Chapter 38: Four Teachers, A Pop Quiz

Westbrook Beast-Taming Academy, Grade 11, Class 1, the Ember Class.

This classroom was much larger than Adrian's Grade 10 classroom.

Even with all forty students standing at the door, it did not feel crowded.

There were forty desks. Each desk was a meter and a half long, and on each desk sat a locked box.

Not only that, there were also cabinets and small stools under the desks. The setup was quite good.

At this moment, four teachers stood in front of the blackboard.

"Everyone, come in. Your seats are arranged," Mr. Caldwell said. "They are ordered by your talent rankings from the Awakening Ceremony, from desk 1 to desk 40. Your names are on them."

Adrian quickly found his seat: desk 7, second row, second from the left.

Julian was seated right in front of him.

"Most of you already know me. I assigned your homework a week ago. Now the four of us will introduce ourselves again." Mr. Caldwell stepped forward. He was wearing casual clothes today, and his face looked a little tired.

"My name is Mr. Caldwell. I will be your general knowledge teacher and your homeroom teacher."

"More precisely, I will teach everything corresponding to the college entrance exam subject Beast Tamer General Knowledge."

"That includes knowledge of beasts, understanding talents, how to raise and cultivate beasts, and some basic beast research."

He stepped back two paces and looked at the muscular middle-aged teacher in a vest on the far left.

He stepped forward and said, "My name is Mr. Sun."

"I am responsible for teaching the college entrance exam subject Beast Tamer Practical."

"Your beast combat classes and field exploration classes will be taught by me."

"When I assess you, I care more about the quality of your beasts."

Then a thin, slightly scholarly-looking teacher slowly stepped forward. "My name is Mr. Zhao. I am responsible for teaching the college entrance exam subject Beast Tamer Qualities."

"From now on, I will be in charge of teaching Tamer Arts and Cultivation Arts."

The last to speak was the teacher on the far right. He looked somewhat old, with a high hairline and large earlobes.

"My name is Mr. Zhu. I am responsible for teaching Beast Tamer Resources."

"How to identify beast products, how to use materials properly, and how to understand and properly use Tamer Gear—those are what I will teach."

Adrian looked at the blackboard.

The four subjects and the names of the teachers were written on it.

He nodded silently. These four subjects corresponded exactly to the four main assessment areas of the Kingdom of Draconis college entrance exam.

After the four teachers finished their introductions, Mr. Caldwell stepped forward again and said, "I assigned you homework a week ago. Is there anyone who has not contracted a beast yet?"

No one in the class of forty raised a hand. Mr. Caldwell nodded in satisfaction. "Then summon your beasts."

For a moment, the classroom became a little noisy.

Most of these beasts were young, at the common level, and not large.

Even so, with forty beasts appearing at once, the whole class became clamorous.

All kinds of meows, barks, chirps, and squeaks filled the air.

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Many beasts had natural counters to each other. They were born with hostility toward certain species and had a sense of territory.

Lionel was fine. He had seen this kind of scene before.

During the times he had been transported between different merchants, he had been squeezed into small spaces with completely unfamiliar beasts. He was the smallest and was often crushed until he could barely breathe.

This place was spacious, not crowded at all. Aside from the smell of those few cats making him a little uncomfortable, everything was fine.

Endure it and it would be over.

What reaction to make on what occasion was already instinct for Lionel.

Now, he just needed to sit quietly.

Julian's beast, Wonder Shine Grass, on the other hand, looked very panicked, but under Julian's soothing, it gradually calmed down. Especially after it turned its head and saw Adrian smiling at it, it completely stabilized.

The commotion lasted a full three minutes.

Until Mr. Sun on the platform nodded to Mr. Zhao.

Mr. Zhao merely raised a hand slightly, then waved it like doing tai chi. In an instant, the entire classroom quieted down.

Adrian's eyes immediately lit up.

This should be a Tamer Art—Calm Mind Art.

It only affected beasts. It was a very commonly used Tamer Art in beast medicine, calming a beast's mind.

To affect so many beasts at once, even if they were all still at the common level, his mastery of this Tamer Art must be very high.

After it quieted down, Mr. Caldwell said, "Our Ember Class gathers the forty best students in the grade."

"Although the homework I assigned was only to contract a beast, you should have guessed that today's first lesson will not be that simple."

"The other three teachers and I thought about it and decided to give you a simple pop quiz."

"My assessment is a written test. You have three hours. There are three major questions. The papers are in the small cabinets under your desks."

"Of course, this exam is not that simple, because the other three teachers' assessments will be conducted simultaneously during these three hours."

As soon as he finished speaking, gasps came from the class.

In Grade 10, their exams were usually just written tests and spiritual power tests.

They could not imagine how these four assessment areas could be conducted simultaneously within three hours.

Was this really a "simple pop quiz"?

Even Adrian was slightly stunned when he heard it.

He had actually known yesterday that there would definitely be an assessment today, and he had been making his own test papers in advance based on his own understanding and perspective.

But he had not expected a "four-in-one" exam.

This immediately excited him. Interesting!

"My assessment actually began the moment you summoned your beasts. It will continue from here." Mr. Sun continued. "In this exam, I am testing your beasts' discipline."

"Put simply, I am testing your current bond with your beasts and your degree of control over them. Follow the exam rules and keep the exam room quiet."

"People cannot cause trouble, and beasts naturally cannot either. During these three hours, your beasts' states will be monitored and scored by me in real time."

"Right now, Mr. Zhao has used Calm Mind Art on your beasts. Later, it will not be so simple."

As soon as he finished, Mr. Zhao smiled and took over. "Mr. Sun is right. As time passes, I will reduce the effect of the Calm Mind Art. By then, you will have to stabilize your beasts' emotions while under the pressure of answering questions."

"My assessment focuses on your spiritual power as beast tamers. I originally thought about using a Spirit Binding Art on you to add some mental pressure, but Mr. Caldwell said this assessment should be a little simpler, so I will not make it too hard for you."

After saying that, he revealed a row of neat white teeth.

"My assessment is the simplest. A beast tamer's allocation of resources is very important. In the boxes on your desks are beast food, some stress-resistance products, and even Tamer Gear that can help you concentrate and resist pressure."

"Whether to use them, and when to use them, is up to you to arrange."

Mr. Zhu said, his face still expressionless.

The assessment requirements were actually not hard to understand.

But in Grade 10, they had never trained for this kind of exam!

In an instant, everyone felt a little deflated.

But after all, they were still good seeds who had made it into the Ember Class. Most of them calmed down.

"Mm, good." Mr. Caldwell smiled. "The results of this assessment will determine your new ranking and seating in the class."

"Also, for the first place in each individual assessment, we teachers will give a small reward."

"The student who places first overall will also get a surprise."

As Mr. Caldwell spoke, his eyes met Adrian's. Seeing the eager look in Adrian's eyes, he was very satisfied.

"Then, the exam begins."

Hearing that, everyone immediately took out the test papers from the small drawers.

The earlier they finished answering, the more energy they would have in the last hour to control their beasts.

After all, they were top students. They still had experience in exam time management and planning.

But when everyone saw the questions Mr. Caldwell had set, they were a little stunned.

There were only three questions in total, and each was a major question.

One: Write down the talents of your other thirty-nine classmates, the official rankings of their talents, and the effects of those talents.

Two: Describe the beast species, attributes, qualities, traits, and whether they have public evolution paths for your other thirty-nine classmates' beasts.

Three: Based on your understanding, according to the configuration of attack, defense, and support, form groups of three. Pair up what you believe to be the strongest squads based on the current classmates' talents and beasts.

Seeing these questions, Adrian actually smiled.

Although he had not predicted the exam format, the questions Mr. Caldwell set were basically within the scope of his preparation.

After all, Mr. Caldwell had taught him for a year. He understood him somewhat.

After communicating with Lionel, this first joint assessment for the two of them began.