"Interesting. It's rare to see someone resolve things this way."
The pig spoke in human words, turned around, and trotted into the farmland beside the road.
Meanwhile, the two continued onward. The muddy path gradually widened into a broad highway, and signs of human life grew more frequent.
This was the official road leading to the capital of the Hundred Flowers Immortal Kingdom.
Once they were on this road, they could no longer fly. They had to travel on foot.
After hurrying along for half a quarter-hour, the two arrived at a fork in the road.
A massive bluestone stood at the crossroads, with a white goose perched on top.
The white goose stretched out a wing and impatiently directed the crowd. "Those entering the city, take the right. Those here to Take the List, come over and match poems. Stop crowding. You won't fly through even if you squeeze together."
The two looked around. A steady stream of carriages and horses traveled along the road to the right, but even more people lingered at the crossroads. There were plenty of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, and even a fair number of Nascent Soul cultivators.
"What? We're matching poems today?" Many people showed their dismay at once.
Some sighed and took a few steps back, while others folded their arms, hoping to see how the others would fare at matching poems.
The questions changed every day, and so did the guide. Whether one could pass the guide's test and enter the road on the left required a bit of luck.
Today, the goose wanted them to match poems. Cultivators spent every day thinking about how to grow stronger; few had the leisure to study poetry.
"Matching poems? I know a little about that. I just don't know how difficult