Chapter 49

Time flew by in the bustling Bai Ling Garden, and before they knew it, the day of the major exam had arrived.

Outside Bai Ling Garden, the surging crowds grew larger, clearly people from all over Tian Shu County had come to witness this grand exam event.

At the foot of Bai Ling Mountain, the long viewing stands were packed with people, the atmosphere was boiling.

At the front, there were some spacious and luxurious pavilions, all prepared for the important figures from all over Tian Shu County.

In a short while, Governor Shi Qing and the old principal Wei Cha of Nanfeng Academy both appeared, drawing much attention.

As the two most influential figures in Tian Shu County, they directly entered the central pavilion, and someone immediately served them fragrant tea and fruits.

"Hehe, Old Principal, you still look as spirited as ever," Governor Shi said with a smile.

Old Principal Wei Cha replied with a forced smile, "I heard that Governor Shi is quite dissatisfied with Nanfeng Academy being the top academy in Tian Shu County."

"This is certainly a rumor," Governor Shi laughed and shook his head in denial.

Then he changed his tone and said, "The top academy in Tian Shu County is determined by strength, and no one can change that, unless Nanfeng Academy is surpassed by another academy."

Old Principal Wei Cha said coolly, "When Nanfeng Academy rose to prominence in Tian Shu County, Governor Shi was still wandering in some unknown corner."

Over the years, Governor Shi's administration of Tian Shu County has often been in conflict with Old Principal Wei Cha, some of which even involved the reputation and interests of Nanfeng Academy. Old Principal Wei Cha almost regarded the reputation of Nanfeng Academy as his life, and Governor Shi dared to harm Nanfeng Academy in this regard, which he absolutely could not tolerate.

Every year, the Da Xia Imperial Court would evaluate the performance of provincial governors, and as the head of the top academy in Tian Shu County, Old Principal Wei Cha naturally had significant influence. However, given their mutual grievances, Old Principal Wei Cha would never give a good evaluation, which led to Governor Shi's inability to advance over the years.

As time accumulated, their grievances deepened, and now when they met, it was naturally a battle of words.

Especially this year, if Governor Shi's performance evaluation still did not meet the required level, he would likely be transferred to a weaker county than Tian Shu County.

This is also why Governor Shi was trying every means to remove the title of the top academy from Nanfeng Academy.

The atmosphere in the central pavilion was cold, while other places were bustling. The heads of major families in Tian Shu County, such as the Song family, Tifa family, and Bei family, all appeared.

The president of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Lu, also came with a smile, after all, his young niece would shine in this exam.

In one of the pavilions, Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing also arrived. As members of Luo Lan Manor, they naturally had to pay attention to the performance of their young master in the exam.

Of course, it was also because they were close friends with Jiang Qing'e, so they treated Li Luo like a younger brother. Li Luo was handsome and had a good personality, not arrogant like a young master, although he could be a bit mischievous at times, he was clearly very likable.

"Do you think the young master can make it into the top ten this time?" Cai Wei leaned elegantly against the chair, casually picked up a banana, peeled it, and bit it with her sexy red lips.

If there were any men present, they would likely be captivated by this scene.

Yan Lingqing tapped the table with her fingers and couldn't help but say, "You fox, can you be a bit more restrained?"

"There's no one else here."

Cai Wei said with a pout, then she took a slice of melon from the fruit plate and handed it to Yan Lingqing, saying, "Eat more of this, it's good for you."

"Are you trying to push your luck?" Yan Lingqing was angry, and immediately stood up, pounced on Cai Wei, and started tickling her.

Cai Wei was tickled until she was trembling, and finally begged for mercy, "Spare me, I was wrong."

That pitiful and charming appearance was far from the usual calm and rational demeanor of the head of Luo Lan Manor.

Yan Lingqing huffed and sat back down, saying, "Li Luo should be at the Seventh Seal level of Phase Power. From his apparent strength, it's not easy for him to make it into the top ten."

"But if Qiu Qing'er from Nanfeng Academy can win first place, Nanfeng Academy will get an additional fifteen spots, and it shouldn't be hard for Li Luo to get one of those spots."

Cai Wei smiled and said, "I think it won't be hard for the young master to make it into the top ten."

Yan Lingqing looked at her in surprise, clearly not understanding where her confidence came from.

"Don't look at him as being gentle and without the airs of a young master, but he is very proud at heart. After all, he is the son of those two, and also engaged to Qing'e. With his personality, he might not have a strong desire for first place, but he probably wouldn't accept being 'brought into' the Holy玄 Star Academy."

"Of course, most importantly, I have a gut feeling that our young master is not as simple as he appears on the surface."

Yan Lingqing pondered, Li Luo indeed sometimes gave a mysterious impression. Despite only having opened his Phase Power not long ago, in just one month, he had accomplished quite a bit.

"I hope he can enter the top ten and secure a spot on his own merits. Otherwise, if he is brought into the Holy玄 Star Academy, he will feel awkward when he gets there, especially since he is the young master of Luo Lan Manor and Qing'e's fiancé. Sigh, thinking about it, I don't think it would be a good thing for Li Luo to go to the Holy玄 Star Academy." Yan Lingqing adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses, and a hint of sympathy appeared on her cold face.

Cai Wei also nodded lightly. She had also come from the Da Xia Imperial City and was familiar with the Holy玄 Star Academy. She also knew how famous Jiang Qing'e was there, to the point of being the center of attention.

Li Luo was currently hiding in Nanfeng City, and the storms hadn't reached him yet, but once he went to the Holy玄 Star Academy, he would face the pressure of Jiang Qing'e's dazzling aura.

If it were someone with weaker endurance, they might not be able to handle it.

As they spoke, the atmosphere in the venue suddenly heated up. The two women looked over and saw the teams from various academies entering the venue.

Their gazes swept over, and they immediately spotted Li Luo in the Nanfeng Academy team, his silver-gray hair and striking appearance made him easy to recognize.

"The young master really is handsome. His hair color has changed, making him even more attractive," Cai Wei commented with a smile.

Yan Lingqing said irritably, "You're a superficial beauty worshipper."

However, she didn't deny that Li Luo, who inherited the excellent genes of his parents, was indeed flawless in appearance.

As countless gazes focused, a figure in a starlight robe appeared on the platform. The starlight robe shimmered with silver light.

That was the mentor's robe of the Holy玄 Star Academy, clearly the person was a supervisor sent by the Holy玄 Star Academy.

"Students of Tian Shu County, I am a mentor of the Holy玄 Star Academy, An Lie. This year's academy exam will be conducted on a points system to determine the rankings." An Lie, who looked to be around thirty, was clearly a young and capable mentor to have become a mentor of the Holy玄 Star Academy at his age.

As he spoke, the team leaders of each academy took out a crystal token and distributed them to their students.

Li Luo and his team also received the crystal tokens, which were about the size of a palm, engraved with their academy's emblem and their names.

"At the start of the exam, all of you will enter two evaluation stages. Passing these stages will earn you some base points."

"In these two evaluation stages, students are prohibited from fighting each other. Once you pass these stages, everything will become free. You can snatch the crystal tokens from others and take their points, which is the third stage of the elimination round. Of course, students from the same academy cannot take points from each other."

"Your final destination is in the depths of the southwest of Bai Ling Mountain, where there is an ancient city ruin called Bai Ling Ruins. When you reach there, you will know the final rules."

As An Lie spoke calmly, the faces of all the students gradually became serious, and the air seemed to be filled with tension.

After explaining all the rules, An Lie glanced at the sky and then smiled brightly.

"Enough talk, I hereby announce that the academy exam has officially begun."

As he spoke, the tense atmosphere in the venue suddenly exploded, turning into a boiling frenzy that spread everywhere.

The exam had finally begun.

(Today's update, tomorrow will continue with two updates.)