, the examiners decided on Yang Feng’s method of examination.

At the same time, a monster appeared before Yang Feng.

It looked peculiar—a fox’s head and three long tails trailing behind.

This was a monster adept at mental attacks, though its true strength was unknown.

However, since the testing room was an isolated space, Yang Feng could not employ a detection orb to learn more about the creature.

“Examination task: Slay the Three-Tailed Demon Fox.”

Other than the monster’s name, no further information was provided.

A timer appeared above Yang Feng’s head.

He had to kill the Three-Tailed Demon Fox within the allotted time.

If he exceeded the limit, he would fail the exam.

Yang Feng was already prepared for battle.

Without hesitation, he summoned a Crow Warrior at his side.

“Three, two, one—begin!”

As the countdown ended, the Crow Warrior lunged at the demon fox.

Simultaneously, Yang Feng drew forth a magic scroll and hurled a massive fireball.

The scarlet sphere struck the fox, eliciting a wretched scream before it collapsed to the ground.

“Did it die just like that?”

Yang Feng was utterly stunned.

Was the exam truly this easy?

Meanwhile, atop the institute, the chief examiners exchanged bewildered glances.

“That was Fireball? How could it be so powerful—an instant kill?”

“Could there be a mistake in the data? Or did we make an error?”

“No, we followed the special profession protocol for summoning the monster.”

“The monster’s level is three higher than the examinee’s.”

Different professions and levels face different monsters.

Normally, special professions face monsters three levels higher.

For higher-level candidates, it’s two levels higher, while regular professions face monsters one level above.

Mages typically confront monsters with mental attacks.

Warriors usually face combat-type monsters.

Professions of the same class face similar monsters.

While anyone can defeat the monster, it’s exceedingly rare for someone to achieve a one-hit kill as Yang Feng had.

The exam is designed to test combat technique.

Even against higher-level monsters, a competent candidate should have no trouble.

This system had been in place for many years, never failing before.

Usually, battles lasted at least ten minutes or longer.

From the outcome, one could judge a candidate’s true combat ability.

Yet unexpectedly, Yang Feng’s performance had thrown the entire system into question.

The monster, summoned according to established rules, was felled by Yang Feng in a single blow.

How could they possibly assess his combat ability now?

“What should we do next?” one examiner asked.

All eyes turned to an elder garbed in mage’s robes.

He was the chief examiner for the mage professions.

All mage-related tests fell under his purview.

But now, even he looked hesitant and troubled.

Unable to gauge the candidate’s skills, he wore a look of deep concern.

At that moment, another elder entered the room.

“Director Ding, what brings you here?” someone exclaimed.

At the sight of the newcomer, all the examiners stood up.

“I heard that a hidden profession had appeared in Donghai City this year, so I came to have a look.”

This elder was Ding Wu, Director of the Jiangnan Provincial Examination Institute.

Gazing at Yang Feng’s image on the screen, Ding Wu nodded in satisfaction. “So this is the hidden profession from Donghai. He looks promising.”

The examiners quickly explained the situation.

After hearing them out, Ding Wu pondered briefly and then spoke. “You all want to know just how strong this Cursed Mage is. But following the special profession rules, we can’t measure his true combat level.”

“In that case, let’s raise the challenge to the hidden profession standard and give him a second examination.”

At this, one examiner stood and voiced a concern.

“If we test him at the hidden profession’s difficulty, it may be unfair. How will we score the exam?”

Ding Wu smiled. “This isn’t unprecedented. There have been candidates who slew their monsters instantly before.”

“We’ll follow established precedent: let’s treat him as the top scorer among the mage professions and award him full marks—one hundred points.”

“If he passes the second round, we’ll add another one hundred points.”

At this, the others nodded in agreement.

“With Director Ding’s decision, we’ll proceed to the second examination.”