How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

"If I live, the world will not perish."

Li Hu's answer made the Master's heart skip a beat, and he felt a surge of heat throughout his body, but he still kept a straight face and an air of authority.

Li Hu's response did not provide a direct answer, but it did convey his stance.

"The furnace of heaven and earth, which tempers all things, may have a predetermined fate in the rise and fall of the world, which is not something that one person can reverse..." the Master praised.

"But this very spirit is truly daring!"

"You will sit at the head of the table tonight and supervise everyone's reading!"

"Yes, Master." Li Hu replied calmly, then sat back down and continued listening to the Master's lecture.

After questioning these three people, the Master felt there was no need to continue. Apart from the most despicable kind, everyone's attitude was no different from that of Ziyou and Tang Yao.

After a moment of silent sigh, he picked up his book and continued the lesson he hadn't finished last time.

The audience below the stage also focused intently, their attitudes and expressions gradually recovering from the intense state they had just been in, and they all appeared to be deep in thought.

The lecture was nothing more than classical Chinese phrases and ended quickly.

With the departure of the master, Li Hu took the seat of honor, facing the group of scholars, and began to read aloud the book in his hand.

Evening is the time when people are most tired. After a whole day of exhaustion, coupled with the mental torment of the Master's questions, everyone's face is pale and their lips are dry by this time.

At that moment, the supervisor named Zilu also walked in.

He glanced at Li Hu, who was sitting upright in the chief seat, but did not deliberately make things difficult for him.

"Since the Master has given his approval, you may sit here." He waved his hand, and a group of young girls carrying bowls, spoons, and soup buckets walked in from behind him. "Everyone must drink the evening refreshment soup."

"After a good drink, I'll have more energy for studying."

Just like in the afternoon, bowls of refreshing soup were once again placed on the tables in front of the scholars.

The sound of gulping and swallowing filled the air as everyone eagerly drank the refreshing soup in one gulp, as if afraid that drinking the soup would delay their studies.

Li Hu was no exception; he picked up his bowl, just as he was about to drink...

But then he suddenly noticed his own reflection in the bowl.

The reflection didn't quite resemble him; it was a translucent, dark blue body, holding a red rope in its hand, its gaze fixed intently on Li Hu.

Li Hu was shocked. The reflection in the bowl was clearly not himself. What could it be?!

Thinking of this, Li Hu's hand trembled, and the bowl of refreshing soup slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

The soup bowl rolled twice on the table before finally losing its balance and turning upside down.

The milky-white, invigorating soup was spread across the entire table. The pale blue figure in the reflection disappeared, and instead, several ancient, archaic characters slowly emerged.

"Tiger, don't drink. You don't belong here."

Li Hu frowned, as if something had exploded in his mind, and a flood of questions rushed out.

Who is the person reflected in the water? Why does he call me Tiger, and what is his relationship with those people at the gate during the day?

Clouds follow dragons, wind follows tigers, does that mean my name is Li Hu (Li Tiger) or Li Feng Cong (Li Wind)?

I'm feeling really tired right now, so why can't I drink this refreshing soup?

I am but a scholar, diligently studying at Xiazhu Academy. Why would you say I don't belong here?

Li Hu wanted to think for a moment, but the energizing soup had already been spilled, and it would be unseemly to lie on the table and suck on it. So, after thinking for a while, he could only wave his sleeves, clean up the table, and put the empty bowl on the side of the table for the maid to take away, and then he gave up.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of these extraneous thoughts, and threw himself back into the book of sages.

At this moment, the supervisor was inspecting the classroom with his hands behind his back, so he did not notice the commotion on Li Hu's side. He simply symbolically tapped a few students who were not studying very hard.

When everyone's bowls were empty, he directed the girls to remove the bowls and spoons, and the group left the lecture hall.

Li Hu was busy and didn't take what had just happened to heart. He just mechanically studied the words and recited the scriptures, occasionally flipping through a few pages and praising the wisdom of the ancients.

And just like that, a relaxing and pleasant hour passed.

The rest of the time can be spent casually writing articles, recording some observations and opinions from the day, commenting on the past and present, lamenting the passing of spring and autumn, and summarizing what was learned that day. The day's learning will then come to an end.

The gong rang on time, and the scholars and Li Hu got up together, left their desks, took one or two books for bedtime reading, and lined up to return to their quarters.

The dormitory is a place for living, sleeping and resting.

Li Hu returned here, and after washing up with the other scholars, he went to his quarters.

Here, about a hundred people are crammed into one large room. Each person has their own bed with personal belongings, luggage, books, washbasins, and the like next to them.

Li Hu followed the main group here, and suddenly couldn't remember where he was supposed to sleep.

He stood blankly at the entrance of the huge dormitory, looking at the various scholars lying on their beds inside, still reading by lamplight, his face showing some unease.

For the first time, he felt that he didn't belong here.

"Could it be, could it be..." Li Hu muttered to himself, unable to utter a complete sentence.

He stood blankly at the door of the dormitory until the supervisor struck the pair of rulers in his hand, followed by three gongs from outside, before the scholar reluctantly turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The entire dormitory was plunged into darkness. Li Hu scratched his head and sat down directly inside the doorway.

Now that he no longer had the classics in his hand, and with snoring all around him, Li Hu felt no sleepiness whatsoever.

He was an evil spirit and didn't need to sleep, but he had completely forgotten that.

"They call me Tiger."

"I am Li Hu."

"I...I should have another sword with me, but where is it?"

A hint of unease flashed in Li Hu's eyes. He simply sat down by the door and thought things through.

"First of all, I've killed quite a few people, and I remember them all. I shouldn't be a scholar."

"I may be a warrior, a soldier, or a bandit, but I can never be a scholar."

"I don't have a bed here, so I shouldn't belong here, at least not last night..."

He didn't drink the waking-up soup in the evening, and the effects of the waking-up soup at noon gradually wore off. Li Hu gradually regained some of his memories, and he slowly pieced together all the clues. The more he pieced them together, the more alarmed he became!

"Yes, my name is Li Hu, and I am a sword cultivator."

……

"No, I'm no longer a sword cultivator, I'm a sword immortal transformed into a demon, and there's a sword immortal, Li Hu, watching me from above."

The rooster crowed at dawn, and Li Hu suddenly stood up. All the events finally converged into a complete clue in his mind.

There's a fucking ghost here!

clang!clang!clang!

Immediately after the rooster crowed, the gong rang three times, leaving no time for anything else.

At that moment, all the scholars rose from their beds in unison, as if they had suddenly risen from the dead in a morgue, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Suddenly, Li Hu began to straighten his clothes without warning. He had just regained his senses when he was taken back into control, and he stood stiffly at the door, waiting for all the scholars to be dressed.

Li Hu was startled and realized something was wrong.

After carefully reviewing my observations and experiences over this period, I came to several conclusions.

First of all, the pair of rulers used to supervise the students are definitely not right; they seem to be manipulating the students into machines that only know how to study.

But the pair of gongs were the real culprits. The sound of the gongs could control the entire academy, making everyone, including the servants, study hard for the students and strive for fame and fortune.

The supervisors, carrying the board, would simply walk among the students, picking out one or two who slipped through the net and giving them a good whack.

Whether it's the sound of a clapper or a gong, hearing these sounds will cause the body to be controlled, but one will still retain basic consciousness to think and feel.

As for the "spirit-awakening soup," it completely extinguished his spirit, but fortunately, the effect was short-lived. After only an afternoon and evening, once the effects wore off, Li Hu had already regained his senses.

Such are the rules here. Perhaps someone has used the power of evil spirits, otherwise it wouldn't be so horrifying.

The history of Xiazhu Academy extends far beyond the Tang Dynasty, spanning several centuries.

This academy has always been known throughout the world for its positive image and can be regarded as a talent reserve for officials. But if it is really evil spirits causing trouble, then why has it been able to exist for so long under the nose of the imperial court?

What is the purpose of evil spirits acting in this way?

Could it really be for the purpose of cultivating talent for the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations?

Li Hu connected all the clues and became increasingly alarmed. Even while queuing for breakfast, he was absent-minded.

"If only I had a general as bright as the North Star, what would be the next line?"

When serving the food, the pageboy who was serving the rice asked the person in front of Li Hu.

"This...this..." The person in front of Li Hu scratched his head, rolled his eyes as if thinking, and stammered a reply after a long while.

"The star shines directly on the wolf, and the sea sways in the night."

"You're right." The page nodded and placed a large piece of boiled mutton on the man's plate.

"Drawing upon the Big Dipper and pouring cassia wine, what is the next line?" When it was the turn of the person in front of Li Hu, the scholar asked again.

"Riding on a blue dragon... Riding on a blue dragon..."

The man stammered for a long time, but couldn't utter a complete sentence, only repeating the first half of the sentence he remembered.

"Time is up."

The pageboy shook his head and served the man only a bowl of corn porridge.

The scholar looked visibly more annoyed and pressed on without hesitation, "What's the next line?"

The pageboy shook his head and recited: "I draw water from the Big Dipper and pour cassia wine; I ride a blue dragon and become a phoenix."

He then gave a rather disdainful look and said, "You don't even know that?"

"Been taught a lesson."

The scholar, refined and courteous, bowed and then brought his corn porridge to the table to drink.

He didn't seem to mind the porridge; he just seemed to want to learn more. A look of joy flashed in his eyes, and he would occasionally murmur the ancient poem he had just learned.

"Your turn. 'Moonlight before my bed,' the next line." The page asked, staring at Li Hu behind him.

"It looks like frost on the ground," Li Hu replied simply.

"Wow, not bad, you even know such an obscure poem?" The page boy served Li Hu a bowl of mutton as well.

The bowl of mutton looked like a lot, but Li Hu didn't seem to care much about savoring it. Instead, he held a book in his hand and read while eating.

After finishing his meal, he glanced around, searching for any possible way to escape.

Since his eyes were out of control, he could only observe his surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Currently, their bodies are under control. The only window of opportunity seems to be at night, when everyone has drunk the energizing soup and the final gong sound will release them from control, allowing them to sleep more relaxed and comfortably for better rest.

Therefore, the only chance now is to avoid drinking the energizing soup at noon as much as possible, and absolutely not drink the energizing soup at night.

Only in this way can I be completely myself at night.

Finally, the goal is to find the sword lost in the library and destroy this vulgar, filthy, and eerie place.

The plan was already in place, but Li Hu couldn't control his body during the day, so how to avoid drinking the sobering soup became the most crucial problem.

The gong sounded again, and Li Hu followed the group of scholars into the lecture hall.

Start your morning reading.

When I came to visit yesterday, it was the same scene. Judging from the time, it seems I have been trapped here for a whole day.

Li Hu picked up a book and, following the crowd, began to read aloud, his mouth full of classical Chinese phrases.

"Knowing when to stop leads to stability; stability leads to tranquility; tranquility leads to peace; peace leads to contemplation; contemplation leads to attainment..."

The Master did not give a lesson in the morning, nor was there any remedy to refresh the mind.

However, the gong sounds were controlled very tightly, and Li Hu couldn't gain any control over them.

Before long, it was afternoon.

The supervisor brought out the energizing soup again.

Li Hu still couldn't come up with a good solution, and just stared blankly at the bowl of refreshing soup on the table in front of him, extremely anxious.

I definitely can't repeat yesterday's mistake. Making a scene like this will attract the supervisor's attention. Only by following the rules step by step can I dispel the troublemaker label in his eyes.

But if you drink it, you'll lose consciousness for the entire afternoon.

Still struggling with his decision, Li Hu gulped down the refreshing soup, something he simply couldn't control.

but.

Li Hu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and with a retching sound, his whole body arched up, vomiting up the soothing soup along with everything he had eaten over the past few days.

The urge to vomit came suddenly and was uncontrollable.

Most of the vomit was intact, with no trace of digestion.

Li Hu then realized that he was already an evil spirit and had no ability to digest things.

In addition, having eaten too much these past few days, my stomach was gradually filled with indigestible food, reaching its limit. At this moment, the pungent smell of the stimulating soup finally triggered a physiological reaction, causing me to vomit everything up.

The supervisor's expression changed drastically, and he rushed to Li Hu in a few quick steps.

Li Hu initially thought the head of student affairs was about to get angry again, but then he saw a worried look on his face, an expression that had never appeared on the cold, middle-aged face of the supervisor.

"But is there anything wrong with your body?"

As the supervisor asked questions, he helped Li Hu clean up the vomit left on his body, without showing any sign of blame.

He really looks like a teacher who is worried about his students.

The girls also came up and began to clean up the mess on the ground.

Li Hu calmed down a bit, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Supervisor. I suddenly felt unwell in my stomach and really don't know what happened."