Bab 66: 66 Gates of the Entry Exam
They ate breakfast and left the city to go train. Ryan trained with them for a few hours then left back to the city early. Ryan training is more focused on cultivating than anything else right now.
He mainly just train with Brian and them because he wanted to spend some time with his friends. Before Ryan went back to the inn to cultivate, he went to the shop Mystic Moon to look at spells.
Tom told him he thinks he remember seeing certified spells there. The place wasn't busy when Ryan got there, there was only 1 other person there. He went to the area that shows spells inside a glass container.
There was a memory jade on top of the glass attached to a string. He had a guess what it was used for and grabbed it. He injected his mana and saw list of spells.
He focused on the lighting category. Lightning Spear, Chain Lightning, Lightning bullet.
They was the cheapest 1 star spells with a novice rank as minimum requirement to learn. Cost around 1200 to 1800 LG mana stones
Then he looked at the most expensive spells. Judgement Rain, 2.2 stars, minimum requirement Mage rank, 4300 LG mana stones. Cause lightning to rain from the sky to attack your opponent.
Lightning Reflex, 2.7 stars, minimum requirement Mage rank, 5500 LG mana stones. Faster reflexes.
(I see why people would buy uncertitfide spells. These prices are to high, it would take a long time for a rank1 novice to obtain over 1000 LG mana stones.)
He didn't go look at uncertitfide spells because there was no point. He would have to buy them to know if they are good or not. It would be a waste of his time.
Tom already explained to Ryan what the stars mean. The lower the star number, less efficient the spell is. Its either there are better ways to optimize the spell to get more out of it, or there are similar spells that is better already made. 6 star is the highest.
Ryan made is way back to the inn and cultivated.
....
Time went passed fast and it was the day of the entry exam. All Ryan did was mostly cultivated, and he made it to middle of rank1.
It is easy to tell what stage a person core is at, and that is by the color of the core when you stimulate it. At the beginning of each rank its a light tan color, and as the core get strengthen the color get darker. It will give off a dark brown gold color at the late stage of the core in each rank.
Tom walked Ryan and his kids to the place where the entry test is at. The place is still inside the outer city so anyone could get to it.
The usually peaceful outer city had become extremely busy today. There were pedestrians everywhere and the streets were filled with beast-drawn wagons.
There was some of the academy students in navy-blue sleeveless robes uniforms acted as guides, helping to give directions to the entry test. The entry test was the grandest annual event in the outer city.
Anyone who passed the exam would obtain recognition from the city lord. The passer would not only be rewarded with a chance to get pick by a academy, but also receive the qualifications to participate in a prefectural exam to work for the city.
People who work for the city all live in the inner city, and normally have a easy living.
In addition, those who participate in the prefectural exam might catch the eye of powerful factions; this was an opportunity which might help them soar into the sky and obtain numerous cultivation resources!
Unlike the entry test the prefectural exam happens in public view. Hence, when the yearly entry exam began, it would draw the focus of the entire outer City. Everyone wanted to see which lucky souls would pass the exam.
The city, prefecture exams were excellent tools to select talents. The person who came up with these exams was most certainly far-sighted and wise.
Every year of exams would give a huge batch of potential future pillars to the city, replenishing new blood which would gradually strengthen the city!
There was many people heading in the same direction. When they got there they found a bustling scenery sprawled before their eyes, a sea of people rushing here and there.
Some of the young kids were even accompanied by their entire family, a sight that deeply moved Ryan and made him feel for his family.
There was a big sign above the gate of the entrance that says. "Entry Exam, anyone can enter if fit the requirements.
Requirements- 18 years old or under, 200 LG mana stones.
It was a Line of kids that was slowly entering through the gate and Ryan and them went to the back of the line.
"Bye, wish yall luck, I'm not sure what will happen if you do enter the academy, but I will be staying at the inn for another month. If you need to get in contact with me later just find a way to leave a note in our house outside the city if I'm not there." Tom said as he walked away.
Brian and the others wave bye back.
"I always wonder why do yall live outside the city, and why didn't he find a house here in this city." Ryan asked the siblings.
Brian hesitated for a little before responding. "It was personal reasons why we left our last city and chose to live outside the city. Brian said with a hint of sadness in his words.
"But the reason why my dad didn't get a house in this city is because if we ever provoke the wrong person they can't use our dad as a hostage. There are rules you have to get around if anyone want to go over board in the academy, but that only useful for academy students." Brian said
"Do people really be taking it that far?" Ryan asked with a slight surprise.
"Yep, it be even worse at times. The academies is not safe either, there are always ways around rules. Never put your hopes in them to keep you safe."
Ryan didn't continue that topic of conversation. This wasn't his first time hearing things like this, but a part of him thought people over exaggerated a little. Or it happened only a couple times before and it is not often that things like that happens.
Now Ryan realize they probably had first hand experience of this cruel world to rather live outside the city.
Ryan chose to change the subject. "Why no one knows what happens during the entry test if it happens every year. Do people not talk about it or something."
"My dad said they have mages that can erase people memories of the test they took. All the people that fail only remember going through the gates and walking back out. They always lose a chunk of memories in between."
"That's kinda scary to think about, I wouldn't like the feeling of losing my memories. I would always probably feel like something off."
"Than don't fail the entry test."
"What if there ever erase my memories in the future, or give me new memories." Ryan shudder thinking about it. "Maybe I shouldn't take the test."
"I used to be worried about the samething, but my dad said its probably not that over powered. Like there are certain conditions have to be met first, like If the person willing or something."
"Oh, he said probably. That means he could only guess, and he have no evidence to be certain."
Brian sighed at Ryan words." My dad said if there was a element that powerful, the top powers wouldn't let the people with that element survive. Yet many academies still use them. If their power was as bad as you thinking, no one would want them around. They could cause to many problems to easily."
"I guess that make sense." Ryan felt slightly better hearing that, but he still took a mental note to find a mental defense spell.
They chose to stand in line quietly after they noticed people looking at them weirdly because of there conversation.
Soon it was there turn to pay the 200 mana stones. After paying, each one of them received a badge with a number on it and was told not to lose it. The numbers was in order.
Elizabeth 873,
Brian 874,
Ryan 875,
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone