On the bustling street lined with high-rises, a dilapidated little courtyard enclosed by iron sheeting suddenly appeared, looking out of place with its surroundings. Yet the teenagers in ancient costumes with multicolored hair merged with this place in the same contradictory, fractured manner.
“The color of disposable hair dye was too poor, and I was afraid of wasting time, so in the end I came with red hair. What do I do, will Master think I’m frivolous?” After venting his anxiety to his companion, he changed his tone and said excitedly, “Fortunately my talent is outstanding and I’m sure to stand out!”
“A miscalculation. I only thought sportswear was easy to move in and forgot that ancient costumes might secretly raise favorability! But—I am one who bears great fortune, and I’m sure to shine in the exam hall and be fought over by the peak masters as a personal disciple!”
The examinees, more nervous than they had been even for the gaokao, anxiously bit the dead skin off their lips, but a baffling confidence covered all the anxiety, and what burned fiercely in their eyes was confident fighting spirit.
“Is this why the Sect Master chose to recruit at a comic convention?! Their edgy power is so strong!”
The paper fox lay at the edge of the clouds looking down. The entire Wenxin Sect was hidden in the cracks of space by the secret realm, and his presence was low, but the spatial fluctuation after the secret realm’s gate opened was very conspicuous, so the paper fox could only summon clouds to cover this abnormality in the space.
Lu Xiuyuan had made him the examiner to evaluate everyone’s temperament. The paper fox, entrusted with this important task, wished he could produce ten thousand eyes to observe everyone from head to toe tens of thousands of times.
Suddenly, the eyes dotted in ink widened sharply. The paper fox was struck by a sudden delight, and his features flew all over.
“Sect Master, Sect Master, it’s a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root!”
The paper fox didn’t know luxury cars, but the red Ferrari was a bit hard to ignore.
Bo Xuming didn’t carry the fortune of an admissions brochure, and the paper fox had only needed to glance and move on, but after glancing he paused and turned back to look again—
“Sect Master, Sect Master—”
The paper fox’s four paws ran fast, and even his tail was put into spinning like a propeller, all to speed up.
Lu Xiuyuan was busy charging spiritual power into the spirit-sentient puppets. At present only he and Guanji could be put to use, but for an important occasion like the entrance exam, it wouldn’t do to send out only two people.
For Wenxin Sect’s face, Lu Xiuyuan had used up all his card draws to draw ten spirit-sentient puppets that could serve as intelligent robots.
Wenxin Sect was currently dirt poor. Although it had some spirit stones, a hundred spirit-stone-devouring beasts were about to arrive, and no amount of resources would be enough for them to squander, so Lu Xiuyuan could only stingily act as a charging station, charging each spirit-sentient puppet with spiritual qi.
“Fortunately there’s the spiritual qi pool, otherwise I could only wait until the opening ceremony.” The opening ceremony was for students only, and the reputation points to be gained were too few. Since he was going to put on such a show, he had to choose the exam scene that would maximize reputation points.
Guanji sat cross-legged on his flying sword, meditating. Two blue bars plus a spiritual qi pool, under Lu Xiuyuan’s reasonable arrangement, had become a perpetual motion machine generating and charging endlessly.
“A fish slipped through the net, Sect Master! There’s a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root, with a composite score higher than the born sword bone one!”
The paper fox knew how extremely tight the schedule Lu Xiuyuan had arranged was. If he hadn’t truly encountered a slipped fish with top-grade talent, he wouldn’t have disturbed Lu Xiuyuan.
Hearing the five words “top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root,” Lu Xiuyuan’s heart also beat a beat faster.
The immortal fate points a genius could bring and an ordinary student could bring were worlds apart. Moreover, the reward for his Main Quest Two 【Train the first batch of outstanding students, getting at least 10 students to Qi Refining Great Perfection, with at least 3 students breaking through to Foundation Establishment.】 was very generous, and compared to a disciple of mediocre talent, a genius would naturally make it easier for him to complete this quest.
Lu Xiuyuan was greedy for a student with a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root, but right now was the critical time for sowing reputation points, and every second counted.
Lu Xiuyuan said to the paper fox, feigning composure: “No hurry. Go check again whether there are any other slipped fish.”
The paper fox took the order: “Yes, Sect Master! I’m going to catch lots of fish!”
By the time Lu Xiuyuan had charged all ten spirit-sentient puppets with spiritual qi, the paper fox still hadn’t come back spinning his propeller tail to report.
Lu Xiuyuan was greedily disappointed for a second: “Forget it. Such one-in-ten-million geniuses aren’t big cabbages in a field, how could I grab a cartload casually?”
The 501 exam qualifications sent out used only a temporary quota, and Lu Xiuyuan could only roughly judge their talent.
This batch of examinees had an average talent of about 21 points, while Main Quest One required enrolling 100 students with a talent score of 30 or above, so it didn’t look so easy to complete the quest.
Still, this was normal. When Lu Xiuyuan handed out the admissions brochures, he had followed the iron rules of “randomness” and “luck.”
As long as someone wanted one, he gave it. Even if he could tell the other had good talent, if they didn’t want it he would never chase to give it.
“Unless the talent is good enough to make me make an exception, I never force it.”
For example, Jiang Yuhuai.
Although he had been refused once, Lu Xiuyuan had made up his mind from the start to take the born-sword-bone Jiang Yuhuai as a disciple. If not that time he rescued him from the demon’s mouth, it would have been another opportunity.
“Ding-a-ling—”
The alarm Lu Xiuyuan had set rang. 8:55. At the same moment, ten rays of spiritual light came from the ten spirit-sentient puppets.
Charging complete!
Lu Xiuyuan waved his hand, and ten multicolored white cloaks flew onto them.
The puppets all raised their hands together and bowed respectfully to Lu Xiuyuan: “Greetings, Sect Master! May the Sect Master be immortal through the ages and ascend the immortal path early!”
“Hum—”
Countless sword hums came from the sky, and everyone instinctively looked up.
The originally clear blue sky had at some point churned up countless clouds and mist, with flashing golden light flashing out of the mist, and then countless swords pierced the heavens and split the clouds, revealing the magnificent, grand building complex of Wenxin Sect.
A giant fox like a mountain range leaped out of the pavilions in the sky. The white fox landed, fluffy and light, on a hundred-meter-tall building, and the ground seemed to tremble a little, but caused no casualties or building collapses.
“Screech—” Countless drivers instinctively stepped on the brakes. A chain of car crashes was about to happen, but the cars seemed to sink into soft, safe cotton and came to a steady stop.
“Ah! What is this?!”
Pedestrians on the road were suddenly smothered in the face by cotton-candy-like white cloud, yet hit nothing. They looked up instinctively, and following the translucent white fox tail, saw the white fox coiled atop the high-rise.
Passersby who didn’t know the truth said in a daze: “Am I not awake yet?”
Only those who knew the truth of cultivation shrieked excitedly: “It has nine tails! It’s a divine beast aaaah—”
“The signboard fox is out, so my Master must be coming out too!”
Reminded by this, the crowd hurriedly looked at the golden, glittering sky.
The firmament seemed to be torn apart alive, a dark and chaotic spatial rift suddenly opened. Ten figures walked slowly out of it, white to the point of near-multicolored brilliance, so that no one dared look directly at the heavenly countenance.
The ten peak masters bowed together, solemn and dignified: “Welcome the Sect Master. May the Sect Master be boundless.”
Lu Xiuyuan stepped out slowly, and with each step he took, a golden lotus bloomed from the void, a lotus with every step, light flowing.
Whether they knew the truth about Wenxin Sect or not, everyone held their breath and looked longingly at Lu Xiuyuan.
No one introduced Lu Xiuyuan’s identity, but everyone knew, he was Wenxin Sect’s Sect Master, the president of Wenxin Cultivation University, a cultivator, and moreover, an immortal.
“Ten thousand years ago, the Heavenly Dao collapsed, and my Wenxin Sect went into seclusion. Now that the Heavenly Dao has awakened and spiritual qi has revived, my Wenxin Sect has instantly adapted to the rules of the age and founded Wenxin Cultivation University. It asks no family background and no talent. All who are firm in Dao heart and devoted to seeking the Dao may enter my Wenxin Cultivation University!”
“I, the president of Wenxin Cultivation University, 【Lu Xiuyuan】, swear here: all students of my Wenxin shall take slaying demons, defending the Dao, and upholding justice as their duty, be clear in conscience and clear before the Dao! We swear never to keep company with demons, to surely slay all evil demons, protect Blue Star, and shed the last drop of blood! If this oath is broken, may our souls scatter and may we never become immortals!”
“Rumble—”
Countless thunderclaps fell, as if the Heavenly Dao were responding to his oath, and the flowing-dragon calligraphy of “Wenxin Sect” on the plaque also became the six gold-glittering characters “Wenxin Cultivation University.”
Countless golden lotuses drifted down from the sky.
The palm-sized golden lotus flowers fell on people. Everyone felt only a breeze pass by, the heat of the scorching summer was cleared at once, and not only was their mind clear and eyes bright, they even had the illusion of being about to attain the Dao and become immortal.
Someone swore along in a small voice: “If I can pass the admissions exam, I shall take slaying demons, defending the Dao, and upholding justice as my duty, be clear in conscience and clear before the Dao! I swear never to keep company with demons, to surely slay all evil demons, protect Blue Star, and shed the last drop of blood! If this oath is broken, may my soul scatter and may I never become an immortal!!”
“Hum—”
Tens of thousands of swords fell one after another from the sky, forming a long ladder leading to the heavens with no end in sight.
The white fox’s eyes and brow lit up with golden light. He raised his head to the sky and let out a clear, long howl. It was not human speech, but it let everyone understand its meaning—
“Wenxin Cultivation University’s first admissions assessment begins now!”
The examinees who had received their admission tickets launched themselves toward the heavenly ladder at top speed, and Bo Xuming, who just a few minutes earlier had been shouting “there’s no cultivation in the world, it’s all a pyramid scheme,” also rushed over.
Although his body had been hollowed out a lot by alcohol and women, he had a foundation from riding horses and playing tennis since childhood, and he reached the first step faster than most people. But—
“Thud!” Bo Xuming seemed to be blocked by some transparent barrier. Others could run up the heavenly ladder smoothly, but he could not advance a single step no matter how hard he slammed into it.
“Why won’t you let me through! I got an admissions brochure too; I have this opportunity too!”
The paper fox lay beside Lu Xiuyuan’s ear and said very softly: “Sect Master, he’s that top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root. Shall I open a little gate for him?”
Lu Xiuyuan stared at him for a moment and shook his head: “His talent is good, but his temperament is poor. I won’t take him.”
Author’s note:
Want a bite of a wild, sour-sweet melodramatic novel? “I Hear I’m Deeply in Love”
Wen Tingyu had loved Bai Sicheng for nine years, never missing a daily caring text message, worried he was cold and afraid he was hot, missing him before he had even thought of him, worrying about him before he had even worried. Others said he loved humbly, not even keeping his dignity.
Bai Sicheng said proudly to his fair-weather friends: “Even the qualification to love me—I grant it to him as charity!”
To stay by Bai Sicheng’s side, Wen Tingyu was willing even to be only a substitute.
Bai Sicheng had amused himself for nine years with Wen Tingyu as a dispensable substitute, summoned at will and dismissed at will, arrogantly and matter-of-factly believing Wen Tingyu couldn’t live a single day without him.
Wen Tingyu opened “Don’t Let Your Emotional Intelligence Lose to a Robot Vacuum,” copied entry ninety-nine, and sent it to the other party.
【Sicheng, it will rain this afternoon. I had Assistant Lin bring you an umbrella. The weather is cold, remember to drink more hot water and less iced Americano.】
Max-level lover daily quest (10/10)
Until Bai Sicheng’s white moonlight returned, the good days when Wen Tingyu earned a monthly salary of one million just by pressing Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V every day came to an end.
Wen Tingyu, with a face full of sorrow, proposed a breakup to Bai Sicheng.
Bai Sicheng only lit a cigarette nonchalantly, thinking he was playing hard to get, his eyes full of the coldest mockery: “The reason you’ve stayed by my side nine years is that you know your place, and that’s what’s likable about you.”
Wen Tingyu packed up and left, but Bai Sicheng merely felt he was playing hard to get and would soon come back crying to beg for reconciliation.
A month passed, and Wen Tingyu began blind dates. Bai Sicheng thought, he’s retreating to advance!
Two months passed, and Wen Tingyu began dating. Bai Sicheng thought, he’s about to be unable to keep playing!!
Three months passed, and Bai Sicheng drank himself into gastric bleeding, and while being pushed dazed into the emergency room, he called Wen Tingyu: “Let’s not break up, okay?”
Bai Sicheng quit smoking, quit drinking, quit everything Wen Tingyu disliked, but he pitifully discovered that even the dog Wen Tingyu kept ranked higher than him!
At first, Bai Sicheng thought Wen Tingyu loved him so much he had no temper;
Later, Bai Sicheng discovered that Wen Tingyu truly had no temper, and it had nothing to do with loving him.
Wen Tingyu’s favorability toward everyone was a uniform 59. Because he trusted people too easily and was always scammed into poverty, Wen Tingyu, on his meddlesome friends’ advice, simulated being lovesick, trying to fight poison with poison. In the ninth year of dating Bai Sicheng, apart from a card balance that grew by over a hundred million, Wen Tingyu’s condition hadn’t improved at all!