Degrade from Nobility to a Humble Slave novel Chapter 35

Zen didn't know what to say. The renting business was flourishing because of the initial exam. The youngsters in the Imperial Capital were making every effort to pass the exam. "But if we use an external object, won't that be considered cheating?" Zen wondered.

Cloud Sect intended to use the initial exam to weed out the weaker applicants. Wouldn't it be a bit unfair if weapons were not banned during the exam?

Nory smiled, "Bro, what you haven't considered is that Cloud Sect has many disciples, so many geniuses. The Sect won't pay too much attention to the initial exam. We aren't outer disciples. No energy will be wasted on the trifles in the initial exam. As long as we don't kill each other, they don't give a fig what weapon you use or whether you get into a brawl here."

With the help of Nory's explanation, Zen realized that while Cloud Sect did have very strict rules and regulations, they were for their formal disciples. This initial exam was a sieve with a large mesh to strain out those who didn't fit the bill.

As soon as Nory finished his explanation, he gasped. The bangle could only counteract half the pressure, but the remaining pressure still made running hard for Nory.

"Stop talking. Just focus on your pace," Zen reminded him.

Nory nodded. He clenched his teeth and kept moving forward. He grimaced as he challenged his limits.

Zen was running rather comfortably. Since a while had passed, he had gotten accustomed to the pressure. Now, he could even ignore the pressure completely.

As time wore on and people began feeling the effects of the pressure, exhaustion began settling it. They started falling behind. Instead of a long line of runners, the road now had groups of scattered participants on it. Zen looked around and found that he and Nory were the only two people on this section of the road.

A moment later, Zen noticed a hulking figure speeding forward. A big man, as strong as an ox was approaching quickly with fast, large steps.

Soon the big man caught up with Zen. Just as he was about to pass Nory, he changed direction and hurtled toward Nory. Before Zen could warn his friend, the big man's shoulder bumped hard against Nory.

Nory had been concentrating on his pace as his strength was being strained to the limit. He had lowered his head and had been running forward desperately.

This bump came out of the blue. A scream escaped Nory's lips as he lost his balance. After staggering for a few steps, Nory fell.