Words Pierce the Fences; Repay a Drop of Kindness with a Gushing Spring

"Top scorer?"

When Yan Yongjie received the answer from Qiu Yan, his expression changed dramatically. His eyes widened in utter disbelief.

This had never been any secret, so Qiu Yan had no need to hide it from him. In fact, because he had been controlled by another, Yan Yongjie had spent the past half year in a muddled daze, unable to receive any news of the Imperial Examinations. Half a year earlier, he had been busy dealing with the natural disaster**, racing all over his homeland. How could he have had the time to inquire about Qiu Yan? That was why he knew nothing of it, and hearing it so suddenly now came as a tremendous shock.

It was like learning that a friend one had not seen for years had suddenly taken a post at the Central Pivot—the contrast was simply enormous.

Having received the answer, he immediately grew somewhat uncomfortable. He no longer dared call Qiu Yan "worthy younger brother" or refer to himself as "elder brother," and even his speech became a little restrained.

Qiu Yan was not surprised. He had experienced such things often enough. Yet he disliked seeing his friend act this way, so he said, "I recall that Brother Yan's heart in pursuing martial arts was exceptionally steadfast, and you never feared worldly opinions. That was precisely why, after obtaining that cultivation method, you were able to immediately break free of the fences around you. Since that is so, why draw a prison around your own heart today?"

These words gave Yan Yongjie a sudden sense of enlightenment. His entire spirit abruptly drew inward. The two souls within his body circulated, while the shadow of a third soul flickered in and out of sight.

Such a change could not escape Qiu Yan, who was