Chapter 60: The Extreme

"Draw lots?"

"Draw lots."

Wei was surprised and asked Luo, "Is the practical exam divided into groups by drawing lots?"

Luo shook his head and said, "Not always, but it's never a free-for-all. Sometimes the academy decides the groups, but most of the time, it's determined by drawing lots."

"How do you draw lots?" This question was asked by Bing Zhi Xie.

Wei found it strange and said, "How else would you draw lots? Isn't it just drawing lots?"

"No," Luo said, "It's not entirely like a lottery. It's divided by levels. Remember I said only 1,000 people can enter the Great Blue Crystal Tower? That's not entirely true. It's actually 1,000 for the lower grades and 1,000 for the upper grades. The practical exam can't send all students and teachers out at once, so it's done in batches, with one-quarter of the students participating each time. If you go this time, they'll go next time. Correspondingly, the academy has four practical tests or exams each year, with each batch having only one chance, which means 250 students from the lower grades and 250 from the upper grades, totaling 500 students. Our dorm area is part of this batch of exam participants."

Wei was confused and didn't fully understand what it meant, but he did understand that this year he only had one chance to enter the Great Blue Crystal Tower: "You still haven't said how the lots are drawn."

Luo said, "Don't be impatient, listen to me. The lots are drawn by level. Each grade draws lots for their own grade, and then the same numbers from different grades are combined. For example, if I'm a初级骑士 (初级 means '初级' and 骑士 means 'knight'), I draw a lot for the初级 grade. If I draw number 1, I then find the number 1 from other grades and combine them into a group. According to the academy's tradition, this is to truly train everyone. Because when you mature and go out to train, you'll always be with different people, some strong, some weak, some with peculiar personalities, some with ill intentions. In short, all kinds of people, so you need to learn to blend with different people to avoid dying in danger."

"What about me?" Wei asked, "I applied for the upgrade test the day after tomorrow and will soon become a见习战士 (见习 means '见习' and 战士 means 'warrior'). How should I be counted in the lot drawing today?"

Luo said, "New students are uniformly listed as apprentices before their first practical exam, of course, you must already have the qualifications of an apprentice. Ordinary students who are not even apprentices have no right to participate in the practical exam. The lot drawing is divided into five days: the first day for new students and apprentices, the second day for见习 (见习 means '见习') levels, these two are considered lower grades. The third day for初级 (初级 means '初级') levels, the fourth day for中级 (中级 means '中级') levels, these are considered upper grades, and the last day is for teacher groups."

"Apprentice level..." Wei broke out in an awkward sweat.

Luo continued, "Because the number of students in each level is not the same, some students cannot be fully combined in this way, so it depends on your luck. At 8 o'clock, the lot drawing will be held on the main square, so I wish you good luck."

"What time is it now?" Wei looked at the clock, "Only a few minutes left, let's go down quickly."

Qin waved to them and smiled, "You go, I won't go down."

"Why?" Luo and Wei looked at her, "You're not going to draw lots?"

"Yes," Qin nodded, "I forgot to tell you, I'm sick. The teacher advised me not to participate in this practical exam, otherwise, it could be life-threatening."

"Oh! So serious." Wei and Luo suddenly kept their distance, covering their noses and mouths in fear, "Is it contagious?"

Qin rushed over and punched each of them, "Bastards! If it were contagious, would the teacher let me come back?"

"…Also…also…"

Walking down the hallway, Bing Zhi Xie, of course, knew why she wasn't going down to draw lots. It was because the academy had confined her and wouldn't allow her to leave until the matter was resolved.

When they arrived at the main square, tens of thousands of students had already gathered. They were whispering and speculating about who they would be grouped with. For a square that could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, tens of thousands were not many, and walking through it felt quite spacious.

In the center of the square, around the four-faced clock tower, a long table was set up, with 40 teachers sitting behind it to record names and groupings. In front of each teacher's table was a glass tank filled with slips of paper for the lot drawing. The lot drawing was very convenient; you could stand in any queue, and it would continue until 5 PM, so you could do it at any time.

Bing Zhi Xie wasn't in a hurry to draw lots, but Wei was extremely anxious, wanting to draw his group number immediately. He dragged Bing Zhi Xie and the others to queue up. They waited until 10 AM, and Luo had returned to the dorm twice without seeing them finish.

Finally, it was Wei's turn. He drew a small slip of paper from the glass box, took a deep breath, and opened it to see '04444'. He slammed his head on the table, not fainting on the spot, "How could I draw such an unlucky number?"

The teacher recorded Wei's name in the 04444 group, and that was it. Bing Zhi Xie was not in the same queue as Wei but nearby. He drew the number 00013, and the teacher also recorded his name.

Seeing them finally arrive at the agreed location, Luo sighed, "It's not easy waiting for you. Wei, you could have drawn lots later, right? What numbers did you draw? Tell me."

Wei handed his slip of paper to Luo, who laughed loudly, "Who told you to draw so early? If you had come later, you might not have drawn a number. Perhaps this is fate."

Qin was also called down by Luo. They found Koniya and Yilina and went to have lunch together.

In the evening, as the sun set, Bimoye walked to the center of the main square, and the clock on the clock tower pointed to 5 PM.

The teacher recording names was packing up, rubbing his sore back, and saw a student approaching, smiling, "Are you a new student or an apprentice? You're late today, all the lots have been drawn. On the fourth day, there will be fewer upper-grade students, come back then."

"Okay."...

A few days later, the lists of group members were distributed. Bing Zhi Xie picked up his group's list and a wicked smile appeared on his face.

'Escort teacher: Moore Jesse; Members: Christine Bimoye; Teken Taurus; Qiaoqi Lute and Celeste Bing Zhi Xie.' Looking at this list, Bimoye's eyes glinted with a fierce light.

In the evening, in the residence of the Christine family, Xia Falo looked serious, "You're going to the Datam Grand Canyon tomorrow?"

"Yes, Grandfather." With the same blood-red eyes, Bimoye stared straight at his grandfather across the desk.

"I heard you spent 10,000 gold coins on a sword recently."

"That's right."

"Did you bring it?"

Bimoye had the sword in his hand, and he handed it to his grandfather.

'Clang' The sword was placed on the desk. Without even looking closely, Xia Falo said, "It's a good sword." He examined it, and suddenly his hand trembled, and the sword turned to powder. His voice was heavy and authoritative, "Unfortunately, it doesn't match you."

Bimoye didn't move, watching his grandfather destroy his sword.

Xia Falo walked in front of him, "Do you know why I haven't given you a dedicated weapon?"

Bimoye didn't speak, which meant he didn't know.

"First, because you're not mature enough and need to train with various weapons. Second, because no other sword can match you." Xia Falo clapped his hands.

A servant entered, holding a wooden box and standing respectfully with his head bowed.

Xia Falo looked at his grandson's indifferent gaze, "Open the box and take a look. This sword will be yours from now on."

Bimoye walked to the servant and opened the box. A brilliant light flashed, and even he, with his cold, expressionless face, couldn't help but show a look of shock, "This is..."

"‘The Extreme’." Xia Falo said, "One of the legendary thirteen divine weapons, ‘The Extreme’!"

Bimoye's look of surprise quickly disappeared, and he picked up the long sword from the box. The light on the sword gradually dimmed. The silver-white blade had no carvings, and the hilt was also simple and rough, but this simplicity did nothing to hide its sharpness.

The patterns on the grip looked as if they had been forcefully pressed by a powerful hand. "So light," Bimoye said. The sword weighed 33 pounds, but this 'light' referred to the feeling in his hand. With a light swing, the coldness from the sword suddenly intensified, filling the entire room, and the servant standing nearby couldn't help but shiver.

"Such a strong killing intent! Grandfather, this sword..."

"This sword was used by our ancestor Christine Tegar and has been kept in the family ever since, unused. You are the second person to use this sword." Xia Falo said.

"‘The Extreme’." Bimoye said the name of the sword for the first time, and the sword in his hand immediately trembled like a living thing, making a 'buzzing' sound, as if rejoicing at its new owner saying its name. Bimoye looked at his sword, "Can't you wait? Having been sealed for so long, do you want to return to the battlefield and sing the joy of battle again?"

"It seems to like you very much." Xia Falo said, "This is a sword that carries the will of our ancestor. You must not disgrace it!"

"Yes, Grandfather!"