Chapter 93 – He is that Lin Ze

Lin Ze finished registering at the counter and received his number, but when he turned around, he saw many people staring at him and whispering among themselves.

“So he’s the Lin Ze who ranks first in the Apprentice Zone!”

“I didn’t expect him to be this young in person.”

“Of course—I heard he only just enrolled in the Beast-Taming Academy this year!”

“Amazing. Only eighteen years old and already this strong. His talent is simply astonishing!”

“Wow, two Tier 5 pet beasts—passing Advanced Difficulty will be more than enough for him!”

“So jealous. If only I had even half his strength.”

“Keep dreaming about that at night—dreams have everything.”

“…”

Listening to the chatter around him, Lin Ze finally understood what was going on.

He was long accustomed to this kind of attention. He merely shrugged and turned to head toward the waiting room.

Before long.

A staff member called Lin Ze’s number.

He stood up and, together with the other twenty-nine participants, left the hall and entered a spacious, brightly lit room.

As expected.

At the very center of the room stood a stele about two meters tall, covered in intricate carvings.

It was none other than the Origin Stele.

More than a dozen staff members dressed in Beast Tamer Association uniforms stood beside the stele.

Leading them were a burly, towering man and a middle-aged man of about forty or fifty with slightly graying temples.

Lin Ze’s gaze fell on their chests.

Both wore a Silver badge.

Just like during the Apprentice Assessment, the Bronze Assessment this time was also overseen by Silver Beast Tamers.

“Welcome, everyone, to today’s Bronze Beast Tamer qualification assessment.”

The burly man among the two announced in a clear voice:

“My name is Ye Zuping, Deacon of the Ningjiang Branch of the Beast Tamer Association.”

The other man said flatly:

“My name is Xue Wei, also a Deacon of the Ningjiang Branch.”

As they spoke, the thirty participants had already received bronze plates from the staff.

As usual, the front of each bronze plate was divided into four sections by three horizontal lines, inscribed with the words “Basic,” “Intermediate,” “Advanced,” and “Ultra.”

“The bronze plates you now hold are the keys to entering the Stele Virtual Realm, where the assessment will take place.”

Ye Zuping scanned the room, speaking at a measured pace.

“Before that, you need to choose the difficulty level you wish to challenge.”

“The screen shows the baptism rewards you can obtain for passing each difficulty level.”

As Ye Zuping finished speaking, a massive screen embedded in the right wall suddenly lit up.

Lines of text appeared clearly on it.

Basic Difficulty: Upon passing, you will be promoted to Bronze Beast Tamer. Soul +3, Constitution +1, designated pet beast Growth Rate +5%.

Intermediate Difficulty: Upon passing, you will be promoted to Bronze Beast Tamer. Soul +4, Constitution +2, designated pet beast Growth Rate +10%.

Advanced Difficulty: Upon passing, you will be promoted to Bronze Beast Tamer. Soul +5, Constitution +3, designated pet beast Growth Rate +20%, unlock third pet beast slot.

Ultra Difficulty: Upon passing, you will be promoted to Bronze Beast Tamer. Soul +8, Constitution +5, designated pet beast Growth Rate +30%, unlock third pet beast slot.

The crowd immediately stirred with excitement.

Everyone stared intently at the screen.

Many participants gazed at the Ultra Difficulty with particularly fervent eyes.

8 points of Soul and 5 points of Constitution, not to mention the 30% pet beast Growth Rate.

The enhancement from the Ultra Difficulty baptism was as tempting as ever.

But that was all they could do—imagine.

Not to mention Ultra Difficulty, most people present couldn’t even pass Advanced Difficulty.

“What a shame. The rewards for the two higher difficulty levels are just for show.”

“Same here. I’d be thanking my lucky stars just to pass Intermediate Difficulty.”

“You’re both better off than me. I’ve failed the Intermediate Difficulty assessment twice in a row now. Hopefully I’ll pass this year.”

“Is Intermediate Difficulty really that hard to pass…? Maybe I should just go with Basic Difficulty.”

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Many participants wore hesitant expressions on their faces.

Even though they had decided which difficulty to choose before coming, when faced with the actual choice, they still fell into hesitation.

Lin Ze, however, remained calm and composed.

His goal had long been decided.

“Now, choose your assessment difficulty!”

Ye Zuping’s deep, resonant voice rang out, suppressing the crowd’s chatter.

“Following convention, before you choose your assessment difficulty, I’ll offer you all a piece of advice.”

“This concerns your future development. Please consider carefully and choose the assessment difficulty that best suits your own abilities.”

“Do not reach for what is beyond your grasp and waste this precious opportunity!”

“You now have two minutes to make your choice!”

With that said, Ye Zuping said no more, closing his eyes to wait.

The other examiner, Xue Wei, observed the expressions of the crowd with keen interest.

The two minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Soon.

Ye Zuping reopened his eyes and asked in a deep voice:

“Have you all made your choices?”

The staff member beside him immediately replied in a low voice:

“All thirty participants have made their choices.”

After a pause, he wore a hesitant expression as if wanting to say something more.

Ye Zuping glanced at him and frowned:

“What’s the matter?”

“Th-there’s a participant who chose Ultra Difficulty…”

Ye Zuping and Xue Wei were both taken aback.

The former furrowed his brow, while the latter let out a faint, knowing smile.

In past qualification assessments, there had been no shortage of a few overconfident participants who chose Ultra Difficulty.

Both men had encountered such situations before.

Those Beast Tamers who chose Ultra Difficulty had, without exception, all ended in failure.

“What’s that person’s name?”

“Lin Ze. He’s a First Year student at Ningjiang Academy.”

The staff member pointed at Lin Ze among the crowd.

Now Ye Zuping and Xue Wei were genuinely surprised.

It was already rare for a First Year student from a Beast-Taming Academy to participate in the Bronze Assessment.

And to actually dare choose Ultra Difficulty!

Where did this confidence come from?

Ye Zuping had a somewhat fiery temper. He wanted to immediately call over that arrogant student who didn’t know his limits and give him a piece of his mind.

But before he could make a move, Xue Wei stopped him.

Ye Zuping looked at his colleague with a puzzled expression.

Xue Wei narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice:

“Old Ye, do you remember two months ago when the Pinghai Branch sent word that a senior high school examinee had passed the Ultra Difficulty Apprentice Assessment?”

This remark made Ye Zuping pause.

But he quickly understood Xue Wei’s implication and widened his eyes in realization.

“You mean…”

Xue Wei smiled and said:

“That senior high school examinee was named Lin Ze. Based on the timing, he should now be a First Year student at some Beast-Taming Academy. Do you think this young man standing here could be the same person?”

Ye Zuping drew in a light breath.

If it were merely a coincidence of names, that would be one thing.

But both were First Year students this year.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

It was obvious that the Lin Ze present here was none other than the genius from Pinghai City who had passed the Ultra Difficulty Apprentice Assessment!

With this realization, Ye Zuping’s gaze toward Lin Ze immediately carried a hint of astonishment.