Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

The morning light shone through the cracks in the wooden window and fell directly on Mi Ye's eyelids.

She rolled over, the blanket rolled into a ball around her waist, and her phone slipped from beside the pillow into the crevice of the recliner.

The sound of a spatula hitting a wok came from the kitchen, followed by the sizzling sound of fried eggs popping in the oil.

Miya sniffed, smelling the aroma of charred oil and the unique salty and savory scent of scrambled eggs with scallions.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, the blanket slipping off her shoulders, her hair sticking up like a golden jellyfish.

Bie Chenye had changed into a clean, dark blue robe, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and the red flower on her head was more vibrant than usual.

She was standing in front of the stove, holding a spatula in one hand and a spice bottle in the other. On the stove were two plates, each containing a golden-brown toast, two slices of fried bacon, a small pile of scrambled eggs with scallions, and a few halved cherry tomatoes. The bowl on the windowsill had finally been picked.

"Get up, wash your face, and then eat."

Bie Chenye didn't turn around and said in the same tone of feigned calmness, but the way she flipped the food with the spatula was obviously a little flustered, probably because she was nervous about whether she would mess up her first time making breakfast for her students.

Miya mumbled a reply in her sleep and ran into the bathroom in her slippers.

The splash of cold water on her face completely woke her up. She shook her hair and then poked her face in the mirror with her finger.

"Keep it up!"

When she returned to the table, Bie Chenye had already set out two glasses of hot milk. The two sat down facing each other. Mi Ye took a bite of toast, the crispy edges crumbling between her teeth, the taste of butter melting on her tongue. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and let out a satisfied hum.

"Is it tasty."

Bie Chenye picked up his milk glass, his tone feigning indifference.

"It's so delicious!"

Miya stuffed a big mouthful of scrambled eggs into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Teacher Bie, I never knew your cooking was so good!"

"...It's alright."

Bie Chenye hid her face behind the milk glass, her ear tips slightly red.

Of course, she wouldn't mention that she watched the MikuFans food section's tutorial videos repeatedly for three nights just to prepare this breakfast.

After breakfast, the two packed their things and set off.

Miya's backpack contained her exam admission ticket, two spare pens, a bottle of energy drink that Flores had given her, a concocted magic potion, and rice balls for lunch.

Her plan was to gain more vitality from this martial arts test before drinking the magic potion, which would be more cost-effective.

Bie Chenye walked ahead, the hem of his dark blue robe fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

Miya followed behind, zipping up her windbreaker as she walked, covering the lower half of her face except for a pair of bright, sparkling eyes.

The morning air still carried the chill of last night, and the white breath exhaled dispersed before my eyes.

The test center is located in the largest teaching building in Moon Forest.

Miya had seen this building from afar when she last came to see Meredith, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was even larger than she remembered.

The silver-gray exterior walls were inlaid with pale blue magical runes. On either side of the main entrance stood a tall witch statue, one holding a staff and the other holding an open book. The plaza in front of the gate was already crowded with people.

Sure enough, little witches are everywhere.

Some were wearing robes, some were wearing uniforms, some were wearing casual clothes; some were cramming with a stack of reference books; some were quizzing each other on knowledge points in groups of three or five; and some were so nervously refreshing their phone screens with exam information.

Laughter or groans occasionally erupted from the crowd, and the different colored hairs intertwined into a flowing rainbow in Mi Ye's vision.

Mi Ye subconsciously shrank back half a step behind Bie Chenye.

She had been in Nightingale's Nest for so long, she should have gotten used to crowded places, but it was work after all, and she just had to follow Corica's teachings and treat people accordingly.

The crowd in the square is like a pot of boiling soup, filled with cute little girls her own age, and her social energy bar is dropping at a visible rate.

Bie Chenye glanced back at her, said nothing, but quietly moved half a step to the side, using his body to block a wave of people surging from the left.

Mi Ye gratefully grabbed Bie Chenye's sleeve and hid her face behind her shoulder.

Once inside the teaching building, there were finally fewer people.

The corridor is flanked by tall arched windows, through which sunlight streams in through stained glass, casting dappled patterns of color on the floor.

Bie Chenye led Mi Ye through the corridor, up three flights of stairs, and finally stopped in front of a door marked with a sign that read "Special Subject Examination Room".

"Right here."

Don't push open the door in the dead of night.

The examination room was small, with a table and a chair placed near the window.

The exam paper was already laid out on the table, and the sunlight shone directly on it. There was only one examinee in the entire examination room.

"Am I the only one in the Forest of the Full Moon who studies flesh magic?"

Miya was somewhat surprised. She sat down on the chair and placed her backpack at her feet.

"You're probably the only one."

Don't close the door at night. Go to the podium, pick up the proctoring record sheet, and sign your name on it.

"I was both the exam setter and the proctor, which is theoretically against the rules, but the school couldn't find another teacher who understood the magic of flesh and blood to proctor the exam, so this was the only way."

"...This is such a bargain!"

Mi Ye muttered to herself.

"I heard you."

Bie Chenye winked at Mi Ye.

"Answer the questions properly, and don't embarrass your teacher."

Mi Ye gave her a thumbs up, then opened the test paper.

The first question asks you to briefly describe the three fundamental laws of flesh magic.

Miya almost burst out laughing.

This was the content of the first lesson Bie Chenye taught her, and she could recite it from memory with her eyes closed.

The second question asks you to analyze the essential differences between life concentration and mana concentration and their application in actual combat.

The third question asks you to design a flesh-and-blood magic circle driven by life force and mark the key nodes.

Miya dipped her brush in ink, and as the nib touched the paper, each character she wrote was steady and powerful.

The exam period flew by as quickly as autumn was about to end.

Mi Ye was engrossed in the questions, occasionally glancing up at the window.

The sunlight moved from the east to directly overhead, then shifted slightly to the west.

She filled four answer sheets, and after putting a period at the end of the last essay question, she stretched her stiff wrists and looked up.

Bie Chenye was sitting behind the podium watching her. When she looked up, he quickly looked away, pretending to look at the chandelier on the ceiling.

"I'm done writing."

Miya flipped the test paper over and placed it face down on the table.

Bie Chenye came down to collect the exam papers, flipped through them, and glanced at them.

"……good."

Bie Chenye pretended to be serious after collecting the test papers, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her.

After leaving the exam room, Miya took out her communicator, opened MikuFans, and scrolled through the exam-related posts.

The entrance exam for Moon Forest consists of two parts: a written exam and a martial arts exam. However, the martial arts exam is what truly differentiates students. The ranking in the martial arts exam carries far more weight than that in the written exam. There have even been precedents in history of students who ranked last in the written exam but first in the martial arts exam and were directly admitted.

Discussions about the martial arts test on MikuFans have exploded.

This year's number of test takers is nearly 30% higher than last year, and the homepage is flooded with all sorts of speculation posts, strategy posts, and mystical prayer posts.

Mi Ye clicked on a pinned post summarizing past martial arts exams, scrolled down a few pages, and her expression gradually became subtle.

The martial arts trials in most years were indeed quite conventional: a designated area was set up, monsters were released, points were calculated based on the number of monsters killed and their level, and finally, the rankings were based on the points.

Last year, the terrain was jungle, and the monsters were C- to A-rank. The top scorer killed three A-rank monsters and twelve B-rank monsters.

But several years of records made her eyelids twitch.

The same name was written in the column for the chief examiner of the martial arts exams in those years: Primura.

Whenever this name appears, that year's martial arts competition will turn into a complete nightmare.

Miya clicked on one of the records, which was a tearful recollection written by a senior student, titled "Primula ruined my college dream".

The post details the rules of that year's martial arts test.

Without points or monster kills, all examinees were thrown into a simulated city, where a genuine S-class dragon hovered in the sky.

There's only one rule: survive.

The ranking is based on survival time. Those who survive to the last second are ranked first, while those who are blown out of the examination room by dragon breath in less than ten seconds are ranked last.

The post ended with a close-up photo of an S-class dragon, which Mi Ye zoomed in on, glanced at, and then closed.

Her current stats aren't weak, but asking her to fight an S-rank dragon is really a stretch.

The other record is even more outrageous.

That year, the martial arts exam rules stipulated that Primra herself would participate, and the candidates did not need to fight monsters, but only attack her.

To be precise, the ranking is determined by the number of times she inflicts effective damage.

The poster wrote in bold red that she was the witch who invented the ultimate explosion magic. She stood in the center of the exam hall, smiling at us, and asked who wanted to go first. No one moved. Then she snapped her fingers, and the whole mountain collapsed.

The comments on that post were divided into two camps: one camp criticized Primula for having a terrible sense of humor, while the other camp praised her magical skills.

Miya clicked on Primura's photo, somewhat curious.

The photo shows a girl who looks to be under twenty years old. She has long blue hair tied into a side ponytail at the back of her head, and light purple eyes that curve into two crescent moons when she smiles.

Wearing a teacher's uniform from the Moon Forest and holding a cup of milk tea, she looks like a gentle upperclassman from the next class.

But everyone who knows her in the post says that behind that smile lies a bloodthirsty heart, and her favorite pastime is sitting in the audience drinking tea while watching the candidates struggle on the brink of death.

"Please don't let it be Primula, please don't let it be Primula..."

Mi Ye followed Bie Chenye forward while looking down at her phone, muttering to herself.

MikuFans has not yet released the list of examiners for this year's martial arts exam, saying that it will be revealed at the last minute before the exam. While ostensibly to maintain suspense, this has actually created great panic among the candidates.

She was about to randomly click on a few related videos to read the comments section when her forehead almost bumped into a little witch coming straight at her.

Bie Chenye's arm was placed in front of her.

"Playing on your phone again? Pay attention to where you're going."

Miya stuck out her tongue sheepishly and put her phone back in her pocket.

Bie Chenye glanced at her, sighed, and thought that this generation of students had really been ruined by Mikufans.

"No more looking at your phone while walking."

Don't say it in the dead of night.

"Okay, okay."

Miya raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, then jogged a couple of steps to catch up with Bie Chenye.

Passing through the side door of the teaching building and around a small garden full of glowing vines, the view suddenly opens up.

[Central Playground of Moon Forest]

Mi Ye had never seen such a large playground before; it was so large that she couldn't see the opposite boundary from the entrance.

The ground was made of dark gray magic stone, and when you stepped on it, there was a very thin layer of elastic feedback, like stepping on a huge rubber mat.

Dozens of holographic projection screens floated above the playground, displaying information and precautions related to the martial arts test in real time.

Around the playground were assembly points for different majors, each with a flag representing that major standing in front of it, the flags fluttering in the breeze.

There were all sorts of witches everywhere, even more than in the square.

The little witches from different specialties gathered in their respective areas. The elemental magic area was a sea of ​​deep blue robes, while the alchemy area was shimmering with the glass reflections of various test tubes.

From time to time, the cries of monster cubs could be heard from the summoning area, and a girl was leading a semi-transparent astral wolf cub. The people around automatically parted to form a circle with a diameter of two meters.

People were calling out their companions' names everywhere, their voices coming from all directions and blending into a buzzing background noise.

Miya stood at the entrance, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the backpack strap.

Her energy bar was truly almost depleted; she had already used up most of it halfway there, and now this sea of ​​people was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

I'm so tired, I just want to go home, lie down, and scroll through my phone.

Mi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"...Good luck, Miya."

She spoke in a voice only she could hear.