Chapter 47: The Registration Exam
The next day.
Today was the day of the entry and qualification exam. The three of them rose early and headed toward the Celestial Master Hall. Only upon arrival did they truly grasp the scale — people stretched across the entire square like an endless sea. Most stood in groups of three or five, wearing coordinated uniforms. Clearly, these were disciples from various sects and noble houses.
Yun Jiao looked closely and noticed that most people had a copper coin hanging at their waists, marked with numbers from one to ten. Some, instead of coins, had embroidered symbols on their robes — flower-like emblems that looked part rune, part insignia. Some bore four or five flowers, others one or two. Those seemed to be the leaders of the copper-coin disciples.
Disciples like them — with no coin and no flowers — were rare. Yun Jiao guessed these were the level markers Old Zhou had once explained to her.
Although it was called the registration exam, most mystic disciples were actually here to renew or certify their rank. Suddenly she understood why that arrogant youth yesterday had been inspecting their waists — he’d been checking for rank markers. Seeing they weren’t even one-coin Celestial Masters, he thought they’d be easy targets to bully into giving up their room.
Speaking of that youth, Yun Jiao glanced around and soon spotted him ahead in the crowd. He had left earlier than them and was now just a short distance away. Clearly, he’d noticed them too. Remembering the painful three hundred taels he’d paid, his face twisted; he snorted coldly at them before disappearing back into the crowd.
Yun Jiao didn’t care — the money was already in hand. Old Zhou pointed forward. “Registration is over there. Let’s go.”
They nodded and followed him to the left, where four long queues had formed. Signs above each line showed which to join:
- One- to Five-Coin Celestial Masters
- Six- to Ten-Coin Celestial Masters
- Flower Rank (Shenghua)
- First-Time Applicants