115: Assessment

Xu Sanyan sat obediently on his chair, looking at the sky outside the window; the weather here had never changed, always sunny and clear during the day, and dead silent and pitch black at night.

Furthermore, there was no transition between day and night; there were no time periods like dusk or dawn, only an abrupt shift from day to night.

It was like a machine set by someone, rigidly operating along a predetermined program.

Moreover, the passage of time was extremely fast; he clearly felt that not much time had passed, yet the sky had already turned dark.

Xu Sanyan glanced at his panel and was suddenly stunned to see that the lifespan column had changed from nineteen to twenty!

Had he aged by one year?

Xu Sanyan suddenly felt a chill in his heart; from the last New Year until now, it had only been half a year at most, yet in just one month here, half a year had passed in the outside world?

The passage of time was abnormal!

Yet he clearly felt that time here passed faster than outside, but the panel would not deceive him, so it must be that his perception had gone wrong!

A sense of urgency welled up in Xu Sanyan's heart; his Physical Body was still outside.

Although with his current cultivation, it would be fine even if he didn't eat or drink, the longer time dragged on, the more he feared that some accident would occur.

This place was too sinister.

The Old Gentleman scanned the room, placed the ruler that never left his hand on the wooden table in front of him, and said in a shrill voice, "Today's academy examination is divided into two parts: the first is on the 'Saint's Words,' and the second is on the Six Arts of a Gentleman."

After speaking, his gaze lingered on Xu Sanyan for a moment before slowly moving away, "Those who pass the examination may enter the Saint's sect as a Named Disciple and enter or leave the academy freely."

Xu Sanyan felt his heart tighten involuntarily, secretly excited; his guess was indeed correct!

Since it was an academy, there must be examinations and there must be graduation.

The graduation examinations for mortal students were the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, etc.; after passing, they would have the opportunity to become officials in the imperial court, turning their lives around and having the chance to display their grand ambitions.

Since they were studying the Saint's words, the examination would naturally be close to the Saint; Xu Sanyan had long guessed this, so he had prepared for it a long time ago.

He already knew that book, the 'Saint's Words,' by heart, and the Six Arts of a Gentleman had also been improved by 'Qi' and had long since reached the introductory level, so he did not fear the examination at all.

"No whispering, no disturbing others, no wandering around; violators will be expelled from the academy and never hired again."

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips; he did not believe that the "expelled from the academy" mentioned by the Old Gentleman meant letting them leave, but rather that it was more likely to result in their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

After the Old Gentleman finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the books on everyone's tables disappeared, turning into examination papers instead. Then, he pulled out a brass gong from who knows where and struck it lightly.

"Clang~~~"

The sound was melodious, waking everyone up.

"Where is this..."

Someone subconsciously made a sound, and the Old Gentleman, who had originally been sitting on the wooden chair, instantly appeared beside him, slamming the ruler in his hand down hard on his head.

The person's face suddenly turned terrified, and then his figure dissipated, completely vanishing, as if someone like him had never appeared in the world.

Seeing this scene, the crowd's expressions were uncertain, and they all fell silent.

Among them, some had stayed here for a long time and it was no longer their first time taking the exam; for example, that Lu Family Elder, this was already his seventh time participating in the examination.

But even after going through it seven times, it was useless; he had no idea what was written on the exam paper. Phrases like "a gentleman should be cautious in his actions" and "the Saint's words" were all confusing to him.

Moreover, every time he woke up, he was younger than the last time. According to his estimation, at most three more times and he would completely vanish into smoke and clouds.

To think that he, a dignified Soul Refining Cultivator, had to have a solid Divine Soul to persist this long; if his cultivation were any lower, it would be difficult to survive three rounds of examinations.

The Lu Family probably would never have thought that their Elder who had been missing for nearly ten years was actually still alive, right?

Xu Sanyan looked at the exam paper and let out a long sigh of relief; what was being tested was all content from the books, which was very simple for him, so he buried his head and wrote furiously, scribbling away.

The few people around him looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion; no one knew how to start writing, and in the large classroom, only Xu Sanyan was writing.

The young man beside him furtively peeked at the proctoring Old Gentleman and then quickly glanced at Xu Sanyan's exam paper, his expression full of panic, fearing that the Old Gentleman would appear beside him in the next second and strike him into dissipation with the ruler.

But the Old Gentleman seemed not to see it, letting him copy, because the rules did not say that copying was forbidden.

Seeing this, the people around Xu Sanyan showed joy and gradually became bolder; some even stood up to look, but one accidentally bumped into the chair behind him, making a sharp "creak" sound.

The Old Gentleman instantly appeared beside him and, without a word, brought the ruler down; that person instantly vanished into smoke and clouds.

The examination continued. Xu Sanyan swept his gaze and found that everyone was looking at him, so he smiled, nodded slightly at the crowd, and then turned his exam paper face down.

He had finished writing.

Everyone was stunned for a moment. He wasn't letting them look anymore?

Although they didn't know if what Xu Sanyan wrote was correct, they had no other choice at this moment.

To them, Xu Sanyan was like a tiny vine growing over an abyss; no matter what, they had to grasp it tightly and take a gamble.

Some showed anger, glaring fiercely at Xu Sanyan, with the intention of eating him alive; others showed pleading expressions, bowing repeatedly, but Xu Sanyan turned a blind eye to all of it.

Xu Sanyan was not afraid at all; they were like tigers kept in captivity, and separated by iron cages, they could do nothing.

Actually, letting them copy wouldn't be a big deal, but Xu Sanyan never did things without benefits, even if it was just a small effort.

The crowd had no other way; they dared not move around, nor dared they make a sound, so they could only bury their heads and think hard.

As time passed, the Old Gentleman waved his hand, and all the exam papers appeared in his hand, "The next part, the Six Arts of a Gentleman, follow me."

Saying this, he walked outside, and the crowd did not dare to delay, following one after another.

Someone glared fixedly at Xu Sanyan, still resentful in their heart that he wouldn't let them copy.

Xu Sanyan curled his lips, not caring at all; if nothing unexpected happened, they would never get out in this lifetime. Why care about a group of people who were about to die?

In the courtyard, the Old Gentleman stood still, "The assessment begins."

...

Meanwhile, outside Da Gu Mountain, the Yue Family had long since withdrawn. Initially, the Yue Family had successively sent over a dozen people into Da Gu Mountain, exhausting various methods.

Whether it was Magic Treasures to protect the Divine Soul, secret techniques, mechanisms, or Puppets, as soon as they entered Da Gu Mountain, the connection would instantly be severed.

Not a single person came out, and not even a shred of news was sent back; they had long given up.

But there was one person who had not given up, and that was Qin Manyang.

She had been guarding outside Da Gu Mountain for nearly a year.

As for why she was so persistent, of course, it was not because of love.

Qin Manyang, dressed in fiery red clothes, lay on the ground, looking up at the sky, her mind filled with countless thoughts.