บท 12: Entrance Examination 1
After Mabel walked away, leaving Alec seething with anger, he decided to shift his fury to someone else. He stormed off, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge. Spotting his friends, he quickly approached them.
"Dave, Hilary, come with me. Let's go deal with someone," Alec said, his voice dripping with malice.
Dave, the third son of the Lockhart family head, and Hilary, the first son of the Baston family grand elder, didn't even ask what was the matter. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. They followed Alec without hesitation.
When they arrived at the J's and Adams, Alec plastered a smile on his face. "Hey, I heard you say you weren't afraid of anyone just now. Care to prove your words?"
Jack looked at Alec like he was a dead man walking and retorted, "Who are you, and what's your business with what I said?"
Dave stepped forward, his expression stern. "Hey, watch your words. He is the young master of the Albert family, and we are from the Lockhart and Baston families respectively. So watch what you say in front of us."
Hilary added, his tone mocking, "You sure are not afraid, are you?"
Alec laughed, his eyes gleaming with menace. "Hahaha, I like your guts."
Jack, having heard those exact words before, grinned. Thinking about causing a little mayhem, he winked at Adams and said, "What's with you Alberts and my guts? The other day in Grelin City, someone who goes by the name Adams also said these exact words. Are you guys a gut-eating family?"
Adams laughed out loud at Jack's words, while Janice's thoughts raced, "Is the entrance examination going to end before it even starts?" She worried about what might unfold if Adams intervened.
Unbeknownst to the J's, the mention of that name caused a noticeable change in several people's expressions.
---
**Mabel's POV**
Did he meet him? Is he also here? Mabel thought about the one whose fate she couldn't tell. She also wondered if the reason she couldn't see the fate of the trio was due to his interference in their lives.
---
**??? POV**
I have to tell the master about him. If he is here, then he didn't die and might come to take revenge. Even if he can't fight the master now, he might be able to cripple the young master, the person thought. They took out a communication device and contacted someone. "He is alive and might be participating in the Imperial Sect entrance examination."
A voice shouted from the receiver, "What did you say? Forget it, I'll be coming there myself."
---
Back to the J's and Adams, all of these events didn't go unnoticed by Adams, who was pleased with the unfolding drama.
Alec's face turned red with rage. "WHAT DID YOU SAY??"
Before a fight could break out, a middle-aged man with ordinary looks, who happened to be the examiner of the event, intervened. "Calm down, young ones. The first round of the Imperial Sect entrance exam is about to begin, and given the nature of this year, there will be big changes."
The crowd grew silent, turning their attention to the examiner. His presence commanded respect, and even Alec had to bite his tongue.
Alec's face was twisted in anger as he watched Adams, Jack, and Janice. He clenched his fists, barely containing his rage. "You got lucky this time, but next time luck won't be on your side."
Jack looked at Alec with disdain. "Whatever. I don't have time for pests."
Hilary, standing beside Alec, couldn't hold back his fury. "What did you just say, you maggot? You're talking to nobles, don't you realize?"
Adams stepped in, trying to diffuse the situation. "Calm down. I'm sorry for my friend here; he just says what comes to his mouth without reasoning. And if you don't mind, we should listen to what the examiner is saying."
Alec narrowed his eyes at Adams. "And who might you be?"
Adams replied smoothly, "Ah, my name is Lucifer Morningstar."
Dave, another of Alec's cronies, sneered. "Tsk, this isn't over."
Alec scoffed, "Humph, let's go, guys."
Adams folded his arms and watched them leave with a smile. Jack and Janice turned their focus back to the examiner.
The examiner, a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance but an authoritative presence, addressed the crowd. "This year's examination is divided into three sections. The first round will be the disqualification round where we determine if you meet the requirements of the sect. Secondly, the survival round will see you teleported to Training Ground 1 of the sect, where you will have to survive for three days, not just from beasts but also from your fellow competitors. Only those who make it into the top 1000 of the score ranking can join the Imperial Sect. You will be scored based on the number of beasts killed or stolen from your competitors. Finally, the 1 vs 1 matches will give those who failed in the survival round a chance to challenge the top 1000 who passed, and it will also determine the top three inner sect disciples and award the top seven below them. Further information will be given by the person in charge. I now officially mark the start of this year's Imperial Sect entrance examination."
Jack scoffed, "Tsk, if I didn't know what would happen, I would have been so ecstatic."
Janice sighed, "Will you shut up for once?"
Jack smirked, "Humph."
Adams announced, "This is where I take my leave. See you in the final round." With that, he vanished, leaving Jack looking annoyed but resigned.
To the others, Adams's disappearance was inexplicable; to them, it was as if he had never been there. Adams had used his [Reality Manipulation] ability to bend reality to his will. Only Jack and Janice knew the truth.
Jack muttered, "I hate it when he does that."
Janice nodded, "Yeah."
Jack laughed, "Hahaha, I thought you would never say it."
Janice rolled her eyes, "Let's go."
"Okay, okay, hahaha."
As they moved to the first round, they saw many dejected faces. It was clear that the requirements for this year were harsh: rank 5 cultivation realm and under 18 years of age. Many cultivators who didn't meet these criteria were left disappointed. However, Jack and Janice easily met the requirements and were given tokens for the second round.
The second examiner, a stern-looking man, addressed them. "Those of you who passed the requirements, listen up. The second round is all about survival. You will be grouped in fours and must survive, gathering survival points either by killing beasts or stealing from opposing teams. Killing among yourselves is forbidden; you can fight and injure your opponents but not kill them. The tokens in your hands can be used to check your points, and if you feel your life is in danger, crush the token and you will be teleported to safety. The second round will last an hour, so do everything in your power to survive. Your names will be randomly generated into groups."
A large screen appeared, displaying the names of the participants. After a few minutes of shuffling, the groups were formed.
Jack was stunned when he saw the names, while Janice wondered if it was Adams's doing.
"Janice, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Jack asked incredulously.
Janice sighed, "You are such a fool."
Jack burst into laughter, "Hahaha, I don't care, hahaha."
What Jack saw made him so happy that he felt like he was on cloud nine. He was in the same group as the one and only Imperial Princess, Mabel Lovigary, and he didn't even bother to check the names of his other teammates. Without wasting time, he dragged Janice to where Mabel was standing.
Janice protested, "What was that for?"
Jack grinned, "Hehehe, we shouldn't keep the Imperial Princess waiting, Janice. Or do you want her to look for us herself?"
Janice just looked at her brother and then at Mabel, closing her eyes and waiting for their last teammate.
Jack ignored his sister and, with a charming smile, introduced himself to Mabel. "I'm Jack Connor, and this is my sister, Janice Connor. Please forgive my sister's attitude; she is a very shy person."
A tick mark appeared on Janice's head, but she couldn't refute her brother's words.
Mabel, seeing their antics, remembered her own siblings and smiled. "It's alright. You must already know my name, but for formality's sake, my name is Mabel Lovigary."
"Where is our other teammate?" Janice asked before Jack could continue.
Mabel replied, "Awar Clisthert. This is going to be troublesome."
"Why?" Janice asked, curious.
"Awar Clisthert is the seventh son of the emperor of the Sloth Empire, known for being extremely lazy but making up for it with his intelligence. If it's him, it's going to take forever for him to come to us, or worse, he might be sleeping somewhere."
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Is he that bad?"
Mabel laughed softly, "Although he is lazy, that doesn't mean he isn't strong. He is a talent. Despite being lazy, his cultivation speed is monstrous compared to mine. He is already a peak rank 8 despite not cultivating seriously. Now, imagine when he does."
Janice and Jack were slack-jawed at Mabel's words. They were considered geniuses in their hometown, but compared to the lazy prince, they felt like trash. It truly was an unfair world.
As they looked around for Awar, Jack was becoming furious when they spotted someone lying on a tree with his arms folded. He had long, black hair and beautiful pale skin. Although he was lying down, one could discern his height of about 6'6".
Feeling their gazes, the boy looked at the source and found three individuals staring at him. Knowing why they were there, he sighed and said, "I'm taking my rest right now. You guys can continue without me."
Jack's temper flared, "Hey, lazy bones, get down here! We have a competition to win!"
Awar lazily opened one eye and yawned. "You're too loud. Let me sleep."
Mabel intervened, her tone authoritative. "Awar, we need to work together if we want to pass this round. Your intelligence could be a great asset."
Awar sighed again, his expression bored. "Fine, but don't expect me to exert myself too much."
Janice muttered under her breath, "Great, just what we needed—a sloth in the team."
Jack rolled his eyes, "Let's just get this over with."
The group reluctantly accepted Awar's indifference and prepared for the survival round. Despite the challenges ahead, they knew they had to work together if they wanted to succeed. The Imperial Sect entrance examination had only just begun, and they were determined to make it through.
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