199: Section 199

They also followed their gaze.

It was a massive screen hanging on the wall, two stories high.

Zhou Qi and the others were all too familiar with that screen.

Every exam venue had one of these screens.

It recorded the scores of every Martial arts examinee.

However, when they saw the scores on the screen,

they were all dumbfounded.

"What the hell? How am I on there? And ranked fifth?"

"Wait, what is going on? We haven't even taken the final exam question yet, right?"

"Lin Yi is first again?"

Just as the group was looking bewildered,

a familiar figure suddenly entered Lin Yi's line of sight.

On the second floor, the man he had previously dragged into the Mental Domain and whose heart-mind he had devoured appeared.

He had appeared there, completely unharmed.

Especially when Lin Yi saw the talent entry above his head,

he was completely dumbfounded.

[5-Star Martial Artist Certification]

He was actually... not a Yao Beast?

Chapter 161: The Martial Arts Exam is Not the End, It's a New Beginning

The man stood before the escalator on the second floor,

watching the students in the hall below.

Amidst their shock, surprise, and bewilderment, he gave a light cough.

Instantly, he drew the students' attention to himself.

The hall subsequently fell silent.

"Let me start with an introduction. My surname is Yang, I'm called Examiner Yang Xiong, and I come from the New District Martial Arts Alliance!"

"I am also the examiner for the final question of today's Martial Arts Exam!"

"Many examinees probably still haven't figured out what's going on, right?

Actually, the final question has already ended—it happened during your lunch break!"

After Examiner Yang Xiong finished speaking,

everyone became even more bewildered.

They began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

Lin Yi's expression shifted slightly, and he exchanged glances with Wei Nan and the others.

He thought about the events that had occurred during their lunch break.

"Could it be that that incident was the final exam question?" Zhou Qi's expression shifted.

Wei Nan reacted with even greater surprise.

"What the hell, that was an exam? That's too insidious! But what about the situation back then? All those students were hit by some Heart-Mind Curse, what was that about? And the people jumping off buildings, getting beaten up..."

It wasn't just Wei Nan.

Even Shen Mengyi and Sun Tao couldn't make sense of it.

As the volume of the discussion rose,

Examiner Yang Xiong smiled and continued, "I believe many of you don't know what happened back then, right?"

"I will now reveal the answer!"

"What you saw and experienced back then was, in reality, a dream.

Or rather, you had entered a Mental Domain I had set up!"

"Everything you experienced and saw was a meticulously laid-out plan within that Domain!"

"And this was the core of the final question... the Spirit Trial!"

"In this trial, some of you were able to break free from the Heart-Mind Curse. This shows your talent for the heart-mind is decent, but that is not enough!"

"You were still within the setup; you just didn't realize it!"

"I don't know if anyone among you noticed that when the Heart-Mind Curse was lifted—that is, the moment when the 'me' within the scenario was killed—"

"a bell tolled?"

As he finished speaking, everyone scrambled to recall what had happened.

At that time, everyone had been in a state of chaotic bewilderment.

Many people didn't even know what had occurred.

Lin Yi was no different.

He had only heard the bell while he was walking down from upstairs.

At the time, he hadn't thought much of the tolling bell.

He certainly hadn't imagined that it was a meticulously planned exam of the heart-mind.

After a long moment, Examiner Yang Xiong smiled and continued, "When that bell tolled, that was when your Heart-Mind Curses were truly lifted!"

"Through this Spirit Trial, I discovered that some of you possess quite good talent for the heart-mind!"

"Of course, some students' talents are relatively weaker!"

"The reason I didn't tell you in advance is precisely the core of this major question!"

"The heart-mind is a required subject for any Martial Artist who wishes to Cultivate!"

"The importance of the heart-mind far exceeds that of the Martial Skills and physical conditioning you work so hard to Cultivate!"

"In fact, heart-mind cultivation is a required course at any Martial Arts University!"

"The reason it was included in the Martial Arts Exam as a major question was to help you understand the heart-mind and recognize its importance!"

"The heart-mind is a form of willpower, a form of belief, and even more so, the consciousness of one's true self!"

"It can manipulate your thoughts, dictate your actions, and even determine good and evil!"

"Just like today's Spirit Trial!"

"A single Heart-Mind Curse was enough to make you do things you would normally never do, or never dare to do!"

"It is precisely because your heart-minds were not strong enough that you were so easily controlled!"

"You have all seen the consequences; had this not been an exam, you would have fallen into the abyss forever!"

Examiner Yang Xiong's words made every student present gasp in cold realization.

Even Lin Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

He had already established a Mental Domain.

This showed that his talent for the heart-mind was already sufficiently powerful.

Yet, he had still inexplicably fallen into the trap without even realizing it.

Fortunately, after entering the scenario, he had been able to remain clear-headed.

When the Heart-Mind Curse took effect, he had maintained his rationality, quickly identified the source of the problem, and broken the scenario.

Perhaps that was why he was ranked the highest.

After a while, Examiner Yang Xiong smiled and looked at every student in the hall.

"Alright, today's Martial Arts Exam concludes here.

Congratulations to you all for passing the Martial Arts Exam!"

"The comprehensive results of the Martial Arts Exam will be released in three days!"

"Once you receive your results, you may choose which Martial Arts University you wish to attend!"

"I wish every examinee here the best in achieving their goals!"

Perhaps it was just Lin Yi's imagination.

After Examiner Yang Xiong finished speaking, his gaze drifted, intentionally or otherwise, toward Lin Yi.

He then turned and disappeared from the second floor.

"What the hell? It's over just like that?"

"My score for this 'heart-mind' subject must be way too low!"

"I had absolutely no preparation; I've miscalculated!"

"What kind of test is this? No time to prepare, and it just finishes inexplicably?"

"I'm done for. Who could have known this major question would appear in such a way? It's going to drag down the average score!"

"This year's Martial Arts Exam is just too twisted! What is going on?"

The surrounding examinees all began to complain.

Even though, prior to this, their school teachers, coaches, and homeroom teachers

had told them more than once

that the final major question was particularly critical.

No one knew what would be tested, nor did anyone know in what form it would appear.