Chapter 324 - 323: The Annoyed West District Examinees

The West District examinees’ results had everyone shaking their heads.

Those who had bet on the West District to take first place in overall performance were especially incensed. They began hurling insults and sarcastic remarks at the West District’s supervisors and Chief Examiners.

However, the people from the West District couldn’t say a word in their own defense. They were utterly unable to retort!

With their examinees producing such abysmal results, what right did the supervisors and Chief Examiners have to argue?

In short, the West District examinees had bombed. There was no way their overall score could be number one, and it was even less likely that any individual from the West District would make it into the top ten. Therefore, for any bet involving the West District, if you had put your money on them, there was only one word for it: lose!

Of course, what no one in the West Mansion knew was that the reason for the West District’s decline—the reason their examinees’ results were so disastrous—wasn’t a lack of effort or strength. It was simply bad luck.

Disciples of the Heaven-Devouring Sect had infiltrated the West District’s ranks and even become their main force. With these powerful disciples eliminated, how many examinees did the West District really have left?

Tang Yi had wiped them all out in one fell swoop, so how could their scores possibly be any good?

Moreover, because the Heaven-Devouring Sect disciples were disguised as West District examinees, many real West District examinees were killed by them, caught completely off guard.

They thought they were among fellows from their own district who would look out for one another. Who would have guessed that these so-called "fellows" were actually spies who would turn their blades on them...

Amid a chorus of head-shaking and scolding, the tallying of the West District’s results was completed. Next up was the South District.

The South District’s results were rather mediocre.

A total of 103 examinees from the South District had made it back to the West Mansion for this House Entrance Examination, a number similar to the East District.

However, their task completion rate was much lower.

Out of 103 examinees, only 35 had completed the task. The district’s total score was 497 Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals.

A total of seven people had collected over twenty Level 4 Demon Beast Crystals.

A total of fifteen people had collected over fifteen.

Furthermore, among the Demon Beast Crystals they acquired were two Level 5 Demon Beast Crystals, each obtained by a different South District examinee.

These results weren’t good, but they weren’t bad either. They were acceptable, and on par with previous years.

This allowed the South District’s supervisors and Chief Examiners to breathe a sigh of relief. After seeing the West District’s miserable state, they had been on edge, terrified that their own district’s results would be just as bad. But now, things were fine. The South District examinees had pulled through. While not exceptional, their performance was still acceptable.

With the results of the Three Major Zones tallied, the East District stood head and shoulders above the others with its incredibly high score.

As examinees from the East District, every single one of them held their heads high, chests puffed out, and noses in the air. They were as proud as peacocks, filled with immense pride.

Theirs was a record-breaking year! How could they not be proud?

"Looks like it’s a sure thing that the East District will take first place for overall performance this year."

"More than just first in overall performance. For individual scores, the top ten are probably all from the East District, right? And it’s a given that Yuh Jili will take first place individually, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, that’s right. The East District has swept all the honors. They’re definitely the biggest winners this year."

"You have to admit, Yuh Jili is truly incredible, and the overall strength of the East District’s examinees is formidable. The quality of their candidates this year is just too high."

"Top-ranking individual and district scores, breaking two records in the process... The East District really is a gathering place for geniuses."

"I can’t believe it. The West District, which had a spectacular showing last year, has become a laughingstock. The South District, which took first place the year before, is just average this year. Instead, it’s the East District that has risen to the top."

"But haven’t the North District’s results been announced yet? Isn’t it a bit too early to be drawing conclusions? Over a hundred of their examinees made it back to the West Mansion this time. Their score can’t be that bad, can it?"

"Hah! Too early to conclude? You actually expect the North District to surpass the East District? That’s hilarious! So what if they have over a hundred people? Judging by their quality in previous years, they’ll be lucky if even a tenth of them managed to complete the task."

"Look at the North District’s past results. The gap isn’t just big; it’s huge. I have zero expectation that they’ll surpass the East District. If their scores are even close to the South District’s, the North District examinees should be counting their blessings."

"I’m afraid the North District will do even worse than the West District. It’s best not to get your hopes up. They’re not called the perennial losers for nothing."

"..."

Although the North District’s examinees had yet to be evaluated, no one had high hopes for them. After all, their past performances were truly abysmal. In all the previous House Entrance Examinations, never had more than a hundred of their examinees lasted until the end. The number who actually managed to complete the task and enter the West Mansion was even smaller—just a handful, making the probability extremely low.

In their best year, the North District had a mere thirteen people enter the West Mansion.

And that was their best performance ever!

Their best result was worse than any other district’s worst. With that kind of track record, who would possibly bet on the North District?

Even though many North District examinees had lasted until the end this year, who knew if any of them had actually completed the task.

"Examinees from that barren wasteland want to compare themselves to our East District? How laughable. And to think you people actually listened to that Elder Lu from the North District and bet on them. You’ve all been duped by him," Yane Bohou sneered, chiming in at the perfect moment as he listened to the crowd’s chatter.

"North District examinees, please gather over here and prepare for the tally."

After finishing with the South District, the West Mansion expert in charge of the count shouted to the North District examinees.

Hearing this, the North District examinees strode confidently over to the West Mansion expert and prepared to have their results tallied.

At this moment, aside from a few individuals who looked worried and dejected, all the other North District examinees were radiant and brimming with confidence, as if completely assured of the coming inspection.

The other Three Major Zones had always looked down on the North District examinees with utter disdain. Now, seeing them look so confident, they were instantly annoyed.

This was especially true for the West District.

"Holy shit, these North District examinees are really putting on an act! It’s like they’re certain they completed the task!"

"Just looking at them pisses me off. I swear to god, I feel like their expressions are mocking us."

"Dammit, why didn’t we run into any North District examinees in the Little Extreme Sacred Land? If I had, I would’ve knocked them all out of the exam, or my name isn’t Zhao!"

"Only fifty-something of our people made it back this time, while they have over a hundred from the North District. This is a total disgrace! If their results are better than ours, we’ll be humiliated beyond belief."

"Don’t worry. There’s no way they all passed. Those North District examinees are just opportunists. They must have found a place to hide as soon as they entered the Little Extreme Sacred Land, which is how they lasted this long. Even though there are over a hundred of them, their pass rate is definitely going to be extremely low."

"Yeah, I’m just waiting to watch them make fools of themselves. Even though our West District did poorly this time, the North District will definitely still be at the very bottom!"

"Beating the North District is our only chance to save face now."

"..."