Chapter 35: Answering Smoothly Without Hesitation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Here it comes, the key question!”
Many candidates’ hearts tightened.
The job of a Sprite Cultivator was to design cultivation plans for sprites. Therefore, in the second round of examination, there ought to be a question on a cultivation plan.
It was also the only predictable question in the whole second round.
But even so, this question was still not easy. On the contrary, it was extremely difficult.
If sprite cultivation plans could be designed by just revising, researching, and memorizing, what did people need Sprite Cultivators for?
The compatibility of the plan to the sprite was key!
Su Hao focused his gaze and looked at the sprite. The appearance of the White-Headed Tortoise gradually enlarged in his eyes.
[Sprite: White-Headed Tortoise]
[Basic information: Water-Element, Growth-Stage]
(Introduction: This is an “over-nourished” White-Headed Tortoise. Because it ate too much food containing spiritual force that cannot be fully digested, this White-Headed Tortoise is overly energetic, and its limbs show subtle incongruity. ]
[Detailed information: (Unlock with 1 Intelligence Point)]
Indeed, it’s pretty similar to my judgment. It’s the interface indeed.
The key to this question is that this White-Headed Tortoise is “over-nourished”. Even if one revised other cultivation plans of White-Headed Tortoises, if they dared using it on this White-Headed Tortoise, they would definitely die badly.
Su Hao touched his chin and only thought briefly, before starting to type on the answer tablet—one could also choose to write with a tablet pen.
A brief cultivation plan would take at least hundreds of characters, either typing or handwriting took time.
Ten minutes made it seem like the question with the longest time. But in fact, the time was still very short.
There wasn’t much time to be wasted!
The whole examination room was quiet again, with only slight sounds of fingers tapping on the answer tablet.
Ten minutes pa.s.sed in a blink, and the answers were directly sent to the examiners.
For this round, the reviewing took some time.
This was also the reason the cultivation plan question was in the 6th round.
It was too troublesome to review more than 300 candidates’ answers, but reviewing 29 candidates’ was much easier.
All the examiners at the examiners’ table were Sprite Cultivators with much experience and relatively high positions.
They came from the Sprite Cultivator a.s.sociations of Yunhua City and nearby cities.
The deputy examiners cross-reviewed in groups of two, and in the end, the head examiner did the final check.
“This batch of candidates performed pretty well…”
The head examiner checked through the examination papers.
“Ke Xu… 83 marks.”
“Yang Donghai … 82 marks.”
“Zhang Linqi… 79 marks.”
“Ai Zis.h.i.+… 97 marks.”
The examiner team had an experienced Sprite Cultivator, and their opinions were pretty much similar. Thus, the head examiner would only occasionally raise or lower one point for a candidate.
Suddenly., the head examiner was stunned.
He saw that on a candidates’ answer sheet, the marking column was actually filled with a “?” by both examiners!
Do you want to be fired?
The head examiner frowned, feeling that things were not so simple, so he patiently continued looking down.
This answer was rich in content, and actually broke down into ordinary, medium, and advanced plans—based on the number of cultivation resources available.”
“Does it have the real stuff or just a gimmick?”
The examiner glanced only once and determined that it was an answer that had real stuff.
But…
His look fell on a line.
“Mash hollowed tree stumps and grind into powder, mix with Elemental Water Spiritual Liquid and let the White-Headed Tortoise take it, and use vortex methods to let the White-Headed Tortoise train in water, which can improve and accelerate its absorption of spiritual force…”
There was the comment from the deputy examiner at the side.
A “?” was given beside hollowed tree stumps and Elemental Water Spiritual Liquid, questioning the feasibility of the formula.
If not for the clear argumentation and well-founded evidence in front, the head examiner would only take this kind of method as nonsense.
But now, he kept simulating the effect of these two supplements and felt that it might not be entirely unfeasible.
For a moment, he couldn’t decide.
…
As the examiners reviewed the answers, the candidates sitting on their seats could only wait anxiously.
At this round, it was almost the last step to getting the certificate.
However, if they were eliminated, they would be the same as those who left in the first round, and those who couldn’t pa.s.s the written test—all losers.
They waited and waited, scratched their heads, and looked at their watches.
Experienced old candidates fell into contemplation.
Why is the examiners’ review taking so long today?
In previous times, it was done at a maximum of ten minutes.
Now, twenty minutes have pa.s.sed, and the examiners are still communicating in low voices.
Wait…
Communicating?
A candidate discovered the blind spot.
Could it be that… Ai Zis.h.i.+’s plan was too excellent that the examiners can’t decide whether to give him a full mark or to deduct one mark and give him 99 to prevent him from being too proud?
Soon, the examiners finally returned to their seats.
But the examinees got no marks.
They only heard the head examiner ask, “Who is Su Hao?”
Su Hao stood up reflexively. His look was completely confused.
There’s still an on-spot questioning part for the second round?
Why didn’t the Uncle talk about it?
Oh, it’s possible that Uncle didn’t manage to stay till this round previously.
The head examiner didn’t waste any time and went right to the point. “What’s your supporting evidence for choosing hollowed tree stumps?”
Su Hao didn’t think much.
The examiners are all mid-level or advanced-level Sprite Cultivators, all big bosses, how can they possibly not understand the plans written by me, a newbie?
It must be that I didn’t write it in enough detail. Thank you, big boss examiners, for giving me an opportunity to continue answering.
“Teachers, this is how I considered it…
“Hollowed tree stumps are usually used on Wood-Element Sprites, and Water-Element Sprites absorb them with poor effectiveness. However, they can be dissolved into Elemental Water Spiritual Liquid, used as an accompanying medicinal liquid for the vortex training method to allow the White-Headed Tortoise to absorb the extra nutrients in its body at a faster speed, and “release” the impurities. And this point just needs to make use of the White-Headed Tortoise’s repellence of hollowed tree stumps.
“Besides, this White-Headed Tortoise is over-nourished because it took in too many spiritual items at once, not because it consumed jade powder without related training over a long time. That’s why this plan is feasible.
“If it’s “over-nourishment” caused in the long term, it would be more troublesome to deal with. A cost-effective plan would take one month, the main method being…
“I think a medium plan is…
“If one is not short on money, then the problem of long-term over-nourishment can be dealt within three days. One only needs to…”
Su Hao was showing his occupational hazard again. He always liked to design three levels for his plans to target the very rich, slightly rich, and ordinary communities.
With all this babbling, all the other candidates were completely stunned.
They were completely confused listening to it, but the examiners didn’t interrupt him but looked deep in thought.
Where did such a genius come from?
The youth Ai Zis.h.i.+ in the front row frowned in thought. His small face was already squeezed together.
“Therefore, with all that said, this is the reasoning behind my design of this cultivation plan.”
Su Hao finished and waited for the examiners’ judgment.
The several deputy examiners nodded slightly. They exchanged a look, seeing both surprise and hesitation in each others’ eyes.
“This plan seems to be reasonable, but only theoretically. How should it be marked?”
They instinctively turned towards the head examiner.
He was An Yushan, deputy president of Yunhua’s a.s.sociation, advanced-level Sprite Cultivator.
“President An, what do you think?”