I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 40 Five-Colored Soil

Even after Su Qing repeatedly expressed his stance, Xue Xiang and the others still couldn't feel at ease.

It wasn't until more than a hundred breaths later that the five of them successfully passed through the Dragon Gate, and their five hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally put at ease.

Su Qing immediately knelt down before the four men, saying, "I will never forget your life-saving grace."

None of the four looked pleased.

Before long, Zhao Fengchi, the student who had vouched for them, found them and led them to the verification office to confirm their identities.

Afterwards, Xue and the other four received their assigned numbers.

After another half cup of tea, they were led to a huge square, which was the Yunmeng Guard's martial arts training ground.

On the training ground, red lines marked the area codes. Xue Xiang and the other four dispersed and went to find their respective numbers.

Soon, Xue Xiang found his number in Zone C12.

After half a cup of tea, the training test began.

The first item measures one's cultivation level.

The examiner from District C12 was the first to explain the rules.

The Realm Testing Stone measures the realm. Level 3 of Qi Refining deducts four points, Level 4 of Qi Refining deducts two points, and Level 4 and above deduct no points.

The first test ended quickly.

Xue Xiang was surprised to find that in his district, C12, he was the only one at the third level of Qi Refining, and had his points reduced by four.

The rest of the group, the worst off being only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, numbered a mere five.

Next, the second test began, which tested the ability to move spirits.

Divide the space into thirty equal parts by drawing lines, and place a burning candle thirty steps away from the edge of the space.

The test subject needs to extinguish the candle using spiritual power from thirty steps away.

Those who can complete the task from thirty steps away will not be penalized.

Every five steps is a tier; if you take five steps more than the allotted, you will lose one point.

Xue Xiang had mastered the Wind-Stopping Sword and possessed extremely high spiritual abilities. He easily extinguished the candle flame from thirty paces away.

Half an incense stick later, everyone had completed the test and returned to their places.

Before long, a foul stench swept over them, and a dark shadow lunged at them.

The dark figure was over ten feet tall, with a scarlet mouth and fangs like knives, and it pounced fiercely like a long-armed ape.

In an instant, all sorts of weapons flew wildly through the sky.

Xue Xiang grabbed a long sword and thrust it out in a flash, striking the violent ape squarely in the face. The ape, in pain, staggered back several steps.

He looked to his left and right, and every scholar was facing a monster. One unlucky one was knocked down and dragged away by the monster the moment he met it.

"If you survive for 30 breaths, you will not be penalized. For every 5 breaths you fail to survive, one point will be deducted."

The examiner's voice rang out.

The raging ape pounced again, but Xue Xiang's longsword moved like a snake, swift as lightning. No matter how frantically the ape moved, as long as it rushed into the circle, Xue Xiang would always strike it first.

That violent ape was clearly not a living creature; each time it was struck, apart from a fierce howl, not a trace of blood was seen.

"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, stop!"

After the examiners finished counting, the entire room was filled with panting, and many people collapsed to the ground.

Xue Xiang was examining the sword in his hand when, suddenly, the sword flew away through the air.

"Didn't they say that the city examination didn't emphasize cultivation and that passing was enough? Why is it so terrifying?"

"Yes, we scholars can only practice guiding spirits into the body. Who takes the exam in the city and practices combat skills? This test is unfair."

"I was terrified! I didn't even last five breaths. That's a six-point deduction, oh my god..."

"........."

"Anyone who dares to discuss this again will be expelled from the examination hall."

The moment the examiner raised his voice, the entire room fell silent.

Next is the final item of this cultivation assessment: testing spiritual root aptitude.

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, two assistants in red robes quickly moved around, brushing past each candidate.

With a few flutters, dust of five colors settled at Xue Xiang's feet.

Xue Xiang was startled. He remembered that he had seen this five-colored soil before.

That time, when he left school in Zhaoyewu, he stepped on this five-colored soil as he exited the wooden hall.

At the time, I only thought it was left behind by a student whose jewelry had a hole, and I didn't think much of it.

At this moment, the reappearance of the five-colored soil made him uneasy. Suddenly, a wisp of golden dust rose from the five-colored soil, followed by a wisp of purple dust.

In just a few dozen breaths, black, white, and cyan dust particles rose one after another, each occupying its own territory, clearly distinct, and gently swirling around Xue Xiang.

"Three-colored mixed spiritual root, middle grade, deduct two points."

The examiner suddenly spoke, and fine dust of gold, black, and white was floating around the candidate next to him.

Soon, Xue Xiang figured out the evaluation criteria.

Single-color is considered superior, and two-color is considered good; neither of these two grades of spiritual root will result in a deduction of points.

Three colors indicate a medium grade, deduct two points.

Four colors are considered inferior, so deduct four points.

Xue Xiang's heart pounded; he still didn't know how many points Wu Se should lose.

Because, in the entire C12 examination area, there is no other person with a five-colored spiritual root besides him.

Finally, the examiner came to his side. "Five-colored spiritual root, inferior quality, deduct eight points."

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, almost everyone in the room turned to look at Xue Xiang.

Even the examiner sighed softly as he left.

It's a pity he was unlucky to run into the year when spiritual roots had to be tested.

We should still pay tribute to his perseverance in getting this far with such poor spiritual roots.

Xue Xiangxin is bleeding.

The cultivation exam uses a point deduction system, which means it's destined not to differentiate candidates.

And 99% of the candidates will score no less than 90 on the spiritual practice exam.

If it weren't for the Five-Colored Soil test for spiritual roots, Xue Xiang's score would have been 96, but now it's 88.

Half an incense stick later, the spiritual root level test ended, and the cultivation exam also came to an end.

With the sound of three drumbeats, the tense examination room finally relaxed.

The students wandered around, calling out to friends and discussing their scores.

Xue Xiang was in a bad mood. He felt he was ready and had studied the content of the cultivation exams over the years.

He couldn't understand why, this year, not only were their cultivation levels being tested, but also the grade of their spiritual roots, each strike aimed at his vital points.

"Brother Xue, how is it?"

Meng De was the first to come looking for them.

Before long, Zhou Mengyu and Li Peng also came over.

Su Qing was too embarrassed to come again.

The students announced their scores: Meng De 96, Zhou Mengyu 93, and Li Peng 92.

After hearing about Xue Xiang's grades, all three fell silent.

In the fiercely competitive city examination, even a single point can eliminate a dozen or twenty people. Xue Xiang's poor performance in the cultivation test almost ended his journey in the city examination.

No one knew how to comfort Xue Xiang, and for a moment, the scene became somewhat quiet.

"Brother Xue, I've been looking for you for ages."

Su Ziming appeared out of nowhere, looking relaxed, and said, "Brother Meng is here too? Everyone, how were the results?"

Knowing that Su Ziming and Xue Xiang didn't get along, the group ignored him when he arrived.

Su Ziming said to himself, "I am not very talented and only scored 98 points. I am ashamed."

"Go and die!"

Meng De put on a stern face and said, "If you want to brag, you don't have to worry about finding a place. Why are you here to join in the fun?"

Su Ziming came from a distinguished family, and the Meng family of Shannan was even more renowned. Meng De disapproved of Su Ziming's gloating expression.

"Brother Su, may I have a word with you in private?"

Xue Xiang suddenly spoke.

Su Ziming laughed heartily, "That suits me perfectly."

Amidst the astonished gazes of Meng De and the others, the two walked to a corner of the training ground.

Su Ziming looked at Xue Xiang smugly, and Xue Xiang spoke first, "Su Ziming, I'll f*** your mother."

Su Ziming's smile froze. He had never heard such vulgar language in his life and was immediately stunned by the insult.

"Was the five-colored soil of Zhaoyewu spilled by your dog?" (See Chapter 35 for details)
There will be another update at 6 PM.



(End of this chapter)