Chapter 95

Time ticked by, the sound of the hourglass dripping into the ears, and in the courtyard, the expressions of all the disciples varied.

The three pills, all black, emitted poisonous smoke, with only one being non-toxic. The task for everyone was to find the non-toxic one, take it, and write down their insights and properties.

If you chose correctly and did not get poisoned, and could write down the correct insights and properties, you would advance to the third round.

However... so many people had already failed; dozens had either mistakenly taken the toxic pill and been carried out, or had given up out of fear. Only Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man remained in the courtyard.

As time grew closer to the end of the assessment, Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man still stood motionless in their spots.

Should they take the pill, or not? This was the question.

It involved life and death, and courage; no one dared to play with their lives so carelessly.

However, everyone understood that time waits for no one, and no one could be given endless time to think. Once the time was up, if you had not taken the pill, you would be considered to have failed automatically.

So... should they take the pill, or not?

All the disciples stared at Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man, eager to see their final results. The failed ones had particularly complex feelings.

They wanted to see which of the three pills was the real one, but they also did not want others to succeed while they failed, making them seem incompetent. For a moment, they were torn between hope and fear.

Several disciples looked at the hourglass. The remaining time was not much; only a thin layer of sand remained in the upper part.

"Faster. Even faster..."

They anxiously chanted in their hearts, these were the ones who most desperately wanted Tang Gu and the others to fail as well.

If everyone failed in this assessment, it would not be their problem but the problem of Apricot Grove Manor. They might still have a chance.

But if someone succeeded, no matter how many, they would all be eliminated. The long journey they had taken to participate in the trial would have been in vain.

So, they naturally felt不甘 (unwilling). They naturally hoped that others would fail just like them and did not want to see anyone succeed.

These people watched Tang Gu and the others' every move even more closely, fearing that they would take a step before the hourglass ran out. Any slight movement from the three would make their hearts tremble violently.

Fortunately, whether it was because heaven heard their prayers or this round was truly that difficult, the three in the courtyard did not move a single step from start to finish.

After a moment, finally, the last grain of white sand fell. With a "ding," the hourglass flipped, time stopped, and the assessment ended!

All the disciples let out a long sigh, a heavy weight lifted from their hearts. Good, time was up. Even if they regretted it now, it was too late. This round, the entire group had failed!

Everyone stared at Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man with mocking eyes. "Tch, we thought they were so capable. They just stood there, pretending. What's the difference between failing early and failing late?"

All the disciples breathed a sigh of relief. The outcome was already determined. Such a miserable result would have made them very regretful in the past, but now they laughed heartily because not only had they failed, but the last few who still had hope had also failed.

Human psychology is so strange. Clearly, they had failed, and it was unpleasant to be the only one to suffer. But if they saw everyone around them suffering even more, they might even feel happy and have the mood to mock others.

This is human nature.

Everyone waited for the old man in the green robe to announce the results, even hoping that since everyone had failed, the rules might be changed for another attempt.

Sure enough, the time was up, and the assessment had ended. The old man in the green robe finally stood before everyone again.

He looked at the crowd, his eyes showing a strange expression. He glanced at the four or five disciples who had left the courtyard earlier, then turned to look at Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man, who had stood motionless the whole time. He remained silent for a long time.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became silent, and no one spoke.

Those who had left earlier suddenly felt uneasy. They did not know why, but the old man's gaze made them uncomfortable.

Because when the old man looked at them, his eyes were filled with pity and disdain, but when he looked at Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man, his eyes were full of smiles and encouragement.

"How is this possible?"

Everyone found it absurd. They had all failed, so why did they feel mocked, while the others who had failed were praised? They must have been too nervous and imagined things.

Everyone calmed down, stopped overthinking, and waited for the results to be announced.

Finally.

After looking at everyone for a while, the old man in the green robe paused his gaze on Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man, nodded, smiled slightly, and then slowly said:

"The result of this assessment is... three passed, seventeen failed!"

"Wow!"

The unexpected result made everyone almost dumbfounded. This was not what they had imagined.

Everyone was stunned.

Excluding those who had mistakenly taken the toxic pill and failed automatically, the others had not touched the three small bottles at all. Why... did anyone pass?

Wasn't this assessment about identifying the correct pill, taking it, and writing down insights?

The crowd was silent. After a moment, someone finally reacted and began to murmur, looking at each other in confusion.

"How is this possible?"

"Impossible? Why?"

A red-robed young man stepped out of the crowd, his eyes darting around, and suddenly asked, "Teacher, who are the ones who passed?"

The old man in the green robe glanced at him, seemingly knowing what he was about to ask. He shook his head, dispelling the red-robed young man's last hope, and then pointed to Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the blue-robed, rough-looking young man, saying, "They are, number 7, number 9, and number 10!"

"Why?"

This time, not only the red-robed young man but the entire crowd erupted. This result was beyond everyone's expectations.

Someone immediately stood up to challenge, raising their hand and saying, "Why? I don't accept it. The rules of the assessment clearly stated that one must identify the correct pill, take it, and write down insights. Why did these three pass just by standing there without doing anything?

If not taking the pill means passing the assessment, then not only them, but we five also did not take the pill. We should also pass. Why are only they on the list of those who passed?"

"Why?"

The old man in the green robe smiled slightly and looked at everyone, "Do you want to know why?"

Everyone nodded, and the five young men who had prepared to leave earlier stared at him intently. If the old man in the green robe did not give a satisfactory explanation, they would take the matter to the head of Apricot Grove Manor. They did not accept this result!

The old man in the green robe seemed to understand their thoughts and did not say much. He clapped his hands, and instantly, a blue-robed young man walked in from outside, carrying three cups of clear water.

He stood in front of the crowd, his face calm and his breathing steady, clearly having been waiting outside.

The old man in the green robe gestured to him, and he immediately nodded respectfully. He then picked up the three pill bottles in front of someone, opened them, and poured out the three pills, holding them in his palm.

He then dropped the three pills into the three cups of clear water.

Instantly, "gurgle gurgle..." all three cups of clear water turned black, became murky, bubbled, and began to emit a strange green gas, sharp and pungent.

At this moment, everyone in the courtyard changed their expressions.

The three cups of clear water were specially prepared; they would boil upon contact with poison. If they were normal pills, there would be no such reaction.

What the reaction of these three cups of clear water represented was obvious.

...

PS: Resuming updates.

PS:

I'm back, sorry. Let me explain the recent update situation. In life, there are always some big events that are unavoidable and unexpected, which can throw you off balance and leave you distracted and overwhelmed.

When I went live in January, I was full of ambition, determined to update regularly and repay everyone's support, and I was prepared for a month of intense work. However, I received a sudden piece of news that completely disrupted all my plans. My wife is going to have a baby, and during this period, I have to face and bear many things, which I believe everyone who has or will go through this can understand, so I won't elaborate.

Moreover, the matter is still not resolved, and I expect it to be busy for the next year. However, after this busy period, I finally have a chance to catch my breath and slowly resume updates.

I can't promise how many updates, but I will try to maintain a certain level of updates. I am very sorry for the missed and interrupted updates, and I sincerely apologize to everyone again.

No matter what the future holds, as long as I am still writing, I will do my best. I can't pursue speed with this book, but I will try to improve its quality, as evidenced by the complete revision of the earlier chapters.

This is all I can do. The world of the Demon Master is just beginning. I apologize again to everyone and thank you for accompanying me on this journey, from university to today, for seven years. Writing has been a constant companion in my life for seven years, and it will be even longer.

From now on, I am no longer alone.

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