Chapter 515: Passed

Li Wenying explained: "The founding emperor strictly regulated monks and Daoists, because once we obtain a license, we are exempt from taxes and corvée labor—in a sense, our cultivation competes with the people for livelihood."

Pan Yun fell silent upon hearing this.

Li Wenying said: "To control the number of monks and Daoists, the imperial court has been reducing the number of licenses issued these past years, conducting a census of temples and monasteries every twenty years, and destroying those that exceed their allotted quota."

The license examination is the first barrier to controlling numbers."

He glanced at Zhang Ziming, sneered, then looked at Pan Yun as if she were a naive child.

"Some things the academy won't teach, and can't teach openly—these are lessons your teachers must impart privately," Li Wenying said: "Master Wang is truly detached from fame and gain; to him, whether you pass the license exam doesn't matter—if you fail, he'll pay your taxes and labor for you. You need only focus on your cultivation, so he doesn't teach."

"The academy doesn't teach because the court seeks stability."

Zhang Ziming cleared his throat.

Li Wenying glanced at him: "Stop coughing—you're the academy's teachers, I'm not. The lessons that should be yours are now mine to give—aren't you ashamed?"

Li Wenying told the group: "The license exam can't be too hard, because among all monks and Daoists in the realm, fewer than one-third have truly entered cultivation—the other two-thirds are merely struggling to survive."

Li Wenying's voice grew quieter: "Only after survival can one cultivate the heart and body."

"The court must give these people a way to live, so the three-part exam includes mostly simple questions—only a few advanced ones to distinguish whether a candidate belongs to the path of survival or the path of cultivation."

"All three parts contain hidden questions—if one day you find you've answered nearly every question correctly yet still fail, it's because the hidden questions filtered you out."

Pan Yun: "... But won't this lead to widespread cheating?"

Li Wenying countered: "Isn't that also fate?"

Pan Yun snapped: "I don't believe in such fate."

Zhang Ziming elbowed Li Wenying and said to her: "Don't listen to him—there may be injustice, but I guarantee that under the gaze of the Three Pure Ones, the fairness of the license exam is no less than that of the imperial examinations."

Li Wenying nodded under Pan Yun's gaze.

He smiled sweetly: "If you don't believe it, wait and see—you won't pass this year, and you won't pass next year either."

Pan Yun:...

She snapped: "What kind of fairness is this?"

Li Wenying laughed heartily: "You're Master Wang Feiyin's junior sister, a genius of Mount Sanqing, able to hold your own against the heads of every Long Hushan academy, even fought Wang Zhen, and have ties to the Emperor... Your reputation precedes you, yet you failed the preliminary exam twice—this proves the Guangxin Daoji Office hasn't bowed to power or fame."

Pan Yun protested: "Fine, I didn't do well this year—but next year, who knows if I..."

Pan Yun fell silent: "Hidden questions?"

Li Wenying raised an eyebrow and smiled: "If even you can be filtered out by hidden questions, what else is fairness?"

Pan Yun actually found his logic convincing: "Looks like before next year's exam, I need to do fewer bad deeds and more good ones—to boost my luck..."

Seeing Pan Yun immediately prepare for next year's exam, even Li Wenying couldn't help but admire her resolve: "You just finished the exam—don't you want to mourn a little longer?"

Pan Yun: "What's there to mourn? I knew I failed the moment the ritual ended. What's done can't be undone—regret only adds illness and anger. Why bother?"

She said: "I'm looking toward the future!"

Miao He and Tao Yanbai also perked up as if energized, shouting in unison: "We're looking toward the future too!"

Seeing Miao Zhen looked from one to the other, she said: "Then I'll look toward tomorrow." Miao Zhen's tomorrow was bright and glorious.

At the hour of Si, they stood before the county office's notice board.

A Daoji Office official walked over with a red sheet of paper, pushed through the crowd, and slapped it onto the board with a sharp thump.

Pan Yun immediately saw Miao Zhen's name.

She screamed, Miao He screamed right after, and together they spun around and hugged Miao Zhen excitedly: "You passed, Miao Zhen!"

Tao Yanbai was also thrilled, opening his arms to join them in a group hug, bouncing up and down.

The surrounding Daoist Priests, seeing how young Miao Zhen was, felt nothing but envy.

A light cough sounded beside them. Pan Yun jolted, whirled around, her eyes brightening: "Senior Brother!"

Miao Zhen and the other two also looked up sharply, seeing Wang Feiyin smiling at them from a short distance away—immediately their eyes filled with tears, and they shouted together: "Senior Master!"

The four of them rushed toward Wang Feiyin like swallows returning to their nest.

No one missed a single word, a single thought, a single feeling!

Smiling Wang Feiyin was startled, quickly opening his arms to catch the four charging youths, shouting: "Don't charge, don't charge—oh my, these old arms and legs!"

The four clutched Wang Feiyin's sleeves like travelers who'd suddenly seen home, jumping and shouting around him: "Senior Brother, did you come here specially to meet us?"

"Senior Master, did you foresee I'd pass?"

"Senior Master, do you think I've lost weight?"

"Senior Master, I miss Mount Sanqing~~"

The four pulled on Wang Feiyin, sobbing.

Wang Feiyin hugged them, patting them with one large hand while laughing heartily: "I know you suffered in Jingcheng, so I made you something delicious to bring."

Wang Feiyin pulled out a food box, opened it to show them—the red date cakes and osmanthus cakes were still warm.

"Xiao Jing climbed the mountain and found a giant beehive, stole half a hive's honey, and gave me some—I used it to make these osmanthus cakes. All of you, one and all, love sweets—try them."

The Brocade Uniform Guards, seeing him produce the food box out of thin air, widened their eyes slightly.

In truth, they'd sensed something odd these past days—but this was the first time they'd witnessed it directly.

They instinctively gripped their swords, their minds swirling: Does the Emperor know about this?

Oh, just recently a bird demon attacked the imperial prison, and Palace Attendant Zhang intervened—so the Emperor certainly knows.

The Brocade Uniform Guards swallowed hard. They knew the world held mystics, alchemists, demons, even ghosts—but they never thought a person could truly conjure objects from nothing.

Thinking of Pan Yun's methods against Mu Xi, how many other strange arts might such people possess?

Pan Yun took a piece of osmanthus cake, drizzled with a touch of honey. She bit into it, her eyes brightening, nodding as she ate: "Senior Brother, your pastry skills have improved again."

Wang Feiyin smiled warmly: "It's mostly the ingredients—Little Sister, everyone must have a strength. Your Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, and Fourth Senior Sister each have their specialties, even your several junior disciples do. I think you should learn to make pastries too?"

Pan Yun buried her face in her food, pretending not to hear.

(End of Chapter)