Chapter 262 A Different Exam Method This Year

Wen Xiaoxiao was secretly pleased, but on the surface she had the innocent look of a little white lotus: "Alas, my cousin is actually quite pitiful. She comes from a bad family and her parents have passed away. In order to climb up the social ladder, she inevitably has some crooked ideas, which I understand."

Zhao Xiaohe, the daughter of the Zhao family, was the most straightforward. She raised her eyebrows and said, "Xiaoxiao, what do you mean? You're not going to soften your heart, are you? Let me tell you, you can't go easy on me this time. If you don't get into the experimental class, it won't just be you who loses face."

Wen Xiaoxiao said affectedly, "Sister Xiaohe, what are you thinking? Giving it your all is the only way to respect your opponent. I will definitely do my best on the exam."

"That's more like it!"

A short while later, Han Fei came in with several people.

Everyone immediately sat quietly.

The teaching assistant took attendance first, and after confirming that everyone was present, began to announce the assessment instructions.

Wen Xiaoxiao sat below, chest out and back straight, clenching her fists secretly, wishing she could quickly skip the exam instructions and start answering the questions as soon as possible!

She had memorized all the assessment materials Wen Zirou had given her over the years. Today, she was going to prove herself and crush Kong Wange under her feet!

Li Jing sat right next to Wen Xiaoxiao, as if he could read her mind, and urged, "Teacher, we all know the exam instructions, let's announce the exam questions quickly!"

Wen Xiaoxiao looked at him with satisfaction, thinking that this man wasn't entirely useless.

Han Fei glanced at Li Jing and said meaningfully, "Don't be impatient, student. The fact that you were able to enter the Imperial Academy to study traditional Chinese medicine shows that you are all outstanding among your peers. I believe that the old three-part assessment method of written test, identification of herbs and diagnosis of diseases, and TCM defense has long lost its novelty for you. This year, we have made some changes to the assessment method. The main focus will be on your ability to collect herbs. This year, the academy has decided to assess you by having you collect herbs in the mountains."

The moment the words were spoken, everyone was stunned, followed by a burst of discussion.

Wen Xiaoxiao stood in the crowd, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning.

What?

Has the exam format changed?

No more of the usual three subjects; we're going to have to go into the mountains to gather herbs?!

How could this be? All that hard work she put into memorizing the materials for over ten days and nights, begging her aunt, was for nothing!

She was indignant, clenched her fists, and said anxiously, "Teacher, the exams have been the same for so many years. How can they change them for our year? It's so unfair!"

Han Fei gave her a strange look: "What you're saying doesn't make any sense. Your exams are only compared among your own classmates, not with your seniors. How can it be unfair?"

"Yeah, do real top students even care about the exam questions? I think this year's exam questions were changed very well, otherwise there would be too many slackers."

Within the Imperial Academy, there were young ladies and gentlemen from aristocratic families huddled together, as well as ordinary people who had worked hard to enter through the Spiritual Pivot Competition.

The one who said this was Leng Jun, the first place winner of the Ling Shu Competition.

During the Ling Shu competition, Wen Xiaoxiao caused trouble and was expelled from the competition. She was there at the time.

She couldn't understand why someone like that could be allowed to study at the Imperial Academy.

If she weren't afraid of the power of these aristocratic families, she would have exposed Wen Xiaoxiao's heroic deeds long ago.

Leng Jun's words were like knives, piercing Wen Xiaoxiao's heart with precision. She immediately jumped up and said, "You bumpkin, what do you mean? How dare you talk to me like that?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Once you enter the Imperial Academy, there's no such thing as a warm family. We're all just classmates. I just think the questions were revised well, is that a problem?"

"you……"

"Alright, stop arguing." Han Fei, seeing the girls arguing like this, felt a headache coming on.

Looking at it this way, the Kong classmate he chose yesterday is much less troublesome.

While everyone around her was talking, she remained unmoved and calm, neither making a fuss nor getting involved blindly. She must have real skills.

He cleared his throat and said, "Although the Imperial Academy has a century-old foundation, it is precisely because of this that we should be more innovative and not stubbornly stick to the old ways. The examination method this time was decided by several professors in our academy after much consideration. There is no need for further discussion. Now, let Xiao Zhang announce the examination rules for everyone."

After he finished speaking, Teacher Zhang stepped forward and said to everyone, "The topic of this exam is 'Finding Wild Ginseng.' Behind us is Lingshan Mountain, where there is a lot of ginseng. You have one day to collect the herbs, and you can use your own abilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, the students below couldn't help but start discussing it again.

"Teacher, is that a test to see who can pick the most ginseng? That's not fair, is it? Ginseng comes in all shapes and sizes, and some are quite old."

Teacher Zhang nodded: "Don't rush, the scoring rules will be announced next."

He took out a large sign that clearly read:

"Ginseng less than ten years old: 2 fen per root; ginseng aged ten to thirty years: 5 fen per root".

"Ginseng aged 30 to 50 years: 10 points per root; ginseng aged 50 to 100 years: 25 points per root."

"Ginseng that is over 100 years old: 50 points per root".

"My God, a ginseng that's over a hundred years old is worth 50 points! If we dig up just two of these, we'll be first place!"

"Do you really think that a hundred-year-old ginseng is so easy to find? I'm afraid there might not be a single one in the entire Ling Mountain."

"That's true. It's all luck if you manage to find one. If someone actually manages to dig it up, they're definitely incredibly lucky."

"That's right, but this kind of assessment is quite interesting. It's much more vivid and exciting than just answering questions in a dry way."

Some are happy, some are sad.

In the crowd, Wen Xiaoxiao was about to cry.

She had never suffered such injustice in her life.

Oh, except for the Ling Shu competition.

This competition was a nightmare for her!

She grew up in luxury and never climbed any mountains; if she wanted medicinal herbs, she could just go to the pharmacy and get them.

Mount Ling is so vast, how could she possibly know where the wild ginseng association president is? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In this respect, she has no chance of losing.

She slowly exhaled and gritted her teeth.

No, no, she's already made her statement on the forum, so many people are watching, she absolutely cannot lose!

It would be better to wait until we get to the mountains, then call my aunt and ask her to send someone to secretly deliver some wild ginseng over; after all, no one would be able to tell.

Wen Xiaoxiao made up her mind and felt much more at ease.

After everyone had read the scoring rules, Teacher Zhang continued, "To prevent any students from cheating, please hand in your phones."

Wen Xiaoxiao: "..."

Her face flushed with anxiety, and she cried out, "Teacher, please take our phones away! What if we encounter danger in the mountains?"

One by one, others echoed, "Yes, teacher, if we really encounter danger and lose our phones, how will we contact the outside world?"

Teacher Zhang raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Don't worry about safety. The college will give each of you a walkie-talkie and an alarm. The alarm has a positioning system. If you encounter any trouble, you can use the walkie-talkie to ask nearby classmates for help, or you can press the alarm button directly. The school will send rescuers up the mountain to help you."