The sage was determined to die.

Without a telescope, Ji Bai used his amazing eyesight to keep scanning the area, marveling at the sights as he did so.

"Sigh, smart people are really hard to fool."

"Is it that difficult?" Yan Ming, for some reason, had become engrossed in contradicting him, arms crossed, inadvertently displaying his astonishing knowledge: "Isn't there a saying that 'too clever by half'?"

"You're really smart," Ji Bai said after a pause.

He slightly bent his knees, seemingly unconcerned about the dirty ground, and leaned to one side, appearing quite nonchalant.

Yan Ming's legs were numb from squatting, and he was pressing one leg down with one hand, ignoring the other person.

Ji Bai gestured wildly, seemingly lost in thought, before finally asking, "How's the fragment I gave you?"

Yan Ming didn't expect the other party to ask this question, and his subconscious reaction was that this person probably didn't want to take it back from him.

Oh no, given how shameless Ji Bai is, he probably wants to get it back from him.

He pretended not to understand the other person's implied meaning and said, "It has already become one with me."

Ji Bai slightly relaxed his brow, it was unclear whether he believed him or not. He appeared deep in thought, his fingers tapping idly, and said calmly, "Don't you feel any pain anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Ming, realizing what was happening, actually moved slightly, sensed it briefly, and then shook his head.

Ji Bai didn't speak, but simply closed his eyes gently. The pain that had once caused him unbearable agony gradually dissipated.

Like a melting ice cube, it unknowingly melts from a sharp, hard block into a pool of liquid...

Ji Bai, resting his chin on his hand, suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Would you like to try and see if your literary talent has improved?"

promote?

Yan Ming was taken aback.

……

Gongsun Yang's initial cries of pain were indeed feigned.

His goal was direct, efficient, and simple: to use his miserable state to discourage more people from joining.

It must be said that this method does have some effect, though not much.

However, perhaps it was this despicable method that brought him retribution. After truly stepping into it, he experienced what real despair was.

Ji Bai was indeed not lying to him. There really was a talented scholar here. Although his character was not good, for a scholar from a small country like theirs, it was a golden opportunity.

Although it wasn't his first time taking the test, he couldn't hide his excitement, but his smile quickly turned into real pain.

This test of the literary heart can be described as simple and brutal; in a word, it is death.

The more he dies and the more painful it is in the illusion, the higher the probability of obtaining Wenxin.

Gongsun Yang showed no mercy to others, and naturally, he was no different to himself. As he died more and more often, his mental state became increasingly erratic...

In a daze, I took out Wenxin, and I hadn't fully reacted yet.

Ji Bai was quite surprised when he saw him again.

Gongsun Yang looked like a bloodied man just pulled from a pool, his whole body oozing red blood, one hand still clutching his own neck, his already flushed face struggling to breathe.

Saving lives doesn't require waiting for the right moment. Without hesitation, Ji Bai reached out and delivered a personality-correcting punch.

He successfully struck his opponent with a single blow, and his confused eyes gradually cleared.

Gongsun Yang finally snapped out of his dazed state, rubbed his eyes hard a few times, and looked at Ji Bai: "Are you... are you alive?"

Ji Bai: "???"