Limitless Cultivation: I Can Master Every Profession!

Chapter 13: Six minutes

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He had been the examiner for several days now, and in all that time the number of people who managed to impress him was so few they could be counted on one hand.

And this boy in front of him beat them all.

"Level 1 test in under 50 seconds, a new record," he thought, his interest renewed.

"You passed the Level 1 test. Would you like to stop here or continue and take the Level 2 test as well?" he asked, as per usual.

Each test level also indicated the skill level of the person regarding basic knowledge of runes and the methods used to engrave them.

Level 1 allowed the person to become a basic-grade apprentice,

and Level 3 allowed becoming an advanced-grade apprentice.

For each rank there were 3 grades, and to make the early ranks easier to climb for those capable,

the Masters' Pavilion organized multiple exams in this way so that the examinee wouldn't have to waste time re-doing the test, each time.

It was also good for them because it helped manage the high number of daily participants better and at the same time identify the promising newcomers.

Zhu Rong wasted no time and nodded, before returning with the new question paper.

This one, similar to the first, had 5 questions, but the difficulty was visibly higher than before.

Not that it mattered,

in his eyes, not much had changed, and like before he immediately began answering without hesitation.

This time Chen Shuwei didn't close his eyes, and just sipped his tea while watching the boy's test.

'So fast, I wonder if he'll get a perfect score again this time.'

Though he glanced quickly, he still managed to read all the answers and was surprised that not only were they all correct, but they were extremely precise with no Unnecessary details.

There was neither too much nor too little in the answers, just the right amount for each question.

It might seem like a small thing, but expert engravers like him knew that the better one answered, the more solid and deep their knowledge was.

It was like explaining a simple thing to someone in 3 lines, or explaining the same thing in just one line.

Both times it was well explained, but in one case more words were used, while in the other only the minimum necessary.

Runes were a type of language, and depending on how a certain formation was constructed, the energy consumption as well as the function performed by the rune formation itself could be good or bad.

It was a skill that could only be acquired over time.

Even he admitted he couldn't answer better than Zhu Rong.

"The pavilion might have just found a new prodigy," he thought as he wrote the candidate's name on a separate sheet.

Just like before, this time Zhu Rong finished in less than a minute, and having watched the whole test, Chen Shuwei was not surprised and simply took the sheet to review the answers.

"Perfect score again"

Now he was curious whether the boy would attempt the Level 3 test.

He had basically already earned the rank of intermediate stage apprentice, and only 30% of participants could achieve that result on their first try.

He wondered if he would attempt Level 3 as well,

given the time left, he had more than enough time to try.

If he passed, he would be in that 5% of people who pass all test levels on their first try, which was no small feat.

So as soon as he finished reading and confirming the validity of all the answers, he turned to the boy in front of him:

"Would you like to try the last level?

You have more than enough time, and no matter how it goes, you won't lose the rank you already earned," he said, emphasizing that there was nothing to lose.

Zhu Rong knew this and already planned to pass all levels today, so he took the sheet for the final test and went to his seat.

Just like before, he quickly read the questions ,

five again, and immediately began answering them.

'Too easy.'

Once again, he saw no real difficulty in the questions, and for a moment he started wondering if the pavilion was giving the wrong questions sheet,

because in his opinion, anyone who had read all the basic theory and had at least some practical knowledge of the subject could easily answer all the questions from the three levels.

If the other examinees heard this, they would wonder if they were studying from the wrong books.

***

Outside in the waiting room, almost five minutes had passed and the last remaining candidates were anxiously waiting for their turn.

The group of four participants who had come after Zhu Rong was preparing because they would be next in line.

"By the way guys, I heard this time the test is being held by Elder Chen Shuwei. If we perform well, we might catch his interest," said the scholarly-looking young man confidently, sure he could succeed in this.

"I heard he is the closest to reaching the rank of master engraver and currently has only one disciple under him.

If we can get his attention, we might really have a chance to become his disciples," said Mei Lian, also excited about this possibility.

Although they came from fairly prestigious families, they were nothing compared to the giants among the main families in the capital.

So, despite their wealth and opportunities being above average, they still had to rely on bigger support if they wanted to progress smoothly in the paths they had chosen.

Those who reached the master rank were highly renowned and respected wherever they went, being their disciple was like securing a path to success.

None of them wanted to miss this opportunity, so much so that instead of taking the test during the more convenient daytime sessions,

they had all decided to come at night, knowing that Chen Shuwei only supervised the evening rounds.

Many others like them had thought of doing the same in the past few days, but since no news of a new disciple had spread, it was clear none of them had succeeded.

This group of friends had taken their time to prepare, so they were confident they could at least pass Level 2.

Now, they were just waiting for their turn, and even though there was still more than half the time left, they waited with growing impatience.

At that moment, while one of the boys in the group was speaking, their attention was caught by the sound of a door opening.

Instinctively, they glanced toward the entrance to the waiting room.

'Hm? No one came in? But I'm sure I heard the door open…'

For a brief moment, they all exchanged confused looks, wondering if they had imagined it,

but then, as if struck by the same thought, their eyes shifted to the other door in the room:

the one leading to the test room.

"What the… why is he already out? Has it already been ten minutes?" thought the scholarly looking boy as he checked a small hourglass he kept in his pocket.

Six minutes.

His eyes widened when he saw it, and without thinking, he turned to look at the boy who had just exited.

He didn't understand why the boy was already out, and like him, the others in the room were also confused by the scene.

"I was just saying it as a joke…

Could it be that he really gave up halfway through?"