Chapter 321 - 320: Checking the Results (Part 1)

「West Mansion, Shuangyong Square.」

The House Entrance Examination was over, and candidates from the various districts were teleporting back from the Little Extreme Sacred Land in waves.

"This year’s House Entrance Examination is finally over."

A Hall Master on the high platform remarked with a sigh.

After a seven-day ordeal, the only ones now eligible to enter the West Mansion were the candidates who had returned from the Little Extreme Sacred Land alive.

Of course, not every returning candidate was guaranteed a spot. They still had to pass an inspection. Only those who had completed the mission would earn the right to enter the West Mansion. As for those who failed... they would have to leave.

Guo Yangyun, the Hall Master of Dui Palace, let out a soft sigh. He wasn’t happy to see the candidates return; on the contrary, he looked rather troubled.

And why wouldn’t he be? Just as he was about to place his bet on Tang Yi, right at the last second, Gong Liansheng had moved faster, putting away the betting apparatus and forbidding anyone else from making a wager.

In other words, his bet had failed to go through. And he wasn’t the only one; everyone else from Dui Palace who had tried to bet after him had also been cut off. The only ones from Dui Palace who had managed to bet successfully were Murong Liu, Pan Borong, and Fang Qingyang.

Of course, the group who had successfully bet on Tang Yi to win also included the head of the North District and the Chief Examiners. They had bet heavily on Tang Yi, staking everything they had on him.

"Master Guo, don’t waste your sighs," Yane Bohou, the head of the East District, said with disdain. "Those people from the North District are just putting on a show. What kind of genius could possibly come from there? How could some ’Tang Yi’ be more impressive than our East District’s own Yuh Jili?"

"Elder Yane, don’t be so quick to speak in absolutes," Lu Qiming said with a smile, pointing toward the candidates. "Why don’t you take a look over there?"

"Hm?"

Puzzled, Yane Bohou looked in the direction Lu Qiming had indicated.

"That’s... Huh? Why are there so many returning candidates from the North District? This is impossible!"

Yane Bohou’s eyes went wide as he took in the scene on the square, unable to believe what he was seeing.

After being teleported back, the candidates had all gathered on the square to await their inspections from the West Mansion. Candidates from all four major districts were present, and a rough count put their number at over five hundred.

Ten thousand people had entered the House Entrance Examination, yet only five hundred-some had made it to the end. It was a stark reminder of just how brutal the examination was.

And yet, among these five hundred or so survivors, a shocking one hundred plus were wearing the attire of the North District!

The North District, which in previous years had only ever seen a handful of candidates make it to the end, had somehow produced more than a hundred this year—an increase of more than tenfold. The sight was simply astounding.

Everyone from Yane Bohou to the high-ranking members of the various Palaces stared at the North District candidates with expressions of pure shock and disbelief.

"I told you our North District candidates would work a miracle this year," Lu Qiming, the head of the North District, said with a wide grin.

"Hmph. Don’t celebrate too early," Yane Bohou retorted, refusing to concede. "So what if more of them came back? That doesn’t mean they actually completed the mission!"

"We’ll just have to wait and see!"

Lu Qiming’s gaze swept over the North District contingent. When he spotted Tang Yi among them, his smile widened, his confidence soaring.

’Victory is assured!’

"Hmph. Laugh all you want," Yane Bohou snorted. "Just wait until our East District candidates show their results. We’ll see who’s crying then."

With the House Entrance Examination concluded, some were joyous, while others were filled with dread.

Among the joyous were the North District’s Chief Examiners who had bet on Tang Yi, along with Murong Liu and his group from Dui Palace. And among the worried, of course, was Gong Liansheng.

He’d realized something was amiss and tried to stop the betting, but it was already too late.

Too many people had already placed their wagers.

The odds were one hundred to one. If the North District faction and Murong Liu’s group from Dui Palace actually won, Gong Liansheng would be ruined. He didn’t have enough to cover the payout!

All he could do now was pray that the candidate from the North District, the one named Tang Yi, would not take first place.

"Congratulations on your successful return, candidates. However, the examination is not yet over. Please line up in an orderly fashion to submit the Demon Beast Crystals required for your task. Only those who have completed the mission will be considered to have passed and may become members of our West Mansion."

Seeing that the Teleportation Array had stopped glowing and all the surviving candidates from the Little Extreme Sacred Land were gathered in Shuangyong Square, Gong Liansheng stepped forward. His expression was grim as he addressed the crowd.

Though his words were congratulatory, his expression was ice-cold.

As Gong Liansheng finished speaking, several powerful figures from the West Mansion flew down from the high platform. They formed a line and began to tally the candidates’ spoils of war.

They began with the candidates from the East District.

"East District, Xuu Wei. Seven Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals. Failed."

"East District, Xun Chenghong. Eleven Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals. Passed."

"East District, Ji Pengyun. Fifteen Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals. Passed!"

"East District, Wul Xinghui. Twenty-one Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals. Passed!"

"East District..."

The West Mansion experts announced the number of Demon Beast Crystals for each candidate, their voices carrying across the square for all to hear. Those who failed looked dejected, while those who passed were ecstatic.

"The East District candidates are quite impressive this year. Several of them got more than twenty crystals, and a lot more have over fifteen."

"I agree. With results like these, the East District’s overall score might actually be the best. Their caliber is just too high."

"And to think those fools from the North District actually bet they’d come in first. They really don’t know their own place."

"Those North District bettors are going to lose their shirts!"

"But so many people from the North District made it back. Maybe their scores are good too."

"What does the number of survivors matter? That doesn’t mean their results are any good!"

"That’s true. Someone could just find a place to hide in the Little Extreme Sacred Land and wait it out. A high survival rate doesn’t mean anything."

"Yeah, it looks like the North District played it smart this time. They must have avoided fighting Demon Beasts in the Little Extreme Sacred Land, which is why so many of them survived."

"A barren wasteland will always be a barren wasteland..."

"..."

Seeing the East District’s outstanding results, the crowd erupted in discussion. There were sighs of admiration, smug pronouncements, and, more than anything, gleeful comparisons to the North District.

「Meanwhile, in the disciple viewing area.」

Chu Mingyue, number one on the West Mansion’s leaderboard, turned to the others as the candidates returned and their scores were being tallied. "What are your thoughts?" she asked.

"I heard there’s an exceptional candidate from the East District this year named Yuh Jili," said Le Ling, who was ranked fourth in the West Mansion. "He hasn’t even officially entered the mansion, but he’s already broken into the top three thousand on the leaderboard."

"Making it onto the leaderboard before even joining the mansion is impressive, true. But he’s still a far cry from that Candidate 59416," Mu Yuchen, ranked sixth, said with a shake of his head.

Hearing this, Xiang Moyang, ranked fifth, shot back, "Let’s not jump to conclusions. Anything can happen. No matter how strong you are, who knows what you’ll encounter in a place like the Little Extreme Sacred Land. For all we know, Candidate 59416 didn’t even make it back alive. I still think Yuh Jili is the one to watch." As he spoke, Xiang Moyang pointed toward the East District’s area. "See him? The handsome one in the fifth row—that’s Yuh Jili. Since he made it back alive, he’s definitely going to be number one in this year’s House Entrance Examination."

As Xiang Moyang spoke, he pointed toward the location of the East District candidates.