Southwind Academy was bustling with activity on this day. The atmosphere seemed to be fired up as everyone geared up for the preliminary examinations.
This preliminary examination was basically a qualifying round. Only the surviving twenty individuals would be able to represent Southwind Academy in the final examinations.
The Academy Final Examinations, as they were also known as, was a gathering of all the academies in the Tianshu Province in which they would engage in rounds of battles. All of this was part of the selection for the Astral Sage College's strict entry requirements.
This was also to say that only by passing through this qualifying round and entering the top twenty would one have the right to struggle for a place within the Astral Sage College.
Of course, many students also understood that the Astral Sage College was a goal that was simply too lofty. If they were able to perform outstandingly during the final examinations, they would still be able to attend a respectable college in the Xia Kingdom.
Although these other colleges and institutions were not as famous, as large in scale, or as strong as the Astral Sage College, they were still viable paths for one's future.
Hence, this final examination was the final chance for the students to demonstrate their capabilities.
At Southwind Academy's central training field.
The entire place was swarmed with a sea of people. There were tens of rings that had been constructed to serve as the competition fields. The rules were also quite simple: one competitor had to be knocked out of the field or forced to forfeit before the time limit was over to be considered a victory.
When Li Luo and Zhao Kuo arrived in the area, they were shocked at the hustle and bustle.
"Hmph! It truly seems a little noisy." Zhao Kuo laughed.
"Although this is considered a qualifying round, to the vast majority of the students here, this is also their final chance to demonstrate their capabilities," Li Luo replied.
Zhao Kuo nodded as he scratched his head with a melancholic expression on his face. "I don't even know if I qualify to enter the top 20." With Li Luo's sudden rise, Zhao Kuo was now considered to be the second strongest within the Second School. Looking at Southwind Academy as a whole, his chances of entering the top 20 were not small. However, this also required a little bit of luck. If he were to successively encounter individuals that were stronger than him, his overall record would also be tarnished and he might very well be eliminated.
"Everything is up to Lady Luck. Well, luck is something that's innate, and from the looks of things, you might not survive a few bouts after all," Li Luo casually quipped as he looked around.
Zhao Kuo's face turned green as he scolded, "You bastard! I curse that you encounter Lu Qing'er in the very first round!"
"No you."
"No youuuuuu!!!!"
Whilst the two bickered freely, an ear-piercing announcement echoed out from a platform overlooking the field. Everyone's attention shifted to it, and they could see Dean Wei walking out with the rest of the teachers following behind.
"Good morning, students. The preliminary examinations are about to start. I hope that all of you here will do your utmost and display your strongest state. The ranking today will influence your future. The examinations will last three day and the results of these battles can be seen on the stone pillars situated in the four directions of the field. I will not speak any more unnecessary words and hereby announce the start of the preliminary examinations!"
As the words resounded around the field, the shouts and excitement became even more intense and palpable.
Li Luo and Zhao Kuo, on the other hand, had made their way to a stone pillar. On the stone pillar hung a projection crystal. Large amounts of information was scrolling through it as they read it.
After half a minute, they discovered their opponents for the day.
Zhao Kuo immediately heaved a sigh of relief. The two opponents he would be facing did not exceed his expectations. This was sufficient for him.
Li Luo's expression was also indifferent. His two opponents were both from the First School, but they were not even as strong as Bei Kun.
This, however, was normal. Southwind Academy had almost a thousand students. What were the odds of him encountering a metal plate that was ripe for the kicking so quickly?
On the contrary, Zhao Kuo and him were considered to be the metal plates that no one wanted to encounter.
"It's almost my turn. I will go and prepare myself. All the best!" Zhao Kuo looked at the time and said goodbye to Li Luo, excitedly tunneling into the mass of humans and disappearing in a flash.
Li Luo shook his head as he made his way to his own battle stage. His first round was also about to begin.
After reaching his assigned battle stage, Li Luo waited for around half an hour until the administrators announced his name, directly jumping atop in a single motion.
Li Luo's appearance had also attracted the attention of the people around. Furthermore, he had previously beaten Bei Kun and his two friends in one go. He had once again regained a certain level of prestige.
However, not everyone had witnessed that battle personally, so they continued to hold Li Luo in contempt, thinking that his display of prowess was a mere exaggerated tale. Now that Li Luo was actually on the field, they would personally get to knock him down to size.
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