Even a Chieftain-tier monster was instantly killed by Morintis.
Morintis's strength had been fully acknowledged by the examiners present.
Although the monsters they arranged were weakened versions,
they weren't supposed to be something one could insta-kill.
Hadn't they seen how hard everyone else was fighting?
Sophia dodged the Wolfkin Chieftain's attacks while constantly casting spells to counterattack.
Julian directly engaged in close-quarters combat, trading blow for blow, each strike drawing blood.
The Berserker's combative nature was on full display.
Only Zoe fared slightly better, weaving around the monster, applying various controls.
Look at the professionals who chose other difficulties; was any of them like Morintis?
He just sent two Skeleton Warriors forward.
Chop chop, and the fight was over.
Morintis hadn't even moved a muscle from start to finish.
"I think he could solo those low-level dungeons already."
"More than that. He's qualified to solo dungeons below level 20, even on Nightmare difficulty."
"I don't think his combat power stops here.
We haven't measured his true strength yet."
"Wait for the fifth test.
If he wants to aim for Provincial Top Scorer, or even National Top Scorer, he must choose the fifth round."
"Maybe we'll see it then."
The examiners discussed amongst themselves.
The exam content was set by the Empire's higher-ups; they had no authority to change it.
The only person present with that authority was Alistair, who had arrived later.
He had spoken when he first came but had been silent since, merely watching with interest.
The examiners noticed that most of his attention was focused on Morintis.
He seemed very interested in him.
The third round ended quickly, taking only about 10 minutes in total.
People like Sophia, Zoe, and Julian successfully killed their opponents, securing the 500 points.
Some succeeded, others failed.
Another group of candidates was eliminated, losing their qualification for the next round.
They either gave up voluntarily or were forcibly removed after being injured and losing combat effectiveness.
Although eliminated, their results were already quite good, sufficient for entry into decent higher academies.
Only 120 people successfully passed the third round.
"The results ranking after the third round are now announced."
Morintis, Total Points: 2105 points.
Zoe, Total Points: 970 points.
Sophia, Total Points: 770 points.
Julian, Total Points: 765 points....
Leo, Total Points: 302 points.
Morintis saw Leo's name in the rankings.
67th place was a pretty good score.
Having lasted this long, Leo's entry into Jiangning Academy was practically guaranteed.
Morintis also understood Leo's nature.
The guy had a proud streak deep down.
Having come this far, he definitely wouldn't give up easily.
Needless to say, Leo would definitely be participating in the fourth round.
Julian remained in fourth place.
After the third round, he knew he couldn't catch up.
"The fourth round is about to start.
My chance is coming," he thought, gripping his war blade tightly, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
The examiner's voice sounded again.
"The fourth round of the exam will now commence."
"The difficulty of the fourth round will increase further, and the danger will correspondingly rise."
"You may now choose to continue or forfeit."
"With your current scores, entry into an academy ranked within the Empire's top 100 is already assured."
This time, no one chose to forfeit.
Those who had persisted this far were no cowards.
Pure white light showered down, falling upon each person.
Everyone was restored to peak condition.
Fatigue vanished, attributes were fully replenished, and all skill cooldowns were reset.
"Since that is the case, I respect your choice."
"The rules for the fourth round are as follows."
"Each of you will face 10 waves of monster attacks."
"Each wave consists of 10 monsters, totaling 100 monsters."
"The interval between each wave is 1 minute."
"Regardless of whether you have eliminated the previous wave, the next wave will appear after 1 minute."
"The final wave will be led by a Chieftain-tier monster."
"Clearing all monsters constitutes a pass."
"Each monster killed awards 10 points."
"If you successfully clear the entire round, your final points for this round will be doubled, totaling 2000 points."
After announcing the rules, a light barrier rose before each person.
The first wave of 10 monsters had already appeared behind the barrier.
The monsters were just ordinary, level 13 Wolfkin.
Among the 10 monsters, 9 were warrior-types, with one mage-type standing at the back.
Warriors cooperating with a mage significantly increased the difficulty.
Morintis mentally calculated.
This wasn't just a slight increase in difficulty.
If one's clearing ability was insufficient, they would be swarmed by an increasing number of monsters, leading ultimately to failure.
He understood that this round tested the ability to clear monsters rapidly.
From basic combat power to endurance, to one-on-one capability, and now to rapid clearing ability.
It covered the strengths and weaknesses of various classes.
The National Exam was truly meticulously designed.
The examiners wore smiles.
They all stared intently at Morintis.
"Let's see how you handle this one."
"The best way to deal with a Summoner isn't to eliminate the summons, but to eliminate the Summoner themselves."
"I think Morintis might be flustered this time."
"But his summons are strong enough. He should still be able to complete this round."
Alistair, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"I don't think this round will trouble him."
Everyone looked at Alistair with slight surprise.
His tone carried a 70% certainty, as if he were quite sure.
Although some examiners felt it wasn't necessarily true, the difference in status was clear.
They didn't refute him.
Anyway, the facts would soon prove who was right and who was wrong.