96: Avenge the previous shame

The morning glimmer pierced through the clouds and bathed the earth. In front of a row of cultivation rooms, ten young men and women faced the morning sun, their expressions varied.

They knew that the upcoming assessment was extremely important for them and something they could not afford to fail.

Most of those present were veterans who had come to this place more than once.

Their goal was naturally not just for the tedious daily Alchemy; what they wanted was the Immortal Sect's reward—the chance to enter the third or fourth floor of the pavilion.

The path of cultivation is inherently a path of great struggle; without struggle, there is nothing. One must not only struggle but also win and be victorious.

Those present knew very well that if they wanted to go further on the path of cultivation, they had to do their utmost to compete.

What a Family could provide was ultimately limited; only a broader sky and more abundant resources could satisfy their desire for cultivation.

Therefore, the Azure Origin Sect was the best choice.

They had to stand out in the monthly exam; even if they didn't gain the favor of an Immortal, they could at least fight for various Opportunities for themselves.

Zheng Tingtao arrived on the wind and landed in the area. Clad in a white robe, his face bore a majestic expression today, and his usually gentle eyes were now somewhat sharp.

His gaze swept across the ten people one by one.

“Not bad, you are considered the most outstanding batch in the past decade or so,” Zheng Tingtao said indifferently.

This month, except for Lin Xin failing to complete her lesson on the first day, all ten had efficiently completed their tasks at all other times.

This showed that everyone's talent for Alchemy was very high, but it also meant that the competition this time would be extremely fierce.

The ten did not dare to be the least bit arrogant; they all bowed humbly, lowering their posture.

“Next, let me see if you are excellent enough.”

A calm voice suddenly rang out. With a gentle wave of Zheng Tingtao's hand, a light flashed before the ten people, and ten rosewood tables suddenly appeared, with a Jade Booklet lying quietly on each table.

Zhou Luo's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The Immortal Sect's Literary Test seemed to be more Advanced than the one at the Spirit Pill Gathering.

“One hour. Begin now!”

Zheng Tingtao stood with his hands behind his back, his voice slowly echoing with a great sense of power.

Almost simultaneously, the ten people picked up the Jade Booklets on the tables and opened them.

In the center of the Jade Booklet, golden light surged out, enveloping the holder and completely isolating them from others.

Zhou Luo only felt a burst of golden light in front of him and couldn't help but close his eyes.

When he opened them again, what met his eyes was a massive golden scroll.

On the scroll, there were no beautiful landscapes, only jumping characters that appeared like elves, converging into series of questions.

Zhou Luo stared at these questions. He didn't need to use a pen; with just a thought, he could quickly write down his answers.

The purpose of the Literary Test was to screen those who would enter the Martial Test.

So Zhou Luo did not intend to perform too prominently. Just like at the last Spirit Pill Gathering, he intentionally answered some questions incorrectly.

He even waited for a while before doing the last two major questions to avoid being the first to turn in his paper.

When the time was about right, he chose to submit.

Then, the scroll before him dissipated, the golden light receded, and white light flooded in from all directions.

In Zhou Luo's eyes, he returned to the initial scene, with the Jade Booklet lying quietly on the table.

He couldn't help but look to the side. Many people were still enveloped in golden light, but there was still someone faster than him.

Lu An stood before his table and turned his head to look at him.

Those deep eyes carried profound hostility, and his face showed an expression of pride and disdain.

During the last Spirit Pill Gathering's Literary Test, he had lost to Zhou Luo and could only settle for second place, which had also caused his eldest uncle to lose a precious sword.

He had always remembered this humiliation.

Now was the best moment to wash away that shame.

The corners of Lu An's mouth curled up slightly.

He had submitted his Jade Booklet before the other party, and he had answered all the questions.

There was no reason to lose to him again this time.

Sensing the other's provocation, Zhou Luo was indifferent and instead fixed his gaze on the man next to him.

He hadn't seen that person before; judging by his clothing, he should be from the Zhang Family.

At the moment, only the three of them had emerged from the golden light, while the others were still struggling.

About ten minutes later, the others finished answering one after another, revealing themselves.

The one-hour time limit was just about up when the last person, Lin Xin, finally emerged from the golden light.

Her small face was slightly pale, and her mind seemed to have suffered quite a shock.

Although this Jade Slip didn't require manual answering, the drain on one's Divine Sense was immense.

Presumably, the Immortal Sect also wanted to take this chance to test everyone's mental strength.

After all, the most important thing for an Alchemist was still their Divine Sense; the stronger an Alchemist's Divine Sense, the higher their Alchemy level tended to be.

“The Martial Test will be held in the afternoon.”

With a sweep of his sleeve, Zheng Tingtao made the ten Jade Slips and the tables disappear, then turned and left.

As soon as he left, everyone's minds relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

“I thought this Literary Test was quite easy, what about you guys?”

“I won't say too much, but getting into the top six shouldn't be a problem.”

“This Literary Test was harder than the Spirit Pill Gathering's, and it covered a broader range. I'm not very confident.”

“Yeah, I don't even know what I wrote.”

...

Those who were familiar with each other immediately gathered around and began discussing the exam paper.

Wang Yuwei noticed Lin Xin's state and, knowing she hadn't performed well, walked over to comfort her: “This is only the beginning.”

She was a newcomer, while the others were veterans who had been here who knows how many times; there was bound to be a gap.

Lin Xin naturally understood this, but what she couldn't accept was...

Why did Zhou Luo, who was also a newcomer like her, seem so relaxed?

She turned her head to look at his composed face, and this sense of imbalance grew even stronger, plunging her once again into deep doubt.

Zhou Luo didn't notice this gaze. Seeing that there was still enough time, he felt that instead of wasting it, he might as well go practice, so he headed toward the rooms in front.

However, after only a few steps, a figure blocked his path—it was Lu An.

A month ago, the other party had tried to provoke him, only to be shut down by a single sentence.

Later, everyone was busy with Alchemy every day, so no one had time for such thankless tasks.

But today was a bit different.

“Last time in the Literary Test, my Lu Family lost a Magical Artifact to your Lin Family. Today, I will wipe out that shame.”

“I want to bet with you on the results of this Literary Test, using a Magical Artifact as the stake.”

Lu An stared fixedly at the person before him, his expression serious, his eyes showing no attempt to hide his Battle Intent.

His actions immediately drew the attention of the others.

“I don't have time.”

Zhou Luo was not interested in this challenge.

In any case, fighting was not allowed in the front courtyard. If he truly refused, the other party would be powerless.

“Is it that you don't have time, or do you know you'll definitely lose and don't dare to compete with me?” Lu An mocked loudly.

Hearing this, the others had mixed expressions.

Most people were in a state of watching the excitement.

Only Lin Xin and Wang Yuwei frowned slightly, feeling that the other party was truly being a bit petty.

Faced with such a crude provocation, Zhou Luo didn't even look at him and walked straight toward the other side.

Seeing him ignore him, a trace of panic flashed in the depths of Lu An's eyes, but he still sneered on the surface: “Heh, it seems the Lin Family is just a bunch of cowards.”

“First of all, I don't represent...”

Before Zhou Luo could finish his sentence, Lin Xin's voice suddenly rang out from beside him.

“Compete with him!”