After more than a month of preparation, the Xinhuo Academy, which has caused some ripples in the entire Yunhui region, has officially begun its region-wide enrollment and preliminary examinations.
Xinhuo has set up enrollment selection venues in 64 first-level cities in the Yunhui region, which are giant cities of level 7 oases and above.
Naturally, the Yunhui Realm has more than sixty-four level 7 oases. However, oases such as the capital cities of various countries are often not open to outsiders, and Xinhuo cannot provide enough manpower to open more selection venues.
In order to recruit students, Xinhuo College spent a huge amount of money to rent the venue... Xiao Huan muttered that the expenditure had exceeded the income, and he must make it back next time.
The expenses are not only spent on venue rental, but also on the preparation of materials and the hiring of security personnel.
The Xinhuo headquarters only had a few thousand regular staff, and even fewer people working in the academy. There were often only three or four, six or seven people assigned to a selection meeting. These "old veterans" led a group of qualified and regular students to host the selection meeting, but there were still not enough people, so the academy had to hire some reputable mercenary groups and bounty hunters to maintain order at the venue and be alert to possible obstructionists.
After revealing their "true strength", the seven major countries are unlikely to confront Xinhuo Academy openly, and there is no need to do so secretly... They are more likely to choose to wait and see whether Xinhuo will leave in a few years, and whether the evil god's disasters will really increase.
But the Seven Kingdoms are very large. The fact that the Seven Kingdoms chose to wait and see does not mean that the myths and dignitaries in the Seven Kingdoms have no other thoughts. The powerful forces in the entire Yunhui Domain are not limited to the Seven Kingdoms.
If unexpected situations or bloody conflicts occur during the enrollment selection, Xinhuo College may just be left to be laughed at.
"There can't be any mistakes in this first regional recruitment meeting!"
…
Although it is said that students are enrolled in the entire region, in fact, the coverage area is only 64 first-level cities such as Jiliu Port, Hongtu City, and Liusha Castle. Even in these huge cities, not everyone knows about the enrollment of Xinhuo Academy.
Only a few people in the city have heard of it.
After all, the "name of the academy" was originally only circulated within the circle of high-level awakeners. Even if it spreads out now, it is difficult for it to reach the ears of ordinary people.
Even if ordinary, poor people heard about this, they would only regard it as a distant rumor. In their minds, such a thing as a fish leaping over the dragon gate is still too far away and too illusory. Only a very few people have the courage to go all out and chase a dream that is as illusory as a bubble.
Even among the awakened ones, most people do not want to leave their hometowns, or rather, they do not believe in their hearts that a pheasant like themselves wallowing in the mud has the possibility of becoming a phoenix.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Xinhuo Academy says that enrollment is open to everyone, but I know without a doubt that only the children of the rich and powerful can pass the selection. If poor people like us go there, we will be humiliated and the excellence of the rich geniuses will be highlighted."
"That's right. Even if we take a step back, Xinhuo Academy's enrollment is fair and just, but how can we possibly compete with a guy who has enjoyed superior resources since childhood... Genius, genius is made of money."
"Only geniuses can enter Xinhuo Academy, but without money you can't become a genius... Alas, there really is no such thing as a quick success."
"Instead of thinking about such a fantastic thing as getting into Xinhuo Academy, it's better to think about whether we can send our eldest son to work in a noble family. If we can find some connections to get him in, it would be a great success."
People have different ideas. Most people will enroll students from all over the country in Xinhuo College, but it will become a topic of conversation after dinner. Maybe they are envious, but that's just envy.
Only a few people packed their bags and set off two days before the enrollment day to the vicinity of the enrollment venue.
These refer to the locals living in the first-level cities.
Outside the first-level cities, even fewer residents in the surrounding oases knew the news, and they rarely had the ability to cross the wilderness to other cities.
However, even if only a very small number of people are interested and come to the enrollment site, the number of applicants gathered together is still huge.
Outside the venue, the crowd was dense and bustling, but under the pressure of high-level awakeners, people maintained basic order.
A formal student came to the crowd, and after a brief pause, his voice spread like a huge bell.
"Those who are interested in signing up for our Xinhuo Academy's preliminary selection should go to Area 1 to register their identities, and then proceed in an orderly manner according to the guided steps."
" Remember! Anyone who interferes with the admissions selection will be severely punished by our college!"
Soon, long queues formed in front of several registration points.
Most of the queues were composed of mercenaries and idle awakeners who were dressed roughly and carried sharp swords. Occasionally, one could see some real civilians wearing coarse linen clothes and looking nervous.
A few applicants stood out from the crowd. They wore luxurious robes, and were surrounded by dozens of servants. They occupied a large area by themselves, making the other applicants afraid to approach them.
Even so, many young men and women from wealthy families frowned.
"This Xinhuo Academy actually made us queue up together with these untouchables. This is outrageous!"
The person who was speaking looked at a young man wearing patched clothes not far away with a look of disgust, "These lowly people dare to enter Xinhuo Academy, haha, they really lower our standards! These guys should just get out of here and avoid polluting our eyes."
His voice was not concealed at all, like the bone-chilling wind in the winter, carrying a chill that made people turn pale.
The malice of a son of a powerful person is not something that an ordinary person can withstand.
Even if there are laws within the oasis, they can only stop the malice of other ordinary people, but not the real powerful people. This is the oasis under the jurisdiction of the seven major countries of Yunhui, and the oasis outside the seven countries may be more chaotic, more cruel, and more class-divided.
The Oasis of Evil has always been like this.
Poor people like grasshoppers are not qualified to climb mountains.
but……
"If you are affecting the order of enrollment selection, you will be warned once."
The powerful young man was stunned, and anger gradually rose up in him.
"If you do it again, it won't just be a verbal warning."
The powerful young man looked at the man not far away, who was wearing the formal uniform of a Xinhuo student. He snorted coldly and stopped talking.
The two Xinhuo students gradually walked away and continued their patrol.
The younger students were still full of resentment, "We should have kicked this guy out of the team!"
The older student shook his head. "That's the rule. Since this guy hasn't really disrupted the order of the team, we can only give him a verbal warning... This is the rule set by our academy, and we should take the lead in abiding by it. As for whether he is qualified to take the assessment, this has to be reviewed by others."
"However, there is no need to worry about such a guy sneaking into the academy. With the character he has shown, no matter how talented he is, he will be eliminated in the initial test... In the academy, talent has never been everything."
Seeing the satisfaction in the young man's eyes, the old student thought for a moment and said:
“Individuals are individuals, and identities are identities.”
"Those of humble origins should not be looked down upon, but those of powerful origins should not be treated with hostility either. In the academy, you and I only have one identity, that of a student."
…
The preliminary examination of Xinhuo College did not have a very complicated assessment process.
If we adopt the assessment method of the Blue Star era, the enrollment selection will last too long, and the money consumed will increase several times or even dozens of times, which is even more unnecessary.
The situation in the Oasis of the Strange World is very different from that on Blue Star.
The academy's assessment is tailored to local conditions and many new types of weapons are used, including the Candela standard weapons and the Xinhuo-style weapons designed by Master Wang Chui, which are more suitable for the new era.
One of the most important weapons is called "Truth Light Bulb".
This trick is related to a very important part of the preliminary selection - the "Truth or Answer" part.
The purpose is to filter out many people with bad intentions.
This kind of trick weapon is naturally not omnipotent and can be countered by some special abilities and high-end trick weapons, but it is effective enough for most awakeners and is more than enough for initial tests.
During this process, many people revealed their identities, many did not dare to answer, and left with a guilty conscience with a snort, and some guys with not so good brains became furious and were knocked unconscious and thrown out by the patrolling students.
There were too many people gathered at the venue, and there was a mixed crowd, which led to riots from time to time.
But it was suppressed forcefully.
Such scenes were also seen by the spies from various forces who were secretly observing in the surrounding area, and they could not help but marvel at them.
"That man just now was Aketu, the Sixth Sense Expert from our Liusha Castle, right?"
"That's right. He was admitted to Xinhuo Academy a few months ago. At that time, he was just an ordinary sixth-level awakening warrior, but now... he has at least the combat power of a second-rate title strongman!"
"The rumors are true. Studying at Xinhuo College can bring about a huge improvement. Now I am a little envious of those idle awakeners. At least, they can freely apply for Xinhuo College and have the opportunity to make a breakthrough."
…
The initial admission test of Xinhuo College lasted for two days.
What surprised all the major forces was the selection criteria for the preliminary test: many young geniuses with the title of Sixth Awakening were eliminated, but some mediocre boys and girls passed the preliminary selection.
The former was not surprising to all the major forces. The Xinhuo assessment had always been strict, and even those with the Sixth Awakening or ordinary geniuses might not be qualified to enter.
But under the premise that all young geniuses were eliminated, some poor awakened people and even ordinary people who had not yet awakened actually passed the primary selection, which was a big surprise.
It also caused dissatisfaction among many eliminated geniuses and strong people.
And then, nothing happened.
These geniuses and strong men initially wanted to gather together to accuse and force Xinhuo Academy to change the results of the preliminary exam, but they soon realized their own naivety.
Genius? A 20-year-old with only four senses can be called a genius?
Strong? Liu Jue dares to call himself a strong man, isn't he just a passerby?
In this era, strength is power, and strength is the rule. In the eyes of Xinhuo Academy, the profound backgrounds of many geniuses are just like paper. After some troublemakers were punished, both "geniuses" and "powerful people" gradually came to their senses: Xinhuo Academy was not a force they were qualified to influence, but a behemoth second only to the seven major countries.
Even Xinhuo Academy didn’t even give face to Shenhua, let alone them.
No matter what the eliminated people or other forces think, it has no impact on the mentors and students of Xinhuo Academy. They are preparing for the second stage of enrollment in an orderly manner.
The first stage is the preliminary test, which is a preliminary screening based on age, past experience, and talent. The real assessment is in the second stage.
This re-examination will be conducted within Xinhuo College.
"In the past few years, the recruitment examinations were all conducted outside the academy gate, and those who were able to be recruited were basically the veterans among the awakened ones."
Fang You pondered.
Recruiting experienced people is not without its benefits. These people can be transformed into efficient workers in the first place, especially the "senior technicians" among them.
But the disadvantage is that the old hands’ minds are not pure enough. Even if a few of them can join the club and become myths in the future, they will most likely be “peripheral myths”.
The college needs more "core myths" with stronger beliefs.
"Have you found any good seedlings yet?"
"Emmmm, Xiao Huan is not quite sure."
Her shadow appeared, and she bit her lip, staring at the thousands of images flashing before her as if facing a great enemy.
Fang You: "...There's no need to take it too seriously. After all, the real test hasn't started yet."
At this time, another ray of light appeared, revealing a dashing figure taller than Xiao Huan.
It was the trial officer lady.
She was lowering her head, then raising it, then lowering it slightly, and then raising it again... She looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"I……"
"I want to be the examiner for the re-examination! This position of examiner was created to examine and train talents. This kind of recruitment examination must be supervised by me. This is very reasonable, right!"
The more she spoke, the more it made sense to her, and her morale grew.
She stared at Fang You, her hands on the table, her upper body leaning forward exaggeratedly, as if she was about to lie down.
...There's no need to be so exaggerated.
"No problem, of course no problem."
"Well...then the trial officer will go and prepare!"
She pressed down the brim of her white hat and the excitement in her words, then turned and walked out the door, her footsteps seeming a little hurried.
Fang You stroked his chin.
In fact, even if Miss Trial Officer was not here, he wanted to ask her to be the examiner for the re-examination - Miss Ru was a spirit of the secret realm, able to observe the entire examination site in great detail, and possessed very rich experience and broad vision. As an examiner, she had an advantage over anyone else.
And today, he discovered Miss Ruo’s third advantage—no need to pay salary.
The college has gained a perfect examiner, and Miss Ru has gained happiness and self-realization, which is a win-win situation.
Dean Fang thought about it and it seemed that there was nothing left for him to do.
…
The instructors and students at the recruitment venues in various places are busy as hell.
The newbies who have just passed the preliminary exam are also waiting for the re-examination with joy, excitement, nervousness and other emotions.
On the third day,
More than 200 freshmen who passed the preliminary test at the Jiliu Port venue came to the port of Jiliu Port under the guidance of college mentors and old students.
They will take a flight here to the academy’s base in Luofeng Region.
The young boys and girls of noble birth already had some understanding of the academy, but some people of humble origins were a little nervous at this moment.
It's not that their psychological endurance is too weak, but that they have never left Rapids Harbor before, and now they have to go to the distant foreign lands... They began to feel nervous, worried, and uneasy about the future.
Is there cannibalism everywhere outside the city?
Is the Outland much more dangerous than here?
Is Xinhuo Academy really as wonderful as described?
What they were most worried about was that they would fail the retest and be in a strange foreign land far away from their hometown.
"Don't worry."
Xu Yun , who doesn't older than many of the new students but is already an assistant teacher at the academy, said, "After the re-examination, the academy will arrange flights to send those who failed back to various cities. Not only that, even if they can't enter the academy, those who passed the initial examination can stay and work in the foreign affairs agency under our academy, and the remuneration is not bad."
This arrangement is aimed at civilians of ordinary origin and low power.
Many of them are hostile to some powerful and influential people because they passed the preliminary examination... If they can be admitted to the college, there will be no danger, but if they fail in the re-examination and return to their hometown, the secret jealousy and hostility may turn into substantial harm.
The college made this arrangement for protection reasons.
It is also a small benefit for civilians who have passed the preliminary examination and have a clean background.
"The academy's airship is coming!"
"So white! So big! Is this the legendary White Shark-class airship?"
Like a great white shark crashing into a small pond, a giant creature slowly pushed through the mist and flew out, revealing its majestic appearance. In contrast to the White Shark-class airship, the many flying vehicles that took off and landed at the Port of Rapids looked dwarfed.
When the newbies from Rapids Harbor boarded the airship, there were already thousands of newbies from other first-level cities there.
The boys and girls were chattering, it was very lively.
Qian Xiaocao was a little timid.
She is one of the more than 200 newbies who passed the preliminary exam in Jiliu Port. She is just like her name, like the weeds that can be seen everywhere on the roadside, ordinary but with tenacious vitality.
But she is also a little "special".
The special thing is that Qian Xiaocao is not an awakener, she is an ordinary person who is not even awakened. She secretly looked around, and everyone around her was an awakener figure that she needed to look up to. She was like a lamb that broke into a pack of wolves, and could only hide in the corner and tremble.
Scared.jpg!
"Don't worry, I've got you covered."
A huge shadow was cast down. When Qian Xiaocao looked up, she saw a "giant" with arms thicker than her waist and muscles as hard as granite, who came over and sat beside her.
She moved a little further in, and her already skinny figure looked even smaller and humbler like a weed against the backdrop of the giant.
"Hahaha, don't be afraid. But people like you are indeed rare... What I mean is that you can pass the preliminary test without being an awakener yet. You must have your own shining points. You can be more confident."
“Is that so?”
Qian Xiaocao gradually discovered that although the sister in front of her looked ferocious, she was a good person.
However, the gazes of some people in the distance are very scary.
"Are places in the academy very, very precious? Why would a powerful person like my sister want to enter the academy?"
"Hahaha, I'm not some powerful person."
"Is that so?"
Qian Xiaocao didn’t quite understand either.
She just heard from her neighbor that there was a group called "Xinhuo College" that was recruiting students... She thought it was a job recruitment, so Qian Xiaocao, who was alone, signed up immediately. Then, after she passed the preliminary exam in a daze, she found that it was not that simple.
Xinhuo Academy is very powerful.
But she couldn't explain how great it was. She just saw that many big shots were vying for the chance to enter.
Thinking of this, she curled up even tighter in the corner, trying not to attract other people's attention.
…
"This little bean sprout actually passed the preliminary test, but none of my maids could pass!"
A princess thought angrily, with her hands on her hips.
She is the seventy-sixth princess of the Shuiman Kingdom. As a royal princess, she is one of the most noble people on the airship and knows a lot about the inside story of Xinhuo Academy.
The college is more incredible than you can imagine!
Her mother told her that she must do everything she could to get into Xinhuo College.
"Damn it! If this princess could get a place to study abroad, why would she be reduced to taking the test with these peasants?"
She could already imagine the mocking faces of the other guys.
But if you can’t get it, you can’t get it!
In the other six countries, it was not difficult for a princess to get a place to study abroad, but there were too many princes and princesses in Shuiman Country, more than 100. Even if only some of the princes and princesses were of the right age, and some were not interested, there were still many people competing for the place to study abroad.
The seventy-sixth princess missed the opportunity to study abroad.
"No matter. This princess will definitely be admitted to the academy and prove that she is stronger than those guys who need study-abroad quotas to enter!"
"only……"
When she thought about how she had tried her best and made countless preparations to be admitted to Xinhuo Academy, while some peasants who knew nothing were also able to get in and obtain a status not much worse than hers...Princess Seventy-Six became sulky.
Why!
…
After the White Shark-class airship was loaded with three thousand newbies, it officially set off and began its cross-domain voyage.
On the first day, the newbies were very excited.
By the second and third day, they gradually calmed down.
Smart newbies all know that they are far from being Xinhuo students yet, and there is still a hurdle they must pass before them. Only after passing it can they revel in it.
The White Shark-class airship traveled at an extremely fast speed and did not encounter any accidents along the way. This was completely different from what was described in the vernacular novels... the newbies thought.
When the White Shark-class airship landed outside the academy gate, the newbies got off the airship in batches.
They took in the sights around them.
Desolate, dead silent, and withered... Although a market has spontaneously formed here and many awakened people live here, the overall environment is still a wilderness.
However, except for a few newbies with low strength, most people have seen the scene in the wild and do not find it strange.
Under the guidance of the college instructors, they quickly passed through the secret door and entered Xinhuo College.
In an instant, heaven and earth changed.
As the warm sunshine shines, towering mountains and a huge white jade square come into view.
The newbies from ordinary backgrounds couldn't help but exclaim when they saw the secret scene.
But the princesses of noble kingdoms, the sons of dukes, the descendants of myths… these few boys and girls raised their chins slightly and wore faint smiles. Then, looking at the other examinees who were making a fuss around them, they couldn't help but raise their chins a little higher and curl their mouths even higher.
In front of the mountain gate, there are a group of "old students of the academy" who are responsible for welcoming new students and assisting in arranging assessments.
Some of them are still prospective students, and some have just been regular students for one or two months. However, this does not stop them from pretending to be seniors in front of the newbies and enjoying their admiring gazes.
"Welcome to Xinhuo Academy."
"Little ones, let this examiner see how many of you can actually stay here."
Miss Ruo, dressed in the attire of a Xinhuo mentor, strode out and clapped her hands gently.
Snap, snap~
The square in front of the mountain gate seemed to tremble.
No, what were shaking were the four huge gray statues standing on the four sides of the square.
Their eyes moved!
The stone chips are falling off their bodies!
They... they are alive!
“Roar~!”
The giant dragon turtle roared, the Thunder Eagle flew up to the sky, and sprinkled down countless thunder and lightning rain, and the extremely cold wolf king blew up the cold wind, and the coldness came to the face.
This is the welcome ceremony added by Miss Ruo, and it is also one of the assessment items for the re-examination.
From the moment the newbies stepped into the secret realm, the re-examination... began.