In his room, Lin Huang absorbed the information from the jade slip, his expression revealing clear astonishment. The jade slip actually contained the answers for the second round’s Martial Arts theory examination.
Recalling how Shen Diexin had come to deliver the answers to him a few days ago, only to smash the jade slip in the end, Lin Huang could not help but click his tongue in secret. It seemed this second round of the Martial Arts examination had become a means for the Four Great Sects to rope in outstanding talents. Of course, he, Lin Huang, was not among them.
However, people like Fatty Bai, whose Realm skyrocketed even without Cultivation, naturally caught the eye of the Four Great Sects. Once they passed the Martial Arts examination and the subsequent tournament, these young Martial Artists would earn the right to choose which Sect to join. For those with exceptionally high talent, the Four Great Sects could not fight over them openly, so they would inevitably resort to underhanded tactics in secret.
To the Sects, these youths were their future hope. To the Martial Artists, it was an overwhelming stroke of fortune. Only someone like Fatty Bai, who dawdled away his days eating and waiting for death with no interest in joining a Sect, could be so dismissive of Fengyu Tower’s Qii Lie and his recruitment attempts.
"Boss Lin, hurry up and make a copy," Fatty Bai said with a grin. "Memorize it well tonight so you don’t look like an idiot who knows nothing tomorrow."
"These questions are quite difficult!" Lin Huang sighed as he browsed the answers in the jade slip. He finally understood why Martial Artists from previous years always complained about the Martial Arts theory exam being too hard, claiming it was completely beyond the capability of anyone in the Human Element Realm. Considering that this Martial Arts exam had become the Four Great Sects’ true method of screening candidates, how could it not be difficult? They only found it difficult because they didn’t have the answers.
"Memorized it!" Lin Huang threw the jade slip back to Fatty Bai. Although the questions posed no challenge to him, he still memorized the answers out of caution. Just in case Qii Lie of Fengyu Tower and Hann Shan of the Celestial Thunder Sect tried to target him, he would be able to handle it.
"Alright then, let’s go eat. It’s your treat this time... Hehe, I’ve spent a total of twelve thousand taels of Silver this month and I don’t dare ask the old man for more. We won’t go anywhere too fancy, just Tianxiang Tower!" Fatty Bai suddenly put on a cheeky smile and added, "Consider it your payment for the answers."
Looking at Fatty Bai’s belly and hearing the thunderous GRUMBLE coming from it, Lin Huang’s mouth twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself, "At Tianxiang Tower, this guy can easily eat ten thousand taels of Silver in a single meal."
Lin Huang wanted to run. However, Fatty Bai was already blocking the doorway like a solid wall of meat.
"No problem!" Lin Huang gritted his teeth, his lips trembling slightly.
That night, Lin Huang was coerced and bribed into getting dead drunk by Fatty Bai. He was dragged back to the Divine General’s Mansion, so intoxicated that he could not even recognize Lin Beichen and Xiao Yishan. This was his first time getting completely wasted! Perhaps he only dared to get this drunk when drinking with Fatty Bai—the brother who, in his past life, had sacrificed thirty thousand lives just to save his.
It was not until the next morning, when Xiao Yishan dumped a bucket of water onto his bed with a loud SPLASH, that Lin Huang finally woke up. He jolted upright, his eyes still clouded with confusion.
"Let me tell you a secret you’ll definitely be interested in," Xiao Yishan said with a smiling face.
Huh? Lin Huang turned his head and looked at Xiao Yishan in confusion.
"Today is the day of the second round of assessments for the Four Great Sects’ grand selection. You have exactly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If you’re late, you’ll miss it." Xiao Yishan’s expression slowly turned livid as he glared coldly at Lin Huang.
Lin Huang’s expression contorted in shock as he violently dashed out of the room.
The morning sun rose in the east, scattering sunlight like golden dust. Combined with the fresh morning air, it made one feel relaxed and joyous. At this moment, however, Lin Huang was sprinting madly toward the Literature Palace, panting heavily.
Outside the Literature Palace, over a thousand people had gathered. Most of them were the three hundred Martial Artists and their families. They stared at the vermilion gates, looking both excited and nervous. The Four Sects’ grand selection—the second fateful choice—was upon them.
Fatty Bai stood at the very front, yawning like a swaying pillar. Behind him stood Ming Ao, Lu Wuji, and the others. The two of them looked calm, occasionally glancing at Fatty Bai with hints of provocation and disdain.
"This round of assessment concerns the future of our family. You must be extremely careful when answering the questions. Do you remember?"
"Panshi, you haven’t received any schooling since you were young. Even if you fail the Martial Arts theory exam, don’t take it to heart. Just making it to the second round is already Xiaoshi Town’s greatest pride!"
"You must pass the assessment this time. Think about what colossal entities the Four Great Sects are. As long as you can get in, it will be like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate."
Outside the Literature Palace, a cacophony of voices rose and fell. Most were words of encouragement and comfort from the elders, though many even resorted to threats and bribes. Everything was for the sake of passing the second round of the Four Sects’ grand selection.
In front of the Literature Palace gates, the Elders of the Four Great Sects looked indifferently at the lined-up Martial Artists. They all maintained an impartial, aloof, and superior posture.
Shen Diexin swept her gaze across the crowd but did not spot Lin Huang. Her fair hands tightened slightly.
"Lin Huang still hasn’t appeared. It seems he won’t be able to make it!" Ling Huangyi said leisurely from within the crowd, keeping a remarkably low profile.
"It is his fate," Crown Prince Lingyun sneered, a smug smile inadvertently forming on his face. "Even if he does show up, it won’t help. Just imagine how humiliating it would be for the dignified Young Master of the Divine General’s Mansion to score a zero."
"Actually, if he passes the second round of assessments, a little manipulation in the third round could have him face Ming Ao, Lu Wuji, and the others in the tournament. That way, you wouldn’t have to deal with him yourself," Ling Huangyi suggested.
"He’s going to die anyway. It would be far more interesting if we could mock and humiliate him first," Crown Prince Lingyun waved his hand, a sinister smile appearing on his handsome face.
Shortly after, the gates of the Literature Palace slowly opened, and the three hundred Martial Artists filed in.
"Boss Lin, where are you?" Fatty Bai widened his small eyes, searching for a long time but failing to spot Lin Huang. He muttered to himself, "It’s over, it’s over. I definitely got him too drunk last night, and now he can’t make it." Fatty Bai wore an anxious expression before being very reluctantly shoved into the Literature Palace.
All three hundred Martial Artists, except for Lin Huang, poured into the Literature Palace in an orderly line.
"Let’s go. Lin Huang is destined not to show up!" Crown Prince Lingyun chuckled lightly, his face displaying an indescribable smile as he turned and left the Literature Palace.
Subsequently, the gates of the Literature Palace slowly began to close.
Looking at the shutting gates, the accompanying escorts outside clenched their fists in anticipation. They knew that when the Literature Palace’s gates reopened, it would mark the turning point in their family disciples’ destinies!
To stand out from thirty thousand people already proved they were the elites of the Dynasty. The second round would be a bloodless slaughter. Three hundred went in, but when they came out, only one hundred would make the list. No matter how high your Realm was, failing to make the list meant elimination. It was nothing short of cruel.
Just a split second before the Literature Palace’s gates completely shut, the crowd felt a gust of hot wind sweep past them, accompanied by splattering drops of sweat. Following that, a figure darted through the narrowing gap between the doors at incredible speed and entered the Literature Palace.
"Was that... a person just now?"
"He was late?" The onlookers looked astonished. Recalling the scene they just witnessed, waves of shock rippled through their hearts. "Who has the audacity to be late during the Four Great Sects’ assessment!"
"Phew..." Inside the Literature Palace, Lin Huang let out a long breath, his face flushed bright red from his mad sprint.
"Thank goodness, I almost didn’t make it!" Lin Huang rejoiced. He glared at Fatty Bai, who was sprawled over a desk at the very front, and clenched his fists tightly. He thought to himself, "If it wasn’t for this guy, how could I have almost been late?"
"Latecomers are not qualified to participate in the assessment!" Hann Shan stared at the sudden appearance of Lin Huang and delivered an extremely impartial judgment, though he could not help but sneer inwardly.
"The assessment has not yet begun, so he is not considered late," Shen Diexin said. Looking at the profusely sweating Lin Huang, her crystalline eyes lit up, but her expression remained completely unchanged.
"Elder Shen, this does not comply with the rules of our Four Great Sects," Qii Lie said faintly.
"Have Elder Qii and Elder Hann experienced something in the past to make you target a junior like this?" Shen Diexin turned her head and stared coldly at the Elders of the two Sects.
"You..."
"Then let him take the assessment. I want to see exactly what he’s capable of!" Hann Shan and Qii Lie had clearly had a sore spot poked and looked rather enraged.
From the floor, Lin Huang looked at Shen Diexin from a distance and smiled politely. Although he could not hear what the Elders were saying, he could guess most of it. Following that, Lin Huang took his seat.
Accompanied by a highly penetrating DONG of a drum, the second round of assessments officially began.
Inside the vast Literature Palace, three hundred Purple Forbidden Dragon-patterned desks were neatly arranged. On each desk lay a Great Xia wolf-hair brush, a Book Mountain jade inkstone, an exam paper, and a stack of Minghu Xuann Paper. A young Martial Artist sat before each desk.
A full three hundred people packed the entire hall tightly, yet it remained extremely quiet. There was only the faint SCRATCHING of brushes moving across paper. A light fragrance of ink diffused through the air, giving the scene a somewhat elegant and gentle ambiance.
Lin Huang looked at the exam paper in his hands, his brows gradually furrowing until they were tightly knitted together. He could not help but look up at Hann Shan and Qii Lie. He saw Qii Lie’s gaze shifting as he scanned the main hall. Hann Shan, on the other hand, raised his head, a subtle sneer curling on his aged face. He clearly knew that Lin Huang had noticed something.
But so what if he had noticed? What could Lin Huang say? Could he possibly demand an on-the-spot verification to see if his exam paper was the same as the others’?
Shen Diexin instinctively sensed something was amiss. Seeing Lin Huang’s silent expression, her elegant, slender brows creased slightly. She glanced at Qii Lie and Hann Shan, then moved to walk toward Lin Huang, but Lin Huang shook his head!
The Martial Arts theory examination was an extremely serious affair. Shen Diexin subsequently halted her steps and glared at Qii Lie and Hann Shan with slight anger.
In the hall, Lin Huang’s expression gradually grew calm. Looking at those two bastards, Hann Shan and Qii Lie, he did not show the slight anger one might expect. Instead, a trace of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth—a smug smile!
He was absolutely certain that his exam paper was completely different from everyone else’s. The questions on it did not match the answers Fatty Bai had given him at all. Moreover, these questions were of a difficulty that only a Martial Artist at the Celestial Element Level could possibly answer correctly. For a Human Element Martial Artist, answering them correctly was practically impossible!
But Lin Huang was different! Let alone the experiences from his past life, even the thirty thousand Musashis that Xiao Yishan had given him previously were enough to solve these questions.
Seeing the smug smile on Lin Huang’s face, Hann Shan felt no surprise whatsoever; the smile on his own face only deepened. It was as if he had already determined that, no matter what, Lin Huang would be unable to pass this second round of assessments.