"Seven points, ten points… nineteen points! Exceeding Xi Men Hong Chun! This… is the scoring stone provided by the Artifact Refining Peak this time malfunctioning? How is this examinee’s score increasing so rapidly!"
As a cry of surprise erupted from the room, everyone’s gazes turned to the name that was rapidly climbing the ranks.
Bai Sheng Yi.
"Bai Sheng Yi? That sounds a bit familiar. Is this the heir of some hidden aristocratic family?" Hua Ye’s half-uncovered face revealed a look of confusion.
Yun Ying said, "I’ve never even heard of them. They’re either mistaken about the scoring stone, or this student is cheating. Senior Brother Wen, why aren’t you having Mu Xing investigate this time? Don’t you detest this sort of behavior?"
Wen Jiu Yin cast a meaningful glance at Yun Ying.
For the first time, this gentle elder spoke to Yun Ying in a stern tone, "Junior Sister Yun, isn’t this student the one who entered the trial questions for the Qian Xiao Peak due to your disciple’s mistake? Have you forgotten so quickly?"
"Since she was able to refine the second-tier Spirit Sealing Powder, it’s not impossible for her to notice the little hint we left in this assessment. Don’t always think so badly of people."
Yun Ying, as the only young ninth-tier artifact refiner on the continent with the potential to break through to the ninth tier, and also the youngest junior sister of her generation, had always been doted upon by everyone. This was the first time anyone had spoken such harsh words to her.
She immediately put on a sullen face.
But at this very moment, their academy’s ever-elusive Vice Principal suddenly appeared before everyone.
He sat lazily on the Black Eye Tiger, leaning to one side, and said, "Jin Ling Yun has unilaterally violated academy regulations. I have already instructed Mu Xing to throw him out of the illusion. Yun Ying, remember to have him return to the academy to receive punishment."
His nonchalant demeanor made Yun Ying feel as if he wasn’t dealing with her disciple at all, but merely an insignificant ant.
Moreover, Yun Ying was very displeased with this disposition. The anger she had been holding back instantly surged forth. She immediately stood up and said, "Vice Principal, is this necessary?"
Addressing you as Vice Principal, do you really think you’re someone important?
"Roar!"
Qin Si had not finished speaking, but the Black Eye Tiger beneath him suddenly let out a roar and lunged forward, charging towards Yun Ying.
Yun Ying was startled and quickly dodged, but she was only at the early Golden Core stage now. How could she evade it? She could only watch helplessly as the Black Eye Tiger swiped at her with a claw.
"Ah!"
The anticipated pain did not come. Yun Ying opened her eyes to see the Black Eye Tiger calmly licking its paw, their Vice Principal seated steadily on its back, his expression unchanged.
But she herself broke out in a cold sweat down her back.
"You want to instruct this Venerable one on how to act?"
Immediately, an overwhelming pressure swept through the entire room, a strong and fierce aura forcing everyone in the room to bow their heads.
"This subordinate… dares not!" Yun Ying lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and said each word with humility.
She would remember this humiliation!
You shameless brat, she would see how long you could remain arrogant. When Senior Brother Xi Lou returns, she would definitely make you pay!
Qin Si was indifferent to her unwilling appearance, as his eyes had already been inadvertently drawn to the name on the scoring stone.
"Bring up the image of this examinee," Qin Si ordered indifferently. Looking at Bai Sheng Yi’s name, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
Soon, a cultivator found the Soul-Projecting Mirror, adjusted the angle, and Bai Sheng Yi’s figure appeared in the mirror.
She was in the process of chasing down a demon cultivator at the mid-Golden Core stage. However, it was clear that the demon cultivator was no match for her.
As she twirled a broken brush in her left hand and wielded a long whip with her right, she trapped the demon cultivator in an instant and then whipped him towards the heart, instantly earning another 2 points.
Not only that, but then, everyone watched as she took out the little hint left by the academy in the city, which was the city lord’s mansion quest list, and completed two tasks consecutively within half an hour.
The reason she only completed two was that for the second task, Bai Sheng Yi spent a long time affectionately stroking a black cat.
"Junior Sister Yun, look, Bai Sheng Yi's strength is like this; it has nothing to do with cheating. Don't casually accuse students like this in the future," Wen Jiu Yin stroked his beard and nodded, clearly very satisfied with Bai Sheng Yi's performance.
Yun Ying had just lost face due to the Vice Principal. Even though he had withdrawn his pressure, she still felt uncomfortable all over. She snorted dismissively and said, "What if the scoring stone is faulty?"
Wen Jiu Yin frowned upon seeing her stubbornness and was about to say something when he heard Mu Xing outside requesting an audience with the Vice Principal.
"Come in," Qin Si said lightly.
Mu Xing walked in, glanced around, and said seriously, "Reporting to the Vice Principal, there are no issues with this batch of scoring stones. Furthermore, from the delivery and inspection by the Artifact Refining Peak to its transportation to Qian Lian City, the entire process was compliant and reasonable."
Qin Si nodded and said to Mu Xing, "Understood. You may go down now. Remember to retrieve a fifth-tier spirit elixir from my private treasury as a reward for this year's first place."
Mu Xing respectfully acknowledged.
"Vice Principal is truly generous. The students this time are truly fortunate," Wen Jiu Yin said with a smile, very happy for the students.
Yun Ying felt that the Vice Principal was deliberately targeting her. She had never felt so wronged and humiliated as she did today. The more Yun Ying thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Finally, with a dark expression, she snorted coldly and slammed the door as she left.
As soon as she left, the atmosphere in the room became even more awkward.
But Qin Si seemed oblivious. He called out the names of several examinees from this assessment, "Bring up their images for me to see as well."
"Xi Men Hong Chun, Chu Tian Le, Feng Wu Ya, Qing Bu Li, Li Shi Qing. We are quite optimistic about these few talents. Vice Principal, look, especially Qing Bu Li. If it weren’t for Bai Sheng Yi, he would have been the biggest dark horse this year. He was unknown before, but in the second round, he managed to get room number 1."
Wen Jiu Yin took the initiative to take over the introduction, stating his opinion, "However, I don’t know what’s going on this year. Li Shi Qing’s performance seems inconsistent with her strength; she only ranked fifth."
According to Wen Jiu Yin’s understanding, Li Shi Qing should have been at least in the top three.
Although Qin Si listened, his eyes were fixed on the assessment footage. Seeing something, he frowned, "Wait, what is this person using?"
"Is this a worm Gu? Could it be a Gu Master?" Wen Jiu Yin struggled to answer after a long examination.
The woman’s movements were too fast. He only saw something resembling a worm land on the demon cultivator, and then the demon cultivator collapsed on the ground.
"Keep a close eye on her," Qin Si said.
He gazed at the familiar face in the footage, thinking of something, and fell into thought.
If Bai Sheng Yi were present, she would recognize this person as Bai Mu Rong.
After parting ways with Li Shi Qing, Bai Mu Rong’s entire demeanor changed. She even replaced her usual preference for light-colored clothing with black, and her attacks became more vicious and decisive.
However, Bai Sheng Yi was unaware of any of this.
After reluctantly bidding farewell to the black cat, she completed several more tasks and, on the tail end of the third day, encountered the real Xi Men Hong Chun.
"Fellow Daoist Xi Men, are you taking on the task of competing on behalf of the Li family?" Bai Sheng Yi asked with a raised eyebrow.
This task was to act as a guest elder and compete on behalf of the Zhang and Li families in the city. Upon completion, one would receive a Breakthrough Pill to deal with demon cultivators at the mid-Golden Core stage.
A Breakthrough Pill, as the name suggested, could allow a cultivator to advance one major realm. To put it more directly, if Bai Sheng Yi obtained this, she would have the opportunity to experience the strength of the Golden Core stage in advance within the illusion, which would be entirely beneficial to her future cultivation.
It was precisely because of the allure of this pill that Bai Sheng Yi set her sights on this task during this final period.
However, it was clear that Xi Men Hong Chun was also aiming for the Breakthrough Pill.
"Yes. I want the Breakthrough Pill," Xi Men Hong Chun said coldly, drawing his large hammer.