Chapter 90: Foolish Humans
The "music" section of the test, it's not necessarily difficult, but it can't be considered easy either.
In the end, it all depends on the intention of the Confucian scholars guarding the mountain.
If Zheng Xingyu likes the dance, that's great. If he doesn't like it, he lightly hits it back.
Zheng Xingyu considers himself picky.
This Lu Cixian, although his dancing style is average, excels in clever ideas.
After some hesitation, Zheng Xingyu picks up a small hammer.
Thunk -
"Please, immortal friend, step forward."
As he watched the young man's back, Zheng Xingyu felt a slight sense of doubt.
This young man named Lu Cixian seems to have some real talent. Is this Lotus Seal real or fake?
After thinking for a while and not coming up with a reason, Zheng Xingyu simply stopped thinking. He unfastened the jade pendant around his waist and tapped it a few times.
[Little Star: I've let Lu Cixian and the Xiao family go. It's up to you next.]
When the elder martial sisters who were cracking melon seeds on top saw the jade pendant, their spirits were lifted uncontrollably!
Hmm, to pass two levels in such a short time, it seems like there's some significance to it.
After waiting for such a long time, finally a teachable little cabbage arrived!
"Next level, next level! Who is guarding the next level?" Lisheng Peak's six senior disciples turned their heads and asked.
"Is it the archery department?"
Walking on the mountain road, Xiao Boyu asked, "Is our immortal friend knowledgeable in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism?"
The young man walked steadily and spoke with a deep voice, "Not really knowledgeable in all three, but knows a bit about each."
After passing the "music" level, the next level tested their archery skills.
Xiao Boyu walked and raised his hand, conjuring a bow and arrows, and said with a smile, "I'm familiar with this level."
But just as he took a step forward, Qiao Wan sensed that something was wrong.
She looked up and saw arrows shooting through the air!
At first, it was one arrow, then two, and then countless arrows with feathers came flying!
Xiao Boyu was stunned.
What is this?!
Wasn't this level supposed to be about shooting targets with a bow? Why are there so many arrows?
This is clearly a plot to kill someone! They were supposed to be honorable and kind, but they're clearly trying to kill someone!
He's lying through his teeth!
Xiao Boyu quickly put away his bow and arrows. With a wave of his robe sleeve, he swiftly pulled out a big bell from his storage bag and threw it up into the air, covering himself!
As for the outside Lu Cixian...
Xiao Boyu sat down with confidence, crossed his legs, and casually smiled.
As the saying goes, if you can't pass this test, there's no need to make friends with this Confucian scholar!
Countless feathered arrows rained down from the sky!
There was no way to avoid them, they were unavoidable.
On a small hill, two young scholars stood side by side, both holding a large bow in their hands.
They pulled the bowstring back, shot the feathered arrows into the air, and halfway through their flight, each arrow divided into two, then four, then eight. By the time they reached their target, they had become a barrage of arrows covering the sky.
"This test is just about shooting, not about who is shooting," the female scholar said cheerfully, blinking her eyes as she curiously watched the young man on the mountain path.
Taoist Friend Xie, Elder Martial Sister Bai, and Senior Brother Meng are all coming to the mountaintop, but it's not easy to get to Lisheng Peak.
The checkpoints on Lisheng Peak were set up by Chongde Ancient Garden, Qingyang Academy, and a few other academies. The Three Teachings Law Meeting may sound like it involves all three teachings, but in reality, it's just a few academies and Taoist temples participating each time.
The Law Meeting has been going on for hundreds of years, but it's always the same few sects taking the top spots.
As for independent cultivators? Not a chance!
Over the course of these hundreds of years, a few sects have gained a monopoly, leaving the smaller sects and independent cultivators with nothing.
Little Cao Furong is young and mischievous, like a naughty child. She couldn't help but find it funny watching these two men trapped on the mountain road.
The other young Confucian cultivator, glancing at his younger martial sister, said solemnly, "Don't be arrogant."
Thinking about the message on the jade pendant, Zhao Qinglei couldn't help but look up at the mountain road.
He wanted to see if this casual cultivator that Zhang Wei and Zheng Xingyu were talking about had the ability to reach Lisheng Peak!
One of the feathered arrows flew straight towards his eye!
Qiao Wan pressed her lips together and raised her hand, a flash of spiritual power flickering as she swiftly and accurately grabbed the arrow in front of her.
The arrow tip stopped just in front of her eye, missing by a hair's breadth!
After the first arrow, a second arrow was launched, this time aiming for her forehead!
The young man tilted his head back to avoid the second arrow and caught the third arrow with his free hand.
The fourth arrow!
Qiao Wan remained calm, channeling her spiritual power to flick away the first and third arrows, creating a fan-shaped display of energy in mid-air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of arrows fell, one after another, in front of her!
"Huh?" Cao Fuyong called out in surprise, refusing to admit defeat as she continued to gather arrows.
The sound of breaking the air, one after another, the bowstring trembling lightly as the arrows whistled past!
Qiao Wan, or rather Lu Cixian, swiftly leaped and evaded, not allowing a single drop to pass through her defenses!
The young boy looked neat and tidy, moving swiftly without any hesitation.
There were several dangerous moments, causing people's hearts to jump!
"Great!"
Zhao Qinglei, upon seeing this, couldn't help but put down his bow and shouted softly.
"Senior brother!" Cao Fuyong frowned unhappily.
Zhao Qinglei turned his head and said, "Senior brother told us to stop them here. It's just a test. Did you really want to shoot someone to death?"
It was only a test, not a fight to the death.
If they wanted a fight to the death, they would have to stay at the Three Teachings Law Meeting.
The Three Teachings Law Meeting hadn't started yet, and no one wanted to reveal too much of their abilities.
Cao Fuyong stomped her foot helplessly and reluctantly put her hands down.
That young boy's ability to dodge the arrows was really impressive. She wanted to watch a little longer.
Zhao Qinglei thought for a moment and took off the jade pendant from his waist.
"I, Qinglei, have allowed these two to pass the 'shoot' test. I hope everyone will work harder in the future," the pendant shone brightly as Zhao Qinglei read the words aloud.
Oh no! Holy cow!
Seeing the glowing jade pendant, the Confucian cultivators guarding the mountain path became more excited!
"Did they really pass the level set up by Immortal Friend Lu so quickly?"
As they chatted and joked on the top of Lisheng Peak, the other five senior disciples couldn't help but mock the disciples from the "Shoot" sect upon hearing the news from the jade tablet.
Elder Martial Brother from the "Shoot" sect winced in pain.
"Didn't you guys think they climbed the mountain too easily?"
If they climbed the mountain so effortlessly, where could they possibly hide their embarrassment?
Upon hearing this, all six senior disciples felt a twinge of guilt and gathered together.
"Who's next?"
"It's probably the "Control" sect."
After passing through the arrow formation, Xiao Boyu confidently put away the bronze bell.
He felt no pressure for abandoning his teammates before the battle, and he smirked and said, "Immortal Friend Lu never disappoints."
Although Xiao Boyu and Xiao Boyang were brothers, they both looked down on each other. Xiao Boyu thought Xiao Boyang was a weak and useless person, while Xiao Boyang despised his older brother for being a scumbag.
The two of them may look similar, but when it comes to being cruel and shameless, the big brother is even better.
Qiao Wan didn't answer, she closed her eyes.
The decision she made was right.
She separated her soul and went to the Three Teachings Law Meeting.
Compared to what she had experienced on her journey. After meeting Jia Yin and experiencing the difficulties of Cen mansion the challenges she faced at the Three Teachings Law Meeting were nothing
If she wants to become stronger and control her own destiny, she can't just sit back and do nothing!
Although Venerable One Miaofa helped her suppress the demonic energy, ultimately it's her own responsibility. Qiao Wan clenched her lips and her eyes flickered.
If she becomes a bit stronger, maybe she can overpower this demonic energy with violence.
...
Once they passed the "shooting" checkpoint, the next one was the "commanding" checkpoint.
The further they went, the more ferocious it became.
Just as she stepped on the stone steps, Qiao Wan felt a sudden tremor beneath her feet.
Xiao Boyu squinted his eyes, looking puzzled.
Suddenly, a dark shadow rushed towards them from a distance!
Countless spiritual beasts galloped down from the mountain!
"Oops." Xiao Boyu quietly cursed, immediately understanding what these Confucian scholars were thinking.
There were too many spirit beasts, and the mountain path was narrow. As the spirit beasts rushed down like a roaring flood, Xiao Boyu swiftly dodged and barely landed on a tree.
Before he could steady himself, one of the wild boar spirits in the beast tide sensed something and turned around. With a quick kick, it charged towards the tree trunk.
Boom--
"Phew, that was close. We're safe for now," the Imperial Scholars cheered, knowing that this wave of spirit beasts would delay their pursuers.
Unbeknownst to them, Qiao Wan and Xiao Boyu saw their journey up the mountain as an opportunity to secretly compete and challenge each other.
In short, they couldn't let their guards down and allow them to easily climb the mountain. They needed to maintain their reputation!
However, they couldn't take it too seriously either. If they ended up blocking everyone from going up the mountain, there would only be a few familiar faces up there, which would be boring.
Finding the right balance was a problem to consider.
And now...
Miss Elder stood with her arms crossed calmly, looking at the Souvenir Jade Ball that had just been brought to the mountaintop.
How should they pass this level?
Xiao Boyu instinctively drew his spiritual bow as he watched the wild boar charging towards them. He was about to shoot an arrow, but then he stopped.
These spirit beasts were most likely raised by disciples from Qingyang Academy and Chongde Ancient Garden. If he were to kill them, it would not end well. Killing the spirit beasts was not a big deal, but offending their owners would be regrettable.
With this in mind, Xiao Boyu looked at the young man amidst the group of spirit beasts, asking, "Does Immortal Friend Lu have a solution?"
Qiao Wan glanced around her surroundings.
Dealing with one by one was obviously unrealistic unless they spread their spiritual awareness.
She was participating in the Three Teachings Law Meeting with a clear goal in mind. It wasn't just about winning, but about becoming stronger!
Becoming stronger meant making connections with more talented young individuals and befriending the best disciples in the cultivation world.
It was a common saying that those who associate with the virtuous become virtuous themselves, just as those who associate with the wicked become wicked.
Wanting to become stronger and find one's own shortcomings, hiding and concealing serves no purpose.
Therefore, on this journey, Qiao Wan had no intention of hiding her abilities. Not only did she not hide her abilities, but she also aimed to surpass her previous performance.
Closing her eyes, she activated her spiritual consciousness!
Her wildly spinning spiritual consciousness spread out layer by layer!
In just an instant, the restless spiritual beasts on the mountain path froze one by one and obediently crouched down.
Xiao Boyu widened his eyes in surprise.
...
In less than a breath's time, the "Yu" department was completely wiped out.
Successfully promoted to become one of the top six departments to be defeated in the shortest amount of time.
The jade plaques continuously lit up, receiving merciless ridicule from the Confucian cultivators of the other departments. The elder martial sister of the Yu department's face stiffened subtly.
Ouch... it hurts... so damn much.
"What comes next?"
"It should be the Book department next, right?"
Receiving the gazes of their fellow cultivators, Duan Chenghua from the Book department stood up with enthusiasm and cupped his hands. "Let our Book department have a go at this young man."
Hmm...
A few days ago, he asked his younger martial brother Gan Nan for a copy of a handwriting exercise.
He could see the image of a young boy with tears in his eyes begging for mercy.
Duan Chenghua took out the copy of the handwriting exercise from his bag.
Although his cultivation was a bit weak, Gan Nan's handwriting was exceptionally beautiful.
If the little white dragon found out that he was using Gan Nan's handwriting to compare with his own.
Ahem...
Duan Chenghua cleared his throat twice, as if he could already foresee the young man's tearful face turning red with anxiety.
...
They crossed the "御" section and could already see the peak of Lisheng Peak.
They just needed to turn a corner.
Xiao Boyu couldn't help but quicken his pace.
As they walked forward, a desk suddenly appeared, blocking their way.
On the desk, there was a copy of a handwriting exercise and a set of untouched writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
The disciple of the Book Department smiled slightly and said, "Congratulations, my immortal friends, for passing the previous levels. This level is called the 'Book' character level. If the characters you write can surpass the ones on this calligraphy, then you can pass."
Cultivators can also use characters as special attacks.
Beautifully written characters have a similar function to "verbal spirit." The better the characters are written, the more power they can unleash. When combined with poetry, they can be extremely powerful.
Xiao Boyu approached and picked up the calligraphy on the table. His heart sank.
The characters on the calligraphy were written with strong strokes, like a warrior drawing his sword or a dragon soaring in the sky. One could vaguely sense the grandeur of the calligraphy's owner.
Seeing Xiao Boyu's unfavorable expression and Lu Cixian's hesitation, the cultivators from the Book Department were full of energy and joy!
See, it's still our Book Department that is the best! Didn't we stop them?
Only cultivators from the Book Department would practice calligraphy in their free time!
We have to pass this level, but how can we do it?!
Qiao Wan picked up a calligraphy book and took a quick look. She had practiced calligraphy in her previous life too.
To be honest, Qiao Wan's handwriting was definitely not as good as the scholar who had been practicing for years.
But after her spiritual consciousness broke through, everything changed.
When she closed her eyes, she could clearly see all the calligraphy she had looked at and practiced in her mind.
After a short moment of contemplation, Qiao Wan prepared paper and ink, and held her wrist high as she picked up the brush!
Through the Souvenir Jade Ball, Duan Chenghua and the other senior disciples looked with great interest at the image on the jade ball.
The young man's expression was calm, and he wrote with strength, every movement elegant.
It's not just about looking good, the most important thing is what you can write.
After a while, Qiao Wan put down her brush.
The scholars who were practicing calligraphy came forward in astonishment and widened their eyes, "This is..."
This handwriting, they had never seen it before. It had both openness and intricacy, neat and precise, with an indomitable spirit.
Although her handwriting was not as good as Senior Gan's, this style was already distinctive.
Qiao Wan: "This is a style of writing called 'Ouyang Xun'."
Scholar: "Ouyang Xun? May I ask where this immortal friend is from?"
Qiao Wan blinked her eyes and started making up a story with a serious expression: "I come from a faraway kingdom overseas."
The scholar nodded thoughtfully, his eyes inadvertently falling on the corner of Qiao Wan's eyes, exclaiming, "Immortal friend, why do you have dragon scales on your face too!"
Qiao Wan remained unfazed, explaining solemnly, "We, the people of my kingdom, are descendants of dragons, that's why we have dragon scales at the corners of our eyes."
The scholar stood there stunned, looking at the dragon scales at the corner of the young man's eyes, doubting his whole existence.
Is... is that true?
A kingdom overseas?
The disciples on Lisheng Peak looked at each other once again, wondering why they had never heard of such a divine place overseas.
After the "Control" sect, the "Book" sect also fell without any resistance.
The disciples were all a bit confused.
It was unknown which young scholar shouted, "It has only been the time it takes for one incense stick to burn!"
Just one incense stick!
All the older disciples from the Mathematics Department looked unhappy.
"How come they managed to pass so quickly in just such a short time?"
"Isn't guarding the mountain just a game to them?!"
"Well, it seems like they are just playing around..."
"But even if it's just a game, these two people are completing the challenge way too fast. What will the other six departments do now?"
While the older disciples covered their faces in shock and speechlessness, a young senior brother suddenly stood up from the crowd. He had unshaven facial hair, a faint blue stubble on his lips, and was wearing a pair of grass shoes. He had a very casual look.
"The Mathematics Department!"
"It's Qi Feidao from the Mathematics Department?!" said Duan Chenghua and the other older disciples, surprised that they had forgotten about the Mathematics Department.
It wasn't entirely their fault though, because disciples from the Mathematics Department spent most of their time immersed in calculations.
"Wait," said Senior Brother Qi Feidao from the Mathematics Department with a mischievous smile. "There's still one final challenge left."
After all the effort they had put into the previous challenges, it seemed like it would all come down to the Mathematics Department in the end.
The young man smiled arrogantly, and the disciples of the Shooting Department disagreed. They sneered, "Don't boast too much, Mathematics Department. We'll prove you wrong."
The scholars of the Mathematics Department didn't back down. They raised their heads and said, "What? You don't believe us?"
"We, the Mathematics Department, seek to explore the mysteries of the world!"
Who knows, one day, they might even find a way for everyone to cultivate and become immortals!
"If you don't believe us, try solving these problems!"
With these words, the impact was strong!
The other five disciples felt discouraged when they heard this.
This mess is really difficult to solve.
The disciples of the Mathematics Department became even more proud!
Hmph! Tremble, foolish humans. ╭(╯^╰)╮
When it comes to procrastinating, no one can match the Mathematics Department!
As Qiao Wan climbed higher, the news about the jade tokens spread quickly among the mountain-guarding disciples.
One more step forward, and they would reach the peak!
If everything they had done so far was just for fun, the true competition among the talented youth of Lisheng Peak was at the peak.
Qiao Wan and Xiao Boyu had just reached the mountain peak, where many young students from the Mathematics Department had gathered. They were engaged in verbal arguments, intense fights, and throwing swords around. Nearby, a group of students in white clothes and priests with daoist hats were squatting together, doing something unknown.
But before they could take another step forward, they were stopped by a figure who emerged from the squatting crowd. The person had a friendly smile and said, "Please stop, my immortal friends. There is one final challenge."
"One final challenge?" Xiao Boyu asked in response. "Is this person a disciple of the Mathematics Department?"
While the Mathematics Department students were stopping people, the rest of the groups were silently observing through a Souvenir Image.
"We didn't specifically come up with the challenge," said a young scholar from the Mathematics Department. He took two steps forward, signaling for Qiao Wan and Xiao Boyu to follow. He pointed at a small area surrounded by the crowd.
On the ground, there was a large sheet of paper with several big words written on it.
"This question was set by a senior student from the Mathematics Department. It is placed at the peak, waiting for someone to solve it. If our two immortal friends can solve it within the time it takes for a candle to burn, then they will have passed the test of the 'Six Virtues of a Gentleman.'"
Within the time it takes for a candle to burn!
Xiao Boyu walked quickly forward.
Qiao Wan also walked forward and took a glance, her mouth twitching.
No...
This question seems too familiar, bringing back memories of her past life.
Who could have imagined that she, a simple and innocent female college student, would grow up to become a ruthless female demon who didn't hesitate to kill.
Qiao Wan had an expressionless face.
The title is quite fancy, but when translated, it roughly tells a story about a powerful being who has two immortal turtles. One is called Wuwu, and the other is called Guigui. They start crawling along a straight line. Wuwu can crawl 1 yard forward in the first hour, 12 yards forward in the second hour, and 12^2 yards forward in the third hour, and so on (the distance Wuwu crawls in the nth hour is 12^n-1 yards). Guigui can crawl 1n yards forward in the nth hour. The question is, how far can Wuwu and Guigui crawl in total?
But when Xiao Boyu saw it, his brain started spinning.
"What a mess! Who knows how far these two turtles can crawl?"
Xiao Boyu: "Can Immortal Friend Lu figure it out?"
"Is it possible? Can they do it?"
Before Qiao Wan could answer, they heard the voices of a Confucian, a Taoist, and a Buddhist, three young people.
Confucian Youth: "Ha! If they can solve it within an hour, I'll do a handstand till I poop my pants!"
The monk and the Taoist engaged in a challenging exchange of words: "If these two visitors can solve this puzzle, I will swallow excrement and end my life," said the monk defiantly.
The Taoist did not back down: "Your challenge is nothing compared to mine! If they can solve it within the time it takes to burn incense, I will do a somersault in mid-air and have an upset stomach!"
Qiao Wan, feeling surprised, couldn't help but think sarcastically: "Oh brothers, why do you hurt each other like this?!?!"
