A few minutes passed, but the proctors they were expecting still hadn’t appeared.

Meanwhile, the birds overhead converged into a giant, green sparrow that hovered in the sky.

It was still formed from a green breeze, but when it opened its beak, its voice rode the wind, reaching the ears of every teacher and student present.

It then announced the exam rules:

"First, you are not permitted to continue attacking an opponent after they have lost their ability to fight.

"Second, you are permitted to form teams or to proceed alone.

"Team members may not initiate an attack on a student who is alone.

"If you wish to engage in a one-on-one duel, you must leave your team. Once you have left, you cannot join another team.

"Third, the tests for the Combat and Cultivation Elements can be taken simultaneously. Capable students are welcome to tackle both.

"For Combat Element students, the more Pet Beasts you defeat, the more points you will be awarded.

"Likewise, the stronger the wild Spirit Beast you revive in this world, the higher your score will be.

"For specific point details, you may ask the bird accompanying you after encountering a Spirit Beast. These small birds can clarify the exam rules for you.

"Next is the Cultivation Element. You may venture into this world to find injured Pet Beasts, search for medicinal herbs, and apply the appropriate treatment.

"The rules have been announced. If you have any further questions, you may ask the bird beside you. The midterm exam begins now.

"The exam will last for three days!

"In three days, this place will reopen as scheduled. You will all return to your own schools."

With that, the giant bird in the sky BANG-ed and scattered into tens of thousands of smaller birds, each one flying to hover over a student’s head.

"Every midterm is a little different. The last one had objective-based stages. This time, it’s completely open exploration. To be honest, this is actually more difficult. There are bound to be fights wherever it’s crowded, and teams that will try to poach points. All of you, be careful.

"All right, I’ll wait for you all here. If you want to stop, or if you think you have enough points, just tell the bird beside you that you’re finished with the exam. It will bring you back," said Teacher Ling.

As soon as Teacher Ling finished speaking, the students sprang into action.

Gu Ming didn’t move. He first glanced at his two Pet Beasts, then turned to Lu You, who was standing beside him in a daze.

"Want to team up?"

"Mm," Lu You agreed in a tiny voice.

Mouse Treasure, however, was the first to jump out in agreement. It started playing with Cyan Treasure right away, then went to greet the newcomer, Ah Kun.

"In that case, let’s get moving," Gu Ming said, taking a step forward.

’This midterm is pretty different from the monthly tests. They didn’t even explain the scoring in much detail.’

’But since we can ask the birds anytime, it should be fine. We’ll just have to play it by ear and rack up points.’

Gu Ming led the way, and she followed.

However, Wang Teng unexpectedly walked over to them and said:

"I just asked. The team size limit is three people.

"Why don’t we form a team? That makes three of us, a perfect fit."

Seeing that Lu You was too timid to speak, Gu Ming considered whether or not to let Wang Teng join them.

"Brother Gu, my Dumb Flower is useful for finding medicinal herbs! You guys aren’t a team of battle maniacs, are you?"

Seeing Gu Ming’s hesitation, Wang Teng quickly tried to prove Dumb Flower’s value.

Dumb Flower was a dual Earth- and Grass-Attribute Pet Beast. It possessed a powerful resonance ability that allowed it to sense the quality of large quantities of medicinal herbs.

Although the Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster also had a knack for finding herbs, its Talent was far inferior to Dumb Flower’s.

Gu Ming thought for a moment. It made sense, so he agreed and let him join the team.

The two of them discussed it briefly and decided to focus on exploration.

There was no need to ask Lu You for her opinion. Her Mouse Treasure was already on the Cultivation path, so Gu Ming knew her preference and made the decision for her.

Gu Ming took the lead, with Cyan Treasure weaving nimbly around his feet.

Lu You walked in the middle, cradling her hamster and occasionally leaning down to whisper to the little creature.

Wang Teng and Dumb Flower brought up the rear. Once they entered the forest, he had Dumb Flower extend its root-like legs and plunge them into the earth to use its Perception on their surroundings, vigilantly keeping watch.

"There are a lot of people in the woods ahead. Let’s go this way."

Wang Teng closed his eyes to sense their surroundings for a couple of seconds. He discovered at least several hundred students fighting in the forest ahead.

The exam had just begun. A fight would drain the team’s overall Physical Strength, so it was definitely better to go around it.

Gu Ming nodded and followed the direction indicated by Dumb Flower.

They walked for about half an hour, but the sounds of battle still echoed through the woods intermittently. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Gu Ming sighed. They had no choice but to pick a relatively undefended spot and break through.

’We can’t just be stuck in this Initial Forest forever.’

Parting the bushes, they saw two students locked in a duel.

One student’s Fire Salamander was spewing scorching flames that made the surrounding air distort with heat.

The other’s Water-Attribute, Turtle-type Pet Beast immediately threw up a Water Shield to defend. Steam billowed into the air, forming a tiny rainbow in the sunlight.

"Let’s walk straight past. They’re both alone, so they shouldn’t dare to attack us."

Gu Ming said, keeping his voice low.

This was where the rules came into play.

Teams were not allowed to attack solo students, but solo students *were* allowed to attack teams.

With the bird monitoring them from overhead, Gu Ming obviously couldn’t initiate an attack.

The three of them walked past quickly. The two duelists noticed Gu Ming’s team passing by and eyed them warily.

Both parties passed each other on high alert. Once Gu Ming’s group had made it through that part of the forest, the sounds of battle resumed behind them.

After finally leaving the Initial Forest, they emerged into a field of burning blue.

Endless blue flames spread wantonly across the reed-filled field before them.

But even though the reeds were clearly burning, the plants themselves showed no sign of being scorched. It was as if they were burning simply for the sake of it.

The style of this region was so striking that it made Gu Ming stop in his tracks.

Suddenly, he raised an index finger to his lips, signaling for the others to be quiet.

Not far ahead, nestled in a patch of blue grass, a small deer was curled up in pain.

It had a nasty-looking wound on its hind leg. Blood stained the surrounding grass a dark red, but it quickly transformed into a pale blue flame.

"I’ll go take a look."

Gu Ming said softly as he approached with caution.

Cyan Treasure followed close behind him, its tail held straight and taut with tension.

The little deer noticed the movement and raised its head, its large, wet eyes filled with terror.

"Don’t be afraid."

Gu Ming crouched down, making his voice as gentle as possible.

He noticed the edges of the wound were already inflamed. It needed to be treated as soon as possible.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the small deer’s trembling body.

Lu You gently approached, observing the deer’s appearance to determine its species.

This deer was no ordinary Spirit Beast. Its red blood was mixed with motes of blue light that would spontaneously combust upon contact with the air.

But the fire felt insubstantial and had no heat. It was incredibly strange.

Lu You had a feeling. The deer’s affliction wasn’t a simple bleeding wound; it was connected to the local blue reed fire.

’To treat it, we have to start by investigating this fire.’

Lu You quietly explained her thoughts to Gu Ming. As it happened, he had been thinking the exact same thing.