While things were settled on Lin Xinghai’s end, an argument had broken out over him in the command hall.

"...I still feel this candidate is too bloodthirsty, and he acts without any regard for the consequences. The fact that he didn’t kill anyone was pure luck. He must be given a warning, and his evaluation should be lowered," one of the examiners insisted.

"Wu Dongwen, don’t get so worked up! It’s normal for a young man to act impulsively. Besides, let’s not even talk about youngsters. If someone were harassing your wife, I’d like to see if you could hold back. So we should cut him some slack," another examiner said with a chuckle.

"Li Han, don’t bring our personal grievances into this. We need to stick to the facts here," Wu Dongwen said, shooting the other man a cold glance.

"Hah! How am I not sticking to the facts? You have to consider the circumstances," Li Han retorted, not to be outdone.

"Alright, you two, that’s enough. Why don’t we hear Instructor Zuo’s thoughts on the matter?" another examiner quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

At this, the rest of the examiners all turned to look at Zuo Wenyao.

The entrance exam didn’t just test a student’s strength; it also had certain requirements regarding their character.

After all, the academy had no intention of nurturing ungrateful traitors or those who would slaughter the innocent.

If a student’s character assessment was poor, they could still enroll, but they wouldn’t receive as much preferential treatment when it came to resources. Their priority might even be dropped by several Levels.

Seeing all eyes on him, Zuo Wenyao smiled. "I’d like to ask you all something. Why did we release the Energy Balls on day three? Old Wu, how about you share your thoughts?"

Although Wu Dongwen didn’t understand what Zuo Wenyao was getting at, he answered, "To have the candidates compete for the Energy Balls and establish a ranking based on their strength."

"And how are they supposed to compete for the Energy Balls?" Zuo Wenyao continued.

Wu Dongwen paused for a moment. "How else would they compete? With their own strength and abilities, of course."

"Be more specific. When competing for the Energy Balls, can they use their fists?"

"Of course."

"Can they use Superpowers?"

"Yes."

"Can they use melee weapons?"

"Yes."

"And can they use Firearms?"

At this point, Wu Dongwen understood exactly what he was implying. He quickly said, "Of course Firearms are allowed, but the issue isn’t whether he can use them. The issue is that this candidate is too bloodthirsty and acts without thinking of the consequences."

"How did he act without considering the consequences?" Zuo Wenyao said, looking at him intently. "That’s entirely your own biased view. Since we released the Energy Balls, there have already been five large-scale clashes."

"And in those clashes, we’ve seen candidates with injuries far more severe than that tall, skinny young man. Why aren’t you accusing them of being too bloodthirsty and reckless?"

"They were using melee weapons! They can hold back at the last second!" Wu Dongwen argued.

"Why should they hold back?" Zuo Wenyao asked.

Now, it wasn’t just Wu Dongwen; even the other examiners were completely baffled.

"If they don’t hold back, are they supposed to kill someone?" Unsure of Zuo Wenyao’s angle, Wu Dongwen could only force himself to reply.

"You’re wrong. The only reason they hold back is that they’re unable to accurately judge the situation, so they take compensatory measures."

"If it were me, a single slash could precisely break eight of my opponent’s ribs, compress their lungs, and cause varying degrees of damage to their liver, kidneys, and stomach—all without killing them on the spot," Zuo Wenyao said calmly.

Now, everyone understood what he was getting at. Those were almost Lin Xinghai’s exact words.

"That’s impossible! Bullets don’t have eyes; you can’t just make them hit wherever you want. Besides, how could anyone be certain how much damage a single bullet would cause?" Wu Dongwen immediately retorted.

He had just watched the video of the fight. To him, it looked like Lin Xinghai was just spraying bullets wildly to vent his frustration.

"Lin Xinghai wasn’t on your watchlist before, so it’s understandable that you’re not familiar with his Gun Technique. You can review the footage of his earlier fights later."

"Besides, we’ll know if that’s the case once the medical team delivers its report. There’s no point in arguing about it," Zuo Wenyao said with a dismissive wave.

Wu Dongwen opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. If the final report showed that the tall, skinny young man’s injuries were exactly as Lin Xinghai had described, it would completely invalidate his entire argument.

It would even prove that Lin Xinghai had shown great control when he opened fire—perhaps even more control than the candidates swinging blades. In that case, he would naturally have nothing more to say.

A strange silence fell over the room. In truth, even Zuo Wenyao was feeling a little nervous.

Though he had great confidence in Lin Xinghai’s Gun Technique, he was also worried that Lin Xinghai might have miscalculated. After all, it was truly difficult to judge the exact amount of damage a single bullet could inflict on a human body.

Especially since everyone’s Physique was different; the slightest miscalculation could be fatal.

’So, rather than relying on his own experience,’ Zuo Wenyao thought, ’it’s more likely Lin Xinghai has some sort of special ability that allows him to probe his opponent’s internal condition.’

Time ticked by. Three minutes later, a medic walked in.

"Director Zuo, the report you requested." The medic saluted and handed the medical report to Zuo Wenyao.

Zuo Wenyao glanced at it, and a smile immediately spread across his face.

He then passed the report down the line. Soon, every examiner in the room had read it, and the expressions on their faces were quite a sight to behold.

The young man’s injuries were identical to what Lin Xinghai had described.

Even the military officer, Lü Wei, had a look of utter disbelief in his eyes after reading the report.

"I get the feeling Old Dong’s title as the Divine Sharpshooter won’t be secure for much longer!"

As Lü Wei spoke, an idea seemed to strike him. He turned to Zuo Wenyao and said, "Instructor Zuo, for a student like Lin Xinghai, I feel the academy’s teaching methods alone will stifle his talent. I recommend that starting in his freshman spring semester, you let him come to us in the military for practical training. We would certainly spare no resource in cultivating him."

"In your dreams. You think the military’s training can surpass our East Sea Academy? Besides, I’m planning to take him on as my Direct Disciple. I’ll personally lead his practical combat classes, so we won’t be needing the military’s assistance," Zuo Wenyao said, giving him a sideways glance.

Lü Wei just laughed sheepishly and didn’t press the issue. The man was a Divine Demon Realm powerhouse; if he said no, there was nothing they could do.

Zuo Wenyao quickly turned his attention back to the large screen. He scanned the various surveillance feeds and issued an order. "Alright, all the Energy Balls are now in the hands of the candidates. We can initiate phase two. Let’s make the fighting a little more intense!"