The sage was determined to die.

At this moment, Ji Bai had no idea that if anyone else had encountered such an opening, they would probably be dead already.

He reached out and wiped his face, only to find that the flower juice was like paint and couldn't be wiped off by hand alone, especially since his hands and clothes were already red.

On the bright side, this can be considered a good start.

Alone, Ji Bai took out the jade compass. At this moment, he was dyed red from head to toe, but the compass was still as clean as new, without being stained with any color.

The compass, which looked unremarkable, was now fully activated, pointing Ji Bai with an arrow that led east.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ji Bai immediately walked in the opposite direction.

If anyone else obtained this compass, it would be like having an extra life in the mountain of books. But Ji Bai was different; he came here to die.

"Just in case, it's better to die at someone else's hands," Ji Bai said with a troubled expression. "But how can I become famous in this mountain of books?"

As he walked, he left a long trail of blood on the ground...

.

To the west, in the Puppet Forest.

The State of Chu is currently stationed here.

If we were to say which of the states has grown stronger and more powerful over the past century, none would surpass the states of Chen and Chu.

It wasn't because their rulers were particularly diligent and caring, but because the five great families gave them more places to enter the Academy of Scholars. With more places, there were more scholars, and naturally, the two countries became stronger and stronger.

Unlike the State of Qi, the State of Chu had an absolute leader who ruled every time the Book Mountain was opened, namely their prince.

In the encampment, Prince Chu Ze of Chu was also holding a compass. This compass looked very similar to the one in Ji Bai's hand, but its function was much simpler. It could only determine one thing: whether the other party was human.

Chu Ze was eating a fruit that could only grow in the Book Mountain. It was non-toxic but extremely bitter, and most people would never dare to eat it, but he ate it without changing his expression.

"Brother, we've caught a few more people."

When Chu Ze's younger brother came to deliver the good news, this was the scene he saw. He glanced at the fruit in his brother's hand, frowned, and said, "Brother, why are you eating this again? If you're hungry, eat some nutritional pills. This stuff doesn't taste good."

His brother was practically forcing himself to endure hardship. He thought to himself.

"Hmm." Chu Ze tossed the fruit pit aside and said, "There must be Wenxin near the Puppet Forest. If I'm not mistaken, there should be more than one. Let them scout ahead for us."

The transmission of books to the mountain follows a pattern: when scholars from neighboring countries are transported to the mountain, the distance between them is usually not too far.

The State of Chu borders many small states. This year, the State of Chu has 120 places for the Book Mountain competition, while the neighboring small states have as many as seven or eight places, or as few as two or three.

Before entering the mountain of books, Chu Ze ordered that people from these small countries should not be killed immediately, but captured to scout ahead for them.

The so-called "exploration" is nothing more than using them as stepping stones.

Chu Ze calmly stood up, followed closely by his younger brother. The two arrived outside the Puppet Forest, where the people of Chu were already waiting. When they saw the two princes, their faces showed genuine respect.

On the scorched earth, the scholars from several small states were bound tightly and gagged. When they saw the prince of Chu, their eyes were filled with deep fear and anger.

Chu Ze took out his compass, determined that these were all people, and then calmly drew his sword, severing the ropes binding one of them. The man cursed, "Your Highness, our country and the Chu Kingdom have never had any enmity. Why is the Chu Kingdom treating us like this!"

The prince responded by waving his hand, and the sword that could cut through iron like mud instantly fell to the side of his neck, cutting off the hair by his ear.

He swallowed hard, suppressing his courage.

The prince looked at him as if he were a dead object, and said, "As a prince of Chu, I always keep my word. This place is the Puppet Forest. If you can stay here for one night without dying, I will let you leave."

"But inside..."

Before the scholar from the unfamiliar small country could even make a final struggle, the long sword pierced his throat. He almost instinctively grabbed the blade to protect himself, but in the end, all he could do was stare wide-eyed in disbelief.

"I'm very busy."

Ignoring the fallen corpse, Chu Ze looked at the stunned others, casually took the handkerchief his brother offered, wiped his soiled longsword, and said, "Do you have any more objections?"

The others shook their heads in fear.

A moment later, the scholars from the small country reluctantly walked into the puppet forest.

"Oh, what a pity."

Chu Xi didn't care about the lives or deaths of these people, but her tone was melancholy: "Many scholars in our Chu Kingdom gained their literary talent in the Puppet Forest, but the highest they ever reached was the third rank, not a single one was second rank."

He looked at his elder brother, who was also the future ruler of the State of Chu.

Chu Xi hesitated before asking, "Brother, are we really only capable of possessing third, fourth, or even fifth-grade literary talent, and not something higher?"

Chu Ze remained silent for a moment.

The State of Chu survived the last great war and is not unaware of the whereabouts of second-rank or even higher-rank literary talents; however, knowing the news does not mean one is qualified to obtain them.

"It's different, Axi," Chu Ze said calmly. "Back then, the State of Qi was incredibly powerful. Two consecutive rulers possessed the first-rank literary talent, and Qi's scholars sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain. For a time, it overwhelmed all other states, and no other country could compare to it."

He glanced at the sky. The sky inside the mountain of books was different from the outside world. It wasn't blue, but a pale red, as if blood had been stained and painted onto the sky.

"But as long as Bai Yujing makes a move, hasn't the Qi Kingdom declined to its current state?"

Chu Ze stared at the group of scholars' trembling steps and said, "The second prince of Qi, who is now almost a cripple, was once a prodigy, but what use is he now?"

Chu Xi sighed in frustration beside her.

Yes, even if they obtain a second-grade or even first-grade literary talent, they still can't keep it.

A scholar who has lost his literary talent is already ruined even if he doesn't die.

Just as Chu Xi was about to say something, she saw her brother suddenly grip the compass tightly in his hand, his hawk-like eyes suddenly looking into the distance. Chu Xi looked up and saw a blood-red figure appear there.

"Brother, who is that?" Chu Xi had never seen his brother with such a serious expression.

Chu Ze took a deep breath and glanced at the compass in his hand, which glowed red.

He had heard his father say that there were humanoid demons in the Book Mountain, and that one should never provoke such demons.

This compass is not very powerful; it can only distinguish between humans and demons. If a human appears in front of it, it will not change much, but if a demon appears, it will turn red.

At that moment, the compass gave him the answer.

"That's not human," Chu Ze said, staring at Ji Bai in the distance.