Chapter 930 - Final Exam
Chapter 930 of "High School of Demon Hunting" opens with exciting events: Chapter 930: Chapter 278 Final ExamJanuary 5, Monday.The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month,... Continue reading!
Chapter 930: Chapter 278 Final ExamJanuary 5, Monday.
The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, "Minor Cold".
Advised activities include receiving wedding gifts, asking a name, offering sacrifices, getting married;
Advised against are starting business, burial, repairing graves.
None of the advised or discouraged activities pertains to exams, which indeed makes it seem like a good day to conduct examinationsâaccording to metaphysical beliefs, this day is fair to everyone, at least no one can claim that their performance was hindered due to physical sensitivities and taboos.
This day marked the beginning of the first final exam at Jiuyou Academy of First University.
Early in the morning, the atmosphere within the academy had already become incredibly oppressive.
From the Flying Garden where morning exercises were held to the cafeteria where breakfast was served and the shady path under the trees covered by blue stone slabs, every passing figure hurried with a blank expression; either bowing their heads, clutching scraps of paper, and mumbling something as they desperately crammed before entering the exam venue.
This sight left Zheng Qing with mixed feelings.
He was glad because everyoneâs attention was on the exams, which naturally decreased the scrutiny directed at him as the newly recognized âGreat Arcana-World,â easing his outer pressures significantly.
However, he was worried because the tense state of others deeply affected him. His mindset had initially been relatively relaxed, but under the influence of others, he felt himself growing tense involuntarily.
Just like now.
Since the first exam was the written part of Curse Studies, early in the morning, he had been reciting notes from the Curse Course, never setting them down even during morning exercises, and even recited the international standards of Law books and their operating principles while eating breakfastâonly at times like these did he deeply envy Doctor Xiao.
In the whole 403 dormitory, or perhaps the entire Astronomy Class 08-1, maybe only Doctor Xiao could still be experimenting with subtle differences in curse releases using a Law book right before the written exam began.
"I really want to scoop out your brain and stew it," the young fee-paying student remarked.
Doctor Xiao, with empty eyes, glanced at him and reminded, "You are a pure-blooded human and donât possess the capabilities of zombies or vampires... I donât think eating my brain will lead to good grades."
"So, does that mean if I do eat it, I will achieve good grades?" Dylan, who dined alongside them in the cafeteria, chuckled and chimed in.
Zheng Qing forced a smile, "Isnât your academyâs exam method fighting? What use would you have for his brain... If you truly harbored such thoughts, the Eldersâ brains would suit you better than the doctorâs."
Go and consume Zhang Ji Xinâs brain?
Dylan grimaced and didnât retort. Only if his brain were damaged would he attempt such an act. Given the Zhang familyâs inherited fiery temperament and defensive nature, if Dylan truly did something, his two sharp and pretty fangs would likely be plucked out before he could taste the stewed brains.
"Can we talk about something lighter while eating," Xin Fat Man complained as he gripped a red-skinned bun, devouring it and oozing oil all over his mouth, "what you guys are discussing is making me lose my appetite."
The other three glanced skeptically at Fat Manâs claim of âlosing appetite.â
However, watching Xin Fat Man eat did indeed whet Zheng Qingâs appetite somewhat.
He couldnât help but follow Fat Manâs lead and picked up a red-skinned bun from the plateâan elaborate meal also essential on examination days. Todayâs cafeteria breakfast featured these red-skinned buns as the main dish, made with mythical fillings and wrapped in blood-red dough, served on plates made of willow branches, six to a plate.
These buns symbolized blessings and were also called âFortune Bunsâ; and having six per plate symbolized great smoothness in abundance.
Every student was expected to eat at least one plate of Fortune Buns.
After all, this was a wizardsâ university where mysticism always had a huge market among the students. Believing rather than not believing was the universal attitude toward mysticism.
Even the master chefs in the academyâs cafeteria subtly maintained such unspoken practices.
Although they couldnât add Luck Elixir to the porridge or soymilk, the cafeteriaâs master chefs still carefully prepared a âspecial supplyâ breakfast suitable for the examinees.
Apart from the âFortune Buns,â there was also âFortunate Soup.â
This so-called âFortunate Soupâ was a small jar of indigo, thick liquid, which looked like soymilk made from peas or raw Arhat Beans mixed with unknown herbs and still unfiltered.
"Fortunate Soup can help us neutralize our chaotic spirits... Before exams, our spirits need to be in a very pure state... Such a state can increase the sensitivity of our souls, improve our response speed, and help us to grasp the subtle changes during the curse casting process," he explained.
When it came to eating, Xin Fat Man seemed to transform into an artist, sitting at the dining table and elaborately explaining todayâs breakfast to his companions, "Mythical seeds are the main stars of blessings, blood dough is an ancient panacea... and this Fortunate Soup carries countless blessings from students in history towards us!"
Zheng Qing had to exert a great deal of effort to refrain from reminding Fat Man that this morningâs test was a written exam on curse studies and didnât need much of his effort to âpurifyâ his spirit.
"The so-called âFortunate Soupâ is actually a nutrient solution made from blending soymilk, egg whites, rosemary, mint, and Dragon Tooth Grass together, which can slightly enhance your focus and keep you alert," Doctor Xiao whispered aside to Zheng Qing, explaining quietly.
In the end, he added, "Oh, and if you feel youâre lacking confidence, I suggest you add some ingredients to the soup... Many people like to add a few spoons of incense ash from the Wenquxing Temple, which is said to be very effective...If you donât have the connections, I can arrange for someone to get some from Atlas Academy."
As an academy rooted in âfaith,â Atlas Academy always had an abundance of various deities.
Zheng Qing shook his head vigorously, clearly indicating his stance.
"If you have the connections, you might consider stocking up to sell in D&K," he added as though recalling something, "Ever since the winter hunt, the school no longer requires us to hunt mice or corpse beetles, and business has been rather slow in the shop."
"We can talk about that after the exams," Xin Fat Man interrupted the sponsored studentâs ramblings in a rough voice, emphasizing, "Right now, the most important thing, and the only thing we need to focus on, is the exam!"
Zheng Qing shrugged his shoulders, glancing at the breakfast in front of Fat Man.
It was evident that Fat Man believed deeply in the âtraditionalâ or âfolk remediesâ mentioned by Xiao Xiao. He had even referred to some popular beliefs in modern mysticism to reconfigure his breakfast based on his body weight.
For instance, the portion of âFortunate Soupâ in front of Fat Man was easily three times more than that of others.
"Maybe you should prepare a urine bag before you enter the examination hall," Zheng Qing finally reminded Fat Man.