"Shen Han is on the list, and he's even third in the entire province."
The students of No. 5 High School immediately erupted in excitement.
It had been so many years; not to mention No. 5 High School, even Yang City and Lingzhou City hadn't seen such results.
"Congratulations," Principal Wang Siyuan, standing beside Shen Han, said with excitement, "Good luck in the second round of practical combat, and come back as the provincial champion."
"I will work hard, Principal. Aren't you considering offering some incentives?"
"Haha, if you can really become the champion, don't worry, I personally, the Yang City Education Bureau, and even the Lingzhou Education Bureau will have many rewards."
"Congratulations."
Wen Tingting also ran over at this time. Her results were a pity; she couldn't make it into the top 200.
"The same to you, the same to you. The next step is a tough battle. Whether I can achieve a good ranking still depends on tomorrow's practical combat."
...Second day of the National Higher Education Entrance Examination
All candidates gathered at their respective school training grounds. The invigilators from the Provincial Education Department read out the exam rules.
The second round of the Martial Arts National Higher Education Entrance Examination is a practical combat test, accounting for 70% of the final exam score. The practical combat score is calculated based on the number of mutated beasts hunted: 1 point for each Rank 1 mutated beast, 2 points for each Rank 2 mutated beast, 3 points for each Rank 3, and so on.
Millions of candidates across the province are distributed in over a dozen different cities, so it's impossible to put all candidates in the same place.
Therefore, the second round of the exam takes place in a virtual Secret Realm examination hall. Candidates will each be given a smart helmet. After putting it on, they can simulate a virtual Secret Realm. What candidates need to do is hunt mutated beasts within the virtual Secret Realm.
The combat power of all mutated beasts in the virtual Secret Realm is completely equivalent to that in the real world. After entering the virtual Secret Realm, the exam automatically begins. The exam duration is 24 hours in total, and the strength of the mutated beasts faced will become increasingly powerful. If a candidate feels they have reached their limit, they can signal the invigilator to terminate the exam.
If there are any other questions about the exam rules, they can be raised before the exam.
"Teacher, I want to know if it's possible to encounter other candidates in the virtual Secret Realm?"
Shen Han really wanted to know if candidates were allowed to fight each other.
"A very good question. Yes, the virtual Secret Realm completely simulates a real Secret Realm. Everyone is randomly teleported to different locations, so of course, you will encounter candidates from other cities."
"Teacher, what happens if a candidate is killed by another candidate in the virtual Secret Realm?"
"In the Secret Realm, if candidates fight each other, half of the mutated beast points obtained by the killed candidate will be transferred to the other party's name."
"Hiss~" A chorus of gasps, "Isn't this encouraging slaughter among candidates?"
"Yes, this is what a Martial Artist needs to face. The true world of Martial Artists is far more cruel and cold-blooded than this. We are cultivating warriors with practical combat ability, not high Mental Energy waste who can only talk the talk." The invigilator was unapologetic.
"Remember, the consumption of stamina and Mental Energy in the virtual Secret Realm is a one-to-one equivalent to the real world. If you can't keep going, you can choose to withdraw. After being killed, you can respawn at a random location, but you will lose half of your points. If your points fall below 1 after 12 hours, you will be automatically teleported out."
"Teacher, can we see our opponents' point values?"
A boy raised his hand and asked.
"You can see the real-time ranking of points for the entire province, but unless you know the person you're fighting, or one of you is killed, you won't know the points of the person who was killed," the invigilator explained.
These rules were simple and brutal, encouraging the hunting of mutated beasts and even more, the mutual struggle among Martial Artists.
"Very well, if there are no more questions, the exam will start promptly at 10 o'clock."
Seeing these rules, Shen Han found them normal. Some classmates around him with weak resolve were so scared they cried, and some even questioned whether choosing the path of a Martial Artist was truly suitable for them.
Putting on the special helmet, what appeared before his eyes was a countdown to the start of the exam.
"10, 9, ... 3, 2, 1, Exam start-"
After a moment of dizziness, when he opened his eyes again, he was already in a Secret Realm with towering trees. Shen Han could even feel the cold wind blowing across his skin, and the roars of mutated beasts from deep within the jungle intermittently reached him. Millions of candidates from across the province entered this virtual Secret Realm together, yet it didn't seem crowded.
"It seems the technological level of this world is even more advanced than in my previous life."
"I only have 24 hours. First, I'll hunt mutated beasts, and then I'll go find candidates from other cities to seize their points." Shen Han planned this way.
At the same time, large screens in various schools across Nanjiang Province displayed the real-time ranking of candidates' points.
After activating his "Sniff" skill, the surrounding mutated beasts basically had nowhere to hide. The mutated beasts Shen Han encountered were mostly Rank 1 and Rank 2. These mutated beasts couldn't withstand a single move from him.
An hour passed quickly.
[Rank 1, Lu Yanlin, Points: 50]
[Rank 2, Liu Ruyan, Points: 49]
...[Rank 19, Shen Han, Points: 39]
Those in the first tier at the front were all Geniuses from the provincial capital. Only an hour had passed, and they had already quickly widened the gap with other candidates.
Three hours passed.
[Rank 1, Liu Ruyan, Points: 178]
[Rank 2, Lu Yanlin, Points: 169]
...[Rank 10, Shen Han, Points: 143]
The gap between Shen Han and the first tier was narrowing, but for the first three hours, he had been constantly running around looking for mutated beasts. Although activating "Sniff" allowed him to detect traces of mutated beasts a step ahead of others, these mutated beasts were too scattered, and constantly moving between different locations also consumed a considerable amount of Mental Energy.
Shen Han's advantage compared to other Geniuses in the first tier lay in his area-of-effect attacks. The Dark Element could widely restrict the mobility of mutated beasts, and the Lightning Element would clear them out.
Thus, Shen Han activated his rapid sprint mode. He didn't bother to go and kill low-Rank mutated beasts that were far away, even if he "Sniffed" them. However, this Secret Realm was indeed vast; after several hours, he still hadn't found an area where mutated beasts gathered.
Fourth hour: [Rank 31, Shen Han, Points: 144]
Fifth hour: [Rank 91, Shen Han, Points: 149]
Eighth hour: [Rank 3892, Shen Han, Points: 161]
By this time, the points of Liu Ruyan and the Lu family brothers in the first tier had already surpassed the four-digit mark.
More and more people surpassed Shen Han. His name had disappeared from the big screen a long time ago. Principal Wang Siyuan watched with a bit of trepidation. This was No. 5 High School's closest shot at the Peak; he hoped it wouldn't end up being a joke.