“C+?!” Su Fu’s eyes lit up, “It’s almost touching the threshold of Class B!”
She patted Lin Mingxi’s shoulder, “Keep it up, young man. You must continue to work hard. Maybe one day, the Feathered Serpent God will be in a good mood and bestow upon you the divine power of prophecy!”
Lin Mingxi instantly wilted, his face sour, “Don’t mention it……………”
He sighed wistfully, “My deity doesn’t favor me as much as your Great Sage does……”
It was beyond his control, and he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
“By the way! You two should be able to see our team’s points, right?”
He opened the Shen Yan interface, “You both started with 100 each, and I……”
He deliberately drew out the sound, happily saying, “Accumulated 500 in a year, and now I have a total of 700 points!”
Su Fu: “Naive child, you’ve saved so much, but it’s about to be spent.”
Lin Mingxi gave the two full choice:
“Now, with our points, we can either open a Class D dungeon or check the database for information. Which one do you choose?”
Su Fu and Jiang Qingyu exchanged glances and spoke in unison, “The database!”
Was there even a need to choose?
Class D dungeons were no longer very useful to them now.
At most, they could gain a new skill or enhance an existing one.
But those improvements were limited and couldn’t bring about a qualitative leap in their strength.
Compared to that, it was better to look up information.
After all, information was also a part of strength.
Only by knowing both oneself and the enemy could one achieve invincibility in a hundred battles.
Lin Mingxi smiled mischievously, “I knew you would choose this! Let’s go and look up information on the Tianqi competition!”
Eternal Cardinal, Database.
“Tianqi High School competition………………” Lin Mingxi typed in the keywords on the search interface.
The holographic screen immediately displayed search results in different categories:
[100 points: Basic Information]
[500 points: Analysis of Past Exam Questions]
[1000 points: Complete Competition Guide]
[5000 points:……]
“Let’s go with the 500-point one,” Su Fu said decisively, “That’s all we can afford now.”
As the points were deducted, the holographic projection immediately displayed an introduction.
The voice of the Shen Yan AI echoed in the air:
“The last Tianqi High School competition used a joint phased exam paper, divided into three stages: A, B, and C.”
“Only candidates who pass the final C stage will be eligible for admission.”
“Note: The maximum difficulty level for each stage is C+.”
The scene shifted, and the introduction of the A stage exam questions began.
“A stage: Team points competition. Decryption type.”
Shen Yan continued to explain, “Candidates will form teams to explore designated areas, discover, and uncover hidden truths. The more truths uncovered, the higher the points.”
“But please note, do not get too lost in the truths. You also need to find the correct way to enter the B stage.”
The holographic image then began to display the decryption process of the candidates from the previous competition, accompanied by detailed explanations.
Lin Mingxi stroked his chin and analyzed, “So, in this stage, there is basically no direct conflict between candidates?”
Su Fu nodded, “That’s right. The points come from the truths on your own map. If you can’t solve them, you get no points, and you can’t even enter the next stage.”
“Moreover, decrypting on someone else’s map won’t add points to your own.”
“And………………” Jiang Qingyu thoughtfully added, “Just having high points is useless. If the truths uncovered are trivial, even if you have a high score, you will still be eliminated if you can’t find the way to enter the B stage.”
Su Fu sighed, “It feels a bit like a written exam. Everyone works on their own, but the volume of questions is large, the difficulty is high, and the key is to find the right direction.”
“If you just focus on increasing the quantity of questions solved and do a bunch of useless ones, no matter how high your score is, it’s all in vain.”
Lin Mingxi clicked his tongue, “Tsk, this design is quite interesting.”
“Truly, Tianqi is unparalleled. It’s an exam idea I’ve never thought of before.”
Then, as the A stage ended, the holographic image began to display the introduction of the B stage exam questions.
“B stage: Battle Royale. Strength type.”
Shen Yan explained, “This stage will reveal corresponding crises based on the truths decrypted in the A stage. Candidates need to complete their goals while surviving until the end of the exam.”
Lin Mingxi whistled, “This is getting interesting now. Candidates are going to have to fight each other, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Jiang Qingyu analyzed, “Unless the goals are contradictory. For example, one needs to protect something, and another wants to destroy it.”
“Then they’ll have no choice but to fight.”
“And there’s also the concept of survival time. This means that even if you solve the crisis in your own area, you can’t let your guard down because crises in other areas can still affect you.”
“So luck is also important. At least you can’t be too unlucky.”
The last round tested brains, and this round tested strength and luck.
Then, the holographic image moved on to the final stage:
“C stage: Divine Interview. History type.”
“Candidates will enter a specific historical scenario and obtain an initial identity. The exam will randomly select a main deity from all the deities worshipped by the candidates as the examiner deity, who will design the assessment goals.”
“For example……” Shen Yan pulled up an image, “Last time, Zeus designed a question about attacking demons.”
“Please note, the examiner deity may not be impartial and may even deliberately make things difficult.”
Lin Mingxi had an indescribable expression on his face, “Ah? How can a deity be unfair? And it’s randomly selecting a deity, which is completely unpredictable. It’s impossible to make targeted preparations.”
“The final question is set by a deity…… which means it also depends on the examiner deity’s mood that day?”
If they’re in a good mood, they’ll set an easy question, and everyone can pass.
If they’re in a bad mood, they’ll set a difficult one, and everyone will fail.
No, he felt like this was clearly testing “The Art of Communicating with Deities.”
It all depended on luck and the ability to adapt on the spot.
Lin Mingxi was overwhelmed and fell back onto his chair.
“This is too crazy. I thought it wouldn’t be that hard with the C+ cap, but this combination of stages has completely confused me.”
Jiang Qingyu nodded, “The old exam papers were either about killing anomalies or fighting opponents. You could just overpower them with strength. But now this………………”
She paused, “It’s directly expanding horizontally and is interconnected. A tests analytical ability, B tests combat skills, and C requires knowledge of history and luck.”
Lin Mingxi sighed, “Not to mention the opponents. It’s a joint exam of four provinces, all thrown into one big exam room.”
“Indeed!”
Lin Mingxi sat up straight, “And our Lingxiao Province is already considered middle to lower. I heard that Xuandu Province is incredibly strong, surpassing all other provinces.”
“And not to mention the top students from each provincial academy, they’re all monsters.”
“By the way, what are your latest rankings on the Polaris Cluster Ladder?”
The three of them reported their rankings to each other: Su Fu was 36th, Jiang Qingyu was 56th, and Lin Mingxi was 66th.
“Ah!” Lin Mingxi gave a wry smile, “There are actually 35 people stronger than Boss.”
Well.
It was definitely going to be a tough battle ahead.
But no matter how difficult it was, there was no way out.
The path to advancement was always full of challenges.
No one wanted to fall behind, so they still had to participate.
The three quickly found the registration entrance, filled out the application form in a flash, and then waited for the review.
But this step should not be a problem.
After all, as provincial academy students, they already had the qualification to participate.
However, just after Su Fu submitted the registration, the system popped up a prompt:
[Detected that you hold a divine artifact. Please go to the Wanqi Academy for certification and registration first, and supplement the relevant materials.]
“Ah………………” Su Fu didn’t expect this.
“It’s okay!”
Lin Mingxi glanced at it and thought it wasn’t a big issue, “Boss, you go and take care of the certification first. We’ll form a team when you come back.”
Su Fu could only let out a mournful cry and had to make the trip.
***
Lingxiao Province Wanqi Academy Branch.
The certification process was simple, with a dedicated fully automatic instrument conducting the appraisal.
Su Fu just needed to put the Ruyi Jingu Bang into it and watch the data quickly input.
It just needed time to give the final result.
“Um…………..” She turned to the staff member who was idly playing with his phone, “How long will it take to get the result? I still need to register for the competition, so………………”
“Wait for the notification.” The other party interrupted directly without even lifting his head.
Su Fu:”….”
She glanced at the announcement on the wall:
[Wanqi Academy Divine Artifact Certification Process: Submission – Queueing – Testing – Review – Re-examination – Stamping – Notification]
Wow, this one-stop service is really comprehensive.
The staff member’s indifferent attitude left Su Fu no choice but to check the strategies on the Shen Yan.
Most people indicated: “It will take at most one hour to complete. The result will be sent directly to your email. It’s just a formality.”
Su Fu thought about it, and since that was the case, there was no point in waiting here.
She simply turned around and left the Wanqi Academy with the Ruyi Jingu Bang in hand.
It was only after her figure completely disappeared that the staff member, who had been playing with his phone with his head down, finally looked up.
After making sure no one was around outside, he picked up the communicator:
“Hello, my lord, the person you mentioned has arrived.”
His tone was extremely respectful, “Yes, she just left. Okay, you can rest assured……”
“I will definitely take care of it.”
“Legally and in accordance with regulations.”
“Absolutely, there will be no mistakes.”
At the same time, in the Eighth Divine Hall.
Su Fu stood in front of the exchange counter and directly said to Shen Yan, “I want to exchange my reward, the Class D Heavenly Court series dungeon.”
The opponents in this competition were too strong.
Taking advantage of the effect of Laozi’s Qingling Summoning Array, she had to quickly pass this Heavenly Court dungeon to enhance her strength.
Shen Yan’s voice sounded:
[Identity confirmed, permission authenticated]
[Candidate Su Fu, please select the dungeon you wish to exchange:]
As Shen Yan’s voice fell, projections of various dungeon options immediately appeared before her eyes:
[Jade Pool Outer Garden: Bone Marrow Flower Demon]
[Dan Room of the Alchemy Palace: Dan-Swallowing Beast]
[Northeast Corner of the South Heavenly Gate: Demon Soul Bronze Man]
[Palace of the Supreme Lord……]
Su Fu quickly scanned the options, and they were mostly in line with what she had expected, covering various maps of the Heavenly Court.
“The Jade Pool map is the domain of the Queen Mother of the West, but for a Class D dungeon, it’s unlikely to summon the Queen Mother herself. It would probably be the Seven Fairies or something like that.”
“Laozi’s Alchemy Palace, of course, is the venue of the Supreme Old Lord. There might be a chance to obtain divine skills related to alchemy, which are more supportive in nature.”
“The South Heavenly Gate, as the first gateway of the Heavenly Court, should summon heavenly soldiers and generals. It would be quite rare to see Nezha or Erlang God appear. Tsk, what a pity about that tower. It’s clear that the dungeon level is a bit low.”
“As for the Palace of the Supreme Lord, the residence of the Jade Emperor who governes the Three Realms, it’s a Class D dungeon. It’s really hard to say what could be summoned there………………”
Su Fu scrolled down quite a bit more, and most of them were scenes from the Thirty-Six Palaces and Seventy-Two Treasure Halls of the Heavenly Realm.
Familiar ones included the Peach Garden, the Moon Palace, and the Imperial Horse Supervision, etc.
But now she had a big problem.
She had just fought a heavenly prison battle with the Monkey King, Nezha, and Erlang God.
Cough, cough.
She thought it would be safer to choose deities that were more benevolent and kind-hearted.
Taking into account the upcoming competition exam, let’s not mention the C stage for now.
For the A exam decryption, it usually requires divine skills related to puzzle-solving, investigation, and information gathering, which may involve cracking mechanisms, seeing through illusions, and finding clues.
Erlang God’s Heavenly Eye already provides illusion-breaking, but it would be better to have a stronger insight skill.
For example, the divine skills of the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Listening Ear would be perfect.
They can directly see through and listen in, which is excellent!
As for the B exam, which is a battle royale, it requires high burst damage, survival abilities, crowd control, or escape skills.
Currently, she has the extremely powerful Ruyi Jingu Bang for single-target attacks, but she lacks area-of-effect attack means.