Chapter 170

Liuyue took a deep breath and said:

"With such divine assistance, how could he not pass?"

Lingsu immediately spoke up:

"Candidate Zhao Haizhen has passed the preliminary examination."

The young Daoist in the green robe smiled and said:

"It seems my luck is as good as ever."

Having said this, he turned and left. As he stepped out of the Qianjin Terrace, the torrential rain, which had come quickly, also departed quickly; in the blink of an eye, the rain stopped.

Two days later.

Jixia Academy, inside the Bamboo Garden.

An old man in white held a wine pot in one hand and played with a fluttering butterfly with the other. Though his hair was completely white, he had mastered the art of preserving his youth, appearing to be at most forty-some years old.

Among them, besides Liuyue playing the zither, there were two young men.

One was dressed in red, with a sturdy build, sharp eyes, and a handsome face; he was the so-called Burning Ink Young Master, one of the Eight Young Masters of Beili, and the second disciple of Jixia Academy Libationer Li Changsheng, Lei Mengsha.

He was also one of the Four Heroes of the Lei Sect of the contemporary Lei Family Fort, but because he violated the ancestral teaching of not entering the military or involving himself in court politics, he had been expelled from the Lei Family Fort.

The other was dressed entirely in black and wore a bamboo hat; he was Li Changsheng's fifth disciple, the Ink Dust Young Master, one of the Eight Young Masters, Mo Xiaohei.

And the old man in white was Li Changsheng, recognized as the number one person under heaven.

The habitually talkative Lei Mengsha finally could not hold back and looked toward his master:

"That Yellow Millet Little Immortal from Wangcheng Mountain, has he actually practiced martial arts? If he hasn't, how could he change the celestial phenomena out of thin air?"

"Or is it that he calculated that there would be a great rainstorm in Tianqi City and then went with the flow to use it as his answer for the preliminary exam?"

He shook his head violently:

"No, when he walked out of the Qianjin Terrace, the rainstorm stopped so coincidentally; how could that be a natural celestial phenomenon!"

Liuyue's heart stirred, and he unconsciously stopped his movements, evidently also feeling exceptionally interested.

Li Changsheng took a sip of wine:

"This time for the academy's grand exam, didn't a kid proficient in Strange Gate Dunjia come? As long as a Strange Gate Formation is set up, all changes within the formation can be decided by the one who set it."

"Does Master mean that the little Daoist also used Strange Gate Dunjia?" Lei Mengsha was increasingly confused:

"But he has no cultivation at all; how could he set up a formation and raise its momentum?"

"The two cannot be mentioned in the same breath; one is in the heavens, the other on the earth. The kid from the Zhuge family can only set up formations by relying on his own internal energy, while the little Daoist from Wangcheng Mountain, with just a thought, causes heaven and earth to evolve a great momentum for him on their own."

Li Changsheng clicked his tongue in wonder:

"No wonder Lv Suzhen boasts to the outside world that his second disciple has a Heavenly Dao Body and, without needing to practice martial arts, has already reached the Heavenly Dao. This is clearly a natural Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm!"

"What?" Lei Mengsha was dumbstruck.

The other two also could not keep their composure, finding it hard to believe that such an existence could still exist in the world.

"But disciple saw that he has not a shred of internal energy in his body; how can he be considered a Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm?" Liuyue could not help but speak up.

"Therefore, he currently only counts as half a Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm; as long as that little Daoist is willing, he can cross over at any time."

Li Changsheng paused for a moment and said with some uncertainty:

"I also don't know how many realms he will ascend to once this little monster breaks through; could it be that he will reach the Great Free and Unfettered Realm in one step, or perhaps Half-Step Divine Wandering?"

Upon hearing this, the three were even more shocked, not knowing what to say. Being born in the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm was one thing, but once breaking through, to leap across the Nine Heavens, Soaring, and Great Free and Unfettered realms to ascend to Half-Step Divine Wandering was another.

One must know that the Great Free and Unfettered Realm is already enough for the world to call one a Sword Immortal or Blade Immortal.

"Master, do you think that highly of him?" Lei Mengsha smacked his lips.

"It's not that I think that highly of him; it's that even the Heavens think that highly of him." Li Changsheng sighed lightly:

"Just as that little Daoist said, every step secretly aligns with Heavenly Secrets, every thought resonates with Dao rhyme. Such a phenomenon is something even I have never heard of or seen before, if there are no accidents."

"In my view, he even has the bearing to enter Divine Wandering in one step."

The three were silent, feeling that the immortal fate of a Heavenly Dao Body was indeed well-deserved.

Lei Mengsha suddenly said with a grin:

"Since this little immortal has come to participate in our academy's grand exam, why doesn't Master just take him and Baili Dongjun as disciples? Wouldn't I then have a little immortal junior brother?"

He began to imagine and said:

"Having an Immortal of the World as a master, and a little immortal born from the heavens as a junior brother..."

"Ouch!"

Li Changsheng's figure flashed, and he gave Lei Mengsha a flick to the forehead.

"I asked Lv Suzhen for help; if I take the opportunity to kidnap his disciple, do you guess he will carry his Qingxiao Sword down the mountain and come looking for Jixia Academy?"

"Anyway, Heavenly Master Lv from Wangcheng Mountain can't beat you, Master." Lei Mengsha rubbed his forehead.

"That's also true." Li Changsheng nodded suddenly, then said with immense regret:

"It's a pity that the little Daoist doesn't need anyone to teach him at all; he can take heaven and earth as his master and comprehend all kinds of martial arts and Daoist methods."

Five days later, as the sun set in the west.

Outside the Qianjin Terrace, the streets were almost deserted; although the main road was wide, it was almost crowded to the point of overflowing.

"He's here, he's here!"

When the crowd saw the figure of the young Daoist in the green robe, they shouted excitedly one after another:

"Little Immortal Zhao!"

"Little Zhenren!"

Such a scene was naturally because the common people of Tianqi City all knew about the academy's preliminary exam.

Such an immortal figure who could calculate and divine, seemingly capable of anything, who wouldn't want to have close contact? If they could gain his favor and have him divine their fate, that would be the best thing possible.

Fortunately, the passage leading to the Qianjin Terrace was guarded by elite soldiers; otherwise, the young Daoist in the green robe would not have been able to walk into the Qianjin Terrace without any worldly aura.

On the high platform, Liuyue and Mo Xiaohei stood on both sides, and Lei Mengsha, who was in the middle, was no longer his usual bouncy self, saying solemnly:

"For today's final exam, there are five clues in total. You need to form teams of four and use the clue you are assigned to find the final object."

"Whichever team finds it first passes the final exam and can enter the inner hall, and my master will then choose one from the four to be his closing disciple."

"I must remind you that it is not easy to find it with just one clue. If you gather all five clues, you can easily find the final object."

"Therefore, defeating other teams and seizing the clues in their hands also counts as a key to victory."

Baili Dongjun suddenly spoke up:

"We have seventeen people in total. If we divide into teams of four, wouldn't one person be left out?"

"Therefore, there are five clues. You must quickly form your own teams. You only have half an hour. If you become the one left out, then you will have to complete the final exam alone." Lei Mengsha smiled gently:

"But having said that, passing the final exam alone is even more likely to allow you to be accepted as a disciple by my master. You all weigh it yourselves."

After speaking, he had someone light a stick of incense to keep time.

The candidates at the Qianjin Terrace looked at the young Daoist in the green robe in unison. Although this person had not practiced martial arts, the inexplicable and mysterious luck he displayed in the preliminary exam made him look like one of the best teammates in every way.

"Fellow practitioners, this Daoist is a person who dislikes trouble, so I have already decided to form a team of one."

Zhuang Buran smiled:

"No one should be fighting this Daoist for this, right?"

The crowd responded with silence. If one did not have martial arts cultivation far superior to others, who would want to fight alone? Naturally, no one fought for this spot.

Immediately, most people began to recommend themselves to Ye Dingzhi, simply because this person's martial arts were top-notch.

As night fell, everyone finished forming their teams. Wang Yixing, who had pasted on a handlebar mustache, successfully formed a four-person team with Baili Dongjun; the other two were naturally Ye Dingzhi and Yue Yao.

Just as everyone received the clues containing the brocade pouches, an inexplicable aura pressed down upon them.

It left people unable to speak, only able to stand blankly in place.

Yet, on the corner of the eaves of the Qianjin Terrace, a person in white suddenly appeared.

He smiled slightly, and the inexplicable aura gradually dissipated:

"The entire Tianqi City is the place for your final exam."

The young Daoist in the green robe turned his eyes and looked up at Li Changsheng above.

Not long after, Li Changsheng, who was joking with Baili Dongjun about how he had already taken the Autumn Dew White for this month from the Diaolou Xiaozhu, suddenly turned his eyes:

"Little Daoist, what is wrong with me that makes you look so carefully?"

"Between Li Xiansheng's aura and guidance, it vaguely allowed this Daoist to observe an extremely extraordinary martial art." The young Daoist in the green robe smiled.

Li Changsheng raised an eyebrow:

"Stealing martial arts is a great taboo in the Jianghu. Why don't you take me as your master, and I will teach you personally."

Once these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed slightly, but they dared not offer any criticism.

"This martial art, I'm afraid Li Xiansheng cannot teach this Daoist." The young Daoist in the green robe shook his head.

"Hahaha, what an interesting and sharp-eyed little Daoist." Li Changsheng disappeared before everyone's eyes like a wisp of clear breeze.

(End of chapter)