A, B, C, D

Was it snowing?

No.

Yet before everyone's eyes, it was as if snowflakes had suddenly begun to drift down.

The snowflakes were right within the area around Li Hao, within three feet of the sword's edge.

Every snowflake was steeped in cold, refracted from sword light, just like the name of the sword art: Falling Snow.

Its level was... True State.

In front of Li Hao, the burly young man's pupils contracted sharply, and he stood rooted to the spot.

In his vision, countless snowflakes swept out like a storm, incomparably fierce, yet that storm was held in the young man's palm, as though he grasped the power of heaven and earth! The biting chill did not sweep over him. There was only... a single wisp of snow slowly curling out from the storm, drifting lightly toward him, brushing past his cheek.

Slightly cool.

The burly young man subconsciously raised a hand to touch it. There was a painful sensation, but no blood.

His gaze froze, his body tensed in place, his hand gripping his sword like a valiant swordsman, yet his arm was trembling, and he made no move at all.

Very soon, in the blink of an eye, the skyful of illusion-like snowflakes vanished with it.

Li Hao casually tossed the sword back onto the weapon rack, where it happened to slide slantwise into its sheath. As the hilt closed with a clang, like ice cracking, the burly young man woke as if from a dream, his body shuddering, and everyone present also jolted awake.

Just now, everyone had seemed to fall into a dream.

But had it really been a dream?

The scene turned eerily quiet.

Until Li Hao's smiling voice broke it. He asked, "Now, can this count as me passing?"

The burly young man came back to himself, stared blankly for a moment, then said as if his tongue had tied itself in knots, "You, you won."

There had been no exchange, because he was not an opponent who could withstand even one move. He had not even had the courage to draw his sword. He had lost utterly and completely.

The other Tan Palace Academy students beside him all looked at Li Hao in shock. They had thought Li Yuanzhao had already been valiant and Unparalleled just now, but they had not expected there to be someone even more outrageous.

What sword art was this? First of all, it was definitely top-grade, perhaps even executed to the level of perfection!

No wonder they thought so. Although Falling Snow Sword Art was high-grade, under the power of the True State level, even a top-grade sword art at the perfect realm would be slightly inferior to it...

"What exquisite sword art!"

"Heavens, it actually made me feel like I was seeing an illusion. I saw snowflakes just now!"

"Me too. This is too outrageous!"

"The sword arts inside the Divine General Residence are definitely top-tier. He couldn't have also trained it to the perfect level, could he? How long would that take?!"

Everyone came back to their senses and looked at Li Hao in shock.

They had long heard the great name of the Divine General Residence, and today their eyes had been thoroughly opened.

Si Xiaolan stared blankly at Li Hao. With this one supremely marvelous sword art, there was no doubt that Li Hao was qualified to pass the first two tests on his own merits.

Was this a peer from a divine general clan? Were they truly all monsters?!

"Hao Ge!"

Beside him, Li Yuanzhao was even more excited. He had not expected Li Hao's swordsmanship to be so profound. His eye was naturally a few notches higher than these noble clan children's, and he recognized that this was the Falling Snow Sword Art Sister Xue'er had once used.

But the level Li Hao had displayed was clearly beyond Sister Xue'er's level back then. He even felt it surpassed the perfect realm.

Li Hao smiled at the excited Yuanzhao and said nothing.

Only a few threads of nostalgia stirred in his heart. He wondered what level that little girl in the Sword Hermitage had trained this sword art to by now.

Recalling the days when he had guided her sword practice in the courtyard, a smile curved at the corner of his lips, but he quickly reined in his mind and said to the burly young man before him:

"Then... where do we go next?"

"Ah? Oh, oh... just go straight this way. There is a teacher waiting for you there."

The burly young man hurriedly replied, unconsciously revealing a hint of awe in his eyes.

The starting point of a royal marquis family was indeed not something ordinary people like them could compare to.

Li Hao nodded, then led Li Yuanzhao around the burly young man and up the small path's steps ahead, walking one unhurried step after another.

Behind them, everyone watched the backs of the two disappear before they finally came back to themselves.

At this moment, someone suddenly thought of a question. "Why did they have invitations? Could it be because their strength means they didn't need an assessment in the first place?"

As soon as these words came out, the others all came to a sudden realization, then fell silent.

Si Xiaolan's pretty face changed slightly. She gently bit her lip, knowing she had misunderstood him.

Tan Palace Academy had stood for several hundred years. How could it be a place that chased empty fame and fished for reputation? How could it curry favor with the rich and powerful by fair means or foul?

Inside the mountains of Tan Palace Academy, on a vast stone stele plaza.

Quite a few young figures were gathered here, all staring at the stone steles in the plaza, comprehending the cultivation methods upon them.

At the edge of the plaza, however, two old men sat in a corner, a chessboard set between them as they played.

"Aiya!"

Suddenly, one short, stout old man who had been thinking bitterly seemed to abruptly remember something. He slapped his thigh hard. "I nearly forgot. There are still two invitations I haven't gone to receive."

"You mean the Divine General Residence's?"

The gray-robed old man opposite him raised his head in puzzlement. "It shouldn't matter, right? The little fellows from the Divine General Residence can pass the tests casually. Even if you don't receive them, they can still come over."

"If it were anyone else, fine, but have you forgotten? Xingwu Marquis's child is a cultivation cripple. He can only refine his body. Around ten years ago, the rumors were boiling up to the heavens and roiling across the earth. Now they've gone quiet."

The short, stout old man hurriedly rose and said, "If he falls off the second trial and dies, then we'll be in big trouble!"

"This..." The gray-robed old man was also frightened. That was Xingwu Marquis's only son, after all, so he quickly said, "Then hurry and go."

The short, stout old man nodded, then immediately whistled. A gust of wind rang out, and a great bird with a wingspan of seven or eight zhang came racing from the distance, drawing many young figures before the nearby stone steles to raise their heads and stare. The great bird slowly descended before the old man.

"I'll wait for you..." the gray-robed old man said.

Watching his old friend ride the bird away, his chess mood had been disturbed, and he could not help muttering, "If I'd known this would happen, we should've just sent five invitations back then. Why insist on adding an extra hanger-on?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head to look at the chessboard.

Suddenly, the more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong, and he immediately cursed, "You damned bastard! You were about to lose, so you ran!"

The short, stout old man was called Shen Yunqing. In truth, he was not light at all. He rode the demon bird into the air and rushed toward the second trial.

Aside from fleeing the chess game, he was indeed worried about the situation at the second trial. He hoped Old Tang over there knew that child's circumstances and had sent him across the cliff.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he saw two figures walking together on the mountain path below, dressed in brocade robes and fine garments, their bearing extraordinary.

And those patterns on their clothing were ones he could not be more familiar with: the Divine General Residence Li Family!

"Mm?"

While Shen Yunqing was astonished, he immediately made his mount descend.

A bird cry and wild wind swept down from above. Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao both stopped and looked up, and they saw a huge demon bird with three eyes descending before them to a height several zhang above the ground.

Behind the bird's neck sat a short old man. He craned his head and looked at the two, seeming to find something that confirmed their identities, and at once revealed a smile, leaping down from the bird's back.

He waved a hand, letting the demon bird fly away on its own, then said to the two with a chuckle, "You two must be the young masters of the Divine General Residence. I wonder which courtyard's young lords you are, and how I should address you?"

Seeing the other party so polite, Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao were not too surprised. After all, their backgrounds were far too illustrious. Ordinary people were very gentle and courteous when they met them, even famous elites and dignitaries.

"This is my elder brother, Li Hao. I'm called Li Yuanzhao."

Li Yuanzhao spoke, carrying a somewhat simple, tiger-headed charm, but a sharp, alert light showed in his small eyes.

Shen Yunqing immediately glanced at Li Hao, realization dawning in his heart. Long-buried memories charged into his mind again. The boy of the Li Family whom Yu Emperor had bestowed a name upon a dozen years ago or so seemed to be Hao... Li Hao.

It was him.

No unusual color showed on Shen Yunqing's face. He nodded slightly to the two and said with a smile, "They didn't make things difficult for you, did they? Come, I'll take you to gather up ahead."

He only assumed the two had come all the way through smoothly by relying on their invitations.

Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao were not familiar with this old gentleman, so there was not much conversation along the way.

The three walked leisurely all the way. Li Hao's gaze swept around, looking at the scenery among the mountains, privately thinking that Tan Palace Academy's environment was rather good. If he often stayed here in the future, at least it would be pleasant to look at, broadening the heart and delighting the spirit.

Very soon, the three arrived at the end of the plaza.

Over a hundred people had gathered here, clustered around three stone steles.

"This is..." Li Yuanzhao looked at Shen Yunqing in confusion. Among the people here, he also saw the Li Yun siblings, who had gone up the mountain a step earlier. The two were both gathered before the stone stele with the fewest people.

"Those who make it here are all qualified to enter Tan Palace Academy and count as official disciples."

Shen Yunqing stroked his beard and explained with a smile, "But even among disciples, aptitude is high and low. Our Tan Palace Academy is divided into four class grades: A, B, C, and D. They are ranked according to everyone's aptitude, to avoid fish eyes mixed among pearls, with those of lower aptitude dragging down those of higher aptitude, and those of higher aptitude bullying those with poorer aptitude."

"So there are these three stone steles. Recorded upon them are three cultivation methods, respectively low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade!"

"The difficulty is different for each."

"Within three days, those who comprehend the high-grade cultivation method to entry level may enter Grade A. Those who comprehend the mid-grade cultivation method to entry level may enter the Grade B class."

"Those who comprehend the low-grade cultivation method to entry level within three days are Grade C. If one does not reach entry level in any cultivation method within three days, one will be assigned to the Grade D class."

Shen Yunqing smiled and said, "If you are in the Grade D class, and your exam results each semester rank among the bottom three, you will take one makeup exam. If you fail the makeup exam, you will be advised to withdraw and abandon your studies."

Li Yuanzhao listened and came to sudden understanding.

Li Hao asked, "Then what if someone doesn't listen to the advice?"

The smiling Shen Yunqing could not help freezing. Advised to withdraw, but not listening to advice?