Chapter 155: The Golden Roll Determines the Order

"This year's cohort in Muyuan District is truly... getting worse by the year."

The Deputy Director of the Municipal Education Department sat on the podium, watching the exams unfolding below with undisguised disappointment. The Director of the Muyuan District Education Bureau, sitting nearby, wore an awkward expression, utterly at a loss for words.

Though Shi Tiexin, who was inside the Heart of Literature Realm, could not see this, the people on the podium had a panoramic view of the entire scene. Nearly five thousand candidates had participated in the Lesser Provincial Examination, yet over two thousand were weeded out in the very first round. Not only was the number of failures staggering, but many young scholars wobbled unsteadily during the test, only to be knocked down by the glowing humanoid figures in a single move—a truly unsightly spectacle of utter clumsiness.

However, the candidates could not be entirely blamed for this.

Everyone seated on the podium possessed cultivation; otherwise, they would not have earned their seats here.

"This wooden floor is far too slippery."

Someone stated bluntly, deepening the awkwardness of the Muyuan District Education Bureau Director. Eager to put on a good show for the public, the Director had specifically ordered the venue to be polished until it gleamed, with the entire floor heavily waxed. He had never anticipated that this vanity project would wreak such havoc on the Lesser Provincial Examination. He wondered if he would be held accountable after the fact.

"The lower stances of this generation of students are exceptionally unstable. The quality of education certainly leaves much to be desired. I must reflect on this; I take full blame," the Education Bureau Director offered a casual excuse, hoping to gloss over the floor-waxing fiasco. Just as he spoke, the second round came to a close.

Out of the twenty-six hundred candidates who had passed the first round, a meager four hundred managed to clear the second.

Vast numbers of candidates were flung out of the realm, their groans of pain echoing throughout the venue. These twenty-two hundred Bronze Plaque scholars could still pursue further education, but they were restricted to tier-three regular academies, essentially locking them into vocational training paths. As for wanting to carve out a prominent career within the Scholastic Union's mainstream hierarchy? With a mere Bronze Plaque qualification, that was entirely out of the question.

"Word from the South District: they have fourteen hundred candidates who passed the second round."

"Word from the North District: their second round has also concluded, with over fourteen hundred passing as well."

"The Upper District boasts even greater numbers, with over eighteen hundred passing the second round. Impressive!"

During every Lesser Provincial Examination, the nine districts engaged in fierce competition, and news flew thick and fast even while the exams were underway. Listening to the counts of Silver Plaques achieved by the other districts, and then looking down at the pitiful four-hundred-odd survivors remaining in his own, the Muyuan District Director had to admit that his district's educational standards were indeed mortifyingly subpar.

And this was merely the starting point of the humiliation, not the end.

"Hah! The Upper District is moving exceptionally fast. The Golden Plaque ranking has already begun, with over three hundred and thirty candidates entering the Golden Plaque!"

"The South District follows closely behind; their Golden Plaque ranking has also commenced, with two hundred and eighty candidates making the list!"

"The North District also has over two hundred and eighty. It's just hard to tell who will ultimately triumph in this northern-versus-southern rivalry."

Three hundred and thirty? Two hundred and eighty?

The Education Bureau Director turned his gaze toward the third round below, where the Hearts of Literature Realms were shattering with a continuous series of crisp cracks. Those realms resembled bubbles caught in a gale, disintegrating rapidly alongside the Director's remaining pride, their numbers plunging drastically.

Before long, the third round concluded.

"Fewer than thirty?" The Deputy Director was beginning to lose his patience. "Fewer than thirty entering the Golden Plaque rankings? Old Wang, your situation is genuinely far inferior to the other regions. You really need to step things up!"

"Yes, indeed!" The Director wiped the sweat from his brow, having no defense left to offer.

More than ten times worse than the Upper District? That floor-waxing had truly doomed Muyuan District!

Now, the only remaining suspense lay in the Golden Plaque rankings. He could only hope that a few dazzling performances within the Golden Plaque tier might salvage some shred of dignity for Muyuan District. Casting a glance downward, the Director could guess the outcome with reasonable certainty; those who could enter the Golden Plaque rankings were basically predictable—just the usual suspects.

Huh? Why was there a barefoot kid down there?

I've never seen him before. Who is this fellow?

"For the Golden Plaque ranking, the top three shall be bestowed with golden radiance." The Scholastic Grandmaster gazed down at the twenty-nine Hearts of Literature Realms, lingering particularly on the barefooted Shi Tiexin. With a swift shift of hand seals, he brought his palms together: "Merge!"

The twenty-nine Hearts of Literature Realms shifted randomly, executing a breathtaking dance across spatial dimensions before fusing in pairs to become one. The candidates trapped within the realms could not witness this; all they saw was the multicolored brilliance swirling along the borders of their realms suddenly ripple, allowing them to see through to the outside.

Not only could they see their opponents ten meters away, but they could also see other realms and opponents across different examination arenas.

The Scholastic Union's examination system was truly vicious; granting mutual visibility at a moment like this had to be intentional!

With circumstances as such, every fraction of a second became vital!

Only by eliminating one's opponent first could one minimize the chances of being observed and studied by other rivals, and perhaps even earn the opportunity to scope out others in return.

Shi Tiexin fixed his gaze on his opponent, only to suddenly realize it was an acquaintance.

It was none other than the final obstacle who had tried to block him amidst the tide of eight hundred candidates—that brawny fellow who loved to spout rhetoric. Though Shi Tiexin did not know his name, he recognized him as the monitor of Class Two and a capable fighter.

"Shi Tiexin, I never expected to run into you here! Perfect. That day you used verbal arts to bewitch me and force me to yield half a step, but today I shall wash away that humiliation and let you know you have no right to make me yield!" The man strode forward, his expensive martial arts shoes scraping against the wooden floor with exceptionally steady steps.

Meanwhile, Shi Tiexin stood motionless, his gaze locked firmly onto the man's footwear.

"Shi Tiexin, your fighting style is brutal, but your fist techniques are far too poor! Mere foundational fist arts—they were seen through ages ago!" The man seemed intent on launching a psychological offensive. "Compared to my ancient-school fist arts, your techniques are crude, rough, and completely lacking in lethality. I have interviewed everyone you have injured and thoroughly figured out the weaknesses in your fist arts. Against me, you stand no chance!"

The man's arms swept in a dazzling display, his footwork agile as he swayed left and right. A simple charge made it agonizingly difficult to grasp his center of gravity or punch trajectory—precisely the kind of approach best suited for countering someone like Shi Tiexin, who relied on massive power delivered through straightforward patterns.

It seemed this brother had indeed done his homework in advance and meticulously studied Shi Tiexin's boxing style.

Shi Tiexin raised a hand to parry, but the fellow whipped past him in a blur. Twisting his fist inward, the man slammed a blow squarely into Shi Tiexin's shoulder socket.

With a crisp clanging ring, the punch landed solidly, meeting no resistance or dispersion of force.

The corners of the man's mouth curled upward in absolute confidence. Once he shattered this fellow's shoulder, his opponent would be nothing more than a toothless tiger, and victory would be his.

Yet, an instant later, his absolute confidence dissolved into sheer astonishment. Because the spot where his fist had landed seemed to... have had virtually no effect?

Hey!

You've got to be kidding me!

Am I seeing things?

No, looking closely, there was a tiny bit of effect—the layer of light around the fellow's shoulder socket seemed to have caved in just a fraction... What the hell? I threw a punch like that, and there's only a slight depression?! Just what level is this guy's mental cultivation heart-art?!

Amidst his bewilderment, with a sharp snap, Shi Tiexin's left arm—which had just been used to parry—thrust forward and clamped securely onto his opponent's shoulder. The man started, shaking his shoulder violently in an attempt to break free. But Shi Tiexin channeled all strength into his five fingers, gripping down with lethal tenacity. His technique was ordinary, but his raw strength was terrifyingly vast. With several cracking sounds, the protective layer of light on the man's shoulder was pierced and crushed to pieces.

The next moment, those light-encrusted fingers tore directly through flesh and blood, sinking straight into the man's shoulder.