Wu Sheng: I can adapt to evolution

Chapter 49: The College Entrance Examination Begins! (Don’t forget to read along)
Lu Ming also ate another wood-attributed demon core, recovering some of his energy and replenishing some of the attributes of heaven and earth.

He did not take the other three pills immediately.

He had just consumed too much energy in order to evolve the organs that regulate growth signals. Although the remaining energy could probably help him adapt to one type of demon core, there was no need to perform such an extreme operation. What if he met that pervert again on the way home?

Moreover, he was somewhat mentally exhausted after such a drastic evolution.

I'd better go back and eat some [Meat Mountain] and wait until I have enough energy.

Lu Ming went around in another direction and didn't return to Tai'an City until late at night.

The days that followed were uneventful.

Lu Ming would go back and forth between the canteen, the animal husbandry department, and the Jin family every day. He would practice martial arts, steal mountains of meat, and accumulate energy bit by bit.

And in such a leisurely life, the day of the [College Examination] finally arrived.

"What's going on?"

The academy exam took place at the same location as the prefectural exam, in the training ground outside the city. However, as soon as Lu Ming and the others received their badges and entered the training ground, they were each issued a piece of leather armor, a long sword, a bow and arrow, and a wooden shield.

Although they were confused, everyone still changed their clothes.

There is still a lingering musty smell on this clothes.

"Everyone, this academy examination is jointly held by the imperial court and the Martial Temple, and the assessment is conducted by the Military Guards. Now, please allow our Tai'an Prefecture's Military Guards to address you."

An official stood on a wooden platform and spoke loudly.

After a while, a young man in black clothes walked onto the platform.

"Jiang Taiyan?"

Lu Ming was a little surprised. This was truly fate. Wasn't he the same guy who chased me and attacked me last time? Life is full of encounters.

Jiang Taiyan's eyes swept over all the students.

Everyone felt a little uneasy under his visceral gaze and lowered their heads. However, Lu Ming raised his head carelessly, causing Jiang Taiyan to stare at him twice.

"This assessment is life-threatening. I can't guarantee the mortality rate. If you don't want to die, withdraw now."

Jiang Taiyan said only one sentence and then stopped talking.

His words caused an uproar among the crowd, and they looked at each other in bewilderment. How could a good exam be life-threatening?
But I quit before taking the exam...

Most of the people present were young and full of vigor. No one would be able to bring themselves to lose face if they withdrew because of cowardice.

After a long while, no one asked to leave.

"Since you won't retreat, start now, divided into groups of ten, each led by a captain of the military."

Jiang Taiyan acted decisively and gave the order directly.

"Are you asking us to go and suppress bandits?"

Lu Ming was thoughtful. Could it be that there have been some changes in the external situation recently?
If these people passed the academy examination, they would be called "Martial Scholars." In the military, a "Martial Scholar" was already qualified to serve as the most basic officer, starting from the ninth rank or no rank, and could lead more than a dozen people.

Now the assessment directly requires everyone to conduct practical exercises, and it is estimated that a large number of grassroots officers will be needed to supplement the army's combat power.

Is the war in the north imminent? Or is there a rebellion within the imperial court?
Just as a few thoughts were running through his mind, he was assigned to a team with nine other people, called Team C 9.

The captain in charge of them looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a dark face, rough skin, and a serious expression. He looked like a rough man who had been in the army for a long time.

"My name is Cao Yangbo. I'm looking for a deputy team leader. Who's willing to take the position?"

"I!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ming immediately raised his hand high.

"Okay, you'll be the deputy team leader. What's your name?" "Lu Ming."

"Very good. Lu Ming, you will be responsible for keeping count of the troops at all times and ensuring that no one is left behind. During battle, you will supervise the battle. Anyone who flees without fighting will be killed!"

Cao Yangbo looked at Lu Ming and nodded slightly.

The military needs people with the courage to stand out, rather than those who just want to blend in with the crowd and protect others when they encounter danger.

Being the first to charge into battle, kill the general and seize the flag is the real military achievement!

When everyone heard that the deputy team leader had so much power, they immediately felt regretful and wished they had been more proactive earlier.

……

After resting for half a day, they left Tai'an Prefecture in the afternoon and headed west.

Because they were all warriors, they marched quickly. By dusk, they had already covered a hundred and fifty miles when a mountain, resembling an inverted knife tip, appeared before them. The mountain was steep, its rocks jagged, and even those unfamiliar with military affairs knew it was a place easily defended but difficult to attack.

When the flag signal came, everyone stayed on the spot and was not allowed to leave the camp without the commander's order.

During the afternoon march, Cao Yangbo had already taught everyone how to read flag signals, and now under his command, they began to set up tents.

"The rest of you continue setting up the tents. Lu Ming, select four people and follow me to build the fortifications."

Setting up the tent was not difficult, and everyone learned it quickly, while Cao Yangbo continued to give orders.

"Yes."

Lu Ming responded, then selected a few people and went outside the tent with Cao Yangbo.

"From here, head eighty paces west and dig a trench about five feet deep, fifteen ridges in total. Can you finish digging before midnight?"

"Make sure to complete the mission."

Lu Ming didn't have any objections and directly led everyone to start digging.

What they dug were called horse traps. By digging continuous pits on flat ground, the legs of the enemy cavalry's horses would get stuck when they charged, causing them to lose their balance.

"Chen Wu, you are responsible for the first ridge."

"Zhao Anping, you're second!"

"Sun Jin..."

"I'm in charge of the Fifth Ridge. From now on, I'll give each of you half an hour to complete the task."

Lu Ming gave tasks to everyone in turn. He knew that since [Wu Xiucai] was training grassroots officers, it was not only necessary to demonstrate their own strength, but also their command and control capabilities for the team should be within the scope of assessment.

In fact, he also discovered that this group of people should be very dissatisfied with him. After all, Lu Ming was the newly promoted [Martial Student] this year and the youngest among them. It was only because Cao Yangbo was here that they did not dare to attack him.

But Lu Ming didn't care. He took the lead, picked up the shovel, stuck it into the ground and lifted it up, and a large piece of soil was dug up.

Actually, he had a faster way to do it: he could stick the shovel into the ground and push it forward, just like plowing the field. Unfortunately, his strength was not a problem, but the quality of the shovel was not up to par.

But even so, he was still very fast, digging as he walked, and in a blink of an eye he had dug more than forty steps.

The others were originally quite angry with him, but after seeing his amazing strength, they stopped talking and just silently increased the speed of digging.

No one wants to be the last one.

But the more anxiously they dug, the wider the gap between them and Lu Ming became.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, Lu Ming had finished digging one ridge, but most people had only dug less than one-third.

(End of this chapter)