One month later.
Ever since Chen Mu learned that the Mingye Ye's spatial dagger could perform spatial teleportation, he has become obsessed with it, devoting himself to studying the principles behind the runes.
After more than half a month of research, he benefited greatly. The most direct benefit was that he created a talisman that could teleport short distances, which Chen Mu named " Instant Movement Talisman ".
The Instant Movement Talisman consumes a lot of spiritual materials and is extremely difficult to make. Chen Mu only made seven talismans for everyone to use for self-defense when necessary.
The Instant Movement Talisman allows for free movement within a 30-meter range, with remarkable effectiveness; if used correctly, it can even enable the weak to defeat the strong.
After Mingye's dagger was repaired, Chen Mu couldn't determine its exact grade, only knowing that it was at least grade six.
Sometimes, it's not that the higher the grade of a magic weapon, the greater its help. There are many functions of spatial daggers of grade six or higher that Mingye simply cannot control. Currently, the maximum distance Mingye can move using a spatial dagger is only ten meters. In fact, its practicality is not as good as a magic weapon of a lower grade.
However, this dagger is still much stronger than Mingye's original third-grade throwing knife, and with it, Mingye's strength has been greatly enhanced.
That afternoon, Chen Mu and the other three received news that the entrance exam for the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion was about to begin.
When Chen Mu and his companions arrived at the gate of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion again, the place had changed drastically.
In the vast open space below the mountain gate steps, numerous tents have been erected, and countless people line up in queues, entering the tents in batches, and then emerging in two separate lines.
One of the teams had the most members, and they all looked dejected; they were clearly the eliminated team.
The other group, consisting of very few people, all beaming with excitement, were naturally the candidates who had passed the preliminary test.
"Let's go! Let's go queue up!"
Chen Mu took the lead, and the four of them lined up at the back of the examinee's queue.
"Tsk tsk! Judging from this situation, at least ten thousand people have come to take the preliminary exam this year! Unfortunately, I estimate that less than five thousand will pass."
Several disciples of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, who were in charge of discipline, sat down for a chat during a break next to the line of examinees, which Chen Mu keenly noticed.
Chen Mu was secretly amazed. The Heaven-Questioning Pavilion had very clear admission standards. One had to break through to the Qi Nourishing Realm before the age of twenty to be eligible to participate in the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion's admission exam.
So, all these thousands of people here are martial artists who broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm before the age of twenty. This is the first time Chen Mu has seen so many Martial Master gathered together.
However, the Mystic Spirit Continent is extremely vast, with a population of over 10 billion in the Central Land alone. As one of the four ancient academies, the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion is undoubtedly very attractive to geniuses, and even people from outside the Central Land come here to study. So it is quite normal that so many young Martial Master can gather here.
The initial screening at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion didn't seem complicated. Each person went into the tent and usually came out in less than five minutes, so although there were thousands of people queuing, the pace of progress was extremely fast.
Around noon, Chen Mu and his group of four had already moved to the front of the line. I estimated that it would be their turn in about an hour.
At this moment, a tall man pushed through the queue and walked straight into the tent.
"Brother, how can this person be so rude!"
Although the tall man wasn't in her line, Chen Duo couldn't help but feel angry at his cutting in line.
In the month or so since arriving in the Central Land, Chen Mu and A Huo have taught Chen Duo a lot about the culture of the Central Land. After she understood the reasons behind it, she accepted it very quickly, and now she has become the most polite person.
The tall man seemed to have heard Chen Duo's words and turned to look at Chen Duo.
Chen Duo, not to be outdone, glared fiercely at the man.
The man wasn't annoyed; he smiled with interest, revealing his gleaming white teeth, before continuing to walk towards the tent.
Chen Mu stared coldly at the man without saying anything, trusting that the law enforcement disciples here would handle the matter.
Unexpectedly, the man entered the tent smoothly, and after he came out, a special law enforcement disciple led him to the gathering place of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion disciples behind the tent.
Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, he heard some whispers from the side.
"It seems this person was specially recruited! It's said that if someone can break through to the True Spirit Realm before the age of twenty, they don't need to take an exam and can directly enter the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion."
"So that's how it is. No wonder he was so arrogant just now."
After the discussion, everyone felt relieved. After all, the strong are respected, and it was normal for him to be arrogant given his strength.
By the afternoon, it was finally Chen Mu and his group's turn.
Chen Mu had Chen Duo go for the test first, then A Huo, Mingye, and finally himself.
Chen Duo entered the tent and came out about five minutes later, joining the team that had passed the test.
This result was expected. Soon after, A Huo and Mingye both went in and passed the test.
Finally, it was Chen Mu's turn. After entering the tent, he looked around.
The tent wasn't large; only two people were inside. A young disciple sat at a desk, taking notes with a pen.
Beside them stood an old man, holding a semi-transparent spherical magical artifact in his hand, his expression kind.
"Name? Age?"
The young disciple inquired.
Chen Mu, fourteen years old.
"Alright, go over there, touch the magical artifact, and infuse it with your Spiritual Power."
"Yes!"
Chen Mu walked to the old man's side and, following the young disciple's instructions, injected his Spiritual Power into the translucent sphere.
A moment later, the translucent sphere shone brightly, its golden light dazzlingly brilliant.
The old man observed the sphere, stroked his beard, and revealed a satisfied smile.
"Hehe, was that eleven-year-old girl you were with?"
Yes! She's my sister!
"Good! It's not bad for someone your age to have reached the Middle Stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm! But you're still a bit behind your sister. I'll just rate your Spiritual Power aptitude as above average!"
Chen Mu nodded. Although he didn't know how their aptitude was graded, he was already satisfied with a mid-to-high aptitude rating in an ancient academy like Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
After the old man finished speaking, the young disciple beside him immediately took notes.
"So, does that mean I've passed?"
"You've passed! Average or above is considered passing. Go out through this door! Go over there to get your number tag. We'll arrange your accommodations. Later, disciples will come to supplement your identity records, so just wait patiently!"
"OK!"
Chen Mu left through the door he had passed through and caught up with Mingye and the other two.
The queue for numbered tickets was processed much more slowly, and seeing that there was still a line ahead of him, Chen Mu started chatting.
"My Spiritual Power aptitude just tested and it's above average. What are yours?"
"Haha, I'm top-tier!" Chen Duo exclaimed excitedly.
This was within Chen Mu's expectations. After all, Chen Duo was only eleven years old and had already reached the Qi Nourishing Realm. If Chen Mu continued to use so many resources to cultivate her, she should have broken through to the Late Qi Nourishing Realm by the time she reached Chen Mu's age.
"I am also of the upper class," Mingye said.
This surprised Chen Mu somewhat. After all, Mingye was already seventeen years old, and the Late Qi Nourishing Realm was not considered top-tier in the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion. He didn't expect that he could still get a high rating. Clearly, Mingye was not an ordinary Late Qi Nourishing Realm.
"I am a Superior." After A Huo finished speaking, Chen Mu was completely stunned.
"Why? We're the same age, and our skill levels are about the same! Why are you a top-tier expert, while I'm only above average?"
"I have no idea!"
Chen Mu was completely baffled. Did they consider other factors besides age and cultivation level when judging Spiritual Power aptitude?
However, it is clear that no one can answer this for him at present.