Adding a character assessment? Taibai Academy doesn't accept ingrates!

Spiritual Qi Conversion Center.

Even in the dead of night, this place remained brightly lit.

The massive Nuclear Reactor emitted a low, powerful roar, while in mid-air, the Formation Plate of the Myriad Origins Return to One Great Formation rotated slowly.

Although it wasn't in overclocking mode, the overflowing Spiritual Qi still made the air here feel somewhat viscous.

"Hey, the Spiritual Qi is densest here; it'll definitely be beneficial for her Awakening her Physique."

"Let's just put her here, it won't be in the way anyway."

Lin Xiyue found a relatively empty spot directly beneath the Formation Plate,

then carefully controlled her spiritual power to slowly lower that massive blue ice crystal.

However.

The moment the ice crystal touched the ground and Lin Xiyue withdrew the cocoon of spiritual power.

Crack! Crack!

A long-suppressed, extreme chill spread frantically in all directions like a beast escaping its cage!

The special alloy floor instantly became covered in a thick layer of white frost.

The screens of several precision monitoring instruments nearby flickered before emitting a 'sizzle' of electrical static, clearly affected by the low temperature.

Even the stray water vapor in the air was frozen into tiny ice shards by this domineering cold, rustling as they fell.

"Hiss... what a pain!"

"Isn't this chill a bit too insane?"

"If we let it keep spreading like this, I'm afraid the reactor and precision equipment here will be frozen solid within half a day!"

Li Zhanjun watched this scene and immediately cried out in worry.

This was the 'heart' of Great Xia's cultivation; if it were frozen to a halt by this block of ice, it would be a huge disaster.

"Don't worry, let me think..."

Gu Zhiyun stared at the ice crystal, her mind racing.

Soon, her eyes lit up.

"Got it!"

"I'll just set up a small Spirit Gathering Formation nearby!"

"Then, on the basis of this Spirit Gathering Formation, I'll add an isolation Formation to create an independent closed-loop space."

"This way, we can ensure she absorbs enough Spiritual Qi for her Awakening while also keeping this chill firmly locked inside the Formation, preventing it from leaking out!"

"Yes! That's what I'll do!"

Without waiting for a response, Gu Zhiyun turned into a streak of light and flew toward the base warehouse with practiced ease.

Her posture was as natural as if she were going home to restock.

Before long, she flew back.

Only this time, she was towing that familiar small cart behind her with spiritual power.

The cart was filled with various Ores she had just 'restocked' from the warehouse.

"Alright, I'm going to start setting up the Formation!"

"Everyone, step back a bit!"

Gu Zhiyun rolled up her sleeves and began moving nimbly, weaving quickly around the ice crystal.

One by one, the Ores she had specially treated were precisely driven into specific positions in the ground.

Then, her hands formed seals and her fingers flew as profound Formation patterns of spiritual light flowed from her fingertips,

linking the buried Ore nodes together one by one.

"Combine!"

Following her final soft shout.

A high-quality, fire-red Dragon Crystal was slammed into the Formation's center as the eye!

Hum!

A soft light barrier instantly rose, forming a hemispherical shield that tightly enclosed the massive ice crystal inside.

Upon the light barrier, Formation patterns flowed endlessly.

The originally raging chill struck the barrier, causing ripples,

yet it couldn't break through even an inch, remaining firmly locked within that small space.

Inside the Formation, the Spiritual Qi concentration began to climb rapidly, continuously nourishing the frozen Shen Qingyi.

"Phew... job's done!"

Patting the dust off her hands, Gu Zhiyun looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction.

"Beautifully done, Xiao Yun!"

"As expected of a professional, this craftsmanship is simply superb!"

Seeing this, Lin Xiyue immediately stepped forward and gave Gu Zhiyun a big thumbs up without hesitation.

Then, she turned to look at Xiao Jin, who had been silently following beside them.

"Xiao Jin, you stay here and guard this."

"Except for us, no one is allowed near this ice, understood?"

Xiao Jin nodded, his massive frame taking a step forward to stand by the Formation like an iron tower, faithfully executing his guard duty.

After arranging everything, Lin Xiyue finally breathed a long sigh of relief, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.

"Alright, the matter here is settled."

"Next, we can finally focus on preparing for the assessment."

"Assessment?"

"What assessment?"

Hearing this, Gu Zhiyun couldn't help but be taken aback and asked curiously.

"The entrance assessment for Taibai Academy, of course."

Lin Xiyue replied as if it were obvious.

"Huh?"

Gu Zhiyun was even more confused, her large eyes blinking in bewilderment.

"But didn't I remember... that admissions brochure saying that as long as one successfully advances from a Mortal to the Body Tempering Realm within ten days, they meet the entrance requirements?"

"Is that not the end of it?"

In her view, reaching the Body Tempering Realm in ten days was already a screening process as difficult as climbing to heaven for Mortals with no foundation.

Those who could pass were undoubtedly talents with either perseverance or gifts; wouldn't it be enough to just admit them directly?

"We originally thought so too."

Lin Xiyue's smile faded, and her expression became somewhat serious.

"But later, after discussing it carefully with Great Grandfather and the others, we felt it wasn't rigorous enough."

"Xiao Yun, you have to understand that Taibai Academy is, after all, the most elite academy in Great Xia's future."

"It is also the cradle of Great Xia's cultivation civilization!"

"The students who walk out of here in the future are destined to be Great Xia's top Prodigies, the pillars of the nation guarding our lands!"

Speaking to this point, Lin Xiyue paused, her tone becoming exceptionally solemn.

"So, for a group of people who possess extraordinary power and can even decide the life and death of countless others..."

"Besides talent and perseverance, their character and Dao Heart naturally cannot be ignored!"

"One could even say that this is more important than talent!"

"Indeed, Girl Yue is right."

Li Zhanjun, standing nearby, also stepped forward and took over the conversation with a booming voice.

"We established Taibai Academy to cultivate true Dragons to protect Great Xia."

"Not to cultivate a bunch of selfish, lawless, ungrateful wolves!"

"If their hearts are not in the right place, what use is high talent?"

"On the contrary, the higher the talent, the greater the harm such people will cause in the future!"

"Therefore..."

Li Zhanjun's eyes shone brightly as he said decisively:

"Talent is a necessary threshold, but it is by no means the first priority!"

"The most important thing must be character! It must be patriotism!"

As these words were spoken, even Elder Jian, who had been floating nearby in silence, nodded repeatedly, a look of approval in his eyes.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"In my long life, I have seen too many with peerless talent but crooked hearts, who ultimately not only harmed themselves and others but even brought chaos to the world."

"That you have this insight to place Heart-Nature above all else is truly great wisdom!"

"After all, if a mistake is made and you truly teach an ungrateful wolf who betrays their masters, it really is enough to make one sick to death!"

Elder Jian was clearly reminded of certain past events and felt deeply about this.

After hearing everyone's explanation, Gu Zhiyun nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand."

"Sister Yue, since you want to add an extra test, how do you plan to do it?"

She was curious about Great Xia's methods.

"Well..."

Lin Xiyue smiled slyly, her gaze falling directly on Gu Zhiyun.

"This matter... I'm afraid we'll have to rely on you, Xiao Yun!"

"Rely on me?" Gu Zhiyun pointed at her own nose.

"Exactly!"

Lin Xiyue spread her hands and said somewhat helplessly:

"If it were just testing strength or something, I could certainly handle it."

"But testing a person's Heart-Nature and character..."

"I don't yet possess the kind of Divine Ability that can look directly into a person's heart."

"So..."

"Naturally, we can only depend on our great Formation Master Gu's Formations!"

She hooked her arm around Gu Zhiyun's and shared her plan with a giggle.

"So that's how it is..."

Gu Zhiyun came to a realization.

Immediately, a confident smile appeared on her face.

"No problem!"

"Leave it to me!"

"If it's testing Heart-Nature, that's simple."

"How about we just set up a Heart Questioning Array?"

"In the Cangxuan Great Realm, this is also a method many Sects choose when recruiting Core Disciples."

"Those who enter the Formation will fall into an illusion, facing their deepest desires and fears."

"At that time, whether they are human or ghost, one trip through the Formation will immediately reveal their true colors!"

"This should filter out those who have talent but no Dao Heart, or those with ill intentions."

Gu Zhiyun lived up to her professional reputation; with just a bit of thought, she provided the perfect solution.

"Heart Questioning Array?"

"Good name! It sounds very reliable!"

Lin Xiyue's eyes lit up, and she immediately made the decision.

"Yes, we'll use that!"

"Then there's no time to lose, let's go prepare right now!"

She checked the time, her tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"There are only four days left until Taibai Academy officially opens."

"Time is running short!"

"We must have all this set up before the first batch of students arrives!"

"Let's prepare a big 'enrollment surprise' for them!"

"Let's go!"

Having made up her mind, Lin Xiyue didn't delay any further.

She immediately pulled Gu Zhiyun along to start working overtime to research how to set up this Heart Questioning Array.

Fortunately, as Spirit Sea Golden Core Cultivators, they no longer needed sleep.

So, this didn't really count as working late into the night, did it?