The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

The parents and teachers in the audience were outraged, and the team leaders from each school stood up, all eyes fixed on Aura. The clamor of criticism gushed out like boiling water, nearly lifting the entire auditorium.

Even the top-ranked players in the front row couldn't sit still.

Amos's pen slammed on the exam paper, his knuckles turning white, his face ashen—his goal had always been four hundred points, but now, someone had scored nearly six hundred points higher than him? What did six hundred points mean? It meant that all the questions he had painstakingly answered might not even be considered a warm-up in other people's eyes.

Morton slammed the pen on the table, his teeth grinding together: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" The pen bounced twice and rolled to the floor.

Eleanor didn't speak, but stared at Ming Luochen's back with a complicated look, as if she was re-examining this short human whose face she had just pinched.

The owl-like examiner, Crowley, stood up, his feathers ruffled slightly, and walked down from the judging panel with a solemn expression, followed by a group of supervisors. He walked to Ming Luochen's desk, picked up the exam paper, and flipped through it—the handwriting was messy but clear, and the answers to every question were correct, even the most tricky trap questions were solved precisely.

"This..." His pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes behind his monocle widened in shock.

"My lord, I suspect the exam questions were leaked." Amos stood up, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, his golden pupils staring directly at Crowley. "An F-rank summon beast couldn't possibly possess such a knowledge base. This is beyond reason."

"Yes! The exam questions were leaked! We demand a reinvestigation!" Morton immediately chimed in, slamming his hand on the table, making his pencil case jump.

Team leaders from other schools also exerted pressure, with the leader of Rifttooth High School even rushing to the judges' table and pointing his finger at Hollen, questioning him. The examination hall was in complete chaos, like a murky swamp.

Ming Luochen stood there, surrounded by a group of enormous orcs, his short figure appearing exceptionally thin. But he just stood there, hands in his pockets, his expression as calm as if he were watching a farce, and even a little amused.

The room gradually quieted down only after the examiner raised his hand to signal for silence.

"Aura," Crowley said in a deep voice, his feathers now neatly combed, "there are serious doubts about your performance. According to regulations, we need to conduct an investigation."

Aura's palms were sweating with nervousness. Just as she was about to speak, Ming Luochen pressed her hand down. His hand was warm and steady, like a reassuring injection.

"An investigation?" Ming Luochen finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears. "No problem, we'll cooperate."

He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of those who questioned, mocked, and were angry—Amos's coldness, Morton's rage, Lillian's suspicion, Austin's sinister look, and the gloating of countless onlookers—and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

"However, I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?" Crowley asked.

"The questions will be changed on the spot, and I'll retake the test." Ming Luochen spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice not loud but piercing everyone's ears like nails. "Just me, in front of everyone. If I can still get this score—"

He paused, his gaze falling on the examiner, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"I think the organizers wouldn't mind giving me an S-grade crystal as compensation for their criticism."

The audience was silent.

Aura anxiously tugged at Ming Luochen's sleeve, glancing around at the gazes of those around her. She felt it wasn't right to display her greed in this way, as it was also detrimental to the dignity of a noble family.

It's okay. People need flaws to feel at ease.

"Trust me," Ming Luochen comforted his wife, ignoring the stares of others.

If you show greed now, others will think money can entice them. It's much better to state your needs first and then set boundaries later. Otherwise, if you pretend to be noble while making money, it's easy to create suspicion and estrangement with others.

Then, Morton was the first to burst out laughing: "Hahahaha, you? An F-rank summoned beast? You want an S-rank crystal? Do you deserve it?" His laughter was shrill, and his cracked teeth gleamed under the light, making people dizzy.

Amos sneered, his thin lips pursed slightly: "No wonder he's from the countryside, so ignorant of his own limitations."

Even Eleanor shook her head slightly, thinking this person was far too arrogant. The little sparrow on her shoulder chirped a few times, as if expressing its owner's helplessness.

Ming Luochen ignored them and looked only at the examiner: "Lord Crowley, what do you think?"

Crowley pondered for a moment, exchanged glances with the other examiners, and slowly nodded: "Alright. We have backup exam papers that have never been made public and are sealed and stored in a magical safe. If you can score above 900 again, the score will be valid, and you will be given an S-grade crystal as compensation."

"900?" Ming Luochen shook his head.

"You think it's too tall?" Morton scoffed, crossing his arms.

"No, I think it's too low." Ming Luochen held up one finger, speaking casually as if he were talking about what to eat today, "I'm going to take the test, and I'll get a perfect score, a thousand points."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar.

"He's insane! This guy is absolutely insane!" someone shouted from the audience.

"Perfect score? A thousand questions in thirty minutes? Even a god couldn't do that!" An old judge blew his beard and glared.

At the highest point of the judging panel, the Emperor—Leonhard Griffith Gilbert—tilted his head slightly, his golden mane swaying gently with the movement. He looked with interest at the small human below, a playful glint in his golden eyes, which were identical to Amos's.

"Is that the summoned beast personally blessed by the goddess?" His voice was deep, yet carried a natural aura of power, like muffled thunder from distant mountains.

The attendant beside him bowed quickly and whispered, "Your Majesty is wise; it is indeed him. His name is Ming Luochen, from Herma, and he was summoned by Aura Raven Crest, a student at the Pudiyeru Noble Academy. It is said that on the day of his awakening, he triggered a seven-colored pillar of light, and the goddess of souls, Dorengal, personally bestowed upon him a wedding ring."

"Interesting." Leonhart tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, a slight smile playing on his lips, his mane trembling slightly with his chuckle. "I thought it was an exaggeration, but now it seems he does possess some real skill."

He looked at the young man standing among the beasts, showing no fear, and his gaze held a hint of scrutiny.

"Keep watching," he said.

The attendant acknowledged and withdrew, saying no more.

Hollen covered his face in the audience—this kid really wasn't going to give anyone a chance. His trunk drooped limply, but his mind was screaming: Can't you be a little more discreet? Would it kill you to be discreet?

Ming Luochen sighed, stood up, placed his hands on the table, and glanced at the seeded players in the front row—Amos, Morton, Eleanor, Lillian, Austin, and all the skeptical eyes.

"I know what you're thinking." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet auditorium. "How could an F-rank summoned beast, an unknown centaur, possibly achieve such a score?"

He paused, a mocking smile curving his lips.

"But I just want to say one thing—just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't."

The audience erupted in uproar once again.

Morton slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his chair sliding back half a meter: "Who do you think you are! A summoned beast, daring to spout nonsense at the Arts Competition!" His teeth were practically grinding to powder, and his amber eyes were filled with rage.

"What's wrong with the summoned beast?" Ming Luochen asked calmly, pulling his hands out of his pockets and placing them on the table, leaning slightly forward. "Can't a summoned beast be smarter than its master? Why do you so-called top contenders think you're superior? Is it because of your family background? Because of your talent? Or because—"

He deliberately dragged out the sound, his gaze lingering on Amos for a moment.

"—Because you're tall?"

Someone in the audience couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Amos's face darkened further.

Ming Luochen turned to the examiner, his tone returning to calm: "Lord Crowley, let's begin. I'll be the only one taking the exam, and the entire process will be open to the public so everyone can supervise."

He paused, then added casually, as if saying, "And bring me a cup of tea as well": "If you're still not satisfied, you can change the topic now. I don't mind. Give me whatever you want, I'll take it."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

What confidence, or rather, what arrogance!

Amos sneered, the curve of his lips as cold as a blade: "Overestimating yourself."

Morton scoffed, sat back down, and crossed his legs. "I think he's trying to save face. If he can't answer, he'll say the question was too hard. I've seen plenty of people like that."

Eleanor didn't speak, but a hint of amusement flickered in her golden, vertical pupils. The little sparrow on her shoulder tilted its head and chirped, as if to say, "This human is interesting."

Aura nervously gripped Ming Luochen's hand, her palms sweaty, and asked herself, "Honey, are you sure you can handle this?"

Ming Luochen squeezed her hand back, his fingers gently tapping the back of her hand, sending her a message in his mind: [Don't worry, I'll show you what true dimensional reduction attacks are.]

Hollen, sitting in the audience, was sweating profusely, his palms drenched in sweat. He muttered to himself, "This kid, all he knows is how to create a big spectacle... My old bones can't take this kind of torture..."

But he didn't stop him, because he knew that Ming Luochen never spoke without certainty. This kid might seem unserious, but he always acted with a solid and methodical approach.

The spare exam paper was quickly retrieved, perfectly sealed with a magical stamp on the seal. Crowley opened it in front of everyone, personally inspecting the seal and confirming it was intact.

Ming Luochen sat down again, flexed his fingers, and picked up a new pen. He took a deep breath and focused his gaze on the exam paper.

"Start the timer." Crowley pressed the timer crystal himself, his fingertips trembling slightly.

The pen tip falls, making a sound like a sudden downpour.

The room was so quiet that only the rustling of Ming Luochen turning the pages and the scratching of his pen on the paper could be heard.

The seeded players in the front row initially wore expressions of amusement—smirks playing on their lips, disdain in their eyes—waiting to see this arrogant human make a fool of himself. But as the seconds ticked by, their expressions gradually stiffened.

too fast.

That's not the speed of answering questions, that's the speed of copying answers—no, even faster than copying answers.

Amos's gaze was fixed on Ming Luochen's hand, which flew across the exam paper with almost no hesitation, like a precise answering machine. He tried to look at the question—it was a physics question involving complex magical energy conversion formulas. Even for him, it would take at least thirty seconds to think and work out the calculations on a scratch paper.

Ke Ming fell into the dust in less than a second.

The nine-tailed fox girl's nine tails involuntarily straightened, like nine stiff white sticks. She whispered to Austin beside her, "This person... is he really a summoned beast? I suspect he is the incarnation of some ancient intelligent race."

Austin didn't answer; his vertical pupils narrowed to thin lines, and the half-smile on his lips finally disappeared.

Morton's teeth clenched so tightly he felt a sense of powerlessness for the first time—not the powerlessness of being defeated, but the powerlessness of not even being able to see the taillights of his opponent. He even began to wonder if all the books he had read over the years had been wasted.

Eleanor looked at Ming Luochen's profile as he focused intently on answering the questions. The timid look on his round face was gone, replaced by an almost obsessive concentration. She suddenly felt that this short man was completely different from the pitiful look he had when his cheek was pinched earlier.

Twenty-five minutes, even faster than the first time.

Ming Luochen put down his pen, the nib worn down, wood shavings clinging to his fingertips. He shook his aching wrist, looked up at the examiner, and said in a flat tone, as if saying, "I'm done eating": "Finished answering."

Crowley took a deep breath, his chest heaving, and personally placed the marking crystal on the exam paper cover.

Numbers emerge.

The entire audience held their breath; even their breathing stopped.

"Nine...nine hundred and eighty-five points."

It was thirteen points higher than last time.

Dead silence.

A deathly silence that lasted for ten seconds.

Then, someone started clapping, the sparse applause sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silence. But soon, the applause grew louder, and finally, the entire auditorium erupted in thunderous applause and gasps.

It wasn't cheers, it was amazement, it was shock, it was an unavoidable admission of defeat.

Ming Luochen sighed heavily, shaking his head in apparent disappointment: "Sigh, still fifteen points short."

The tone was as if saying, "I didn't do well on the exam today; I only got second place in the class."

Amos's face was ashen. He rose without a word, his golden wings folded tightly, and headed straight for the exit. His back was stiff, and his steps were much faster than usual, as if he were fleeing something. The nine-tailed fox girl and the snake-bodied youth exchanged a glance and silently followed without saying a word.

Morton sat back in his chair, staring blankly at Ming Luochen's back, and muttered, "Damn it... what's the point of this competition? What's the hell?" His teeth were no longer clenched, but opened weakly, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Eleanor looked at Ming Luochen and suddenly smiled. The smile seemed somewhat incongruous on her scale-covered face, yet it was unexpectedly sincere, even carrying a hint of appreciation: "Interesting. Very interesting."

The little sparrow on her shoulder chirped a few times, as if echoing her.

Hollen, in the audience, laughed like a two-hundred-pound child, slapping his thigh with such force that he almost broke Mr. Buck's leg. Mr. Buck grimaced and rubbed his shoulder, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Benuna sat on the highest judge's seat, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, her red hair cascading down her back, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"F-rank?" she murmured to herself, her gaze falling on Ming Luochen as if looking at a rough, uncut gem. "Interesting, very interesting."

She glanced at the emperor beside her. Leonhardt was nodding slightly, his golden pupils reflecting the figure of the short human below the stage, lost in thought.

Ignoring all gazes, Ming Luochen turned to look at Aura. His previous arrogant "I'm the best in the world" attitude vanished instantly, replaced by a smug smile: "Wife, mission accomplished."

Aura's eyes reddened slightly, and she pulled him into a tight embrace, as if afraid someone would snatch him away: "You scared me to death... Do you know how worried I was just now?"

"What are you afraid of? Your husband never fights a battle he's not sure he can win." Ming Luochen buried his face in her soft embrace, his lips curled up in a wide smile, his voice muffled.

That demeanor was completely different from the arrogance he displayed when he was debating with the crowd—he looked like a big cat that had won a battle outside and was now coming home to fawn over its owner.

Crowley took out an exquisite wooden box from his pocket, opened it, and inside was a pale blue crystal the size of a pigeon's egg, its light warm and gentle. He handed it to Ming Luochen with both hands, his tone solemn: "Mr. Ming Luochen, this is compensation for my previous doubts about you. It's an S-grade energy crystal; wearing it can restore fifty points of mana per second."

Ming Luochen accepted it without ceremony, weighed it in his hand, and his eyes curved into crescents: "Thank you, Lord Crowley, and all the examiners."

The host wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice trembling, and flipped open the roster, announcing: "First round of rankings... First place, Pudi Yale Noble Academy, Aura, 985 points! Second place, Royal Noble High School, Amos, 387 points! Third place, Royal Noble High School, Lillian, 376 points..."

The difference is outrageously large.

It's so big that you don't even have the energy to be jealous.

All doubts are shattered into nothingness in the face of absolute strength.

Ming Luochen held Aura's hand and walked past those who had once mocked, questioned, and been angry, his back ramrod straight.