Fu Yanyang flipped his right hand, his body form slanting forward as an agile sword strike attacked. Mo Chuan, seeing this flashy but impractical move, felt two parts contempt. His right palm swept up and explored toward the other’s armpit, carrying the ruthless determination for a quick decisive victory.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yanyang’s body suddenly shifted downward, and his hand magnificently thrust upward, not only narrowly avoiding Mo Chuan’s strike but the sword body also dangerously reached the other’s collar. Before Mo Chuan could react, Fu Yanyang straightened his body and the second move had already advanced—

Everyone was shocked. This sword technique appeared as insubstantial as theatrical performance at first glance, but before Mo Chuan’s solid and heavy fists and feet, it actually created a sense of ease. One could see his body form flashing east and moving west, exchanging strikes high and low, like a flying crane circling, rising and falling at will, making it impossible to grasp his direction.

Fu Yanyang followed the momentum, executing a move called “Wild Geese Landing on Level Sand,” drawing his sword forth. Though Mo Chuan had never seen this strange sword technique before, he didn’t dodge at all. He shifted one step forward to the side, his left hand striking a palm toward Fu Yanyang’s waist, while his right hand’s index and middle fingers split open and extended forward, clamping down on the sword tail—Fu Yanyang took a palm strike to the waist and retreated repeatedly, nearly losing his grip on the sword.

Three moves.

This Second Senior Brother indeed had no consciousness of treating younger martial artists gently—only on the third move did he begin using heavy strikes.

Changling had already silently moved to the side-rear position, arms crossed over her chest, her left hand forming the number one, her right hand forming the number four.

Fu Yanyang glimpsed this from the corner of his eye. This time his movements were half a beat slower than before, flowing like a small stream with no sharpness at all. However, when Mo Chuan’s long fist swung over, the sword edge quietly turned, suddenly becoming as mighty as a flying waterfall, forcing Mo Chuan to retreat, managing to muddle through another move.

The people below were astonished. Not only Fang Zhuyi, even Wang Xun, who had been disinterested all along, couldn’t help but lean forward, seemingly developing some interest in Fu Yanyang’s sword technique.

Fu Yanyang appeared extremely relaxed on the surface, but in his heart he was silently counting how many moves he’d completed. His pair of eyes had to watch and prevent being caught by the pigtail, while also dividing his attention to watch Changling’s changing hand signals—

The Lone Crane Sword technique only had five moves, each move divided into five nodes. Though he executed them smoothly, he had absolutely no concept of when to use which specific technique.

“After you go up, pay attention to my hand signals. The left hand indicates major moves, the right hand indicates minor nodes. Don’t deliberately defend your vital points—Qingcheng Academy would never dare joke with your lives.”

Sure enough, this Mo Chuan appeared violent and brutish, but when truly crucial spots like the throat, mouth, heart, and spleen were presented before him, he forcibly stopped himself. It was precisely in these moments that the Lone Crane Sword technique could bind his set of swift attacks—at this moment, Fu Yanyang on the platform was like a cunning puppet, with the puppeteer standing dozens of zhang away, calmly manipulating the situation on stage.

Five moves, six moves…

Mo Chuan became increasingly frustrated. Several times he found opportunities to kick Fu Yanyang out of the arena, but was forced to defend by that elusive sword technique. He was utterly perplexed—whether it was this brat’s upper body or lower foundation, everything was hopelessly weak, and the sword technique used wasn’t particularly brilliant either. So how was it that he was being forced to this point, with all his power having nowhere to be unleashed?

It was as if… the person he was sparring with wasn’t the person before his eyes, but rather a more profound and unfathomable master—silently drawing a prison around him from an unseen place.

By the seventh move, Mo Chuan finally lost all patience. His level of viciousness rose from “just don’t cripple him” to “just don’t kill him.” Changling couldn’t help but step forward, her eyes fixed intently on the stage, her hands rapidly changing finger positions—

But at this moment, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and pressed down on her shoulder.

Changling’s heart jumped. She turned her head to see the person give her a kindly smile. “Little girl, why are you standing here alone? Everyone else is over there.”

It was precisely that old man who had appeared to be sleeping earlier. She didn’t know when he had walked up behind her—she hadn’t even heard footsteps.

“It’s shady over there. I wanted to stand here and get some sun.”

Only three moves left. Changling couldn’t worry about whether she’d be detected. She turned back to glance at the battle situation on stage and was about to make another gesture when the old man blocked her view, chuckling twice. “Standing in this position for a bit is fine, but continuing to stand here would be inappropriate, wouldn’t it?”

Changling glanced at him sideways.

The implication was: I can turn a blind eye, but to let you cheat with both eyes completely shut? No way!

In just these two or three sentences’ time, Fu Yanyang on stage had already lost his rhythm. Without prompts, the Lone Crane Sword truly became a lone crane unable to sing, crashing into Mo Chuan who had been provoked into true fury like a wild eagle. In one instant, he was forced into a desperate situation.

Mo Chuan’s strikes were so fast and landed so heavily—how could he possibly withstand them? Seeing that Changling couldn’t help, Fu Yanyang had no choice but to change strategy, fleeing all over the platform with his head in his arms—

Everyone was dumbfounded. They’d seen people pretending to be pigs to eat tigers, but never a tiger turning into a pig. The Second Young Master Fu, who had seemed “quite promising” just a moment ago, started playing rogue under everyone’s watchful eyes. Even the ice beauty Fang Zhuyi couldn’t help but speak: “Fu Yanyang, what kind of nonsense are you pulling!”

As soon as she finished speaking, his long sword flew from his hand into the air. Fu Yanyang was kicked off the platform, rolling out covered in dust.

The academy student recording at the platform’s side called out loudly: “Nine moves—”

Fu Yanyang: “…”

Just one move short.

Changling, who had served as a “temporary Buddha’s foot,” sighed with slight regret. As they say, do one’s best and leave the rest to fate… When heaven decides someone should labor in vain, it absolutely won’t show mercy. Giving hope was purely just toying around.

Perhaps after that previous round of ups and downs, Mo Chuan no longer dared underestimate this group of young examinees. In the next several matches, he put in almost full effort. Therefore, the young masters who originally thought they were just going through the motions were all beaten until they cried out in pain. Even the rare one or two who barely passed couldn’t escape the wretched fate of bruised and swollen faces.

The old man probably also felt it was too excessive. During the mid-match break, he found Mo Chuan and subtly reminded him: “Our academy’s Scholar Tier students were already lacking in talent. As chief examiner, your primary task is to select malleable material for the court. As for the rules, there’s no need to strictly adhere to them at all times.”

Mo Chuan nodded, understanding completely and clearly: “Teacher is right. Mo Chuan will certainly do his utmost to kick out all those who are just making up numbers from Qingcheng Academy.”

“…”

As a result, after being enlightened, Second Senior Brother went full force and successfully performed a spectacular solo martial arts show on the Scholar Tier examination platform.

The academy student responsible for recording examination results looked at the page full of red circles and couldn’t help coughing a few times: “Number of male examinees who passed, a total of six—”

Forty reduced to six—one could say it was extremely tragic.

The female examinees who had watched postures of being beaten all morning were all secretly grateful their chief examiner was Young Master Wang.

Who would have thought that when Mo Chuan walked down from the platform panting, he saw Wang Xun calmly stand up and draw an iron-cast long spear from the weapons rack.

Mo Chuan wiped hot sweat with his sleeve, puzzled: “Eldest Senior Brother, why are you taking a spear?”

Wang Xun silently swept his gaze forward, matter-of-factly saying: “In case I encounter someone brazen, better to carry a weapon so they know that crashing into the muzzle absolves me of responsibility.”

The old man who hadn’t yet had time to speak in dissuasion nearly tripped from this statement.

If the first half’s chief examiner not showing mercy turned the examination into a torture ground, then this Eldest Senior Brother carrying a weapon in the second half… simply turned the competition platform into a fishing platform.

Those in the middle of their front routines were met with a spear pointing at their throat; those with flowing sleeves wanting to display the Phoenix Martial Nine Heavens technique were met with a spear pointing at their throat; even the type of girl spinning around the stage like a spinning top—Wang Xun added one extra step: trip her, then point a spear at her throat.

The current Chief Examiner Wang was completely different from that “leave people a way out for future meetings” Young Master Wang at Kaiyun Tower.

Watching the girls who had barely gotten on stage before coming back down, the male examinees who had been gathering to criticize their elimination finally quieted down.

…Speaking of ruthlessness, the academy students here truly ranked by seniority.

Wang Xun fought twelve matches without rest. Aside from Fang Zhuyi who passed with twenty-six moves, the other eleven female examinees—not one could last five moves under his hand.

Twelve reduced to one… even more tragic than the male examinees’ results.

Everyone present silently listened to the sounds of combat coming from the east district, unanimously thinking: Father above, I wonder if it’s still not too late to switch my application to Jianghu Tier student entrance examination.

Having reached this point, even the person calling names lacked enthusiasm, saying listlessly: “Jing… Jing Changting, please take the stage.”

No response.

“Jing Changting!”

Everyone couldn’t help but look left and right—could she have been scared away?

Fu Yanyang, who had been depressed for most of the day, raised his head at the call. Scanning the entire venue, he discovered the person in question was actually leaning against a tree… asleep.

“Sister Na—Sister Ting! Wake up, wake up…”

Changling rubbed her eyes and lightly exclaimed “Ah,” “Is it my turn?”

“How could you fall asleep at a time like this?”

“Oh, after you lost, I went to check the number order. I heard I was ranked last, so figuring there was still quite a while to wait, I came over to lie down briefly.”

“…”

Changling yawned and lazily got up to walk forward. The person in charge at the platform’s edge was impatiently shouting: “Who is Jing Changting? If you don’t come out now…”

“That’s me.”

Changling casually raised her hand and walked straight onto the competition platform. Seeing Wang Xun holding a spear in his hand, she blinked with considerable surprise.

Wang Xun saw her empty hands. “Where’s your weapon?”

“Me?” Changling still had that not-quite-awake appearance. “I don’t need one. Let’s just go like this.”

Wang Xun met her gaze and was inexplicably stunned, but didn’t lower his weapon because of this. Instead, he raised the long spear and said flatly: “Then let’s begin.”

Everyone was dumbstruck. Where did this beauty come from?

Her guts were way too fat—she actually dared to single-handedly challenge Eldest Senior Brother Wang who was carrying a spear?!

However, before they could express their astonishment, an even more shocking scene appeared—the Senior Brother Wang holding the long spear actually took the initiative first, directly attacking—how utterly shameless!

When Wang Xun executed his first spear thrust, Changling was already somewhat surprised—this spear technique had both substance and illusion, both speed and sharpness, and within its coldness carried three parts of sticky intent. In her memory, the once world-famous number one spear seemed to be this type… what was it called?

“Oh? The Startled Swan Spear.”

Seeing Changling immediately name the spear technique, Wang Xun said: “For such a young lady to have such broad knowledge…”

He executed three spear flourishes, gracefully thrusting forward. Though seemingly without killing intent, within the drifting movements was swift precision, making everyone dizzy watching. Fang Zhuyi suddenly stood straight, inwardly shocked: The spear force he used against me earlier was probably less than half of what he’s using now. What capability does she have that’s worth him treating her as a formidable enemy right from the start?

In a moment of distraction, someone suddenly cried out: “Look at that lady!”

Fang Zhuyi looked up and actually saw Changling turn a crossing step to the side, grasping the front end of the spear shaft barehanded. Using the Startled Swan Spear’s momentum, she rose into the air like a flying fish leaping from the sea, flipping naturally and landing behind Wang Xun. However, Wang Xun’s long spear wasn’t a step slow—with a “whoosh” it had already swept toward Changling’s waist, only to miss again. Her toes tapped the spear tip, using the force to land in another direction—thus, she’d passed another move.

Wang Xun’s brows furrowed. Though he hadn’t seen her skills clearly that day at Kaiyun Tower, the fact that she had dissolved the Lingering Absolute Fist in an instant told his intuition that this woman should absolutely not be underestimated, so he hadn’t held back from the start.

But… this lady had been dodging left and right from the moment she took the stage without a single active attack—what was going on? Did she plan to complete the entire match just by “avoiding”?

Wang Xun hadn’t guessed wrong. In Changling’s view, since the rule of this match was to last ten moves, then she only needed to dodge ten moves. Why bother getting serious?

Whether it was martial arts foundation or comprehension, this Young Master Wang could be said to be in the upper tier among his peers. Given time, he would certainly become an outstanding figure in the martial world. Why would she damage a young person’s spirit in such an insignificant match?

As for deliberately losing… the Startled Swan Spear’s power wasn’t weak. If she really got hit by a spear thrust, that taste probably wouldn’t be too pleasant.

Thus, this self-proclaimed “elder generation” master calmly jumped up and down in the “junior’s” relentless spear formation. When counting to the eleventh move, she consciously leaped off the competition platform.

Everyone: “…”

The academy student responsible for recording had his mouth twitch, making a mark in the register. “…Jing Changting, ten moves, passed.”

Changling turned back and cupped her fists toward Wang Xun. “Many thanks for Senior Brother’s mercy.”

Below the platform, Mo Chuan, watching the icy-faced senior brother rarely show some expression, couldn’t help but stroke his chin, saying to the old man beside him: “Teacher, this junior sister is quite interesting.”

“Number of female examinees who passed, a total of two—”

The old man glanced at Mo Chuan with disdain. Adding them all together didn’t even make ten—he didn’t know how to explain this to the director.

As soon as Changling returned to position, the examinees couldn’t help but cast admiring glances at her, especially those who had been eliminated—they all secretly resolved to study the art of running away properly.

Fu Yanyang, seeing that both Fang Zhuyi and Sister Ting had successfully passed while only he had been left behind, inevitably felt dejected. “Why is my luck so terrible? If only I’d dodged one more move…”

Changling thought for a moment and offered an incongruous consolation: “Blessings never come in pairs, misfortunes never come alone. It’s nothing really.”

“…Sister Ting, I think you went to the wrong place. The Imperial Academy next door would be more suitable for you.”

At this moment, Mo Chuan stood up and waved his hand, gathering everyone together again to announce: “Due to this term’s Scholar Tier student numbers being too low, the Vice Director has decided to recruit two more temporary academy students. As long as you pass subsequent assessments, you can be formally admitted. Fu Yanyang, Cai Ji—you two stay behind as well. Everyone else who didn’t pass, please follow me this way.”

Fu Yanyang was so excited he nearly jumped up. “Did I hear that wrong? Did I pass?”

Changling glanced toward the front. In this blink of an eye, how had the Vice Director learned the Scholar Tier examination results?

The other one called Cai Ji, holding his swollen face, said happily: “Which one ith the Vithe (Vice) Direthtor? I need to thank him properly.”

After the eliminated examinees walked away, that old man shuffled onto the platform and lightly coughed: “This old man’s surname is Shu. I am Qingcheng Academy’s Vice Director. The Scholar Tier students’ literary classes, martial arts training, living arrangements, and meals are all under this old man’s supervision. From now on, you may call me Vice Director Shu, Teacher Shu, or Mister Shu, but don’t call me Master. Rest assured everyone, as long as you earnestly study the way of martial arts, this old man will certainly teach wholeheartedly and never hold back. But if there are those muddling through, coming here just to pass time, this old man will expel you from Qingcheng Academy at any time. Do you all hear clearly?”

After Vice Director Shu spoke this long speech with impressive authority, the prospective academy students below began whispering among themselves.

“Can’t tell this old man is the Vice Director…”

“I just thought he was a janitor…”

“He alone teaches everything? Is this Scholar Tier department reliable or not?”

Just as Old Shu was about to lose his temper, Wang Xun below coldly rebuked: “The Vice Director asked you a question—do you all hear clearly?!”

“Heard clearly!” came the uniform response.

The completely lacking-in-authority Old Shu helplessly held his forehead. “Then now… Xiao Wang, you lead them. After the east district finishes, prepare to participate in the entrance ceremony together with the other academy students…”

“Yes, Vice Director.”

The Scholar Tier examination here had ended, and the Ordinary Tier side had also reached the final stage.

Although the numbers were large, they adopted a two-by-two advancement group trial mode. Five competition platforms, over a hundred people—ultimately, those who made it into the top thirty would pass.

However, it was heard that due to the battle situation being too tragic, the thirtieth-place examinee suffered internal injuries and was urgently carried away. They made an exception to keep the thirty-first place as a substitute academy student—probably because Qingcheng Academy liked recruiting students in round numbers. This way, with ten people standing in a row, they could form a proper square.

After bustling about all day, those still able to stand firm were all heroes and stalwarts.

The Scholar Tier students who had originally felt extremely unlucky looked at the Ordinary Tier students with injuries atop their heads and finally felt their privileged treatment.

The academy students had all assembled. Besides the new students, there were sixty or seventy senior brothers and sisters, with Wang Xun and Mo Chuan standing at either end.

Three grand master chairs were arranged at the front of the hall, presumably prepared for Mo Daoyun and the two Vice Directors.

Changling was getting somewhat impatient waiting.

Hunger was one aspect. The other aspect—she was waiting for Mo Daoyun to appear.

The truth from back then, who was human, who was ghost—she needed to understand clearly.

Just as she was thinking this, someone called out loudly: “The Director arrives—”

Everyone straightened their backs. Two figures strode out from the inner hall—the relatively short and thin one was Old Man Shu. He had changed into a water-ink long robe and finally had somewhat of a senior’s appearance. The other was over eight chi tall, walking with head held high, and though past the age of no-confusion, a proud aura naturally emanated from him—undoubtedly Mo Daoyun.

Changling’s fists unconsciously clenched tight.

Eleven years ago, Mo Daoyun had been just a slovenly swordsman in gray robes. Eleven years later, he was the lofty Director of Qingcheng Academy. Though much had changed, those shrewd yet deep eyes were no different.

Wang Xun had just taken a step forward and inquired with his gaze when Mo Daoyun raised his hand and pressed down, signaling him to wait.

Whispered voices quietly rose again among the academy students. Three positions but only two people seated—they wondered what kind of distinguished person this other Vice Director was to make Director Mo wait quietly.

Just as they were puzzling over this, suddenly a hearty laugh came from behind: “My apologies, I encountered some minor trouble on the road and kept the two Directors waiting.”

Hearing the voice, everyone turned their heads back. A sweep of white robes approached leisurely, waist bound with a jade belt, atop his head a blinding golden crown, paired with those eyes full of laughter…

The moment Changling saw who had come, all the emotions she’d accumulated—”truth,” “old grudges,” and various others—scattered at once. Before she could even manage an eye roll, as the certain Marquis passed by her side, he used the concealment of his wide robe to poke her with a finger.

“…”

Mo Daoyun and Old Man Shu had already stood up, simultaneously cupping their fists: “Your Lordship.”

“No need for courtesy. From now on we’re all colleagues. Speaking of seniority, I should still regard you two Directors as my elders.” Ye Qi stepped forward and returned the courtesy. Though his words were modest, the aura of “significant background” emanating from his entire being couldn’t be concealed at all, intimidating the academy students into holding their breath, their curious gazes shooting straight up at him.

Mo Daoyun said: “This is Dongqi Marquis He. From today onward… he will be the Director of our academy’s East Campus.”