The Examination Begins

In the following days, Zheng Donglin’s group did not overexert themselves in cultivation like the others but spent most of their time touring Jade City.

One day, Cheng Xiu even felt like playing a prank and tossed a few spare coins to the Young Master of the Beggar Gang. Others who didn't know Hong Jiuyuan's identity might not have thought much of it, but Cheng Xiu knew exactly who he was and did it anyway. Fortunately, the Young Master of the Beggar Gang did not take it to heart.

To be more precise, it wasn't that Hong Jiuyuan was magnanimous enough not to care, but rather that he didn't realize Cheng Xiu was teasing him. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

The architecture inside Jade City was quite strange, with a bridge spanning across the center because a small branch of a river ran through the city. This river was a tributary of the Bai Dang River. The Bai Dang River stretched across the Northern Region, flowing through the territories of all four countries: West Mountain, Lian Zheng, Wu Zhen, and Great Li.

The waters of the Bai Dang River were as clear as green jade, the surface as smooth as a mirror, sparkling as it reflected the faces of passersby. The river water also emitted a strange, sweet fragrance, which was why people everywhere held the river in high regard.

The people of Jade City were no exception. As the Academy’s examination day approached, the city residents held a festival, which included a performance involving the Bai Dang River: the releasing of flower lanterns.

People at the upstream would release flower lanterns to drift downstream. Inside each lantern was a message. Anyone who picked up a lantern could write their response inside. If the owner of the lantern agreed with the answer, they would seek out the person who found it.

Usually, this game was for young men and women looking for their intended partners. Zheng Donglin’s group wasn't very interested in this, except for Cheng Xiu. With his quick wit, he insisted on participating several times, reluctantly dragging the whole group along.

The cold night gradually descended upon the Northern sky, but inside Jade City, it was unusually lively. Zheng Donglin’s group changed into different clothes, no longer wearing their military commander attire.

Cheng Xiu led the way, his hands full of fragrant grilled meat skewers, the golden oil coating them looking incredibly appetizing.

"Delicious!" Ma Teng praised, and Zheng Donglin’s group nodded in agreement. The street food in Jade City was indeed highly developed.

Here, in every aspect—from silk and food to culture—everything reached the highest level of refinement. It was truly a crossroads of four nations, a place that absorbed different cultures and transformed itself into a unique location found nowhere else in the North. Normally, citizens of different dynasties would hate each other, but not in Jade City; here, there was no discrimination based on origin.

"Have a skewer." Cheng Xiu handed one each to Zheng Donglin and Ding Boling.

"Where's mine?" Liang spoke up, and Li Xin also looked on expectantly.

"Go buy it yourself." Cheng Xiu ignored them.

Suddenly, Cheng Xiu saw Liang walk away without a word. Thinking Liang was truly upset, he was about to call him back. To his surprise, he saw Liang walk straight to a grilled meat stall.

*Thud!* A gold bar was placed on the counter, leaving the owner stunned before he beamed with joy. The old man hurriedly attached wheels to the stall and pushed it behind Liang, his hands constantly grilling the best skewers to hand to Li Xin.

Li Xin happily squinted his eyes, receiving each skewer and devouring them, his mouth covered in oil.

Liang clasped his hands behind his back, his nose in the air, not even glancing at Cheng Xiu. Cheng Xiu’s mouth hung open, standing still as if hit by a binding spell.

"A high-quality face-slap." Zheng Donglin sincerely praised. This was the dominance of the wealthy—slapping a face without needing many words, simple yet full of conviction.

Indeed, being rich was great.

"Let's go to the lantern release!" Cheng Xiu quickly changed the subject, leading the group toward the upstream of the Bai Dang River. It was easy to tell which way was upstream; one just had to look at the crowd of young people eagerly carrying their flower lanterns.

"You want to release a lantern? Aren't you supposed to pick one up?" Zheng Donglin said, amused.

Cheng Xiu thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his head. Right, he was the one picking up a lantern, why was he going to release one? He didn't have anything to ask anyone.

"Idiot," Liang said disdainfully.

Cheng Xiu didn't care and started walking downstream. They just had to go back the way they came to reach the downstream area. The road downstream was even more crowded.

"I don't see any lanterns yet; it's probably not time," Ding Boling said, looking down at the river. The jade-green water flowed slowly, but not a single lantern had appeared.

"A little longer. When all the lanterns hanging on the city walls are lit, that's the time to release them," Su Dongliu said, looking around.

"Start the release!" Just as Su Dongliu finished speaking, the lanterns on the city walls were quickly lit. When the last lantern glowed, Cheng Xiu cheered.

"They're coming!" Zheng Donglin said in surprise. A series of bright red flower lanterns drifted down from upstream, each looking identical.

This lantern release relied on fate. No one knew if the lantern they picked up belonged to a man or a woman; it all depended on destiny. However, most lanterns released were from men, as women were generally more bashful.

The lanterns drifted down together, and the young men and women of Jade City scrambled to catch them. Zheng Donglin was in no hurry; there were plenty of lanterns. Besides, this game was based on fate; being a bit early or late wouldn't change anything.

Zheng Donglin’s group each received a lantern, when suddenly a mournful cry rang out.

"Ah, who took all my lanterns! Give me one, I haven't had any luck with women for forty years, give me one!"

It was true that being early or late didn't change much, but being so slow that you couldn't get a lantern was a different story. Without a lantern in hand, there was no fate to speak of—only going to sleep and dreaming.

Although Zheng Donglin wasn't very interested, he curiously opened his lantern to look. The words that met his eyes were:

"Am I handsome?"

Zheng Donglin's face darkened. Whether you're handsome or not, what does that have to do with me? I haven't even seen your face. He felt an impulse to crumple the paper and throw it away, but then he thought, one shouldn't be too cruel.

He put pen to paper and wrote:

"You are handsome, but not even a ten-thousandth as handsome as me. Signed: Cheng Xiu."

He didn't know why he wanted to write Cheng Xiu's name, but the feeling was incredibly refreshing. He smiled with satisfaction and put the paper back in the lantern. The lantern suddenly drifted upstream, returning to the source.

Each of these lanterns was not ordinary. They came in identical pairs—one released, one kept. After someone responded, the released lantern would automatically return to its pair, allowing the owner to recognize their lantern.

Su Dongliu looked at his paper:

"Can I pass the Academy's examination?"

Su Dongliu immediately crumpled the paper and threw it away, shattering the lantern with a single sword strike. Instead of worrying pointlessly, it was better to focus on one's own cultivation.

Inside Ding Boling's paper was written: "I feel unhappy."

He wrote back: "I'm happy, so I don't care about you." The lantern drifted back.

"What's yours, Li Xin?" Liang saw Li Xin staring intently at his paper and curiously leaned in to look.

"I just released it for fun, don't mind me. It's just that I have a bit too much money."

Liang blinked, then looked at his own paper:

"Xiao Mei, I love you."

Liang crumpled the paper and threw it in the same place as Li Xin's.

Downstream, a girl was intently searching for a lantern, her small face showing a pout as she stomped her foot.

"Sun Tian, you told me to come downstream to find your lantern, the special one with the white star. You said you had something to tell me, but why can't I find it? Are you playing with my feelings?" the girl said crossly.

Coincidentally, the lantern with the white star was the one Liang had picked up.

In Zheng Donglin’s group, only Cheng Xiu was beaming. On his paper was written:

"If you pick up my lantern, say a word, and I, Hou Xiaomei, will find you."

Judging by the name, the owner was a woman. Cheng Xiu quickly wrote his name on it.

"Are you that happy?" Liang curled his lip.

"Of course," Cheng Xiu nodded, imagining that the person named Hou Xiaomei must be very beautiful.

But until the day the Academy's examination began, no one named Hou Xiaomei came looking for Cheng Xiu.

Cheng Xiu was crestfallen, feeling no small amount of loss.

"Once you've been heartbroken, you'll get used to it." Zheng Donglin had a wife and children in his past life and was much more experienced than Cheng Xiu; his voice was full of empathy.

...

Four days later, the Academy's examination officially began.

The attendees were as numerous as ants, over ten thousand people, ranging from twelve to twenty years old. The weakest cultivation base was at the Fourth Rank; there was no one lower. The Academy's examination was based on two criteria:

Talent and Bone Structure.

Those with good talent and bone structure would demonstrate it through the realm they achieved at their age.