Chapter 25: Former Reputation
The younger cultivator’s eyes twitched involuntarily. Did they just obtain a spot that everyone vied for in the span of a breath?
The old man added, “That said, Master mentioned that the price is not cheap. You won’t be able to change your decision after you’ve made your mind.”
“Even father thinks it’s not cheap? What is the price?” Bao Yun asked curiously.
The old man replied, “The boy from the Yan Clan of the Eastern Sea was pushed out, but his family used every trick in their book to secure another spot. However, you suddenly wish to go to the Palace of Absolute Beginning, so Master had no choice but to conduct the necessary negotiations and push out the Yan Clan a second time. Speaking of which, Master also said that capriciousness must have its limits. The decision will be final once you put your name down.”
Bao Yun smiled sweetly. “I’ve made up my mind. Everyone always said that I lack tempering. Well, there’s a ready-made whetstone right here in the Palace of Absolute Beginning.”
The younger cultivator looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, it all morphed into a sigh. Only the Bao Clan would think that Bao Yun was being “a little capricious”.
In another grand hall, Liu Sigu was giving eight candidates a lecture. Three people were standing in the front row, and Li Zhi was at the center of them. They were all prospective disciples of the Four Sages Academies. The other five candidates standing in the back row were prospective disciples who were joining grotto-heavens that were subservient to the academies. He had gathered them all together to impart the teachings of the sages.
The old Confucianist had launched into a lengthy discourse beginning from the sages’ travels across the lands, and he showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Knowing that the lecture would last at least an hour, and feeling like a rock was sitting inside his chest, the middle-aged Confucianist decided to step out and get some fresh air.
Although the Scarlet Tide Sect wasn’t a big sect, they had spared no expenses in holding this unified exam. For example, the entrance gate was arranged with considerable visual appeal and looked rather pleasing even to his discerning eye.