Chapter 249: Oral Examination

"Running?"

"Running in the library?"

Hall Master Feng, Beast Master Wang, and the others wondered if they had misheard, looking over with bewildered expressions.

If you said you were reading in the library, or even sitting in meditation after some insight, I could tolerate it and find it understandable. But running...

Hall Master Feng blinked: "Did you misread?"

The library was full of bookshelves; even if you wanted to run, it wasn't convenient!

More importantly, being able to tame a beast at the Aperture-Opening Realm meant considerable strength. How fast would you need to run for it to be useful for cultivation?

"Could it be related to his taming method? Running fast to catch up with the beast?"

Beast Master Wang wondered.

"He... didn't run fast, about the same as an ordinary person. And while running, he muttered something, but I was too far away to hear clearly."

Xiao Zhu was full of shame.

Seeing what had just happened, he was embarrassed to say it, afraid he'd be beaten to death as a lunatic.

A person who came to adjust his state by reading was actually running and muttering in the library—anyone would find it mentally unbearable.

"Running and muttering?"

The three beast masters were truly baffled now.

They scratched their heads but couldn't figure out what the hell this had to do with adjusting one's state!

Honestly, anyone hearing about such behavior would think one thing... bullshit!

If it wasn't bullshit, who would adjust their state like this?

And why did it have to be in the library? Wasn't this room big enough for you to run? If you thought it was too small, there was the beast activity area outside, several kilometers long and wide—not just running, you could do somersaults for half an hour without reaching the end...

"No, I need to go check. The library contains too many precious manuals; it can't be damaged!"

After thinking for a while, Hall Master Feng felt it was too risky.

A person running in the library—if he had a sudden fit and set the place on fire, there would be no time for regrets.

He absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen!

With a grave expression, he was about to head to the library when he saw a young man walking over, looking slightly tired.

It was Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan now was completely different from an hour ago. Both his mental state and body seemed somewhat depleted, as if he had undergone a brutal training session that drained all his physical strength.

"Are you alright?"

Hall Master Feng couldn't help stepping forward.

Others who adjusted their state came out energetic and full of vigor, but this guy, after adjusting, looked like he'd been up all night partying. Are you sure this is adjusting your state, not consuming it?

"Oh, I'm fine. Is the exam paper ready? Let's begin!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Although he had used a new method to quickly record all the books in the library into the Heavenly Path Library, and it was fast, the sheer volume of knowledge absorbed in a short time caused intense mental turbulence, leaving him somewhat dizzy.

It was similar to going five days and nights without sleep—his whole body was filled with fatigue.

"This... begin now?"

Seeing that the other could barely keep his eyes open, Hall Master Feng couldn't help asking again: "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright, let's go over there. The recording crystal can't reach here." Hall Master Feng nodded.

Whether for beast taming or alchemy assessments, for fairness, everything was recorded with a recording crystal and stored for anyone with doubts to review.

Soon they arrived at the center of the room where the recording crystal was placed. Hall Master Feng and the other two beast masters sat down.

Seeing them seated, everyone below knew what was about to happen and started discussing again.

"The assessment is about to begin!"

"Yes, skipping the apprenticeship and directly taking the beast master exam—this is a treatment reserved for super geniuses in the Beast Hall. Even Miss Mo Yu didn't get it. I want to see how this guy can still have the face to stay here once he fails!"

"He just got lucky taming a beast. Do you really think he has any skill? I'm sure he'll fail!"

"The first round is theoretical knowledge. Without years of study, you can't memorize the world's many beasts and their characteristics. Back then, our young master studied every day to memorize them. This guy isn't even twenty. Even if he started learning in the womb, how much can he remember?"

"He's just a show-off. What skill could he have..."

...

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was about to take the exam, everyone gathered around, many with expressions of schadenfreude.

Skipping the apprenticeship and directly taking the beast master exam—in all their time at the Beast Hall, this was the first time they'd seen it. They all wanted to see this guy hit a wall.

Especially Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang, who, because of Yun Tao and Miss Mo Yu, already detested this guy and wished for him to make a fool of himself.

If he couldn't even pass the theory, then becoming a beast master... was just a dream!

As they discussed, Miss Mo Yu had also recovered her composure. She came forward and looked coldly at the young man not far away.

After just one glance, her delicate brows furrowed.

What was wrong with this guy?

He had been full of energy flipping through books earlier, but now, in no time, he looked like he'd been boiled—listless and drained?

Not only she noticed, but others did too. Shen Biru and Yun Tao exchanged glances, their faces wrinkled with concern, and they stepped forward.

"Teacher Zhang, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Just a bit tired."

With so many books, all recorded into the Heavenly Path Library in less than an hour, his mind had been operating at full speed, constantly shouting "flaw." Of course he was tired.

It was good he hadn't collapsed on the spot.

"Senior, if you really feel unwell, why not rest and take the exam tomorrow?" Yun Tao couldn't help saying.

This person was likely a Zongshi realm expert. What had he gone through to be so exhausted?

"It's fine..."

Hearing this, knowing they meant well, Zhang Xuan was about to wave them off when a cold laugh sounded from nearby.

"I think he's faking it. He went to the library to adjust his state, but maybe he saw the beast taming books and realized how hard the exam is, so he's pretending to be sick to avoid it!"

It was Zhu Jinhuang speaking.

His cold smile was thick, as if he were exposing a fraud.

"I bet that's it. Otherwise, how could reading make you so drained and listless that you can't even lift your limbs? Forgive my ignorance, but this is the first time I've heard of such a thing!" Zhou Xuan also seized the chance to kick him while he was down.

"This..."

"Now that they mention it, it does seem possible."

"He probably thought he could take the exam, but after reading the books, he realized beast taming is profound and vast, got scared, and didn't want to embarrass himself, so he made up an excuse..."

"It must be like that..."

Their words echoed around, and the crowd was now seventy to eighty percent convinced.

If not, why would he go to adjust his state and come back looking half dead?

His face was full of fatigue, as if he might collapse at any moment...

If he was really that tired from just reading, it didn't make sense... Since it couldn't be explained, there was only one possibility: he was faking it.

"No need. Let's start now!"

Ignoring the doubts and chatter around him, Zhang Xuan waved his hand grandly.

"This is the exam paper I just prepared. You can start answering now. Complete it within an hour with a one hundred percent accuracy rate, and you'll pass."

Seeing his insistence, Hall Master Feng said no more and handed over a stack of papers.

Just like the alchemy apprentice exam, it was dozens of pages thick. Just writing would take a long time, let alone thinking carefully and deliberating.

He glanced down and saw the pages densely covered with basic knowledge about beast taming, covering many aspects. Without sufficient knowledge, one probably couldn't even understand it.

"Alright, you can start answering now. Time begins!"

Seeing him take the papers, Hall Master Feng waved his hand.

"Mm." Putting down the papers, Zhang Xuan picked up a brush to write, but then felt dizzy, his hand trembling.

Absorbing all those books just now, though faster than before, his current strength was too weak to bear it. Not only was his energy depleted, but his body was also reacting.

He would need at least half an hour to recover.

But now, clearly, there was no time.

If he took half an hour to adjust, with such a thick exam paper, even with the Heavenly Path Library's support, he couldn't finish it.

If he got even one question wrong, he wouldn't pass the beast master exam. Losing face was one thing, but the most critical issue was... he wouldn't get free access, which was intolerable.

"Look, he's so tired he can't even hold the brush!"

"Heh, a strong cultivator above the Aperture-Opening Realm, too tired to hold a brush? Do you believe that? He's definitely faking!"

"Yes, he must have seen the questions, realized he knows nothing, and is pretending to be weak... Honestly, people like this are the most shameless!"

"Exactly!"

Seeing his fingers trembling, unable to hold the brush, the crowd sneered again.

Not only them, but even Hall Master Feng and Beast Master Lu exchanged glances, each harboring doubts.

Could it be, as the others said?

If not, even running in the library wouldn't exhaust him this much!

"Zhang Xuan, if you really feel unwell and can't answer the questions, I can allow you to rest for a day and continue tomorrow."

After watching for a while, seeing that the guy was indeed weak and couldn't even hold the brush, Hall Master Feng couldn't help saying.

Sighing, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and put down the brush.

The other was right. In his current state, even if he forced himself to write, the characters would be crooked and ugly.

And most importantly... his speed wouldn't keep up. He might have to rest after writing a few characters. Forcing it would only slow down his answering pace.

To pass the exam without further delay... there was only one way now!

Sighing, Zhang Xuan looked up and forward.

"Hall Master Feng, two Beast Masters, I'm really too weak to hold the brush. May I choose the oral examination?"

"Oral examination?"

The three beast masters simultaneously shot up, all with looks of disbelief.

"You... what did you say? You want to choose the most difficult form of theory assessment... the oral examination?"