Chapter 39

"So it was an illusion after all?"

"Of course... there's no way he could actually be here."

And then, at that moment—

The wind stirred.

A figure in blue robes, ethereal and otherworldly, descended from the sky.

Landing upon the Qianjin Platform.

The Eight Princes of Northern Li rose to their feet.

Cups raised in salute, they said:

"We pay our respects to the Academy Second Master!"

The crowd below fixed their gazes on the blue-robed youth. So young, and already the Academy Second Master? The one said to rival the world-renowned Li Changsheng?

Among the crowd, none were more stunned than Yue Yao.

"The Academy Second Master... it's him..."

Yue Yao's eyes flew wide open.

This suddenly appearing Academy Second Master—

Was none other than her own husband, Jiang Mu Ming!

The beloved she had longed for, who just a few months ago was an obscure, struggling scholar.

And now, he had risen to become the Academy Second Master!

What an astonishing feat!

A faint smile crept across Yue Yao's face—a smile of relief, seeing her beloved achieve fame and fulfill his ambitions.

As long as he was doing well.

That was enough to fill her heart with contentment.

But the next moment—

As if struck by a sudden thought, Yue Yao's expression shifted. She turned to look at a hidden corner.

There, a mysterious figure cloaked entirely in black robes.

A cold smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

No one knew what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, atop the Qianjin Platform, Jiang Mu Ming spoke calmly: "Next comes the second round of the grand examination."

"The Trial of the Heart is over."

"Now begins the Pursuit of the Dao."

With a sweep of his long sleeve, a streak of silver light seemed to fall from the heavens.

Landing on the Qianjin Platform.

It was a sword—a blade of crystalline blue, radiating a bone-chilling cold, with no guard.

A sword that seemed beyond mortal use!

"Watch closely. Raise the sword!"

Jiang Mu Ming commanded the sword with his qi. With a mere gesture of his fingers, the Wangshu Sword began to tremble violently.

Then—

It shot into the air!

On the Qianjin Platform, it danced at a speed too fast to follow.

The solid wooden wall behind it.

Shards flew in every direction.

"Hey, hey, hey—my Qianjin Platform!"

Tu Wan, the owner of the Qianjin Platform gambling house, panicked, his soul nearly fleeing his body.

Terrified that Jiang Mu Ming might accidentally—

Tear the whole place apart!

"Don't worry, Boss Tu." Young Master Liu Yue soothed him. "All losses today will be covered by the Academy."

Hearing this.

Tu Wan finally relaxed, rubbed his head, And returned to his seat.

"Quick, look—that seems to be a poem!"

"Guiding a sword with qi, inscribing a poem with the blade—truly a masterful display! Worthy of the Academy Second Master!"

"But... what does this have to do with our second trial?"

From the crowd below, praise and confusion rose in endless waves.

"Of course it does."

Lei Mengsha stepped forward smugly.

He explained: "This second trial is about seeking the Dao, and to seek the Dao, one naturally needs sufficient insight!"

"The Second Master wrote a poem with his sword."

"Within this poem lies much of what the Second Master has learned—not just sword techniques, but possibly spear techniques, blade techniques, even lightness skills."

"Everything can be found within these lines!"

"In other words, these few verses are a peerless martial arts manual!"

"It just depends on whether you can comprehend them."

After hearing Lei Mengsha's explanation, the crowd immediately turned their gaze to the poem on the wall.

[The roc rises with the wind one day, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles.] [Even if the wind subsides and it descends, it can still churn the vast ocean waters.] [The people of this age see me as always eccentric, hearing my bold words and sneering coldly.] [Even Confucius feared the young, so a man must not look down on youth.]

"What a line—'a man must not look down on youth'!"

Baili Dongjun exclaimed loudly: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't bully a youth for being poor!"

Ye Dingzhi also pondered deeply.

"The roc rises with the wind one day, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles."

"Am I that roc, soaring straight up?"

Just four short lines, yet they seemed to capture the very essence of youthful spirit and reckless ambition!

The crowd couldn't help but bow in admiration.

Truly worthy of the Academy Second Master!

"You have one hour to comprehend the Dao. If you gain insight from it, you pass."

"If not, then you must leave."