Chapter 708

Liu Fushu caught a glimpse of this scene and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, fortunately! Bai Jiyun made the same mistake as me."

"Hold on, I still have a chance!"

After making consecutive mistakes, Liu Fushu realized where the difficulty of this test question lay.

He had to grit his teeth, slow his speed to the absolute limit, write slowly stroke by stroke, overcome his instinct, and finally move forward steadily.

But because of this, he was left far behind and had no ability to catch up quickly.

Liu Fushu was secretly anxious, but seeing Bai Jiyun suffer, his pressure was suddenly reduced a lot.

He immediately felt ashamed: "If Brother Bai can win, I should be happy for him. He is my friend; I shouldn't be so schadenfreude. This is not what a gentleman does!"

Bai Jiyun failed more than a dozen times, and his whole face turned pale!

He was stunned for a few breaths, exhaled a turbid breath, and simply stopped writing completely.

He frowned and concentrated, falling into deep thought.

"So the difficulty of this strange question lies here!"

"But why would Mr. Chu Xuangui test us like this?"

"The deeper a cultivator's calligraphy foundation, the weaker they are. This is the Confucian Flying Cloud Small Trial, yet it favors cultivators with shallow calligraphy foundations. Is this fair?"

Bai Jiyun scanned the surrounding cultivators, his gaze fixing on Ning Zhuo.

In his view, Ning Zhuo had no literary energy lingering around him and should not be a Confucian cultivator. But relying on solid talisman brushwork, he had been moving forward steadily and was now firmly in second place.

In a normal Confucian small trial, this situation would almost be impossible to occur.

And the first place—

Bai Jiyun's gaze fixed on Kong Ran.

Thoughts suddenly arose in his mind: "Brush of Understanding, child prodigy—could it be that this Flying Cloud Small Trial was specifically designed for Kong Ran?"

Liu Fushu would not have this kind of awareness; after all, his experience was too shallow.

But Bai Jiyun was different; he was not just traveling for pleasure, but traveling through the Flying Cloud Kingdom, witnessing countless customs and traditions, and was quite knowledgeable about all aspects of society.

"If I guessed right—" Bai Jiyun turned his head to look at Chu Xuangui again, a flash of disdain in his eyes, "It's hard to imagine that Mr. Chu Xuangui, known nationwide for being so meticulous, fair, and iron-fisted, would do this!"

Bai Jiyun gave up directly.

At this pace, even if he tried his best to catch up, he couldn't catch up to the top two.

By this step, the situation was already quite clear.

The vast majority of Confucian cultivators had fallen into the same predicament as Bai Jiyun and Liu Fushu.

They made mistake after mistake, and their progress was slow.

The top two were far in the lead.

Without accident, the true winner would be decided between these two!

"I'm going to win!" Kong Ran did not forget to observe the surrounding competitors. When he found that he was in first place, he was overjoyed.

Liu Fushu did not give up and was still going all out.

Chu Xuangui was expressionless.

Ning Zhuo's expression was calm, seemingly unhurried, but in fact, he was steady and had never been pulled away by Kong Ran.

After a few more poems passed, more and more Confucian cultivators realized the huge gap and gradually gave up.

They gathered around and discussed heatedly.

"Who is this big-headed boy?"

"I didn't expect that in the end, Kong Ran would actually obtain the Brush of Understanding!"

"He is a child prodigy, always choosing his path. No wonder Mr. Chu Xuangui would bring out the Brush of Understanding; it's very likely because of Kong Ran's arrival."

Realizing that Kong Ran was likely already favored and would be incorporated into the core circle of Confucian cultivators of the Myriad Phenomena Sect in the future, these Confucian cultivators began to cheer and shout for Kong Ran.

Compared to Ning Zhuo, who was obviously an outsider, they preferred this young cultivator who clearly had a brighter future.

For a time, the scene was lively, as if Kong Ran had already been set as the final winner.

But Ning Zhuo had never been pulled away and maintained a chasing stance.

Kong Ran made a mistake.

His state of mind was disturbed.

The praise and expectations of others added a lot of external pressure to his young heart.

Once a mistake was made, he had to rewrite it.

Kong Ran had to start writing from the beginning, and in his busy schedule, he turned his head to look back to check Ning Zhuo's progress.

Although Ning Zhuo's progress had not surpassed him, the previous distance had almost disappeared after this mistake.

"Oh no!"

"I can't make any more mistakes."

"The Brush of Understanding must be mine!"

Kong Ran became increasingly nervous, steeled his heart, channeled his innate talent, consumed his literary energy, and unleashed a Confucian technique.

Myriad Phenomena Cradle!

Ning Zhuo was surprised and looked at Kong Ran for the first time: "This familiar aura, could his innate talent also be—Early Wisdom?"

Under the blessing of the Confucian technique, Kong Ran's eyes became as clear as water, like an infant.

His memory was suppressed to the lowest layer, and he was like a newborn baby facing the heavens and earth for the first time. He observed the things before him with the situation of seeing them for the first time.

Although Kong Ran was young, he was not yet at the age to attend school. But his father was one of the Prime Ministers of the Flying Cloud Kingdom, holding high power, and Kong Ran had innate talent, so he was valued by his father. From a very young age, he specially invited teachers to come home to tutor him in various subjects.

Therefore, although his calligraphy foundation was not as good as Liu Fushu's or Bai Jiyun's, he still had a solid foundation.

Now, under the blessing of the Confucian technique Myriad Phenomena Cradle, everything around Kong Ran became something he saw for the first time. Besides being novel, they all became objects of enlightenment for a child, bringing him a constant stream of inspiration and guidance.

As a result, his previous calligraphy foundation could no longer interfere with him.

Kong Ran's writing speed was three-tenths faster than before.

A moment later, he pulled away from Ning Zhuo again, and the distance grew larger and larger.

The cultivators were amazed and talked heatedly.

"Is this innate talent?"

"According to rumors, Kong Ran possesses the Early Wisdom innate talent; now it seems this is true!"

"With the help of this innate talent, Kong Ran must be the winner this time."

Liu Fushu's eyes were bloodshot, and seeing Kong Ran writing faster and faster, he finally gave up in despair.

Such an advantage was too huge, leaving Liu Fushu with no hope of catching up.

At the same time, he also had thoughts similar to Bai Jiyun's: "This Flying Cloud Small Trial is different from the past; the questions are strange, and the rewards are too high. Could it really be to lead Kong Ran onto the path of Confucian cultivation?"

At this time, there were no more cultivators in the field participating.

After Kong Ran used his innate talent to perform the technique, he could be called a lone rider, making the cultivators instantly recognize the situation and stop one after another.

Only Ning Zhuo did not stop.

After a while, the cultivators saw that the gap between Ning Zhuo and Kong Ran was too large, yet Ning Zhuo had no intention of giving up, and they all felt impatient: "Is there any point in continuing like this?"

"Face reality. Your opponent is a child prodigy with innate talent!"

"I understand this big-headed boy. After all, he once saw the hope of winning, but when Kong Ran showed his background, hope turned into despair. The gap was too big, so he couldn't accept it for a while."

"Hmph, he is not a Confucian cultivator at all, purely an outsider. Participating in this Confucian Flying Cloud Small Trial must be out of interest, just to play around. With this kind of foundation, he actually dares to covet treasures from our Confucian cultivators?"

"That statement is a bit biased; Kong Ran is not a true Confucian cultivator either."

"But Kong Ran is only at the Qi Refining stage, while this boy is already Foundation Establishment. Since he is Foundation Establishment, he has already chosen his path of cultivation; why be greedy and try to pick up bargains on the path of Confucianism?"

"Hmm, that is indeed the case."

The discussions of the cultivators reached Ning Zhuo's ears; it was obvious they did it on purpose, but Ning Zhuo acted as if he were deaf, still going his own way.

Chu Xuangui saw this scene and nodded secretly in his heart. If nothing else, just this state of mind was already excellent at Ning Zhuo's age.

This Flying Cloud Small Trial had reached this point, and Kong Ran was far in the lead, but Chu Xuangui was still calm, without the slightest panic.

Of course, he also knew the information about Kong Ran; the matters regarding Early Wisdom and the use of innate talent were all in his calculations.

Chu Xuangui remained calm and continued to condense poems with his magic power.

As poem after poem went by, Kong Ran's face became increasingly pale, fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his entire upper body began to sway.

He couldn't hold on much longer!

Using innate talent to perform a technique not only consumed physical strength and magic power but also spirit.

In the past, he had also used the Myriad Phenomena Cradle to assist his learning, but he had never maintained it for so long.

The heavy burden forced him to the limit, and Kong Ran had to voluntarily stop this use of his innate talent.

His head was dizzy, golden light flashed in his vision, and he barely turned his head to look at Ning Zhuo, his body and mind feeling cold: "Why is this guy still persisting?"

Kong Ran began to make frequent mistakes.

His state was too poor; he had to write a poem at least seven or eight times to meet the standard and barely pass.

And a whole poem had at least four lines.

As a result, by the time Kong Ran finished one poem, Ning Zhuo had written four or five.

Under these circumstances, Ning Zhuo began to catch up steadily.

The cultivators were dumbfounded.

Many people did not expect that the situation would have such a reversal in the later stages.

"That's right, although Kong Ran is a child prodigy, he is only at the Qi Refining stage after all."

"Compared to the Foundation Establishment stage, his foundation is too weak to fight a protracted war."

"What a pity. If I had known this, I shouldn't have given up!"

The cultivators cast their gazes toward Ning Zhuo, their expressions very complex.

Thump.

A moment later, Kong Ran could no longer support himself and fainted on the spot.

Bai Jiyun and Liu Fushu hurried over to help and woke him up.

Kong Ran's body was limp, and he opened his tired eyes, watching helplessly as Ning Zhuo surpassed him.

"Ah, my Brush of Understanding!" He rolled his eyes and was so angry he fainted again.

Chu Xuangui slowly stopped his magic power and no longer condensed copybooks out of thin air.

He looked at Ning Zhuo expressionlessly.

The cultivators were silent for a while.

A few breaths later, Chu Xuangui nodded slightly and said calmly: "In this Flying Cloud Small Trial, you are the winner. What is your name?"

Ning Zhuo cupped his hands in salute, his attitude respectful, and his tone slightly trembling as he reported his name, to show his slightly excited emotions.

"Good." Chu Xuangui took out a token on the spot and handed it to Ning Zhuo along with the Brush of Understanding.

Then, he looked around and said in a deep voice: "In the past, the Ancestor of Writing created characters and left behind the Ancient Seal Stele. This stele is the national treasure of the Huazhang Kingdom, open to the outside world, and has always been looking for a successor who meets the requirements."

"However, countless Confucian cultivators, whether they are geniuses or great powers, have all failed before the Ancient Seal Stele."

"Although we are in the Myriad Phenomena Sect, we have the qualifications to recommend."

"Not long ago, I talked with a friend and gained some insights—thinking that the Ancestor of Writing created characters by imitating the shapes of talismans, creating the Ancient Seal Script."

"Since Confucian cultivators can't do it, why not start from talismans according to the origin of the Ancestor of Writing creating characters?"

After hearing this, the Confucian cultivators all showed a look of sudden realization.

Chu Xuangui showed a complex look and looked at Ning Zhuo: "You are not a Confucian cultivator, but that doesn't matter. I hope you will make good use of this Brush of Understanding to improve your talisman-making skills; if you can also study Confucian classics, that would be even better."

"When you have achieved success in the future and have confidence, bring the token to find me. As long as you pass the assessment, we will recommend you to go to the Huazhang Kingdom to try the Ancient Seal Stele."

Bai Jiyun's eyebrows relaxed: "So that's it! As expected of Mr. Chu Xuangui, I used the heart of a villain to measure the belly of a gentleman."

Liu Fushu clenched his fists secretly: "It's really a pity! I missed this opportunity and also missed the chance to come into contact with the Ancient Seal Stele."

"Mr. Chu Xuangui is worthy of being a senior of the Confucian school, always fair and just. He did not deliberately favor Kong Ran because of his Early Wisdom innate talent."

"From this Flying Cloud Small Trial, giving the victory to an outsider is enough to prove his character and morality!"

Kong Ran was still in a coma.

Seeing Chu Xuangui's words easily convince the public and completely clear his suspicion, Ning Zhuo's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he thought: "How amazing! Learned it, learned it."

Ning Zhuo saluted Chu Xuangui again, thanking him while also praising Chu Xuangui's morality.

Chu Xuangui did not want to be too close to Ning Zhuo, urged everyone to study hard, and turned to leave.

Without a Golden Core senior present, the atmosphere at the peak suddenly relaxed.

Many Confucian cultivators gathered around Ning Zhuo, taking the initiative to make friends with him.

Ning Zhuo did not refuse anyone, smiling, humble, and kind, giving people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

Finally, he took the initiative to walk to Bai Jiyun, Liu Fushu, and the unconscious Kong Ran: "Three fellow Daoists, it is fate that we met this time."

□

"It is currently lunchtime; why don't I host, I wonder if the three fellow Daoists can do me the honor?"

Bai Jiyun and Liu Fushu looked at each other and nodded at the same time: "Yes."

The place to host the three was the Blue Stone Cave Abode.

Ning Zhuo introduced Chef Lao, Qing Chi, and Gongsun Yan to the three, causing Bai, Liu, and Kong to look at each other again.

Ning Zhuo's attire was ordinary, but he had three followers by his side, plus his speech and demeanor, he was clearly not from a small family.

The three cultivators' evaluation of Ning Zhuo in their hearts was immediately raised by one level.

Even without using his signature dark cuisine, Chef Lao could still make delicious dishes.

Bai Jiyun and Kong Ran were one thing, but even Liu Fushu, despite secretly restraining himself, couldn't help but eat a little more.

After three rounds of drinks, Kong Ran bit into a chicken leg and finally couldn't help but ask: "Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, do you have any intention to sell that Brush of Understanding? My father is one of the current Prime Ministers of the Flying Cloud Kingdom; if you have any intention, feel free to name your price!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "The Brush of Understanding can increase one's realm, I have no intention to sell. However—I have a close person who possesses the Early Wisdom innate talent. Previously, Fellow Daoist Kong Ran seemed to use innate talent to perform a technique; I wonder if this method can be sold?"

"If it is feasible, this Golden Core will serve as a deposit."

The three cultivators couldn't help but shrink their pupils, their gazes fixed on the Ghost Dao Golden Core in Ning Zhuo's hand.