The entire venue fell silent. The Beastmen listened, their ears perked for gossip. ’What does he mean? What ulterior motives? Guanping Beast Country unexpectedly took first place. Is he implying it’s fake?’
Beast Xiao Chengwang glanced at him lazily. "High Priest, aren’t you overstepping your bounds a bit? As the High Priest, you should be well aware of your responsibilities.
Take a look at the high platform. Do you see any other Priests? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then don’t make a fool of yourself here."
Song Tan trembled with rage. Although the Guanping Beast Country was usually ranked near the bottom among the Five Countries, it was still a major nation, regardless of its overall strength.
As the High Priest of the entire Beast Country, Song Tan was accustomed to the adoration of the masses. Even the Beast King treated him with deference.
When had anyone ever accused him of being a disgrace right to his face? There were hundreds of thousands of Beastmen watching from below the stage, hailing from the entire Yongchang Continent!
He glared at Beast Xiao Chengwang, his previously feigned gentleness completely gone. He roared, "Ling Wei, I’m afraid I have a much clearer picture than you do of our Beast Country’s Beastmen and their level of understanding when it comes to Beast Text.
Our Beast Country has never even placed in the top three in this event. How could we possibly take first place this time?
Can you deny that you abused your position as the host to steal a first-place victory that belonged to someone else?"
The audience erupted. "He’s right, isn’t he? We all know where our Guanping Country stands. What’s the point of faking it?
And we’re the hosts! We’ll be too ashamed to attend exchange meets in other Beast Countries from now on..."
"Why can’t we just accept our actual rank? We’ve had so many of these meets. We’re all familiar with each other’s abilities... What is the Beast King thinking?"
The faces of the envoys on the high platform also darkened. "Guanping Beast King, what is the meaning of this? Are you a sore loser?"
"You should have just said so! I never thought the Guanping Beast Country would be so full of petty tricks despite its lack of strength. Even your own High Priest can’t stand to watch..."
"I never realized the Guanping Beast King was such a hypocrite, heh..."
Beast Xiao Chengwang chuckled. "He’s nothing but a buffoon. Are you really going to take his words to heart?
I am the Beast King of the Guanping Beast Country. I disdain nothing more than deceit. As for the results, you are welcome to inspect them yourselves.
The truth is plain to see. Why would you let him make fools of you?"
His words made the envoys flush. "Fine, we’ll inspect them. I want to see for myself just how the Beastmen of your Guanping Beast Country managed to take first place."
One after another, they first checked the list of names, then questioned the examiners who had graded the tests and recorded the scores. Finally, they began to look through the exam papers of the fifty Beastmen.
The envoys themselves had all studied Beast Text, but their own handwriting looked like chicken scratch. When they saw such beautiful calligraphy, they were captivated. Add to that the elegant phrasing and profound concepts, and it would have been a crime against heaven for these papers not to receive the highest scores.
They returned to their seats, their expressions a bit strained. "Beast King, I have a rather bold request. I was wondering if you would allow us to take some of these exam papers back with us, so the people of our own Beast Countries can see them."
With a smile and a wave of his hand, Beast Xiao Chengwang replied, "Of course. This is the Five Countries Exchange Meet. We are all here to learn from each other, communicate, and improve together.
It is an honor for our Beastmen that you appreciate their written Beast Text. Please, take your pick.
By the way, we are also establishing schools, academies, and official institutions of learning. If you have any talented cubs, they can study alongside the cubs of our Beast Country.
The only thing is, the tuition for visiting students is a little steep..."
The envoys exchanged a look. To be able to produce fifty Beastmen with such a high mastery of Beast Text simultaneously meant that the Guanping Beast Country must have stumbled upon some great opportunity.
Naturally, they had to get in on it too. Crystal Stones were never an issue!
"Then we thank you in advance, Beast King. How many slots would be available for each of our Beast Countries?"
Beast Xiao Chengwang raised an eyebrow. "One hundred slots per country. However, whether they can enroll in an academy or an official school will depend on if they can pass the entrance examination."
’The more obstacles I set, the more it will stir their competitive spirit.’
’In order to pass the exams and gain admission, combined with the appeal of the calligraphy and content on these papers, I’m sure these Beast Countries will happily fork over a hefty tuition fee and deliver their best and brightest cubs right to my door.’
’These are all valuable connections!’
Seeing the Beast King and the envoys on the high platform chatting cheerfully, the audience was completely bewildered. ’What in the world is going on?’
Beast Xiao Chengwang shot Qin Bei a look, and the latter immediately raised his voice to announce, "Everyone, the words of High Priest Song Tan just now were nothing but his own irresponsible speculation, intended to slander the Beast King.
Our Beastmen who participated in the competition all possess genuine talent and skill. They have a profound mastery of Beast Text and have earned the unanimous praise of the examiners and the envoys.
The Guanping Beast Country’s first-place victory in this round is well-deserved!
Furthermore, these exam papers will be taken back by the other four Beast Countries to their own lands for their people to borrow and read..."
Qin Bei also took the opportunity to announce that the Guanping Beast Country would be opening schools, academies, and official institutions. He told everyone to go home and prepare. Any cubs under the age of fifteen could enter the schools to study. Once they mastered a certain amount of Beast Text and other knowledge, they could take an exam to enter an academy. Those with outstanding results would then be recommended for the official institutions.
Each type of institution will teach a different curriculum with its own focus. However, all of them will impart extremely practical knowledge, guaranteed to help the cubs find good work after completing their studies.
Since the other Beast Countries were clamoring to send their best cubs to study here, the local Beastmen were certainly not going to be outdone. They all resolved to have their own cubs go home and cram for the exams.
A moment ago, Song Tan had been so smug, feeling as if his hands were already grasping the throne. Now, he had been viciously cast into an abyss. The sun beat down with intense heat, but all he felt was a bone-deep chill.
Those gleeful Beastmen who had been hoping to see the Beast King humiliated now wished they could shrink into their clothes and disappear.
’The Beast King was planning something so important, and we were completely in the dark. Did this mean he was about to kick us out of the inner circle of power?’
’And to make matters worse, we had been the ones to self-righteously isolate him. Our regret and fury were immense, and we placed all the blame on the High Priest for feeding us bad information...’
With the written exams over, it was time for the martial combat—the part the audience loved most!
Qin Bei smiled and announced the rules. "...Following the rules of previous years, there are one hundred arenas set up throughout the venue. Each Beast Country will send one hundred Warriors to compete. The winner is determined by which Beast Country has the most Warriors successfully defending their arenas...
However, this year we’re spicing things up with an additional rule: in front of every arena, there will be a Teleportation Portal.
This Teleportation Portal will shift its destination every quarter of an hour. When a Beastman steps through it, they will have no idea which arena they’ll emerge at..."