Chapter 38

Seek support, recommend, and collect clicks; the more, the better... I know it can be annoying to hear this often, but please understand, a new book needs performance...

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The swordsmanship exam proceeded quickly, with students almost continuously entering the examination room. This pace was somewhat abnormal, but since this was a magical world, anything was possible.

Soon, the staff from the academy called out Odi's number. Odi gave a provocative snort in Ji Ran's direction, adjusted his longsword, and walked into the examination room.

"Hmph, just wait, Odi will get a score that you can't even imagine... That sword of yours is mine!" Juan said, looking at Ries with a victorious expression.

Ries ignored him and instead advised Ji Ran, "Don't be nervous. With your swordsmanship, as long as the academy's examination magic array is working properly and the examiners haven't lost their minds, you won't lose to that fool. I know the Green family's swordsmanship; though it's very intricate, it requires a lot of combat energy. That kid is only level three; even if he can use it, it won't be very strong..."

Ji Ran nodded. He had also gathered some information about the swordsmanship exam beforehand. It seemed to be divided into several parts, with the final score being a composite of these parts.

Moreover, the standards for single-subject and multi-subject admissions were different. For single-subject admission, you needed at least 90 out of 100 to qualify. For two subjects, you needed at least 80 in each. For three subjects, you needed at least 75. There was no four-subject option; three was the limit. It wouldn't make sense to have you take over a dozen subjects and pass with just 20 or 30 points in each.

The exam content wasn't particularly clear and varied each year. However, the final evaluation criteria were similar: the swordsmanship's offensive power, defensive power, and flexibility. You didn't need to excel in all areas to get a high score; excelling in one area and being competent in the others was enough.

Knowing this system, Ji Ran felt much more at ease. He knew his Four Seasons Sword Technique was a comprehensive and perfect set of sword skills. Just the 24 sword techniques alone were already unparalleled, let alone the many sword skills that no one had fully understood yet.

Ji Ran didn't believe that his sword technique, which embodied thousands of years of Chinese cultural essence, would be inferior to any other sword technique in this world!

Odi hadn't come out for a long time, indicating that the swordsmanship exam took quite a bit of time. However, students continued to enter the examination room one after another, and it was unclear how so many people could fit into the seemingly small room.

Finally, the staff called out Ji Ran's number.

"Good luck. Even if you kneel and admit your mistake, that longsword looks very suitable for you!" Ries patted Ji Ran's shoulder. Ji Ran nodded, glanced at Juan, and turned to walk towards the examination room entrance.

Clearly, Ries and Juan had a history. From their conversation, it was evident that they were once classmates, but Ries always outperformed Juan in everything. Juan felt that Ries was a thorn in his side and had many conflicts with him due to his family background. Until later, Ries lost his love in a battle and suffered almost irreparable injuries...

Now, the two met again at the Azure Wind Academy's examination. Ries might have long forgotten the past, but Juan, with his narrow-mindedness, was determined to embarrass Ries.

However, this was the Azure Wind Academy, so they couldn't fight. But seeing Ries bring a level two, black-haired young man to the exam, Juan found another way to embarrass him. He would use his nephew to outperform the wild kid Ries brought! He wanted to release the resentment he had been suppressing in the academy!

So, this bet couldn't be lost. Not just for the magical longsword, but for Uncle Ries, he couldn't lose!

Firming his resolve, Ji Ran showed his admission ticket to the staff and walked into the examination room.

Upon entering the examination room, he suddenly felt dizzy. Then, he found himself in a chaotic and void-like space. Except for the floor and the walls that seemed to be made of mist, there was nothing in sight.

This... is spatial magic? Even though Ji Ran had some understanding of this world, he knew little about magic.

In the team, only Lydia was a mage, and she was a self-taught, level two mage. Advanced magic like spatial magic was beyond her reach.

No wonder candidates entered the examination room one after another; this folded space magic could easily accommodate tens of thousands of people in a small area—though, how the examiners managed so many candidates was another question.

Then, he heard a mechanical, synthesized voice from the air.

"First test: Swordsmanship offensive power. Time limit: ten minutes. The score will be based on the maximum damage of a single attack."

Then, a cloud of mist formed in the center of the small space, eventually taking the shape of a full suit of armor.

The armor had solidified into a tangible form, black and shiny, looking incredibly heavy. Though made of mist, the material now appeared more metallic than metal.

Ji Ran took a deep breath. Starting with such intensity? Directly testing the maximum offensive power? If he wasn't mistaken, the material of this armor was Cold Jade Steel—though it might have a different name in this world. This material was top-tier even among silver-tier materials!

Without silver-tier strength, it would be difficult to leave a mark on this material. Using it as an exam question? How insane was this?

However, since the examiners had set the question, he couldn't take it lightly. This exam wasn't just about whether he could attend school; it also concerned whether Uncle Ries would be embarrassed by the hateful Juan and whether he would lose the Bone Blade Sword!

So, he had no choice but to give it his all.

Taking a deep breath, Ji Ran checked his status. His health and mana were full, and the effects of the breakfast he had eaten, which boosted his strength and agility, were still active. These effects already made his attributes about two levels higher than his actual level—of course, in game terms.

Additionally, his two sword qi bars were full.

Sword qi bars remained full until used, but if not full, they would gradually decrease. Before the exam, he had specifically accumulated two full sword qi bars to use during the exam.

Maximum offensive power... this was the time to use sword qi. Although using up his sword qi might complicate the subsequent exams, he couldn't worry about that now. Based on past exam content, he should have opportunities to accumulate sword qi later...

Closing his eyes, he adjusted his state to the best possible. He relaxed his body, held his sword in one hand, and let it hang by his side. Once his mind was completely calm, Ji Ran suddenly opened his eyes!

Sword qi burst! One sword qi bar instantly disappeared, and a faint white light enveloped his body. A level one sword qi burst consumed one sword qi bar, increasing all his attributes, including his damage, by 50%!

In that instant, his true strength had reached the high end of level three. In game terms, he was at least level 36 or 37.

This wasn't the key; the key was the sword skill he was about to use.

Lightning Flash! The strongest offensive sword skill he currently mastered, a lethal skill!

Activate!

The remaining sword qi bar was suddenly depleted, transforming into surging sword qi that rushed into Ji Ran's body.

His figure vanished like lightning, reappearing behind the full suit of armor. The process was so swift, it was like a flash of lightning, easily missed with a blink.

Stopping behind the full suit of armor, Ji Ran's body was slightly bent, his right arm extended horizontally. In his right hand, the ordinary iron sword was glowing with a solidified sword aura.

"Phew..." He exhaled, straightened his body, and sheathed the longsword by his side. As a lethal skill, Lightning Flash not only consumed a full sword qi bar but also a large amount of true qi. Fortunately, he had adjusted his state before entering the exam, so he wasn't completely drained of true qi.

Perhaps it was the slight breeze from him straightening up or the slight vibration from his light steps, but the next moment, there was a sudden clatter. Then, a clank.

From the left shoulder to the right rib, the upper half of the Cold Jade Steel full suit of armor fell to the ground. The cut was a straight line, precisely where Ji Ran had just slashed, splitting the armor, which was harder than bronze-tier, into two halves!

At the same time, in the Azure Wind Academy's swordsmanship exam monitoring room.

If Ji Ran saw this, he would be greatly surprised. This place looked very similar to the monitoring rooms in his previous world.

The only difference was that this monitoring room was much larger, at least a hundred square meters, and it felt full.

Floating around the monitoring room were hundreds of black jade-like square blocks, each displaying the status of a different examination room.

Indeed, the Azure Wind Academy used these devices to monitor the examination rooms. There were several such monitoring rooms, each supervised by professors within the school.

Actually, the exam process could be completed by the large magic device that created the examination room—another name for a high-level magic item. However, no matter how powerful the device, it couldn't handle every unexpected situation, so the monitoring examiners were still necessary.

Now, the two examiners in the monitoring room were both stunned.