The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1191 - 355: Trial on the Snowfield_4

Their relaxed and leisurely demeanor was a stark contrast to the tense and oppressive atmosphere among the thousands below, and the worshipful gazes of the people made the halo around them shine even brighter.

Finally, Professor Hector Rain from the Tower of Great Sage stepped forward.

He did not raise his voice, but the natural authority in his tone was powerfully delivered into the ears of every examinee on the snowfield through magic.

"Silence!"

Instantly, the entire scene fell silent.

After a brief pause, he continued speaking.

"The Academic State's Winter Apprentice Assessment begins now!"

"The assessment consists of written and oral exams. Today, the written exam will commence first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Hector lightly tapped the two-handed staff made of walnut wood he held!

The staff clearly struck the silver-white platform, but what shook was the snowfield beneath everyone's feet. White waves rolled along the ground, like an Earth Dragon turning over!

"Boom—!"

Amidst deafening rumbling, an enormous, completely black stele rose from the ground, piercing straight into the sky!

When the stele stabilized, numerous grain-sized magical texts, emitting a gentle glow, seemed to be summoned from all directions.

They interwove and danced, forming symbols that ultimately imprinted on the front of the giant stele, becoming dense examination questions.

The examinees instinctively moved closer, attempting to get a better view, but some accidentally stepped into quagmires or cried out in pain after falling into ice pits.

Some were natural.

Others were traps set by sinister-minded examinees in advance to eliminate potential competitors!

Ignoring the commotion in the venue, Professor Hector's voice rang out again, announcing the rules of the written exam: "The questions are out. Write your answers on your scroll before dawn tomorrow. A full score is one hundred, and getting sixty will qualify you for the interview..."

As he said this, his sharp eagle-like gaze swept across the crowd, speaking in a cold, emotionless tone.

"By the way, identical answers will be voided. At the Academic State, it's not just about exploring and sharing knowledge—protecting your work from plagiarism is also part of the assessment. These questions are subjective; I want to see your own thoughts."

"If you can't adapt to the rules here, I suggest you leave early and go home to farm."

This statement caused an uproar in the audience!

Tens of thousands of examinees looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and vigilance.

Their friends beside them had suddenly turned into competitors!

Professor Hector Rain disappeared from their view, and the silver-white metal platform ascended back into the clouds.

As for the Griffins and Winged Dragon Knights, they went to various corners of the examination area, sealing off the vast snowfield.

They wouldn't prevent examinees from leaving.

But once you leave, don't think about sneaking in again.

Finic swallowed his saliva, feeling extremely fortunate to have grabbed a good spot in advance and even more grateful for the telescope Leo left him.

Otherwise, not to mention passing the exam, those inexperienced with Extraordinary Power probably couldn't even see the exam questions!

Of course, on the flip side, those who can use Extraordinary Power to enhance their vision can easily score sixty points.

Unlike Finic and the others, Luo Yan secretly observed, his mouth involuntarily curling into a smile.

"Interesting."

The Mages of the Academic State were reaping the faiths of these seekers while at the same time, using a survival-of-the-fittest method to push these idealistic young men into a ruthless jungle.

This exam was not only a test of their knowledge and talent but also a screening of their character and willpower.

He could clearly see that the rules weren't just to pick out suitable apprentices to study magic but also to select the most worthy batch of "smart people" from those with exceptional talent.

They must be absolutely ruthless to those around them, absolutely loyal to the Academic State's system, achieving their goals by any means, and then disappearing into anonymity, at least not harming their own when perishing.

Or to summarize in one sentence, Hecajelin is the gold they're looking for, while young men like Leo are the dross they want to sift out.

Idealists?

With Saint Sis above, there's probably no one more materialistic in the entire Imperial domain than these Mages, who believe in nothing and adhere strictly to the harsh law of the jungle!

Of course, all the above only applies to general citizens of the Imperial state, and Nobles entering the Academic State via recommendation letters aren't included. If from the start he had brought out Count Hillfin's recommendation letter, he probably wouldn't have waited here for three days, but instead sat in the Mage Tower he wanted to go to three days ago.

However, wouldn't that take away a lot of fun?

He wasn't here to experience campus life anyway.

The harsh trials had already begun, and Luo Yan noticed that conflicts were already breeding in the crowd and spreading among the young people next to him.

With Professor Hector's disappearance, the fragile order on the snowfield crumbled instantly!

"Move! This spot is mine!"

"Why should it be? I saw it first!"

In the area closest to the stele, the most primitive conflict erupted first.

A tall examinee rudely pushed a weak young man to the ground, seizing the spot the latter had painstakingly claimed.

The weak young man struggled to argue but was silenced by a fierce glare from the other, leaving him to grudgingly get up and go further to seek opportunity.

Similar scenes continuously played out across the snowfield.

However, no one dared to make trouble for Luo Yan. These people weren't foolish; they were here to take an exam, not to risk their lives... that carriage couldn't be ordinary.

The crowd quickly differentiated.

Some well-prepared or well-off examinees took out portable telescopes. Some early-awakened genius with Extraordinary Power attempted to gather Magic Power at their eyes, trying to clarify their vision. And more ordinary geniuses whose awakening wasn't stable could only push and run in the crowded waves, futilely trying to get closer to the distant stele.

Three young men exchanged glances, their eyes falling on Finic's telescope as time flowed by in silence.

Probably following the same textbook and frequently exchanging their understanding of magic during this journey, it was rather difficult for them to write completely distinct answers.

Barrett quietly murmured.

"We only need sixty points. We could discuss and deliberately err at different places."

"But what about those identical questions?" Ira looked worried, "To be honest, I'm not afraid our correct answers vary, but our wrong ones might be too similar..."

Finic clenched the telescope, gritting his teeth.

"No matter, let's copy the questions first. I don't believe they check that thoroughly! Once we get the questions, we each answer them on our own skills. As long as we don't borrow from each other, it should be fine... Besides, instead of worrying about being different, we should focus on getting those sixty points first."

He glanced at the questions; they were quite challenging.

The two nodded in agreement, beginning to collaborate on transcribing the stele's questions. Yet those two pairs of eyes simultaneously held a glimmer.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a certain excellent graduate from Demon King Academy had already finished writing the questions and answers with his floating feather pen and letter paper.

Although the Imperial's knowledge system differed from Hell's, those questions posed little difficulty for the well-read Lord Demon King.

Especially after studying another "excellent graduate" Hecajelin's notes.

"I wonder what score the Academic State's examiners will give me." Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction, looking at his voluminous six-thousand-word answer sheet.

Count Hillfin's recommendation letter was too unfair for these earnest examinees.

As a fair-minded Prince, he decided not to present it before the results of the written and oral exams were out.