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Chapter 37 - Mediocrity or the Norm?
Teacher Sun didn't need to look back to sense the examinees' disappointment and dissatisfaction.
"What's wrong? You don't want to ride the cable car?"
Some examinees were about to nod subconsciously.
But Teacher Sun immediately followed up with, "If you don't want to ride, then don't. Consider it a voluntary forfeiture of your examination for cultivation."
The necks of those examinees stiffened instantly, not daring to nod further, even though Teacher Sun wasn't looking back. They were afraid of accidentally being marked as having 'voluntarily forfeited the examination for cultivation.'
They looked awkward and clearly uncomfortable.
A few staff members approached to assist.
Turning around, Teacher Sun instructed the examinees, "Follow the staff's instructions shortly, and orderly board the cable car to ascend the mountain. I will go ahead and wait for you at the top. And remember, don't forget to pay for the cable car."
The examinees were stunned again.
We've come to terms with riding the cable car up the mountain, but we have to pay as well?
We really have become tourists...
After giving a few instructions to the staff, Teacher Sun summoned his flying sword from his phone once again, leapt onto it, and with a flair of sword controlling, he flew off into the sky, vanishing in an instant. This left the examinees full of envy.
Meanwhile, the cable car station staff raised their voices at this moment, organizing the crowd: "One at a time, please pay the fare first, then queue up for the cable car. Eight people per cabin, no pushing, no jostling..."
What could the examinees do in such a scenario? They could only obediently pay up.
Soon, around five to six hundred examinees had taken the cable car up to Ciyun Pavilion, located halfway up the mountain.
Teacher Sun, who had ascended by flying sword, was sitting on a roadside stone bench, scrolling through TikTok. The catchy and brainwashing sound of 'doo doo doo doo, doo doo wei doo doo' filled the air.
Once all the examinees had gathered, Teacher Sun put away his phone and led the way. After climbing a section of the mountain path, they arrived outside the Shangqing Palace.
Recruitment teachers from various cultivation universities, who had been monitoring the examinees through a light screen, came out to meet them. They stood on the stone steps, and even though they had deliberately suppressed their own imposing aura, it still made it difficult for the examinees to breathe.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
This year's examination for cultivation was hosted by Qingcheng Mountain's cultivation university. Therefore, it was the recruitment teacher from Qingcheng Mountain, representing all of Shu Province's cultivation universities, who made the announcement: "For this examination, five hundred seventy-eight examinees were expected, and five hundred seventy have arrived, meeting the examination standards... I now declare, the specialized subject examination officially begins!"
It's tragic that eight people didn't make it to the exam. But are we really conducting the specialized subject examination here? The space seems a bit tight for everyone to properly demonstrate their abilities.
The examinees looked around, their expressions a mix of confusion and hesitation.
The specialized subject examination tested the ability to learn a low-level spell of a particular Major within a set time.
During the learning process, various accidents were bound to occur. Even experiments in a lab could end with an explosion, let alone learning spells. If five to six hundred people were to cram into this open space outside Shangqing Palace for the examination, the slightest mishap could lead to widespread casualties.
As the examinees pondered this, a data rain suddenly began to fall around them. Soon after, everyone else but themselves disappeared from sight.
This scene was truly frightening.
Fortunately, a voice timely echoed in their ears: "Don't be nervous, this is an examination space created by a spell. You will undergo the specialized subject examination here. In this space, you can confidently learn spells without worrying about accidents causing any damage."
This voice had a calming effect, and the examinees quickly settled down.
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Su Mu curiously looked around, clicking his tongue in wonder: "What's this? A virtual space created by a spell?"
He bent down and patted the ground, which felt very real, definitely not an illusion realm.
"Quite interesting..."
The explanatory voice continued.
"Next, the examination system within this examination space will scan your talents and suggest the three Majors that suit you best."
"You can follow these suggestions for your studies, or choose a Major based on your own interests."
"You have two days for the exam. During these two days, you will stay in this space. If you need food, water, alchemical pills, alchemical cuisine, or any materials and utensils required for your Major, you only need to think about them, and they will be provided. But please do not waste. Also, dispose of any waste correctly according to its category. Do not litter, or there will be penalties."
"Within these two days, you can switch Majors multiple times and practice repeatedly. However, you must complete the assessments for three or more Majors before the end of the examination. Ultimately, the system will score you comprehensively based on your overall performance..."
These examination instructions were something that Su Mu and the other examinees had already learned about in reference books like "Five Years of Examination for Cultivation and Three Years of Simulation," as well as from their physical education teachers. But still, they listened intently, afraid of missing any important details that could affect their scores.
This year, there were indeed some new regulations, such as waste sorting...
Food waste was easy to deal with, but what about the waste produced by Majors like alchemical pills, runic formations, or artifact cultivation? Which category should they belong to?
It was headache-inducing.
A beam of golden light swept down, shining upon every examinee in the examination space.
A data light screen with constantly changing information appeared in front of them.
This was the examination system scanning them.
After a few seconds, the scanning ended.
Each examinee received Major suggestions based on their talents, except for Su Mu.
Although the examination system scanned him, it didn't provide any suggestions.
This scene was naturally noticed by the recruitment teachers back in the Shangqing Palace, who were observing the examinees through the light screen.
Although Su Mu was different, it didn't cause much surprise because such things, although rare, had happened before.
"It seems this examinee's talent is quite balanced."
Many recruitment teachers shook their heads, even the one who had previously been interested in Su Mu was now thoroughly disappointed.
Having balanced talent is not necessarily a good thing in spiritual practice; it often means mediocrity. And mediocre people rarely achieve significant results.
Of course, history has seen individuals with balanced talents who were anything but mediocre, instead excelling in all areas.
However, such individuals are exceedingly rare, one might emerge only once in a thousand years.
The recruitment teachers certainly did not believe that Su Mu was one of these exceptional prodigies.
In their view, it was unlikely that Su Mu would achieve high marks, so they shifted their attention and energy away from him, focusing instead on other examinees. They aimed to spot promising candidates for their respective schools.
And at that moment, Su Mu finally received a response from the examination system: "Your talents are very balanced, with no particular recommendations to make. Please choose a Major that interests you to proceed with the examination."