183: Chapter 183 What the hell are you talking about? A sixteen-year-old taking the imperial tutor exam?

Xuanjing Peak.

The true core of the provincial Appraisers Guild headquarters.

A mist-shrouded mountain Peak.

Inside an elegant pavilion.

Two people sat opposite each other.

One of them.

Was dressed in a moon-white robe.

His face appeared as handsome as a young man's, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and a temperament as gentle as jade; only the occasional flicker of world-weariness in his deep eyes revealed that he was by no means as young as he looked.

This handsome man was the President of the S Province branch of the Appraisers Guild, President Yun Xi.

The other person.

Was an energetic old man with white hair and a white beard, a ruddy complexion, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's; he was the guild's Vice President, Lin Yan.

Between the two of them.

Lay an ancient-looking chessboard.

Black and white pieces were scattered across it, clearly indicating the game had reached the mid-stage.

They were in a relaxed posture.

Placing pieces while conversing casually.

"C City lacks resources, and the path of appraisal is almost a blank slate there. I intend to send a team to establish an Appraisers Guild branch in that barren land to popularize appraisal knowledge. Perhaps we can uncover a few good prospects in that place."

President Yun Xi picked up a white piece.

He placed it down gently, his voice warm.

Vice President Lin Yan stroked his beard.

He voiced his agreement.

"The President has a long-term vision; this plan is quite reasonable. That region hasn't been under the Human Federation's management for very long, much like an uncultivated wasteland. Though it's covered in weeds, there must be flowers waiting to bloom. The start might be difficult, but because of that, we might truly find some pure-hearted, untainted talents. I believe this is feasible. In a few days, I will arrange for personnel to go to C City to handle the branch's construction."

The two spoke in peaceful tones.

Chess pieces fell one after another.

They discussed the guild's future development plans in a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

To them.

Handling such matters was already a daily routine.

Just then.

An urgent beast roar echoed from the horizon!

A streak of light approached from afar at an incredible speed, reaching the Peak in the blink of an eye.

Before the flying beast could even fully land.

A figure leaped down in a hurry.

He rushed into the pavilion with slightly stumbling steps.

It was Second Elder Qing Xuan.

Seeing that the newcomer was Qing Xuan.

Vice President Lin Yan's brow furrowed slightly.

He reprimanded him with the tone of a senior addressing a Junior.

"Qing Xuan, you're not young anymore. As a guild Elder, how can you still act so recklessly? Where are your manners?"

President Yun Xi, however, gave a slight smile.

He appeared quite tolerant.

His gaze remained on the chessboard.

"It's fine, perhaps there really is some urgent matter. Speak, Qing Xuan, what has made you so hurried?"

The two of them.

One was a Grand Tutor Level Appraiser, and the other was at the High Grade Rank 3 Peak; both were top figures in S Province and had long since cultivated a temperament that remained unshaken even if Mount Tai were to collapse before them.

Seeing Qing Xuan arrive now, although they found his loss of composure odd, they didn't pay it much mind and continued their game calmly.

Elder Qing Xuan panted.

He didn't even wait to catch his breath.

He hurriedly bowed to report.

"President! Vice President! At the Assessment Building, someone has applied for the Grand Tutor Level Assessment! I have come specifically to ask the two of you to preside over it!"

"Grand Tutor Level Assessment?"

"Oh?"

President Yun Xi's hand holding a piece paused slightly.

He raised an eyebrow.

Vice President Lin Yan also lifted his eyelids.

He showed a hint of interest.

"Someone wants to take the Grand Tutor Level Assessment? That's a novelty. As far as I know, High Grade Rank 3 Appraisers in the provincial city are few and far between. Currently, those in the city with the qualifications and the courage to touch this threshold, besides myself, are only you and that old fellow Mo Xi who are still accumulating experience. Why has someone suddenly jumped out to take the assessment? Could it be some old hermit who couldn't stand the loneliness? Or an expert from another province?"

He paused and placed a piece.

He continued to inquire with great interest.

"Tell us, which sacred figure is this who wants to undergo the Grand Tutor Level Assessment?"

Elder Qing Xuan heard this.

He didn't dare delay and immediately replied.

"Reporting to the Vice President, it is not an older figure, but a... six! A sixteen-year-old youth named Dong Xuan!"

President Yun Xi and Vice President Lin Yan only nodded slightly upon hearing this.

They didn't seem to have reacted yet.

Most of their attention was still on the game.

President Yun Xi subconsciously rubbed the piece in his hand and repeated in a low voice.

"Dong Xuan? The name is unfamiliar; I haven't heard it before. Either it's the title of some old monster who has been in seclusion for years, or... he isn't an Appraiser from our S Province system."

Vice President Lin Yan also chimed in casually.

He spoke with his usual tone of commenting on a Junior.

"sixteen years old, hmmm, to have such ambition at such a young age is not bad at all; he's a talent worth nurturing..."

After saying that, he even seemed to enjoy the thought.

He was quite satisfied.

However.

Not long after the words left his mouth.

The two of them seemed to realize something!

Their movements froze almost simultaneously!

"Huh?!"

"What!"

The smooth white piece in President Yun Xi's hand stopped abruptly in mid-air.

He snapped his head up.

Those eyes, deep as a sea of stars, completely left the chessboard for the first time, looking straight at Qing Xuan with unbelievable shock.

Vice President Lin Yan's hand shook even more.

The black piece he had just picked up and was about to place fell with a 'clack' onto the board, disrupting the local formation.

As if he hadn't heard the sound of the piece falling, he whipped his head around, his wrinkled face filled with absurdity and suspicion, his voice involuntarily rising.

"No... wait? Qing Xuan! What on earth did you just say? Say it again?!"

He almost suspected there was something wrong with his ears.

Or that Qing Xuan had gone senile and was talking nonsense!

"What assessment?! Who is sixteen years old?!"

Elder Qing Xuan, seeing that the two big shots had finally realized the crux of the matter, was both excited and anxious. He hurriedly repeated himself more clearly, word by word, his voice trembling with urgency.

"Dong Xuan! A sixteen-year-old youth named Dong Xuan! He... he wants to take the Grand Tutor Level Appraiser assessment! I have come specifically to invite the two of you to preside over the situation!"

Boom!

This time.

Every word was like a Nine Heavens thunderbolt.

It struck squarely into the hearts of Yun Xi and Lin Yan!

It wasn't that they hadn't heard him just now.

It was that the absurdity of combining the terms 'Grand Tutor Level Assessment' and 'sixteen-year-old youth' far exceeded what their subconscious could instantly process and understand.

It was as if someone told you.

A kindergarten child got a perfect score on a mock college entrance exam.

You can understand both parts.

But put together, they make it impossible to react.

To the point where the brain automatically categorizes it as a mishearing or a misunderstanding.

Right now.

As Qing Xuan confirmed it again with absolute clarity, that world-shaking information was like a violent torrent, instantly shattering their long-held cognitive barriers!

Vice President Lin Yan suddenly stood up from the stone stool, causing it to slide back half an inch.

His eyes widened.

His face was filled with extreme shock and disbelief, and even a hint of indignation as if he were being toyed with. His voice, like a great bell, exploded across the quiet mountain Peak.

"Elder Qing Xuan! What the hell are you talking about?! Are you saying that a sixteen-year-old brat is going to take the Grand Tutor Level Assessment?!!!!"