1: Beijing Film Academy = Hehuan Sect?

2002, at the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling.

[Detected that the host has arrived at the gate of the 'Hehuan Sect', a major sect in the cultivation world. Side mission issued.]

[Pass the first round of the Hehuan Sect selection. System reward: Free and Unfettered Sword Manual]

Li Xiuwu heard the sound and paused for a moment. He looked up at the gate of the institution ahead: Beijing Film Academy.

"System," he complained silently in his heart, "open your eyes and look closely. How do you read these six gold-leafed characters?"

[Receiving feedback from the host... System scanning... Scan complete. This place is rich in spiritual energy, and its disciples are a gathering of handsome men and beautiful women, all of whom are high-quality cauldrons. This matches the characteristics of a top-tier dual cultivation sect. System judgment is correct.]

[Host, please focus on the selection and become an outer disciple as soon as possible.]

Li Xiuwu ignored this stubborn, foolish system.

The system originally said it would take him to a cultivation world, but it ended up sending him back to 2002.

The system was still being stubborn, insisting that this was a cultivation world.

He took out his admission ticket and went over to join the queue.

"Li Xiuwu, your exam number is 233. Go to Exam Room 7 and wait."

Looking at this rather classical name, the senior student in charge of registration looked up at Li Xiuwu.

He was very tall and handsome, with a bright smile on his face.

"Thank you, senior," Li Xiuwu said, taking the number plate.

"Number 233, Li Xiuwu, you guys are in one group. Don't wander off; wait for the exam."

In a group of five, they were quickly led away to wait.

The candidates were all around seventeen or eighteen years old, youthful and naive, with nervousness written on their faces. Only Li Xiuwu looked relatively relaxed, even finding the mood to look around.

[High-quality cauldron detected. System prompt: Snuggling with them can accelerate cultivation. It is recommended that the host befriend them for future dual cultivation.]

Li Xiuwu's gaze followed the system's prompt. There was a senior sister over there maintaining order; she was indeed beautiful, with a natural charm in her eyes.

She seemed to be Wang Luotong.

"231, 233... you five, come and get ready."

Called by their exam numbers, Li Xiuwu collected his thoughts. The people in the same group subconsciously glanced at each other.

"It's your turn, go in," the senior sister waved.

Everyone was very nervous. The candidate in front of Li Xiuwu, number 232, had legs that were visibly shaking.

The exam venue was a small stage, with only three teachers sitting below.

Li Xiuwu looked over; they had nameplates in front of them: Wang Jinsong, Huang Lei, and Xu Xiaodan.

The three teachers were also looking at them, and they immediately crossed off one person based on the first impression.

With limbs shaking and not even daring to look up, the acting department didn't need such 'talent'.

However, their gaze lingered on Li Xiuwu's face for a while. It would be a pity for such a face not to join the acting department.

"Let's begin," said Huang Lei, who was sitting on the far right.

Candidate 231 was stunned for a moment before immediately speaking, "My name is Wu Erfan. I will be reciting 'Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again'."

"Quietly I go..."

"That's enough, next." Wu Erfan was interrupted by Xu Xiaodan after just one line.

Wu Erfan was a bit dazed, thinking he had failed, and his expression shifted.

Candidate 232's legs weren't shaking anymore; his whole body had frozen up, and he was so nervous he couldn't say a single word.

"Next," Xu Xiaodan didn't wait.

Li Xiuwu took a step forward.

"Hello, teachers. I am candidate number 233, Li Xiuwu, from Beijing. I am eighteen years old, 185 centimeters tall, and weigh 70 kilograms."

His voice was resonant and his pronunciation was clean and clear, instantly making a good impression.

Wang Jinsong nodded almost imperceptibly.

Li Xiuwu continued: "I will be reciting 'Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again'. Quietly..." "That's enough, next." Li Xiuwu had only said three words before being interrupted by Xu Xiaodan.

Li Xiuwu bowed and stepped back.

The remaining two were also very quick; their recitations were basically just one sentence.

"Go back and wait for news," Huang Lei said to the group.

"This Li Xiuwu is not bad. He's articulate, doesn't get stage fright, and his personal image is also very outstanding," Xu Xiaodan said.

Wang Jinsong nodded: "Passing the preliminary round shouldn't be a problem. We'll see during the third round."

...Sitting on the bus and looking at the scenery outside, this was China's political and economic center, a highly developed metropolis, but in his eyes, there was always a sense of agedness.

"Sigh." Twenty years of rapid flight.

Li Xiuwu felt a sense of detachment from this era. Although he had lived through it before, being back again, he was still a bit unaccustomed to it.

Fortunately, being alone was something he was already used to.

[Detected that the host has returned to the family base. Would you like to set up a Minor Spirit Gathering Array?]

"No." Li Xiuwu ignored the system.

The dilapidated tenement building had some mold on the walls. Demolition would probably take a few more years. He wanted to change to a better house, but he only had ten thousand yuan in savings.

In this era, being a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' was no longer worth much, especially for one in Beijing.

It was time to consider the matter of making a living.

The next day, Li Xiuwu went to school for classes.

"Xiuwu, why did you take leave yesterday?" His deskmate Ma Ke asked him curiously. The Gaokao was just around the corner, yet he wasn't working hard on revision.

Could it be because his recent exam results were too poor that he had just given up?

Li Xiuwu's previous grades were okay, but in these last two tests, his scores across all subjects had plummeted.

"Some personal business," Li Xiuwu said as he started reviewing mathematics.

Ma Ke opened his mouth, and seeing his expression, wanted to offer some comfort, but in the end, the words didn't come out.

[Detected that the host is cultivating in a high-level sect, comprehending mathematics. Comprehension Aura temporarily increased.]

Li Xiuwu was speechless. He continued his revision, and things became much clearer in his mind as his memory improved.

With the boost from the Comprehension Aura, not only did his understanding improve, but his past memories were also slowly resurfacing.

Balancing work and rest, he took a stroll on the playground after finishing lunch.

"Li Xiuwu, come to my office for a moment." The class teacher saw Li Xiuwu on the playground and noticed he didn't have the nervousness of other students; instead, he was just strolling around. After some thought, he called him to his office.

"Teacher Du, did you want to see me?" Li Xiuwu arrived at the class teacher's office.

"Have a seat." Du Yuheng looked at this student. His grades were above average, but at this critical moment, something had happened at home.

He organized his thoughts and said, "The teacher knows you're in a bad mood, but since it has happened, you have to accept it. You're still young and need to look forward."

"I understand, Teacher." Li Xiuwu knew the teacher had misunderstood, thinking his grades had dropped because of the shock of a family tragedy.

In reality, it was because he had been reborn, and he had long forgotten his past knowledge.

As for his parents, he had returned a week too late to change anything. Although he felt regret and sadness, if he counted his previous life, it had already been more than twenty years.

"Even if you're applying to an art school, your academic scores are still very important." Seeing Li Xiuwu's calm eyes, Du Yuheng sighed.

"I'm working hard on my revision. My Gaokao scores shouldn't be bad." Li Xiuwu didn't explain; it wasn't easy to explain anyway.

"If you have any difficulties in life, let me know." Du Yuheng sighed. He had given all the advice he could, and could only lament the unpredictability of life.

"Thank you, Teacher." Li Xiuwu stood up and bowed to Du Yuheng.

"Go back to class."

Li Xiuwu returned to his seat and flipped through his textbooks.

Relying on the system's comprehension boost, he was reclaiming his knowledge.

[Congratulations to the host for passing the preliminary selection of the top sect, the Hehuan Sect. System reward issued: Free and Unfettered Sword Manual]

[Host, please keep up the good work and pass the second round of the Hehuan Sect entrance selection. System reward: Divine Sound of Charming Words]