Ch. Your Military Merits to Your Brother 8 Your Military Merits to Your Brother 8

Chapter 8 The Mock Exam Begins!

“Who do you think will come in first place in this mock exam?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s definitely Freya. Her cultivation has already reached the ninth stage of the Postnatal Realm. She’s only one step away from the Innate Realm. Who could compare to her?”
“Exactly. Across all of Riverspire and even Southmere, Freya is absolutely one of the top geniuses.”
Many students whispered among themselves.
In the crowd, Freya stood with long brown hair flowing gracefully, her clothes swaying lightly. She looked distant and strikingly beautiful.
At such a young age, she was already regarded as the undisputed campus belle of Riverspire High.
Someone nearby sighed. “Helen could have competed with Freya. It’s a shame she got that strange illness six months ago. Not only did her cultivation stop improving, but it’s actually been declining ever since.”
At that, many students looked toward Helen Norman with pity, scorn, or reveling in her misfortune.
She was also a stunning beauty, but right now she looked pale and exhausted. Her figure was noticeably thinner.
She bit her lips so hard that they were bleeding slightly, her eyes filled with unwillingness and stubborn defiance.
In truth, Helen and Freya had once been known as the twin jewels of Riverspire High.
Both were exceptionally beautiful and gifted in martial talent. Half a year ago, both had reached the eighth stage of the Postnatal Realm.
At one point, Helen had even been ahead of Freya.
But then, Helen suddenly fell ill with a mysterious condition. From that moment on, her cultivation stopped progressing and even began to decline.
Even though she trained day and night desperately, her strength still dropped from her peak eighth stage of the Postnatal Realm down to the sixth stage. She had faded from brilliance into mediocrity.
Meanwhile, Freya had climbed to the ninth stage of the Postnatal Realm and become the center of attention, dazzling and unmatched.
How could Helen accept that?
“But there’s one thing Freya can’t compare to Helen in,” someone suddenly said.
“I heard Freya has been engaged since childhood to Skyler. But he has terrible martial talent and no ambition. He’s basically a complete waste.”
“On the other hand, Helen’s fiancé is Freya’s elder brother, Winston Sullivan. He was Riverspire’s martial SAT top scorer three years ago. He’s a true genius.”
Helen felt a bitter ache in her heart. Given her current condition, how could Winston possibly still see her the same way?
The reality was exactly that. Over the past six months, both Winston and the Sullivans had grown increasingly cold toward her.
“Shut up!” Freya snapped at the same moment. “The one I’m engaged to isn’t Skyler—it’s Seamus.”
Her expression turned icy as she swept her gaze across the crowd. “If I hear anyone spreading rumors like that again, don’t blame me for being rude!”
The students who had been gossiping immediately fell silent, though they exchanged puzzled looks. “Who’s Seamus?”
They stared at one another until someone finally spoke up.
“I think he’s the younger son of the Younts, Skyler’s younger brother. I heard he had incredible martial talent, but he enlisted in the military three years ago. No idea how he’s doing now.”
Someone better informed quickly chimed in, “You guys are behind on the news. I’ve heard Seamus earned a ton of military merits on the front lines and has already returned to Riverspire.
“The Younts have already announced they’re holding a celebration banquet for him tomorrow. They’ve even invited a lot of the city’s biggest names.”
Only then did everyone understand.
Either way, it was still an engagement with the Younts. Seamus was exceptionally talented, had military merits, and had a brilliant future. Naturally, he was far better than the loser Skyler.
“Mr. Hunt is here!” someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone immediately quieted and looked toward the entrance. Raymond walked in with a smiling middle-aged couple, chatting casually as they entered.
Following behind them were three young people—Teagan, Skyler, and Seamus.
“Seamus!” The moment Freya saw him, her eyes lit up.
But when she saw Skyler standing beside him, she frowned. “Why is Skyler here too?”
Raymond soon led the group onto the stage.
Without wasting any time, he announced, “Before we begin, let me introduce two new students. This is Skyler Yount, and this is Seamus Yount.”
“Skyler? Seamus?” The students who had just been talking about them were momentarily stunned.
“Come on, Skyler, Seamus. Give everyone a brief introduction,” Raymond said with a smile.
Seamus immediately stepped forward. He shot Skyler a dismissive glance before lifting his chin proudly.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Seamus. I just returned from serving on the border front. I’m taking the title of Southmere’s martial SAT top scorer this year!”
“Hiss! He’s aiming to become Southmere’s martial SAT top scorer?”
“That’s one bold claim!” The crowd clicked their tongues in amazement.
Watching Seamus radiate confidence, Freya’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
Connor and Alice nodded in satisfaction. Now that was their son.
Skyler’s introduction, on the other hand, couldn’t have been simpler. He stepped forward, gave the crowd a slight nod, and said, “I’m Skyler.”
Connor snorted. Teagan curled her lip in annoyance, silently scoffing. What’s with the act?
As for everyone else, they had no interest in Skyler.
Even Raymond looked at him with a trace of surprise.
“Sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm…” He could tell Skyler’s cultivation realm at a glance.
The sixth stage of the Postnatal Realm was completely average. How had Dominic dared to claim someone at that level could compete for the national martial SAT top scorer?
Suppressing his doubts, Raymond motioned for Skyler and Seamus to join the student lines before continuing, “Alright. Today is Riverspire High’s final mock exam before the SAT.
“To wish all of you the best of luck, I’ve personally prepared a few rewards. Whoever finishes in first place will receive one drop of 10,000 times diluted Dragon Essence.”
“What?!” The moment Raymond finished speaking, every student present was stunned.
Dragon Essence was an incomparably precious treasure. Even diluted ten thousand times, people like them would rarely have the chance to obtain it.
No one had expected Raymond to offer something so extraordinary.
At that moment, Connor also stepped onto the stage with a smile. “Mr. Hunt, since you’ve brought out Dragon Essence, I can’t very well be stingy. I’ll sponsor a few prizes for the students as well.
“Whoever takes first place will receive a Sage Master Realm combat sword forged from meteoric iron.”
The entire crowd instantly exploded into an uproar.
A Sage Master Realm combat sword wasn’t as rare as Dragon Essence, but it was still incredibly valuable.
One such weapon was worth at least ten million.
“In addition, second place will receive a Grandmaster Realm weapon. Everyone else who finishes in the top ten will receive an Innate Realm weapon.”
The crowd became even more excited.
As precious as Dragon Essence and the Sage Master Realm combat sword were, everyone knew perfectly well they had no real chance of winning them.
Those prizes were clearly reserved for Seamus in the name of rewards.
With Freya standing above the rest, even the Grandmaster Realm weapon was beyond their reach.
But the Innate Realm weapons awarded to the remaining top ten finishers were each worth well over 100 thousand. They could actually aim for those.
Raymond smiled. “Then I’ll thank you for your generous support.
“Now, I officially declare the mock exam begins.”