Chapter 242: Chapter 200 Final Exam (4k)_2
What happened?
The same question emerged in the minds of all the candidates.
Chai Chai propped her chin with her hand, carefully observing the candidate. The candidate’s arms trembled, his complexion was pale, and his gaze wandered. However, his eyes weren’t bloodshot, nor were there bulging veins on his forehead. It didn’t seem like physical torture.
Could it be psychological pressure?
Chai Chai hesitated for a moment. She pulled out the jade hairpin from her hair and gently used its end to lift the brush on her table. Nothing seemed unusual. She dipped the tip of the brush into the ink using the jade hairpin—also nothing unusual. In fact, when she pressed down on the tip of the brush with the hairpin, more ink flowed out than the bristles could normally hold.
Could it be that the focus isn’t on the pen, which is just a Mutated Object that can flow ink? Is the real difficulty on the examination paper itself?
Chai Chai frowned in thought. Meanwhile, some candidates brightened up at an idea. They deliberately smeared ink on the table with their brushes and then dipped items like jade pendants into it, attempting to bypass the restrictions this way.
However, when they excitedly tried to write their names on the examination papers, they all paused, showing the same symptoms as the previous candidate.
Why is this happening...
Chai Chai pursed her lips slightly. So many had the same reaction, proving the first candidate wasn’t faking. And everyone stopping in their tracks proved something. The examination paper’s mechanism was likely triggered by the act of [attempting to write information], causing its alien abilities to take effect. Even worse, just having the thought [I want to write information] in one’s mind seemed to trigger the superpower.
Chai Chai slowly withdrew her gaze. One desperate candidate tried to write with ink in reverse on the table. He then attempted to press the examination paper onto it to "print" the text onto the paper. Yet this act too resulted in his body stiffening, unable to move. His hand loosened, and the entire examination paper fell onto the ink, ruining the name section completely.
Is this the power of Mutated Objects...
Chai Chai was immensely shocked. Despite spending all her time with Li Ang and Li Leqing, two Academic Palace Disciples, she had never truly encountered a Mutated Object.
Seconds and minutes passed by, and more candidates dropped their brushes; some even fainted and collapsed.
"Don’t move, I’ll help."
A thin and tall examiner ran down from the podium, stopped the other candidates, and used Telekinesis to lift the fainted student from a distance. After a quick checkup, he took them out of the examination room.
After a while, the examiner returned and announced to the remaining candidates, "After the Doctor’s examination, his condition is no longer suitable for the examination. He can only wait until next year."
After saying so, the thin and tall examiner paused. As if reluctant to see the students torture themselves, he sighed, "This final examination does not only test courage and perseverance. More importantly, it tests one’s temperament, wisdom, and understanding. Everyone... proceed with caution."
Having said that, he sat back at the front and silently sipped his tea.
Temperament, wisdom, understanding...
Chai Chai thoughtfully lowered her head and looked at the paper again. According to the examiner’s repeated emphasis, there were no layers inside the examination paper or invisible questions that required special methods to see. The only examination point was writing down one’s name and place of origin.
Succeeding meant entering the Academic Palace, a leap into success. Failure would mean waiting till next year, or perhaps bidding farewell to the Academic Palace forever.
Chai Chai’s mind flashed with memories of the recent past. She took a deep breath, picked up the brush on the table, and slowly moved it above the examination paper.
"!!!"
Her eyes suddenly widened. In the next instant, all the light in the surroundings swiftly stretched out and dimmed, except for a strong light shining down from above.
Where am I...
As she looked around into the dark chaos, she suddenly felt an intense fear. Like a fuzzy spider crawling across her arm, a slimy poisonous snake slithering by her feet, a sharp blade lightly grazing her neck, but tenfold, a hundredfold more severe.
Unable to escape or hide, as if standing before a crumbling, slowly collapsing mountain peak, watching helplessly as tons of rock fell. As if facing a natural predator.
Chai Chai’s mind suddenly flashed through a memory.
One summer afternoon, Li Ang lay in a chair, reading a collection of Liu Zongyuan’s essays. When he came to the "Snake Catcher," he offhandedly mentioned a few things.
"Animals have something called a primal fear.
"A scholar named Darwin once brought some real or fake snakes to a zoo for the chimpanzees to see.
"The zoo? A zoo is a place where animals are kept, similar to the inner garden. Chimpanzees, well, they’re a type of monkey with black fur.
"He found that whether the snakes were real or artificial models made by humans, they would all instill extreme fear in the chimpanzees. This was true even for those born in the zoo who had never seen a snake in their lives.
"This is very strange. It’s understandable for wild chimpanzees to fear venomous snakes, but why would those who have never seen venomous snakes feel fear?
"He speculated that through millions of years of survival and propagation, animals developed a generational fear of snakes. When the offspring of these animals saw a snake with the same shape, color, and scent, they would instinctively feel afraid. They would uncontrollably flee or freeze, just like mice when they see a cat..."
The picture in her memory gradually faded, and the light above dimmed little by little. Darkness surged from all directions. A strong, inexplicable fear enveloped her whole body, and Chai Cuiqiao couldn’t help but take a step back.
CLATTER.
Her consciousness instantly returned to the examination hall. The brush dropped from her sweaty hands, fell on the examination paper, and smeared a patch of it black.
"HUFF... HUFF..."
Like the other examinees, Chai Chai sat in her place, breathing heavily, calming the overwhelming fear. The darkness in the Illusion Realm, despite revealing nothing frightening, still managed to shake her to the core, disturbing her mind.
CLATTER.
CLATTER.
The sounds of brushes dropping echoed continuously in the examination hall, each drop signifying someone pulling out of the Illusion Realm.
"..."
Two invigilators exchanged glances, helplessly shaking their heads, sighing inwardly, This year’s final exam is really too difficult. I wonder what the Sacrificial Officer was thinking.
In the Honglu Temple hall, the Academic Palace Sacrificial Officer, Chen Danqiu, lifted his head from his book and looked at the other Doctors. "Is this year’s exam topic really that difficult?"
"It’s more than just difficult." The Agricultural Doctor Mu Changgeng sighed. "That’s a First-class Abnormal, [Abyss Rock]. Even if the examination paper only contains a tiny bit of Abyss Rock material, those students who haven’t even reached the Qi Sensing Realm will find it difficult to cope."
"[Abyss Rock] directly affects a person’s mind and spirit. Even personal courage is of little use. Scholars without the strength to truss a chicken and those recommended by the Ministry of War who have seen battle show virtually no difference in their reactions to [Abyss Rock]. They are invariably scared away."
Body Study Division Master Xue Che furrowed his brows. "Danqiu, your choice of question..."
"The Mountain Master is absent, so I decide on all matters concerning the exams." Chen Danqiu said indifferently, "Moreover, I have checked every examination paper. The [Abyss Rock] content is just enough to scare someone away without killing them or causing serious harm."
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the colleagues present with varied expressions, and he added indifferently, "Also, do not think it is overly harsh on the candidates. Times have changed."
"..."
While some Academic Palace Doctors still frowned, Xue Che, Tantai Leshan, Su Feng, and others seemed contemplative.
The incident involving Sword Study Master Cui Yixian and Mind Study Master Xi Yangyu was known only to a select few. They had been outmaneuvered by Jun Qianzi, a fugitive wanted by Yu Country, in the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains.
Jun Qianzi was just one of the persistent problems; what truly worried the Academic Palace and Yu Country was the even larger shadow lurking behind him.
The sudden end of the retreat by the Head of the Haotian Taoist Sect, along with their letter seeking academic exchanges with the Academic Palace, also caused them understated concern.
The situation seemed to have undergone some inscrutable changes. Yet, the Mountain Master and the Sacrificial Officer, who were aware of the details, had still disclosed nothing to outsiders, not even to Masters like Xue Che.