The Reputation of That Year

The young cultivator's eye twitched. They were about to fight tooth and nail for those Immortal Sect spots, and now they were handed over just like that?

The elder continued, "However, the Master said that this spot comes at a considerable price, and once it's written down, it cannot be changed."

"Even Father thinks the price is considerable? What price is that?" Bao Yun asked curiously.

The elder replied, "The Master said that the child from the Yan Family of the East Sea was originally squeezed out, and then his family went to great lengths to get another spot. But since you suddenly want to go to Taichu Palace, the Master had to negotiate with people and squeeze the Yan Family out again. The Master said that willfulness has its limits. If you truly write your name down, then there's no turning back."

Bao Yun smiled sweetly and said, "I won't change my mind. Haven't you always said I lack tempering? Isn't Taichu Palace a ready-made whetstone for me?"

The young cultivator wanted to speak but stopped, only sighing. It was only the Bao Family who would consider Bao Yun's actions as mere willfulness.

In another grand hall, the old scholar Liu Sigu was lecturing eight examinees. Standing at the front were three people, with Li Zhi in the center; they were all designated disciples of the Four Saints Academy. In the back row were five people who would actually enter the Cave Heaven affiliated with the Four Saints Academy. The old scholar had gathered them all together to impart some teachings of the sages.

The old scholar spoke eloquently, starting from when the sages traveled the world and continuing without pause. The middle-aged scholar knew that once he started, he wouldn't stop for at least half an hour. Coupled with the pent-up frustration in his chest, he left the hall to clear his head. Although the Crimson Tide Sect was not large, they had spared no expense for this unified examination. The mountain gate was quite a sight to behold, and even from the middle-aged scholar's perspective, it was quite pleasing to the eye.

After a few steps, the middle-aged scholar saw Sun Yu standing faintly in the shadows.

The middle-aged scholar had almost no impression of this young cultivator from Taichu Palace. He only knew that the person was in charge of all the miscellaneous affairs for the unified examination. Frankly, the position was akin to the head of a bunch of servants, nothing memorable. The middle-aged scholar, being rather proud, had never spoken more than three sentences to Sun Yu in total.

But the Sun Yu standing in the shadows now was no longer harmless. The middle-aged scholar inexplicably felt a sense of danger, as if facing a ferocious beast.

However, being within the Crimson Tide Sect's mountain gate, Sun Yu was still young, and his cultivation time was far less than the middle-aged scholar's. Therefore, even knowing that the other party had ill intentions, the middle-aged scholar was not afraid at all. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Sun Yu calmly.

Sun Yu asked, "Where is Old Liu?"

"He's inside the hall giving the new disciples their rules."

Sun Yu then said, "Then telling you is the same. During this unified examination, the two sirs took great care of Wei Yuan. Junior Brother Zhang is magnanimous and might not hold a grudge afterward, but I, Sun Yu, will remember it. The two sirs and your disciples should be extremely careful when you travel the world in the future. The mountains are high and the waters are swift; it would be unfortunate if any accidents occurred."

The middle-aged scholar became furious, "Are you threatening me?!"

To his surprise, Sun Yu replied without hesitation, "Precisely!"

The middle-aged scholar's robes fluttered as if moved by the wind, and he was about to make a move. However, his expression shifted between anger and calmness, and his robes gradually settled. He then said, "One who eats the king's grain should serve the king. We are merely acting on behalf of others. If Junior Brother is displeased, you should find the principal, not trouble us."

Sun Yu said, "When beating a dog, you must consider its master. I cannot afford to offend the master, but I can still beat the dog. Moreover, now that the job is done, you are useless. You are merely two stray dogs; it's fine to beat you."

The middle-aged scholar was enraged, his robes fluttering again. But he truly couldn't see through Sun Yu's foundation. After weighing the options, he ultimately did not dare to attack. But while he didn't move, Sun Yu did. He suddenly opened his mouth and blew out a thin, pale line of fire, shooting directly at the middle-aged scholar's chest!

The middle-aged scholar snorted, and a large character "封" (Seal) appeared before him, blocking the line of fire. The character was written with powerful strokes, shining brightly, especially conspicuous in the dark night. Judging solely by its imposing aura, it was countless times superior to Sun Yu's line of fire.

However, the moment the character "Seal" touched the line of fire, it began to burn fiercely. The middle-aged scholar felt his magic power drain away rapidly, unable to sustain it for long. At the same time, he smelled a strange medicinal fragrance and his head grew heavy.

The middle-aged scholar was shocked and enraged, shouting, "Alchemical fire?!"

The line of fire and the character "Seal" only held for a few breaths before the character was mostly burned away. Seeing that the middle-aged scholar was about to collapse, Sun Yu withdrew the line of fire and sneered, "The path to immortality is long. You two should take care of yourselves. Immortal silver is not earned so easily."

With that, Sun Yu floated away without waiting for the middle-aged scholar's reply.

The middle-aged scholar stood in place, his expression fluctuating. Sun Yu appeared unremarkable, but that strand of alchemical fire was of extremely high grade. After only a brief confrontation, it had already injured his Dao Foundation. It would take at least two years of rest and recuperation to recover. Thus, the middle-aged scholar had actually suffered a loss. He also hadn't expected Sun Yu to dare to attack within the Crimson Tide Sect's mountain gate. While shocked, he was also somewhat indignant. He and the old scholar were merely acting on behalf of others, accepting some treasures and immortal silver; why involve personal grudges? These young people from Taichu Palace were truly inconsiderate.

Thinking that Sun Yu had cultivated for ten years less than himself, a shadow fell over the middle-aged scholar's heart. He dejectedly returned to the hall, no longer appreciating the scenery.

In another secluded courtyard, a table was set with fine food and wine. Many of the ingredients were things that a small sect like the Crimson Tide Sect would not have access to. There were only two people at the table: Daoist Fu Feng sat at the head, with the young cultivator, also an evaluator, accompanying him.

Daoist Fu Feng did not touch his chopsticks. Instead, he said, "Brother Lu, one should not accept rewards without merit. It would be best to state your business first."

The young cultivator replied, "Brother Daoist helped my young lady during the evaluation, and I, Lu Xuan, remember it. That is the first reason. The second is that there is a small matter I wish to trouble Senior Brother with."

"Please, speak freely."

"Could Brother Daoist tell me about Zhang Sheng's past deeds?"

Daoist Fu Feng glanced at Lu Xuan and asked, "And why is that?"

Lu Xuan said, "To be honest, Brother Daoist, my young lady has decided to transfer to Taichu Palace. She is still dwelling on her failure in the Martial Assessment. As her maternal cousin, I might have to spar with Zhang Sheng, the teacher of Wei Yuan, in the future. I know I am no match for him now, so I wish to understand his past deeds and see if there is any chance to bridge the gap."

Daoist Fu Feng's expression turned somewhat strange. "Junior Brother Zhang went down the mountain to train seven years ago. Before that, he was indeed somewhat famous in Taichu Palace. To be specific, he was mainly known for his recklessness."

Lu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "That's a relief. I thought I would hear things like 'invincible Dao Foundation' or the like. Today, in the evaluation hall, that sword qi was indeed difficult to match. It seems he must have had some great fortune in these seven years!"

Daoist Fu Feng said, "Junior Brother Zhang encountered a calamity in his first year down the mountain. His Dao Power was sealed for a full six years, and it was only unsealed yesterday. Therefore, in these seven years of training outside, he has actually made no progress whatsoever."

Lu Xuan, who had just raised a cup of wine, froze with the cup halfway to his lips upon hearing this.

Daoist Fu Feng stroked his beard and added, "Furthermore, Junior Brother Zhang cultivated his Dao Foundation with three immortal swords. So, the 'invincible Dao Foundation' was a consensus, and he was never known for it. Of course, 'invincible' only applies within our Taichu Palace. The world outside is vast, and it's hard to say."

Lu Xuan's voice became somewhat dry, "Three... immortal swords?"