122: Chapter 122 A bowl of noodles cooked in three seconds? Is this year's support class a joke?!

Ye Xiao's score of 150 was like a massive boulder thrown into a lake, stirring up a thousand ripples.

The gazes of all the examinees turned from peer competition to looking up in awe.

"150 points! This score... In the afternoon's arena battle, who wouldn't surrender immediately if they ran into him?"

"Needless to say! He took a full-force charge from a Peak Tier 2 beast head-on and acted like it was nothing. His physique is just absurd!"

Before the shockwaves had even settled, the subsequent examinees were pushed onto the stage.

A burly man from the B-Class Enhancement Type gritted his teeth and chose a Tier 2 Source Beast. The cage door opened, and a grey wolf with an iron back and bristling fur lunged out.

The burly man roared and charged, his fist wrapped in dark red Source Energy as he smashed it against the wolf's head. The grey wolf wobbled but didn't fall. With a backhand swipe, the wolf tore three gashes into the man's chest armor, sending him flying into the cage wall, where he immediately raised his hand to forfeit.

Base score of 60, time taken three minutes, zero seconds ahead of time. Total score: 60.

Next was an A-Class Wind-type examinee. He chose Tier 1. He took down a Wind-Blade Pheasant in a minute and a half, scoring 120 points.

Next was a B-Class Earth-type. He also chose Tier 1. It took him two minutes and forty seconds to pin a Stone-Skin Lizard to the ground, scoring 50 points.

Examinees went in and out, and the Source Beasts in the cages were swapped out batch after batch. The pattern was clear: many chose Tier 1, few chose Tier 2, and as for Tier 3? So far, zero.

Ye Xiao scoring 150 points by choosing Tier 2 was already the ceiling; no one thought they were more ferocious than an S-Class Lightning-type.

...

Unlike the murderous atmosphere on the Main Combat Track where blood was shed at every turn, the Auxiliary Energy Track on the other side of the martial arts arena had a style so bizarre it was absurd.

"Examinee Zhang Wei, Talent [Instant Noodle Friend], test item: Cook a bowl of instant noodles in three seconds!"

In the panoramic simulation cabin, a chubby boy had a bowl of instant noodles and a cup of boiling water in front of him. He rubbed his hands together, placed his palms over the noodle bowl, and a soft white light emanated from his palms.

"Hah!" Three seconds later, he ripped the lid off, and the rich aroma of braised beef instantly wafted out.

The examiner in charge of the assessment twitched their eye, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and took a taste, commenting expressionlessly: "The noodles are cooked, but they're a bit hard, which affects the texture. Overall rating: 20 points."

A burst of laughter erupted outside the arena.

[Hahahaha, three-second instant noodles, what kind of Hell assessment is this?] [Is the Auxiliary Energy Track here for comedy?] [No, no, no, you don't understand, the three-second instant noodle cooking talent is absolutely a god-tier skill in college dorms!] [Indeed, life-class talents are much easier to find work with than Main Combat Track ones. It's practical!]

"Next, examinee Li Jing, Talent [Unlock Everything], test item: Forcibly untie a dead knot!"

In the center of the simulation cabin, a tangled ball of countless data cables, headphone wires, and charging cords appeared out of thin air, a knot that could be called a "modern work of art from the electronic information age."

The girl named Li Jing stepped forward, a faint glow appearing on her slender, jade-like fingers, and she tapped the tangle of wires lightly. The next second, the entire mess of wires moved on its own as if it had come to life; each wire automatically unraveled and arranged itself neatly on the table within half a minute.

"30 points. This talent has a miraculous effect on people with obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Similar bizarre tests appeared one after another: there was "Instant Clothing Drying," "Steel Rust Removal," and even a talent called "Stable Throwing," where the performer demonstrated that no matter the angle from which they threw trash, they could hit a trash can fifty meters away 100% of the time.

This rare, relaxed atmosphere added a touch of human warmth to the tense and oppressive college entrance exam site.

However, this peace was soon broken by a pale figure. Liu Ruyan, supported by medical personnel, wiped the black blood from the corner of her mouth and forced herself to walk into a team simulation cabin.

She had just injected an expensive emergency repair potion, which was the only reason she could barely suppress the internal injuries caused by the backlash of Luck. She was assigned to a buffing scenario. A standard test Puppet stood in the center of the cabin, facing a holographic Tier 1 Source Beast. She needed to apply a buff effect to the Puppet within thirty seconds.

Liu Ruyan closed her eyes and activated her second talent sequence, [Luck Parasitism]. Threads of Luck extended from her fingertips... and broke. Try again. Extend, tremble, break. The third time. This time, she barely managed to connect to the Puppet, and the System determined the Puppet's combat power increase: 15%.

Thirty seconds ended, and the Puppet engaged the simulated Source Beast. The Puppet won narrowly, but the victory was completely unconvincing. The examiner nodded slightly but frowned, seemingly having noticed an extra layer of faint Luck fluctuation on the Puppet that did not dissipate after the skill ended.

"This skill... is quite interesting." "45 points."

Liu Ruyan stumbled out of the simulation cabin. The sub-thread she had left on Su Ming had already snapped, and her Foundation of Luck had been torn open by the backlash, never to be repaired again. The college entrance exam is over... No, tomorrow! Tomorrow she would leave Jiangcheng; anywhere would do.

...

On the Main Combat Track side, after a few more examinees had passed, a name popped up on the big screen that made the entire venue perk up.

"Next, examinee Zhao Kuo!"

Zhao Kuo's expression wasn't very good when he walked onto the stage. After the repeated blows from Su Ming, his arrogance had subsided quite a bit, and Ye Xiao's score of 150 had increased his pressure tenfold.

Chief Examiner Li Feng stopped him: "Examinee Zhao Kuo, please choose the tier of the Source Beast."

He wanted to choose Tier 3. With an S-Class talent, he had to at least compete with Ye Xiao. But the moment he stepped forward, his reason pulled him back. A Tier 3 Source Beast was equivalent to the combat power of a Tier 4 human. He was only Tier 2 Bronze-rank, and his Foundation from using potions to Breakthrough was already unstable; if he pushed himself too hard and failed, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face. He gritted his teeth: "Tier 2!"

Chief Examiner Li Feng nodded, and the gate opened. A Rock-Armor Lizard crawled out from the shadows. Its entire body was covered in grey-brown rock-like scales, its limbs were thick, and the end of its tail featured a hammer-shaped bone ball. Peak Tier 2, Earth-element.

Zhao Kuo's expression darkened further. Earth-element had a natural dampening effect on Fire-type. This Luck was as disgusting as swallowing a fly.

The Rock-Armor Lizard let out a low roar and slammed its tail hammer into the ground, creating a crater in the alloy floor.

Zhao Kuo pushed his hands forward, and a dark red fireball condensed in his palms. [Dragon Breath Bomb]! The fireball whistled out, striking the lizard squarely in the chest. Explosion, flames splattered everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the lizard wobbled, and only a ring of charred marks appeared on its rock-like scales. The damage was limited; it hadn't penetrated.

The lizard hissed and lunged at Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo retreated while firing fireballs, fighting the lizard in a skirmish. The scene was exceptionally intense, with fire and gravel flying everywhere, but his Source Energy was depleting extremely fast.

"Damn it! I'll risk it all!" A flash of madness crossed his eyes, and he slammed his hands hard against the ground! "[Lava Hell]!"

Boom! Centered on the Rock-Armor Lizard, the entire ground instantly turned into a pool of churning lava. The viscous molten rock gathered rapidly, the lizard's limbs sank into it, and its movements were severely hindered. The high temperature continued to scorch its rock-like scales, and the lizard let out painful hisses.

Zhao Kuo seized the opportunity, panting heavily, and while the lizard was trapped, he fired three more Dragon Breath Bombs. Under the dual assault of fire and lava, the lizard's scales finally began to crack. The last Dragon Breath Bomb pierced its exposed abdomen. With a final, unwilling cry, the Rock-Armor Lizard crashed to the ground.

Zhao Kuo panted heavily, his Source Energy almost completely exhausted. He looked around, wanting to reveal a triumphant smile, but when he saw the indifferent gaze of Su Ming in the preparation area, he forced it back. The aftereffects of trying to look cool! That son of a bitch was more ferocious than if he'd taken a hundred Viagra; he had developed PTSD from being slapped in the face repeatedly! Could he really win in the afternoon's arena battle? He gripped the syringe hidden inside his battle armor, his eyes becoming incomparably sinister.

Chief Examiner Li Feng announced the score. "Examinee Zhao Kuo, killed a Tier 2 Source Beast, time taken: two minutes and five seconds!" "Base score 60, 55 seconds ahead of time, plus 55 points—Total score: 115 points!"

The applause was sparse. An hour ago, an S-Class talent scoring 115 points would definitely have ignited the entire venue. But compared to Ye Xiao's 150 points, the difference was immediately apparent.

After Zhao Kuo, several other examinees with A-Class and B-Class talents took the stage. Some chose Tier 1 Source Beasts, fought for three minutes, and finally won narrowly, scoring only thirty-something points. There was also a confident A-Class Genius who chose Tier 2, but ended up being swatted away by the Source Beast, severely injured on the spot, and carried away by exam staff while crying out, scoring zero points.

The bloody reality made everyone realize the cruelty of this practical assessment. Finally— "Next, examinee Su Ming!"

(One more chapter to go!)