Chapter 117: The Exam Paper Is Still the Most Impressive Thing!

"Hah!"
"Ha!"
"Kill!"

The air in the various mystic realms was filled with roars and the sounds of fierce combat, creating a dazzling, kaleidoscopic display of light and color.

Shi Tiexin stared blankly for a long time before a sudden spark of realization hit him. He understood: these glowing humanoids were functioning exactly like the "exam papers" in the timeline of Fenming No. 1 High School!

The examination assessed the Six Fundamental Mental Arts, so the questions naturally stemmed from them. Yet, there was no need for written tests here. Perhaps to eliminate the subjective biases caused by regional differences, variations in testing philosophy, or examiner preferences, this timeline abandoned paper exams entirely in favor of a far more astonishing method.

By setting difficulty levels for the Six Fundamental Mental Arts, they created humanoid avatars within the Literary Heart Mystic Realm for direct martial combat. The examinee's proficiency in these mental arts directly dictated their offensive and defensive capabilities in the trial, serving as the primary factor in determining victory or defeat.

Shi Tiexin watched one examinee. His footwork was agile, his positioning fluid, and his fists and kicks were sharp—he clearly possessed a strong foundation in pugilism. However, the layer of radiance condensed on his body seemed insufficient. He landed strike after strike, yet the glowing humanoid opposite him appeared to suffer little damage. When the humanoid countered with only three blows, one of which merely grazed his arm, the layer of light on the examinee's limb instantly shattered and peeled away, leaving him in a miserable state with slim chances of winning.

In contrast, another examinee appeared somewhat dull; his techniques and footwork were unremarkable, and his cultivation of vitality likely wasn't particularly high either. Yet, the punches the glowing humanoid landed on him seemed to have no effect. Every time he landed a counter-strike, he would shatter one of the humanoid's limbs. He looked incredibly fierce.

Shi Tiexin began to understand. This method of examination was actually quite ingenious.

The qualification test before the exam likely served to filter out those who didn't meet the absolute minimum requirements for the mental arts. But passing that threshold didn't guarantee success; the exam was a dual test of both mental and physical arts.

Mental arts were the core of this examination, but that did not mean physical arts were useless. If that dull-looking boy had possessed more refined physical arts, more flexible footwork, and sharper strikes, he might have had a chance to turn the tide and shatter the glowing humanoid.

But as Shi Tiexin watched for a moment longer, he saw the humanoid kick the boy squarely in the chest, causing his body's light layer to instantly collapse. The boy coughed up a spray of blood, collapsed to the ground, and couldn't get back up. He had clearly broken at least eight ribs, not to mention internal hemorrhaging.

Eliminated!

*Crack.* Like shattering glass, the boy's mystic realm splintered, ejecting him from the Literary Heart Mystic Realm.

It seemed his mental art cultivation was too poor, barely crossing the threshold for eligibility, and his physical arts weren't strong enough to defy the odds, resulting in him sustaining fatal injuries at the hands of the glowing humanoid.

However, these so-called mystic realms weren't constructed by the Sages of Time and Space just for show. Creating these realms served a purpose beyond saving space; they possessed a miraculous, indispensable effect for martial artists.

*Thump.* As the boy was ejected from the realm and collapsed, the medical team rushed forward.

The boy, who had been on the verge of death just moments before, found his fatal injuries restored the instant he left the realm. He was still coughing up blood, but no longer in a fountain; his ribs were still cracked, but no longer shattered or piercing his heart.

From certain death, he was reduced to a state of severe but treatable injury.

This was a major function of the mystic realm: it could partially restore injuries sustained during combat, at the very least ensuring survival. If the injuries weren't severe to begin with, the best cases saw a full recovery.

Just like the fellow Shi Tiexin had replaced—who had been beaten into three pieces during a duel in a mystic realm—he was absolutely dead. Yet, if he were transported to a hospital after leaving the realm and given proper medical care, he would be back on his feet and full of life before long.

It was precisely because of this unique property that martial artists could spar and duel without holding back, and injuries sustained in these duels carried no legal weight. Without this, unless one were a born murderer or a sociopath, no one would dare to fight with unrestrained intensity.

The medical team quickly threw him onto a stretcher and sprinted away; the central hospital would likely be busy again. Shi Tiexin rolled his eyes to follow the boy as he was carried off, then turned his gaze back to the circular platform, only to find that the battles there had largely concluded.

The boy who had just been carried away had been quite agile, allowing him to dodge and weave, which dragged the fight out. Others were not so fortunate, with most fights decided in just a few moves—win or lose, swift and decisive.

Of the two thousand or so examinees, about fourteen hundred had defeated the glowing humanoids—a decent ratio. Still, despite the high success rate, hundreds had failed.

These were the ones who had fallen behind.

Most of the failed candidates were carried away on stretchers, while a small few remained standing on the platform, looking dejected and unwilling to leave.

"Losers, exit the stage!"

Scholar Longtu let out a cold command. Several security personnel in uniform stepped forward to escort the lingering failures off the platform. Shi Tiexin, being the most proactive, hopped onto the stage first to assist. He mingled with the crowd, observing his surroundings, and noticed that the fourteen hundred or so mystic realms had not dissipated; they were poised, ready for the next phase.

"I won't leave! I won't go!" the failed candidate Shi Tiexin was pulling began to struggle with surprising strength.

"Well done," Shi Tiexin muttered to himself, pretending to be hindered but still in control, avoiding the need for backup. He slowly dragged the man toward the exit while taking the opportunity to scan the surrounding mystic realms.

Fourteen hundred realms densely packed the entire circular platform, yet strangely, Shi Tiexin could move through them without obstruction. The realms all around seemed within reach, yet completely untouchable.

Theoretically, whether these failed candidates lingered on the platform or not, it would not affect the continuation of the exam.

Shi Tiexin was so focused on the realms that he didn't look up. Above, Scholar Longtu, apparently unwilling to waste time, coldly declared: "Round two, begin!"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.* Fourteen hundred glowing humanoids leaped from the void once more, charging menacingly toward the examinees.

Shi Tiexin was closer this time, seeing everything with greater clarity.

The six-colored glow of these humanoids was brighter than before. Ordinarily, basic mental arts were impossible to manifest externally, and most basic techniques had no offensive power. But whatever the Scholastic Union had done, within the Literary Heart Mystic Realm, these glowing humanoids and the light layers on the examinees were manifesting their power with absolute, undeniable reality.