Host Mission Failed

Since he had made a bet with the Pure Heart Saintess, Jiang Li had no intention of merely scraping by. He was not here to bully a group of under-twenty-five juniors and take first place—he was going to surpass the Pure Heart Saintess and win first place!

One did not fight an unprepared battle. The first thing Jiang Li did was look over the entrance exam's reference books.

The result, however, left him somewhat speechless.

He remembered that when he enrolled five hundred years ago, the reference books had all been widely circulated works from the Nine Provinces, such as Introduction to Cultivation, Cultivation Prospects, Nine Provinces Customs and Traditions, and so on.

Now, though, they were General Outline of Cultivation (by Jiang Li), Three Thousand Questions on Cultivation (by Jiang Li), Cultivating Immortality is Cultivating the Heart (by Jiang Li), and General Outline of Cultivation (Annotated Edition).

"Out of ten reference books, eight were written by me, and the other two are annotations on my books?!"

"Those in the know would think I was the academy's honorary graduate. Those who didn't would think I set the exam questions." Jiang Li grumbled.

After reaching the Great Ascension Stage, his understanding of cultivation had deepened further and further, so he compiled some of his insights into books for cultivators everywhere to study.

But on further thought, there was nothing wrong with the academy's approach. Anyone who cultivated to the Body Integration Realm had a complete, systematic understanding of cultivation. Take the Pure Heart Saintess, for example—her understanding of cultivation had already surpassed that of the academy's Dean.

Without theoretical support and with only a hazy grasp of cultivation methods, it was impossible to reach the Body Integration Realm, let alone the Tribulation Stage or Great Ascension Stage. Their understanding of cultivation was almost truth itself.

It was only natural for the academy to choose books written by Jiang Li, a Great Ascension Stage cultivator.

Of course, cultivation was cultivation. If someone asked Jiang Li to write about pill refining or artifact forging, then sorry—he was illiterate and couldn't write a book.

"How could I possibly lose?" Jiang Li was already considering what condition to demand of the Pure Heart Saintess.

On the day of the exam, Jiang Li arrived at the examination hall brimming with confidence. The moment he saw the paper, he knew he had this in the bag.

For example, one question asked, "What is the definition of cultivation in General Outline of Cultivation?" Another asked, "At the beginning of Human Emperor Jiang's Essays (Excerpt), it says, 'It had rained for several days, but today the skies finally cleared.' Why did the author write this? What did the sentence express?"

The definition of cultivation? It was far too easy for Jiang Li. He immediately wrote: Cultivation refers to the process by which living beings absorb spiritual energy, nourish themselves, and gradually grow stronger.

"Today's weather is clear?" Jiang Li muttered. He remembered the circumstances at the time. It had been the rainy season, with abundant rainfall. The sun had not appeared for days, until one day the skies finally cleared. Jiang Li thought the weather was nice and casually jotted down his thoughts.

The paper also asked how a sixth-level Qi Refinement cultivator with a Gold Spiritual Root could defeat an eighth-level Qi Refinement cultivator with Water, Fire, and Wood Spiritual Roots in a forest.

It even provided the hour of the day, the weather, spiritual energy density, and so forth, with a note that both cultivators were standard cultivators—meaning they had no special bloodlines, physiques, cultivation arts, or the like.

Questions testing practical combat ability were equally easy for Jiang Li. He effortlessly wrote out several methods for defeating the strong with the weak.

"Mm, perfect!" Jiang Li was quite satisfied with his answers. He was the first to hand in his paper.

When the vice dean overseeing the exam heard that someone had submitted early, he took a look at Jiang Li's paper and gradually broke into a beaming smile.

"A fine seedling has come this year. His thinking is lively, he isn't shackled by the textbook, and he is bold in battle. He knows how to exploit an enemy's mindset, and his reading comprehension answers are refreshingly direct. Good, good, good!"

The vice dean said "good" three times in a row, clearly very pleased with this student named Kong Li.

"Mm, someone else has handed in their paper so soon. Jiang Jingxin—she was already quite famous before enrolling."

"Not bad. She has a deep foundation of knowledge. There were quite a few obscure and bizarre questions this year, buried in the cracks of the reference books, yet she remembered them all. Very good, very good."

"How did you do?" Not long after Jiang Li left the examination hall, the Pure Heart Saintess came out as well. Seeing her, Jiang Li teased her.

The Pure Heart Saintess smiled lightly, revealing two small dimples that made her look utterly adorable. Passing teachers stared themselves silly and walked straight into the wall.

Fortunately, the teachers were harder than the walls. The unfortunate ones were the walls, not the teachers.

"I've already decided what I'm going to make you do." Confidence shone through the Pure Heart Saintess's smile, and Jiang Li smiled along with her.

"I've already decided what I'm going to make you do too."

"Let's wait and see?"

"Let's wait and see."

On the day the exam results were announced, a friendly system notification sounded.

Host Mission Failed

"???"

Jiang Li stood blankly before the candidate rankings. He had to squat down just to see his own name.

Kong Li, last from the bottom.

The Pure Heart Saintess stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens. Her temperament was so pure and lofty that countless people felt ashamed of their own inferiority and instinctively kept their distance from her.

She saw her own name as well.

Jiang Jingxin, first place.

The Pure Heart Saintess covered her mouth lightly. To others, it looked like surprise, but she had actually seen Jiang Li's ranking and was struggling not to laugh out loud.

No, my stomach hurts.

I'm an Integrated Body Cultivator. My self-control must be stronger.

The Human Emperor took an exam on his own books and came in dead last. No, I can't hold it in anymore.

Hahahaha, this is too funny.

After a fierce internal struggle, the Pure Heart Saintess finally managed not to laugh.

"Go ahead and laugh if you want."

Jiang Li watched the Pure Heart Saintess's gloating expression with a blank face.

"I'm not laughing... pfft... hahahaha, so you have this day too."

"Something must have gone wrong." Jiang Li calmly analyzed the cause. "Come on, let's settle accounts with the dean... ask whether he graded it wrong."

The academy's dean was surnamed Li and was responsible for grading this year's exam papers.

Dean Li stood atop the high platform, sweeping his gaze over the crowd to see whether there were any promising seedlings this year.

Come to think of it, that student named Jiang Jingxin was quite good. He could take her as his student.

"Dean, someone below is looking for you."

"Who?"

"This year's top scorer, Jiang Jingxin, and bottom scorer, Kong Li. They say you graded something wrong."

Dean Li gave a heavy snort through his nose, somewhat displeased.

He had graded something wrong? What a joke. He remembered both Jiang Jingxin and Kong Li. Jiang Jingxin's paper had been practically flawless, while Kong Li's had been an utter mess.

"Let them come up. In front of everyone, let them tell me where I went wrong."

If only the bottom scorer had come looking for Dean Li, he certainly would not have paid him any attention. But since the bottom scorer and the top scorer had come together, he had to treat the matter seriously.

It was the perfect chance to lay the matter out publicly from the platform and establish his authoritative image before those students who had yet to enroll.

"You must be Jiang Jingxin. Not bad—pretty face, delicate handwriting, and an excellent paper as well." Dean Li treated the Pure Heart Saintess kindly, deliberately raising his voice so the students below would notice them. As for Kong Li, the bottom scorer, he did not see him at all.

"So that's Jiang Jingxin? She's so pretty."

"Yeah, yeah. Even I'm a girl, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw her."

"Who's that person beside her? His expression doesn't look too good."

"No idea."

"Dean Li, my name is Kong Li. I think you may have graded the papers incorrectly."

Jiang Li spoke up on his own initiative.

He knew Dean Li as well. Whenever he came to the academy to give lectures, Dean Li was always the one who received him, treating him with utmost respect.