Chapter 159: Prompt: Weeds
The preliminary selection came abruptly. It began in silence, ended in silence, and then the results were announced immediately.
This gave Lin Huang a rough idea of the Hunter Association's style of conduct—completely willful.
"It seems I have to take this seriously as well. I'd better not get eliminated by accident..." A slight sense of crisis finally arose in Lin Huang's mind.
Due to the demands of the hunter examination, the Hunter Association remained closed to the public for the day.
Lin Huang and the others crossed the main gates and entered the hall, only to find the entire association lobby completely empty.
Standing in front of the information desk right in the center of the hall was a short man.
The man was under one hundred and seventy centimeters tall, with a waxed handlebar mustache above his lips. He wore a black formal suit, a black hat, and held a black cane in his hand.
"I am Zhuolin, the chief examiner for the second test. First of all, congratulations to all of you for passing the preliminary round." Zhuolin swept his gaze across the crowd present, raising an eyebrow slightly. "There are still over ten thousand people left? Old Xu really disappointed me a bit this time... It looks like I have no choice but to push the passing rate below fifty percent from my end..."
Although he muttered that last sentence under his breath, every candidate present heard it clearly. Upon hearing those words, everyone grew somewhat nervous.
"There's no need for you to mind what I just said at the end." Zhuolin stroked his handlebar mustache. "Compared to the other chief examiners, I am a very gentle person. I've never been one for fighting and killing."
*"A person like that is even more terrifying..."* Lin Huang muttered inwardly to himself.
Quite a few people wore peculiar expressions upon hearing this, clearly sharing the same thought as Lin Huang.
However, a small handful of naive fellows believed it and began to relax.
"The test I've arranged for you is also very gentle," Zhuolin continued. "The content of the test is simple: treasure hunting."
"Searching for treasures is a fundamental skill for hunters, not exclusive to treasure hunters. Ordinary hunters should also possess the ability to track down target items or locate target individuals. In the process of such exploration and searching, many of your abilities can be exercised and improved. That is why I chose treasure hunting as the test."
The numerous contestants pricked up their ears, terrified of missing any piece of information.
"This is the item I want you to find." Zhuolin retrieved a black crystal from his spatial storage and held it high.
Everyone immediately gazed toward his hand.
It was a thumb-sized black crystal, looking slightly murky, much like a cheap mineral crystal. Yet, seeing how small it was, many couldn't help frowning.
An item the size of a thumb might not be found within a short time even if placed inside a regular citizen's home.
"Because there are too many people and time is limited, I won't pass it around for everyone to inspect. Step closer and observe it yourselves. Touching it with your hands is forbidden; use only your eyes to observe." With that, Zhuolin fetched a jewelry display stand, placed the crystal upon it, and stepped back.
The crowd immediately swarmed forward, surrounding the stand to observe for themselves.
Lin Huang did not squeeze through. Instead, he directly activated his enhanced vision and observed from a distance.
Under the scrutiny of his enhanced vision, Lin Huang saw it clearly.
This black crystal did not quite look like a mineral crystal, as it lacked a crystalline structure. It looked more like amber resin or something similar to plastic.
Of course, since touching it with hands was forbidden, Lin Huang could not be certain of this through observation alone.
The observation lasted for over half an hour, and practically everyone had inspected it up close. When the crowd dwindled near the end, Lin Huang stepped closer and used his enhanced vision to examine it carefully once more, but the result differed little from his previous conclusion.
"Very well, now that everyone has finished observing and seen clearly what it looks like," Zhuolin smiled as he put the item away, "let me now present the specific topic for my section."
The previously noisy association hall fell silent instantly. Terrified of missing crucial examination information, everyone stared fixedly at Zhuolin.
After all, many chief examiners of the Hunter Association had the annoying habit of being whimsical, and it was entirely possible that exam questions would be stated only once without repetition. If one failed to hear it, the information obtained by asking other candidates might not be accurate.
"My exam question is simple: find the black crystal you just saw." Zhuolin's lips curved upward. Seeing the anxious and tense expressions on everyone's faces, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of being a chief examiner.
"The scope of the test is the entire Northern Xuan City. The items are located within the city; there's no need to waste time searching outside the city walls. I have placed five thousand pieces of this crystal throughout the entire city. Meanwhile, the number of you who passed the first round is over eleven thousand. Therefore, more than half of you will be eliminated in my test."
"The time limit is forty-eight hours. Within forty-eight hours, you must hand a piece of black crystal identical to the one you just saw into my hands in order to pass my test."
"Throughout these forty-eight hours, I will be waiting for you right here in this hall. Whenever you retrieve the item, you may bring it to me at any time to submit it. It doesn't matter what hour of the morning it is; you need not worry about disturbing my rest."
Zhuolin finally detailed the specifics of his second examination.
Hearing this, many furrowed their brows deeply. Searching for a thumb-sized crystal in a massive B-grade stronghold was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. To complete it within forty-eight hours made the difficulty exceptionally high.
"There is one more thing I must mention. All five thousand pieces of the black crystal I placed have been secretly marked by me, so you can save yourselves the trouble of wasting time on crooked paths like forgery and self-fabrication. Once I discover that someone has brought me something other than one of the five thousand pieces I placed, I will have no choice but to blacklist you and bar you from participating in the hunter examination for three years." Zhuolin issued another warning.
"Examiner, isn't there any clue or hint? If it's like this, wouldn't it all come down to pure luck?" a female candidate blurted out, unable to hold back.
In fact, quite a few people wanted to ask this question but dared not.
Hearing this, everyone immediately turned their gazes back to Zhuolin.
"Of course there is a hint. The hint is very simple, consisting of only two words: weeds." Zhuolin glanced at the time after speaking. "It is now 8:51 in the morning; let's treat it as 9:00. Within forty-eight hours—that is, before 9:00 the morning after tomorrow—anyone who delivers the item into my hands will pass this round of examination."
"I have provided all the necessary information. Those with lingering questions must figure out a way to solve them yourselves. I now declare the second round of examination officially underway!"
As Zhuolin's voice fell, over ten thousand people swarmed out of the Hunter Association in a rush.
Once everyone had departed, the chief examiner of the first round slowly walked into the hall.
"Such a lively scene. What kind of question did you give them? They all rushed out in such a fluster," Xu Jinping asked with a smile.
"Two words: weeds," Zhuolin answered with a grin.
"You can't be serious. Are you trying to stir up trouble? What happens if not a single person passes?" Xu Jinping paused, then asked hurriedly. He clearly understood what Zhuolin meant by weeds.
"Then we just won't take in any newcomers this year," Zhuolin said, spreading his hands with a laugh.