The younger cultivator’s eyes twitched involuntarily. Did they just obtain a spot that everyone vied for in the span of a breath?

The old man added, “That said, Master mentioned that the price is not cheap. You won’t be able to change your decision after you’ve made your mind.”

“Even father thinks it’s not cheap? What is the price?” Bao Yun asked curiously.

The old man replied, “The boy from the Yan Clan of the Eastern Sea was pushed out, but his family used every trick in their book to secure another spot. However, you suddenly wish to go to the Palace of Absolute Beginning, so Master had no choice but to conduct the necessary negotiations and push out the Yan Clan a second time. Speaking of which, Master also said that capriciousness must have its limits. The decision will be final once you put your name down.”

Bao Yun smiled sweetly. “I’ve made up my mind. Everyone always said that I lack tempering. Well, there’s a ready-made whetstone right here in the Palace of Absolute Beginning.”

The younger cultivator looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, it all morphed into a sigh. Only the Bao Clan would think that Bao Yun was being “a little capricious”.

In another grand hall, Liu Sigu was giving eight candidates a lecture. Three people were standing in the front row, and Lee Zhi was at the center of them. They were all prospective disciples of the Four Sages Academies. The other five candidates standing in the back row were prospective disciples who were joining grotto-heavens that were subservient to the academies. He had gathered them all together to impart the teachings of the sages.

The old Confucianist had launched into a lengthy discourse beginning from the sages’ travels across the lands, and he showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Knowing that the lecture would last at least an hour, and feeling like a rock was sitting inside his chest, the middle-aged Confucianist decided to step out and get some fresh air.

Although the Scarlet Tide Sect wasn’t a big sect, they had spared no expenses in holding this unified exam. For example, the entrance gate was arranged with considerable visual appeal and looked rather pleasing even to his discerning eye.

Unfortunately, he barely managed a few steps before he caught sight of Sun Yu standing silently in the shadows.

The young cultivator belonged to the Palace of Absolute Beginning, but the middle-aged Confucianist barely remembered him. He only knew that he was responsible for all menial tasks pertaining to the unified exam. To put it bluntly, he was the head servant, and there was just nothing that deserved to be remembered about such a person. The middle-aged Confucianist thought pretty highly of himself and so hadn’t spoken more than three sentences to Sun Yu throughout the course of the unified exam.

However, the Daoist standing in the shadows looked neither meek nor harmless. In fact, he gave off a dangerous feeling that reminded him of an ancient beast of the wild.

That said, they were inside the boundaries of the Scarlet Tide Sect, and Sun Yu was obviously young. The middle-aged Confucianist was certain that the Daoist’s cultivation experience was far inferior to his. That was why he wasn’t afraid even though he knew that he hadn’t come in peace. Hands clasped behind his back, he watched him calmly and composedly.

Sun Yu asked, “Where is Elder Liu?”

“He’s initiating the new disciples inside the hall.”

The Daoist replied, “It doesn’t matter if I convey the message to you then. The two of you have taken great care of Wei Yuan during this unified exam. Junior Brother Zhang is a magnanimous man, so he might forget this slight now that the dust has settled. However, I, Sun Yu, have not forgotten. When the two of you including your disciples venture the world, do make sure to be very careful. The mountains are tall, and the rivers are rapid. It would be terrible if an accident occurred because you weren’t paying attention.”

The middle-aged Confucianist flew into a rage, “Are you threatening me?!”

To his surprise, Sun Yu replied without hesitation, “I am!”

The middle-aged Confucianist’s robes started fluttering even though the wind wasn’t blowing. He wanted to take action, but he hesitated for some reason. His robes eventually returned to normal as he said, “I am merely serving the hand who feeds me. If you’re this unhappy, you should take it up to the person who is really responsible. Why make things difficult for us?”

Sun Yu explained, “One cannot beat a dog without checking out its owner first. Your owner is beyond my reach, but you, the dog, is not. Now that the matter is settled, you and your colleague are no longer useful. Naturally, I can beat you now.”

The middle-aged Confucianist was outraged by the comparison, and his robes started fluttering for the second time. However, he couldn’t see through the Daoist no matter how hard he tried, so in the end, he didn’t dare to take action.

The middle-aged Confucianist might be afraid to act, but the same couldn’t be said for Sun Yu. He abruptly opened his mouth and blew a line of pale flame straight at his opponent’s chest!

The middle-aged Confucianist grunted and summoned a large word—“Seal”—in front of himself. It glittered brilliantly in the night like it had been forged from silver and iron. In terms of appearance and imposingness alone, it was many times greater than the line of fire.

However, when the two abilities made contact, it was the word that burst into flames. The sudden and immense drain on his mystic energy was such that he struggled to maintain the word in just the blink of an eye. At the same time, he caught a whiff of something medicinal and felt unnaturally dizzy.

The middle-aged Confucianist was both shocked and furious. “Pill fire?”

Over half of the word was burned away in just a matter of breaths. His opponent was going to collapse at any moment, so Sun Yu withdrew the line of fire and let out a cold chuckle. “The path to immortality is long, so you best take good care of yourselves. Remember, immortal silver isn’t that easy to earn.”

He then left without waiting for his opponent to mouth a retort.

The middle-aged Confucianist remained where he was while wearing a brooding expression. The Daoist had an unassuming appearance, but his pill fire was extremely high tier. It managed to burn his Dao Foundation in just the matter of breaths. It was going to take him at least two years of rest and recuperation to recover, so there was no doubt that he was the one who walked away from the exchange with a loss.

He didn’t think that Sun Yu would dare to attack him in the Scarlet Tide Sect’s grounds. Besides shock, he also felt a not insignificant amount of indignation. He and the old Confucianist were just carrying out their employer’s biddings to receive some treasures and immortal silver in return. It was all strictly professional. Was there really a need to take a professional quarrel personally? The youngsters of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were just too unscrupulous!

He then recalled that Sun Yu was a decade younger than him in terms of cultivation experience and grew even gloomer. No longer in the mood to enjoy the scenery, he walked back to the hall, brooding.

In another tranquil courtyard, two people were sitting at a table that was covered in gourmet food. Most of the food ingredients couldn’t possibly be afforded by a small sect like the Scarlet Tide Sect. Daoist Fu Feng was seated at the seat of honor, and the younger cultivator who had worked with him as an examiner was serving him.

Daoist Fu Feng didn’t touch his chopsticks. Instead, he said, “Why don’t we talk business first, Brother Lu? I don’t make it a habit of receiving rewards that I do not deserve.”

The younger cultivator replied, “First, you helped the Miss during the evaluation, Dao Brother. I, Lu Xuan, am not one to forget such a favor. Second, I have a little something that I would like to request your aid with.”

“Do tell.”

“Can you tell me a little about Zhang Sheng’s deeds and accomplishments?”

Daoist Fu Feng gave him a look. “Why do you want to know?”

Lu Xuan answered, “I’ll be frank with you, Dao Brother. The Miss has decided to join the Palace of Absolute Beginning. Her defeat in the martial test hangs behind her back like a shadow, and as her matrilineal older cousin, friendly conflicts may occur between Wei Yuan and the Miss; Zhang Sheng and me in the future. I know I’m no match for him right now, which is why I wish to learn about his past achievements to see if there’s still a chance to close the gap.”

Daoist Fu Feng’s expression grew a little odd when he heard this. “Junior Brother Zhang left the mountains to hone himself seven years ago. Before that, he did enjoy some small pieces of fame. To be exact, he was famous for acting however he pleased in the Palace.”

Lu Xuan let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “That’s not too bad. I thought you would tell me that his Dao Foundation is invincible or something. That impressive sword qi he unleashed earlier today must have been a fortuitous opportunity he obtained in the past seven years!”

The Daoist corrected him, “Junior Brother Zhang encountered a calamity in the very first year of his journey and had his Dao powers sealed for six years straight. It wasn’t until yesterday that it was finally unsealed. Therefore, he hadn’t actually made any improvement at all during this period.”

Lu Xuan was going to drink his wine when his arm froze in mid-air.

Daoist Fu Feng stroked his beard and continued, “Also, Junior Brother Zhang’s Dao Foundation is three immortal swords, so it was widely acknowledged that he is invincible, even though he never flaunts it. But of course, this only within the Palace of Absolute Beginning. The world outside is vast and unpredictable, so it is possible that a better Dao Foundation may exist somewhere.”

Lu Xuan repeated a little stiffly, “Three... Three immortal swords?”