Chapter 19: The 3E Exam

Rome, Italy.

Frost Gattuoso sat upright in the sunlight behind his desk. As the de facto head of the Gattuoso family, he spent nearly every day here, managing the family’s hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide without ever stepping outside.

At this moment, a black-and-white photograph lay on that desk, which symbolized absolute power. The ruins of the train station in the image were truly shocking.

"It doesn't look particularly unusual," Frost said in a low voice. "The records show this station was already quite dilapidated, which is why the city is building a new one."

"Logically, however, a magnitude-three earthquake shouldn't even topple a condemned building, let alone a structure of such immense scale." Pazzi bowed slightly, his pale golden bangs falling to cover his eyes. "But that is not the point..."

Pazzi paused, his voice dropping lower. "The reason this image has reached you is that many people seem to be paying attention to it."

Frost frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"According to reliable sources, Principal Anjou is very interested. Furthermore, after the situation has been brewing for some time, several other hybrid organizations seem to be watching as well."

Hearing this, Frost’s expression finally turned serious. As the proxy for the Secret Party, Anjou held absolute authority over matters concerning dragon slaying. Moreover, those other, darker hybrid organizations could not be underestimated; after all, no one knew if those seemingly weak and vulnerable groups were hiding individuals akin to the legendary "hidden masters."

"I need an analysis of these ruins," Frost said, raising a finger. "Go and purchase the site."

"Negotiations are already underway. I am sure good news will arrive shortly."

Frost nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked suddenly, "Is Caesar about to undergo his bloodline test?"

"Yes, today," Pazzi replied. "But surely Young Master Caesar’s bloodline will be exceptional."

"Hmph, naturally." A haughty look appeared on Frost’s face. "I do not believe Cassel College has a student more outstanding than Caesar. Caesar was born to be a protagonist!"

...

"The 3E exam, simply put, is a bloodline assessment. It is primarily used to identify a student’s lineage; those who score too poorly will be expelled."

At Cassel College, in a second-floor classroom of the library, Professor Manstein stood on the podium, his voice rising and falling with majestic authority. "Cheating is strictly forbidden! Violators will have all qualifications revoked!"

"Now, I will repeat the examination rules: electronic communication devices are prohibited. Radio waves in this classroom are monitored. This room has seen countless students take this exam over the years, so I can tell you with responsibility that every method of cheating you can conceive of has already been tried by your predecessors..."

There were nameplates in front of every seat. Chu Zihang sat quietly, his posture straight, not saying a word. He looked like the model student in any teacher’s eyes.

What no one knew was that inside the mind of this "model student," a voice was chattering incessantly.

"This exam comes at the perfect time. I also need to know exactly what level your bloodline has reached. If the grade is high enough, it will be very helpful for your bid to become president of the Lionheart Society. This is critical for our future plans."

Having said this, Tang Xi paused for a moment, her tone becoming encouraging. "So, do your best. I will step in if it becomes necessary."

Chu Zihang did not speak, but gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Cassel College was indeed experienced in dealing with cheaters, but they likely never imagined that someone could carry a cheating device directly inside their brain.

In truth, Tang Xi wasn't sure of her own current bloodline, but perhaps because of the nature of her existence, at least when she faced Jörmungandr, although she was far inferior in raw power, she did not feel the sensation of being suppressed by bloodline.

Therefore, she was not the least bit nervous about this assessment. Furthermore, she believed that even without her, Chu Zihang would still achieve a high score. After all, having spent three years hunting dead souls, the boy’s bloodline had truly risen to a certain level. She just didn't know exactly how far he had progressed, but it was certainly enough to handle this exam.

Feeling confident, Tang Xi was completely unbothered by this ostensibly difficult test, and even had the mood to size up the other students.

The classroom was full. The students appeared to be from all over the world, with different skin tones and features, all wearing the standard Cassel College uniform. Most hybrids possessed superior genes, which is to say, they were all quite good-looking.

There were several beautiful girls and handsome boys who were a pleasure to look at, but beauty and handsomeness had their own tiers. At this very moment, two heavyweights were sitting in the room.

One sat behind Chu Zihang, his dazzling, gold-like hair shimmering in the sunlight, framing a face like a Greek sculpture. A confident smile played on his lips, and his entire demeanor screamed "noble heir"—he might as well have had the word "wealthy" written on his face.

It was none other than Caesar Gattuoso, who in the original story regarded Chu Zihang as his lifelong rival.

Tang Xi paid no heed to this charismatic nobleman, focusing her attention instead on the girl sitting to Chu Zihang's right. If anyone in the room could compete with the flamboyant Caesar, it was this girl.

Her pale golden hair, white to the point of being translucent, was tied up casually, revealing a slender neck. The girl had exquisite, stunning features, her proud figure wrapped in the school uniform, and a pair of deep blue eyes that were profound and cold, like the color of the deep ocean.

It was an aggressive kind of beauty. She seemed entirely disdainful of interacting with the other students, sitting quietly, yet her presence was too powerful to be ignored.

Tang Xi looked at the nameplate on her desk. It read: Ivanna.

The name felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Tang Xi searched her memory of the original story but could not recall it. It was likely she was someone who was eliminated during the 3E exam; otherwise, with such looks and temperament, it would be impossible for her name not to have been left in the original narrative.

At this thought, Tang Xi’s mind began to race. She whispered something to Chu Zihang, and his expression suddenly turned extremely bizarre.

Soon, the blank exam papers were handed out. With a "Good luck," Manstein exited the classroom. As the door closed, students began to look around and whisper to one another.

They clearly did not understand the situation. The so-called exam paper was just a blank sheet of paper—how was one supposed to answer?

A moment later, the audio system began playing an intense rock song, and everyone was completely dumbfounded.

The three most composed people in the room were likely only Chu Zihang, Caesar, and that cold, brilliant girl.

A look of struggle slowly appeared on Chu Zihang’s face, but not because the test was too hard; he could easily pick up the Dragon script woven into the rock music, which was nothing to him.

His hesitation was due to something else.

Under the constant urging of Tang Xi in his mind, he finally seemed to summon his courage and walked over to the side of the cold, arrogant girl.

"Hello," Chu Zihang said. "May I get to know you?"

Ivanna didn't even twitch an eyelid, as if she hadn't heard Chu Zihang at all.

Chu Zihang, however, ignored her attitude and spoke quickly: "If you are eliminated from this exam, would you consider joining another organization?"

He seemed to struggle, but finally gritted his teeth and said the words that were very difficult for him to utter: "Cassel College is actually not that great. If you are eliminated, I recommend you join an organization called World Tree."

Ivanna: "?"

Caesar, who was eavesdropping from the side: "?"