Chapter 485 - 220: Invincible Force Field, the Grand Exam Begins
Chapter 485: Chapter 220: Invincible Force Field, the Grand Exam Begins
From fighting side-by-side in the online tournament.
To now, where she could only gaze at him from a distance.
Scene after scene from the past flashed through her mind, culminating in a silent sigh.
She knew that she and he were now worlds apart.
Once the pep rally concluded, homeroom teacher Chen Meng walked over with a stack of exam permits.
"Come and get your exam permits! Make sure you check your testing center information!"
Li Jun was the first one up. After getting his permit, he broke into a wide grin.
"Ah Ye, where’s your testing center? Mine’s right here in Dongjiang. Heh, taking the exam practically on my own doorstep. So convenient!"
Lin Ye shook his head. "I haven’t gotten mine yet."
The words had barely left his mouth when Chen Meng walked over and placed a card in front of Lin Ye, its texture and color completely different from the others.
"Yours."
Lin Ye took it, his gaze falling on the line for the testing center.
Two striking, bold words came into view.
Imperial Capital.
"What the hell?! Imperial Capital?!"
Li Jun craned his head over, and cried out in surprise when he saw the two words. "Ah Ye, why are you going all the way to the capital for the exam?"
Chen Meng waved his hand impatiently.
"Shoo, shoo. Go on, mind your own business."
After shooing Li Jun away, Chen Meng turned to Lin Ye, his eyes filled with pride and anticipation.
"This testing center... it must be a special arrangement by the Great Xia Ministry of Education."
"My guess is they’ve gathered the nation’s top prodigies in the Imperial Capital. In addition to the standard martial exam, there will probably be a special supplementary test just for you guys, designed to separate the best from the rest."
"Do your best. I’ll be waiting for your good news!"
...
Hanlin River Garden.
An upscale residential complex in Dongjiang City.
Lin Ye followed the address on his phone, searching for the apartment number.
About four or five days ago, during a video call with his family, his mother and sister had told him that they had moved and rented out the old house.
Finally, Lin Ye stopped in front of a door on the second floor of one of the buildings.
Before he could even ring the doorbell, the door opened from the inside.
A familiar, weathered face appeared behind it. It was none other than his father, Lin Tao.
"Incredible! Lin, how did you know it was really Xiaoye coming back!" Li Wan exclaimed in delighted surprise from behind Lin Tao.
Apparently, upon hearing footsteps in the hallway, Lin Tao had insisted that it had to be his son.
Lin Tao looked at Lin Ye, his eyes instantly reddening.
Lin Ye’s gaze fell on his father’s leg. The metal prosthesis was gone. In its place was a healthy, powerful-looking leg, indistinguishable from a normal one.
He was truly, completely healed.
"Dad."
Lin Ye’s voice was a little choked.
Lin Tao said nothing. He took a step forward, opened his arms, and pulled his son into a tight embrace.
His arms were still strong, as if trying to pour all the regret and longing from their time apart into that single embrace.
"I’m back."
"I’ll never leave you all again."
His father’s raspy voice whispered in his ear, thick with guilt.
Although they had seen each other in video calls, now, standing face-to-face and feeling his father’s warmth, the joy Lin Ye had suppressed for so long washed over him like a tidal wave.
Night fell, and a sumptuous dinner was spread across the table.
At the dinner table, Lin Ye and Lin Tao, the father and son who had been separated for so long, were both rather quiet.
’They had a million things they’d wanted to say to each other, but in this moment of reunion, they found that words were no longer important.’
’Having family by their side was the greatest comfort of all.’
"Xiaoye, where’s your exam tomorrow?" Lin Tao suddenly asked.
Lin Ye put down his chopsticks. "In the Imperial Capital."
’He hadn’t even been home for half a day, and already he had to leave on another long trip.’
"The Imperial Capital?"
Li Wan and a nearby Lin Wei were both surprised.
But Lin Tao only paused for a moment, then nodded to himself.
"The Imperial Capital is good. Yes, going to the Imperial Capital is great!"
He had a look on his face as if it were only natural. "If the higher-ups arranged it this way, there must be a good reason."
"Don’t worry. Just focus on your exam. I’ll take care of things here at home."
"We’ll be waiting for the good news—that you came back as the top scorer!"
The night passed without incident.
「The next day, before dawn.」
Lin Ye arrived once again at Dongjiang City’s military airfield.
But this time, the reception waiting for him took him by surprise.
Several staff members in crisp uniforms were already waiting. The man leading them was none other than Li Kai Nian, the Deputy Director of the Ninghai Education Department.
"Lin Ye, we meet again."
Li Kai Nian extended his hand with a warm smile.
A short distance away, Chen Meng and Principal Wang Zhengguo, who had come to see Lin Ye off, were stunned by the scene.
’The deputy director of the entire provincial Education Department, personally coming to escort a single exam candidate?’
’This level of fanfare... wasn’t it a bit much?’
All they knew was that Lin Ye had recently attended a training camp and participated in a training expedition into a rift in Ninghai.
But clearly, they still had no idea what earth-shattering feats Lin Ye had accomplished recently.
As Lin Ye was about to board the plane, Lin Wei cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Little bro! Bring home the top prize!"
"We’ll be waiting for your good news—!"
Lin Ye looked back, waving at her with a smile.
Stepping onto the plane, the sight inside once again defied his expectations.
This was not a passenger plane, but a private jet.
There were no cramped rows of seats. Instead, it looked more like an elegantly appointed mobile lounge. They had even prepared a fine breakfast for him.
"Lin Ye, please, make yourself comfortable."
Li Kai Nian gestured for him to sit down.
"This jet is very fast. We should reach the Imperial Capital in about an hour."
"Just as your teacher suspected, for this year’s martial exam, all the prodigies who met our internal evaluation standards—yourself included—have been brought to the Imperial Capital."
"The exam you’ll be taking will include the standard tests for martial foundations and simulated combat. However, at the end, any candidate who achieves a perfect score on both of those will face an additional test."
Li Kai Nian paused here, leaving him in suspense.
"I can’t reveal the specific details just yet."
"You just need to know that it’s the part that will truly determine your final ranking."
「Time passed.」
As the first rays of the morning sun pierced the clouds, bathing the earth in golden light, the private jet began its slow descent.
Passing through the thick cloud layer.
Lin Ye gazed out the window. Below, the silhouette of an incredibly magnificent and bustling metropolis of steel revealed itself in the morning light.
The capital of the Great Xia, and one of the world’s premier supercities—the Imperial Capital!
Just as Lin Ye was looking down upon the megacity, a familiar system notification chimed in his mind.
[Adventurers of your age from across the nation have gathered.]
[Show them with your absolute scores and strength—]
[Being a prodigy is merely the price of admission to stand before you.]
[Host has reached the required level and is facing a new challenge. Racial Advancement Quest issued!]
[Quest Objective: Participate in this year’s Great Xia National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam and take first place!]
[Quest Reward: EXP +1,000,000, Skill Points +10, Racial Template will officially advance to: Sub-dragon Warrior!]
[Sub-dragon Warrior: All Attributes growth rate increased. Unlocks new system function: Mechanism Advancement!]