Chapter 62: The Next Round of Revitalizing the Cultivation World - 62% Complete
The opening ceremony was a great success and lasted for three days.
Three days have passed, and the next round of assessments is just around the corner.
While almost everyone on the internal network was speculating whether this round would involve a martial arts test, the assessment content was announced a day in advance.
Shen Suqi was amazed by the enormous map projected onto the table.
"It's practically the cultivation world's version of the Six Arts of a Gentleman!"
This round of assessments selects candidates from different fields, with only half of the monks chosen based on their respective specialties.
"Trinkets, artifacts, medicine, ghosts, Buddhas, cooking, physical fitness, martial arts, beast taming—it covers everything!" she exclaimed in amazement.
"Alright, alright, let's bring the chef along for fun." Su Xiaoyao gestured to Xiao Tingyuan, "Each person can only choose one area to challenge. What are your plans, martial arts or culinary arts?"
Xiao Tingyuan pondered: "The way of cooking is conservative."
"It's not conservative, it's guaranteed admission." Shui Fan, a level 10 internal network resident player, controlled all the information and trends. "There are only three candidates in total, including you, who are studying culinary arts. According to the exam rules, when the number of candidates is odd, the minority will be selected. This means that if all three of them go to culinary arts, only one person will be admitted. They are convinced that you will definitely come to this track and do not want to be a stepping stone. So after discussion, they decided to switch to martial arts. Martial arts has a large base of candidates, and it is better for them to gamble on half of the spots than to stay and fight for a slim chance."
"How do you know about their decision?" Xiao Tingyuan asked, puzzled.
Shui Fan crossed his arms and proudly held his head high: "The speed at which information spreads on the intranet is truly remarkable."
Xiao Tingyuan scratched his head: "Am I that good? Would it be unfair of me to say I went straight to the culinary arts?"
“Throughout history, there has only been one person who truly achieved mastery through cooking, and that is the Xiao family patriarch who personally taught you,” Su Xiaoyao said. “With his inheritance, you are undoubtedly the number one chef of our time.”
"I dare not accept this title," Xiao Tingyuan quickly waved his hand, feeling embarrassed to bear such a name.
Unexpectedly, not only did the God of Cookery, who had just awakened from his slumber, shout loudly in his mind, but Su Xiaoyao also earnestly corrected him.
She understood his concerns: "What's there to be ashamed of? It's just a fact. Don't think that entering the culinary world is unfair; culinary skills are also part of your abilities."
Helian Yi, feeling obligated to help, spoke up: "You should know that many people want to take shortcuts on the path of cultivation. Besides, this is not a shortcut for you. You have diverted your cultivation time to learning culinary skills and have achieved results in this field. This is all you deserve. Even if someone else has received the inheritance of the God of Cookery, they may not be able to provide food for tens of thousands of people a day at this age with abundant spiritual energy."
Su Xiaoyao looked at him approvingly.
Helian Yi rarely said things she wanted to hear.
She continued to say to Xiao Tingyuan, "Those people are flocking to the food of Bai Niang Qian Wei Lou not just to try it out. If they just want to eat dishes with spiritual energy, it is more convenient and cheaper to buy them in the system store. The reason they are willing to buy from you is because the food you make has more benefits. Don't underestimate your culinary skills."
“That’s right, Lao Xiao,” Shen Suqi also said. “It’s good to be honest, but don’t give up the opportunity for the sake of some vague face. Your strength is obvious to all. Everyone knows that you are the only head chef of Bai Niang Qian Wei Lou. Otherwise, why would other chefs avoid your sharp edge?”
Shui Fan already had a plan: "I can guess without you saying it. There will definitely be a lot of people on the intranet who are jealous of you. But don't let this shake you. If you fall for their tricks and give up the opportunity you have, it will only make them happy and laugh at your stupidity behind your back."
Xiao Tingyuan was unusually shy: "Don't worry, I never intended to give up the opportunity, I just felt I needed to be humble in my words."
He is very obedient and has never made a mistake in following Su Xiaoyao's instructions all these years.
Su Xiaoyao felt relieved, looked around, and labeled everyone.
She rested her chin on her hand and said, "Helian wields twin crescent blades, and Xiaolin, Xiaowu, and Xiaomian are all sword cultivators from the Liuyun Sect. You are all classified as martial artists. There are many martial artists, which has the advantage that the candidates' strengths vary. I think it won't be difficult for you to rank in the top half."
Xu Lingyou was a little nervous: "My cultivation level is not high, and I have not yet entered the Golden Core stage."
Wu Ji patted his shoulder reassuringly and said with a wry smile, "Senior brother, you've misunderstood. You can't compare yourself to monsters. In fact, your level is already above that of your peers."
Xu Lingyou was slightly taken aback, then suddenly remembered that he had spent so much time with Su Xiaoyao, Helian Yi and the others that he almost thought that twenty-year-old Golden Core cultivators were everywhere.
In fact, these individuals are all leaders in their respective fields.
He smiled sheepishly: "Spending so much time with you guys makes me feel like I'm far behind."
“No way.” Shen Suqi pointed to herself. “Don’t forget that you fought me to a standstill at the Lingzhou Grand Gathering last month. Since you acknowledge that I am a top-tier talisman cultivator, you should have confidence in your own strength. You are someone who has fought to a draw with a top-tier talisman cultivator, and you must be among the best sword cultivators.” Xu Lingyou’s cheeks flushed. “Thank you, I understand, Suqi.”
Shen Suqi wasn't nervous at all; on the contrary, she was very excited: "The rest of us happen to be in different fields, so let's wait to meet at the top!"
"Yay, see you at the top!" Su Xiaoyao cheered and raised her hand.
Shen Suqi understood immediately and gave her a high five.
"I'm afraid I'll fall behind," the quiet Dai Kui whispered.
Her lips were slightly pale from excessive tension. She subconsciously licked them, biting her lower lip with a tense expression.
"Huh?" Su Xiaoyao asked in surprise, "I thought you were the one I didn't need to worry about the most."
Dai Kui was even more surprised than she was when she heard this: "Me? But I was very late in the first round of assessments and my ranking in the second round was not high either."
“Rankings don’t mean anything.” Su Xiaoyao handed over a glass of water. “I’ve seen your written test paper. You got all the questions about spiritual herbs and poisons right. Even among medicine cultivators, not many can do that. Your knowledge is extensive and no worse than others.”
The top three papers were displayed on the intranet homepage, while the papers of the others were made public through a dedicated link. The deductions and additions were clearly shown and there was nothing to question.
As a qualified exam master, she naturally wouldn't just look at her own exam paper after the exam, but would also check other people's answers to fill in any gaps in her knowledge. Especially since the questions were drawn from the question bank this time, and everyone's exam paper was different, she picked out the papers of acquaintances and the top two hundred students to look at and noted down their wrong answers.
“Abundant…?” Dai Kui asked in a daze.
Only Huangfu Mian would ever use such words to praise her, but she thought it was just a comforting compliment.
Huangfu Mian took her arm: "Look, even Xiao Yao said so."
Dai Kui took a sip of water, and her brows relaxed a little.
“The real battle will begin after this assessment. I’m suddenly looking forward to that reptile making it to the end,” Shui Fan said abruptly.
When he said this, he stared at Jiang Yun, and everyone immediately understood what he meant.
"What was his name again? Registrar Wang?" Shen Suqi couldn't remember.
“Wang Yikun.” Jiang Yunben, who was leaning against the wall with his sword and resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes when he heard their conversation. “He is not weak. He will make it to the end.”
If Wang Yikun had lacked talent, the elders of the Liuyun Sect wouldn't have chosen him to be a ghost servant.
He's waiting for the day when he truly faces off against them.
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Author's Note: It's too late to visit relatives, so I'll write a transitional chapter today.
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