Chapter 7. Exam day

Waking up in an almost robotic manner, Michael prepared to grab something to eat quickly and then cultivate to fill up his Qi reserves.

"Oh, right... *Yawn* Today's the exam."

Sensing the stench of his unwashed clothes and self, he retched all the way to the bathroom, where he threw the clothes into the washing machine and himself into the shower.

A long scrubbing session followed, with him exiting only thirty minutes later when the sensation of disgust was finally washed away.

Seeing it was 7:40 a.m., he unhurriedly prepared a large breakfast with the ingredients supplied weekly by the sect and ate enough to make up for the three breakfasts he had missed in the past few days.

After changing into a more presentable set of clothes, he connected his Secret Realm Creator account on his smartwatch to the deep-dive headset, downloading the progress made on both the Full Version and the demo of the game.

For some reason, he was feeling particularly at ease, contrary to yesterday's belief. 

'I expected to be more nervous than this. I guess confidence is indeed backed up by hard work.'

Taking the elevator to the 48th floor, Michael arrived and greeted his remaining colleagues. Of the initial 43 'students' only 29 persisted up to this point. 

Most of those who gave up were either due to their lack of affinity with this profession or the absurdly low transmission rate between their Qi reserves and the project.

[Michael! Over here!](Selina)

"Hey."

[Tsk! You're a really rare face to see, aren't you?](Nolan)

"Couldn't help it. Even after working for a full week straight, I still feel the time wasn't enough."

[That explains why I haven't seen you at the mess hall in a while.](Selina)

"Yeah, I've been cooking myself simple meals, using every other free second I had to either sleep or work."

[How is it? Are you satisfied with your work?](Selina)

[Don't even! If I had another month, I might reluctantly say 'yes.' As of right now, I can only pray they give me a pass based on the limited timeframe we had to work with.](Nolan)

"Agreed."

Nolan and Selina were the only two cultivators he got along with during these six months. Nolan was a 7th-level Qi Gathering cultivator, while Selina was at the 8th. 

Furthermore, both had Superior-grade spiritual roots, which makes it wonder how they didn't look down upon him, the owner of measly Inferior-grade ones.

Both their families had at least one parent who was a Programmer, so they both held an innate advantage over Michael in terms of knowledge, practice, and resources.

Nevertheless, he didn't feel inferior and instead used this chance to learn any tips and tricks he could. The spirit stones 50% transmission rate was actually learned from Nolan, while Selina taught him how to better focus and use the 'god mode' view when infusing his Intent.

It basically implies standing above your project and giving vocal commands on how the Intent should be infused. According to her explanation, behaving like a god helped cement your confidence, which allowed for a firm foundation in 'translating' the Concept into Intent.

Minutes later, 'Professor' Morano arrived alongside two other smartly dressed Elders, as well as five Qi Gathering cultivators hauling a strange box-like object.

He knew the other two were Elders of the Bright Moon sect due to the badge they were proudly wearing on their chests, as well as the oppressive aura they were restraining.

[At least middle-level Golden Core.](Nolan)

[Shut up, dimwit!](Selina)

"..."

Michael watched as Selina smacked the loudmouth while the two Elders looked their way and kindly smiled.

For beings that broke the shackles of mortality, their senses were much better than those of an average cultivator.

It wasn't hard hearing whatever the 'students' were whispering to each other.

[Okay, okay! Settle down everyone.](Morano)

There was finally silence in the room as everyone watched the five people install and connect the large box device to the internet and power source. 

Then, a spirit stone glowing like a miniature sun was put into a compartment of the device, fully activating it.

[Damn! A high-grade spirit stone.](Nolan)

[That's pretty incredible energy consumption if that's needed for our tests. It should be the Obelisk, right?](Selina)

Seeing the two second-generation bigshots talking among each other about whatever that device was, Michael suddenly felt left out.

Leaving aside the fact that he had never seen a medium-grade spirit stone, much less a high-grade one, he had no clue what this 'Obelisk' was.

He could only infer that it was something used to test their Secret Realm projects.

[As many of you have already guessed, this is indeed the Obelisk. Our sect decided to use it as an investment since many of you show great promise. According to the grandmasters who crafted it, it increases the chance of the Heavenly Laws accepting your project by at least 15%. Anyway, we'll talk more about that later. First, allow me to introduce your other two judges for today's practical test. Elder Roland and Elder Melinda. Seniors, if you would.](Morano)

Bowing politely and allowing the duo to introduce themselves, Morano took a step back as if indicating their higher standing in the sect's societal order.

And it made sense, as Morano was only a Tier 2 middle-level Foundation cultivator, while the other two were a full realm above him, whether in cultivation or profession.

[If Elder Melinda doesn't mind, I'll go first.](Roland)

The middle-aged man with a sharp nose, slightly frowning brows, and terrifying glare turned to the beauty sitting on his left and inquired politely.

Receiving a nod, the man turned to look at the crowd of aspiring Programmers.

[I am Roland Winters, a 3rd Tier Programmer following the Warmaster specialization. I help code Golden Core-level robots and automatons sent on the frontlines. My purpose here is to test the combat mechanics of your Secret Realm. I heard high praises for your batch, so I have high expectations. Don't blame me for my high standards as a result.](Roland)

After a wave of enthusiastic clapping, the Elder sat back on his chair, and the beauty stood up. 

Michael didn't understand what a Warmaster was exactly, but hearing the words 'coding' and 'automatons sent on the frontlines,' he assumed his job was infusing Intent into the A.I.-controlled robots, allowing them to exhibit higher strength on the battlefield.

[Hello, everyone. I am Melinda Blaise, a 3rd Tier Programmer with the Secret Realm Crafter specialization. My purpose today is to judge your creations from a Project and Content perspective. I look forward to seeing the world you created and their rich backstories.](Melinda)

Her introduction was much shorter than her predecessor's, but everyone couldn't help but sweat nervously. 

Like in Michael's case, all other participants have already bought and 'downloaded' the Qi Gathering-level Combat Package, making it much easier to pass Elder Roland's scrutiny.

As for the lore of the Secret World they created and how life-like its inhabitants are due to the Intent-infused Concept... that depended on each person's capabilities. 

Standing back on the chair, Elder Melinda turned to look at Morando, signaling he could continue.

[As you already know, the first five months served as a theoretical foundation being built for all of you in this profession. Now that the sixth month has ended, it's time to review the fruits of your hard labor. Some of you might know, while others might not, but the purpose of the Obelisk is to integrate your project into an actual simulation and use Qi to connect to the Heavenly Laws. Based on how complete your work is, a miniature illusory world would be created where the three of us can interact, observe, and judge your Secret Realm.](Morano)

According to the following in-depth explanation, this Obelisk was something akin to a quantum computer. After using spirit stones as fuel, the simulation run using the projects of the 'students' had a higher chance of receiving the approval stamp of the Heavenly Laws since the computer provided a correcting margin.

Also, by the end of the simulation, each participant could receive advice based on what areas require improvement. 

There were 12 levels of 'recognition' a project could receive from the Heavenly Laws. Between the 1st and the 3rd levels was the Basic recognition. Furthermore, it was split between low, medium, and high Basic recognition for each level.

Between the 4th and the 6th levels was the Apprenticeship recognition. Also separated between the same three sub-levels.

The 7th to the 9th levels was the Elementary recognition. 

And finally, between the 10th and the 12th levels, Proficient recognition.

[We will now proceed with the testing process. Each simulation will run for ten minutes, allowing the three of us to inspect your work during that timeframe. If we deem it necessary, the time will be extended, and your evaluation will be temporarily paused until after everyone else's has been investigated. Without any further ado, we'll proceed alphabetically. Mr. Fred Alistair, please.](Morano)

As the examinee connected his smartwatch to the Obelisk, his project was downloaded and ran at incredible speed.

Just as the three examiners equipped their deep-dive gear, the huge screen behind them lit up, showing the contents of the Secret Realm.

Michael's confidence took a massive hit after he watched over 25 projections, each much better than his own.

Not in the sense of Intent or Concept but rather in terms of completion.

'It's understandable, yet it kinda hurts my ego. It looks like I'm the only one here who started with zero knowledge about this specialization. Furthermore, it's not like I lack any advantages...'

He turned speechless after watching 25 replicas of the same type of Secret Realms. There were seven different projects focused on the same type of demon invasion, making even those watching sleepy.

His two friends, Nolan and Selina, fell into the same category. However, it wasn't all bad. Due to them replicating Secret Realms they've seen before, the level of completeness was much higher than Michael's.

That also resulted in a much higher assessment from Heavenly Laws, with Nolan reaching 9th-level high Elementary recognition, while Selina actually achieved 10th-level low Proficient recognition.

When it came to his turn, this morning's missing nerves returned with a vengeance, making his palms sweaty as he approached the Obelisk.

Making sure not to trip and somehow completely ruin his future, he placed his smartwatch over the reading port and took two steps back.

The judge trio reconnected their deep-dive headsets, and the screen behind them was jolted alive.

Unlike the other participants so far, instead of the world being shown immediately, a short video played for both the judges and those sitting in the crowd.

The moon shone on the island below, repeling the darkness. 

In the middle of a forest, hidden behind a hill, a small campfire surrounded by a strange stall stood out due to its bright colors.

The image focused further on a tall and portly middle-aged man with a long, protruding nose rummaging through a bag.

As if taking notice of the people watching him, he smiled slightly and continued reaching inside the bag.

[Often I am asked, what does a hero truly need...](?)

Taking out an old book covered by a thick leather cover, he sat on a small stool, which seemed to creek due to his weight.

[*Chuckle* Much depends upon the hero.](?)

Opening the leather covers, a strange green-glowing item was revealed. It didn't look like an actual weapon but more like a precious stone.

Unbeknownst to the participants watching the promotional video, the three judges were filled with a strong sense of... swiftness. 

[Would you be swift? Then for you, I have speed beyond measure!](?)

The video immediately cuts to a caped shadow carrying a bow, jumping between the branches of the connected trees.

Watching her run while hiding in the shadows, a group of Dire soldiers noticed the movement and turned to her.

Extending her left hand to draw a silver-glowing arrow from her quiver, the visage of a gorgeous woman was revealed.

Her body proportions were mouthwatering, but the chilling gaze temporarily stunned the 'creeps' just enough for her to release two consecutive arrows, killing nearly half of the wave.

With a short jump onto the body of a dying soldier, she pulled out the arrow from the poor fellow's forehead and stabbed the incoming third attacker in the neck. 

While the soldier tried to stop the flow of blood, she took out and threw the arrow at the fourth one, stabbing deep into his left eye socket.

A graceful pirouette followed, and the ranged attack thrown by the remaining mage soldier was avoided, allowing her sufficient time to draw her bow and shoot a second arrow into her last enemy's chest.

As soon as the arrow connected, the body of the 'creep' froze like an ice sculpture.

Proudly raising her head, the blue-skinned beauty took down her hood, revealing a drop-dead gorgeous visage marred by strange tribal tattoos.

Be it the judges or the audience, in the short 35 seconds it took for the video to play so far, everyone's mouths were agape.

If it was a good or a bad thing, only time would tell.