53 Examined 2 (1/2)
The exam continued. The students that followed were all as the examiners had expected, and nothing was out of sorts.
After a long time, it was finally evening. Of the hundred or so students, more than half passed. With fifty-four students accepted, the exam was coming to an end.
But the name that Sydney was looking forward to had not been called until now.
”Banner Adrian.”
The door opened.
The thin blonde looked like he had not had a good night’s sleep. His face was pale and his eyes were sunk in, his expression neutral. Faced with the examiners, he nodded slightly and sat in front of the stone tablet.
Sydney jerked, wanting to say something, but Banner closed his eyes.
With his eyes closed, he murmured something.
The stone tablet shone with an unprecedented brightness!
--
Radiated by the silver light, the reflection in the tablet was no longer a blurry spot of light. Instead, it was an abstract design that looked like a beast.
In the image, the fierce beast had a leering smile and a general side profile. Seeing the blurry opening above its eye sockets, the examiners breathed heavily.
Sydney froze in shock. ”This is the symbol of ‘Call of the Wild.’ Is he already an official level two musician?”
Ben stared at the tablet. After a while, he breathed out, ”Probably not. The symbol is still too unclear. He should only be level one.”
”Then what about the scratch mark?” someone asked in a low voice. ”He’s only seventeen years old. Has he started raising his own beast already?”
”Maybe an Adrian musician passed down their own beast to him. Don’t forget that the Adrian family has always been a representative of the School of Summoning.”
”That’s possible,” an examiner sighed. ”Even if the manticore is gentle, it’s impressive to be able to control it at this young age.”
In the end, they all turned towards Sydney, who smiled in satisfaction.
”Very good, you did not disappoint us, Banner. Your brother will be proud of you too.” In a serious tone, Sydney proclaimed, ”Congratulations. You have been accepted by the School of Summoning. This is the most elite school in the academy. It passes down the academy’s core knowledge and music. I hope you will continue to work hard.”
Banner stood and bowed, hand to his chest. His manners were impeccable.
Sydney and Ben glanced at each other and chuckled.
Mission accomplished.
”There is only one more student. Which family does he come from?”
The examiners studied the last name. ”Is he even more important than the Adrian kid?”
”It’s just some kid from the East,” someone sighed. ”No need to worry. The principal was just doing what was required.”
”That commoner?” one examiner remembered. ”The one brought here by Mr. Bach?”
”Who knows?” Another shrugged. ”We haven’t heard from Mr. Bach in years. The principal probably kept him to give us trouble.”
”Sirs, be honorable, please.” Sydney side-eyed them. ”You are all professors of the academy, shouldering the responsibility of enrolling the new generation.”
The examiners stared blankly, before laughing. They nodded carelessly. Yes, they had to enroll the new generation. But that was all they had to do.
”Next, Ye Qingxuan.”
The door opened.
Everyone gaped.
--
When the youth entered the examination hall, everyone’s eyes bulged, and their mouth’s dropped to the floor.
These men were originally full of coldness—cold expressions, cold eyes, cold aura…as if they were ready to take all of that coldness and throw it at an unsuspecting kid to teach him a lesson.
But when they saw this guy, they could not even believe their own eyes.
What the heck?!
In the past hundreds of years, there had been low class and humble students who had entered the academy. There had also been arrogant ones, prodigies without a care for anyone else, and geniuses who took the test wearing prison garb and handcuffs.
But today…it was the first time someone came looking as if he had just been taken off of a surgery table.
In the center of the examination hall, the youth stood with a pale face and a body covered with bandages. The pungent smell of medicine radiated from him.
Leaning on a cane, his right leg and arm were held in a cast. Someone had drawn two turtles on the cast. His ten fingers were wrapped in gauze.
Other than his bare face, the rest of his body was pretty much a mummy.
He looked as if he had been run over by a few carriages, patched up on the spot, and sent here because he was still breathing!