A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

About an hour later, the entrance to Yongning Temple was empty, and the candidates who had been crowding there had all gone into their respective examination rooms.

Duan Rong sat in the examination room number sixteen, where he saw all kinds of tools, all of them brand new.

Suddenly, a loud bronze chime sounded from afar, as clear as if it were piercing through the clouds and tearing through silk.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, the lottery ceremony had already begun. First, incense was burned and Buddha was prayed for. Then, the abbot of Yongning Temple drew the day's exam question from a jar prepared by the proctoring monks.

After the exam questions were announced, monks shouted in various courtyards: "First round, wrap the Buddha head in gold."

Then, the officers and soldiers of the Protectorate began to distribute stone materials and a paste of gold and amalgam to each examination room.

Each courtyard had one monk and two guardians from the Protectorate General's office, and the three of them would supervise the examination together.

After the paste of stone and amalgam was distributed, the candidates in each examination room busied themselves, while the two guardians from the Protectorate patrolled the courtyard. The thin, fair-skinned monk sat under the eaves, holding prayer beads, his eyes opening and closing intermittently.

For some reason, Duan Rong seemed to have a strange feeling that the proctoring monk seemed to glance at him every time he opened his eyes.

However, Duan Rong didn't have time to worry about him. This assessment was also very important to him. If he failed this time, he would have to wait another two years. Although he felt that his skills should be fine, only nine people out of hundreds could be selected. Even someone of his level would have to give it his all.

Duan Rong composed himself, ignoring the monk who was glancing at him, and focused on the carving of the Buddha head on the table.

Just as Duan Rong finished carving out the outline of the forehead, another monk suddenly entered the courtyard. He walked towards the monk sitting under the eaves, holding prayer beads.

The monk holding the prayer beads immediately stood up when he saw him coming.

The monk said, "Brother Shuiyue, the abbot is waiting for you in the abbot's hall. He said he has a few words to tell you."

The monk holding the prayer beads put his hands together and said, "Thank you for making the trip. I'll be right there."

The monk returned the greeting with his hands clasped together, then turned and left.

When Duan Rong heard the words "Shuiyue," his heart skipped a beat, and the carving knife in his hand paused. He turned his head to look at the monk standing under the eaves.

Wang Xun had told him that their spy at Yongning Temple, the guest monk, had the Dharma name Shuiyue. Given that this man had been glancing in his direction intentionally or unintentionally just now, it was undoubtedly Shuiyue.

Although they couldn't meet in person, Yang Ruoshui had mentioned that they had a way of communicating, and Wang Xun had already informed Shuiyue that Duan Rong was coming to participate in the assessment. Duan Rong was aware of this as well.

As for whether Shuiyue happened to be proctoring the exam in his courtyard, whether it was a coincidence or something he did intentionally, that remains unknown.

Shuiyue turned around and met Duan Rong's gaze. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Shuiyue walked over expressionlessly toward the two guards from the Protectorate who were patrolling over there.

Shuiyue smiled and said, "My lords, I'm going to see the abbot. I'll be back shortly. Please take good care of things here."

The two guardians said, "Master Shuiyue, please do as you wish. You can leave this to us. There will be no trouble."

"Thank you for your trouble." Shuiyue clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect, then turned and left.

Duan Rong watched Shuiyue leave the courtyard before continuing to carve the Buddha head on the table.

Not long after, Shuiyue returned to the courtyard and sat under the eaves, holding her prayer beads.

From morning until late afternoon, Duan Rong finally finished carving and polishing the Buddha head. Seeing that the sunlight was already setting in the west, he dared not delay and immediately used a fine brush to dip into a paste of gold and amalgam to begin gilding the Buddha head.

At dusk, the cawing of crows echoed from an old locust tree in the temple.

Suddenly, a resounding bronze chime, sharp enough to pierce through the clouds and tear through silk, came from the direction of the Mahavira Hall.

This means that the first assessment has ended.

Soldiers from the Protectorate had already entered the examination hall and collected the gilded Buddha heads from each examination room. Some were completed, and some were incomplete.

Some of the candidates who hadn't finished were pale-faced and on the verge of tears.

Aim for perfection, and you'll end up failing. Those who come to participate in the assessment are all quite capable, but those who focus too much on details and are too eager to do well neglect the time, ultimately failing to even finish the task. In such cases, there is absolutely no hope of passing the assessment.

After all, with only nine people selected from hundreds, the competition is incredibly fierce.

When the officers and soldiers of the Protectorate took away the Buddha heads, some candidates fainted in the examination room. The officers and soldiers shouted, and several people came over and carried the fainted candidates away.

After Duan Rong's Buddha head was taken away, he left the examination room. The stones distributed already had their respective examination room numbers on them. The materials from Yongning Temple were all prepared for the examination, and they were put into storage in batches according to their numbers.

Duan Rong stood there, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, the evening breeze bringing him a refreshing coolness.

There's another exam tomorrow, and all the examinees will be staying at Yongning Temple tonight.

Yongning Temple was the largest temple in Yongzhou, with spacious monks' quarters, easily accommodating over a hundred more examinees. Sometimes, during major Buddhist ceremonies, hundreds of monks and dignitaries from various regions would come, and Yongning Temple could still accommodate them all.

Not to mention the more than one hundred candidates who don't have high requirements for accommodation.

Duan Rong glanced at the last vestiges of sunset in the west, then turned to leave the courtyard.

He had just turned around when someone patted him on the shoulder and called out, "Zhu Shicheng! Not bad, you've come to take the exam too."

Duan Rong frowned, turned around, and saw a short, fat man in front of him, who was smiling happily at him.

But the moment Duan Rong turned around, the short, fat man's smile froze on his face. He paused for a moment, then said, "You're not Zhu Shicheng!?"

Duan Rong was shocked, but remained expressionless and said, "You've mistaken me for someone else."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and joined the flow of people leaving the courtyard.

Wang Cheng stood there, stunned, watching Duan Rong's figure disappear into the bustling crowd. A deep sense of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help but ask himself, "Did they mistake him for someone else?"

He turned around and looked at the examination room of Bing Shiliu beside him. He saw a piece of paper pasted next to the wooden sign, which read: Zhu Shicheng, Cunmu Hall.

Wang Cheng stared at the three characters "Cunmutang" and thought to himself, "Impossible!"

Even if Zhu Shicheng's name is just a coincidence, it's impossible that he was also recommended by Cunmutang. What a coincidence! It's unbelievable!
Duan Rong walked through the crowd, his face terribly gloomy.

This Wang Xun is indeed an unreliable guy.

Upon first meeting him at the mountain god temple, he felt that this man was reckless and would surely cause trouble in the future. At that time, Yang Ruoshui was his guarantor, and entering the Faxiang Sect through the examination was a ready-made path, so he entered Cunmu Hall and entrusted some matters to Wang Xun.

As it turned out, no one would care if Zhu Shicheng died, but he happened to run into someone who knew Zhu Shicheng in the examination hall.

"Wang Xun is such a shrewd operator, always looking after the immediate consequences," Duan Rong cursed inwardly.

But the deed was done, and he had to find a solution. Fortunately, they still had a spy at Yongning Temple, Shuiyue.

However, with so many eyes and ears around and Shuiyue being quite busy, Duan Rong planned to secretly visit Shuiyue at night when it was quiet to discuss how to handle the matter. Shuiyue and the two guards were still in the courtyard, directing the soldiers to put the collected Buddha heads into the rooms. The next morning, the old craftsmen from the Faxiang Sect would come to the temple to assess the results of the first round of assessments.

Duan Rong walked to the courtyard exit, glanced at Shuiyue who was busy under the eaves, and then walked out without lingering, following the flow of people to the Wuguan Hall.

The Five Contemplations Hall is where vegetarian meals are eaten within the temple.

Wang Cheng stood in front of the examination room numbered sixteen, lingering for a long time.

He tried to leave twice, but turned back each time. He was almost certain that Zhu Shicheng was cheating on the exam for someone else.

The Faxiang School of Buddhism had very strict selection and examination procedures for artisans. If anyone cheated on the exam, both the cheater and the person being cheated on would be imprisoned. However, those who reported such acts and whose reports were substantiated would be richly rewarded.

Wang Cheng hesitated because Zhu Shicheng was his childhood friend. Even if Zhu Shicheng found someone to take the exam for him and cheated, he could turn a blind eye. As the saying goes, one should be lenient when one can.

But he couldn't let go of the hefty reward for reporting it. If the report was substantiated, there would be a reward of ten taels of gold; money really does move people's hearts. Ten taels of gold was no small sum.

Wang Cheng thought about it. Over the past few years, every time he met Zhu Shicheng, Zhu Shicheng always had a cold and unapproachable demeanor, showing none of the warmth he would show as a childhood friend.

"Zhu Shicheng, don't blame me. Cheating on exams was something you were really thinking of."

Wang Cheng seemed to have made up his mind, and with a quick glance, he spotted Shuiyue standing under the eaves, holding Buddhist prayer beads.

He naturally knew that in terms of authority and responsibility during the examination, the monks of Yongning Temple had far greater authority than the supervisors of the Protectorate. Therefore, Wang Cheng did not go to the two supervisors, but went directly to Shuiyue.

In fact, when Wang Cheng first greeted Duan Rong, Shuiyue had already noticed him while standing under the eaves. Afterwards, he kept lingering in front of the examination room of Bing Shiliu, which further attracted Shuiyue's attention.

Wang Cheng walked up to Shuiyue under the eaves, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and whispered, "Master, I have something to report. I discovered someone cheating on the exam."

Shuiyue's expression froze for a moment. She raised her hand and pressed it down in front of her, signaling Wang Cheng to be quiet. She said, "Wait for me here. Don't go away."

“Yes, Master.” Wang Cheng noticed the solemnity on Shuiyue’s face.

Shuiyue walked over to the two guardians from the Protectorate and said, "I'll trouble you two to handle the matter of collecting the Buddha's head. I have to leave for a while."

The two guardians smiled and said, "Of course. Please go ahead, Master."

Shuiyue turned and left, and the two guardians couldn't help but mutter a few words.

Shuiyue walked to the eaves, glanced at Wang Cheng, and whispered, "Come with me."

Wang Cheng remained silent and followed Shuiyue out of the courtyard.

Shuiyue led Wang Cheng into a secluded room, closed the door, took out a tinderbox, and lit the lamps on the table.

Under the lamplight, both of their faces looked somewhat gloomy.

Shuiyue coldly asked, "Your registration certificate?"

Wang Cheng was stunned for a moment, feeling that the monk in front of him was like a completely different person, entirely unlike the warm and gentle demeanor he had shown in the courtyard before. Wang Cheng took out his registration certificate and handed it over.

Shuiyue glanced at it. "Wang Cheng? Guimu Workshop?"

Wang Cheng said, "That's right, Master. I am the candidate recommended by Guimu Workshop."

Shuiyue returned the registration certificate to him and said, "You just said that someone cheated on the exam for you. Tell me more about it."

Wang Cheng took a breath and recounted how he and Zhu Shicheng were childhood friends, as well as some information about Cunmutang.

Shuiyue listened with a gloomy face, inwardly cursing Wang Xun for being unreliable. How was he supposed to fix such a huge mess?!

Shuiyue saw that Wang Cheng had finished speaking, and based on his account, it was clear that Zhu Shicheng's cheating on the exam was already confirmed.

Shuiyue placed paper and pen on the table and said, "Come here and write down everything you just said, then sign and affix your fingerprint. I will go and verify it tonight."

“Yes, Master,” Wang Cheng replied. He walked to the desk, sat down, and began to write furiously.

Wang Cheng spent an hour writing at his desk, filling three large sheets of paper. Only after confirming that everything that needed to be written was written did he prepare to sign and affix his seal.

Shuiyue said, "Write it clearly, don't leave anything out."

Wang Cheng said, "Don't worry, Master, I have already checked it, and everything that needs to be written has been written."

After Wang Cheng signed and affixed his fingerprint, he stood up.

Shuiyue said, "Go ahead. I will let you know if there are any results after I have verified it."

"Yes, Master." Wang Cheng clasped his hands together in a salute and left the room.

It was pitch black outside, and the temple was completely silent.

Shuiyue made him write to stall him, at least until dark, to prevent him from seeing anyone else and reporting or spreading rumors about the matter. This was a preventative measure.

Shuiyue sat in the room, looking at the three large sheets of paper, her brows furrowed as she racked her brains for a solution.

It was already late, and the vegetarian meal at the Five Contemplations Hall was long gone. Wang Cheng, hungry, went to the monks' quarters. He would have to go hungry for the night and eat breakfast the next morning.

Wang Cheng asked several monks and found the place where the examinees were staying.

The candidates were assigned rooms according to their exam room numbers. Wang Cheng and Duan Rong's exam room numbers were not far apart, so they were assigned to the same large communal room.

These candidates, having taken the exam all day, were already exhausted. After eating vegetarian food, they lay down on the communal beds. Many were already asleep, while a few were chatting quietly.

In the room, dimly lit by a lamp, Wang Cheng found his spot, his eyes narrowing slightly. In the dim light, he recognized Duan Rong lying at the other end. However, Duan Rong simply lay back down in his place without showing any emotion.

Duan Rong naturally saw Wang Cheng enter as well.

About half an incense stick's time later, a soldier from the Protectorate General entered the large dormitory and called out, "Who is Zhu Shicheng of Cunmu Hall? Come with me, Master Shuiyue has something to discuss with you."

The other candidates, seeing that it had nothing to do with them, showed no reaction. Only Wang Cheng and Duan Rong felt a pang of anxiety.

Duan Rong sat up and said, "Please wait a moment, my lord, I've put on my shoes and socks."

"Hurry up!" the officer urged.

Duan Rong put on his shoes and socks and walked out of the room. At the door, the soldier stood there with his sword drawn, glanced at Duan Rong, and said, "Let's go."

Wang Cheng lay on the communal bed, watching Duan Rong's departing figure, overjoyed as if ten taels of gold were already in his pocket. In his mind, it was clear that Master Shuiyue had summoned Zhu Shicheng for interrogation. (End of Chapter)