Volume One: Emerging Brilliance Chapter 106: Top of the Assessment

Wang Jue had not slept all night, fully immersed in his cultivation. The main reason was his discovery that after breaking through to the Spirit Condensing Mirror stage, he could use cultivation to replace sleep time.

It wasn’t until noon the next day that the sudden ringing of his phone interrupted his cultivation, forcing him to stop. Wang Jue took out his phone and saw an unfamiliar number. Initially, he was about to hang up, but then considered it might be the adventurers’ association calling, so he hesitated and answered, “Hello, who is this?”

“Hello, is this Mr. Wang Jue?” came a young woman’s voice from the other end. “I’m responsible for notifying you that your adventurer certification has been approved. The relevant documents will be delivered to you within a week.”

“Additionally, we would like to inform you that the adventurers’ meeting will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Mingfa Hotel. Please make sure to attend.”

“I understand, thank you,” Wang Jue replied and then hung up.

In truth, Wang Jue wasn’t worried about passing the assessment at all. For someone like him who had ‘opened his meridians,’ other tests might be challenging, but this kind of insight-based examination was nothing more than child’s play and hardly worth mentioning.

He had originally planned to wait for the call and then have Lao Jin pick him up, but since the meeting was scheduled for the next day, he dismissed the idea of returning immediately.

Just as he put down the phone, Monkey called: “Junior Brother Wang, how did it go?”

“So-so.”

“Don’t be discouraged. You’re still young. If you don’t pass, you can try again next year.”

“Senior Brother, I think you might have misunderstood.”

Wang Jue’s voice was tinged with helplessness. “I meant the difficulty of the assessment was so-so.”

“Hahaha, you really aren’t modest at all,” Monkey laughed. “Good thing I know you’re not the joking type. By the way, have you seen your scores from this time’s assessment?”

“Uh…” Wang Jue was momentarily stunned. “To be honest, I completely forgot. I’ve been cultivating since the test yesterday. I won’t be back until after tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Tsk tsk tsk…” Monkey clicked his tongue in wonder for a while. “Although I knew you would definitely pass, hearing it still makes me a bit envious. I’ve been in seclusion for so long and all I learned was that staying up late causes hair loss. Nothing else.”

Wang Jue thought for a moment and could only comfort him, “You have plenty of hair, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“…” Monkey fell silent for a moment, then somewhat embarrassed and angry said, “Enough, I’m hanging up!”

***

Meanwhile, in the Chen family’s main hall, many people had gathered, waiting for the adventurer assessment results to be announced. Even the elderly patriarch, who rarely appeared, was present.

“I heard that Huang from the Huang family didn’t perform well this time. Our Chen You will definitely be first,” Chen’s Third Uncle said with a chuckle, rubbing his large belly.

The elder sitting beside him from the Ye family nodded repeatedly, “Exactly. Looking at the entire Peace Town and even neighboring towns, Chen You is among the best of the younger generation. He’s destined to lead the martial arts world in the future.”

Chen You humbly replied in front of the elders, “Uncle, Third Uncle, you flatter me. I still have much to learn.”

“Bang, bang, bang!” The Chen patriarch tapped his cane on the floor, silencing the crowd. Then he said, “Chen You, come sit before me.”

Chen You respectfully walked over.

The patriarch nodded approvingly. “This adventurer assessment is just your starting point. Within two years, you must find ways to improve your adventurer rank. Only by leading your peers in rank will you truly be called the leader of the young generation. Never be arrogant or rash.”

Chen You bowed slightly, “Grandfather, rest assured, I will remember this well.”

At that moment, a slight commotion arose at the entrance.

“They’re here, the list is out.”

“Hurry, bring it up.”

The Chen patriarch watched as the document containing the list was delivered, then turned to Chen You with a smile and nodded, “Go, receive the glory that belongs to you.”

“Alright!” Chen You nodded heavily, strode forward, took the list, and stood in the center of the hall, slowly unfolding it.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.

“What’s wrong, Chen You?”

“This can’t be!”

Chen You was furious, “I don’t believe it!!”

Just as he was about to explode in anger, a hand pressed on his shoulder, restraining him. “Don’t lose your composure.”

The patriarch took the list from him, and after seeing the rankings, his pure white eyebrows lifted slightly. He addressed the hall calmly, “Chen You, your rank… is second.”

A hush fell over the crowd.

The Chen family members looked at Chen You with surprise, seemingly unable to understand how someone had stolen his thunder.

“Who’s first?”

“Could it be Huang from the Huang family?”

“Unlikely. From what I heard, Huang performed poorly this time. It’s questionable if he even made the top ten.”

“If it’s not Huang, then who?”

The Chen patriarch frowned slightly as he looked at the first name on the list, seeming to ponder it deeply without finding an answer. After a moment, he said again, “Ranked first, Wang Jue.”

“Wang Jue? Never heard of him. Who is he?”

“I don’t think there’s a Wang Jue from the Wang family in Peace Town.”

Chen Hui raised an eyebrow and approached Chen You. “Second brother, is this Wang Jue the one from your martial arts school?”

Chen You clenched his fists, face contorted in rage. “That worthless trash? There’s no way he could be number one!”

The hall erupted with heated discussion.

Chen You stormed out without looking back, heading straight to the Extreme Path Martial Arts School.

Soon, he arrived at the school. “Where’s Wang Jue? Tell him to get out here!”

Those at the school who hadn’t yet received the list exchanged glances. “Young Master Chen, Wang Jue hasn’t returned yet. We heard he’s attending the meeting tomorrow before coming back.”

Chen You’s face darkened as if he had swallowed a dead fly. After a long silence, he finally spat out through clenched teeth, “Fine, I’ll come back tomorrow!”

***

The next day, at 9:30 a.m., Wang Jue arrived at the Mingfa Hotel half an hour early, not trying to be just on time.

As the most famous hotel in Peace Town, its magnificent exterior alone spoke of its grandeur.

“Welcome!” At the entrance, two rows of tall, exquisite hostesses dressed in cheongsams greeted guests sweetly.

The meeting was on the twentieth floor, so Wang Jue didn’t need to find it himself.

A hotel staff member led the way, and within minutes, Wang Jue reached the twentieth floor.

Before entering the hall, the lively noise inside was already audible.

Wang Jue had thought the meeting might be different, but it was simply a place for introductions.

He had no interest in such things.

Scanning the hall, Wang Jue noticed that the lowest cultivation among the adventurers present was at the fifth level of Spirit Condensing.

In fact, among those who had passed the assessment, he had the lowest cultivation.

Reality was harsh in any world.

Because of his low cultivation, although people saw Wang Jue enter, once they realized he was only at Spirit Condensing Level Three, they all dismissed the idea of approaching him.

With no one coming to greet him, Wang Jue was content to enjoy the solitude and found a corner to sit, occasionally glancing around the room.

During this time, he noticed several people who could pose even the slightest threat to him.

Time passed little by little.

More and more people arrived.

The meeting continued until 2 p.m. before it ended.

Wang Jue had already called Lao Jin before attending.

Throughout the event, no one approached to talk to Wang Jue.

If it weren’t for the concern that leaving before the meeting ended might cause a bad impression, Wang Jue would have left long ago. He had never been interested in the meeting from the start.

Alone in the corner, he sat until the event concluded.

At the moment the meeting ended, Wang Jue was the first to leave.

Outside the hotel, he saw Lao Jin waving at him from afar, having waited for some time. “Mr. Wang, over here!”

“Lao Jin, sorry to trouble you again.”

Wang Jue got into the car and gave Lao Jin an apologetic smile. “Let’s go home.”

***

Around 6 p.m., Wang Jue returned home and immediately went to his room to turn on his computer.

It had been two months since the exam ended.

Ordinary students could check their scores by phone or online about a week after the exam, and the admission cutoffs for major universities would be released simultaneously.

For martial artists like Wang Jue, however, the sheer number of candidates and limited number of schools meant even with increased enrollment, selection was still extremely rigorous.

If it were normal schools, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.

The problem was every martial artist dreamed of entering one of the top hundred martial schools.

Although these top hundred schools had to increase enrollment due to support for martial arts, they did not lower their admission standards but in fact raised them considerably.

As a result, candidates with slightly lower cultivation levels were basically at a disadvantage in the cultivation bonus score.

Wang Jue sat at his computer, repeatedly refreshing the webpage. Score announcements were scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but often came a bit early.

“I should have gone to study and re-certify my cultivation earlier. I wasted four or five points for nothing. I wonder if I can get into a top hundred martial school this time?”

He felt a tinge of regret but also hope. “My scores in the liberal arts and science exams were average—not too high, not too low. If luck is on my side, I should rank within the top thousand in the town. Adding my martial arts test and cultivation bonus scores, I should reach the admission cutoff for the top hundred schools…”

The higher the ranking of a top hundred school, the better—but also the higher the required score.

For the schools ranked within the top ninety, Wang Jue had no hope.

If he had had his current cultivation level during the exam, his goal would have been the top ten schools among the top hundred.

But now, it was too late to say anything.

Based on his own estimates, he still had a slim chance to get into the top hundred; beyond that, he could only wait and see.