When Lanqi followed the exam procedures and stepped through the giant void gate under the guidance of the examiner, he suddenly felt as if he had been thrown into a dark room that deprived him of all five senses.

Complete darkness, nothing could be seen, not even the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard.

Gradually, like a singularity in the darkness, a single point of light appeared in his field of vision. Following this, comprehensible characters rushed towards him like meteors:

[Welcome to the artificially created simulated Shadow World, supported by the technology of the Magic Engineering Institute.]

[Note: This assessment content is a Shadow World practical simulation. There will be no life-threatening danger in the simulated Shadow World.]

[After failure in the Shadow World or the death of the examinee, you will be automatically ejected from the Shadow World.]

[However, you may experience death and pain, including but not limited to terrifying scenes such as falling off cliffs, beheading, etc.]

[...]

[Have you read and agreed to the above terms to enter the artificial Shadow World?]

[Continue / Exit]

Lanqi didn't just skim through it quickly.

Instead, he carefully read through the entire instruction manual for the artificial Shadow World startup terminal.

Only then did he move his finger to the [Continue] option.

He remembered reading in books that if one dies in a real Shadow World, the challenger would actually die in reality as well.

So, in Lanqi's understanding, the real Shadow World was an extremely dangerous place, vastly different from this artificial Shadow World with its protective mechanisms.

Moreover, the laws of the Hutton Kingdom clearly stated: Newcomers often need to practice extensively in artificially developed simulated Shadow Worlds, obtain extremely high evaluations, and pass the assessment of the Kingdom Alliance Council before they can obtain permission to challenge the real Shadow World.

Even so, the mortality rate in the real Shadow World remains high.

This shows just how dangerous the Shadow World is.

Fortunately, the artificial Shadow World used for exams is equivalent to a practice mode and is quite safe.

"The chief examiner mentioned that the main focus of the exam is 'wisdom and character'..."

"Then I naturally need to demonstrate my wisdom and character to the fullest extent to avoid experiencing the feeling of death in the artificial Shadow World."

Lanqi thought to himself.

As he touched [Continue], ripples spread across the silver-white light screen, quickly dissipating beneath the text and seemingly about to reveal new content.

Before he could see it, he felt as if he was rapidly falling from the sky.

Accompanied by a sense of weightlessness, Lanqi felt as if his entire being had suddenly been immersed in a completely new world!

Soon.

The surroundings quickly lit up.

In an instant, the scenery filled Lanqi's vision.

At that moment, a bone-chilling cold struck him, like merciless blades piercing straight to his heart.

He felt the temperature plummet, as if the entire world had been frozen.

His blood seemed to congeal, the frost able to easily penetrate his skin.

"Whoa! What kind of place is this?!"

Lanqi's breath almost instantly crystallized into ice.

He could only grit his teeth to resist the piercing pain in the biting wind.

He found himself standing on a snow-covered plain.

Vast expanses of white snow covered the earth, and the sound of howling wind and snow filled the space between heaven and earth, making his brain buzz!

As far as the eye could see, the sky was a leaden gray, with thick clouds obscuring the sunlight.

The cold wind whipped up snowflakes in the air, sometimes gathering, sometimes scattering, making the entire white world seem both dreamy and harsh.

"Sir, we'll be at their house soon!"

A hoarse voice shouted hysterically, battling against the wind and snow.

Lanqi turned his head towards the sound. Behind him were an elderly man wearing a cotton coat and a heavily armored knight in silver armor, both struggling to move forward through the snowy mist.

Although Lanqi didn't yet understand what the old man meant,

He soon saw a small village standing in the blizzard.

It was like a jewel forgotten in the vast snowy wilderness.

And he was right in the middle of this village.

At the same time, the Shadow World information appeared before his eyes:

[Shadow World: Flame Hidden in Winter]

[Level: First Tier]

[Number of Challengers: 1]

[The gap between the heart to do good and the power to do good is called benevolence. Forcibly exercising benevolence can be considered foolish, yet there are always those willing to carry it through to the end.]

[Winter is coming. As a northern border nobleman, your territory is currently facing a fiscal deficit, and you have little money left on you.]

[While passing through this village for a rest, you heard the village chief mention that a magic stove theft occurred in the village today.]

[Severe blizzards have been frequent lately. If this magic stove is not recovered, the family of three might freeze to death tonight.]

[Mission Objective: Please help this family solve their predicament before nightfall (within 1 hour), allowing them to safely get through this cold winter.]

[Note: As a nobleman of the Holy Kingdom and a believer of the Holy Ritual Church, your bottom line is that you absolutely cannot violate the law, harm civilians, or defraud civilians. Otherwise, the church executioner who knows your background well will execute you.]

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

[Note: Correspondingly, if criminal acts are discovered, the executioner will also assist you in giving appropriate punishment to the criminals.]

After understanding the requirements of this exam, Lanqi looked ahead.

Not far away, there was indeed a wooden house, its roof covered with thick white snow, as if hidden in this pure white world.

Then the elderly man behind must be the village chief, and the knight in silver armor must be the executioner.

Lanqi didn't rush towards the house ahead, but instead briefly analyzed the current situation.

Since his current identity is a nobleman of this unknown country, with strict constraints, some of the simplest and most brutal methods of passing the test definitely won't work.

For example, he can't directly rob resources from other families to help this one.

Unless he's confident he can defeat this executioner who looks very formidable at first glance.

He might die just trying.

As for taking this family to squeeze into the village chief's house, they might get through tonight, but not the entire harsh winter.

Obviously, this doesn't meet the mission objective either.

If he were to forcibly order some household to take in this family for the entire winter,

This kind of abuse of power forcing others to accommodate them is probably illegal too.

"Indeed, ordinary clever tricks won't work in this Shadow World; all shortcuts have been blocked."

Lanqi muttered to himself in the blizzard.

In no time, his cheeks had turned red from the cold, with a thin layer of frost forming.

When he tried to move again, he felt his limbs' joints stiffening in the severe cold, making movement increasingly difficult.

Even wearing thick noble winter clothing couldn't block this piercing cold.

Immediately, Lanqi also realized that, based on the examinees' physical condition, the activity time on the outdoor snow plain was actually very limited.

Aimless searching would inevitably lead to his demise in this blizzard.

"I'd better go investigate some clues from this family first."

He hurriedly quickened his pace, walking towards the wooden cabin ahead.

......

In a spacious and bright conference room in the main building of the Sage Academy, chairs and tables were arranged in a round table format, with several large round tables surrounding a central projection screen.

At each table sat five or six teachers from a group, either intently watching the magic screen or actively engaging in discussions with others.

More than a meeting, this resembled a seminar or review session.

They were carefully recording the highlights and details of each examinee in this exam, occasionally exchanging opinions with other teachers.

The screen clearly displayed the scenes of examinees after entering the artificial Shadow World.

Without exception, all examinees were progressing slowly.

After visiting that household, they learned from the couple that on the night of the theft, there were strange sounds outside the window, and then their door seemed to be blown open by the wind and snow, after which the temperature in the house suddenly dropped.

When the couple fearfully walked out of the bedroom, they found the magic stove had disappeared, and outside the house were some footprints, likely belonging to a tall adult male, though they were quickly covered by the accumulating snow.

As for questioning the little girl in the house, the couple's adopted niece, she seemed to know something, but no matter how they tried to chat with her, she wouldn't speak.

So some examinees chose to investigate clues from other villagers, while others attempted to work on the little girl's unusual behavior.

Of course, there were also careless examinees who tried to be clever and inexplicably died by the executioner's sword—

One promised benefits to the village chief to take in this family for the entire winter.

But given the current state of the territory, the lord couldn't guarantee providing the funds, which constituted fraud. The well-informed executioner immediately saw through the lord's deception and executed him.

"Those who think they're so clever often fail to notice logical flaws and are the quickest to die in the Shadow World."

As he crossed out the name of the eliminated participant, Vice Principal Roen sighed,

"This is a lack of wisdom."

The correct approach actually only requires noticing the most basic clue of "the little girl's unusual behavior," and collecting some key information from other villagers, completing the puzzle to uncover the truth and apprehend the culprit, then the problem would be solved.

"The Shadow World emphasizes the combination of wisdom and talent, and sometimes also requires noble character. This is how to gain the favor of characters inside and unlock clues."

As they were discussing,

Other teachers saw outstanding mages among the examinees who directly used wind magic to cut trees and then quickly dried the wood with magic.

Some even attempted to create fire-attribute magic items that could replace the magic stove.

It could be said that each was displaying their unique abilities.

However.

These seemingly brilliant maneuvers did not gain much favor from the teachers.

"Sometimes the Shadow World can indeed take shortcuts through its own characteristics, but sometimes it can also lead to traps..."

"I remember this original first-level Shadow World was quite nasty. The investigation would eventually reveal that the evil couple deliberately hid the magic stove, intending to freeze the little girl to death in this blizzard, in order to fraudulently claim the high funeral subsidy stipulated in the Northern Border Territory regulations."

"Even if they were given firewood or a magic stove, it wouldn't save the little girl, because what's truly cold are the twisted hearts of those people."

"Sometimes being overly arrogant in trying to bypass the mechanisms of the Shadow World can lead to unexpected failures. This shows a lack of calm and steady temperament."

The teachers, accompanied by sighs, began discussing the core of this entrance examination.

For most of the second or third-level candidates, this first-level Shadow World didn't have any combat elements that required them to exert their strength.

It was merely the most basic and brief Shadow World mode.

But it could also fundamentally examine whether candidates had the aptitude to challenge the Shadow World.

"Hey, what's going on with this guy?!"

A sudden exclamation attracted the attention of all the teachers.

The teachers at each table looked towards that corner of the split screen.

It was a candidate from the Knight Academy.

The scene in his camera was drastically different from other candidates.

He wasn't wearing a noble's long coat, but only had a pair of pants on, with distinct muscle lines on his body, standing with his arms folded in the biting cold wind.

Even though his messy gray-white hair was covered in snowflakes, he didn't seem to be afraid of the cold at all, his deep purple pupils as tough as a lone wolf.

"What is this guy doing?"

"Wait! Actually, as a noble, the clothes on the candidate are worth quite a bit of money, enough to cover the expenses for the village head to take in a family for the entire winter. This way, the little girl would be protected by the village head."

Most people wouldn't be so harsh on themselves, as if they hadn't considered their own life and death at all.

However, this Shadow World indeed didn't require the challenger to survive till the end.

Sacrificing oneself and carrying out benevolence and righteousness could also be an option.

"That's how the brutes from the Knight Academy are, occasionally there will be one or two who aren't very bright."

"But this Knight Academy candidate called Frey... you say he's stupid, yet he seems oddly clever..."

Although Frey completely violated the purpose of the exam, he indeed completed the requirements with his noble character and unusual physical fitness.

"Perhaps completely abandoning wisdom and temperament is also a display of wisdom and temperament?"

"You have to admit, he does embody many virtues of a knight, including honesty, compassion, bravery, sacrifice... it's just completely deviated from our initial assessment goals. The Knight Academy has found a gem this year."

Gradually, although the teachers found it difficult to give a fair evaluation of Frey's clearance approach, they couldn't help but praise him in the end.

At least as a knight, he was worthy of the title.

"Wait."

Vice Principal Roen, who had been looking through the candidate's information with his head down, suddenly said in a deep voice,

"...I found that this guy seems to be addicted to gambling, often losing until he's left with only a pair of pants, and is used to pawning all the clothes on his body... so he may have already formed muscle memory. As soon as he enters this Shadow World, when faced with a problem, his first instinct is to cash in his clothes to solve the problem."

"..."

"..."

After all that praise, it turned out to be misplaced. Everyone felt extremely embarrassed, and the meeting room suddenly became unusually quiet.

After a moment.

Vice Principal Roen finally broke the oppressive silence, coughing lightly, trying to guide the meeting back on track.

"Looking on the bright side, this guy is a candidate from the Knight Academy, so it's their headache to deal with."

"Indeed."

"Our students are obviously much more normal."

The teachers nodded in agreement, feeling relieved.

Not long after.

Gradually, some teachers discovered.

On the side of the Sage Academy candidates.

There seemed to be another not-so-normal fellow.

In the screen, there was a black-haired, green-eyed young man.

Not only did he not rush to investigate.

Instead, he immediately returned to the village head's house.

After getting permission from the village head, he started to find a few books on the bookshelf.

Then he leisurely leaned back on the sofa, reading books by the fireplace.

He even occasionally sipped some hot tea, with an extremely comfortable expression.

Obviously, his strange behavior attracted the attention of the teachers.

"What is this guy doing? He's even enjoying himself?"

The teachers who noticed Lanqi began to ask each other.

Soon, a young teacher chuckled softly, then shook his head and said:

"Students who give up halfway usually do this, staying in a safe place, but I've never seen anyone give up so decisively."

Hearing this, the other teachers nodded.

They were almost fooled by the composed and carefree aura of this guy.

"Lanqi Wilford... this guy's attribute test results are not ideal. His family is a well-known wealthy merchant in the South Vantina Border Territory, the eldest son of the Wilford family. Is he here to experience life?"

The vice principal found Lanqi's enrollment information and sighed helplessly.

After learning about his situation, the teachers also began to lose interest in this laid-back rich kid.

......

Just as the professors' attention was gradually shifting away from Lanqi.

He finally closed the book in his hand.

And taking this book, he decisively went back to the household that had been robbed, accompanied by the executioner.

Knock knock.

Lanqi gently knocked on the door.

Then came a faint sound of footsteps from inside the door, accompanied by the howling of wind and snow.

As soon as the door opened, he saw a middle-aged man, shivering from the cold, coming to greet him.

"My Lord, has there been any progress in your investigation?" the middle-aged man asked, his face showing a hint of hidden expectation mixed with worry.

But in his heart, he was actually already laughing.

This foolish nobleman's investigation direction had been completely misled.

Next, he just needed to lure this miserable lord out of the house again, letting him wander aimlessly in this icy weather with his stupid sense of benevolence and righteousness.

However.

Lanqi just stared at the middle-aged man with piercing eyes, as if he had finally confirmed something.

"The investigation hasn't made any progress. But earlier, and just now, when you saw me, didn't you fail to bow to me?"

Lanqi slowly raised his hand, pointing at the middle-aged man in the house and asked.

"I apologize, my Lord. We heard that you are always very kind and don't care about these details. It was our oversight..."

The sudden question made the middle-aged man extremely nervous. He and his wife hurriedly pressed their little girl's head down, bowing and speaking softly to Lanqi.

He didn't understand where things had gone wrong, causing this nobleman to suddenly change his attitude.

How could he have detected anything amiss when this good-natured lord hadn't conducted any investigation in their house?!

Lanqi sneered:

"According to the etiquette of the Northern Border Territory, you and your wife should have bowed to me, but you failed to show me proper respect twice. I consider your attitude towards me unusually contemptuous, which has insulted me."

He opened the law book in his hand and sternly rebuked,

"According to the crime of insulting nobility on page 719, line 3 of the Holy Kingdom's Law, I will arrest your entire family. Children under 12 can be exempted from this crime, and according to the custody regulations on page 134, this girl, having lost her guardians, will be taken back to town by me to be cared for by the church, which is in compliance with the regulations."

After saying this, Lanqi turned back to look at the executioner, and raised the open book in his hand, showing the page on "insulting nobility" to the executioner.

It was clearly written there.

As for the etiquette of the Northern Border Territory, Lanqi had just confirmed it in detail with the village head and the executioner.

The executioner was slightly stunned.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally stepped forward and restrained the three people who were completely bewildered.

"You will be temporarily detained at the village head's house. When the blizzard is over, you'll all come back to town with me. Those who need to go to jail will go to jail, and those who need to go to the church to study will go to the church."

Lanqi stared at the law book and said word by word.

Next.

Watching the three people being led by the executioner on their way to the village head's house.

In the wind and snow.

Lanqi put his hands in his pockets, let out a sigh of relief, and revealed a gratified smile.

"Obviously, this exam is testing the students' legal awareness. This way, their family can spend a warm winter in prison and church."

......

Outside the scene.

"?!"

The professors who inadvertently witnessed Lanqi's operation began to twitch their eyes frantically.

Even the chief examiner Loren, who saw all this in the exam venue, widened his eyes.