Ruan Bei had never even considered participating in the exchange competition before.
After all, he had only been a disciple for less than a year, and it felt like he should still be under the protection of his master and fellow disciples, acting as a cheerleader. How did he suddenly become a contestant?
Ruanbei is not acceptable, Ruanbei is not feasible.
He was in a daze, and when he returned to his dormitory that night, he called his master.
He still remembered the important matter, so he first inquired about the abnormality on Lu Sibai's body. The black aura that could be sensed by ghosts was contained within the human body, but they couldn't detect it.
Fortunately, Xu Ziduan was a knowledgeable and experienced master of the Xuanmen sect; otherwise, with his two disciples constantly encountering all sorts of strange and rare cases, he wouldn't even be able to help them solve their problems.
After thinking it over carefully, Old Master Xu gave Ruan Bei a possible answer.
He said that if the two ghosts were not mistaken, there was indeed black energy inside Lu Sibai's body. If it was not in the human body, then it was hidden in his soul.
It's unclear what those black wisps are, but they're definitely not good stuff.
Ruan Bei was very wary of Lu Sibai, and Qin Gu suggested from the side, "What if we distract him? Will we be able to figure out what it is?"
“No way.” Xu Ziduan refused outright: “Since the body has no reaction, it must not be among the seven souls; it is most likely hidden in the life soul.”
Qin Gu helped Ruan Bei, whose basic knowledge was not comprehensive, to explain that the life soul is the main soul of a person, and the length of one's life depends on it.
When the soul departs, not all three souls and seven spirits escape; the exact number is uncertain, but the vital soul must remain within the body. If it doesn't, the person truly dies, unable to return to the body after death.
Therefore, the black energy was hidden in the soul, and even if Lu Sibai's soul was disturbed, he could not see anything.
Ruan Bei was still unwilling to give up: "Isn't there any way to examine the soul?"
He felt that the black aura might be a clue. He desperately wanted to know who was behind Lu Sibai and wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible to put his mind at ease.
After a moment of silence, adhering to the belief that knowledge is infallible, the master finally told Ruan Bei that the only way was to search the soul.
The name itself suggests a bad method, and it is indeed so. This is a method used by evil practitioners. It was invented in the past to torture people and dig out their cultivation methods.
After the soul is searched, the person whose soul was searched is ruined. Their three souls and seven spirits are damaged, and in their next life they will either be stupid or disabled, or even both.
Such methods, which bring calamity to the next life, are truly insidious and are the most abhorrent and unacceptable.
Xu Ziduan explained it to his two apprentices once, emphasizing the consequences but not the specific methods.
This soul-searching spell was almost lost, but he naturally knew how to use it. However, he had no intention of passing it down; there was no need for this spell to be passed on.
Although Lu Sibai was very bad, so bad that Ruan Bei felt he wouldn't feel it was wrong if he died, it was still a bit too much to bring disaster upon his next life.
Hearing his master say this, Ruan Bei sighed and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he asked about the exchange competition.
"Master, do I really have to participate in the competition?"
Like Ruan Bei, Xu Ziduan was also stunned for a moment when he first heard the news before he realized that his little apprentice's skills were now good enough to graduate.
Once you graduate, you have to participate in exchange competitions. Putting everything else aside, you need to let your peers get to know you, and whether you have a good relationship with your master or not, you need to establish a connection first.
Whether you get good results on your first trip is another matter; the important thing is to get to know everyone first.
Not everyone is Qin Gu, who caused a huge uproar in his first competition and beat up everyone he knew and didn't know.
Xu Ziduan wasn't exactly a strict teacher to his two young apprentices. He sensed the unease in Ruan Bei's voice and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, it's just an ordinary exchange match. With an elder looking after you, there won't be any major problems."
Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment, then pushed Qin Gu into the dormitory and told him not to eavesdrop. He then hid on the balcony and grumbled, "Master, what if I don't behave well?"
Their Xuanqing Temple is a prestigious sect, and his senior brothers and nephews are all so powerful. If he doesn't perform well, he will bring shame to the sect.
Xu Ziduan chuckled, surprised that his little apprentice was worried about this. He had thought that with his talent, he should have more confidence than anything else.
But then he thought about it again. He didn't usually interact with his peers. The only person he had the most contact with, Qin Gu, was also a genius, and a genius who had been cultivating for many years. He guessed that Qin Gu probably didn't understand what level his cultivation was among his peers.
I wanted to explain it to him, but then I thought that it wouldn't be a bad thing to let a talented apprentice keep a humble heart.
So he comforted Ruan Bei, telling him to do his best, that he was young and had limited experience, and that even if he didn't succeed this time, he could participate again in the future.
Ruan Bei thought about it and realized it made sense. Just like taking an exam, he had no experience since it was his first time and hadn't had much time to learn. He should just do his best and even if he didn't do well, he could learn from his mistakes and strive to get good grades in the future to show his master and senior brothers.
Ruan Bei wanted to ask Qin Gu about the results of the exchange competition, but he felt it wasn't appropriate to ask his master behind his back, so he swallowed the question.
Unexpectedly, before he even asked, his master brought it up himself: "Xiao Bei, when you go to participate in the exchange competition, you must remember not to be like that rascal Qin Gu."
"Kunkun? What's wrong with him?"
The master sighed, hesitated, and finally said, "You'll understand when you get there. Remember, don't be like him, and make more friends."
Ruan Bei: "...Okay, okay then."
Although they couldn't solve Lu Sibai's problem, they didn't dare to leave it unattended. In addition to having the Eastern Suburb Ghost continue to monitor him, they also asked a local colleague from Jincheng to help look after him, in case anything happened and at least help protect his family.
The two of them have to participate in the annual exchange competition.
Before, there was only Qin Gu, so it was easy for him to fake illness and ask for leave. But things are different in college.
The exchange competition lasts for half a month to a month. Last time, it was hosted by Xuanqing Temple. As a disciple of Xuanqing Temple, Qin Gu went there in advance to help with the work and stayed for more than a month.
Although it won't take as long this time, it will still take at least half a month. Getting leave from the school is a problem; they can't both be sick to the point of being unable to attend classes.
Ruan Bei had little experience in skipping classes, but Qin Gu had a way.
He called his fourth senior brother and asked him for help.
Feng Ningrui has an uncle who is ostensibly a renowned expert and scholar in literature and cultivation, but in reality, he is an extremely skilled artifact maker.
Professor Feng came to Jinzhou University for academic exchange and lectures. He then recognized the talents of two students and selected them to participate in an academic activity with him. Would the university disagree with this?
The school readily agreed, saying that this wasn't a leave of absence but a normal teaching practice activity, and not only would they not lose credits, they would even add practical credits for it.
Ruan Bei once again enjoyed the pleasure of getting things done through connections and having powerful backers. He was overjoyed, except for the slightly uneasy look in his two roommates' eyes.
The exchange competition began in mid-to-late March, and Qin Gu's birthday is March 3rd.
His family celebrated his birthday at home at noon, and in the evening, some of his close classmates and friends gathered at a hot pot restaurant outside the school.
Ruan Bei was learning to make magical artifacts. He originally wanted to make a powerful one, something that, while not as good as the Yu'an Umbrella, would still be useful, and give it to him.
However, he had only been learning for a short time, and the magical artifacts took a long time to form. He couldn't make such powerful ones now, so in the end, we could only find some rare talisman-drawing materials for him, which he had painstakingly obtained by completing tasks and exchanging contribution points.
He still felt that this was not enough, so he secretly inquired with Weiming and Weilan and tried to make a special kind of talisman paper.
This talisman paper is different from ordinary talisman paper. It contains a plant called Thunder Pattern Grass, which is especially suitable for drawing thunder talismans and can enhance the effect of thunder talismans.
However, the key to making talisman paper is smoothness and strong inclusiveness, but the Thunder Pattern Grass is very explosive, so this kind of talisman paper is very difficult to make.
His son, Kunkun, loves using thunder talismans. To give him a surprise, Ruan Bei started preparing before the new year, making them secretly, even burning his hair once.
However, he was indeed talented in handicrafts and gradually mastered some tricks, making a large box of thunder pattern talisman paper for Qin Gu.
Qin Gu had mastered the art of using thunder talismans, so naturally he was aware of the existence of thunder pattern talisman paper. However, while this kind of talisman paper was useful, it was extremely difficult to make. Given the time, he could draw several times more thunder talismans.
So ever since he failed once and burned a bunch of materials, he has never touched this thing again.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Bei gave him a large box of finished talisman paper. Recalling the burn on Xiao Bei's finger before, and the boy holding the box with bright eyes in front of him, he felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.
"Use this first. If you like it, I'll make you another one later." Ruan Bei felt that these things were still a bit lacking compared to his Yu'an umbrella, but he really couldn't make a better gift.
"Okay, from now on, only make it for me." Qin Gu's voice was slightly hoarse as he pulled Ruan Bei into his arms, rubbed his chin against Ruan Bei's soft hair, and couldn't resist secretly touching him with his lips.
The kiss that landed on her hair was so light that Ruan Bei didn't notice it at all. She even happily opened her arms, wrapped them around Qin Gu's neck, and looked up at him with a smile.
Qin Gu closed his eyes, hiding the surging emotions within them.
He desperately tried to convince himself that there were only four months left, less than five months, and if he just persevered, Xiao Bei would be his.
But four months is such a long time, over 120 days, nearly 3,000 hours, it's just too long...
Qin Gu, who was almost driven to madness by his own suffering, continued to endure it for the sake of his future.
In mid-March, they went to the capital with Master Feng, whom they publicly called Professor Feng but privately called Senior Uncle Feng.
That's right, this year's exchange competition is being held in the Imperial Capital, because the organizer this year is Reianji Temple, located on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
Ling'an Temple is an ancient temple with a history of over a thousand years. Its status in the Taoist community is comparable to that of Xuanqing Temple. However, Xuanqing Temple has been hidden away for many years and is not as well-known as Ling'an Temple among the general public.
Since this year's exchange competition was held in the capital, the authorities certainly couldn't ignore it. Although it was said to be hosted by Ling'an Temple, the Special Affairs Bureau's field operations department dispatched a large number of people to assist in the organization.
Ling'an Temple is wealthy, being the most popular temple near the capital, so it's hard for it to be poor. Therefore, the hotel it booked for the attendees was also quite nice, a four-star hotel. Many independent monks arrived early and settled in, enjoying themselves immensely every day.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu arrived relatively late because they had attended two extra professional classes.
However, they didn't get to stay in a free hotel. As soon as they got off the plane, they saw Jiang Ran waiting outside with a sign held high in his hand. Many people who got off the plane were looking at him, and he was very happy.
Ruan Bei glanced at them, then quickly covered his face, pulled Qin Gu along, and hid in the crowd, hoping to slip through unnoticed.
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