Chapter 59: The Academy of Dark Arts

"Quiet."

The calm voice carried an immensely formidable ethereal fluctuation, forcing the low-level ether within the examinees' bodies to churn uncontrollably. The noisy examination hall instantly fell into a dead silence.

"Not a bad trick." Zhou Ke felt the misalignment in his breathing and grew somewhat interested.

Although completely harmless to the physical body, it easily distracted the target—a technique that fit his combat style of quietly slitting someone's throat to a tee.

"This is a solemn examination hall. Maintain discipline."

Jingmu knocked on the desk and stood up, signaling the cameraman with his gaze to play the recorded footage of Zhou Ke inside the [Gate of the Hairy Head].

Naturally, to foster correct values among the youth, the footage had been edited.

It omitted scenes of Zhou Ke wandering aimlessly around the streets, snatching spinning tops from small children, and dining with a gorilla-like mutant in a high-end Western restaurant.

What played instead were the breathtaking highlights of Zhou Ke successively hunting down the Dog King and the Insect King, with audio censors applied in certain segments.

After broadcasting this powerful evidence to refute the cheating rumors, Jingmu swept his gaze over the jaw-dropped examinees and said sternly:

"While you were wallowing in defeating petty grunt mutants, feeling joyful and satisfied with your meager points,"

"Examinee Zhou Ke was already displaying profound foresight, thinking of obliterating the mutant commanders to end this conflict. For this very cause, he endured humiliation, willing to let his score temporarily hit rock bottom while biding his time for the right opportunity."

"Whether in strength, temperament, or grand perspective, all of you fall far short of him."

"The top spot is richly deserved."

Throughout the speech, Zhou Ke kept his eyes fixed on Jingmu's occasionally twitching expression, knowing full well that the man was desperately suppressing his nausea while praising him.

"Driven by his duty to maintain exam discipline, he's twisting his brain to make excuses for me. Being in a high position must be quite painful sometimes," he thought with malicious glee.

"Next, I invite the top three to the stage to receive their awards." Jingmu finally couldn't hold it in any longer. Seeing that the examinees had gradually settled down, he waved his hand and skipped to the next segment.

A rumbling sound echoed.

Three staircases, seemingly forged from solid silver, rose from the ground. Gleaming brilliantly against the backdrop of yellow sand, they led all the way to the elevated seats of honor at the very top.

Since Su Wumi had departed earlier, Zhou Ke and Tang Hongning each chose a silver staircase.

The moment they stepped onto them, the cameraman manipulated the ether eyeball and eagerly scurried over.

"The award acceptance speeches will be broadcast online. Have you figured out what to say?"

"Ah, let me think." Realizing she was about to be on television, Tang Hongning inevitably grew a bit nervous. Facing the strange ether eyeball, she stammered:

"Um... I'd like to thank the academy for nurturing me, my parents for their support, and my older sister. Without her, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to take the mages' examination, let alone achieve such outstanding results!"

The ether eyeball twitched once to signify the recording was complete, and the cameraman teased with a chuckle: "Such a formal speech. Did classmate Tang Hongning memorize it beforehand?"

"I've watched some awards shows before," Tang Hongning said, looking a bit embarrassed now that she was exposed. "Is that okay?"

"It's fine. As long as the speech isn't too outrageous, you can say pretty much anything."

With a smile, the cameraman turned the eyeball toward Zhou Ke: "Your turn, classmate Zhou Ke, the much-anticipated number one."

"Judging by this unprecedented score, you're bound to be the provincial top scholar without a doubt." The cameraman's tone held both envy and flattery.

He was extremely curious about what this dark horse examinee, who had overwhelmingly crushed Su Wumi with an unstoppable momentum, would actually say.

Would he express humility toward the other examinees? Talk about the hardships of the exam process? Or passionately praise his own strength?

Yet, how could Mr. Zhou ever be someone easily guessed?

"They really should have replaced the stairs with an elevator. It's way too long and rather tiring to walk up, plus it's so cliché," Zhou Ke pointed at the silver staircase below and said with a straight face.

""

On the surface, the cameraman remained calm, but inside, waves were crashing violently.

Are you even listening to yourself?

I asked you for an acceptance speech, not your architectural feedback!

Who gives a damn if the stairs are retro, you only have to walk them this once!

(1/3)

(2/3)

Don't tell me you actually plan on retaking the exam just to walk up them a few more times?!

"Uh... I mean, do you have any other... ac-cept-ance... speech?" the cameraman asked again, heavily emphasizing the key words this time.

"Mm." Zhou Ke nodded. "You probably feel the same way—walking on stairs like this is just like building a toilet on a high platform; every time you need to go, you have to climb a flight of long steps first. It gives off this sort of awkward, neither-fish-nor-fowl vibe."

Hey, hey, hey! Why are you still talking about the stairs?! And it's getting more and more absurd! Furthermore, that's *your* feeling, not mine—don't drag me down with you!

By this point, the cameraman was sweating profusely.

He hadn't felt any "neither-fish-nor-fowl vibe," but the feeling of the television station director vomiting blood in rage was already looming right before him!

"Aside from the stairs, classmate Zhou Ke, is there anything else you'd like to say? For instance, how did you manage to win first place?" The cameraman exerted every ounce of his strength to drag the interview back on track.

"Oh, you want to know the process of how I claimed first place?" Zhou Ke said. "You should have said so earlier."

""

The cameraman's eyeballs were bloodshot. Despairing of any normal conversation, he blurted out, "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I'm asking!"

With those words, he let out a long sigh of relief, thinking he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

However, the very next second—

"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a dark horse prince and a Snow White..."

"Stop!" the cameraman roared. "What on earth does any of that have to do with the exam?!"

"Ah, I just thought telling it in a humorous and witty way would make it easier for people to understand. Don't rush, listen to me patiently," Zhou Ke said, getting quite into it.

"Alright, it's getting late. Just record a few casual clips and that's wrap," Jingmu said as he walked over.

That's because *you* didn't hear what nonsense he was spouting! Is this kind of stuff something you can just broadcast casually?

Though full of silent complaints, the cameraman didn't dare talk back to Jingmu and slunk away dejectedly.

If the chief examiner said it was fine, then it was fine.

"Zhou Ke, we meet again." Jingmu stopped in front of Zhou Ke, his expression complex.

He had truly thought they wouldn't have the chance to meet again.

"Examiner Jingmu, long time no see. Did you miss me?" Zhou Ke flashed a benign smile, looking unexpectedly radiant.

Having been burned once before, Jingmu naturally wasn't going to be fooled by outward appearances. He walked around behind Zhou Ke, pinned the medal onto him, and asked with an unchanging expression:

"You lied to me. What on earth is your Truth?"

Seizing the medal first, Zhou Ke pinned it onto himself and calmly retorted, "One must treat others equally. You didn't tell me your Truth that changes shape whenever and wherever either, did you?"

Hearing this, Jingmu felt a slight jolt inside. So back at their very first meeting in the school, his Truth ability had already been seen through.

"Terrifying insight..." This deepened his conviction that Zhou Ke was the one who had cleared the [Gate of the Ghost-Gold Sheep].

"I'll tell you my Truth. As an exchange, will you reveal your Truth ability?" Jingmu attempted to fish for information.

As someone who hated working overtime yet remained fiercely dedicated to his job, flawed official records had always been a thorn in his side.

Yet he couldn't exactly lock Zhou Ke up and torture him for a confession; doing so would violate the law.

Besides, stepping back ten thousand steps, Zhou Ke's description of his Truth wasn't technically incorrect.

The Truth *did* summon a wolf; it was just that this particular wolf happened to be a little out of the ordinary.

"Superb physical capabilities, a wolf's head that devoured the Insect King, a bizarre long blade drawn from a wolf's maw..." Those were the only three pieces of intelligence Jingmu currently possessed.

"Cheese." Facing the cameraman's lens, Zhou Ke smiled and flashed a peace sign. "It depends."

"If your Truth only works on inanimate objects, I'd find it rather regrettable."

"If your Truth can work on living creatures—or a specific part of a living creature—I wish your wife happiness."

Completely ignoring the vulgar joke, Jingmu felt the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. "So basically, you're not going to tell me either way, right?"

(2/3)

(3/3)

Jingmu had found that feeling again.

He had recovered the exact sensation from his very first encounter with Zhou Ke—the overwhelming urge to shrink the entire galaxy down and smash it right into his face.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Zhu Xusheng walked over. Not catching the drift of the conversation, he assumed Jingmu was trying to recruit Zhou Ke and chimed in with flattery:

"Who would've thought Chief Examiner Jingmu and classmate Zhou Ke would hit it off so well! What a coincidence, Chief Examiner Jingmu is a special lecturer at the Academy of Magic anyway. You two will have plenty of chances to see each other in the future, hahaha!"

"Oh..." Zhou Ke let out a playful smile at those words.

As for Jingmu, he covered his face with one hand, shooting a glare straight through his fingers that promised murder and subsequent body disposal.

Realizing something was terribly wrong and fearing she'd be splattered with blood, Liu Xishu quickly grabbed Zhu Xusheng by the arm and muttered under her breath, "If you don't know how to talk, say less!"

"Respected chief examiners and award-winning examinees, please look at the camera and smile."

*Click—*

As the final photograph was taken, the mages' examination finally drew to a close amidst Jingmu's melancholy sighs, which were brimming with the sudden urge to resign.

As for the departing examinees, their mood was pretty much identical to Jingmu's.

Previously, they believed geniuses existed simply to be looked up to.

But now, they understood one more thing: above geniuses, there existed yet another category of beings.

And those were—monsters.

Monsters, who looked down upon geniuses.

Not long after, inside the Academy of Magic's headmaster's office.

An elderly man with a white beard and white robes sat serenely in a rosewood chair, scrutinizing the sheets of paper in his hands as if admiring flowers in the moonlight.

"Su Wumi, aptitude for the Force of Reason: 9th Stage, currently at Wick Core Level: 5th Stage.

Unsurpassed in both talent and strength, but unstable in temperament. Spent most of the exam searching for something, wasting a considerable amount of time."

The old man remained silent; the voice was emanating directly from the paper itself.

Upon closer inspection, every single inked character had sprouted a tiny mouth.

Whenever the old man required it, they spoke.

"Tang Hongning, aptitude for the Force of Reason: 7th Stage, currently at Wick Core Level: 1st Stage.

Naturally adept at hand-to-hand combat, quite exceptional. Unlike Su Wumi's aloofness, she possesses extraordinarily high leadership qualities; a formidable talent not to be underestimated."

Pausing slightly, the old man flipped to the next page.

At last, his gaze landed on Zhou Ke's dreary photograph—eyes vacant, looking as though he cared neither for living nor for dying.

This page had the most text, filled to the absolute brim.

"Zhou Ke, aptitude for the Force of Reason: 1st Stage, currently at Mars-Wandering Level: 7th Stage.

Lowest-tier aptitude, yet the fastest examinee in history to discern the hidden rules of the [Gate of the Hairy Head]. Seems particularly skilled at scheming, with some underlying issues in his personality."

For some reason, the writing paused briefly here before continuing:

"No one expected him to stand out, successively slaying two mutant commanders to seize the championship.

He made very few moves during the exam, but every single one of them secured victory. Ruthless and decisive, he possesses an unfathomable depth of strategy and cunning.

According to reports, he is suspected of having cleared the D-rank dangerous [Gate of the Ghost-Gold Sheep]."

The old man lingered on this page for a long time. Then, picking up a calligraphy brush, he swept a brand-new line of text across the very bottom of the page—*Dual Truths.*