Chapter 9: Assessment Day

The academy assessment day arrived. Early in the morning, Lin Yaoyao dragged Lin Feiyuan to the square.

Their arrival drew a lot of whispering.

“The sun must be rising from the west! Why are they here?”

To be fair, people couldn’t be blamed for looking at them strangely.

Every time the academy held an assessment, Lin Feiyuan found some excuse to skip it. One time he claimed he was sick, another time he said there was a family matter. In short, he was a coward.

As for the original Lin Yaoyao, she had poor talent and no spiritual root. She always came in last. Later on, she simply copied Lin Feiyuan and made excuses to skip the exams.

The academy square was packed with not only Tiandu Academy’s people but also many onlookers. Quite a few were friends and relatives of the disciples, there to cheer them on.

Tiandu Academy was backed by the royal family and was the top institution in Tiandu Country. Most of the country’s prodigies came from this academy.

The annual assessment day was considered a major event. People from other countries even came to see the geniuses of Tiandu, hoping to make connections with future leaders.

At Tiandu Academy, Lin Yaoyao and Lin Feiyuan were hardly unknown. They were notorious clowns.

“Yaoyao, are we too early?”

Looking at the smug expressions on the geniuses around him, Lin Feiyuan felt uncomfortable all over.

“Third Brother, have you heard of the three elements of success? Heaven’s timing, earthly advantage, and human unity. We already have the earthly advantage. Standing in the front row is a plus!”

Lin Yaoyao had experience with saving seats. As a straight-A student in her last life, she had long monopolized the best seat in the library.

When Lu Yan’er arrived, the crowd was already packed in layers. She squeezed her way to Lin Yaoyao’s side, out of breath.

“Yaoyao, I heard from my father… To make this assessment fair, the academy elders won’t be judging. They invited outsiders instead.”

Lin Yaoyao nodded in agreement. The academy elders all had their own inner disciples, so favoritism was unavoidable.

As soon as the academy dean, True Person Li Qing, and his group appeared, the noisy scene immediately quieted down.

There was a familiar figure among the group, standing out particularly. More precisely, the half of his face that was visible was too fierce.

Why was Murong Tian here?

Lin Yaoyao was standing in the very front row. She waved at Murong Tian on her own initiative. He walked right past her without even a glance, treating her like air.

Even Lu Yan’er felt embarrassed for her. “Yaoyao, it seems your crush doesn’t want to acknowledge you.”

“He’s shy!”

Lin Yaoyao stared at that cold back and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth.

Murong Tian was a guest invited by True Person Li Qing. Along with him were the Grand Elder of the Xiaoyao Sect and the City Lord of Yunlan City. They were the main examiners for this assessment.

Elder Hong announced the rules of the assessment. There were three trials in total.

For the first trial, all disciples had to reach the top of Tianlao Mountain within four hours. Anyone who didn’t make it in time would be considered unqualified.

Tianlao Mountain had more than a thousand steps. The higher one climbed, the greater the pressure of the Heavenly Dao. Those with weak resolve would feel as if they were carrying ten thousand jin on their backs, every step a struggle.

Lin Yaoyao understood. The first trial tested a cultivator’s resolve. Only those with firm hearts would achieve anything in their future cultivation.

At the start of the trial, Lin Yaoyao, Lin Feiyuan, and Lu Yan’er walked together at about the same pace.

By the time they reached the halfway point, Lu Yan’er was running out of steam, getting slower and slower. Lin Feiyuan also stopped to rest from time to time. Lin Yaoyao, on the other hand, felt nothing. She walked as if on flat ground.

With more than half the time gone, Lu Yan’er and Lin Feiyuan urged Lin Yaoyao to go ahead, so all three of them wouldn’t be held up.

Lin Yaoyao patted Lin Feiyuan on the shoulder. “Third Brother, you are the future hope of the Lin family. I’ll wait for you at the top!”

Lin Feiyuan’s heart jolted. His eyes seemed to light up, and his body suddenly felt much lighter.

The “toxic chicken soup” Lin Yaoyao had fed him was working!

The further others climbed, the slower they went. Lin Yaoyao, however, quickened her pace. She soon overtook everyone around her.

“How did she get up here?”

Lin Yaoyao reached the top with ease. Quite a few people had already arrived before her, and they all looked at her as if she were some kind of monster.

There was still an hour left before the deadline. More people came in one after another, but there was still no sign of Lin Feiyuan or Lu Yan’er.

The deadline was approaching. In the final moment, Lin Feiyuan and Lu Yan’er appeared, panting and supporting each other.

Elder Hong announced the list of disciples who had passed the first trial. When he read out their three names, it caused quite a stir.

No one expected that Lin Yaoyao and her two companions could pass the first trial!

Two fools plus a spoiled young master, able to pass a trial of resolve?

What a strange thing!

“Elder Hong, did you make a mistake?”

“How did Lin Yaoyao, Lu Yan’er, and Lin Feiyuan pass?”

Many disciples questioned whether the three had cheated. Lin Feiyuan had never suffered such humiliation.

“I wouldn’t stoop to such dirty tricks!”

Lu Yan’er also shouted angrily, “I passed with my own strength! Anyone who keeps spouting nonsense, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

With those two clowns around, Lin Yaoyao didn’t need to step in and argue with anyone.

Elder Hong sternly stopped the disciples’ bickering and emphasized that with the Heavenly Dao’s pressure on Tianlao Mountain, cheating was impossible.

Lin Yaoyao and her two companions had successfully passed the first trial. The second trial required teams of two to enter the Trial Tower.

Inside the tower, there were low-rank demonic beasts. The task was to collect beast cores. Teams would be ranked by the number of cores collected, and only the top twenty teams would advance to the third trial.

Lin Yaoyao was paired with Lu Yan’er. Lin Feiyuan was paired with Gu Mingchun. Gu Mingchun was the youngest son of the Gu family in Changsheng. He was honest and simple, and he was the only one willing to team up with Lin Feiyuan.

The second trial was about to begin. Lin Feiyuan noticed Lin Yaoyao frowning, looking distracted, and thought she was afraid of the demonic beasts.

“Yaoyao, don’t worry. Once we’re inside the tower, I’ll protect you.”

Lin Yaoyao was thinking about what ability the second trial was really testing.

The demonic beasts in the Trial Tower were low-rank and didn’t require much spiritual power. Even disciples at the Qi Refining stage could kill them. So how could one stand out?

This was Lin Yaoyao’s first time entering the Trial Tower. She had imagined it would be dark and sinister, but the inside was actually a hidden paradise. Green trees shaded the area, and the atmosphere was peaceful.

From the moment they entered the tower, Lu Yan’er kept clinging to Lin Yaoyao’s arm.

“Yaoyao, where are these demonic beasts hiding?” Lu Yan’er asked in a low voice. Even her voice was trembling slightly. She had never killed a demonic beast before. Being her first time, she was bound to be nervous and scared.

“Don’t worry. They won’t come out on their own!”

After entering the Trial Tower, Lin Yaoyao finally figured out where the difficulty of the second trial lay.

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