Shen Xuan pulled himself out of his memories and began thinking about the best way to approach this conversation.
He knew his master fairly well. Yan Hechun only appeared easygoing on the surface; in reality, he was not someone who easily opened up to others.
But considering that he had come directly to Shen Xuan and voluntarily explained the situation beforehand, his attitude had already gone far beyond what he would normally show toward a stranger.
…Lu Junheng’s guess might not be entirely wrong.
After considering Yan Hechun’s current situation, Shen Xuan shifted his gaze to the water mirror and changed the subject.
“Since Grand Hall Master is here for this year’s entrance examination, why don’t you take a look at the new disciples’ performance?”
When dealing with a respected elder, endless mutual probing was not a good idea. Shen Xuan did not mind giving him some evidence worthy of his trust first.
Lu Junheng had no idea what was happening outside the examination. Shen Xuan had no way to relay the situation to him in real time either.
But they had a certain understanding between them. Lu Junheng should be able to cooperate.
In the water mirror, Lu Junheng had already found his target in some remote corner. He calmly twirled the sword in his hand, producing a rather awkward-looking flourish.
He was indeed cooperating.
…But Lu Junheng looked as if he were completely unfamiliar with the sword. He was fighting a low-level Red-Feathered Vulture as though he were facing his lifelong mortal enemy.
Shen Xuan took a deep breath and coldly looked away.
He was insulting his sword.
Once Lu Junheng came out alive, perhaps he should just kill him himself.
Yan Hechun stared at the hand gripping the sword, as though he had noticed something interesting. He nodded lightly.
“I see.”
“The swordsmanship is rather…” He tapped his knuckles against the table, deliberately choosing the gentlest, least offensive word he could think of. “Immature. But it does look like something taught by me. Although he is doing a bit of damage to my reputation.”
“This Lu fellow’s best weapon probably isn’t a sword, is it?”
“Is this what you two wanted to tell me?”
“My future disciples.”
Since things had already progressed this far, Shen Xuan did not bother beating around the bush.
“Since you were able to make that judgment so quickly… have you perhaps gained some memories that don’t belong to you?”
Yan Hechun nodded and admitted it.
“Yes. About a month ago, I had a strange dream. The scenes in the dream seemed to be connected to my future life… and it didn’t seem to be a particularly good ending.”
“Unfortunately, however, I didn’t gain the ability to foresee the future because of it. After waking up, I could only remember some vague fragments. Whenever I encounter certain special people or events, I experience a faint sense of familiarity. For example, when I saw you and Little Lu today, I immediately felt close to you. But I don’t know what roles the two of you will play in my future.”
He took out the white crystal Lu Junheng had sent him.
“Little Lu sent this to me. I’ll give it to you now.”
Shen Xuan looked at the red flower-like core inside the crystal, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Yan Hechun’s probing gaze fell on him.
“Now it’s my turn to ask questions. What do you two know about this?”
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been able to uncover the truth either.”
Shen Xuan sincerely shook his head before sharing his own guess.
“If you want to investigate this further, perhaps you should look into other high-level cultivators. If my guess is correct, your situation is probably not an isolated case.”
Yan Hechun slowly used the lid of his teacup to stir the tea leaves. After thinking for a long time, he smiled.
“If you ever need help, you can come to me. Although I can’t promise that I’ll definitely help you before we understand the truth… let’s say I trust my own judgment. As long as you don’t violate my principles, I can protect your lives.”
He stood up and said goodbye to Shen Xuan.
“I have an appointment with Palace Master Shen. Let’s leave things here for today. It was a pleasure talking with you.”
Shen Xuan suddenly called after him.
“Grand Hall Master.”
Yan Hechun turned around.
Shen Xuan gently reminded him, “Please take care of yourself and don’t overwork yourself. Also, if possible, pay more attention to the Divine Pillars.”
“Dreams that foretell the future may indeed be a powerful tool for avoiding danger and seeking fortune. But if even one part false is mixed into nine parts truth, that sharp blade may end up turning against its wielder.”
Yan Hechun looked at him thoughtfully before smiling.
“I suppose this proves that I really did choose the right people. I quite like you two.”
“If nothing unexpected happens, come and formally become my disciples after you graduate from the academy.”
He nodded at Shen Xuan and left.
Out of a sense of duty, Shen Xuan did not leave the area covered by the water mirrors. He simply watched Yan Hechun walk away.
Then Shen Xuan’s heart gradually sank.
Most of what Yan Hechun had said was true, but he had probably hidden something important.
For example… when he first saw Lu Junheng in the water mirror, he had been unable to suppress a trace of killing intent. Although that killing intent had quickly been restrained by his rationality.
He had not come here today solely because of the crystal Lu Junheng had sent him.
He had also come because of Lu Junheng himself.
Yan Hechun’s current level of trust in them was probably much lower than he had allowed them to see.
What a troublesome situation.
Shen Xuan remained seated in front of the water mirror and continued supervising the examination.
After wandering around for a long time, Lu Junheng finally found the Double-Horned Tiger’s lair.
The examination lasted a total of three hours, and half the time had already passed.
Yu Le came over to take over Shen Xuan’s duties. But the moment he entered, he saw Lu Junheng standing face-to-face with the Double-Horned Tiger and was immediately shocked.
He remembered this new disciple who had no cultivation. He assumed Lu Junheng had simply been unlucky and had somehow wandered into the only Golden Core-level demon beast in the examination area.
But Lu Junheng had clearly planned this.
Before the Double-Horned Tiger could react, he attacked first, lunging forward and piercing one of its eyes with his sword.
The blinded Double-Horned Tiger instantly went berserk. It swiped its claw and sent Lu Junheng flying before beginning to attack everything around it indiscriminately.
Lu Junheng could not use spiritual power. No matter how good his ability to predict attacks was, he could not avoid every wide-area attack. Several wounds soon appeared on his body.
Afraid that someone might die during the examination, Yu Le could not help wanting to send a voice transmission.
“The situation is bad. We need to call the cultivators near the Double-Horned Tiger for help!”
Was this new disciple insane?
He had no cultivation at all, yet he still dared to provoke a Golden Core-level demon beast.
Shen Xuan stopped him.
“Senior Brother Yu, he hasn’t sent a distress signal.”
Lu Junheng had only lost his cultivation. He had not lost all the physical training he had undergone.
Even without spiritual power, his physical strength was still at the level of a Golden Core cultivator. There was no way the Double-Horned Tiger could kill him with just a couple of swipes.
After rampaging for a while, the Double-Horned Tiger gradually exhausted its strength, and its movements became slower.
It had lost its sight, but it could still smell the scent of blood and living creatures. It stepped toward Lu Junheng.
Lu Junheng barely dodged the attack, which was inaccurate because the beast could no longer see. His left arm hung unnaturally at his side.
His left arm was broken.
Yet he seemed not to feel the pain at all. He calmly raised his sword.
The spiritual sword he had been wielding so awkwardly suddenly thrust out at a strange angle, striking the Double-Horned Tiger directly in the chest.
Without spiritual power, even with a sword sharp enough to cut through iron like mud, he could only barely pierce the thick hide of a Golden Core-level demon beast.
After landing the blow, Lu Junheng immediately dodged to the side, avoiding the beast’s stomp as it reacted in pain.
The Double-Horned Tiger let out an angry roar and charged at him again.
Lu Junheng seemed to have run out of strength. To Yu Le’s astonishment, he simply stood there without making any attempt to dodge.
Yu Le almost thought he was about to witness the death of this reckless new disciple.
But at the critical moment, the Double-Horned Tiger’s movements suddenly slowed.
Lu Junheng reacted instantly. He seized the opportunity and pushed forward with all his strength.
The spiritual sword passed through the wound he had already created, piercing through the flesh and firmly striking the demon beast’s heart.
Yu Le was completely confused.
“Wh-what happened?”
Shen Xuan explained, “He killed a Red-Feathered Vulture earlier and smeared its blood on his sword.”
“The Red-Feathered Vulture’s blood is highly poisonous. It can kill a demon beast of the same cultivation level instantly. Against a Golden Core-level Double-Horned Tiger, however, it can only cause temporary paralysis.”
“That brief delay wouldn’t change the outcome for an ordinary person. But for Lu Junheng, it was enough.”
A few breaths later, the enormous demon beast crashed to the ground.
The entire supervision area fell silent.
After a while, Yu Le finally muttered what they had just witnessed.
“A disciple with no cultivation… killed a Golden Core-level demon beast?”
“Is that really something a human can do?”
Shen Xuan did not answer.
When Yu Le turned around, the person who had been standing beside him moments earlier was already gone.
Shen Xuan arrived at the examination exit and caught Lu Junheng, who had stumbled out after finishing the examination early and collapsing from exhaustion.
Lu Junheng leaned against his chest, looking half-dead and unwilling to move even a finger.
Shen Xuan did not care that Lu Junheng had gotten blood and dust all over him. He let him lean there for a while.
Once he estimated that Lu Junheng had recovered enough, he patted him on the head.
“Get up and walk on your own.”
Lu Junheng refused to move.
Not only did he refuse to move, but he also reached up and casually grabbed Shen Xuan’s hair, ordering him around as though it were perfectly reasonable.
“I don’t have any strength left. Carry me.”
Shen Xuan looked down at him.
Lu Junheng gazed back innocently, completely shameless and confident that Shen Xuan would give in.
He had done something so conspicuous, exhausting, and completely unlike his usual style of acting for Shen Xuan’s sake. Naturally, Shen Xuan had a responsibility to take him back.
Shen Xuan suppressed the urge to beat up an injured patient and carried him away first.
What Lu Junheng had done during the examination had been far too shocking. If they continued arguing at the exit, the other people would soon gather around them.