Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Attention all candidates! The initial test will assess your basic skills. However, being a Demon Hunter is an extremely dangerous profession, and this is a world where only the strong can survive. We will now begin the official qualification check. Any candidate with a Spirit Value below two hundred and forty will automatically lose their qualification. Now, please proceed to your examiner according to your candidate number for testing! Note that no psychic tools are allowed, and all personal weapons and magical items must be surrendered to the examiner. Anyone who violates these rules will have their examination qualifications revoked immediately!”
Fang Lin Kong felt overwhelmed by these regulations. He possessed countless treasures, but how could he trust a stranger to keep them safe? When he finally found his examiner according to his candidate number, the examiner glanced at him and only asked him to hand over the Black Wood Ring, the bracelet containing the Hundred Seas Dragon, and the Vampire's Kiss that Auronvijin had given him. There was no further inquiry into other items. Fang Lin Kong sighed in relief; he didn’t care much about those three items and obediently handed them over.
What he didn’t know was that the instructor collecting his items was also relieved. He feared provoking a candidate with a Spirit Value exceeding ten thousand, worried that it might lead to a confrontation. Although there were experts like Lord Redus present at the examination site, being humiliated in front of candidates would be a lifelong stain on his reputation.
As for the treasures hidden in Fang Lin Kong's Inner Universe, even Kyo Kusanagi wouldn’t be able to detect them; they were entirely within the practitioner's own realm of perception, completely disconnected from the outside world. Unless the practitioner ceased to exist, causing the Inner Universe to collapse, the items within would scatter through random space-time rifts in search of their destined owner once again. Fang Lin Kong was overthinking it.
The spirit energy test for Fang Lin Kong was essentially redundant. Every candidate who passed this test would receive an IC Card that recorded their basic information as well as their scores in each examination. Fang Lin Kong initially thought that as long as his spirit energy value exceeded two hundred and forty, he would easily pass. However, when he received his card and went to find Wen Yi and the others, he noticed that most candidates looked dejected. Curious, he approached Wen Yi and asked Lin Yu and Ye Lisha, “Why are so many people failing? If they knew their Spiritual Energy Index wasn’t sufficient, they wouldn’t have come here in the first place. Why would they still show up only to be eliminated?”
Ye Lisha smiled wryly and explained, “Excluding those who are hoping for luck or attempting to cheat, most candidates fail not because their spirit energy values are too low but because their energy stability isn’t sufficient. During testing, they need to maintain their spirit energy above two hundred and forty for ten minutes! Spirit energy is highly unstable and greatly influenced by emotions; it often fluctuates up and down. While many can exceed this value without difficulty, maintaining it at that level is largely a matter of luck. A moment of mental relaxation could lead to elimination. Just look at those candidates; aren’t they all giving it their all?”
“I see!”
Fang Lin Kong glanced at the other candidates, most of whom were in meditative states, desperately trying to stabilize their spirit energy release. Even if he suppressed his spirit energy with all his might, it still hovered around four or five hundred; thus, he had no such worries. Realizing he had asked an idiotic question, Fang Lin Kong shrugged and changed the subject.
“How did you all fare in your exams? I assume you’re all fine?”
Wen Yi’s expression was not very good as she replied, “Ma Jingjie was eliminated. She has already received her return ticket. Chen Mingbin and I barely passed; I don’t know about Xiaoye and Lin Yu.”
Upon hearing that Ma Jingjie had been eliminated, Fang Lin Kong’s previously relaxed mood turned heavy.
Seeing Ma Jingjie looking dejected, Fang Lin Kong didn’t know how to comfort her.
The second round of examinations was tomorrow, yet today Ma Jingjie had to leave. This outcome left all three feeling sad. They accompanied Ma Jingjie away from the bustling castle to the assembly point for eliminated candidates.
All eliminated candidates were sent away together.
Although Ye Lisha didn’t know Ma Jingjie well, seeing Fang Lin Kong and the others upset made her want to offer some comfort. She said, “Actually, there’s no need for Ma Jingjie to feel too downcast; those eliminated here this year won’t have another chance but will have one next year. Moreover, if she doesn’t want to give up just like that, every year the Demon Hunting Team’s Europe headquarters holds free training sessions for all eliminated candidates. Ma Jingjie, why not participate in training to enhance your skills and aim for a retake next year?”
With Ye Lisha's comforting words, Ma Jingjie felt a bit better. At the gathering place for eliminated candidates, there were indeed advertisements for free training. Not only was there the free training course offered by the European Demon Hunting Team that Ye Lisha mentioned, but also a short holiday training program from the American Exorcist Guild. The advertisements exaggeratedly claimed that one could triple their strength within a month, making it sound like a leisurely training experience. Countless students formed deep friendships and ignited passionate romances during this wonderful time... and so on.
After seeing this, Ma Jingjie not only lost his earlier frustration but also quickly regained his confidence and eagerly signed up.
By the first day, the number of candidates had already been reduced by half. Fang Lin Kong and the others were arranged to rest in the ancient castle. However, a few of them, unwilling to be idle, soon gathered in Fang Lin Kong's room to discuss the exam for the next day.
The castle, though old, had been renovated inside. It was well-equipped with all necessary facilities, including a complete computer network. Candidates could browse various important information online regarding the exam items.
Wen Yi and Chen Mingbin were particularly worried; their abilities were the weakest, even compared to Lin Yu and the others.
"The exam tomorrow consists of five items, purely combat subjects. We have to kill five different types of magical beasts consecutively. Each person will finish in about a week. There are a total of twenty-two types of magical beasts, and which type we confront will be completely based on luck," Wen Yi explained.
Wen Yi felt a headache just thinking about this exam. He wasn't necessarily afraid of fighting but was terrified of magical beasts. His reaction was similar to how some girls fear bugs. Though not very brave, he didn't want to lose face; he spoke loudly while feeling guilty inside.
Lin Yu changed into loose home clothes and was sipping hot tea. She leaned against the sofa where Fang Lin Kong sat, staring at his notebook as she continued, "Candidates can choose from six types of weapons provided for free or bring one weapon of B grade or lower... This is good; I can use my own sword now. I can't handle any of the weapons provided at the exam site."
Ye Lisha sat on the windowsill in Fang Lin Kong's room, gazing out at the distant scenery. She maintained a cool attitude towards Lin Yu's relief.
"The requirement to use designated weapons restricts candidates from the Spell department in demonstrating their abilities. My talismans cannot be used. However, Western spellcasting systems are generally simpler and lack specialized practitioners. The combat against magical beasts is a test of how quickly Spell candidates can cast spells and how tough their physical training is."
Fang Lin Kong initially didn't care much about this test; killing a few magical beasts was trivial for him as long as their Demon Power Index was below five hundred—he simply wasn't interested.
However, he curiously asked Ye Lisha and Lin Yu, "You both study at Kunlun; why are you participating in this exam? It seems you don't know much about it at all and haven't prepared."
Lin Yu wore cartoon slippers over her white socks while sitting beside Fang Lin Kong with one hand resting on his shoulder. She replied helplessly, "In the Chinese Taoist Sect, we are not allowed to use our powers for commercial activities. Therefore, what we practice is essentially useless in practical terms. After all, nowadays, most monsters live peacefully and rarely engage in criminal activities. We don't want our years of hard work to fade away quietly without any use. Moreover, we won't pursue being mages as a profession; we need to take exams eventually. Having the qualification of a Demon Hunter will make it much easier for us to go abroad; obtaining visas for studying in Europe or America is simpler that way. Plus, with a Demon Hunter license, we can earn some tuition money by taking on missions!"
Inhaling the fresh fragrance around him, Fang Lin Kong browsed through information about the Demon Hunter Exam online, feeling somewhat lost in thought.
On the second morning, Fang Lin Kong lay lazily in bed, unwilling to get up immediately. He hadn't slept all night and was flipping through the Dao scroll that Azure Sky Ancestor had gifted him.
This scroll contained no practical spells, but its exposition on the "Dao" was profound and unparalleled, showcasing the theoretical foundation of Kunlun Celestial Path developed over thousands of years. Although it consisted of only twelve simple chapters, totaling just over a hundred thousand words, it encompassed the essence of all cultivation. Its exploration of the mysteries of life was unmatched in the contemporary world.
The fundamental chapter on Refining Qi explained how to sense the Vitality of heaven and earth, gather energy within oneself, and ultimately achieve unity with the Vitality of heaven and earth. When one moved with intention, the might of heaven and earth would follow, reaching an extraordinary state of understanding. With the guidance of Future Seer, Fang Lin Kong had already gained significant insights in just a few hours. The advanced Yuan Shen Chapter discussed the transformations of Divine Ability, the interplay between reality and illusion. The Xuantian Nine Transformations Heart Method he possessed only provided a cultivation mantra without any theoretical foundation, so he could only mimic it without truly understanding its principles. The Yuan Shen Chapter served as a general overview; without specific techniques to reference, one could easily become lost in confusion. Now that Fang Lin Kong had both resources at hand, he suddenly experienced a breakthrough.
He mused to himself, "As long as I have ten or eight years, I will surely be able to cultivate Mystic Transformation of the Nine Heavens to the fourth transformation or even beyond. By then, whether it's the International Demon Alliance chasing me or that old monster Liexiezi breaking free, I won't have to fear him at all."
The examiner had mentioned yesterday that everyone should gather in the morning. Therefore, Fang Lin Kong was not in a hurry and leisurely ordered breakfast to his room.
This ancient castle was situated within a peculiar naturally formed space-time rift. On one side was a cliff with rushing waters below. This massive river flowed from an incomprehensibly dark expanse into the underground abyss known as Gorge. Its origins and destination were unknown.
The owner of the ancient castle had deliberately created a deep moat around it. Following the classical structure of European castles, it featured walls fifteen meters thick and seventy-five meters high, covering an area equivalent to four football fields. The complex layout made Fang Lin Kong hesitant to venture outside for fear of getting lost and unable to find his way back.
The other three sides of the castle were flat with fragrant soil, and there were sparse tall trees near both sides of the cliff. Perhaps the castle's owner loved nature; thus, there were no signs of artificial trimming in the surrounding scenery. The entire space was not very large, measuring at most four or five square kilometers.
The sunlight here was completely different from that outside. After finishing his reading of the Yuan Shen Chapter and meditating for a while, Fang Lin Kong immersed himself in his Inner Universe to adjust his Yuan Shen. It wasn't until he began to feel bored that he suddenly realized it was nearly afternoon.
"This isn't quite normal!"
"Could it be that I've been forgotten for my exam?"
With this question in mind, Fang Lin Kong called Wen Yi. On the other end of the line came similar confusion. However, Wen Yi informed him that she had already called to inquire; the examiners' response was for candidates to continue waiting in their rooms and not leave.
Although Fang Lin Kong didn't understand what was going on here, there was nothing he could do but continue testing his patience.
It wasn't until evening that someone finally knocked on his door. Fang Lin Kong impatiently opened it to find a very pure and charming female server standing before him. She spoke to him in an extremely sweet voice: "On behalf of the owner of this ancient castle, I welcome you to your stay. Here are your exam questions from the examiners; please connect to the game from your room and complete the tasks."
Fang Lin Kong was quite puzzled; how could an exam possibly involve a game?
However, when he received the exam materials, there was indeed a gaming console along with a game manual.
It also came with a book titled "Monster Compendium."
Fang Lin Kong thanked the beautiful and charming waitress and returned to his room to study this peculiar exam topic.
In reality, there weren't that many magical beasts available for candidates to conduct practical exams. Moreover, the International Demon Alliance had previously agreed with the Demon Hunting Team and the American Exorcist Guild that monsters should not commit crimes or randomly kill humans. Likewise, human practitioners were also prohibited from indiscriminately killing monsters without evidence of wrongdoing. This regulation effectively shut down any killing games targeting magical beasts, as they were also considered a type of monster.
Even the Demon Hunting Team and the American Exorcist Guild dared not casually violate this balance rule.
This world has countless space-time rifts; perhaps only those who have stepped into Divine Extremity can traverse any space-time freely. However, some less complex naturally occurring spatial rifts can be navigated by ordinary people if they have the right tools.
These naturally formed time and space are as unstable as volcanoes, capable of collapsing at any moment. A space that remains relatively unchanged for decades is already considered stable. For instance, spaces like Kongtong Cave Heaven, which can remain unchanged for a thousand years, are known to only a handful of practitioners on Earth.
These more stable naturally formed spatial rifts have long been occupied by powerful forces. The Demon Hunting Team has five bases established in other realms.
The game that Fang Lin Kong and his peers were going to participate in for their exam was not set in a virtual space of 0s and 1s but rather in a peculiar time-space governed by its own rules.
The name of this game is also the name of this space.
It is called Zero Boiling Point.
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count