As the first round of assessments ended, Chen Yue approached. Zhang Liang smirked and teased:
"Not bad, Ah Yue. You're starting to show some of your godfather's flair."
Chen Yue chuckled and responded,
"Yep, the younger generation surpasses the old. The godfather washed up on the beach—I get it."
Zhang Liang was momentarily stunned. Looking at Chen Yue's mischievous grin, he found himself at a rare loss for words.
Time ticked by, and the first stage of the exam finally concluded.
Seeing that everyone had returned to their seats, Yue Hengzhi spoke in a calm voice:
"The scores have been compiled. They'll be posted on the Federation's official site shortly, so you can check them yourselves later."
"That concludes today's assessment. Tomorrow, same time and place—we'll begin the theory exam. Dismissed!"
With a wave of his hand, Yue Hengzhi recalled the stern Rock-Iron Sentinel beast into his contract book and left without another word, leaving the crowd scrambling to check their rankings.
Zhang Liang was among them, quickly pulling out his phone. Chen Yue remained unfazed. Having already scored full marks, he had no need to look.
After a few page refreshes, the rankings appeared:
Rank
Name
Score
1
Chen Yue
100
2
Han Wenlong
93
3
Situ Mingyu
92
4
Yun Xianhe
90
5
Wu Yong
90
6
Zhang Liang
90
As for that other classmate… well, they had long since been forgotten.
As Zhang Liang put it, "He doesn't even deserve to be mentioned."
"Damn! Just because my number came a little later, I ended up behind them on the list?"
Zhang Liang shouted in frustration. Chen Yue said calmly:
"Ah Liang, it's just the first day. Why stress about it? The next two days are what really count."
"Let's head home and revise."
Patting his friend on the shoulder, Chen Yue led the way out. The crowd watched the two as they walked off together.
Others echoed the sentiment:
"Let's go, time to study!"
With the theory exam scheduled for tomorrow, everyone dispersed. After all, if not now, when?
Elsewhere, a sleek, high-end levitating car sped down the road.
The driver was a plain-looking middle-aged man in a sharp suit, silent and focused on the road.
In the back seat sat a youth with a somber expression, wearing the latest high-fashion clothing—clearly someone from a wealthy background.
This was none other than Han Wenlong, the Han family's proud prodigy.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Calmly, Han answered.
A voice came through the earpiece:
"Young Master, after investigating the people who entered the Radiant Secret Realm around that time, we narrowed it down to five Silver-ranked Beastmasters. I've already sent you profiles on three of them. Please review…"
Before the voice finished, Han Wenlong hung up and opened the files.
He didn't recognize two of the names. But the third…
"Chen Yue? That name sounds familiar…"
He tried to recall but came up blank. He had been too distracted during the exam to notice much around him.
Han studied the file silently, fingers tapping the armrest in thought.
"This kid just broke through. He shouldn't be strong enough to kill my uncle. Still… I can't overlook any clues."
His eyes turned cold.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I will find your killer."
Back home, Chen Yue excitedly shared the good news with his parents.
Father Chen couldn't hold back his joy and pulled Chen Yue into a hug.
"Well done, son!"
Mother Chen, equally excited, gently caressed his head.
"You've worked so hard, my child."
Their heartfelt words made every bit of Chen Yue's effort feel worthwhile.
"All of this… it's so they won't have to worry about me anymore."
Surrounded by love, Chen Yue treasured this moment deeply.
After chatting briefly, he returned to his room to prepare for the next day's theory exam.
He had already memorized the material thoroughly. Unless something unexpected happened, scoring full marks should be easy.
Chen Yue wasn't being arrogant—he had always been a top student. Once he read something, he remembered it.
Even after transmigrating into another world, he remained a straight-A student.
Now, all he needed was a quick review and a good night's sleep to ensure peak performance.
The next day.
Chen Yue and Zhang Liang arrived at the test center together.
Everyone around was buried in their books, mumbling to themselves. Even Zhang Liang was focused.
Chen Yue, however, stood empty-handed.
Zhang Liang raised an eyebrow.
"Ah Yue, shouldn't you be reviewing? Don't screw up the test!"
Chen Yue just smiled and replied firmly:
"A true genius never crams at the last minute."
Zhang Liang was speechless.
"Right… I forgot this guy is a human cheat code. Damn, he's showing off again!"
They had arrived early, so they waited as more and more students gathered.
When the clock struck the hour, Yue Hengzhi once again appeared on stage, straight to the point:
"We'll now begin the second test. Please follow your assigned staff according to your candidate numbers to your designated rooms."
The staff entered in an orderly line, just like the day before, holding signs with number ranges.
Chen Yue and Zhang Liang quickly located the staff member holding the "80–100" range and joined the queue.
They were led to a classroom equipped with twenty of the latest computer terminals.
Chen Yue sat down and entered his information. Under the staff's guidance, the theory exam began.
The test focused on foundational knowledge—mainly Beastmaster theory and history. A few questions touched on secret realms and combat strategy.
Chen Yue tackled each question with ease.
Q: Explain the principle of attribute suppression between beasts and provide examples.
"Simple enough."
He typed swiftly:
"Beast attribute suppression is based on natural elemental interactions. Certain attributes hold natural advantages over others.
For example, fire suppresses wind, water suppresses fire, earth suppresses water, and lightning suppresses flying beasts.
In battle, a summoner can exploit these weaknesses by selecting a beast with the appropriate attributes, thereby gaining a strategic edge."
He continued on to the next question:
Q: When did the secret realms first appear on Earth? List their effects on Earth's ecosystems.
"History question next? Let's go."
He mentally reviewed the facts and typed:
"The secret realms appeared 106 years ago, causing a profound impact on Earth's ecosystems.
Not only did they lead to the emergence of Beastmasters and feral beasts, but even wild animals were affected—undergoing subtle changes in biology and behavior. For example…"
Two hours passed as Chen Yue carefully filled in each answer.
When he finished, he reviewed his work, then submitted it.
Early finishers were allowed to leave, so Chen Yue wandered out and found a spot to sit and wait for Zhang Liang.
As candidates filed out, a familiar figure flashed past.
"Song Xuan? Haven't seen him in so long I nearly forgot he existed."
But the other student hurried off without greeting him.
"Whatever. No point wasting energy on him. I need to focus on tomorrow's final test."
Chen Yue shook his head and pushed the distraction aside.