“Now that the disciple recruitment has started, it’s time to explain the tests for intern recruitment.
All of you, step forward,” said Su Mie.
Up on the highest platform, the young girl looked down with a worried voice.
“Young Miss, what do you think?
Will he pass the tests?
His only advantage is his Talent Root…” “I don’t know, don’t ask me!” said the Young Lady, her own expression filled with nervous anticipation.
“Now, we will hold three tests for you,” Su Mie announced to the ten intern candidates.
“Your first test will be the Heart Stone Test.
Here, we will test your heart—because as interns, you will have to teach disciples.
If your heart is evil, it means leading disciples down the wrong path.
Let the test begin!
And remember, if you fail this test, you cannot join Azure Academy as an intern for your entire life.” From her ring, Su Mie produced the Heart Stone, a glittering diamond crystal that emitted a soft, translucent light.
“One by one, come up to the stage and place your hand on this Heart Stone,” added Gu Fan.
“If you have committed grave sins, the stone will glow black.
Otherwise, it will glow white, yellow, or even golden.” One by one, the candidates approached the Heart Stone, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat as if standing on a life-or-death battlefield.
“White.
Pass.
Next!” called out Gu Fan.
“Young Miss, do you think Young Master Jiang is an evil or a good person?
My previous investigation showed that he took down two thugs with his schemes,” whispered the young girl on the platform.
“I don’t know, stop it already!
And that was not a scheme, it was his wisdom!
That was not an evil deed,” said the Young Lady in annoyance.
Down below, Jiang WuShang spotted a familiar face.
“Brother Jun, you’re here!” “Yeah, I’m trying for the intern position.
I may lack high cultivation, but I am a disciple of the Beast School,” said Lu Jun.
“Good luck then!
Go ahead, it’s your turn,” said Jiang WuShang.
“Yeah!” Lu Jun stepped up to the Heart Stone and placed his palm firmly against the crystal.
The stone immediately began to glow with a bright yellow light.
Seeing the yellow hue, Lu Jun felt as if a massive mountain had been lifted off his chest.
“Yellow!
Pass!” announced Gu Fan.
“Yes!
Brother Jiang, it’s your turn, go for it!” said Lu Jun with a bright smile.
“Okay,” said Jiang WuShang, walking calmly toward the stage.
“Young Miss, look!
It’s Young Master Jiang’s turn, he’s going up!” shouted the young girl in excitement.
“Yeah, it’s his turn…” said the Young Miss, a nervous smile on her face.
Jiang WuShang reached out his hand toward the Heart Stone.
*System, I framed and humiliated others so much…
am I going to fail this?* ————-System ————— Host, all your sins were converted into Emotion Points, so they will not affect your heart.
———————————— ‘That’s a relief,’ thought Jiang WuShang with a smirk.
He pressed his palm onto the Heart Stone.
Instantly, a brilliant, dazzling golden light erupted from the crystal, illuminating the entire arena!
“How is this possible?!
Gol…
Golden pass?!” gasped Gu Fan in absolute shock.
“What?!
Golden?!” exclaimed Su Mie, her jaw dropping.
“Young Miss!
It’s golden!
It’s golden!
I’m not dreaming, am I?!” cried the young girl, clutching her cheeks in disbelief.
The Young Lady tried to keep her composure, though her heart pounded in her chest.
“A golden color…
it means his heart is pure and completely untainted by selfish desires.
He is unique—he has a heart as unblemished as a newborn.” “Miss, you’re so calm, like you knew the result before the test!
As expected of the man who caught your attention, Young Miss~” teased the young girl.
“Yes!
Wait—no, no!
He didn’t catch my attention, stop talking nonsense!” said the Young Lady with a deep blush.
“Yes, yes, he didn’t catch your attention,” replied the young girl, rolling her eyes playfully.
Down on the stage, Jiang WuShang stared at his own shining hands.
*Golden light?
Holy crap, I’m the holiest person alive!* He snorted internally before walking back to his spot.
“Su Mie, what do you think about him?” whispered Gu Fan in a low, trembling voice.
“He triggered the legendary Golden Heart…
he’s comparable to our Dean!” “He is incredible,” Su Mie whispered back.
“He is more than qualified to join as an intern.
Even if his Talent Root were trash, we must take him with us!” Gu Fan nodded solemnly.
“Agreed.” Su Mie then cleared her throat, addressing the group.
“The first test is complete, and eight participants have passed.
The next test will measure your comprehension.
We will distribute martial manuals of equal difficulty.
You must cultivate the manual and identify its major drawbacks.
You have six hours to learn the manuals.” She distributed identical scroll manuals to the remaining eight candidates.
“You have six hours.
You may start now!” announced Gu Fan.
The candidates immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, frantically unrolling their scrolls.
“It’s a Mortal High-Grade martial technique!
How am I supposed to cultivate this in six hours with my talent?!
This is impossible!” groaned one of the candidates.
“Brother Jun, are you confident?” asked Jiang WuShang.
“I’m not fully confident, but this manual has a Beast-Spirit framework, so I can manage it with my Beast School training,” replied Lu Jun.
“That’s good then,” said Jiang WuShang.
He unrolled his own manual and glanced down at the text.
‘System, can you help me master this?’ asked Jiang WuShang in his mind.
————-System ————— Host, to master this manual the System will use 5 Emotion Points.
Do you accept?
———————————— ‘Only 5 points?
Nice!
I accept!’ The moment he agreed, a soft golden light flashed inside his mind, instantly absorbing every stance, principle, and flaw of the technique into his brain.
*And just like that, I’ve completely mastered a Mortal High-Grade manual.* Feeling completely bored, Jiang WuShang leaned back, closed his eyes, and promptly went to sleep.
Around him, the other candidates were sweating profusely.
“I’m going crazy trying to find flaws in a Mortal High-Grade manual!
What kind of test is this?!
Time is running out!” Up on the envoys’ stand, Su Mie shook her head as she looked at Jiang WuShang.
“Gu Fan, look at that boy…
he fell asleep.
It seems his talent really is too low to make sense of the technique.” “He triggered the Golden Light, so his heart is pure, but talent is another story,” sighed Gu Fan.
“It looks like he gave up…
what a waste.” Up on the highest platform, the young girl was biting her nails in panic.
“Young Miss!
Young Master Jiang is sleeping!
Is he giving up?!” “What is he doing?
Is he clearing his mind before cultivating?” reasoned the Young Lady, trying to stay calm.
“Don’t forget, he has an Earth High-Rank Talent Root or even higher!
He still has time…
just wait.” “Yeah…
he has the highest talent here, maybe he’s just clearing his head,” agreed the young girl nervously.
Nearby candidates sneered as they looked at Jiang WuShang snoring softly.
“Look at him, he fell asleep!
Looks like he gave up before he even started!” “So what if he triggered the golden light earlier?
His talent is clearly trash!” Hours ticked away until only half an hour remained.
“Young Miss, only half an hour left!” cried the young girl.
“If Young Master Jiang doesn’t start now, he has zero chance of passing!
He hasn’t even read the scroll!” “I…
I have to go down and wake him up,” said the Young Lady, stepping forward.
“He cannot fail here, or our plans will be ruined!” “Young Miss, no!
If you go down there, your identity will be exposed!
Your godbrother is watching your every move—if he finds out, Young Master Jiang will be killed by rival factions!” warned the young girl.
The Young Lady froze, her fists clenching tightly.
*Jiang WuShang…
don’t let me down!
You are my only hope!* Finally, the six hours came to an end.
All the candidates opened their eyes, exhausted and pale—except for Jiang WuShang, who was still fast asleep.
* ‘Master, open your eyes.
The test is over,’ Shadow’s voice echoed in his head.
“Oh, it’s time?
Sleeping on the ground is really tiring…” yawned Jiang WuShang, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
Gu Fan stepped forward to address the remaining candidates.
“Six hours have passed!
One by one, come forward, demonstrate your technique, and list all the flaws you found in your manual.
If you can correct those flaws, you will receive bonus points!” The first candidate stepped forward.
“My manual is the Sun Sword Manual, a branch technique of the Azure Sword Manual.” He drew his sword and swung it, generating a wave of heat.
“As for flaws…
I found none, because it was created by a master in the Qi Foundation Realm!” “So what if it was created by someone in the Qi Foundation Realm?
It still has flaws!
You fail.
Next!” barked Gu Fan.
One by one, the candidates demonstrated their moves and listed their findings, but most failed to spot any meaningful flaws.
Finally, Lu Jun stepped forward.
“My manual is the Tiger Fist.” He punched forward, and the faint ghostly image of a roaring tiger materialized behind him.
“I found two flaws.
First, its power is too low; to maximize force, the plant foot must align directly toward the target.
Second, the reliance on basic Beast Qi is inefficient.
If chaotic Qi is channeled to a single point instead, its destructive power will double!” Gu Fan smiled approvingly.
“Good!
Pass!” Another participant stepped up.
“My manual is the Mountain Fist!” He leapt into the air and slammed his fist downward, compressing the air until it smashed into the ring, leaving a small crater.
“I found one flaw.
To merge my fist with the air momentum, I had to jump, leaving me completely vulnerable in mid-air.
I should build momentum by running along the ground instead.” “Good!
Pass!” announced Gu Fan.
He looked over the remaining crowd.
“If there is no one else, let us move on to the final round—” “Wait, I’m still here,” said Jiang WuShang, stepping forward with a lazy grin.