Wen Qi didn't wait long in the room before an invigilator walked in.
The man who entered was Wei Guobin, thirty-five years old, a mid-level cultivator from the Evergreen Cultivators Association.
Although his age and seniority in the association weren't particularly outstanding, becoming a mid-level cultivator in his thirties was no small feat—a modest genius, perhaps. In a few more years, he might even qualify for the advanced assessment.
It had to be said, the Cultivators Association was truly wealthy. Every classroom for the advanced cultivator assessment had a dedicated invigilator.
Even though advanced cultivators were too few to personally oversee the exams, having mid-level cultivators invigilate was already impressive.
Moreover, each room was equipped with 360-degree surveillance cameras and guarded by two imposing elite-level Dark-type Houndoom. With such tight security, Psychic-type and Ghost-type Pokémon had no chance of interfering.
Seeing this setup, Wen Qi couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"This assessment is way too strict!"
He glanced around, his eyes sweeping over the surveillance cameras and the two intimidating Houndoom.
Wei Guobin walked into the classroom with a stern expression, exuding an air of professionalism and rigor. His gaze was sharp, as if it could pierce through anything.
As soon as he entered and saw Wen Qi, a young man, his face immediately filled with confusion. He instinctively stepped back out of the room, looked up to double-check the sign on the door, and muttered under his breath:
"This is the right place—the advanced cultivator assessment area. How can there be someone so young here?"
Wei Guobin was deeply suspicious, thinking the young man might have wandered into the wrong room.
But he didn't make a scene on the spot. Instead, he reported the situation to his superiors via his Bluetooth earpiece. The reply came back that everything was normal—it was this young man, and there was no issue.
Hearing this, Wei Guobin was genuinely surprised but had no choice but to follow orders. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and acted as if nothing had happened as he re-entered the classroom.
He tried to make his expression look natural, but his eyes kept darting toward Wen Qi, betraying his unease. Wen Qi, however, had already noticed his earlier behavior.
Wen Qi smiled helplessly, thinking to himself:
"It's not my fault I'm young, but it always leads to misunderstandings."
He understood Wei Guobin's surprise—after all, his age seemed so out of place in this advanced assessment venue.
Wen Qi didn't dwell on Wei Guobin's reaction and simply waited quietly for the exam to begin. After some effort to compose himself, Wei Guobin finally steadied his nerves and prepared to carry out his invigilation duties.
Standing in front of Wen Qi, Wei Guobin got a clear look at him for the first time and couldn't help but marvel:
"He's so young, and not just young—he's incredibly handsome too."
He couldn't help but wonder which big shot had pulled strings behind the scenes to get such a young person placed here.
"I hope this kid doesn't cry over the questions. Even if he fails, please don't blame me for it."
Wei Guobin silently prayed.
Before his thoughts could finish, the broadcast announced the start of the exam. Wei Guobin snapped back to reality and quickly took out a document bag, shaking it in front of Wen Qi to show it was sealed and unopened.
Seeing this, Wen Qi felt a flashback to taking the college entrance exam. He had expected a tablet for answering questions, not a paper test.
But what Wen Qi didn't know was that sometimes, the more traditional methods were actually safer and less prone to cheating. This old-fashioned paper exam ensured maximum fairness and seriousness.
Wen Qi shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside, and focused entirely on the test.
Meanwhile, Wei Guobin stood nearby, his expression stern, his eyes never leaving the exam room, watching every move without a moment's slack.
After receiving the test paper, Wen Qi quickly flipped through it. Most of the questions were multiple-choice, but there were three essay questions at the end.
What bothered him most, however, was that the multiple-choice questions didn't specify whether they were single-answer or multi-answer. That really tested one's depth of knowledge and analytical skills.
Wen Qi skimmed through all the questions and couldn't help but think:
"Without the knowledge the system transmitted to me, there's no way I'd pass this. No wonder out of thirty or forty participants, only three or four make it. With questions this hard, having three or four pass is already impressive."
At that moment, Wei Guobin noticed that Wen Qi had finished reading the questions but hadn't started writing. He thought to himself:
"Does this young man know nothing at all? Why isn't he writing yet? Is he giving up? What a waste of a spot.
I wonder what his family was thinking, letting him take the advanced cultivator assessment. Did they go through all this trouble just to let him soak in the atmosphere? Either they're filthy rich or incredibly powerful."
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Wei Guobin kept stealing glances at Wen Qi, his eyes filled with confusion and regret.
He sighed inwardly, feeling that Wen Qi, at such a young age, was too impulsive to take on such a difficult exam.
Yet, he also hoped Wen Qi could pull off a miracle—no one wanted to see such a golden opportunity go to waste.
Just as Wen Qi finished reviewing all the questions and was racking his brain over what score to aim for, the system, which had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up and issued a task.
The system's voice echoed in Wen Qi's mind:
"System task: Pass the advanced cultivator assessment. Reward will be based on the host's specific performance. The higher the score, the greater the reward."
Wen Qi, who had originally planned to hold back, let out a silent groan upon hearing this task:
"Looks like I can't keep a low profile this time. Since the reward is tied to my score, I'll have to go all out for a bigger prize."
Wen Qi shook his head helplessly. He knew going all out might draw attention, but the allure of the reward was too strong to ignore.
"Even if I attract attention, so be it. At worst, even with a perfect score, I'd just be an advanced cultivator—nothing too outrageous.
After all, the world is vast, and there are geniuses who passed this exam at my age, so it won't seem too unbelievable. Plus, I have Dr. Chu Feng as my backing. It should be fine."
Wen Qi silently encouraged himself.
His gaze gradually grew resolute, free of any hesitation or doubt.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and prepared to throw himself fully into the exam. He told himself that since he'd decided to go all out, he had to perform at his best, holding nothing back.
"Forget everything else—just ace this exam first."
Wen Qi made up his mind, picked up his pen, and focused intently on the test paper, beginning to answer seriously.
At that moment, Wen Qi seemed like a different person, radiating confidence and concentration. His mind raced, and the difficult questions no longer seemed so daunting.
The room was dead silent, broken only by the soft rustling of Wen Qi's pen on the paper. Wei Guobin stood nearby, watching Wen Qi suddenly transform, his confusion deepening. But he dared not interrupt, quietly observing from the sidelines.