53: Chapter 53 Professor Li Revisited
Li Yu looked back.
A stranger with a flushed face was coughing violently, looking as if he were about to cough up his lungs.
"I said the 200,000 deposit was too high, yet he's still insisting on participating despite coughing so hard. It's not easy."
Saying that, Li Yu shook his head, walked straight to a bench to sit down, and closed his eyes to rest.
200,000.
It wasn't just high for someone with lung disease.
It was even higher for someone suffering from poverty; at the very least, Li Yu's assets had shrunk again, leaving him with less than ten thousand yuan.
He only hoped to become a full member as soon as possible after the exam and take some orders to deal with the emergency.
Ten minutes later, a bell rang, and a tightly closed room door opened with a "click."
It's starting!
Li Yu followed the crowd and entered in single file.
There weren't many people taking the Senior Cultivator exam, only about twenty. Most were over fifty years old, with a few middle-aged men and women.
Those who could truly be considered young...
One was Li Yu, and the other was the man with the lung disease, who looked a few years older than him.
Standing among the group, the two of them were particularly conspicuous; anyone who didn't know better might think they had accidentally stumbled into a senior citizens' tour group.
Strangely enough...
When the crowd saw the guy with the lung disease, they only gave him a glance before looking away, not appearing very surprised.
But when they saw Li Yu, it was like looking at a monkey in a zoo, their direct gazes filled with scrutiny and doubt.
It wasn't until Li Yu gave a light cough and looked around that these people restrained themselves slightly, turning their direct stares into whispered conversations, though they continued to point and stare.
The aunties were truly aunties, and the uncles were truly uncles.
That thick skin...
Impressive.
Li Yu was speechless; he could already imagine what topics these older people would be discussing.
Li Yu bypassed the others and looked for his name along the rows of workstations.
...
In the practical exam venue for Junior Cultivation, the workstations were like office cubicles—crisscrossed and close together, leaving only enough space for one or two people to pass through.
The space each person could use was small, and evolution took place at their respective positions.
But Advanced Cultivation was different.
The subjects of Advanced Cultivation were all of Extraordinary quality; the beasts were large, possessed strong energy, and underwent many changes, requiring more materials.
Every workstation here was more than twice the size of those for Junior Cultivation, and the functional buttons were more complex.
Furthermore, the glass evolution covers had been removed, replaced by glass chambers of various sizes situated all around the venue.
Soon, Li Yu found his spot. Coincidentally, the candidate at the workstation next to him was the man with the lung disease.
Seeing the latter looking at him, Li Yu smiled and said, "Brother, it's not easy, coming for the exam while being so sick."
"Cough... cough cough..." Xiao Tianci had been secretly observing Li Yu while pretending to drink water; when he heard this, he immediately choked again.
"Don't get excited, don't get excited. Take care of yourself and drink more water," Li Yu hurriedly comforted him. "I heard the cultivation time for this is 2 hours. If you're tired, rest; don't overexert yourself. You can earn money back if it's gone, but if you cough your lungs out, you can't put them back in."
Xiao Tianci was about to drink water to calm down, but hearing this, he shouted angrily, "I'm not drinking!"
"Oh, fine, don't drink then."
Li Yu smiled, not taking it to heart.
Xiao Tianci's mouth twitched with anger; he wished he could throw his thermos at him. But then he thought about the cultivation exam, the many people watching, and the thermos full of goji berries...
He silently put down the thermos.
At the same time, on the other side of the glass, many onlookers were chattering away; the Interns and Zeng Huohuo were all there.
Seeing that Li Yu had indeed found his position, their reactions varied.
Some Interns were looking for a show, thinking Li Yu was there to humiliate himself and waste 200,000 yuan.
Others looked puzzled, wondering where Li Yu got the connections to find five Senior Cultivators.
The Seventh Floor couldn't even scrounge up five Senior Cultivators.
Zeng Huohuo watched Li Yu's calm performance and felt a twinge of doubt: "Could this guy actually succeed? This is the Senior Cultivator exam, after all."
...
Clack, clack, clack...
The sound of footsteps rang out.
The Senior Cultivator exam site immediately fell silent. The candidates, who had been looking around and fiddling with equipment to understand the setup, now stood as straight as students encountering their homeroom teacher.
Li Yu even saw some people's hands trembling, their fingers pressed tightly against their trouser seams.
Hiss...
Something's not right!
Only the sound was heard, the person not yet seen, and the atmosphere was already so tense!
Startled, Li Yu also quickly stood up straight, straighter than he ever had during military drills.
However, as the Invigilators walked in, Li Yu's expression gradually changed.
Bewilderment, surprise, relief...
Good news: The Invigilators weren't Hard Shoe Sole's group.
Better news: Old acquaintances.
There were five people in total, led by Professor Li from the Research Institute; the other four were also the Breeders who were present when treating the Golden Horned Small Dragon.
Professor Li scanned the candidates with a serious face. Everyone he looked at instinctively puffed out their chest, their eyes filled with intense nervousness and admiration.
It was Professor Li from the Ningyang City Research Institute.
He was the gold standard of Ningyang City, a prominent figure who directly influenced the official authority of beast taming in Ningyang City.
For such a great figure to host a Senior Cultivator exam was simply an honor for their generation!
Even if they didn't pass, they could go back and brag that "Professor Li looked at me for three extra seconds at the time."
Professor Li asked, "Candidates, are you all clear on the rules for this Senior Cultivator exam?"
"Clear!" everyone shouted in unison.
Professor Li nodded: "Very well. Since you're not clear, I'll say it once more."
Everyone was stunned: "???"
Professor Li didn't care; he murmured to himself:
"Compared to the Junior Cultivator exam, the Senior Cultivator exam focuses more on practical operation. Theory accounts for only 20%, while practical operation accounts for 80%."
"Even if someone didn't participate in the written exam, as long as the practical operation is completed successfully and the quality is excellent, they will still be considered qualified..."
Listening to Professor Li's introduction, everyone cautiously looked at each other, seeing confusion in one another's eyes.
What's the situation?
Is there anyone who doesn't know these rules?
Didn't we just say we were clear? Why waste time on this?
Li Yu rubbed his nose, his expression turning a bit strange.
How could he not know? Professor Li's words weren't for the others, but specifically for him.
The only person who hadn't taken the written exam was himself.
Professor Li was old, after all; he lacked breath and physical strength, so it took him a while to recite the exam rules.
After he finished, he asked again, "Is it clear this time?"
Everyone: "CLEAR!!!"
Li Yu shouted along.
Professor Li nodded with satisfaction and smiled: "Very well, since everyone is clear, I declare that the practical operation exam for this Senior Cultivator session officially begins!"