Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Prize for the Top Score in the Joint Exam

Chu Cheng looked up in astonishment and saw Mo Han speaking with a grave expression:
"You must fight for first place in this exam!"

He asked instinctively,
"Why? Is there something special about being first? I thought they were selecting the top ten elites for focused training—getting into the top ten should be enough."

Mo Han now looked at him with surprise,
"Didn't your homeroom teacher tell you about the reward for first place in the joint exam?"

"Uh, no, she just told me to aim for the top ten."

Mo Han paused.
"Perhaps she didn't think you had a chance at first place, so she didn’t tell you to avoid adding unnecessary pressure."

"This year, apart from the top ten receiving focused cultivation, the principal has also set aside a Primal Hero’s Emblem as a reward for the top scorer."

"Primal Hero’s Emblem?"
Chu Cheng was visibly shaken.

"Exactly," Mo Han replied with a smile.
"Since you’ve heard about it, you should know what that means."

Chu Cheng fell silent.

The Primal Hero’s Emblem was…
Or, to put it another way: for a normal hero’s vocation, one must first obtain a Hero’s Emblem—or a Hero’s Warrant, which serves the same function—and then, with the emblem or warrant, travel to a certain realm to find the hero who issued it.

Upon completing the hero’s assigned quest and earning their recognition, one could receive their legacy and become a corresponding hero.

Generally, the number of hero legacies is limited; only a few can become heroes at the same time.

For those heroes already discovered by humans, and whose legacies are in the hands of various academies, many Hero’s Emblems or Warrants are distributed to students each year, with dozens or even more competing for one or several spots.

The higher the hero’s rank, the fewer the spots.

First-rate and even top-tier academies may possess hero legacies, and students may have the chance to obtain a Hero’s Warrant, but possessing a warrant is one thing—actually seizing the opportunity is another.

Thus, in advanced academies, the mainstream path remains conventional vocations; even in elite institutions, the vast majority still pursue advanced classes, accounting for more than eighty percent.

A little over ten percent achieve top-tier vocations.

Heroic professions account for less than five percent—just two or three out of a hundred.

There are five hero ranks in total, from lowest to highest: Lesser Hero, Intermediate Hero, Greater Hero, Legendary Hero, and Immortal Hero.

Heroes are further classified into four main categories according to their power systems.

First are bloodline legacies: powerful bloodlines of at least legendary status, such as the blood of dragons, giants, devils, celestials, elementals, and other extraordinary beings.

Second are professional legacies, like Sword Saints, Dragon Knights, Fist Masters, and certain legendary vocations.

Third are the embodiments of the laws: fire, frost, slaughter, wrath, strength, time, and so on—heroes of this category are, on average, the strongest.

The fourth are composite legacies, encompassing all special hero legacies outside the previous three categories.

The Primal Hero’s Emblem is an emblem acquired through special means, not issued by any particular hero. It serves one purpose: replication.

It can replicate the powers of any hero, thus allowing its holder to become any hero.

If you copy a Lesser Hero’s powers, your template becomes a Lesser Hero.

If you copy a Greater Hero’s powers, your template becomes a Greater Hero.

Should you manage to replicate a Legendary Hero’s abilities, your template is that of a Legendary Hero.

In other words, in theory, this item allows one to become a hero of any rank—even the supremely powerful Immortal Hero.

However, you must still complete the quest issued by the hero whose powers you wish to replicate and compete with others for their legacy.

The greatest advantage of the Primal Hero’s Emblem is that it gives you a chance to vie for the highest-level hero legacies—it doesn’t grant them directly.

It is akin to a master key, letting you forcibly join the competition for any legacy.

That alone is immensely powerful—under normal circumstances, even obtaining a Lesser Hero’s Emblem is difficult, but with this, you can directly compete for a Legendary Hero’s legacy.

"So if I just take first place in the joint exam, I can obtain this Primal Hero’s Emblem?"

"Yes."

"Is there a standard for determining first place? How is it judged? Is the spot already predetermined?"

Mo Han shook his head.
"No, there’s no predetermined candidate, nor is there a fixed standard. The school committee and all the homeroom teachers will judge together. It's based mainly on performance—the more points and permissions you accumulate, the higher your score."

He looked at Chu Cheng and smiled,
"You’re the first to reach Revered reputation—that’s a huge bonus. At this stage, you’re definitely at the forefront in terms of scoring."

Chu Cheng was surprised,
"That’s still not first place?"

"It might be, but the gap isn’t decisive," Mo Han explained.
"For example, Class One united early on to support a few individuals. Although their reputation hasn't reached Revered, they’ve accumulated over twenty points and several permissions this month. Their overall evaluation is by no means inferior to yours."

"Hmm..."
Chu Cheng had nothing to say.

He only had seven points, and not a single permission.

He couldn’t help it—he’d been focused on farming reputation, not bosses, so his points and permissions were naturally low.

Still, it wasn’t a big issue. Now that his reputation had reached Revered, there was no need to grind minor monsters anymore. He could focus on hunting bosses and accomplishing major feats—especially with the coming Blackwater River Battle in a month, a major story event. If handled well, he could rack up fifty points and three permissions in one go, closing the gap instantly.

There were two major story events in this joint exam. Seizing both opportunities and amassing a hundred points or so would nearly guarantee his success.

The group from Class One was indeed strong, but they couldn’t ignore minor monsters the way he could.

They had to take great risks to kill the key bosses in the story to alter its course, while he could, as in the Black Sails Pirate instance, slay crowds of minions to change the outcome and gain crucial influence.

This exploit-like strategy was unique to him.

It was both easy and low risk.

Chu Cheng didn’t stay long with Mo Han. After chatting for a bit and collecting the remaining three items, he took his leave.

Back at his temporary quarters, Chu Cheng took out the three items. He first studied the Enchanter’s profession, equipped the Precision Heart-Piercer, and stored the Greater Fire Elemental Summoning Scroll.

Greater Fire Elemental Summoning Scroll: 15 seconds to channel the spell, summons a level 60, terrifying template Greater Fire Elemental from the Elemental Realm, which obeys your commands for 60 minutes.

Precision Heart-Piercer (Rare/Red)

Equipment type: Ranged/Longbow.

Requirements: Level 20, Strength 35, Agility 35

Base range: 70 meters.

Base attack: 58 piercing.

Additional attribute: Agility +6.

Additional attribute: Armor Penetration +12.

Special feature: Precision LV1, trajectory correction +1 meter.

Evaluation: A killing tool that automatically corrects its own trajectory.

"I need to acquire one or two ranged skills to make the most of this," Chu Cheng mused. A charged shot and a rapid-fire attack would suit his current needs perfectly.