High School of Demon Hunting-Chapter 2288 - 509: An Unexpected Incident in the Examination Hall
Whether it was arguing or bantering, it was merely a bit of diversion amidst the tense atmosphere of the final exams.
Wednesday afternoon was the written test for Potion Making.
The first half of the exam paper went very smoothly for Zheng Qing, but when it came to a question about dewdrops, he suddenly found himself unable to distinguish between "White Dew," "Autumn Dew," and "Cold Dew."
He recalled that during the Cold Dew festival, Xiao Xiao had taken everyone to the Hundred Herb Gardens to collect Cold Dew from each leaf. Back then, he had mentioned that Cold Dew was ’cold’ in nature and unsuitable to be collected in brass plates; it should be captured in stone, jade, or wooden plates.
As for White Dew, it had been collected by Professor Li and the students in class. Zheng Qing remembered very clearly that it was the first time he encountered a dewdrop plate—made of brass, entirely golden, and engraved with dense runes.
Regarding Autumn Dew, Zheng Qing’s mind was a bit muddled, unable to recall anything special about it, yet it seemed oddly familiar as if he had seen it somewhere before.
The feather pen, soaked with ink, hovered in mid-air for a long time, and just as the tip was about to succumb to the weight of the ink, about to drop, Zheng Qing finally began to write:
"Autumn belongs to metal, golden in color; come the White Dew season, plants condense moisture that doesn’t flow, with increasing Yin Qi, dew gathers and turns white, this is known as White Dew."
This was the textbook’s formal definition of White Dew—Zheng Qing thought it was clear, no matter the relationship among the three, clearly writing the definition couldn’t go wrong—so he carefully transcribed from his memory the definitions of the three types of dewdrops, being vague about their relationships. Seeing some blank space still on the test paper, he tirelessly copied down several commonly used spells for collecting dewdrops.
Writing a bit more can never hurt.
"May the gentlemen above bless me, seeing how hard I’ve worked, hopefully, the grading teacher will be merciful and deduct fewer points."
"’The reeds are dark, and the white dew frost’ ’The reeds are dark, and the white dew has not yet evaporated’ ’The reeds are dark, and the white dew is not yet ended’ are the three most commonly used spells for collecting White Dew. Using them, one can gather the three most basic magic materials: ’white frost,’ ’white dew,’ and ’white splendor’..."
Bang!
There was a thundering sound from outside the window. Zheng Qing’s seat was near the window, and he instinctively looked up, gazing out the window, past the sparsely scattered small trees and rolling hills, vaguely glimpsing a flash of red light beyond the tall university walls.
Did something happen in the Silent Forest?
The thought immediately flashed through the young student’s mind, and quickly, he suppressed the restless feeling within him. Firstly, he was still in an exam, and secondly, this was Buji Island, the First University, where someone casting a powerful magic wasn’t unusual.
Perhaps it was just a few stray giants accidentally emerging from the Silent Forest, discovered by the patrol team, and the school organizing manpower to expel them.
"Ahem, ahem!"
On the podium, the black-robed teaching assistant who was administering the exam lightly coughed twice to remind, "There are forty-nine minutes left until the end of the exam. Students who haven’t finished their papers, please work quickly... those who have finished, carefully check and avoid looking around to prevent being locked by the anti-cheating spells... the school’s anti-cheating spells have been in use for many years, the logic is very outdated, sometimes it’s hard to tell if you’re just stretching or passing notes to others."
The exam room was filled with low laughter.
Zheng Qing quickly refocused his gaze from the window back onto the question about dewdrops. Distracted by the noise outside and the proctor’s interruption, he suddenly remembered where he had seen the term "Autumn Dew."
During the Seven Sins assessment, the assignment set by Belfinger, who was wearing a bird-headed mask, included a question that required listing five different "Autumn Dews," briefly describing their medicinal properties, and writing a potion using White Dew as an adjunct, explaining its efficacy and mechanism.
Thinking of this, the warlock’s thoughts suddenly became clear—whether it’s Cold Dew or White Dew, both are types of Autumn Dew, but due to the different times of condensation, Cold Dew and White Dew have varying properties.
Following this line of thought, he quickly enriched his answer, striving to refine the logical connection between the meaningless filler and the key points of the answer.
Boom!
Another dull sound interrupted the young student’s train of thought. Feeling slightly annoyed, he quickly drafted a conclusion and glanced outside.
This time, the black-robed teaching assistant on the podium and the gray-robed janitors patrolling around also looked outside curiously. But most of the students were still engrossed in their test papers, seizing every second to channel the lively words in their minds onto the paper.
Zheng Qing had a sensation that the two red lights seemed a little closer this time, though unsure if it was just his imagination.
He ignored it, lowered his head, and continued checking for errors and omissions.
This time, his concentration didn’t last much longer than before. In less than a minute, a more intense sound came from a distance.
Rumble!
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of either dull or loud or crisp explosions came from afar, as if hundreds of large trees had snapped simultaneously, or a small mountain had collapsed on the spot. Amidst this was the howling wind from unknown origins, swirling up countless dead branches and leaves, birds flying chaotically and screaming, and the sky suddenly became much gloomier.
The hairs on the back of Zheng Qing’s hand, gripping the feather pen, stood on end. This feeling was very familiar to him, typical of the phenomena and sensation preceding the release of a Thunder Curse.
Someone is fighting outside the academy!
Those two red lights weren’t accidental!
He quickly turned his head to where the red light flashed outside the wall. This time, not only him but other students near the window looked out as well, and those farther from the window stretched their necks, eagerly wanting to stand up.
"Everyone, please remember, it’s still exam time!"
"Think about the anti-cheating spells encompassing the entire teaching building..."
The teaching assistant on the podium reminded the students with slight unease, while the other two invigilating teachers had already drawn out their law books, watching outside vigilantly.
Buzz!
Clatter!
The window shook violently, and the glass emitted a teeth-grinding squeaking sound. Through the window, it was clear that the edge of the Silent Forest was erupting with hot spell light, lighting up half the sky in fiery red. Judging by the momentum, Zheng Qing almost believed that a group of powerful demons were frantically attacking the First University.
"Everyone, get down on your desks, and don’t move!"
"The School Guardian Array can ensure everyone’s safety!"
"The professors are dealing with this... Everyone, stay in your place and do not move!"
The three examiners shouted, issuing orders that left Zheng Qing slightly surprised—in his view, faced with such a risk, the first action should be to allow all students to retrieve their law books to protect themselves, rather than stupidly staying still in their places.
