Ch. 466

Chapter 466: The Teaching Assistant Interview

A few days later.

An area in the Central Teaching Area of the Witch Academy was sealed off, and many older female students (seniors) gathered outside, watching.

If a spell hadn't enveloped the area, isolating it from the outside, these people would likely have barged in for a closer look.

This was the venue for the final test of the Teaching Assistant Assessment: the interview.

It could be said that this was the final hurdle.

After the interview, even if not formally announced, everyone generally had their own estimations.

More than an interview, this was a two-way effort between the Teaching Assistant and the teacher, relying on the student’s own capabilities.

For this interview, the interviewee had to face 17 teachers.

Although the number of teachers was quite large, not every teacher would ask the interviewee questions, as each teacher had different preferences; at most, they would ask symbolic questions.

After all, one fact was that taking the Teaching Assistant test also relied on luck.

If one's field of study did not align with a teacher looking for a Teaching Assistant, that person would likely fail.

However, this situation was rare, as generally, people capable of taking the Teaching Assistant test could usually obtain a list of available teachers.

If no teacher specialized in their field, the student could only accumulate strength and wait for an opportunity.

As for the interview content, it was naturally at the discretion of the teacher interested in the student, based on their own situation and needs.

However, most questions were generally about the initial identity verification content, which also served as a demonstration of the student’s skills.

After all, if a student were caught lying during such an occasion, it would leave a highly negative impression on the teachers present.

At this moment, I was sitting in the waiting area below.

My gaze was surveying the room.

It was clearly a large lecture hall of the academy.

The deliberately raised stage area became the visual focal point of the entire classroom, and the tiered desks were arranged in a scattered, fan-like pattern.

Choosing such a venue for the interview suggested that the focus of this interview was on the interviewee's demonstration and communication with the teachers, rather than deliberately highlighting the teachers' status.

The teachers gathered here were not here to show off their status but to choose a Teaching Assistant.

Unnecessary formality was simplified as much as possible.

The 17 teachers each had their own style.

Many teachers were dressed formally, seemingly already having a candidate in mind, while some Transcendent Teachers waited quietly and sagely.

One could easily distinguish between the new teachers who had just arrived at the Witch Academy and those who were seasoned veterans simply by their behavior.

The newly appointed teachers, some of them, were unreservedly turning their bodies to look at the waiting area, their eagerness clearly visible.

At this moment, a student was already on the stage in the center, facing the panel of teachers for the interview.

She not only had to face the gaze of many teachers but also the scrutiny of the many other students just like her who were watching intently from the side.

The performance of the first few candidates was extremely valuable for those coming after, serving as important encouragement and a leading example for subsequent students.

Many students had put in all their effort and hard work for this interview.

They utilized all means available to them to demonstrate their abilities.

For example, the most common method was like playing a slideshow of their own presentation page, which here was usually delegated to the Earth Vein System.

However, some highly capable seniors directly used Imaging Spells for their presentation, as this allowed for greater interactivity and control.

Furthermore, the teachers might not ask questions in the order of one's prepared presentation, so methods like spell imaging were considered more insightful.

Watching them meticulously detail their achievements and demonstrate their abilities one by one, I was also quite amazed below.

In reality, most of this information was already recorded in the documents the teachers held.

These imageries and demonstrations were more about better and more detailed responses to questions posed by the teachers and a way to showcase oneself.

Meanwhile, I was sitting here completely bewildered, because… in my recollection, having to prepare a presentation page for an interview was truly something I had never heard of.

This was an interview, not some project bidding process.

I really hadn't prepared anything of the sort.

Mainly, no one had told me about this, and Big Sis Bai hadn't mentioned it either, so I hadn't thought in this direction at all.

However, based on the surprised expressions of many teachers when the first senior student took the stage with these preparations, it seemed this wasn't mandatory.

It had just become an unwritten rule under the pressure of this interview, as every batch of seniors did it.

After all, no matter how engaging one's speech was, a presentation without visual aids would not be as direct and impressive as one with combined text and imagery.

After a quiet sigh, I began thinking of ways to remedy the situation below.

My understanding of an interview was still stuck at the stage of "they ask, I answer."

The seniors, who were already using all their cunning just in the self-presentation stage, genuinely put some pressure on me.

However, I wasn't really nervous.

My ability and strength were my greatest confidence.

Any unnecessary frills were merely the icing on the cake built on this foundation.

No amount of exquisite carving can help a rotten piece of wood if the wood itself is flawed.

By the end, interviewees would analyze their own performance to estimate which teacher might be interested in them.

After all, if, after a round of questioning, they still couldn't figure out who was interested, they should voluntarily withdraw.

Not to mention the subsequent dual selection and the scenario of multiple Teaching Assistants competing for the same teacher.

Of course, generally, prospective Teaching Assistants would try their best to avoid this multi-select situation, as the risk was enormous.

No one could guarantee that if they were eliminated after selection, other teachers would still be interested in them.

However… generally, the number of prospective Teaching Assistants was greater than the number of available teachers.

Competition was inevitable, and this was especially true for the popular teachers.

As the senior student on the stage regretfully left, her disappointment was almost visible.

Her interview process was very short, as only a handful of teachers asked her questions.

Many others had clearly adopted a waiting attitude for the next candidate.

Even the few teachers who did ask questions were generally warm and friendly, basically the type that wouldn't deliberately embarrass her, but one shouldn't expect them to have the great benevolence to choose her as a Teaching Assistant.

They had already screened several prospective Teaching Assistants before, but they had not chosen a single one.

“Next, Yang Yuehan?”

Not long after the senior student collected her things and stepped down, the deliberating teachers called out the name of the next person.

Hearing this name, many teachers and seniors showed various expressions.

The teachers naturally had the students' information in their hands, or even received it earlier.

Therefore, they had already reviewed much of the information, and this particular student had left a deep impression on them.

The witches who had been teachers at the Witch Academy for a long time, in particular, showed interested expressions.

They even adjusted their posture, preparing to watch the student's performance closely.

Some of their gazes even drifted to the Transcendent Witch sitting on the side, as the relationship between this student and this witch was rumored not only among the students but also within the faculty.

The students' reactions were roughly the same.

They were more concerned about the situation I was facing.

With such a strong backing, what kind of performance would I blatantly display in the interview?

If the performance was too poor, then this Teaching Assistant position would be seen as illegitimate.

The world is never short of people who hate to see others succeed.

However… no one truly dislikes using back channels; everyone just hates that they can't use one themselves.

At this moment, I stood up, slightly smoothing my well-fitting dress, and walked onto the stage.

As I stood up, I heard words of encouragement and well wishes from the seniors who were sitting next to me, whom I had met briefly before.

I nodded in response to each one.

Although this was my first time facing such a large setting, the feeling of nervousness was completely unable to affect my performance.

I was no longer the person I used to be.

Simply standing on the stage, a sense of confidence naturally radiated from me.

“Classmate Yang Yuehan, is that right? If you need to prepare anything, you can get it ready now. We might have quite a few questions for you later.”

The friendly-looking teacher who spoke earlier reminded me.

She held the document containing my personal information in her hand and slightly gestured towards me.

This teacher was named Cindy.

The display board with her name engraved on it told me her name, and it even had a brief introduction about the teacher.

“Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Cindy. However, I have not prepared a presentation flow like the seniors just now. If a question requires me to use a demonstration to elaborate, I will use a spell for a temporary visual aid.”

“You are very confident. Then, give us a brief self-introduction. Although we are quite familiar with your information.”

Teacher Cindy continued.

This was a clear hint that the self-introduction wasn't that important, so there was no need to spend too much time on it.

The self-introduction is an opening mode for describing one's abilities, essentially an art of speaking to attract the teacher's attention.

The essence is to allow the other party to understand and become interested in oneself, and to clarify the subsequent interview process.

Many interviews follow the order of the self-introduction to delve into related matters.

It can be said that the entire interview is a communication process aimed at promoting the other party's understanding of oneself, rather than a unilateral demonstration.

If you spend a large paragraph detailing your abilities during the self-introduction stage, the teachers will have trouble asking questions, and you will have trouble answering, eventually leading to an awkward situation for everyone.

In such a scenario, teachers usually choose to ask deeper questions.

Answering them is a bonus.

Failing to answer reduces one's impression score.

An interview is a subjective selection based on objective facts.

“Hello to all the teachers and seniors. My name is Yang Yuehan, a first-year student at the Witch Academy. I consider myself an explorer who loves to seek out the Transcendent. During my time at the Witch Academy, I have learned many things, accumulated a certain amount of experience, and achieved a few accomplishments. Although my study time has not been long, I believe I have demonstrated my capacity for continuous learning and a commitment to constant self-improvement. I believe I have the qualification to become a Teaching Assistant at the Witch Academy. Thank you.”

I said concisely.

Since Teacher Cindy hinted at brevity, I kept it brief.

“Your self-introduction is equivalent to saying nothing at all. Besides knowing your name is Yang Yuehan and you've been studying for one, no, half a year, you probably don't even know what the Transcendent is, do you? What could you possibly have learned? What experience could you have accumulated?”

At this moment, a teacher on the side spoke to me with a laugh.

I wasn't sure if she was amused or annoyed by my self-introduction.

“Yes. In these past six months, I have had a Course Exemption, but I have essentially mastered the knowledge points taught in the three-year curriculum. My previous written test score can prove my learning ability in this regard. Furthermore, I have done considerable research in both Runology and Alchemy.”

I said confidently.

This teacher did not refute my words, as my written test score was also on the information document.

That score, one point shy of a full score, was indeed very conspicuous.

“I see other things on your information, such as academic papers published in the academy. Although you are listed as the secondary author, your name being mentioned suggests you contributed significantly, doesn't it? After all, these papers seem to have updated the academy's original paper model. Are they about the deconstruction of the Fireball Spellbook model? The deconstruction of the Fireball Spellbook model is a classic model and has quite a strong universal applicability. Can you elaborate on your understanding of this paper?”

“Of course, once I retrieve this paper…”

“No need. Just give us a simple overview. This is an interview. You just said you would use a spell for demonstrations. I understand the powerlessness of language in explaining the Transcendent. You can use your own methods to aid your explanation.”

“Mhm, good.”

I nodded.

Although those papers were compiled and published by Teacher Ji Niang, I could talk about them effortlessly.

I scanned the teachers present and the bewildered seniors on the side, and my gaze finally settled on Big Sis Bai's encouraging look.

I smiled back, indicating I didn't need to worry; I could handle a question of this difficulty.

“Teachers, this is a form of my illusionary spell effect. I will use this method to briefly demonstrate my deconstruction and understanding of the Fireball Spellbook model.”

With a gesture, a phantom leaf floated in my palm.

This was a leaf from the Tree of Knowledge, which was also a means of demonstration.

This demonstration could now transcend the confines of subjective illusion and could even become a tangible physical display.

However, since I had already demonstrated an illusionary method, I naturally didn't intend to change it.

“Illusion? That's interesting.”

The mere demonstration of the method prompted a teacher to comment.

They were Transcendent Witches, after all, yet this move instantly put them under a subjective illusion.

This did cause them a slight surprise, although it was also due to the fact that they hadn't actively deployed any mental defenses; they simply didn't think a student could do anything to them.

If I truly managed to do something, even if it was just leaving a shallow injury on one of the Transcendent Witches, would that be considered an interview incident?

No.

This would not be an interview incident.

This would be an excellent demonstration of personal ability.

With such a proud achievement, I might not even need the rest of the lengthy interview.

The Transcendent world is an absolute level divide that no one can cross.

But are there no level divisions before advancing to the Transcendent?

There are, and many of them.

There are almost as many divisions as there are worlds in the Void, but these level divisions cannot be broadly disseminated in the Void.

The only level that cannot be overturned is the level of "Transcendent."

Any level division that claims to allow for fighting across ranks is an inaccurate representation of combat power, strength, and personal ability.

It only serves as a reference and has no power to define the Void.

But the levels of Transcendent and non-Transcendent are uncrossable.

This is the Void's most rigid level division.

Its rigidity is not reflected in how powerful the people who defined this class are, or how enduring any artificial intervention is.

It is because the concept of the Transcendent class itself cannot be traversed.

It is a natural boundary line where one step across results in a dimension-lowering attack on those left behind.

It is the self-evident, initial level concept in the Void's hierarchy.

And at this moment, another teacher suddenly spoke, offering a different perspective from the previous one.

“The spell deconstruction of the Fireball Spellbook is both the most fundamental and the most challenging form of demonstration. I will allow you to be as detailed as you wish. As long as you prove your capability, I will recognize the learning ability you claimed to have acquired in six months. Even if your subsequent demonstrations are somewhat underwhelming, I am willing to take you on as my Teaching Assistant, and I will even guide you as my true student.”

The witch who had been silent for a long time spoke up.

She was a very senior teacher at the Witch Academy.

Her words immediately drew everyone's attention.

Including the seniors in the waiting area.

At this moment, the only thought in the seniors' minds was that this person had secured the position.

They were filled with envy and jealousy.

This was an interview!

There was no clear boundary in an interview, and no teacher would make a binding promise.

Now, this teacher was directly setting a boundary for a student, guaranteeing the position if she passed.

Who could refuse such a temptation?

But the teachers present and the other candidates were thinking something completely different: they were thinking, "This person beat us to the punch!"

And the most intense reaction came from Bai Yu.

This was poaching!

Although their arguments were currently focused on the same point—how much a newcomer could learn in six months—and everyone pretended to be skeptical, they would never doubt the accuracy of the academy's information.

This student's detailed information and records, even if based on the most malicious conjecture, were purely literal.

Even then, they could not deny the student's excellence.

This was six months.

Even if the claims were only literal, what was achieved in six months was something no one else could easily compare to!

And they had only brought up the part about the academic papers.

This was just the appetizer…