Chapter 491: Results Announcement

"Since it’s all been graded, let’s take a look and see if this Xuan Ye wrote anything on the second page."

"His general questions section was completely blank. Is there even any point in looking at the second page?"

"Heh, maybe this kid will set a new record for the inner court disciple’s written exam."

Ye Xuan’s performance on the first page had drastically soured many of the masters’ impressions of him. They couldn’t be bothered to wait and grade the second page later, so they flipped it over right away.

However, upon seeing the second page, many of the masters were stunned.

"Huh? The second page is actually filled out completely."

"Strange. This kid is really something else."

"Let me see the first question..."

"GASP!"

Many of the masters were first taken aback when they saw how much Ye Xuan had written on the second page. They then began to examine the content in detail, and what they saw left them astonished.

The second page was about Alchemy and Soul Refining. While they weren’t all experts, the masters could still tell a right answer from a wrong one. Ye Xuan’s responses weren’t gibberish; they were analyzed and explained entirely from the perspectives of Alchemy and Soul Refining.

Furthermore, Ye Xuan’s explanations were incredibly detailed. There were even some points that the masters themselves didn’t know were correct or not.

"The Alchemy and Soul Refining questions are supposed to be graded by Elder Yao and Elder Dong. We should just hand it over to them."

The group of masters handed Ye Xuan’s test paper to the two elders.

"Let us have a look."

Elder Yao and Elder Dong, their curiosity piqued by the other masters’ discussion, began to carefully examine the answers on Ye Xuan’s paper.

As they read, both of their brows furrowed, and their gazes sharpened.

’These answers...’

A hint of excitement flickered in their eyes as they studied the paper with complete concentration.

「A moment later.」

"SLAP!" Elder Yao slapped his thigh.

"Brilliant!"

"To think there’s such a method to escape a Flame Lion! I didn’t even consider this when I designed the question. It’s so much simpler than the solution I had in mind."

"And this question, using a Tulan Flower to neutralize the venom of a Silver-Hooked Serpent... How did he come up with that?"

Elder Yao was completely blown away by Ye Xuan’s answers, his expression filled with excitement.

For every question he designed, he had a fixed answer in mind—what he believed to be the best possible solution.

But after seeing the answers Ye Xuan provided, he realized that someone had found even better solutions to the problems he had created.

This jolted the previously listless Elder Yao wide awake.

Beside him, Elder Dong was also incredibly excited.

Just like Elder Yao, he found that Ye Xuan had provided perfect answers to the Soul Refining questions he had designed. Some of the solutions were so brilliant they even amazed him.

"Could this Xuan Ye be a powerful Alchemist?"

"Is this Xuan Ye also a Soul Refiner?"

Almost simultaneously, Elder Yao and Elder Dong turned to look at Qingfeng, who was in charge of the entrance assessment.

Qingfeng was taken aback for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "That’s something I don’t know."

"No need to ask. With such profound expertise in Alchemy and such a thorough analysis of the toxicology of various herbs, Demon Beasts, and Profound Beasts, it’s impossible that he isn’t an Alchemist. And at least a Fifth Grade Alchemist," Elder Yao asserted.

"Based on his answers to the test questions, his attainments in Soul Refining are also extremely high. He must be at least a Fifth Grade Soul Refiner," Elder Dong added with a frown.

The two elders’ words left the other masters present utterly dumbfounded.

A newly enrolled Tier Five Third Layer Martial Sect participating in the inner court assessment was already outrageous enough. But if he was also an Alchemist and a Soul Refiner... was he even human?

They might have doubted anyone else, but Elder Yao’s and Elder Dong’s expertise in these two fields was beyond question.

’This kid... is he really that monstrously talented?’

Their impression of Ye Xuan had plummeted, but they never expected such a dramatic turn of events.

"If Ye Xuan’s talent is really this strong, then why did he leave the general questions on the first page blank?" one master muttered to himself.

"Is that even a question?" Elder Yao glanced at the man with disdain. "Perhaps this Xuan Ye found your general questions too childish and simple, so he couldn’t be bothered to answer them."

Elder Dong nodded. "I strongly suspect the same."

The master who had spoken immediately flushed beet-red.

"Heh, this Xuan Ye... the Alchemy Element will take him." Elder Yao said with a smile, looking at the test paper before him. His eyes shone as if he had just discovered a priceless treasure.

"Elder Yao, the Soul Refining Element is also very interested in this Xuan Ye," Elder Dong said, his eyes narrowing.

"Sirs, this Xuan Ye is preparing to join the inner court."

Elder Yao smiled faintly. "Joining my Alchemy Element doesn’t conflict with joining the inner court."

"That’s right. After he joins the inner court, is there a rule saying he can’t come to my Soul Refining Element to study?"

Elder Yao and Elder Dong both shared a self-satisfied smile.

Grading the written exams in previous years had always been a placid affair, but this year, Ye Xuan’s appearance had brought quite a few surprises.

The grading then continued.

When they reviewed Dongfang Zisi’s paper, Elder Yao’s eyes lit up once more.

"This Dongfang Zisi’s talent in Alchemy is quite good. Judging from her answers to these questions, she’s probably not far from becoming a Fifth Grade Alchemist," Elder Yao said with satisfaction.

Of course, it was nothing compared to the shock Ye Xuan had given him.

Soon, half an hour later, all the test papers had been graded.

Lu Jun walked out of the main hall, holding the list of scores.

"After being strictly graded by the academy’s masters, the results of this year’s inner court disciple assessment written exam are now announced as follows."

"First place, Dongfang Zisi, eighty-three points."

"Second place, Lin Yuan, eighty-two points."

"Third place..."

"..."

"Ninety-ninth place, Xuan Ye, fifty-one points."

"One hundredth place, Mu Zhen, fifty points."

"The remaining three who were not named did not meet the required score and their results will not be announced."

One hundred and three people took the exam, and in the end, exactly one hundred passed.

’Fifty-one points. That was a close call. In that case, the fifty points for my second page must have been a perfect score.’

Ye Xuan finally let out the breath he had been holding.

’It seems the masters at Gale Light Academy have a good eye after all.’

Feng Guang, however, stared coldly at Ye Xuan in utter disbelief. "That kid actually passed? How is that possible?"

’I saw him hand in his paper with my own eyes. The first page was almost completely blank, and the second page was only worth fifty points in total. Doesn’t that mean he got every single Alchemy and Soul Refining question on the second page right?’

’The Alchemy and Soul Refining questions have always been the hardest part of the inner court assessment. In the entire history of Gale Light Academy, no one has ever scored more than forty points on them.’

’Take Dongfang Zisi, for example. She definitely got a perfect score on the general questions. She’s also a Peak of Fourth Grade Alchemist, so she must have handled the Alchemy questions with ease. But even so, her total score was only eighty-three points.’

Unable to hold back, Feng Guang immediately spoke up, "Master Lu Jun, was there a mistake with Xuan Ye’s score? When he handed in his paper, the first page was almost blank!"

Lu Jun gave him a faint glance and said coldly, "Every student’s written exam score has been rigorously graded by masters from every department of the academy. There are no mistakes."

"Next, I will announce the elimination rules for the second round, the combat selection."

"The combat selection for this inner court assessment will be conducted in two rounds."

"The first round is a mass elimination. All one hundred of you will be divided into two groups. Each group of fifty will fight on a single arena with no time limit. The last fifteen people remaining in each group will qualify for the next round."

"All students may take a short rest. The first round of the combat selection will begin shortly."

After speaking, Lu Jun turned and walked back into the main hall.

Below, the crowd had already erupted into a flurry of discussion.

The content of the inner court assessment changed every year, but no one had expected it to be conducted this way.

Fifty people fighting on one arena, with only fifteen selected in the end—the variables were simply too great.

Most of the participants in the inner court assessment were at a similar level, with no significant differences in power between them.

But if a strong expert was ganged up on by two other students of the same level, they could easily be eliminated, even if they were individually more powerful.

Therefore, this round tested not only strength, but also luck.

The one hundred examinees all sat cross-legged on the plaza in front of the main hall, holding their breath in concentration.

"WHOOSH!"

Before long, six or seven figures suddenly flew out from the main hall.

Each of these figures radiated a heart-pounding aura. They were all undoubtedly Martial King Level experts.

’Looks like Gale Light Academy’s foundation is quite strong.’ Ye Xuan’s gaze sharpened. The six or seven figures who flew out were all Martial Kings, but they weren’t a uniform group of Martial King First Layer. The auras of three of them were clearly stronger than the rest, indicating they had reached Tier Seven Second Layer.

Among the group, Ye Xuan spotted a familiar face: Master Qingfeng, who had conducted their entrance assessment.

"Look! The elder in the middle is Elder Yao from Gale Light Academy’s Alchemy Element, a Seventh Grade Lord Level Alchemist!"

"The elder next to him is Elder Dong from the academy’s Soul Refining Element, a Peak of Sixth Grade Venerable Level Soul Refiner!"

"And Master Qingfeng from the Martial Arts Academy, and Master Lu Jun from the assessment department!"

Many students exclaimed excitedly. These masters were all top figures from their respective departments, not people ordinary students could hope to see on a daily basis.

"All students, follow us to the Martial Arena!"

Lu Jun shouted, and the figures instantly shot up into the sky.

The students also made their way to the academy’s Martial Arena.

The Martial Arena was an enormous venue at Gale Light Academy used for all sorts of competitions and duels.

At this moment, the entire Martial Arena was already surrounded by a massive crowd of seated students.

Each year, the inner court assessment was considered the ultimate trial for the outer court. Therefore, no student, new or old, would miss such a grand event.