Chapter 148 - National Examination

Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

– Yingtian Pavilion in Jingshi –

This restaurant was the most luxurious one in the entire Jingshi City, and it was said that the owner came from the Royal Family. Although no one could confirm this rumor, people knew that this restaurant had an extraordinary background.

After arriving at Jingshi, Fang Qi turned off the livestream.

“Mr. Fang, it’s been a while since we met last time.” Mu Donglai, the young man with the mustache, had a high status. Even Li Haoran greeted him with respect.

Fang Qi shrugged. “I came here for a tour. I didn’t know that you were here.”

“I’m a native resident of Jingshi.” Mu Donglai shook his head. “Unfortunately, I have a lot of business to handle, or I would have gone to Jiangnan again and visited your shop. They are games, but they are miraculous!” Mu Donglai’s words were full of appreciation. “I heard that you’ve launched some new games in your shop?”

While they talked and drank liquor, some warriors walked into Origins Internet Club, saying, “They said that this shop has the other volumes of Diablo?”

“They say that... one can be the main character in the game?!”

“Hush! Watch out! It’s said that the Southern Business Alliance is boycotting this small shop.” Several warriors said, “We must enter it with care. If we’re discovered, we’ll offend a lot of people.”

“Hiss! It’s expensive...” They looked at the prices on the small blackboard and couldn’t help gasping.

“Now that one book even costs one crystal, the game itself would definitely be more expensive!” another warrior said, “This is high-end stuff!”

“I heard that a while ago, Young Master An spent quite a few crystals on an item in a game called Diablo.”

At that time, Diablo wasn’t popular in Jiuhua City yet, and many people just took this incident as a joke. However, when they recalled this incident now...

“Let’s try it. Maybe it’s worth this price!” a warrior said. “If I can get some of these items, I’ll get my money back! Besides, they say that the game is more fascinating than the novel!”

“Let’s go and have a try!”

After these people entered the shop, some warriors wearing masks came in.

“Blackie, did you spread the word?”

“Of course!” The black-clothed warrior said, “I alone can’t afford to mess with these huge organizations, but with so many people asking about Diablo, I’ll guide all of them to this place. I don’t believe that the Southern Business Alliance can handle so many of us!”

“Move! Move! Move! Hurry up and go in there!” A dark-skinned brawny guy said, “It has been a long time since I last came here!”

“Xiaoyue! Get us some hours!” Blackie sniffed. “Ahh! The scent is so nostalgic!”

“Hurry up and get online! I’ve waited for so long!”

“Ugh?” Blackie saw a big group of people near the door.

“Sir! What’s wrong? Why did you turn off the livestream?!”

“Yeah! I still want to watch!”

“What’s he doing now that he has arrived in Jingshi? Why doesn’t he show us?!”

“Right! I was hoping to see Jingshi! I’ve never been there!”

...

– Meanwhile in Yingtian Pavilion at Jingshi –

“National examination?” Fang Qi frowned and remembered that Song Qingfeng, Nalan Mingxue, and the others had come to Jingshi to take the national examination.

“Mr. Fang, don’t you know that?” Mu Donglai said with a chuckle, “This is the newest gala in Jingshi, and almost everyone knows about it.”

“I heard of it.” Fang Qi shrugged. “But I don’t know much about it. Mr. Mu, can you tell me something about it?”

“People say that the three major academies are holding the national examination, but it’s the Emperor who came up with the idea. That is why it’s called the national examination.” Mu Donglai said, “The three major academies are Shengjing, Lingyun, and Xiyi, which are the most ancient and most powerful academies in the country. The Academy Masters of these three academies enjoy very high status. Take Shengjing Academy as an example, even members of royalty must cultivate like the ordinary people once they enter the academy. They don’t have any privileges in the school!”

...

At this moment, Nalan Mingxue, Song Qingfeng, and the others were in Shengjing Academy.

Shengjing Academy had lots of equipment and could do tests on things such as warrior qi, strength, and speed.

Today, they would do the civil test, which wasn’t a test of cultural knowledge but a test of basic qualities.

Led by the instructors, they came to the venue to do the civil test, and the elite disciples’ strength, speed, and cultivation strength would be tested here.

“It’s said that there are quite a few powerful figures in this national examination?”

“Yeah! The Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang Houses in Shengjing Academy this year are especially powerful!”

...

“I heard people talk about it when I entered the Yingtian Pavilion,” Fang Qi said with the liquor cup in his hand, “They said that the Fifth Prince has ultimate talent. Although he is in the Earth House at Shengjing Academy due to his young age, his strength has reached the Ancestral Warrior Realm. After the national examination, it’s highly likely that he will be accepted into the Heaven House as an exception.”

After a moment of consideration, Fang Qi continued, “In Lingyun Academy, the average cultivation strength of an Earth House disciple is at the Grandmaster Warrior Realm, right?”

Mu Donglai replied with a smile, “Yes, it’s said that Qin Jiang from the Earth House at Lingyun Academy has probably reached the peak stage of Grandmaster Warrior Realm but he is still far from the Ancestral Warrior Realm.”

...

“Impossible! Shameless! It’s cheating!” At this moment, Qin Bing slammed his hand on the table. “The Fifth Prince just achieved a breakthrough suddenly? He has even reached the Ancestral Warrior Realm?! He became an Ancestral Warrior before entering the Heaven House?!”

“Director Qin, please calm down!” Some instructors tried to comfort him. “Even if he has reached the Ancestral Warrior Realm, his realm isn’t stable due to his recent breakthrough. Gongzi Qin might still defeat him with that combat technique!”

“Then, how about their Heaven House?! Do you know anything about those disciples?!” Qin Bing asked.

He looked gloomy. He had thought that a peak stage Grandmaster Warrior in the Earth Houses was strong enough; equipped with that unique combat technique, Qin Jiang would be able to defeat anyone from the Earth Houses of all three academies. However, now it seemed...

An Ancestral Warrior?!

“We detected nothing unusual in the Heaven Houses, but we don’t know if they have hidden their true strengths!”

“Right. It’s not often that a disciple in Earth Houses breaks through to the Ancestral Warrior Realm. Many of the disciples in the Heaven Houses of the three academies are still at the Grandmaster Warrior Realm. After all, it isn’t so easy to break through to the Ancestral Warrior Realm.”

Cultivation gets more difficult in the later stages. It was unheard of that an Earth House disciple would reach the Ancestral Warrior Realm.

“It seems that I overreacted.” Qin Bing exhaled in relief.

“Tomorrow is the combat test of the national examination, right?” Qin Bing closed his eyes in fatigue. “Tell all the disciples to cultivate harder!”