Chapter 31

Shan Heyuan first, but after hearing this, he quietly went to the bookstore, bought a stack of books, and settled down to study diligently for a few days.

On the day of the exam, Shan Heyuan arrived at the examination hall on time.

He was greeted by a familiar-looking monk; the two had met a few times before.

Seeing Shan Heyuan looking at him, the cultivator smiled encouragingly and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Shan, do your best in the exam. Our Jingzhishan Town hasn't produced such a skilled planter in a long time. Let's see how good he is."

Shan Heyuan quickly replied, "Okay, thank you, fellow Daoist."

After entering the examination hall, Shan Heyuan was led to an empty room.

When he entered, two examiners were already waiting for him.

One of the proctors, with a serious expression, gestured for him to sit down, and at the same time turned on the recording device to begin recording.

Shan Heyuan took a deep breath, sat down in the chair in the middle, and looked at the table in front of him.

Pens, ink, and paper were laid out on the table, with two Spirit Artifact lamps on either side to prevent insufficient light.

At this moment, the window was wide open, and a cool breeze rustled the branches outside. Further away, the sky was a clear blue, and the sunlight seemed excellent, not dim at all. Yet, the examiner still turned on the Spirit Artifact lamp for him.

The Jade Slip, which served as the examination papers, were quickly distributed. The proctor activated the timer, indicating that Shan Heyuan could begin answering.

Shan Heyuan used his Divine Sense to review the papers, picked up his pen, and began to answer the first question.

The written test was more difficult than he had imagined. He had never seen many of the questions before, and he had never even heard of some of the Spirit Plant and planting methods mentioned in the questions.

He hasn't been a planter long enough; he doesn't have enough time, energy, or spiritual pearls to read the classics.

Jingzhishan Town is small, and living in a small town, his experience was relatively limited.

However, once the test questions were handed out, some questions I didn't know could only be answered by guessing, trying my best to fill in the blanks.

The written test will last for two hours.

After the exam, the proctors collected the papers, and other teachers escorted him to the next exam room.

After passing the written test, it's time for the practical exam.

Tong Liangji, as the chief examiner, sat at the main table and had someone bring the exam questions for Shan Heyuan to draw lots from.

This entire process was also recorded by the shadow stone.

Shan Heyuan reached into the box where the lottery was held and drew a test paper.

This time, he drew a diseased plant.

He knew that the Spirit Plant selected for the practical portion were all problematic, such as diseased plants, insect-infested plants, or demonic plants.

As a test taker, he needs to use the materials provided by the examination authority to cure the diseased plant during the examination period.

Drawing a diseased plant was a relatively lucky thing for him, as he had dealt with many diseased plants at the Supreme Harmony Sect before and was quite experienced.

That's what he thought, but when he opened the white jade box containing the diseased plants and saw that the plants were almost completely rotten, his expression remained blank.

He's so sick!

These Spirit Plant are rotting and smelling terrible, they're about to decay, they still need to be saved!

The Level 3 Planting Master exam is indeed difficult.

Shan Heyuan took a deep breath, almost choking on the rotting, diseased plant.

He carefully used tongs to remove the diseased plant and placed it on the operating table.

The roots, stems, and leaves of the diseased plant were almost completely rotten. It crumbled like overnight fish jelly at the slightest touch, except for the center of the stem, which remained firm and had a hint of green.

He focused intently on scanning the diseased plant with his Divine Sense, and then used "Gentle Breeze" to carefully organize the Spiritual Power within the Spirit Plant.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, his techniques not only covered a wider area but also became more precise.

Now, he Gentle Breeze on the small, diseased plant, carefully channeling his Spiritual Power into it to explore the plant's internal condition.

After examining it several times, he forced the Death Qi within the Spirit Plant to the rotten parts.

Then, he did something that surprised most of the examiners—he cut off all the rotten parts.

After cutting it down, a diseased plant that was bigger than his palm was reduced to a tiny stem and root no bigger than a toothpick.

With so little left, the diseased plant is barely a plant anymore; it's just a few fragments at best.

Ignoring what the proctors thought, Shan Heyuan traced lines on the table with his slender fingers, quickly found several bottles of materials, and immediately prepared a spiritual liquid to soak the diseased plant in it.

Throughout this process, he continuously used "Spring Breeze Blows Gently" on the diseased plant to sustain its meager vitality until it began to grow under the stimulation of the elixir.

The diseased plant first grew some roots, and then, absorbing the sap, it quickly grew a stem and then leaves.

The diseased plant, the size of a toothpick, has grown back to the size of a palm right under the noses of the examiners. The newly grown leaves are thick, tender, and green, a very pleasing sight.

During this process, Shan Heyuan did not use any of the medications provided by the examination authorities.

With his unique abilities, he took a different approach, focusing on the diseased plant itself, and ultimately saved it.

Shan Heyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. The practical exercise was complete, and he could hand in his paper.

He asked the examiners to collect the exam papers.

Tong Liangji sat in the main seat and nodded to him, while the other teachers also looked at him with approval.

After the practical exam, there's a two-hour lunch break, followed by the essay exam in the afternoon.

Shan Heyuan submitted the Foundation Establishment grade Drunken Ox Grass seeds ahead of time, and his answer was about the process of cultivating the Drunken Ox Grass seeds and his thoughts and understanding of planting in the process.

During the exam, the proctors asked all sorts of questions, some of which were quite pointed.

Shan Heyuan was rarely tested like this, and he broke out in a cold sweat while answering.

Fortunately, he was the one who cultivated the seeds, so he wasn't caught off guard and stammered when asked the question.

The exam lasted until evening. After the essay portion was finished, the examination board told Shan Heyuan to go home first, and the results would be released later.

Shen Duheng came to pick him up and saw that his face was pale. "Was this exam very difficult?"

Shan Heyuan nodded weakly. "It was the hardest exam I've ever faced in my life. I completely exhausted my Divine Sense."

Shen Duheng patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be all over after the exam. Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner."

Shan Heyuan didn't want to eat, she just wanted to rest. "I'm not eating, I want to go back to sleep."

Shen Duheng had no choice but to take him home first.

Back home, Shan Heyuan slept soundly for two days and one night.

During this time, his friends sent him many communication tokens to contact him, but he simply replied that he was safe.

Early on the third day, Jiu Mingyue came to his house in person to find him.

Shan Heyuan was listless from his sleep. When he saw Jiu Mingyue, he didn't stand on ceremony. He simply wrapped himself in a blanket, sat down at the tea table, and invited Jiu Mingyue to have some tea.

Seeing his expression, Jiu Mingyue, "Did you not do well on the exam?"

Shan Heyuan yawned. "It was alright. The written test was a bit difficult, but the practical and essay sections were fine. I'll have a 70% chance of passing."

Jiu Mingyue was relieved. "The written test doesn't account for much of the score, I should pass."

Shan Heyuan: "I hope so too. Senior Brother Jiu, you said you had something to tell me before the exam, what exactly was it?"

Jiu Mingyue did not answer, but instead took out a milky-white Jade Slip and handed it to him.

Shan Heyuan reached out and took it, then scanned it with his Divine Sense and discovered that the Jade Slip contained a message from the Sword Reverence Academy recruiting teaching assistants.

Shan Heyuan asked, puzzled, "Senior Brother Jiu, what is this—"

Jiu Mingyue: "This time, there's one spot for teaching assistants for each of the second-tier sects. Supreme Harmony Sect hasn't had any outstanding young disciples in recent years, and our sect leader initially wanted to give up, but then felt it was a pity."

Shan Heyuan realized what was going on. "You guys think I'm suitable?"

Jiu Mingyue nodded. "If you're still a fourth-grade planter, we can only give you a recommendation with some effort. But if you pass the exam to become a third-grade planter, we'll definitely try to secure a spot for you."

Jiu Mingyue: "So I'd like to ask, would you be willing to serve as a teaching assistant Supreme Harmony Sect?"

Chapter 31

When Shen Duheng returned, Shan Heyuan was sitting at the tea table in a daze.

As the sun set and the tea grew cold, his long shadow stretched across the ground, making him appear somewhat lonely at first glance.

Shen Duheng walked in and tapped the table. "What are you thinking about?"