The plain-looking girl stared at the portrait for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "I've never seen it before."
The disciples of Qiankun Fortress, unsuspecting, went on to question other people.
Qi Yu watched him leave, touched her face, and sighed at how fantastical the world of cultivation was, where one could even change their face.
A gust of wind blew by, and a notice fell to her feet. Qi Yu picked it up and read that it was the admission notice for the Spirit Academy.
Several hundred years ago, a gap appeared in the barrier between the Demon Realm and the Boundless Continent, allowing the Demon Race to invade the Boundless Continent in one fell swoop. Many powerful cultivators perished in that battle. To prevent the human race from being unable to resist the Demon Race's next attack, the four kingdoms of Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger joined forces with several cultivation sects to establish the Spirit Academy, providing a place for human disciples with cultivation talent to study.
The four kingdoms occupy the four territories of the continent, one in the east, one in the west, one in the south, and one in the north. Each large city within their territory has a spiritual academy that recruits disciples every year.
It's currently the enrollment season for the new year, and notices are posted all over the city.
Qi Yu looked at the notice and pondered for a moment. She was all alone, without any cultivation techniques or spirit stones, so it would be very difficult for her to enter the sect. She might as well try going to the Spirit Academy, which would save her a lot of money.
She is now penniless and penniless.
Having made up his mind, Qi Yu grabbed the notice and prepared to go to the designated place to register. On the way, he brushed past a large group of Qiankun Fort disciples.
The leader suddenly said, "Stop."
Qi Yu was about to pretend she hadn't heard and continue walking when the man walked over and blocked her way. "Where are you from? I've never seen you before."
She looked up and met Li An's probing gaze. She lowered her voice and calmly replied, "I came from Yuncheng to find a relative or friend. It is understandable that you have not seen me before, Daoist."
"Oh? What's your relative's name?"
"He's a nobody, I'm afraid even you wouldn't know him if I told you. His name is Cai Gou, do you know him?"
Li An looked back at the group from Qiankun Fort and saw that they all shook their heads. He was about to ask again when Wan Jiayu, who was standing at the back, suddenly said, "Senior brother, I know a person named Cai Gou, but he is no longer in Wucheng."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu looked up at Wan Jiayu, who nodded gently at her. Qi Yu then said, "That's really bad timing."
Still somewhat skeptical, Li An glanced at her a couple more times, then turned and led the Qiankun Fort disciples away.
Watching them leave, Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Although his face had changed, his figure was still the same, so he still needed to be careful.
Wan Jiayu must have recognized her, but fortunately he didn't expose her.
The registration office of the Spirit Academy was deserted. A man in a blue brocade robe rested his head on his hand, almost lying on the table, and lazily dealt with a few people who came to inquire.
Qi Yu observed for a while and saw that the group placed their hands on a stone on the table. The stone occasionally flashed with a dim light. The man in blue glanced at it casually, shook his head, and the group left.
She stepped forward, but before she could speak, she was shoved aside by several people.
"Make way, make way, don't block the way, our Miss An is here to have her spiritual roots tested!"
Qi Yu's face paled for a moment when her still-healing wound was touched by a careless hand. She stepped aside and looked back to see who had pushed her.
Several servants, acting as if they were stars surrounding the moon, helped a finely dressed girl down from the carriage. The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with fair and smooth skin, and her hair was adorned with several exquisitely crafted butterfly-shaped hairpins. She was charming and lovely, but the only flaw was the strong displeasure on her face.
Miss An jumped down from the carriage and said impatiently, "Father is so annoying. I already said I didn't want to cultivate anymore, but he still forced me to come here."
She walked up to the man in blue and asked, "How do I test your spiritual root?"
“You cannot be tested yet,” the man in blue replied without even looking at her.
Miss An frowned. "Why?"
“If you want to have your spiritual root tested, you have to wait in line. It’s not your turn yet.” The man in blue robes leaned on the table and pointed. Everyone’s eyes followed his gesture to Qi Yu, who was watching the commotion from the side. “She was here first.”
Qi Yu blinked but didn't say anything.
A servant shouted arrogantly, "What do you mean by first come, first served? Do you know who Miss An is?"
Qi Yu, who was secretly observing, noticed the man in blue roll his eyes. He said, "The second young lady of the An Yao family is known to be shrewish and domineering in Wucheng."
"You! How dare you address my father by his given name! And which blind bastard dares to spread rumors about me?"
Qi Yu thought to herself, "Why would I need anyone to gossip? This young lady is practically a walking 'little firecracker'."
Ignoring Miss An's clamor, the man in blue beckoned to Qi Yu, signaling her to have her spiritual root tested.
Regardless of who arrived first or who was Miss An or Miss Li, Qi Yu walked straight forward.
The man in blue pointed to the stone on the table and said, "Calm your mind and place your hand on the spirit-testing stone."
Qi Yu exhaled, ignoring Miss An's death stare, and gently placed her hand on it. The spirit-testing stone felt icy cold to the touch, gradually turning scalding hot.
The spirit-testing stone flashed with yellow, green, blue, red, and brown light in succession.
The bored man in blue robes gradually became serious as he slowly sat up straight and stared intently at the spirit-testing stone that was filled with multicolored light.
Miss An glanced at the spirit-testing stone and scoffed, "Five spiritual roots? Isn't that just a useless person who can't learn anything well?"
Her entourage also started laughing.
"What are you doing here with five spiritual roots? Aren't you just inviting humiliation?"
"That's right, our young lady is definitely much better than her!"
Waste? Qi Yu's heart trembled. She tried to remove her hand, but the stone seemed to be coated with super glue, sticking to her hand tightly and refusing to let go.
The light grew brighter and brighter, and the spirit-testing stone became increasingly hot. Just as Qi Yu felt his hands were about to be cooked—
With a "crack," the stone shattered!
The man in blue suddenly stood up, grabbed Qi Yu's arm, and was about to take her away.
Seeing that the man in blue had abandoned his spiritual root testing stall and run away, Miss An hurriedly chased after him to stop him, saying, "I haven't been tested yet!"
Spirit stones are precious and rare. Although her family is wealthy, they still need to go through the Spirit Academy to have them tested.
The man in blue walked past Miss An without turning his head and said, "The spirit-testing stone is broken. Come back tomorrow."
Completely bewildered, Qi Yu was dragged away, asking in confusion, "How did the stone break? I didn't do anything! You're not going to make me pay for it, are you?"
She can't afford to pay for it.
The man in blue laughed out loud, "Don't worry, you don't need to pay."
He led Qi Yu to the front of a house, took out a jade pendant and shook it. In the blink of an eye, the ordinary house transformed into a magnificent architectural complex.
The plaque above the main gate bears four large, elegant characters: "Wucheng Lingyuan".
The bronze gate opened automatically, and the man in blue stepped inside. There were many people standing inside, and they all respectfully greeted him as "Senior Brother Mu Luo".
Mu Luo nodded casually, then led her through a maze of turns towards the depths of the Spirit Courtyard, knocking on the innermost door.
"Dean, the spirit-testing stone is broken!"
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