87: Track allocation

The spacious and bright venue was bustling with people. Looking around, thousands of individuals were lined up in a long, winding queue, as if participating in a physical fitness test.

The scene was truly magnificent!

The reason for such a grand formation was that, to avoid unforeseen circumstances and ensure absolute fairness, this practical assessment was specifically divided into three distinct areas: Entry-level, Intermediate, and Advanced.

The Beast growth levels and positions of the pets arranged within each area varied, a design intended to allow Beastmasters of different levels to more easily obtain corresponding scores.

Even in the Entry-level area, if one's overall combat strength at the same level was sufficiently powerful, surpassing some individuals in the Advanced area was not an impossible feat.

Furthermore, to maintain this relatively fair environment, the assessment explicitly prohibited any form of snatching other people's scores.

This rule was undoubtedly like an impenetrable fortress, abruptly cutting off Li Wen's usual old path. After all, he had once gained a bit of fame by snatching others' bells.

However, given Li Wen's true strength currently displayed, those assigned to the same competition zone as him must also be formidable individuals.

So, even if he wanted to casually snatch other people's scores, it would probably not be an easy task.

At this moment, the most crucial thing for Li Wen was to appropriately demonstrate his skill level and strive to be successfully assigned to the Advanced area.

In the monitoring room, the mayors of various cities in Tiannan Province were gathered.

At this moment, they all knew that the College Entrance Examination was very important.

Because the College Entrance Examination not only concerned the future destiny of every student but also related to the honor and development of the entire city.

After all, College Entrance Examination results had long been one of the important indicators for measuring a city's educational level and overall strength.

It directly affected the allocation ratio of resources among various cities; whoever could stand out in this fierce competition would obtain more policy support, capital investment, and valuable resources such as high-quality teaching staff.

Therefore, facing such a critical moment, even the mayors, who were usually busy with countless affairs, had to personally oversee and direct, going all out to ensure that their city's candidates could achieve excellent results.

"Old Wang, I still remember that your Tianlan City's College Entrance Examination results last year weren't very ideal! But looking at your confident demeanor today, do you have some secret weapon?"

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask curiously.

Hearing this, the Tianlan City mayor, who had met Li Wen once, smiled slightly but did not rush to answer, seemingly not wanting to reveal his trump card too early.

A moment later, he slowly said, "Where is there any secret weapon? It's just that, compared to last year, our city has indeed produced a few pretty good young talents this year. Whether they can live up to expectations is up to them!"

At this time, another mayor took over the conversation and began to compliment the one who had spoken earlier.

"Haha, Old Qi, don't be modest! If you ask me, your Rongcheng is truly impressive!"

"Didn't a famous Lin Bufan emerge the year before last? He really brought honor to our Tiannan Province! I guess the various resources he brought haven't been fully digested yet, right?"

The mayor referred to as Old Qi couldn't help but show a hint of pride on his face after hearing this, but he still humbly waved his hand.

"Oh, those are all things of the past, not worth mentioning! This College Entrance Examination still requires everyone's collective effort!"

The chief examiner of the College Entrance Examination office spoke up to stop their casual chat.

"This year, there are a total of 23,671 Beastmaster candidates in Tiannan Province, roughly one-tenth of the total candidates. Among them, there are 20,001 Entry-level Beastmasters, 3,070 Entry-level Intermediate Beastmasters, and 600 Advanced Beastmasters."

"Compared to last year, there's a ten percent increase. All of you present have contributed greatly, but you still shouldn't be complacent."

...In a wide and specially designated power testing area, ten attack strength testing machines, all uniform in appearance, like those seen during harvest season, were arranged in a single line.

Although these testing machines were similar in appearance to what was commonly seen, Li Wen secretly speculated that their quality must be even more refined and reliable in the crucial College Entrance Examination setting.

At this moment, after a long wait, Li Wen finally reached the front of the queue, seeing that it would be his turn to demonstrate his strength next.

The pet summoned by the person in front of Li Wen was a [Flower Dance Monkey] that had reached its second-stage form, and its growth level had already entered the Entry-level Advanced stage.

However, it was regrettable that, perhaps due to the owner's failure to do their best in the cultivation process, this potentially promising [Flower Dance Monkey] did not unleash its due powerful combat strength.

The [Flower Dance Monkey] unleashed a [Flower Dance Fist], heavily striking the target in front of it, but the final displayed value was a mere 953.

What Li Wen found even more baffling was that when this person saw such an unsatisfactory result, he actually showed a rather self-satisfied expression, and even turned around to encourage Li Wen.

"Come on, brother, I believe you can do it too!"

Faced with such an unexpected situation, out of basic politeness, Li Wen could only respond with a smile.

"Thank...thank you."

Immediately after, Li Wen muttered to himself in a low voice.

"Qingyan, try to perform well."

Initially, when he saw that Li Wen only had two pets, Ya Bao and Qingyan, especially Ya Bao's tender and small appearance, that person subconsciously thought that Li Wen was just a novice Entry-level Beastmaster.

After all, in his experience, having such seemingly weak pet combinations usually meant that the Beastmaster's strength was also quite limited.

However, when he saw Li Wen send out the Little Green Worm without hesitation, his curiosity was instantly ignited.

One must know that even if a [Little Green Worm] was one growth level higher, it might not be able to defeat a [Sprout Beast], but at this moment, Li Wen chose to send it into battle, which truly puzzled him.

So, that person simply stopped, deciding to stay and observe, to see what kind of results this Little Green Worm could achieve.

"Ying~"

"[Insect Silk] Mystic form upgraded version!"

It quickly spat out a thin silk thread, which shimmered with a faint light, flying straight towards the testing target like a flying needle.

That person's eyes widened, staring intently at the rapidly advancing [Insect Silk], secretly speculating about what might happen next.

Perhaps, this Insect Silk would be mercilessly bounced off the target like many ordinary attacks before, or barely penetrate the bullseye, but that would be all.

However, the reality was completely beyond his expectations. The [Insect Silk], like a flying needle, did not encounter any of the scenarios he imagined the moment it touched the testing target.

Instead, it seemed to have encountered an extremely soft piece of tofu, rapidly sinking into it without any obstruction.

For a moment, the entire testing site fell into a dead silence.

Immediately after, a number briefly appeared on the machine — 9999! This number left everyone present dumbfounded; they simply couldn't believe their eyes.

However, before everyone could recover from the shock, the testing machine suddenly emitted a crackling sound, then a puff of black smoke, and completely broke down.