System crash? I prove it with my control panel!

"The path of cultivation is like a towering building rising from the ground, yet it cannot be separated from a solid foundation in profound knowledge. Without mastery of profound knowledge and a firm foundation, how can a towering building rise, and how can it collapse!"

Li Xuan stood on the high platform, his voice resounding throughout the entire square, every word precious and eloquent.

"From this day forward, you may study the introductory techniques on your own. Those who achieve enlightenment in three days will be classified as A; those who achieve enlightenment in fifteen days will be classified as B; those who achieve enlightenment in thirty days will be classified as C; after one month, those who fail to achieve enlightenment will be relegated to menial tasks..."

Upon hearing this, the disciples on the field displayed a fascinating array of expressions; had it not been for the sound-silencing array activated, they would have erupted in uproar.

Chen Wen's expression was also quite interesting. He had been here for more than just a day or two; it had been three months!

I've learned some of the things I needed to know.

These rules didn't exist in previous years.

Li Xuan continued without pausing.

"The literary examination will now begin, with a time limit of one hour."

"Those who obtain the highest grade may enter the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion and choose one spell or one Taoist scripture."

Those who achieve Grade B may choose any spell.

"Those who receive a grade of C are qualified but will not receive a reward; those who receive a grade of D will be relegated to menial tasks!"

He finished speaking without waiting for anyone's reaction.

With a flick of his sleeve, thousands of white rays flew out and landed in front of everyone.

When the white light faded, everyone could see clearly that it was a piece of white paper about half the size of a person.

The paper was covered with test questions.

Chen Wen reached out and took the white paper, which instantly floated down.

Spread it out on the ground.

He took out his pen and ink, carefully ground them, and looked at the exam paper.

I glanced at them briefly; they were all essay questions, and I already had a good grasp of the concepts.

Even though there was no sound, Chen Wen felt as if the air around him had frozen, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Some people had happy expressions, while others had worried looks.

A thousand people, a thousand faces; a hundred different expressions.

At this moment, Li Xuan waved his hands, forming a hand seal, and muttered something unintelligible. Finally, a sharp shout rang out: "Hurry!"

As the voice faded, beams of light enveloped everyone, and then a light screen rose in front of them, allowing them to write on it.

Chen Wen looked up and saw that apart from the distant high platform, everything else was a vast expanse of white.

I reached out and poked it; it felt soft, but I couldn't break it.

The table in front of them, which is made of light, is quite hard, presumably for ease of writing.

"this..."

Chen Wen was astonished; he hadn't expected the anti-cheating measures in this world to be so advanced.

It directly isolates all communication with the outside world from the physical level.

Li Xuan stood beside him with an incense stick burning.

At the same time, his voice echoed in everyone's ears:

"Timer begins!"

Chen Wen composed himself and began answering the questions;

1. How many variations are there in the character "天" (tiān, sky)? Please describe and list them in detail.

2. Draw out all the esoteric texts you have learned so far, and annotate them.

3. Use the learned mystical character roots to create words, and score points based on the number of words.

Four,......

......

Time passed by, second by second.

Soon, pain appeared on the faces of the disciples.

I've already studied all morning, and now I have an exam. I can't afford to slack off, for fear of failing and becoming a servant who brings me food every day.

Many of them ridiculed those menial disciples.

If I were to become one of them...

It's terrifying to even think about!

But look at Chen Wen and Chu Feng.

He wrote down the answer swiftly and effortlessly, as if guided by divine inspiration.

Without even thinking, the solution to the next question already emerges while working on the previous one.

Like a high school graduate, they are terrifyingly strong.

Of course, Chu Feng was slightly inferior.

After all, he was only able to keep up with Chen Wen by relying on his tutoring over the past few days.

However, the subsequent logical analysis questions require one's own accumulated knowledge.

Sweat gradually began to appear on his forehead.

There was still a little more than half an incense stick left.

Chen Wen put down his pen and let out a long sigh:

"What a thrilling battle!"

He tidied up his writing materials, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

It's not time yet, so we can only wait patiently.

Looking up, all around was still a vast expanse of white, with only Li Xuan sitting upright on the high platform above.

At this moment, Li Xuanzheng was using his divine sense to scan the situation of his disciples.

This is the first time he has received an enlightenment mission since he established his foundation.

I couldn't help but take it a little more seriously.

"Huh~"

He suddenly let out a soft exclamation and turned to look at the sandalwood beside him.

There is still almost half an hour left.

He glanced again at the group of inner disciples below.

A few have already been completed.

but...

His gaze fell on one of his disciples, who was quite handsome with rosy lips and white teeth—it was Chen Wen.

A quick probe with his divine sense revealed that this was only a mid-grade aptitude.

His divine sense swept over the scroll again, and he was immediately stunned. Beautiful handwriting!

Chen Wen's calligraphy is vigorous and elegant, with a subtle sense of harmony.

This is something he was able to demonstrate only after mastering calligraphy to perfection.

These were the only things he could access while he was in his family.

Li Xuan's expression remained calm, but a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. How could a mere child possess such calligraphy?

Could this be another case of possession...?

With a flick of his finger, the scroll in front of Chen Wen flew to him.

Chen Wen was startled by this sudden turn of events, and then realized that his test paper had been taken away.

Can I leave now?

I'm a little hungry...

He couldn't help but rub his stomach.

Many disciples below had already noticed Li Xuan's sudden action.

Especially in the inner disciples' section, those few have already finished writing.

His eyes flickered as he stared at the exam paper in Li Xuan's hand, thinking to himself, "If only Master Li were holding my exam paper right now."

Unlike their previous lives, these students desperately want their teachers to notice them.

With tens of thousands of disciples but only one lecturer, who wouldn't want to attract the lecturer's attention?

At this moment, Li Xuan paid no attention to his disciples.

His gaze fell on Chen Wen's paper, and after admiring the calligraphy, he looked at the content of the work.

His brows relaxed again.

All the content is my own words, combined with my own insights.

It can also be seen that there are many influences from classical texts, but the vocabulary is still somewhat lacking and stiff, and more accumulation is needed.

If this is a case of possession, then this person is truly remarkable, able to mimic even a beginner's thought process so perfectly!

Thinking of this, Li Xuan sighed:

"Chen Jingwen? He's a promising student, just a bit lacking in aptitude, but that's not something he can't make up for in the future..."

He lightly tapped Chen Wen's name with his index finger, and a small character "甲" appeared on it.

At the same time, a voice rang in Chen Wen's ears.

"That's good. You can go to the second floor of the library to read some profound books in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen looked up abruptly and saw Li Xuan nodding and smiling at him.

Chen Wen quickly stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your teachings, Master Li. I will remember them!"

After speaking, Li Xuan stood up and closed his eyes.

Chen Wen sat down on the jade futon, muttering to himself.

"Does Teacher Li think I'm uneducated? But I'm just a child!"

...

The sandalwood incense wafted gently, then burned out in an instant.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, collecting all the disciples' test papers and placing them neatly in front of him.

He then scanned the exam paper with his divine sense and made a decision in an instant.

He took out a scroll from a small pouch at his waist, unrolled it, and shimmering lights appeared at his fingertips. In an instant, he registered the names and scores of all his disciples.

Then it was tossed and landed at the entrance of the square, standing against the wind.

He then said:

"The written examination has concluded. There are 318 people who achieved Grade A and 3,572 people who achieved Grade B. Within one year, they shall submit the required spells and Taoist scriptures using their identity tokens."

"You may now study the cultivation method on your own, and all rewards will remain unchanged."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared.

The silencing array was also deactivated.

In an instant, the clamor shook the heavens.

Some cried and shouted, regretting that they hadn't learned more back then;

"It's all over, it ......"

"What should I do? I'm definitely going to get a C grade!"

"You're damned, how did you even get through..."

"Oh? You servant, do you have a problem with my senior brother?"

"I...I was wrong, Senior Brother..."

......

Of course, people's joys and sorrows are not shared.

Those who were confident naturally cheered with joy.

Even Chu Feng couldn't help but smile at this moment:

"Jingwen, I should be able to get a B grade, so you must have gotten an A grade."

"Haha, if I get it, I'm lucky; if I don't, it's fate. Let nature take its course."

Chen Wen remained calm and composed, speaking in a nonchalant tone.

In fact, the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique in his heart was already running wild.

But she managed to control her expression.

If not now, when?

The entrance to the square was now crowded with people.

Someone burst into laughter, exclaiming, "It's only grade C!"

Some were disappointed; they had only received a grade C!

Some people are confused; even menial tasks can be a form of cultivation!

Some exclaimed in surprise, "This person is actually an outer disciple! A dragon has emerged from the outer sect!"

Chen Wen and Chu Feng went over to take a look and realized that there were a total of 318 people in the first tier, but only four of them were outer disciples.

Surprisingly, Chu Feng was also rated as Grade A.

Chen Wen immediately congratulated him.

"Congratulations, Brother Chu, on achieving the highest rank! Congratulations indeed!"

Chu Feng waved his hands repeatedly, saying modestly:

"It's all thanks to Jingwen; I originally thought it would be grade B."

"Jingwen is ranked first, while I'm at the bottom. I suppose my first-class ranking is purely by luck!"

Chen Wen's expression immediately turned strange. Was there any luck involved in getting first place?

Do you think Teacher Li is blind?!

He thought of it in an instant.

Oh no, that kid got it installed!

Next time, don't speak too definitively. Even if it's grade A, say it's grade B. Otherwise, people will already know, and you won't have the chance to pretend anymore.

But I am number one, so why is no one here to flatter me?

He glanced at Chu Feng, never expecting that this kid with thick eyebrows and big eyes would actually be so good at showing off!

Only three inner disciples were classified as Grade B; there were no more below that.

Those three are now being ridiculed.

Chen Wen didn't care about being ridiculed; what he cared about was why the inner disciples were so outstanding, with better aptitude and comprehension than them.

Chen Wen believes that this is not entirely true.

The two walked and talked.

"Brother Chu, do you know why this happened?"

Chen Wen didn't have much hope when he asked, after all, Chu Feng was from the countryside. It wasn't meant to belittle him, but he was simply less knowledgeable than the scions of these powerful families.

However, to everyone's surprise, Chu Feng nodded and said:

"I do know a little bit about it."

Chen Wen immediately became interested:

"Oh~ Tell me about it!"

Chu Feng made sure no one was around before lowering his voice and saying:

"I heard from the village... their inner disciples that the more abundant the five elements in a person's body, the better their comprehension and the higher their aptitude. Naturally, this means they have good comprehension, just like cooking oil over a raging fire. The stronger the fire, the hotter the oil."

"Secondly, after our daily morning classes, we can only rely on self-study, but it's different for the inner disciples; they receive individual instruction after they return home."

"The third reason is their personal background; their families arranged for them to study in advance."

"Take Liang Jiu for example. Don't let his idleness fool you. He's also inattentive in class and seems like a good-for-nothing..."

Just as Chen Wen was listening attentively, Chu Feng suddenly changed the subject, smiling gently as he said:

"But in reality... he's truly incompetent, only getting a C grade this time, hahaha~"

Chen Wen rolled his eyes upon hearing this. "You've gone astray, haven't you? You dare to play me for a fool!"

He grabbed Chu Feng by the collar, and Chu Feng cooperated by begging for mercy.

After their playful banter ended, Chu Feng straightened his clothes and continued:

"But Liang Jiu is quite aptitude, he just can't concentrate on his studies. Even though he's used to playing around, he still managed to get a C grade by guessing without any real understanding."

"I think Xiao Hongyu is also top-tier. When Liang Jiu gets back, he should probably move out soon. We might just be able to see a great show."

Chen Wen agreed with these remarks.

Liang Jiu had never been to the library on a regular basis, and he was always half-asleep and perfunctory in class.

But unfortunately, he still got a grade of C.

If those nearly two thousand Dingdeng (a term referring to low-ranking officials) knew, they would surely cry out in protest against the injustice.

However, Chen Wen thought about it in more detail.

Behind Liang Jiu lies the Liang Kingdom, the Purple Mansion Immortal Dynasty.

Such a family would surely cultivate the character of its descendants and teach them profound knowledge in advance.

But Liang Jiu remained the same.

Clearly, he was not well-liked in his family, and it is very likely that he ended up in this state because his so-called clansmen set him up and deliberately lured him into indulging in pleasure.

There is also the possibility that Liang Jiu was hiding his true abilities!

Of course, in Chen Wen's view, this possibility is extremely low.

Mentioning that there might be a scene coming up, both of them quickened their pace considerably.

When we got back into the courtyard.

Xiao Hongyu and Liang Jiu have not returned yet.

Chen Wen and Chu Feng tacitly took their food and went back to their respective rooms.

He could have deciphered the technique today, but he wasn't in a hurry to do so.

After finishing my meal, I lay in bed and closed my eyes to rest.

I had just lain down.

Then I heard a loud crashing noise outside.

He sat up.

The next moment, they heard Xiao Hongyu punching and kicking, as well as Liang Jiu's suppressed howls.

Xiao Hongyu angrily said:

"Liang Jiu, if you don't want to cultivate, you should go back to Liang Kingdom as soon as possible, and while you're at it, go find your great-grandfather and cancel our engagement. Do you think I wanted to marry you? If it weren't for my great-grandfather arranging our engagement when I was born, I would have stopped serving you long ago..."

"If you're a man, either cultivate diligently and you can move back in a year, or get out of here and go back to Liang. I, Xiao Hongyu, don't want a useless Daoist partner like this..."

......

With a loud "bang," the door slammed shut.

Chen Wen's eyes lit up – what a juicy piece of gossip!

No wonder Xiao Hongyu always ignored Liang Jiu; it turns out there was another layer of their relationship.

Unfortunately, Liang Jiu's voice was not heard; only the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

Chen Wen shook his head, finished watching the show, and began his cultivation!

He pulled out the "Azure Qi Guiding Technique" that had been given to him upon entering the sect.

During this period, he naturally pondered it every day.

Especially after learning a new character each day, I would think about it.

What if I'm different from others?

What if I figured it out ahead of time?

But the results during this period are obvious.

It was like reading a book written in a foreign language; I couldn't understand it no matter how hard I tried.

As time went on, he was able to understand some of it.

However, it's still something I don't understand, but I have a vague feeling that I'm starting to get the gist of it.

Now, he can finally officially begin his cultivation!

Chen Wen was extremely excited.

"Distracting thoughts are the fuel..."

The Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique circulated slowly, like an old ox grazing, sweeping away all distracting thoughts.

Chen Wen regained his composure.

He picked up the jade slip, placed it between his eyebrows, closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to comprehend it.

......