In Locke, beast taming begins with a black pot.

"I am Chen Wanshan, the head of the Theoretical Department of the Capital Beast Taming Academy."

The old man scanned the entire room: "I am in charge of the first part of this entrance exam: the written theory test."

"The written test will last two hours and consist of one hundred questions, with a total score of one hundred points."

"The question types include multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions."

"The content covers various aspects such as Pokémon attributes, skill characteristics, evolution paths, secret realm ecology, and battle strategies."

"A score of 60 is passing. Those who pass will advance to the next round, while those who fail will be eliminated."

As soon as he finished speaking, a collective gasp rippled through the audience.

"One hundred questions in two hours? That's an average of a little over a minute per question?"

"The short answer questions take the most time; there's no way we can finish them all!"

"Oh no, I'm the worst in theory class."

……

Chen Wanshan remained unmoved and raised his hand to signal: "Now, all candidates, please enter the examination room in order according to your admission ticket number. Talking and using electronic devices such as the 'Pokémon Detector' are prohibited inside the examination room; violators will be disqualified."

"Come with me."

He turned and walked off the stage, and the students followed him in single file.

The examination was held in ten classrooms on the second floor of the main building, with two hundred students in each classroom.

Chen Xun's examination admission ticket number is 0872, and he was assigned to the third examination room.

Lin Bei was in class 0875, and we were in the same exam room.

Zhao Lei and Su Qianqian were also there. Zhou Mingxuan's number was earlier, so he went to the first examination room.

"come on!"

Lin Bei clenched his fist: "Not a single member of our Jiangcheng Gang can be lost!"

Chen Xun nodded and walked into the examination room.

Tables and chairs had been set up in the examination room, with a test paper and a pen on each table.

Chen found his seat and sat down, placing the small black pot beside his feet.

The little black pot obediently curled up into a ball, its lid tightly closed, and remained motionless.

"Dear candidates, please check your exam paper for any missing pages, illegible pages, or other issues."

The proctor was a woman in her thirties, and her voice was stern: "After confirming that everything is correct, please fill in your name and examination number."

"Once the exam begins, you may not submit your paper early or leave your seat."

"The exam begins now!"

At the command, the entire examination hall was filled with the rustling sound of exam papers being turned.

Chen Xun opened the exam paper and quickly scanned it.

There are forty multiple-choice questions, each worth one point.

There are twenty true/false questions, each worth one point.

There are forty short answer questions, each worth one point.

The questions cover a wide range of topics, from the most basic elemental matchups to complex analysis of the ecosystem of secret realms, and even a few tactical questions about the combination of Pokémon skills.

But none of these were problems for Chen Xun.

He had worn out his parents' research notes since he was a child, and later studied a lot of sprite data through the panel.

In terms of theoretical knowledge, not to mention peers, even many university teachers may not be able to match it.

He began answering the questions.

Question 1: Which of the following types is effective against Grass-type Pokémon?

A. Fire type B. Water type C. Earth type D. Normal type

Choose A. Fire type is super effective against Grass type. That's common knowledge.

Question 2: What is the final evolutionary form of Aquamarine?

A. Water Spirit B. Popora C. Blastoise D. Suicune

Choose A: Water Blue → Popola → Water Spirit.

Question 3: Which of the following skills does NOT belong to the fire element?

A. Sparks B. Flame Car C. Water Gun D. Large Firework

Choose C, Water Gun is a water-based skill.

……

Chen Xun's hands were almost constantly moving, the pen tip flying across the answer sheet.

I did ten multiple-choice questions in one minute.

I answered five true/false questions in thirty seconds.

I was a little slower on the short answer questions, but still much faster than the students around me.

While the other candidates next to him were still biting their pens and racking their brains, he had already turned to the second page.

"This person is way too fast!"

"Are you just making things up?"

"It seems so to me; who would solve a problem like that?"

……

Chen Xun ignored him.

When he got to the thirtieth short answer question, his pen suddenly paused.

Question: Briefly describe the three basic characteristics of Poison-type Pokémon, and give an example of at least one evolutionary path of a Poison-type Pokémon.

Poison type?

Chen Xun frowned slightly.

There are only seven orthodox attributes on the market: Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Earth, Martial, and Cute.

There has never been a poison type.

What does this question mean?

He looked up and glanced at the proctor on the podium.

The female teacher was looking down at her phone and didn't notice him.

Chen Xun looked at the title of the test paper again and confirmed that it was the entrance test paper for the Capital Beast Taming Academy.

The Capital Beast Taming Academy is indeed extraordinary.

They are studying things beyond the seven orthodox attributes.

Poison techniques are no secret to them.

Chen Xun took a deep breath and began answering the questions.

The three basic characteristics of poison-type poisons:

1. Poison-based skills can inflict continuous damage on the target, ignoring some defense.

Second, poison-based skills have a chance to inflict negative status effects such as poisoning, paralysis, and corrosion.

3. Poison-type Pokémon are effective against Ground and Grass-type Pokémon, and deal double damage to types that are weak to Poison.

For example, the Poison-type Pokémon "Dudu Pot" evolves as follows: Dudu Pot → Dudu Pot → Dry Pot General → Magic Pot Master.

After he finished writing, he checked it again to make sure that he had not revealed any specific information about the black pot.

The exam paper didn't ask about the appearance of Poison-type Pokémon, only their evolution paths.

The name "Dudu Pot" probably won't attract much attention.

After all, this species is not listed in the Pokémon encyclopedia on the market.

After finishing the last question, Chen Xun put down his pen and glanced at the time.

Forty-five minutes remain.

He picked up the test paper, walked to the front of the class, and said, "Teacher, I'm handing in my paper."

The female teacher looked up, her face full of surprise: "You...you're done?"

"It's done."

The female teacher picked up his test paper and flipped through it. She saw that the answer sheet was filled with neat handwriting, not like he had just written something.

Her expression changed from surprise to disbelief.

"You can go now. Meet in front of the main building at 2 PM to announce the results of the first round and the schedule for the second round of testing."

Chen Xun nodded, bent down to pick up the small black pot at his feet, and walked out of the examination room.

The corridor was empty except for him.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a dappled shadow on the floor.

The little black pot poked its head out from his arms and sprayed a small mud bubble, as if in celebration.

Don't be too happy yet.

Chen Xun patted the pot lid: "There are two more rounds this afternoon."

The little black pot made a "glug" sound and shrank back into his arms.

As Chen Xun walked out of the main building, he immediately saw Old Man Han squatting under the shade of a tree at the school gate.

The old man wore a clean T-shirt today, but there were several red marks on his face, as if he had been scratched.

"What's wrong with you now?"

Chen Xun walked over.

"fine."

Old Han stood up and said casually, "I just ran into an old friend and we caught up."

"Can reminiscing about the past really lead to handprints?"

"I scratched myself."

Old Han changed the subject: "How did the exam go?"

"good."

"How good is 'okay'?"

"Submit your paper 45 minutes early."

Old Han was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "I knew you could do it! Come on, let's go eat, it's on me!"

"You have money?"

"Uh... I'll owe you for now."

"roll."

……