Not far ahead, there was a teahouse. There were many guests, and some of the young men and women were dressed luxuriously. They seemed to be well-read and reasonable as if they were from a prestigious family.
These ten or so young people had gathered in a small teahouse. Something important must have happened.
A loud noise came from outside the teahouse. A weak scholar was arguing with a group of brawny men sitting at the tea table.
There were five or six people sitting at the burly man’s table. All of them were at the aurous core stage but the weak scholar was alone. He was only at the third level of the foundation establishment stage.
When the other young people in the teahouse saw this scene, they all ignored it. Some of them even showed a gloating smile.
“This East City Academy is famous for having a lot of trash. They actually dared to send people here. Aren’t they afraid of making a fool of themselves?”
“Look at him, he looks like he’s about to cry from fright, haha!”
“Ignore him. Hurry up and finish your food and go to the city to stay. Tomorrow morning, we still have to attend the gathering personally hosted by Madam Li. We can’t be late.”
“Madam Li is hosting a banquet, so the princess will naturally attend. If anyone can stand out at the gathering and leave a good impression on the princess, it will be a great benefit for the selection of the prince consort in a few day’s time!”
Lin An’s gaze fell on the weak scholar in front of him, and he muttered to himself, “Looking at this silly fellow. He’s quite pitiful. I might as well help him vent his anger and find out what happened in the imperial city recently.”
At this moment, the weak scholar had already left the burly man’s table in embarrassment and walked to the side.
Lin An walked up to him and said, “The people at that table were so rude to you, how can we let it go so easily? Why don’t I help you vent your anger? Then the two of us can find a place to sit down and have a cup of tea and chat?”
“Ah?” The weak scholar was shocked and quickly waved his hand, “No need. Those people have very high cultivation levels and are quite unreasonable. It’s better if we don’t offend them too much. Why don’t we travel together now and find a place to rest in the city?”
Lin An waved his hand and said with an unfathomable expression, “We are all loyal to each other. Your matter is my matter. I must vent my anger!”
Before they could finish their sentence, a few mocking laughter came from behind them.
“Hehe, where did this arrogant kid come from?”
“He must be no better than the people from the East City Academy. They’re all useless!”
“He’s only at the foundation establishment stage. A newborn calf isn’t afraid of a tiger!”
They couldn’t detect Lin An’s cultivation level. They thought that he was just like that weak scholar.
Lin An turned around and saw two men and two women strolling over.
Both of them were dressed like scholars, but they also looked like they were rich.
When the weak scholar saw them, he looked away and lowered his head. He didn’t dare to look them in the eye and reminded Lin An in a low voice.
“Let’s go. These are the disciples of the Sacred City Academy.”
The Sacred City Academy was an academy directly under the name of the Emperor of the Ghana Empire. Those who could enter were all of extraordinary talent and they would definitely become nobles in the imperial court after they came out.
“Wait for the good show!”
Lin An turned around and walked towards the table of strong men.
Only the weak scholar and the two men and two women from the Sacred City Academy were left standing on the spot with blank expressions.
Was… was that kid’s brain damaged?
Or did he not want his life?
He actually dared to go?
“Hehe, that kid is dead for sure!” Looking at Lin An’s figure walking over, a man from the Sacred City Academy sneered.
“I thought he was pretty good-looking but I didn’t expect him to be such an arrogant guy!”
Everyone shook their heads.
The weak scholar was scared out of his wits. He didn’t expect his brother to be so fierce.
By the time he reacted, Lin An had already arrived at the table of the few strong men.
…
“Brother Lin, Madam Li is hosting a banquet by Daming Lake this time. It’s really a brilliant performance! In a place like Daming Lake, it’s really a place full of poetry.”
The next day, on the way to Daming Lake, the weak scholar was introducing the scenery of Daming Lake to Lin An. He completely treated Lin An as a foreigner.
Very soon, the two of them arrived at their destination.
The water of Daming Lake was jade-green and beautiful. There was a curved jade bridge on the lake that led to a mansion in the middle of the lake.
That was Madam Li’s courtyard.
Today’s gathering was different from the past. There were many more people attending. The reason was that the Princess of the Ghana Empire might be attending the banquet today. The young talents of the various academies rushed over one after another, wanting to see the princess and at the same time, hoping to leave a good impression on her.
When Lin An and the weak scholar arrived here, there was already a long line by the lakeside.
Those who walked into the villa at the center of Daming Lake all held a golden invitation card in their hands.
Lin An immediately understood something and asked the weak scholar if he could enter without an invitation card.
“Brother Lin, it’s very troublesome without a golden invitation card. You have to go to the entrance to answer three questions and then ask three questions that will trouble everyone present. Only then can you enter. However, there is one advantage. As long as you pass this test, you can become a guest of honor. In the future, you can attend the banquet at any time without a golden invitation card.”
There was no other choice but to go and take a look.
Just as the two of them arrived at the entrance of the villa, they were immediately stopped by a few young boys and girls who looked like students.
“Please line up!”
Lin An said, “I’m here to answer the questions and pass the test!”
The students said in astonishment, “Are you sure you want to pass the test? If you fail, even if you have a gold sticker, you won’t be able to attend the banquet!”
“To be honest, I’m here to challenge all kinds of difficult knowledge. As for whether I can attend the party or not, I don’t really care!” Lin An said seriously.
After the students heard this, they were immediately filled with respect!
So this young master was here for knowledge. He was truly admirable!
This was a true student.
The female student’s impression of Lin An immediately increased. She pointed to a wooden plaque covered in a red cloth beside the door.
“The three questions for today’s challenge are already on the list. Young Master can answer them on his own but there is a time limit for each question. You need to answer them within ten breaths, otherwise, it will be considered a failure.”
At this moment, a student walked out with a gong and knocked hard.
Clang!
The sound reverberated throughout the entire Daming Lake!
All the students were shocked and looked over.
“The gong in Madam Li’s side garden has sounded?”
“Has someone passed the test again? Ever since Young Master Zhang of the Sacred City Academy failed a year ago, no one has passed the test again!”
“Who is going to pass the test this time? Could it be Young Master Wu, the leader of the four great scholars in the capital?”
“This is a rare sight. Let’s quickly take a look…”
By Daming Lake, countless students were alarmed and looked towards the entrance of the villa.
The weak scholar felt the gazes from all around him and could not help but shrink his body, feeling a little timid.