The young cultivator's eye twitched. The Immortal Sect positions everyone had been fighting tooth and nail for—she'd gotten one in the space of a few breaths?
The old man continued, "But the master said the price for this position is steep. Once your name is written down, it can't be changed."
"Even Father thinks the price is steep? What kind of price?" Bao Yun asked curiously.
The old man said, "The master said that child from the Yan Family of the East Sea had originally been pushed out, but his family had done everything they could to secure another position. Then you suddenly wanted to go to Taichu Palace, so the master had no choice but to discuss it with them and push the Yan Family out again. The master said there should be limits to being willful. If you really write your name down, you can't change it afterward."
Bao Yun smiled sweetly and said, "I won't change it. Don't you always say I lack experience and tempering? Isn't there a ready-made whetstone for me at Taichu Palace?"
The young cultivator looked as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he could only sigh. Only the Bao Family would think Bao Yun was merely being a little willful.
In another great hall, the old Confucian Liu Sigu was lecturing eight examinees. Three stood in the front row, with Li Zhi in the middle; they were all prospective disciples of the Four Saints Academy. There were five in the back row, who would actually be entering a cave heaven affiliated with the Four Saints Academy. The old Confucian had simply summoned them all together to expound on the wisdom of the sages.
The old Confucian held forth at length, beginning with the sages' travels across the land and rolling on without end. The middle-aged Confucian knew he wouldn't stop for at least half an hour, and with his chest weighed down by frustration, he stepped outside to clear his head. Though the Crimson Tide Sect wasn't large, it had spared no expense for this joint examination, and its mountain gate had been arranged with plenty to admire. Even by the middle-aged Confucian's standards, the scenery was quite pleasing.
After walking only a few steps, the middle-aged Confucian saw Sun Yu standing silently in the shadows.
He had barely formed an impression of this young cultivator from Taichu Palace. He only knew that Sun Yu was responsible for all the odd jobs involved in the joint examination—a position that, to put it bluntly, made him the head of a group of servants. Nothing worth remembering. The middle-aged Confucian thought highly of himself and had exchanged fewer than three sentences with Sun Yu in total.
But Sun Yu, standing in the gloom now, no longer seemed harmless. For some inexplicable reason, the middle-aged Confucian felt a sense of danger, as if facing a primordial beast.
Still, they were within the Crimson Tide Sect's mountain gate, and Sun Yu was young, with far less time spent cultivating than the middle-aged Confucian. So although the middle-aged Confucian knew he had ill intentions, he wasn't the least bit afraid. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching Sun Yu with calm composure.
Sun Yu asked, "Where's Elder Liu?"
"He's inside, instructing the new disciples."
"Then I might as well speak to you. During this joint examination, the two gentlemen treated Wei Yuan with special care. Junior Brother Zhang is magnanimous and may not hold it against you afterward, but I, Sun Yu, will remember it. When you two gentlemen and your disciples travel the world in the future, be very careful. The mountains are high and the waters run fast; it would be a shame if some accident were to befall you."
The middle-aged Confucian flew into a rage. "Are you threatening me?!"
To his surprise, Sun Yu answered without hesitation, "Exactly!"
The middle-aged Confucian's robes stirred as if in a windless gale, and he was about to strike. But his expression shifted repeatedly, and his robes gradually settled. Then he said, "As the saying goes, those who eat the ruler's provisions must do the ruler's bidding. We were only acting on someone else's orders. If Junior Brother is dissatisfied, he should go after the one responsible. Why make trouble for us?"
Sun Yu replied, "When you beat a dog, you have to look at its master. I can't afford to provoke the master, but I can beat the dog. Besides, the job's done now, and you're no use to them anymore. You're just a couple of strays with no home. So what if I beat you?"
The middle-aged Confucian roared with anger, and his robes stirred again. But he couldn't see through Sun Yu's strength at all, and after weighing his options, he ultimately didn't dare attack. He held back, but Sun Yu didn't. Suddenly, Sun Yu opened his mouth and blew out a thin, pale line of fire that shot straight toward the middle-aged Confucian's chest!
The middle-aged Confucian snorted. A huge "Seal" character appeared before him, blocking the line of fire. Its strokes were as sharp as silver hooks and iron traces, shining brilliantly in the night. Judging by its sheer presence alone, it far surpassed Sun Yu's line of fire.
But the moment the Seal character touched the line of fire, it burst into fierce flames. The middle-aged Confucian felt his magical power drain away like a river breaking its banks, and in the blink of an eye, he could no longer hold on. At the same time, a strange medicinal fragrance drifted into his nose, and his mind grew heavy and clouded.
The middle-aged Confucian was shocked and furious. "Pill flame?"
The line of fire and the Seal character held each other at bay for only a few breaths before most of the character had burned away. Seeing that the middle-aged Confucian could no longer hold on, Sun Yu withdrew the flame and sneered. "The immortal road is long. You two had better watch yourselves. Immortal Silver isn't so easy to earn."
Without waiting for the middle-aged Confucian to reply, Sun Yu drifted away.
The middle-aged Confucian stood where he was, his expression shifting. Sun Yu seemed unremarkable, but that wisp of pill flame was of an extremely high grade. In just a brief clash, it had already scorched his Dao Foundation. He would need two years of quiet recuperation at the very least to recover, so he had ultimately suffered a hidden loss. He hadn't expected Sun Yu to dare make a move within the Crimson Tide Sect's mountain gate. The shock left him resentful as well. He and the old Confucian had only been doing someone else's bidding, accepting a few treasures and some Immortal Silver. Why drag personal grudges into it? These young people from Taichu Palace really had no sense of propriety.
When he thought of how Sun Yu had cultivated for ten years less than he had, a shadow settled over the middle-aged Confucian's heart. He returned gloomily to the great hall and no longer bothered to admire the scenery.
In another secluded courtyard, a table had been laid with a feast of fine food and drink. Many of the ingredients were things a small sect like the Crimson Tide Sect would never even see. Only two people sat at the table: Daoist Fu Feng in the seat of honor, and the young cultivator who had served as an examiner beside him.
Daoist Fu Feng hadn't touched his chopsticks. Instead, he said, "Brother Lu, I don't accept gifts without earning them. Whatever you have to say, you'd best say it first."
The young cultivator replied, "You helped my young lady during the deliberation. I, Lu Xuan, will remember that. That's one thing. The second is that there's a small favor I'd like to ask of you, senior brother."
"Go ahead."
"Could you tell me about Zhang Sheng's past?"
Daoist Fu Feng glanced at Lu Xuan and asked, "Why do you want to know?"
Lu Xuan said, "To be frank, my young lady has decided to switch to Taichu Palace. She can't let go of her failure in the Martial Assessment. As her maternal cousin, I may have to spar with Wei Yuan's teacher, Zhang Sheng, again someday. I know I'm no match for him right now, so I want to learn about his past and see whether I still have a chance to close the gap."
Daoist Fu Feng's expression turned somewhat odd. "Junior Brother Zhang went down the mountain to gain experience seven years ago. Before that, he did have a bit of a reputation in Taichu Palace. To be specific, it was mainly for his utter lack of restraint."
Lu Xuan relaxed and smiled. "That's a relief. I thought you were going to tell me he was invincible at the Dao Foundation stage or something. The Sword Qi in the Deliberation Hall today really was hard to match. Looks like he must have had quite a few great opportunities in these seven years!"
Daoist Fu Feng said, "In his first year down the mountain, Junior Brother Zhang met with disaster. His Dao Power was sealed for a full six years, and it was only unsealed yesterday. So, in the seven years he spent gaining experience down the mountain, he didn't advance in the slightest."
Lu Xuan had been holding a cup of wine. When he heard this, his hand froze in midair.
Daoist Fu Feng stroked his beard and continued, "Also, Junior Brother Zhang built his Dao Foundation with three immortal swords. So everyone takes his invincibility at the Dao Foundation stage for granted; it's never been what he was known for. Of course, when we say invincible, we only mean in Taichu Palace. The world beyond is vast, and it's hard to say."
Lu Xuan's voice turned dry. "Three... immortal swords?"
Before you continue