As the admissions meeting approached, Zhuge Changdeng became increasingly irritable, especially today when Luo Fan came in to take his measurements.
He stretched out his arms, making one last attempt to save himself: "Can't we find someone else? You're more suitable than me in terms of both status and eloquence."
As the eldest disciple of Tianqi Academy, Luo Fan possessed considerable cultivation and was shrewd in his actions, making him indeed qualified to preside over the admissions ceremony. However, he declined, saying, "Senior brother, you are Master's only bloodline. Everyone will trust you to preside over the ceremony. Besides, you have been traveling around for many years, and Master has always wanted you to come back to be by his side and learn how to be a qualified successor. This is also a good opportunity for you to train."
"Have you all been brainwashed by my father? You all say almost the same thing." Zhuge Changdeng glanced at the sword on the table. "Besides, there's no need to make any new clothes for hosting the conference. How am I supposed to carry my sword in a long-sleeved robe?"
Luo Fan glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, no one will touch your sword. It's such a grand occasion as the admissions conference, you can't possibly still be wearing those tattered clothes."
“Ragged clothes?” Zhuge Changdeng: “My clothes may not be considered nice, but they are clean and without any patches. How can you call them tattered clothes?”
Luo Fan took the measuring tape, measured his arm and then his waist and leg length. "Alright, senior brother, stop complaining. Just bear with it for Master and Tianqi Academy. Come on, straighten your legs."
Although Zhuge Changdeng was usually fierce and domineering, in his heart, Zhuge Hongming was his only weakness. For his father's sake, even if he was unwilling, he could only accept his fate.
Pharmacy.
Herbs were drying in the courtyard. Qinghe stood beside the sieve, casually fiddling with them. This scene was strikingly similar to when he visited Zhuge Hongming in Tianqi Kingdom, except that he was no longer accompanied by Mo Junqian, but by…
She looked down at the pomegranate tree in the yard, where two little boys were sitting and playing a silly game.
"I'm telling you two, your combined age must be over a thousand years old, and you're still playing this kind of game."
Shen Xun glanced at her and said, "What do you know? This is a diversion in the long years. Back in the day, I survived to this day by playing games, otherwise I would have become a living fossil from boredom long ago."
“That’s right. You’ve only lived for twenty short years, so naturally you don’t know the terror of infinite life.” Tong said while picking up a pebble, “You’ll know our hardships after you become a god.”
The two men, speaking like elderly people, were lecturing Qinghe while playing a game of picking up stones that only six-year-olds would play. The scene was truly bizarre.
She raised her eyelashes and looked into the room, where the red light was particularly strong and lingered for a long time.
Half an hour later, the light faded and the door opened.
Qinghe walked towards Qirong, glanced into the room, and asked, "How is it?"
"Don't you trust my abilities?" Qi Rong said, "It's only half solved; the rest will take some time."
Qinghe: "Even you couldn't completely resolve this. It seems the person who cast the spell is very powerful. I wonder what their background is."
She pondered for a moment, glancing at Shen Xun out of the corner of her eye, "By the way, aren't you the Divine Book? You know the past and can foresee the future. Do you know who wrote it?"
Shen Xun stopped picking up pebbles, a flash of white light in his eyes, and after a moment, said, "I don't know."
Seeing that he looked unwell, Qinghe thought of his injuries and wanted to offer some words of comfort, but then heard him say, "That person deliberately avoided my detection, so he must have come prepared." Shen Xun looked at the two of them, his gaze slightly darkening, "It seems he knows us very well and knows our whereabouts."
"Could it be a demon?" Qinghe guessed.
The last time Ji Chen was seriously injured, the demon army was defeated and retreated to the wilderness. This long period of time is enough for the demons to recover. If the demons really make a comeback, trouble will surely follow.
It's unclear why they targeted Tianqi Academy this time. Was it a deliberate attack on Tianqi Academy, or was it, as Shen Xun said, a case of them tracking them down?
Everything remains unknown.
Two days later, the admissions conference was held as scheduled.
As one of the five major sects, Tianqi Academy is a prestigious and renowned institution. This time, it is holding an enrollment conference to cast a wide net across the human realm and recruit talented individuals. As a result, countless unknown cultivators and sects throughout the Chaos Continent are excited and flock to Tianqi Academy, hoping to make a name for themselves in the enrollment competition. Even if they cannot be admitted to the academy, it would be good to at least become a familiar face and broaden their horizons.
The enormous arena, the white marble steps, the towering pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes, and the viewing platform with thousands of circular seats all demonstrate the grandeur and immense wealth of Tianqi Academy.
Luo Fan specially reserved first-class seats for Qing and the others, with excellent views overlooking the entire arena.
The audience was full of talented people; they were all prominent figures in the Chaos Continent, or at the very least, people who had made a name for themselves.
Qinghe looked around and spotted Yu Zhi Qiu in the crowd, along with her maid, Mi'er.
Her eyes flickered slightly before she looked away.
The original novel does not mention Yu Zhi Qiu's identity, so she does not know it. Seeing her at the recruitment fair means she is also here to participate in the martial arts competition. It is unknown which sect she belongs to or whether she is a rogue cultivator.
However, he only thought about it briefly, and then put it out of his mind as the martial arts tournament officially began.
With a resounding drumbeat, the crowd fell silent, and the first person to step onto the stage was an unfamiliar face.
The man wore a wide robe, with a pendant on his chest, a jade pendant at his waist, and a long sword on his back. Coupled with his arrogant and domineering face, which looked down on everyone, and a long scar on his face, he looked like a bandit who had robbed a wealthy family. Even the gold and silver he wore could not hide the viciousness in his bones.
When this person suddenly walked onto the stage, everyone was confused and looked around for Dean Zhuge, but they couldn't find him anywhere.
Luo Fan, holding the speech prepared the night before, gestured to Zhuge Changdeng from below the stage: "Think about the speech you memorized last night, and speak up!"
Zhuge Changdeng straightened his posture and looked at the people below the stage in a pretentious manner. He cleared his throat for a while before saying, "It is an honor for our academy that you, esteemed scholars and extraordinary individuals, have come from afar to participate in the enrollment competition of our Tianqi Academy. Ah, isn't that right?"
He fidgeted with his hands and feet, and subconsciously touched his sword. The blade trembled slightly before returning to stillness.
"Well, since we're all guests from afar, let's stop here when we're competing. Let's not hurt anyone intentionally, so as not to damage our relationship, right?"
Luo Fan held up the manuscript, intending to interrupt his rambling, but Zhuge Changdeng had already given up and started to ramble on.
"As the saying goes, friendship comes first, competition second. If I find anyone using such underhanded and malicious methods, don't blame me for being impolite!"
His fierce tone did frighten some people, but many of the cultivators present were seasoned veterans who had traveled the martial world and experienced countless battles; they would not be so easily intimidated by him.
So, as soon as he finished speaking, someone questioned, "I have heard that Dean Zhuge is highly skilled and virtuous. Although he is over a hundred years old, he still looks like a middle-aged man. This boy is only in his twenties. He can't possibly be Senior Zhuge. Who are you? Why are you impersonating Senior Zhuge to preside over the admissions meeting?!"
Upon hearing this, the others also expressed their doubts: "That's right, this person can't even speak properly, how could he possibly be Senior Zhuge?"
"I saw Senior Zhuge when I was young. He was truly an immortal and awe-inspiring figure. But look at this man, he looks fierce and has a lot of nerve. He actually dares to impersonate Senior Zhuge. Isn't he courting death?"
The audience below the stage were buzzing with discussion, but Qing and the others were struggling to suppress their laughter. Only Luo Fan was rubbing his forehead, looking helpless.
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