As far as I know, each general governs their own region.
General Lin Feng leads Yinzhou Penglai.
General Melfina commands Yinzhou Huanghui.
General Chu Liang oversees Yinzhou Shengdao.
General Tian Fang governs Yinzhou Diushi.
And General Jiang Bailou, my sensei, leads Yinzhou Xiexian.
"What do you mean by 'working in separate places'?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Well... obviously, it's because " Before Lin An could finish his explanation, General Lin Feng activated the warp mechanism that instantly transported everyone standing in the area.
A surge of energy tried to forcibly shift us to another location. Normally, resisting such a transfer would be impossible. However, with my absolute control over the mana flow within my body, I could have resisted it and avoided the effect. But I chose to blend in with the others because it seemed more appropriate. You could say I decided to just go with the flow.
**
After the teleportation, we arrived in a vast room.
This examination chamber was expansive. Its clean gray walls were interspersed with thin floating holographic screens above sleek synthetic wooden desks. Soft white light streamed down from ceiling panels, casting faint, blurred shadows of us the examinees on the metallic floor. A low hum from the cooling system echoed through the room.
No matter how you looked at it, the space resembled a futuristic version of a university exam hall. Yet, despite its size, there was no one here aside from the five of us.
Based on the energy flow I sensed, this place resembled a small realm existing outside the physical world. Most likely, the examiners were observing us from beyond this realm.
"Ahem…" a voice cleared its throat, as if testing the audio connection.
"If you can hear me, please sit at the desk with your name on it. Once seated, the screen on your desk will display the exam questions, and you can answer them directly. The exam begins now!" the voice instructed.
I made my way toward my assigned seat, which was located near the back of the room. As I walked, I glanced around at the other candidates' expressions.
Luo Jin looked intensely focused, his face carrying an intimidating air like a delinquent forced to take a test. But a well-educated delinquent, to be clear.
Lin An wore a funny expression. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but knowing he was a reincarnator from Earth, he was probably reminiscing about his school days.
Elysia and Khalid looked like model students, serious, unshaken by pressure. Yet, from the perspective of my Soul Eye, Elysia seemed to be enjoying the test. Khalid, on the other hand, gave off a different vibe. His soul essence was strange. Sometimes, soul essence can be interpreted through colors, sometimes in more abstract forms. While Soul Eye lets me see essence, interpreting its meaning requires imagination and knowledge.
When I looked at Khalid, colors swirled around him a dark violet mist rolled around his body, interspersed with pulsating black streaks that felt alive. Deep in that fog, a faint bloody red glowed, like a wound that never healed. There was none of the warm light I saw in Elysia's or Luo Jin's souls, only remnants of darkness, swirling slowly, devouring everything in silence.
In this case, all I could conclude was that Khalid wasn't truly an ally.
Could he be... a traitor?
Since I didn't know him well enough, I decided to remain cautious and observe him more closely.
If what that mysterious woman said was true, then he might be connected to whatever the worshippers of Kauket plan to do today.
*
I sat down and opened the exam questions displayed on my screen. There were only five questions but instead of general knowledge, they leaned heavily on logic and reasoning.
Question 1 – Interdimensional Combat Tactics
Tested Aspects: Tactical adaptability, dimensional awareness, human resource management.
"Your forces are trapped in the rift between the real world and the shadow dimension. The enemy is using soul-frequency resonance technology that renders standard magic unusable. Energy weapons are also disrupted. With three elite martial cultivator units, develop a rescue strategy within a 4-hour limit, with no external support."
Should I really answer this seriously? On the surface, it looked difficult but to me, it was relatively simple.
This reminded me of one of the "training sessions" given to me by Sensei. I call it training, but in truth, it was more like living an illusory lifetime crafted by him. In that world, I lived as a war-bound king. There was no magic or qi only martial arts and primitive technology, not even on par with firearms.
I experienced military tactics, leading armies, victories, defeats, betrayals, triumphs and ultimately, death. In that illusionary world, they called me Wu Sheng Zhi Wang The King of War Gods.
So, for this first question, the most logical answer would be:
"I would exploit the shadow dimension's energy-dampening properties to our advantage. The three elite martial cultivator units would be arranged in an inverted triangle formation. One unit would create a distraction using light-footwork techniques and sound mimicking. The second would infiltrate through previously-mapped spatial fractures. The third would remain as backup, ready for extraction or recovery if the mission failed. All commands would be given via gesture codes and aura markings on surfaces with no sound or electronics. Estimated mission time: 3 hours, 40 minutes.
If I were to take the role of the second infiltrator myself, and had knowledge of the hostage's location, I could bypass the limitations using high-level magic to open a dimensional gate between the hostage and the extraction point. Even if high-level magic were restricted, I could resort to ritual magic. In that case, the estimated rescue time would be reduced to under 30 minutes."
*
The second question tested leadership ethics and decision-making.
The third focused on scenario analysis.
The fourth was about understanding and applying combination techniques, specifically martial arts combinations. Without the experience and knowledge from Ryu Ryeon, that one would have been tough.
The final question revolved around strategic logic and awareness.
I answered all the questions to the best of my knowledge. Honestly, none of them were particularly hard, and I believe the other candidates could handle them too.
Like I expected, the first exam was merely a formality.
Or so I thought until the fifth question began to rewrite itself halfway through. The words shimmered and restructured, forcing me to reconsider my entire approach.
Adaptive logic challenge detected, the system prompted.
Interesting. It's testing how we respond under pressure. Noted.
*
Once the exam period ended, we were suddenly teleported again.
This time, we were welcomed by General Lin Feng and his soldiers, including his deputy, Zhuge Yanquan. Behind General Lin Feng stood a towering staircase that reached into the sky, its upper section shrouded by clouds. Based on the energy around us, this too was a miniature realm.
"This next test is quite simple," said General Lin Feng. "All you have to do is climb these stairs."
Without further explanation, he disappeared, likely teleporting elsewhere leaving the five of us alone.
"So, how do you plan to climb it, Gai? Just… walk up normally?" asked Lin An, trying to break the silence between us.
"I don't know," I replied.
"If these stairs were normal, it wouldn't be much of a test," said Khalid with a friendly smile.
"Good point. What about you, Jin? Ah " Lin An began to ask Luo Jin, only to realize he had already started climbing.
Behind him, Elysia followed closely. From our spot, we could hear them exchanging sharp words with two people unwilling to lose.
"Jin, just so you know, I will be chosen as a general after this exam," Elysia said, walking right behind Luo Jin.
"Whatever. Why are you so focused on me anyway? Shouldn't you be more concerned about him Gaia? He's the heir of General Jiang, after all. He's probably the most likely to win," replied Luo Jin.
"Him? Please. He's got the charisma of a mop and the presence of wallpaper. If anyone's a real threat here, it's you and trust me, I hate admitting that."
Luo Jin shot her a glance, half amused. "Flattery won't save you, Elysia. But I'll enjoy watching you try."
The two continued ascending with steady steps, their figures disappearing into the clouds above.
"How about we get started too?" Khalid suggested it to me and Lin An.
"Yeah, I don't want to fall too far behind those two," Lin An agreed.
I simply nodded. To be honest, I didn't want to interact too much with Khalid, especially since there's a good chance I'll have to kill him later.
As we approached the foot of the staircase, I felt it, a subtle resistance in the air, like walking into a current. The first step radiated something ancient, something… expectant.
"You feel that?" Lin An asked.
I nodded. "This isn't just a climb. It's a trial, wrapped in every single step."
We hadn't even begun, and already, the staircase was watching us.