74: Entrance Exam

For Ning, the Mist Origin Sect was a sect that was too attractive for him not to visit. In fact, what he wanted to do was more than just visit. He wanted to join it. So, he left the City early in the morning, and it was for this exact reason.

He wanted to join this sect, and ever since learning about the three sects 10 days ago, he had been thinking about what it would be like to join one, and now he was going to join one.

However, he needed to pass their test to enter the sect.

When he arrived at the Mist Origin Sect's sect grounds, he nodded to himself. Just as the City's knowledge told him, the sect was actually on a high ground.

Ning was surprised to find that there were so many people in front of the sect, preparing to take the test.

“The System did say the test happens every month, but I didn’t expect so many people to take it at once,” he thought. “However, most of them will probably fail. It would be great if the System could also predict the future. It could have told me what the test content was. That way, I wouldn’t fail,” he thought.

Soon, a person wearing a red robe walked out and began to speak.

“Hello everyone, welcome to the Mist Origin Sect’s monthly test. We only have two requirements for you,” the man said.

“First, you must not be over 25 years old, otherwise, you will be disqualified.”

“Second, you must be at least a cultivation practitioner of Qi Condensation Stage Two or above,” the man said. After he finished speaking, the gate opened, and everyone was allowed to enter. Ning lined up in the queue to enter the gate, where someone tested him.

Once this person confirmed that his age and cultivation requirements were acceptable, he let Ning in.

He was sent to a large hall, where he quietly stood, waiting for something to happen. After a while, a man walked in and began to speak.

“Hello everyone, welcome to the true entrance examination. Soon, you will be given a set of books that list various types and ranks of beasts. You just need to read and memorize it,” the person said.

A group of people walked in and distributed different books. Everyone received two sets of books. Ning started flipping through the books and quickly realized it was a list of monsters with names and ranks.

“Am I supposed to memorize these?” he thought in shock. “What do they think I have? Photographic memory?”

Ning thought for a moment, “I should have this; it would be very useful. System, how much does photographic memory cost?” he asked.

<Eidetic Memory costs 200,000,000,000 Energy>

He counted in his mind and said, “50 days of energy collection. Either get super memory in 50 days, or collect energy for 500 days to double the gap. Oh, my, why does everything cost so much?” He hated it all.

“Anyway, I should start reading these books.” He thought and then began to study. For someone who had never known much about monsters, the names of the monsters were complex and difficult to remember.

Not only that, there were multiple types of similar monsters, only slightly different, thus belonging to different species, and people had to remember their names and ranks. Ning quickly realized this wouldn't happen.

“Alright, System, I need your help. How much does it cost to directly convert the knowledge from these books into my brain, or better yet, use similar information in the System?” he asked.

<All Knowledge About Monsters>

<Basic Knowledge About Monsters: 242,000,000 Energy>

Beginner Knowledge About Monsters: 2,420,000,000 Energy

<Intermediate Knowledge About Monsters: 24,200,000,000 Energy>

<Advanced Knowledge About Monsters: 242,000,000,000 Energy>

<Omniscient Knowledge About Monsters: 24,000,000,000,000 Energy>

“Phew. Why is everything so expensive? I can’t even afford the most basic one. Sigh!” Ning cursed.

“How about turning these books into data? Would that cost a lot?” he asked.

<The cost to convert two books into information is 298,000,000 Energy>

“Wait, are you saying the information in this book is more than the basic knowledge about monsters?” He was surprised.

He quickly opened the book again and realized that the book explained those confusing beasts more than once. ‘Ah, I just need to recognize it? Then maybe I don’t even need to remember its name,’ he thought.

He said, “Alright, just discard the rankings and pictures, and just keep the text and information.”

<This will cost you 122,000,000 Energy. Are you sure?>

“Damn, that’s too expensive. But at least it’s affordable. Alright, buy it.” he said.

<Confirmed>

He now knew the images of different monsters and could quickly state their ranks, but he didn't know the monsters' names or how they differed from similar monsters.

He decided to use the remaining time to read the rest of the book and memorize as much as he could. Although he didn’t have a super memory, his mental strength was still much stronger compared to someone with a normal Qi Condensation Stage 2 cultivation base.

His extraordinary energy mind combined with his human mind gave him an advantage over ordinary cultivators. Soon, he finished reading the book and felt like he could remember every page of it.

However, he knew this was just a feeling, and in reality, he really didn't remember much. Only those who had been taught these things from a young age could remember the names and ranks of so many beasts listed in this book.