The long process of tallying scores was finally over, and the results were announced immediately.
First were those unlucky few who didn’t score even a single point.
They either couldn’t find teammates, lacked the strength to defeat even low-rank Magical Beasts, and had spent the past three days running in fear; or they were just incredibly unlucky, wandering the forest for three whole days without encountering a single beast.
Some others sacrificed their own scores so that one team member could achieve a high rank during team allocation.
There were quite a few of these people—several hundred in total—roughly equal in number to those who failed the assessment.
The remaining two thousand all had scores.
Among them, about sixteen or seventeen hundred scored below three points.
In other words, the vast majority scored less than three points, and more than half of those only managed a single point.
Neither the mentors nor the students paid much attention to these low scorers.
The focus was on the two to three hundred who scored above that.
Most of these scored between three and five points, and fewer than twenty people managed to surpass five points.
But the mentors were most interested in the top ten ranked students.
“Now, we will announce the top ten students in this assessment.”
As expected, the mention of the top ten caused the mentors to grow more serious.
“First, the tenth place goes to Vick, with seven points.”
The first name was one Li Xian knew very well.
Looking around, Li Xian finally spotted Vick, who appeared injured.
Judging by the score, he had likely encountered a Mid-rank Magical Beast and teamed up with Light to defeat it.
“Also tied for tenth place is Light, also with seven points.”
Light was naturally found beside Vick, looking a little worn out from using magic heavily over the past few days.
It seemed these two had decent luck, encountering two Mid-rank Magical Beasts—but from their appearance, they’d need a few days of rest.
“Eighth place…”
Li Xian didn’t recognize the next few names very well, but it was clear that many among them were quite strong.
While luck played a part, if one wasn’t skilled enough, even encountering a Mid-rank Magical Beast wouldn’t guarantee a kill.
Therefore, ranking high in the scores carried some real weight.
These people all had some notable talent.
“Third place, Dean, ten points!”
Lost in thought, Li Xian suddenly realized they were already announcing third place.
Dean was a prodigy, his talent almost reaching the peak of Excellent Grade Elemental Affinity, just one step shy of Excellent Grade.
He was also, aside from Li Xian and Sarah, the only person strong enough to reach Mid-rank Magical Beast level.
Moreover, Dean was very low-key; this time, it seemed he hadn’t teamed up with anyone.
His perfect ten points were entirely his own doing.
This was different from the previous scores, which had been achieved by team efforts.
Yet, despite that, he was only third…
‘Who was second?’
Li Xian grew curious; scoring above ten points was no easy feat, though the first place was undoubtedly set.
“That Dean fellow is something else…”
At the same time, on the other side, a group of people gathered, one of them speaking up.
“Yeah,” another chimed in, “Our team of five managed just nineteen points, and he got ten all by himself. That’s impressive.”
Other students nearby listened anxiously.
Their team was probably the strongest among all—five geniuses with Excellent Grade Elemental Affinity!
“Hmph, I’m more curious about who got second place.”
All five shared one thing in common: they were basically from the Imperial Capital, from Noble Houses, and at their core was Roy—Karinya’s fiancé and the one who had clashed with Li Xian earlier.
He looked calm and confident now.
With four Excellent Grade geniuses supporting him, he didn’t believe anyone could outscore him. Â
That was why he said so casually, “I’m curious who got second.”
The suspense didn’t last long.
After glancing at Dean and nodding, the mentor continued, “Now, the runner-up with a total score of nineteen-something points: Roy!”
The announcement caused an uproar.
Third place had ten points, already representing two Mid-rank Magical Beasts defeated.
But second place had nine more points than third—almost double!
Even more shocking was that despite this huge lead, Roy’s nineteen points were only second place.
Who could possibly have taken first?
Roy was completely stunned.
Second?
He was second?!
He ignored the mentor’s gaze, his mind boiling with frustration and anger.
Who took first place from him?
The mentor frowned but didn’t linger on it and said, “Finally, the top scorer of this assessment with the highest score, Li Xian, twenty-three points!”
As those words fell, the mentor’s eyes locked on Li Xian.
He had long heard of this prodigy with Exceptional Elemental Affinity, and sure enough, Li Xian’s outstanding score secured the number one spot.
Hearing twenty-three points left the crowd speechless with shock.
But upon hearing the name, they relaxed somewhat.
After all, Li Xian was a genius with Exceptional Grade Affinity—and alongside him was another Exceptional Grade prodigy.
This score was probably from their combined effort defeating a High-rank Magical Beast.
Their strength was undeniable; there was no room for argument.
A true genius was a true genius.
Though many carried the label “genius,” the gap between them and this level of talent was vast.
The crowd accepted the outcome as natural.
But Roy didn’t.
He had put in so much effort, called in so many favors—why had he lost?
Why?
He glared furiously at the figure now drawing all attention.
Upon recognizing Li Xian’s face, he froze for a moment—and then saw Karinya standing beside him.
At that instant, his simmering rage exploded completely.
His murderous glare fixed on Li Xian made his companions shudder uneasily.