37 The Pride of Heaven (Part Nine)
◎The Beginning of the Selection◎
Outside Qianya Hall, in the square, disciples had already gathered in small groups.
Wherever there are crowds, there will inevitably be discussions.
"Hey, have you guys heard?"
"What's wrong?"
"Some time ago, I don't know who put the photo in Qianya Hall, but the matter of Elder Xi Shu of Qingxiao mistreating his disciples became known to all five sects and caused quite a stir. Guess what happened?"
What else can be done?
"Xi Shu is an elder. At most, he is just pushing his disciples to take the blame. He himself is only guilty of lax discipline. An elder is still an elder."
Ran Qinghe stood to the side with her arms crossed, turned her body to listen for a moment, and was quite displeased.
As expected, she had already thought of this. If Qingxiao were to admit to this, wouldn't that be trampling on the reputation of her number one sect?
However, just as she was about to leave, she heard the disciple say smugly, "Wrong! You've all guessed wrong."
She stopped and listened attentively.
"Xi Shu is no longer an elder!"
"Ah, what's going on? Fellow Daoist, please tell me in detail."
The disciple said, "It's strange. The mistreatment of a disciple actually alarmed the Qingxiao Sect Leader. When the matter reached the ears of the Thousand Sect Leader, he showed no mercy and immediately removed Xi Shu from his position as an elder. His disciples were also implicated. Alas, it's pitiful. They can only start as outer disciples of Qingxiao."
"Hey, tell me, who is this Ran Qinghe? Not only did she manage to destroy a spiritual vein and escape unscathed, but she also managed to drag an elder of a sect down with her."
"Could she be the daughter of Sect Leader Qian?" another disciple of Feifeng asked with a grin.
"Go away, go away! Do you dare to say such things to Master Qian? He has already lost his daughter, and you still dare to gossip about him behind his back."
The crowd that had been discussing the matter fell silent and scattered, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
The disciple of Feifeng smiled smugly, holding a snow-white cat in one arm and covering its ears with the other. This person was none other than Hua Jin, whom she had met once before.
Seeing those people leave as if they were avoiding a plague, he finally released the cat's ears:
"Meow meow, be good, we won't listen to those people talking about your mother."
Ran Qinghe: ?
If she wasn't mistaken, those people seemed to have only mentioned one girl, and that was her.
She had no idea when she had taken in a cat as a pet. She stared at him with a half-smile.
Hua Jin finally noticed the gaze behind him, turned his head, and his eyes immediately lit up with surprise. "Qing He, you're here?"
He showed no embarrassment at being caught red-handed, and instead smiled and leaned closer.
Ran Qinghe took a step back, creating distance between them, and refused, saying, "Fellow Daoist Hua, you can just call me Fellow Daoist Ran."
Hua Jin persevered and took another step forward, about to say something, when suddenly a gasp rang out from the crowd.
The bells of the Discipline Hall rang continuously, deep and resonant, echoing throughout the entire square, announcing the official start of the selection process for the Academy.
The three elders of Yunya Academy arrived at that moment, accompanied by the sound of the bell.
In mid-air, standing in the center was the Second Elder Lou Guan, while the First Elder Lou Li and the Third Elder Lou Zhen stood solemnly on either side.
According to Ran Qinghe's limited knowledge of the brief history of the cultivation world, the three elders already existed when Lou Yunya founded the Discipline Hall, so their ages should be roughly estimated to be over six hundred years old.
However, the three cultivators in mid-air could easily be mistaken for young men in their early twenties. The disciples below could not hide their astonishment.
Although cultivators can choose their own age after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, they still choose an appearance that matches their status. For example, Lou Yi is a middle-aged man.
It seems that even the elders of Yunya Academy are unconventional.
Elder Lou Guan spoke first. She was dressed in a pink long gown, and her whole person was like a shimmering peach blossom in spring. Her voice was gentle and soft: "You are all the pride of your respective sects. It is an honor for us to be here today to participate in the Yunya Academy selection conference."
"However, after the selection, it is regrettable that only five out of the nearly one thousand disciples present can remain."
"Some of you may be participating in the selection for the first time, so I think it's necessary to remind you of the selection rules of Yunya Academy before the selection begins."
"That is, life and death are irrelevant."
The moment those four words were uttered, the entire square erupted in an uproar.
Most of them harbored a sense of wishful thinking, as the selection criteria for Yunya Academy varied each time, sometimes consisting only of written tests without considering spiritual power. If they were lucky enough to encounter something they excelled at, they might just squeeze into the top five.
However, the prospect of encountering a martial arts test, where life and death are irrelevant, is enough to deter them from participating.
The Third Elder, Lou Zhen, released an invisible pressure, forcing the disciples present to temporarily stop their discussions.
Lou Guan suddenly turned his head and glanced at Lou Zhen. He immediately understood and withdrew his oppressive aura.
Lou Guan then continued, "The founding principle of the Discipline Hall was originally to promote harmonious coexistence among the five sects, and the same applies to Yunya Academy. You are all outstanding individuals from your respective sects. If you were to fight and be injured or killed during the competition, there might be discord between the sects."
"Therefore, before the competition, you all need to sign a life-or-death contract on this scroll."
The Grand Elder Lou Li did as he was told, and with a flick of his palm, a scroll pulsating with golden light floated in front of the square.
As the scroll slowly unfurled, Lou Guan thoughtfully added, "If any of you wish to leave now, you may do so on your own."
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in sighs and curses, creating a commotion. The mere act of signing a life-or-death contract had already deterred half of the disciples.
Most of them weren't highly skilled; they were just trying their luck and didn't want to risk their lives.
The once bustling square is now mostly empty.
Those who remained used their spiritual power as pens to inscribe their names on the scroll, thus acknowledging the fundamental rule that life and death were irrelevant.
Lou Li remained unsmiling and waved his hand to roll up the scroll.
Ran Qinghe thought to herself, "Perhaps the 'Little Improper' is also a disciple of this Elder. Their icy expressions are practically identical."
Just as he was lost in thought, a person suddenly appeared in front of the square, where the scroll had disappeared. It was Lou Tinglan.
He was dressed properly in the robes of a disciple of the Discipline Hall, the white and gold color scheme was extremely eye-catching, but he wore a white headband with gold trim that matched the color of his clothes on his forehead.
Suspicion arose in everyone's hearts.
Within this realm, those who cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness will have a mental tribulation mark manifested on their foreheads, resembling a flower ornament. Those who fall from the path, that is, those whose Path of Ruthlessness has been destroyed, will have the mark on their foreheads disappear after spiritual cultivation with someone, as if it were a public announcement to the world.
Therefore, those who have fallen into the path of corruption usually wear a headband to conceal their true nature. Although some cultivators do wear headbands simply for outward appearance, such people are still a very small minority.
Lou Tinglan's forehead ribbon was like a pebble on a calm lake, stirring up even bigger ripples.
Some people maliciously speculated that the head of the Discipline Hall might have already engaged in spiritual practice with others, which was why he was being so secretive.
The three elders frowned upon seeing this, but with the selection imminent, they managed to suppress their doubts.
Only Ran Qinghe knew that the red mole on Lou Tinglan's forehead, which was the external manifestation of the Dao Heart Tribulation Mark, had only disappeared temporarily, but she had no idea why.
Lou Guan coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention back.
"The selection test questions will be announced by Lou Tinglan, the chief disciple of the Discipline Hall."
The exam questions were jointly formulated by the three elders, who could take turns modifying the content and rules of the exam questions before finally handing them over to Lou Tinglan for safekeeping.
Therefore, the three of them only learned about the exam rules at this moment.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the test questions. Lou Tinglan calmly drew her Tranquility Sword and broke open the long box she was carrying.
Words gradually appeared one by one in front of him.
"This selection process requires participants to form their own teams of five. All participating disciples must complete the team selection process within 15 minutes before the start of the competition. Disciples who are left out will be eliminated."
The entire selection process is based on teams; if any member of a team is eliminated, the entire team will be disqualified from the selection.
Yunya Academy only recruits five people each year, which means that there is only one winning team.
As soon as this rule was announced, the hustle and bustle in the square grew even louder.
Under this rule, cultivators with higher cultivation levels will naturally be praised more highly, while cultivators with lower cultivation levels are likely to be eliminated during the team formation process.
Hua Jin deliberately dragged out his tone, saying, "Qing He, it seems we are truly destined to enter Yunya Academy together."
Ran Qinghe asked, "What is your cultivation level?"
Clearly, choosing a cultivator with a higher cultivation level as a teammate is the best option at present.
Hua Jin was taken aback, and guiltily touched his nose, saying, "I just broke through to the Golden Core Realm."
Ran Qinghe pointed to the white cat he was holding in his arms, "What about it?"
Fei Feng excels at beast taming. His low cultivation level isn't a problem; what matters is the spirit rank of the contracted spirit beast. Spirit beast ranks are divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with Heaven being the highest and Yellow the lowest.
Seeing that this raccoon was no different from any other pet kept in the mortal world, she frowned, wanting to refuse.
The raccoon clearly understood the deeper meaning behind her question and licked her outstretched finger in a flattering manner, but this action obviously stirred up some unpleasant memories for her, and her face darkened even more.
Seeing that Ran Qinghe wasn't buying it, its wet beastly eyes turned to Hua Jin.
“The spirit rank of the Crimson Maple Spirit Beast is a secret,” he said, scratching the raccoon’s chin. “But Qinghe, you are an exception in my eyes.”
He pointed upwards, as if hinting at something, "How about it, Meow Meow, would you be honored to team up with me?" He avoided using his own name and instead used Meow Meow, the name of the raccoon in his hand, to invite me.
She paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Okay."
Ming Yu, who was standing closest to Lou Tinglan, was staring intently at him. Lou Tinglan stood to the side, seemingly unconcerned about the situation, only returning Ming Yu's burning gaze with a casual glance when he noticed it.
Mingyu thought to himself that he had guessed it long ago. Lou Tinglan must have some selection rules. How stingy of him not to tell him in advance. Doesn't he know how many times his senior brother has failed to be selected?
However, he quickly realized that his junior brother Lou Tinglan and Ran Qinghe clearly had a close relationship. He refused to believe that Lou Tinglan wouldn't help him if he teamed up with Ran Qinghe.
He swung his folding fan and smugly approached Ran Qinghe, but to his surprise, she said:
"Fellow Daoist Ming, please stay away from me. I am a very superstitious person and do not want to be tainted by the bad luck of failing the selection."
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