90: Chapter 90 Unified Examination (Part 1)

Upon hearing the assessment requirements for Xiafu University, a wave of collective gasps rippled through the scene.

"This is too terrifying! That's a Level 20 Bloodline-Awakened beast!"

"Exactly! I can barely handle a normal Level 20 beast, let alone a Bloodline-Awakened one..."

"We should just focus on earning points in the exam hall honestly. Why overthink it?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

The corners of Tang Mo's mouth curled up, his heart filled with confidence.

Killing a Level 20 Bloodline-Awakened beast might be difficult for others, but for Tang Mo, it would be effortless.

If killing just one could get him into Xiafu University, what if he killed ten, or even a hundred?

There should be extra rewards for that, right?

Thinking of this, Tang Mo looked at the timer with a burning gaze; there was exactly half an hour left before the Unified Examination began.

Tu Xiaoxia sat to the side, taking deep breaths continuously to relax herself.

Even though her level was currently below 20, that didn't stop her from wanting to try.

With her current set of equipment, Tu Xiaoxia felt she still had a sliver of a chance.

Of course, the chance wasn't very high.

"I must get into Xiafu University!"

The national Unified Examination did not forbid candidates from bringing their own equipment; after all, for a Professional, equipment was also a form of strength.

It might sound unfair, but at a critical moment for human survival, who cared about fairness?

After another quarter of an hour, the Proctor at the podium stood up and announced the official start of the Unified Examination.

Then, Tang Mo and the others were sent to their respective exam halls via a temporary Teleportation Array.

Tang Mo and about ten thousand other candidates suddenly arrived in a vast, unfamiliar, and scorching desert.

After scouting the surroundings, the group quickly dispersed to search for Point Beasts within the exam hall.

Wang Kaiwen also couldn't wait and pulled Tang Mo along as they rushed out.

As time passed minute by minute, the candidates who were everywhere just moments ago vanished in the blink of an eye, showing just how massive this exam hall was.

There were over 90 such exam halls, meaning nearly a million people were participating in this Unified Examination.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the anxiety on Wang Kaiwen's face grew heavier.

"Didn't they say Point Beasts were placed here? Why haven't we encountered a single one? They couldn't have all run away, right?"

"It's all your fault for dragging us around aimlessly. Maybe there aren't any Point Beasts on this path you chose at all."

Yang Shiyu resumed her bickering mode with Wang Kaiwen.

Tu Xiaoxia spoke up to comfort them, "Don't worry. Maybe it's because desert beasts prefer to come out at night, so they're rarely seen during the day."

Hearing this, both Wang Kaiwen and Yang Shiyu felt it made sense and finally quieted down.

But was that really the case?

Tang Mo silently took out his Scorekeeper. Not only could this device record his own score, but it also allowed him to see the scores of everyone in this Unified Examination.

He saw that many people on the leaderboard had already obtained points.

1st Place: Ding Tianlei, 108 points;

2nd Place: Guang Binbin, 100 points;

3rd Place: Xu Long, 90 points;

4th Place: Deng Shenya, 85 points;

5th Place: Bi Borong, 78 points;

6th Place: Jian Xin, 70 points;

...

Seeing this immediately made Wang Kaiwen and Yang Shiyu, who had just calmed down, feel lost once again.

"Why can't we find any beasts?"

Tang Mo stopped in his tracks and began to think seriously.

Although these beasts were powerful, they still retained many animal habits. To survive, they relied on food and water.

The reason those desert beasts came out at night was merely to search for food and water sources.

Could he use food and water to lure them out and then kill them?

Thinking of this, Tang Mo took a canteen from his storage space and poured water onto the ground. The moisture was quickly absorbed by the sand.

The sand that had absorbed the water soon returned to its original dry state; the water had disappeared like a clay ox entering the sea, leaving no trace behind.

"It seems this won't work."

Seeing this, the others immediately understood what Tang Mo was trying to do and began to offer suggestions.

Yang Shiyu: "Use something to hold the water so it won't be absorbed by the sand."

Tu Xiaoxia: "That won't work either. If the water doesn't seep into the sand, it won't attract the beasts hiding underneath. Besides, the temperature is too high right now; those beasts won't come out at all."

Wang Kaiwen: "But how much water would it take to soak the sand! Maybe those brutes are hiding in the sand and have already had their fill, so they won't come out."

"How did those other guys find them?"

At this moment, in the Unified Examination Command Center located in Shahe City, admissions officers from universities across the country were seated alongside school leaders of the candidates currently taking the exam.

Above each exam hall, there was a monitoring system deployed by the command center to observe the candidates' performances and ensure immediate response if any candidate encountered danger.

However, the monitoring room was currently deathly silent. Everyone's faces were filled with worry as they stared at the screens showing the students in the exam halls.

"These students have no idea how to deal with desert beasts. They're wandering around like headless flies. At this rate, I'm afraid 70% of them won't even reach the minimum score requirement for university."

"You can't say that. Haven't some students already achieved decent scores?"

"Heh, you think I don't know? Almost all those who have points are students from Shahe City. They've lived here since they were children; finding those hidden beasts is effortless for them."

This sentence immediately silenced everyone present, and the room fell into a quiet lull once more.

A white-haired elder sitting in the center of the front row of the monitoring room suddenly spoke up.

"It's still early. Let's see how these kids handle it first. Besides, the Unified Examination is meant to select elite talent for the country. Elite talents must naturally adapt quickly to any unfamiliar environment. Otherwise, when they head to the battlefield in the future, those beasts and monsters won't give them time."

Hearing this, the others in the monitoring room nodded in agreement.

After speaking, Yao Kangbo looked back up at the screen, as if he were searching for someone.

Inside the exam hall, after several attempts, Wang Kaiwen and the others still failed to lure out the hidden beasts.

"Do we really have to wait until dark?"

Tang Mo smiled slightly. "That shouldn't be necessary."

As he spoke, Tang Mo reached his hand toward the sand and began to release Hallucinogenic Gas.

The invisible Hallucinogenic Gas began to spread through the sand in all directions. As long as they were still breathing, they would never escape its effects.

As for Wang Kaiwen and the others, Tang Mo only needed to create an illusion for them that was identical to reality, so there was no need to worry.

As the Hallucinogenic Gas continued to spread outward, after about ten minutes, the previously calm sand suddenly began to show movement.