Chapter 37 – My Turn, Summon!

Mu Yuan drew his number.

Number 54. He was examinee number 54, roughly in the middle of the registration list, and might be able to finish today’s assessment before lunch.

Good. He wouldn’t have to waste an entire afternoon.

He glanced at the dark-eyed young man, signaling with his eyes.

Liver Emperor said, “I’m number 98, which is quite late. But wait, thinking about it carefully, having a later slot might actually be more advantageous. I can still grind hard for half a day before the assessment starts, and maybe even level up my main force by one small rank. Alright, time to start grinding!”

This was the thought process of many players.

Soon, they bid farewell to Frog-Selling Bro and the other person, following the staff to the designated waiting area to await the start of the assessment.

Although called a waiting area, it was quite spacious. Players could either socialize in the main hall or enter private rooms to continue focusing on their games.

However, since grinding only required a mobile phone, whether they entered a private room or not was completely irrelevant.

Many newcomers logged into their games while waiting for notifications, checking their status and making adjustments.

Liver Emperor was among the most dedicated. It seemed he couldn’t stand being idle for even a moment. After just a few words of conversation, his eyes were glued to his phone, continuously tapping away, fully immersed in his grinding—as if he would grind to death if it didn’t kill him.

Only the player themselves could see their game screen. To others, players just looked like they were frantically tapping on a locked phone screen, appearing somewhat mentally unstable.

Naturally, Mu Yuan couldn’t see Liver Emperor’s game situation, and even if he could, he wouldn’t peek. He could only tell that Liver Emperor was operating at a high intensity, possibly micromanaging each individual unit with meticulous arrangements to maximize efficiency.

Other players were also grinding to varying degrees.

Mu Yuan took out his phone, opened the game, glanced at it, and fell into deep thought: Should he rest, drink tea, or have coffee?

Such a dilemma~

He actually wanted to grind too, but Deadbone had already led the team out to explore, requiring no attention from him at all.

At most, he could send the War Falcon to check in with Deadbone and see how things were going.

For the rest of the time, he only needed to watch his resources +1+1+1 and his Evolution Points +1+1+1, focusing solely on feeling pleased.

Even the big spenders were grinding at this time. They might not have to worry about failing the assessment, but they still needed to hurry and develop their territories.

Wasting time was a shameful act.

In such an atmosphere, Mu Yuan felt out of place among the other newcomers, quite uncomfortable. But then he thought, wasn’t this wrong? How could a Lord handle everything personally? A Lord should delegate tasks to their workers.

He was merely learning the demeanor of a Lord in advance.

…

The resource assessment was divided into two parts: a written test and a combat test. The written test evaluated the player’s control ability and micromanagement skills when using the medium, accounting for only 20% of the total score.

The assessment was over in the blink of an eye.

The real test of a player’s potential was the combat test, which examined both the player’s unit tier and Rank, as well as their real-time control and command abilities.

“The assessment requires players to hold out against the examiner for a certain period. The assessment panel will then score the players based on their performance. The top 16 scorers will receive this term’s New Lord Assistance Package.”

Mu Yuan carefully studied the assessment materials handed out by the staff.Soon, the first part of the written exam began.

…

At the same time, outside the waiting area.

Countless newcomers who hadn’t signed up for the assessment but had come to join the excitement were eagerly looking forward to the results.

They couldn’t enter the examination site to watch the battles firsthand, and there was no live broadcast of the venue. However, the massive display screen in the association hall was scrolling through the scores of each candidate.

First place: Candidate No. 066, 20 points.

Second place: Candidate No. 054, 19.8 points.

Third place: Candidate No. 101, 19.1 points.

Fourth place: …

In no time, the scores of over a hundred candidates were listed on the large screen. A golden horizontal line separated the sixteenth and seventeenth places, creating a stark contrast between the top and the rest.

“So, there are sixteen slots available this time,” Frog-Selling Bro mused, stroking his chin.

Miss White Fox stared at the rankings, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Hey, isn’t Brother Mu candidate No. 54? He’s already in second place? That’s incredible! Does that mean his spot is secured, and he’ll soon become a Lord?”

Frog-Selling Bro was also surprised but shook his head.

“No wonder Brother Mu managed to defeat a Remnant Soul on the first day. His skill level is really something—no, it’s definitely impressive. But…”

“If I’m not mistaken, this is only the end of the first round of the written exam, and the written scores only account for 20% of the total assessment score. It’s just a minor part. Whether Brother Mu can hold his position in the top sixteen will depend on his performance in the combat exam. All we can say is that he’s off to a good start.”

“However, the combat exam is where the big spenders have the biggest advantage.”

Frog-Selling Bro genuinely hoped that Brother Mu would pass the assessment and carry on the dream that had ended before it even began for him.

Moreover, if Brother Mu became a Lord, Frog-Selling Bro could leverage their connection to boost trade and secure a faster promotion within the merchant guild, along with a raise.

But still,

“It’s tough…”

“Among the free-to-play players, only the lucky one who commands Skeleton Soldiers and that Macho Man are relatively secure. The others…”

As for Brother Mu? Even though he defeated a Remnant Soul on the first day, his performance still fell slightly short compared to Macho Man and the lucky player’s achievements on their first day.

And these two were far from matching the true big spenders.

He hoped Brother Mu could hold on and make it through.

…

Time began to pass slowly. Although the newcomers couldn’t see the battles—there wasn’t even a text commentary—that didn’t stop them from engaging in heated discussions.

“The combat exam has reached candidate No. 20, and the current top scorer is candidate No. 007 with a total score of 71.2. How does that score stack up?” a newbie asked.

An experienced player, always eager to explain, spoke up, “That’s a pretty solid score. The combat exam isn’t as straightforward as the written test. Scoring above 60% is already quite an achievement.”

“With candidate No. 007’s total score of 71.2, barring any surprises, he’s pretty much locked in a qualifying spot.”

As the assessment progressed, the rankings on the board changed rapidly.

Candidate No. 007 gradually dropped to second place, then third.

As for candidates No. 066 and No. 054, who had taken the top spots early on, they naturally fell off the radar entirely.

Meanwhile, inside the examination venue.

Boom—

A Lancer brandished his Spear, his thrusts swift and powerful like a Dragon.

With a single thrust and a sweep, he sent several thugs flying out of bounds.The voice announcement sounded at the appropriate moment, “The examination has concluded. Please exit the waiting area through the right passage and patiently await the results. Injured troops can be taken to Zone Three for free treatment.”

On one side of the examination hall, several examiners shook their heads slightly.

“The Brute isn’t weak as a two-star troop—it can both tank and deal damage. It’s just that this rookie commander is too incompetent, completely clueless in directing!”

“Hmph, this is the worst batch of rookies I’ve ever reviewed!”

“Well, they are commoners after all. We can’t set our expectations too high.”

“No, precisely because they’re commoners, they should strive to execute every step perfectly. Otherwise, how can they hope to pass the Lord trials?!”

Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng also sighed.

This batch of rookies couldn’t really be called bad—it’s just that the performance of commoner players was somewhat disappointing, while the paying players performed as steadily as ever.

Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng was a Lord who had risen from commoner origins himself.

He genuinely hoped more outstanding players would emerge from the commoner ranks, but commoners inherently faced significant disadvantages compared to paying players and those from extraordinary backgrounds. Only the exceptionally talented could stand out.

The nation hadn’t neglected supporting commoner Lords either. However, from a strategic perspective, the Xuan Nation’s priority was ensuring the quantity of new Lords first; only then could they consider whether to support commoner players.

Moreover, managing a territory was no easy task.

Compared to paying players, commoner Lords were actually more unstable, often failing in territory management due to various unexpected circumstances, ultimately leading to collapse.

The current resource assessment rules did show some scoring bias toward commoner players, but whether they could seize this opportunity depended entirely on the rookies themselves.

As for players with criminal records? They couldn’t even pass the initial identity screening during registration and would never get a chance to take the examination.

After all, even the least capable Lords were considered core forces of the Xuan Nation.

“Next up should be examinee number 54, let me check the records…”

“Mu Yuan, commoner background, family suffered misfortunes, yet remained undefeated by hardships. Demonstrated outstanding performance during university, selected by the Eternal World upon graduation…”

“I’ll personally examine this candidate.”

Chief Examiner Jiang Cheng stood up and strode into the distance.

…

Mu Yuan entered the examination hall with a somewhat nervous heart.

The examination area was quite spacious, roughly the size of two or three basketball courts, with a massive Arena at the center. Across from him stood a burly examiner wearing loose martial arts attire, his piercing gaze radiating intense pressure.

The examiner snapped his fingers.

Snap~

Three mysterious magic circles spread open before them, from which emerged three identical Lancers.

“These are two-star troops—Lancers, all at zero-tier level 9. Your task is to withstand their attacks for more than five minutes. Of course, I won’t issue any commands to the Lancers, while you can employ any tactics you can conceive.”

“Now, summon your troops. You have three minutes to prepare. Additionally, this venue possesses special properties—summoning troops here doesn’t consume Soul Sand, and Mental Energy consumption is significantly reduced.”

After a pause, Examiner Jiang Cheng added as a reminder, “But Mental Energy will still be consumed. Summon your troops according to your capabilities.”

Jiang Cheng still remembered the previous examinee number 54.That examinee also came from a commoner background and possessed decent talent, having accumulated over a dozen troop types in just six days. He originally had hopes of advancing, but during the martial exam, he overestimated himself, summoning too many troops until his Mental Energy was completely depleted. Before the fight even began, he collapsed on the ground, fast asleep.

An instant defeat.

As soon as Jiang Cheng, the chief examiner, saw Mu Yuan’s examinee number, he couldn’t help but offer a reminder—though this was somewhat against the rules.

Mu Yuan observed his surroundings. The entire arena was engraved with mysterious patterns—could this be one of the Miracle Buildings?

He wasn’t sure.

Not far from the Arena floated a pitch-black, ghost-like troop. It was restraining its power, but even a glance at it evoked a terrifying sensation, as if one’s gaze was being sucked in.

This was the arena referee, who would intervene when a novice troop’s life was in danger, ensuring their survival.

As for the examiner’s three Lancers?

They were irrelevant—mere tools for the examination. Few novices had the ability to pose a threat to level 9 Lancers.

“It’s about to begin…”

Mu Yuan took a deep breath and stepped onto the Arena.

Instantly, his connection with the troops in the Eternal World became incredibly clear, as if the World Gate had been flung wide open. He no longer needed devices like computers or phones to command troops in another world.

If he wished to summon them, it seemed he could do so with a mere gesture.

No wonder other novices didn’t end up physically drained when summoning troops.

In that case, there was no need for him to hold back either.

My turn, summon!

Hum—

A mysterious magic circle spread, and an ancient gate swung open on both sides.

From the depths of the passage, a Skeleton Soldier clad in armor and wielding a Saber slowly emerged, its eyes flickering with faint blue soul flames.

Examiner Jiang Cheng had just nodded slightly when a second, then a third, then countless more Skeleton Soldiers emerged from the passage, their pace quickening.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

In an instant, the entire examination hall fell into silence and darkness.

Only the sound of the Skeleton Soldiers marching in formation remained.

They raised their Sabers high, their eyes blazing with intense soul flames, lining up on both sides to guard the figure at the far end of the Arena.

Bathed in the glow of the soul flames, Mu Yuan’s silhouette flickered between light and shadow.

In the distance, the examiners’ faces shifted repeatedly within seconds, expressions of astonishment flashing across them.

(End of chapter)