Shuhang, Please Stay a Moment
Su Clan’s Sixteen lightly stepped on the ground with her slender feet and jumped lightly to the edge of the 'Radiance Pool'.
Then, her figure fell into the Radiance Pool.
She was the last person to try... At this moment, none of the fellow Daoists in the 'Nine Provinces Number One Group' believed that Sixteen would succeed. After all, all the previous attempts by the group members had ended in failure.
But at that moment, beneath Su Clan’s Sixteen's feet, the space hidden within the Radiance Pool... opened.
"Huh?" Northern River's Loose Cultivator's eyes widened.
Did Su Clan’s Sixteen succeed?
Her slender feet had already entered that space!
Young Master Phoenix Slayer, Fairy Lychee, and Su Clan’s Seven all stood up. "Sixteen succeeded?"
"Just as I thought," Su Clan’s Sixteen thought to herself.
--When Song Shuhang came out of the [Infinite Retake Exam] space in White Cloud City, he described the things inside the [Infinite Make-Up Exam Space to Su Clan’s Sixteen.
Aside from the content about Venerable White Two, which was censored and muted, Song Shuhang had told her everything else about the Infinite Make-Up Exam Space. This included the incident where Shuhang had to retake the exam again and again because of a certain Confucian School disciple's 'handsome' calligraphy.
That Confucian School disciple's calligraphy was stylishly unique. He wrote the horizontal stroke as a wavy line "~", along with all sorts of strange vertical waves, slanted waves, and god-like wavy lines!
For those unfamiliar with Ancient Script, these wavy lines are utterly baffling. It's unclear what kind of calligraphy this Confucian School disciple was practicing—perhaps some kind of distorted style?
Song Shuhang did not explicitly state who the troublesome Confucian School disciple he encountered in the 'Infinite Make-Up Exam Space' was.
However, when Su Clan’s Sixteen saw the Blade-Wielding Scholar reciting the "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and the "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode, and saw the characters in the ancient text filled with various wavy lines, she felt that something was wrong.
Then, as one by one, the senior members of the "Nine Provinces Number One Group" failed to enter the "Sage Silence Pool," she became even more certain of her guess.
So she tried to analyze the "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and the "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode," mentally filling in all the strange-looking "wavy lines" as straight lines.
Then, in your mind, replace the revised "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode" with their original versions and memorize them firmly.
Finally, after all the seniors of the 'Nine Provinces Number One Group' had finished their attempts, Su Clan’s Sixteen stepped forward and tried to enter the Sage Silence Pool —her guess was correct, and she successfully entered the space behind the 'Radiance Pool'.
"Sixteen, is there a secret to entering this space?" The petite True Lord White Crane, who was somewhat feminine, asked anxiously— the Venerable White had already entered the space of the Radiance Pool, but he was stuck outside the door and couldn't get in.
True Lord White Crane is in a panic.
Su Clan’s Sixteen pointed at Su Wenqu, the 'Blade-Wielding Scholar': "To make a long story short... I urge you, seniors, to ask this Confucian School scholar to refrain from showing off his elegant calligraphy and to write the 'Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode' and 'Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode' properly. Please do not draw horizontal and vertical lines as wavy lines."
"That concludes my remarks. Good luck, everyone." With that, Su Clan’s Sixteen waved his hand.
Her body was rather petite, so she sank into the space behind the Radiance Pool very quickly. After speaking a few words quickly, she disappeared into the Radiance Pool.
************
After Su Clan’s Sixteen finished speaking, the Blade-Wielding Scholar Su Wenqu's small hand instinctively gripped the pen in his hand—there was a murderous aura about it!
The murderous aura was terrifying, and it was coming from all directions.
He noticed that all the seniors around him were staring at him with terrifying eyes.
The gazes of his seniors reminded the Blade-Wielding Scholar of the sharp steel knife he had recently used to kill someone.
"This is the young Confucian School scholar." Fairy Lychee lowered her eyes and approached the Blade-Wielding Scholar.
The Fairy Lychee is still as beautiful as a painting, and her laughter is still as sweet as ever, making one's bones melt.
But when the Blade-Wielding Scholar heard her laughter, he felt a chill run from his forehead all the way down to his anus. Cold sweat broke out all over his back.
"Could you please write out the 'Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode' and the 'Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode' from memory again, in neat handwriting?" Fairy Lychee's face darkened completely.
A group of them huddled around the edge of the 'Radiance Pool' like monkeys, jumping up and down, all because this guy used 'cool' calligraphy when he wrote?
His impressive calligraphy, however, led to everyone's downfall!
Young Master Phoenix Slayer appeared beside Su Wenqu at some point. He adjusted his glasses slightly and said calmly, "Straight and proper handwriting, don't twist it. I think you, little brother of the Confucian School, can certainly do that, right?"
Mom, these seniors are terrifying. The Blade-Wielding Scholar felt immense pressure.
"Don't worry, young friend, don't be afraid of them." At this moment, Su Clan’s Seven stepped forward and gently patted the Blade-Wielding Scholar's shoulder. After all, he was the one who brought the Blade-Wielding Scholar here.
"Senior A-Qi!" the Blade-Wielding Scholar, moved.
"As long as you properly recite the 'Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode' and the 'Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode' from memory, I'll go easy on you when we have our next duel. Hehehehe," Su Clan’s Seven laughed.
The Blade-Wielding Scholar suddenly felt his legs go weak.
Does Senior A-Qi mean that after the 'Radiance Pool' incident is over, he'll challenge him to a duel in the arena? And without holding back?
The Blade-Wielding Scholar challenged A-Qi in the arena because he wanted to learn swordsmanship from the senior Su Clan’s Seven.
His skill level is far inferior to that of Su Clan’s Seven. If A-Qi hadn't shown mercy, he would have been finished.
And so, under immense pressure, the Blade-Wielding Scholar up his pen once more and rewrote "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode."
"Write neatly and correctly," Northern River's Loose Cultivator reminded him. "Calligraphy becomes part of your habits, so you must always pay attention when you write."
"Yes, senior, I will remember." The Blade-Wielding Scholar said with a wry smile.
He had never imagined that the "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and the "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode" would be so difficult to write. Every stroke and every line required the condensation of all his strength.
However... unexpectedly, under such immense pressure, his understanding of the "Sage's Self-Cultivation Ode" and the "Sage's Nurturing Nature Ode" reached a new level.
Unbeknownst to him, it had been many years since he had written these two articles so carefully, stroke by stroke.
Is this a case of fortune and misfortune being intertwined?
************
Ten minutes later.
The veterans of the Nine Provinces Number One Group are once again challenging the 'Radiance Pool'.
This time, the seniors successfully entered the space behind the 'Radiance Pool' using various methods.
Seeing the seniors enter one after another, Su Clan’s Sixteen, Song Shuhang, and Venerable White smiled slightly.
"Looks like everyone succeeded." Song Shuhang's lips curled up, particularly gloating—better to be tricked together than to be tricked alone!
Previously, he was the only one who had been Blade-Wielding Scholar's 'wavy line'... But now, all the seniors in the 'Nine Provinces Number One Group' have been tricked. Song Shuhang felt a strange sense of balance in his heart.
No, no, this kind of gloating is wrong. You must restrain yourself.
Song Shuhang forced himself to calm down.
After all the members of the "Nine Provinces Number One Group" and the Blade-Wielding Scholar entered the "Radiance Pool," the [Sage Silence Pool] replayed the life of the Confucian Sage once again, eliciting astonishment and disbelief from the members of the "Nine Provinces Number One Group."
The lofty image of the Confucian Sage was easily shattered into dust in his brief "autobiographical account."
Even after hearing it a second time, Song Shuhang and the others still felt unable to adapt.
After the conclusion of [The Life of Sage], 'Sage Silence Pool' generously offered all fellow Daoists another opportunity to learn 'Secret Techniques'.
And an opportunity to 'listen to the Sage’s Lecture on the Dao '.
After all the fellow cultivators had learned their own secret techniques, [Sage Silence Pool] gave everyone a chance to hear a 'Sage’s Lecture on the Dao'.
Of course, this "Sage’s Lecture on the Dao" is just a replay-like method, and its effect is far inferior to that of a genuine "Sage’s Lecture on the Dao".
Even so, the effect of 'preaching' was still outstanding.
Especially for True Lord Eternal Fire and Blade-Wielding Scholar, they benefited greatly after listening to the Sage's explanation of Confucian Way.
After the 'Sage’s Lecture on the Dao' concluded, the fellow Daoists of Nine Provinces Number One Group left the space with satisfaction.
"Let's go. We still need to take care of 'Myriad Books Mountain' and restore its appearance. We can only leave after filming the next scenes." Venerable White put away the tea table and tea set, and said, "Later, we also need to make all the 'Disposable Flying Sword'."
And so, one by one, the predecessors left this space.
Song Shuhang stretched and said, "Let's go."
"Wait a moment, young friend Song Shuhang. Could you stay a little while?" At this moment, 'Sage Silence Pool' suddenly spoke up.
True Lord Eternal Fire, Venerable White, True Lord Dustfall, and others turned around curiously to look at Song Shuhang and Sage Silence Pool.
Song Shuhang was taken aback for a moment, then, as if he had thought of something, he said, "Alright, then I'll stay for a while!"
Everyone left the space, leaving only Song Shuhang and Sage Silence Pool behind.
Song Shuhang reached into his pocket and grabbed the last fragment of the magical artifact that the 'Glazed Scholar' had passed down to him.
As expected... [Sage Silence Pool] must have sensed the fragment of the magic weapon on him, so it deliberately left him there, right? After all, this is the Natal Dharma Treasure fragment of Thirteen-Tribulation Immortal under the Sage.
"You let me stay because of this thing I have?" Song Shuhang turned around, took out a fragment of a magical artifact, and asked.
Sage Silence Pool spoke at the same time as him, "Release the fellow Daoist you are hiding. I promised to give all fellow Daoists who enter the space the opportunity to learn secret techniques, and she can't be left out."
Then.
Song Shuhang: "..."
Sage Silence Pool: "..."