Chapter 45

Rex and the others left, but the other candidates and their supporters had not yet dispersed. They all gathered around, after all, how many years had it been since Tianlan Academy had a candidate score a perfect 100 on the entrance exam?

A group of candidates planned to get closer, thinking that if they were admitted, knowing a genius who scored 100 might be very beneficial. The supporters felt the same; befriending such a genius would certainly not be a bad thing.

Jiran and Rice were not very good at handling such situations, so they could only nod in response and then struggle to escape from the crowd.

They ran a long distance, far from the swordsmanship exam venue, and the crowd that had been surrounding them had disappeared. Only then did the two of them exchange a smile and find a place to stop.

"You really went all out, Uncle Rice, even making those two kneel and admit their mistakes!" Jiran teased Rice.

Rice shook his head: "That guy's character, I knew it from when we went to school together. Narrow-minded and vengeful. I never did anything to offend him, yet he has harbored a grudge against me for so many years. Do you think if I let him off this time, he would repent and reform?"

Jiran smiled and shook his head: "If you push them, they will hate you even more. They might... do something crazy outside."

Rice naturally knew what Jiran meant and shook his head: "In Baise City, he wouldn't dare to do that. The Green family is indeed a major family in the empire, not inferior to our Bright family. But he is just a member of a collateral branch and cannot represent the family. Moreover, even if it were the main branch of the Green family, they would have to consider the consequences of causing trouble in Baise City. As long as I don't leave Baise City, I don't have to worry. But you, you might encounter that Oudi in the academy, and he might try to get back at you in secret."

Jiran laughed easily: "If it's in the academy, he won't have many ways to deal with me. I'm a student with a perfect score in swordsmanship. Can I not get more attention? This way, it won't be easy for him to make a move."

Rice nodded; Jiran was right. The situation of today's exam must have been known by the internal staff of the academy. A perfect score in swordsmanship... a genius who hasn't appeared in years, would the old guys just ignore it?

"Speaking of which, I knew your swordsmanship was very good, but I didn't expect you to achieve a perfect score." Rice looked at Jiran with a meaningful gaze.

Jiran scratched the back of his head: "Actually, I didn't expect to get a perfect score either. But I had a small breakthrough during the exam, and then I just charged forward. I don't even know how I did it. In fact, it was very difficult for me. Look, my sword broke!"

After the exam, Jiran reflected and realized that his sword breaking was not a coincidence. The attacks of the misty figure were actually purposeful, and the point of contact between the swords was always controlled within a very small range. After prolonged collisions, Jiran's beginner iron sword naturally could not withstand the pressure.

From this, it can be seen that the strength of the misty figure had already reached a high level. At the third level, it almost had no rivals—its swordsmanship was already considered accomplished. When facing a swordsman of the same level, even if the opponent used a gold-level swordsmanship, it could still fully suppress them!

But what Jiran used was not the swordsmanship of this world. The Four Seasons Sword Technique contained elements that this world did not have... completely beyond the expectations of the creator of the misty figure.

Through various unconventional means, Jiran defeated the opponent. Even so, his victory was very difficult... a slight difference, and he would have lost.

But even so, it was just not getting a perfect score. Beating Oudi's 92 points was still more than enough.

Rice glanced at Jiran's broken sword and laughed.

"I've been telling you to change your sword. Look, it broke during the exam, how much of an impact did that have? In a real battle, you might even lose your life. Don't ignore these small details... but fortunately, now you have a new sword to use. But you, you're really bold, hinting to me to raise the stakes... this was my own matter, and I already felt bad about the bet, but you're even more aggressive, putting this sword on the line!"

As he spoke, Rice threw the magic longsword he had won to Jiran. The two of them had developed considerable默契 in the forest, after all, during the ambush of the monsters, they couldn't communicate verbally, and sometimes a gesture or a glance was enough to understand each other. Just now, Jiran hinted to Rice with a glance at the bone blade sword, and Rice took it out as a bet.

"Ha, Uncle Rice, this isn't just your matter. They not only insulted you but also insulted me, even my family... if I don't retaliate, how can I face myself?"

Jiran didn't hesitate; this sword could be said to be his win, and it was natural for him to use it.

The swords in this world were quite different from those in his original world, most notably in their thickness and lack of emphasis on flexibility. Therefore, even a one-handed longsword was mostly wielded with both hands in actual combat.

But Jiran's swordsmanship was different; most of the time, he wielded the sword with one hand—of course, under the Heart Sword Technique. So he needed a one-handed sword that was a bit different from those in this world, and he needed to get used to it.

Of course, this magic sword was of the silver level, and some of its functions could not be triggered by Jiran at his current level. But it was enough; at least the material of this sword was much stronger than the beginner iron sword.

Moreover, he could try to decompose this magic longsword to obtain some materials. Then, he could decide what kind of sword to make.

However, decomposing magical artifacts required a higher level of true fire, which was a bit challenging for his current level—ordinary magical artifacts were fine, but this silver-level magic longsword was a bit difficult.

"... After all, it was still rash. I regret stimulating them so much. If I really lost, I wouldn't mind, but involving you, how could I face you and Ailin in the future?" A hint of regret flashed in Uncle Rice's eyes, and he sighed.

"Uncle, do you lack confidence in me? One can't always be meek. We had such a clear opportunity to get back at them, why would we give it up? Don't worry, they can't do much to me."

Jiran comforted Uncle Rice. In his view, Uncle Rice, due to his long-term injury, had lost much of his sharpness. Uncle Rice sighed again and looked at Jiran, as if seeing his own youthful and spirited days...

"Alright, let's go see Lydia's exam. To be honest, the Tianlan Academy exam is quite difficult. I wonder if Lydia can pass." After admiring the magic longsword he had won, Jiran suggested to Rice.

Rice didn't object: "Alright, we can also tell them about that Juan guy. If he can't get back at us, he might take it out on the people around us. We need to be careful."

The two of them went to the magic exam venue and found Ailin and the others. Lydia was taking the exam and had been in there for some time, and no one knew when she would come out.

After waiting for a while, Lydia finally appeared before everyone.

"90 points, just enough to pass!" Lydia looked very tired but still had a smile on her face.

She had run away from her small village to change her fate. Entering Tianlan Academy was naturally the best opportunity to change her fate. Now that she had seized this opportunity with her own hands, how could she not be excited?

Everyone was happy for her, so they immediately left Tianlan Academy and found a restaurant to celebrate. There was no point in waiting at Tianlan Academy; the specific admission information would only appear on the admission ticket after all the exams were over, along with the registration time. Before that, they just needed to stay in Baise City.

Jiran had originally planned to cook a meal himself, but since everyone thought they should go out to celebrate, he had to go along with them.

After the meal, they returned to the hotel, and everyone naturally inquired about the two candidates' exam experiences.

"I don't have much to say. It was all the spellcasting techniques I had figured out on my own. The exam tested my spell power, casting speed, and spell consumption, followed by a practical exam. I did well in the first few parts. By the way, I have to thank Brother Jiran for the magic tools he made for me... they helped me a lot!" Lydia was very excited.

Rice smiled and shook his head: "You're wrong. The Tianlan Academy exam takes the influence of magic tools into account. If magic tools could really help, wouldn't anyone with enough money to buy good magic tools be able to pass?"

Lydia looked puzzled after hearing Rice's words: "I felt they helped a lot. Without those magic tools, it would have been hard for me to get good scores in the earlier parts. In the final practical exam, I almost didn't last ten minutes. If my earlier scores weren't high, I probably wouldn't have passed."

Lydia's words left Rice speechless. After all, he hadn't seen her exam, and there wasn't much basis for judgment. But logically, Tianlan Academy shouldn't make mistakes in this area...

But Jiran had some thoughts. Perhaps, the magical artifacts he made were not fully detected in this world? If they worked close to the body, would they be judged as the body's own strength?

However, from the fact that Rex could roughly determine the attributes of the bone blade sword, if the magic tools were given to someone else, they would still be detected. But if they were hidden on the body and triggered, they would not be completely judged as the effect of magic tools.

Why was this? Could it be... due to the conflict between the two systems in his body and this world? Thinking of the strange energy in his body, Jiran was confused again...

Of course, he didn't know if this judgment was correct, and he would have to verify it in the future. The most important thing now was that both of them had successfully passed the Tianlan Academy exam!

"I saw Lydia's talent long ago, but I didn't expect her to pass this year. She would definitely pass next year. But with the help of Jiran's food, Lydia's strength has grown rapidly recently, and passing is only natural. But Jiran, you surprised me... a perfect score! Hey, do you know what a perfect score means?" Beck came over and put his arm around Jiran's shoulder.

Jiran shook his head. A perfect score was definitely an outstanding score; it was said that Tianlan Academy hadn't had a perfect score for many years.

"A perfect score means you have already surpassed the majority of your peers and even those above you! And your potential is huge, and you might reach the gold level, or even higher! You're a genius! Hehe, once you enter Tianlan Academy, those gold-level swordsmen will compete to take you as a disciple and teach you their lifetime skills, making you carry on their legacy... in short, you're going to be successful!" Beck's expression was truly beaming with joy.

Looking at Jiran, Lydia's eyes showed admiration, but also a hint of inferiority and unease.