“Yuhuai, you’re the most promising genius of our Jiang family. For this admissions exam, you must perform well. Grandpa and everyone in the Jiang family are your strongest backing!”
Before dawn, the whole Jiang family was bustling. Madam Chen even personally went to the kitchen to make her son a bowl of top-scorer noodles. Although the bone broth had been simmered by the chef the night before, the noodles had been pulled by the chef early that morning, and the vegetables washed long ago by the housekeeper, she had put in the noodles and greens, and fried the sausage and two poached eggs herself.
Although no one knew what the scoring system of Wenxin Cultivation University’s admissions exam was, a hundred points could be a figurative number too. Everyone knew this was an auspicious breakfast symbolizing full marks, and that was enough!
Jiang Yuhuai finished the top-scorer noodles under everyone’s expectant gaze. To be honest, eating such a heaping bowl of noodles early in the morning made him stuffed, but Mom was happy and everyone was reassured, so eat he would. Today’s admissions exam was a hard battle, and only by eating well and being full would he have the strength to fight!
Old Master Jiang even, early in the morning, led everyone in the Jiang family to set out offerings and light incense for the ancestors, and everyone prayed with utmost sincerity that the ancestors would bless Jiang Yuhuai to smoothly pass the Wenxin Cultivation University exam.
In the past, worshiping the ancestors was just a formality, but now worshiping the ancestors was in genuine earnest!
Jiang Yuhuai’s talent was outstanding enough to be seen at a glance by Daoist Guanji, which must mean the Jiang family’s ancestors also had outstanding talent, didn’t it? Although no words about attaining the Dao had been handed down, what if the Jiang family’s ancestor was a ghost cultivator!
Since cultivation was all real, the existence of ghost cultivators was only natural, wasn’t it!
Whatever the case, ancestors bless, ancestors bless! You must let Jiang Yuhuai pass!
When Jiang Yuhuai became a cultivator, the Jiang family would have a connection in the cultivation world too! With a cultivator relative, they were all so dazzled by their own prospects that they couldn’t sleep!
Even if they couldn’t enter Wenxin Cultivation University through Jiang Yuhuai’s connection, once Jiang Yuhuai had cultivated successfully, giving them some techniques and resources that could be shared outside would be possible too, right!
“Mm, I’ll work hard.”
Jiang Yuhuai was seen off to the door by everyone. Looking at the group of elders and younger brothers and sisters gazing at him earnestly, he felt the pressure on his shoulders was enormous.
The Jiang family had already begun gradually restructuring its assets, bound to clear out all the old ills left by the family business, since before longevity and sword flight, the mortal money and power seemed so insubstantial.
All the Jiang family no longer fought among themselves and were extremely harmonious, preparing to transform Jiang Group into a cultivation group.
As for how to take the first step into cultivation, all the hope was placed on Jiang Yuhuai.
“I’m leaving. You all go back. As soon as I get my admission letter, I’ll message you immediately.”
Madam Chen stuffed chocolate into the large backpack Jiang Yuhuai carried, and wanted to pat his head, but found the child was already taller than she was in high heels.
Madam Chen’s eyes reddened slightly, and she chose to pat his not-dirty collar: “Baby, whatever rank you place in the assessment, Mom loves you. Don’t be too nervous, just treat it as the most ordinary exam.”
The whole family’s hopes were placed on Jiang Yuhuai. Besides Madam Chen, no one remembered that Jiang Yuhuai’s birthday was in a later month, that he had a few months until eighteen, and that he was still a half-grown child.
But she couldn’t stress Jiang Yuhuai’s age, and she certainly couldn’t, out of heartache, refuse to let him carry the hope.
The chance of an entire wealthy family’s strength lifting one person isn’t something everyone gets, and the opportunity to take part in a cultivation university’s admissions exam is one in ten thousand!
“My son is the most amazing! Mom will wait for the good news when you come out of the exam room!” Madam Chen had never considered the possibility of Jiang Yuhuai failing.
Jiang Yuhuai smiled with full confidence: “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be the first out of the exam room! Alright, you all go back and wait for good news, I’m off!”
He gave the crowd at the door a graceful wave and, without looking back, got into the car carrying his hiking backpack.
The black Bentley pulled out of the villa district quickly and steadily, followed by one Cayenne, Rolls-Royce, and Ferrari after another behind the Bentley.
“I give up, what cult is this Jiang Yuhuai running? My grandparents are like they’ve been brainwashed, insisting Jiang Yuhuai is going to a cultivation university’s admissions exam and making me go along and beg the examiners to let us in too.” Bo Xuming lay in the back seat holding his red, swollen face, aggrieved and furious.
When Bo Xuming got home yesterday, he had complained to his grandparents that Xiao Wang and Xiao Zhao weren’t doing their jobs properly, leaving their posts while he slept to go queue up for photos with some cosplayer, getting him treated as a trash can and flyers for online game ads thrown on him.
“And what’s with ‘Wenxin Cultivation’? Who comes up with such cliché names now? One hear and you know it’s a 99999-damage-per-slash garbage browser game.” Bo Xuming wriggled his body as if his germophobia had flared up. “Who knows whether someone used this flyer to wipe their snot, ugh, so dirty!”
Bo Xuming was disgusted to death and was about to run to take a bath, but just as he was about to leave, Old Master Bo grabbed him and slapped him hard: “You fool! Such a great opportunity came to your door and you actually threw it away?! Haven’t you taken in a single word of what your grandma and I told you over and over?!”
Bo Xuming was angry, Bo Xuming raged, Bo Xuming wanted to shout, but his grandmother, who loved him far more than she loved herself, also slapped him.
Bo Xuming was stunned and obediently listened to the old couple tell him, not for the first time but never taken into his ears, things related to Wenxin Cultivation University.
The next day, Bo Xuming was dragged into the car, and the old lady forced him to chase after Jiang Yuhuai to the exam site.
Bo Xuming dared to yell at Old Master Bo, but when the grandmother who always doted on him lost her temper, he didn’t dare act up again and could only shout loudly to his fair-weather friends: “Listen to how ridiculous what they say is, that the flyer I threw away was my opportunity, and my being able to get the flyer proves I have cultivation talent. I’d be a heaven-sent talent wherever you put me in any world, do I need them to say so? Do I need a Wenxin University to put gold on my face?!”
His fair-weather friend and bosom buddy from childhood was rather silent on the other end of the phone. He was also sitting in the convoy “following” Jiang Yuhuai.
“Aming, there really seems to be cultivation in the world.” He was worse off than Bo Xuming: leaving the Bo house, afraid of being nagged by his family, he’d gone straight to a bar to start round two. By the time his dad fished him out of a private room, the municipal gymnasium’s admissions event was already over.
His parents pressed him to rush to the gymnasium, where he ran into Old Master Bo, who was anxiously looking for the “trash,” and only then understood what his parents meant by “you must seize the opportunity.”
“You’re crazy too! Jiang Yuhuai’s dad just brought back an illegitimate son, and this fake genius made up this lie to put gold on his own face. When did your brain become like my grandpa’s? My grandpa is senile and got scammed. Is your brain not working either?”
“Beep…”
When the third busy tone came from the phone, Bo Xuming realized he had been hung up on.
“Idiot! Luo Zeyu, you idiot!” Bo Xuming furiously smashed his phone. The anger burned his reason, but his fingers trembled slightly, uncontrollably.
“Impossible… it’s impossible…”
It took Bo Xuming some time to repair the barrier of his worldview of “everyone is drunk, I alone am sober,” and by the time he got out of the car he was again a proud peacock of a young master.
“What a ragged little courtyard. There are still houses this ragged in this kind of place? Hey, Luo Zeyu, what’s going on with your family, can’t even handle this kind of holdout!” The development and construction of this area was handled by the Luo family.
A convoy of luxury cars with different badges came onto the scene, which would be extremely eye-catching anywhere. Even those who couldn’t recognize luxury car badges would take a couple of looks because of others’ exclamations.
The flashy Ferrari and the matter-of-course tone drew the whole crowd’s gaze, and Luo Zeyu and Bo Xuming instantly became the focus.
Bo Xuming felt not a bit embarrassed. He lifted his chin, leaned on the car, and smiled proudly and gracefully, more at ease than a big star.
Tao Yuxiang pulled Huang Ruihe to Jiang Yuhuai’s side and pointed at Bo Xuming: “Jiang Yuhuai, he followed you here. Do you know him?”
Jiang Yuhuai, finding it embarrassing, only said: “A neighbor, not very close. I have no plan to team up with him.” He changed the subject stiffly. “Where’s Zhou Xingjian? Don’t tell me he’s still working part-time.”
The four of them were the earliest examinees to get trial qualifications. The content of the admissions exam was unknown, and all four guessed there might be team-format questions, so they had agreed to move together.
“He got here long ago, surrounded by people.” Tao Yuxiang pursed her lips toward one direction. “Look, it’s ‘Senior Brother’ this and ‘Senior Brother’ that, so affectionate!”
Jiang Yuhuai’s expression twisted for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.
Seeing Jiang Yuhuai, Zhou Xingjian’s eyes lit up, and he immediately waved at him warmly: “Yuhuai!” He wasn’t an outgoing person, but ever since he’d been “taken as a disciple” by Daoist Guanji in front of everyone, he hadn’t enjoyed a single moment of happy time alone.
Heaven knew how much he’d been looking forward to Jiang Yuhuai’s arrival! Tao Yuxiang and Huang Ruihe were both girls, and a grown man following them like a tagalong made him awkward. Chatting with other male friends would only get him a lecture from the other “future junior brothers” clinging to him, who then in turn became “future junior brothers” who stuck to him and wouldn’t let go.
The ones who could let him have normal male friends to socialize with, from the present situation, were one and only—Jiang Yuhuai, a fellow disciple who had also been personally given a trial jade tablet by Daoist Guanji!
Zhou Xingjian showed the crowd a slightly apologetic smile: “Sorry, Yuhuai and I have something to talk about.”
The crowd understandingly cleared a path for him: “Eldest Senior Brother, you and Second Senior Brother talk as long as you like, we’ll go scout information for you!”
Zhou Xingjian ran to Jiang Yuhuai’s side in three steps at a stride, as if chased by a ghost.
Jiang Yuhuai turned his face away, not wanting to talk to Zhou Xingjian much.
He wasn’t jealous! He wasn’t envious!! The exam hadn’t even started yet, so what’s this about Eldest Senior Brother! Who said that!!!
“So many people came, all just to tag along for the exam?”
Those with exam qualifications numbered one and only 505, but a glance over the scene showed more than double that.
Old and young, black-haired and red-haired, suits and ancient costumes, it was simply a great catalog of humanity.
“After all, this is the cultivation university’s admissions exam. Even without an exam voucher, what if?”
What if they caught the other’s eye and got a chance?
If they didn’t strive, there truly would be no chance at all.
“Hmph!” The sound from his nose was deliberately made loud, but not many people minded.
Bo Xuming’s presence had lasted only that first moment. Luxury cars had some appeal, but compared to sword flight?
The crowd was discussing the classic scene of the “disciple-taking ceremony” in cultivation novels, so absorbed in discussion that they forgot heaven and earth, and no one paid attention even when Bo Xuming hmphed himself breathless.
Bo Xuming’s nose went crooked with anger, and he deliberately said loudly: “What cultivation university, I think this is clearly a pyramid scheme den. I’m going to call the police and rid the people of this scourge!”
Facing the gaze of several thousand people, Luo Zeyu’s scalp was about to explode. He turned his back to cover his face, pulled away, and pretended not to know this fool.
Even if it really was a pyramid scheme, you couldn’t shout it so openly! No wait, if it really was a pyramid scheme, after shouting like that, would they even have lives to go back to?!
Luo Zeyu had even drafted how to beg for mercy, and was about to speak when he heard the crowd seem to breathe a sigh of relief.
“A Muggle, one fewer competitor, great!”
Bo Xuming had read Harry Potter too. Although “Muggle” wasn’t a derogatory term, at this moment, in this place, in this tone, he had an intuition of being insulted.
Luo Zeyu pounced to stop him before he lost his temper: “No no no, why get angry at them!”
Bo Xuming, whose mouth was still free, roared: “You lot—”
“Hum—”
Countless sword hums came from the sky, and Bo Xuming and Luo Zeyu looked up instinctively—