Chapter 11: Kulantin Entrance Exam - Written Test

The candidates thought this way, but the chief examiner did not: "Because it's an entrance exam, the questions are relatively simple, and 6 hours is more than enough. Of course, some students might find it a bit difficult..."

"This isn't just a bit difficult; it's incredibly hard," a candidate muttered.

The chief examiner said, "Therefore, the requirements for passing the written test are relatively low. Each question is worth 1 point, and you just need to score 400 points to pass. Of course, some students might ask if you need to answer all the questions to score points? No, since not everyone knows all the methods, you just need to provide more than five methods for each question to score points. The more methods you provide, the better. For every additional five methods, you get an extra point. This scoring method is quite generous, allowing you to make up for lost points in areas you're weak in. I've already given you three points for the first question. The full score is 500+, and the exam begins!"

In fact, the teacher hadn't finished speaking when the students had already started writing furiously, quickly jotting down the answers the teacher had mentioned. This scoring method was quite flexible, allowing students to make up for their weaknesses with their strengths, unlike the rigid exams of other academies. Since all the candidates were teenagers, it was impossible for them to know all 500 questions, and the key to this exam seemed to be using their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses.

Bing Zhiye couldn't help but nod in approval of the practical approach of this combat-focused academy, even in the exam method.

The exam questions were indeed not very difficult, except for the multiple-choice and judgment questions, which were a bit challenging. The most difficult were the hypothetical questions, but there were few of those. Most were like the first question, which required providing multiple solutions. Each student could answer these simple questions, but providing more than five solutions was challenging. The candidates were all scratching their heads, trying to recall various situations from their studies, experiments, or leisure activities.

Moreover, the questions covered a wide range of topics, including magic, warrior skills, knight skills, weapon knowledge, tactics, combat techniques, medical care, item knowledge, potion making, summoning, and more. Each subject had detailed categories. For example, the warrior category included questions about swords, spears, bows, whips, and armor. The sword category alone had questions about long swords, broad swords, great swords, and short swords. A 500-question exam paper covered almost all the subjects on the continent, in great detail.

Kornelia looked at the questions on the paper and worried, "Are these considered simple questions? In other academies, students with different major skills take separate exams, and the questions are specialized. This paper has questions from all subjects! Fortunately, I'm a book genius, and I've seen most of these questions in books. But Vien, who only knows a bit about warriors, knights, and combat techniques, is... I don't even want to think about it. I just hope he can perform exceptionally well and use everything he's crammed in the past few days."

The invigilator slowly walked past her.

Kornelia encountered a difficult question and couldn't figure it out. She looked around at the other candidates and noticed that Bimoye and Bing Zhiye were writing quickly without stopping. She thought, "Although most of the questions are easy, there are some extremely difficult ones. If it weren't for my father being the mayor of Silverleaf City and many high-level scholars and mages teaching me, I wouldn't be able to answer them. Can they answer all these questions?"

Looking at the others, she saw that they were all deep in thought.

Bing Zhiye didn't care about what the others were doing, completely immersed in his own exam. He had to get into Kulantin Academy because the Great Blue Crystal Tower might have what he was looking for. Although the chief examiner said 400 points were enough to pass, with 610,000 candidates competing for 44,000 spots, only the best of the best would be selected. He had to ensure he would be chosen.

Bimoye, on the other side, was also focused on his exam, writing without any concern for others.

As the saying goes, time flies when you're focused. Before long, the clock in the square pointed to 2 PM.

Kornelia was concentrating on her exam when she suddenly heard a commotion. She looked up and saw Bimoye putting his paper into a bag and walking towards the chief examiner.

Everyone looked at him and whispered, "No way, he's submitting early! Even if he's finished, shouldn't he check his answers?"

"Quiet, everyone, be quiet, no noise," the invigilator stopped Bimoye and asked, "Are you submitting your paper?"

"Yes," Bimoye replied and walked past the invigilator.

The invigilator looked at Bimoye and muttered, "Truly the first genius of the capital, and only 14 years old. The Christin family is full of talent. I've never seen anyone submit in just 4 hours."

Kornelia heard the invigilator's words and felt a warm glow, as if she were being praised.

The chief examiner took Bimoye's paper and smiled, "I knew you'd be the first to submit, and even before the exam was over. Your grandfather, the Duke, always praises you in front of us, and even the king says you're the most talented person in the empire. I believe you'll be admitted as the top student."

"Thank you, Uncle Dewi," Bimoye politely bowed and also greeted the other two chief examiners.

Dewi, Dewi Habb, was a well-known mage in the capital and now taught at Kulantin Academy.

Dewi Habb said, "Go have a meal and rest. In four hours, the next exam will begin..."

Bimoye noticed the surprise in the chief examiners' eyes and turned to see a small mage sitting at the next table, the one he had bet with.

Bing Zhiye walked to the table. He was about the same height as Bimoye, around 1.5 meters, and could clearly feel the red eyes watching him. Bing Zhiye didn't look back, submitted his paper in the bag, bowed, and left.

"Huh... this guy... did he finish too?!" an invigilator watched Bing Zhiye leave.

Dewi Habb picked up his paper bag, "110.226, Celeste Bing Zhiye, isn't he sitting not far from you?" He looked at Bimoye.

Bimoye seemed to be thinking and didn't notice the invigilator's words. He repeated Bing Zhiye's name softly and left the exam hall.

The six-hour exam time passed quickly, and the chief examiner Habb announced, "The exam time is over."

"Ah~!" The candidates looked at the clock and saw it was 4 PM. "Six hours passed so quickly, and I haven't even finished half of it!"

"Me too, I'm doomed, I won't pass."

"Damn! I shouldn't have wasted so much time on the first few difficult questions. What a mistake, what a mistake..."

The candidates showed their frustration and regret.

A candidate stood up and started ranting, "Really, 500 questions in 6 hours is impossible! I'm one of the fastest in my academy, and I've only done 400 questions. Are the Kulantin teachers deliberately making it hard for us? It's impossible for anyone to finish!"

Just as he finished speaking, a girl in front of him stretched and said happily, "Ah, I finally finished everything just in time. Great."

"No, that's impossible..." The candidate's loud voice faltered.

The girl looked satisfied at the people around her crying and wailing. When an invigilator came over, she immediately handed over her paper, "Report to the teacher, I've finished, hehe."

The invigilator placed her paper on the table and smiled approvingly, "Good job, finishing the paper is great. Just leave it on the table."

"Thank you, teacher." The girl's eyes curved with joy.

The invigilator walked behind her and said to the angry candidate, "You see, others can finish, it's just that you didn't perform or manage your time well. Keep trying, some people can submit in just 4 hours. With effort, you can do it too."

"4... 4 hours?!" The angry candidate was almost scared speechless.

The girl in front also exclaimed, "Teacher, 4 hours? Is someone that good?"

"Yes," the invigilator nodded and smiled, "Not just one, two people submitted within 4 hours."

The girl's happiness diminished, "I thought I was one of the first to finish."

The invigilator smiled, "Not that high, probably in the top few hundred. But if you answer the questions well and do well in the next exam, you should be fine."

The girl sighed in relief, patted her chest, and smiled again, "Great, with your words, I feel reassured!"

About twenty minutes later, Habb announced the collection of papers. This was a tradition at Kulantin, giving students who were stuck on difficult questions a bit more time to catch up. However, for those who hadn't finished much, this extra time was just a drop in the bucket.