90: A big exam? I'm just here to take on an apprentice.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Jixia Academy's millennium-grade Grand Exam arrived as scheduled.

On the white jade plaza in the center of the academy, it was teeming with people. Tens of thousands of students had gathered, their expressions varying between excitement and nervousness.

On the high platform, the Elders of the academy sat upright. At the head was the current Head of Jixia Academy, a white-haired old man known as the "Revered Master".

He wore simple hemp robes, his aura in harmony with heaven and earth. His cultivation had reached the Body Integration Great Perfection, making him one of the top experts on the surface in the Central Continent Sacred Domain.

Yet only he knew that he had been stuck at this Realm for five hundred years.

That ancient war between Immortals and demons had broken the backbone of the Legacy of the Azure Cloud Continent. Countless brilliant and talented powerhouses had fallen, and the path to the Mahayana Realm seemed to have been covered in a layer of fog.

Beside him, the Elder who was secretly colluding with Mo Di wore a solemn face, but a faint, imperceptible sneer was hidden in his eyes.

The Grand Exam began.

The first item: Flying Sword.

The students each displayed their Divine Ability, their sword lights like rainbows, carving graceful arcs in the air.

When it was Bai Jinnian's turn, a suppressed snicker rippled through the crowd.

He stepped shakily onto his Flying Sword. The Flying Sword was like a drunkard, wobbling in the air and nearly throwing him off.

Mo Di on the high platform curled his lips in contempt.

The second item: Talisman.

The students moved their pens like dragons and snakes, and one by one, Talismans containing spiritual power were formed out of thin air.

Bai Jinnian exhausted half of his spiritual power to barely draw a lowest-tier "Water Gathering Talisman". The Talisman flickered twice, then with a "poof", it turned into a wisp of blue smoke.

The mocking laughter in the arena could no longer be suppressed.

"Hahahaha! Is this the 'Scholar Bai' who claims to have read ten thousand books?"

"I think it's 'Idiot Bai'!"

"Hurry up and get down, don't embarrass yourself here!"

Bai Jinnian's face was pale, his lips tightly pressed together, and he walked off the stage silently.

He ignored the mockery and returned to his corner, his spine held straight.

The presiding Elder announced loudly: "The final item: Dharma Performance!"

"This item aims to test the students' control and comprehension of spiritual power! Mo Di, Bai Jinnian, please come to the stage!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire arena was in an uproar.

Mo Di was a recognized inner-Sect Prodigy with Void Refining Initial Stage cultivation, and his mechanical arts were superb.

Bai Jinnian was a recognized waste in the academy, with Qi Refining level 9 cultivation, and couldn't even stand steadily on a Flying Sword.

For these two to face off, wasn't it obvious they were trying to humiliate Bai Jinnian?

Mo Di laughed and walked onto the stage, looking at Bai Jinnian as if he were looking at an ant.

"Bai Jinnian, if you kneel and admit defeat now, you might suffer less physical pain."

Bai Jinnian raised his head and looked at him calmly.

"Please."

A single word made Mo Di's smile freeze on his face.

"Good! Very good! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, I will let you know what it means to be truly insignificant!"

Mo Di roared and formed hand seals with both hands.

Bai Jinnian took a deep breath and began to circulate the weak spiritual power within his body.

At this moment, on the high platform, the Elder colluding with Mo Di flashed a cold light in his eyes. A trace of imperceptible Divine Thought quietly shot out and entered Bai Jinnian's body.

"Boom!"

The aura on Bai Jinnian's body instantly went berserk!

The spiritual power in his body was like a wild horse losing its reins, rampaging uncontrollably, and blood even seeped out from his skin!

He let out a painful grunt, fell to one knee, and trembled violently.

"Qi Deviation!"

The Elder stood up immediately and shouted sternly.

"Bai Jinnian's cultivation is lacking, and he has developed inner demons, leading to Qi Deviation! To prevent him from harming his fellow Disciples, come here! Immediately cripple his cultivation and expel him from the academy!"

The voice spread throughout the arena, carrying unquestionable authority.

Two Soul Transformation Stage Law Enforcement Disciples immediately stepped forward, holding Spirit-Restricting Locks, ready to shackle Bai Jinnian.

Mo Di stood to the side, a triumphant, cruel smile on his face.

Bai Jinnian raised his head, his eyes devoid of fear, filled only with endless sorrow and unwillingness.

He looked at his former fellow Disciples, at the high-and-mighty Elders, and at this land he had once loved so much.

Was this the Dao of the Sages he had believed in?

Just as the Spirit-Restricting Lock was about to fall.

The whole world went quiet.

The wind stopped.

The sound disappeared.

Everyone's movements froze at that moment.

On the high platform, the Revered Master at the Body Integration Great Perfection had his pupils shrink suddenly, the blood draining from his face.

He felt an indescribable, incomprehensible, and irresistible terrifying pressure descend from the sky.

It was not magic power, nor was it Divine Thought.

It was a crushing of the very essence of life, from a higher level!

It was like an ant looking up at a god!

He wanted to move, but couldn't.

He wanted to speak, but couldn't.

The spiritual power in his body was like a frozen river, unable to raise even a ripple.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

On the high platform, dozens of Void Refining and Body Integration Stage Elders fell from their seats like dumplings being dropped into a pot, collapsing on the ground with twisted mouths and eyes, convulsing all over.

Only the Revered Master, relying on his Body Integration Great Perfection cultivation, was still struggling to hold on, but his legs were shaking like a sieve.

The tens of thousands of students in the arena had long since collapsed to the ground, their Divine Souls trembling under this pressure, as if they would collapse in the next second.

A figure appeared in the center of the martial arts stage, no one knew when.

He wore a moon-white long robe, holding a folding fan, fanning himself leisurely, as if he were just a traveler passing by to watch a show.

He didn't even look at the fallen powerhouses around him, walking straight to Bai Jinnian.

He crouched down, looked at the youth filled with unwillingness, and smiled gently.

"You, are called Bai Jinnian?"

Bai Jinnian felt his whole body relax; the strange power that had caused his spiritual power to go berserk was smoothed out by a gentler force.

He raised his head, staring blankly at the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared before him.

"Yes..."

"Hmm, good name."

Chu Xuanjin stood up and brushed the dust off him.

Then, he slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the high platform, to the only Revered Master who could still barely stand.

"I am Chu Xuanjin of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect."

His voice was not loud, but it clearly entered the ears of everyone who could still think.

"This child possesses the Sacred Word Dao Body, a peerless genius of the literary Dao, a born Saint."

"You blind fools, unable to recognize raw jade, seeing it instead as a stubborn stone, wishing to destroy it."

"Truly ridiculous, truly pathetic."

Chu Xuanjin shook his head, as if he had seen some ridiculous play.

He pointed at Bai Jinnian and announced to everyone.

"From this day forth, he is the seventh Personal Disciple of my Myriad Dao Divine Sect."

He paused, his gaze falling again on the sweating Revered Master, a playful smile curling on his lips.

"I am taking him as my apprentice."

"You wouldn't object, would you?"

The Revered Master felt as if his Dao Heart was about to be seen through and shattered by this one look!

He used all his strength to squeeze a few words through his teeth.

"I... dare not... To be able to enter the Senior's Dharma Eye is... his, and also the honor of my Jixia Academy!"

"Hmm, you are very sensible."

Chu Xuanjin nodded with satisfaction.

He no longer paid attention to these people, turning to say to the still dazed Bai Jinnian.

"Let's go."

"Don't waste your time with a bunch of blind people."

After speaking, he took Bai Jinnian and walked out of the plaza as if strolling in a courtyard.

After he had passed, the terrifying pressure that had shrouded heaven and earth receded like a tide.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

The entire white jade plaza was instantly filled with heavy panting.

The Revered Master sat down on the ground, his clothes already soaked through with cold sweat.

He watched Chu Xuanjin's departing figure, his eyes filled with the fear of surviving a disaster, and a hint of... unspeakable fanaticism!

What kind of Realm was that?

Just his aura alone made him, a Body Integration Great Perfection, unable to even conceive the thought of resisting!

Mahayana?

No!

He had seen the only Mahayana Old Ancestor in the Central Continent take action, and it was never this terrifying!

Could it be... the legendary... Immortal?!

Once this thought emerged, the Revered Master shuddered all over and stood up abruptly.

He looked around at the Elders and Disciples who were equally shaken, and used all his strength to roar.

"Pass on my Head's order!"

"From this day on, the Myriad Dao Divine Sect is the highest ally of my Jixia Academy!"

"Any student of my academy, no matter where you are, must treat anyone from the Myriad Dao Divine Sect as you would treat a teacher! Anyone who dares to show the slightest disrespect, no need to report, kill them on the spot, destroy their Dao lineage, and annihilate their Family!"

"Also! Take Mo Di and that Law Enforcement Elder! Throw them into the dungeon and interrogate them strictly!"

The orders exploded in everyone's minds like thunderbolts.

...

Soon.

Everything that happened at Jixia Academy grew wings and spread rapidly throughout the entire Central Continent Sacred Domain.

A mysterious Sect called "Myriad Dao Divine Sect".

A mysterious Sect Master named "Chu Xuanjin".

His mere appearance caused the entire upper echelon of Jixia Academy to be collectively paralyzed.

With one sentence, he determined the allegiance of a "Literary Dao Saint".

The news reached all the top Sects and millennial Families.

Those big shots who had originally held some contempt and suspicion regarding the affairs of the Eastern Wasteland all collectively lost their voices.

The Heavenly Sword Sect Leader crushed his favorite precious sword on the spot and ordered Li Jianyi, who had previously been nailed to the mast, to be locked in solitary confinement for one hundred years.

At the headquarters of the Purple Cloud Chamber of Commerce, overnight, all traces related to the "Demon Lord" were cleaned up completely.

Deep within the Central Continent Sacred Domain, on an Immortal mountain shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.

A Mahayana Old Ancestor who was in closed-door cultivation, whose aura was like a candle in the wind, suddenly opened his eyes.

A trace of deep dread flashed in his eyes.

"Pass down the order."

"The Central Continent... is about to change."

"Tell everyone to retract their claws and behave themselves."

"That Myriad Dao Divine Sect... is not to be trifled with."

For a time, the entire Central Continent was on edge.

All the forces that had originally been restless instantly ceased their activities, turning into docile little lambs.

And the instigator of all this, Chu Xuanjin, was walking on the snack street of Jixia City with his newly accepted seventh Disciple.

"Come, try this, osmanthus cake, it tastes good."

"And this, candied hawthorn, my second Disciple likes it the most."

Chu Xuanjin was like an enthusiastic tour guide, constantly introducing things to Bai Jinnian.

Bai Jinnian held a pile of food, still not having fully reacted.

His life had undergone an earth-shattering change in just one hour.

From a waste despised by everyone, he had become a Personal Disciple of a mysterious Sect that even the Head of Jixia Academy had to look up to.

He looked at the Revered Master before him, with a gentle smile and lazy temperament, yet possessing god-like power.

He opened his mouth, a thousand words eventually turning into one sentence.

"Revered Master... why... me?"

Chu Xuanjin took a bite of the candied hawthorn and said vaguely:

"Because..."

"I, your Revered Master, just like you guys who are clearly full of grit, yet are treated as wastes by others."

"It's thrilling!"