As soon as he stepped into Bai Sha Academy, the scenery before him changed, as if he was in another world entirely.
He saw that he was in an open plaza, and in front of him stood a middle-aged scholar dressed in a Confucian robe, exuding a strong scholarly aura.
He could feel the flow of literary Qi around him, and his face was stern and solemn, making anyone who saw him feel a sense of reverence and dare not be negligent in the slightest.
Looking around, he saw scholars dressed in long scholar robes standing everywhere.
Even the clothes on his own body had transformed into a white long robe, and with this scholarly brocade attire, Zhuang Buzhou also seemed to gain a scholarly aura befitting a man of letters.
Yun Qinghe was also in a long robe, and even Xia Wuya and the others had similarly transformed into scholar robes.
Su Qiu had even changed into a disguise of a woman dressed as a man.
From her appearance, there was no significant difference from a man, except that her surface appeared slightly more delicate, but this was offset by her heroic demeanor.
It was not a big deal, and also, her chest was a bit large.
But it was not the preconceived impression; with the eyesight of ancient times, it would be difficult to distinguish between male and female.
It was definitely not a crude makeup technique.
Do not underestimate the skills and discerning eyes of the ancients; if an ordinary woman disguised as a man could not be discovered, it meant either blindness or intentional ignorance.
However, with Su Qiu, if she didn't reveal she was a woman, it would be almost impossible to tell.
Truly, how can one tell if I am male or female?
The skinny monkey's clothes, when worn on him, looked utterly mismatched and laughable.
Everyone was in a daze, completely bewildered, not understanding why they had changed so much; they had just stepped into Bai Sha Academy, so why had everything suddenly transformed?
Not only were they surprised by their own changes, but there were also hundreds of scholars in the plaza, not just the five of them.
They varied in height and build.
Their expressions, however, carried a sense of longing and anticipation.
"Greetings, Teacher!" a group of scholars simultaneously bowed in respectful greeting.
During this process, Zhuang Buzhou and Xia Wuya clearly made no movement, standing out among the many scholars like a crane among chickens, appearing like anomalies.
"Hm!"
The teacher saw Zhuang Buzhou and the others standing before him; while other scholars were bowing, they remained unmoved, and displeasure immediately arose in his heart.
Such disrespectful individuals were truly rotten wood.
However, he did not say much.
He slowly nodded and said, "You all have come to my Bai Sha Academy, so you must diligently study to advance your own scholarship, so as not to waste your precious time.
However, my Bai Sha Academy does not accept just anyone; we accept those who are teachable, and we teach Confucian scholars.
Naturally, we cannot accept rotten wood that merely fills space.
Therefore, Bai Sha Academy has three trials.
Those who pass one trial can enter the inner court of the academy to study.
Those who pass all three trials can receive guidance from a master.
If one cannot pass even one trial among the three, then they are merely rotten wood."
"Of course, the academy will not give up; we teach without discrimination, and rotten wood may not necessarily never blossom.
Those who do not pass are assigned to the outer court; after three years in the outer court, those with excellent grades can enter the inner court.
This is the academy's compassion towards you."
The teacher spoke.
Within Bai Sha Academy, there were great Confucian scholars in residence, making its reputation illustrious.
Countless scholars and students flocked to the academy.
Who wouldn't want to become a Disciple of a great Confucian scholar?
However, it was clear that not everyone had such qualifications.
"The academy is merciful, the master is merciful," many scholars exclaimed, their faces showing great joy.
To be able to enter Bai Sha Academy was a great Opportunity.
"My academy has three entrance trials, which will be held at Book Mountain.
As long as you step onto it, you will naturally know what the test is.
And if you fail to pass the test, you will have to accept punishment.
If you fail the first trial, after receiving punishment, you can directly proceed to the second trial.
If you fail the second trial, you can continue to accept punishment, and after the punishment, you will directly proceed to the third trial.
If you still cannot pass the third trial, then you will be assigned to the outer court, considered rotten wood."
The teacher nodded slightly and spoke decisively.
Pass any of the three trials, and you can enter the inner court.
"Come with me."
The teacher led the way, walking into the academy.
Zhuang Buzhou and the others exchanged surprised glances; the turn of events caught them somewhat off guard.
This situation was too bizarre.
"Brother Yun, what's going on? Do you have any ideas?" Zhuang Buzhou quietly asked.
"I'm not sure, but if nothing unexpected happens, this Bai Sha Academy might be a mysterious forbidden zone.
As soon as we stepped into the academy, we entered the forbidden zone and were affected by unseen mysterious rules, all transforming into academy scholars.
Such mysterious structures usually have special rules.
As long as we don't violate them, we should be temporarily safe.
Let's wait and see how things unfold, dealing with problems as they arise.
First, let's figure out the rules within the academy, then make other plans.
Otherwise, acting rashly will only lead to disaster."
Yun Qinghe also said with a solemn expression.
This place definitely involves strangeness; there's no doubt about it.
Facing strangeness, even the most powerful Cultivator would not dare to be careless, because strangeness itself is actually connected to the Void Realm.
Especially in such mysterious forbidden zones, once their special mysterious rules are triggered, even top Cultivators could die on the spot.
These are a group of unreasonable things.
Backed by the Void Realm, they are a group of favored ones.
Therefore, as soon as Yun Qinghe perceived the strangeness of this academy, he immediately dared not act rashly.
Let's observe everything first.
"Hmm, I also think acting rashly is very inappropriate.
I don't know if the scholars here are living or dead; in short, I can't see through them.
I feel that many rules here have been distorted and are different from the outside world."
Xia Wuya also leaned over and whispered.
Here, it seemed as if they were constantly under a strange influence.
Making them subconsciously accept their identity as scholars of Bai Sha Academy.
If they didn't have cultivation, they would have probably completely accepted this cognition from the very beginning.
But if this continues, no one knows how long they can last.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it; let's follow them and see first."
Zhuang Buzhou took a deep breath, recalling the previous situation; the Yin General's ultimate goal seemed to be to get them into the academy.
After deciding, the group mingled with the scholars and followed them deeper into the academy.
Before long, they arrived at the foot of a Giant Spirit Peak.
This Giant Spirit Peak, at a glance, gave a very special feeling; it was three hundred zhang high, not exceptionally tall, but certainly not short, and standing at its base, it still gave a sense of being very small.
Moreover, there were many trees growing on this mountain, and these trees were also special; what grew on them were not leaves, but books, and these ancient books fluttered in the wind, seemingly emitting pleasant sounds of reading.
"This is Book Mountain.
This Book Mountain is three hundred thirty-three zhang high.
As long as you ascend to the summit of Book Mountain, you will pass the first trial."
The teacher pointed to Book Mountain and said calmly, "Now, you may ascend the mountain.
You have one day to reach the summit.
Those who do not arrive will be considered to have failed."
On Book Mountain, there was indeed a staircase that led directly to the summit.
Following the staircase, one could reach the destination.
This Book Mountain, over three hundred zhang, which is over a thousand meters high, seemed not very difficult to climb, as if the test was only of the climber's physique.
However, was the test really that simple?
Zhuang Buzhou pondered to himself; this Book Mountain was definitely not simple.
At this moment, some scholars had already begun to climb Book Mountain.
Among the scholars, they could only follow and step onto Book Mountain.
But as soon as they stepped on, in an instant, everyone around them seemed to vanish into thin air, and the entire Book Mountain was left with only himself.
"Something is strange."
A thought quickly flashed through Zhuang Buzhou's mind.
This must be caused by the special power of Book Mountain.
Without a doubt, it should be that anyone who steps onto Book Mountain will find themselves alone.
"Eh, where's the path?"
After stepping on, being within Book Mountain, Zhuang Buzhou looked up into the Void Realm and found that the original staircase path had disappeared.
Moreover, everywhere he looked, there were layers of mist, obscuring his vision and making it difficult to see the path ahead.
How was he supposed to walk?
With visibility less than three meters, climbing a Giant Spirit Peak under such circumstances was clearly a very difficult task.
Furthermore, he could distinctly feel an invisible pressure inexplicably appearing on his body when he stepped onto Book Mountain.
This pressure was not obvious yet, but it clearly added a significant amount of weight.
This was definitely not a good thing when climbing.
The key was that here, it seemed he couldn't use his cultivation or magical power.
Zhuang Buzhou tried a bit, circulating his Innate True Qi to resist the external pressure, but the next second, an even heavier pressure followed.
When he dispersed his True Qi, the pressure on his body also returned to normal.
Clearly, this Book Mountain could only be climbed by relying on one's own physical body.
One could not use powers exceeding a Mortal.
"First, I need to find that staircase path; this Book Mountain only has that one staircase to climb."
Zhuang Buzhou pondered to himself.
During his earlier observation, he had already discovered that although Book Mountain was large, there was only one path up the mountain.
Now, he was clearly not on the staircase, so first, he had to find that path to have a chance to ascend.
Looking around, there were large trees everywhere, with books hanging from their branches.
These were Sage Trees.
Confucian Cultivators could imbue their insights and knowledge into the trees, causing precious books to grow.
He couldn't help but reach out and pluck a book from a tree.
"The Analects"
Zhuang Buzhou glanced at it; it was indeed a classic of the sages.
A compilation of the sayings and actions of Confucius and his Disciples.
He opened it and saw lines of text appearing before his eyes; this was a real book, not just for show.
The Master said: "Clever words and a fawning appearance are seldom accompanied by true benevolence!"
Zengzi said: "I daily examine myself on three points: whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not perfectly loyal; whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not perfectly sincere; whether I may have not mastered and practiced the instructions of my teacher."
Zhuang Buzhou softly read aloud; these were classics left by the sages, worthy of deep study and lifelong learning for future generations.
As he read, he also contemplated the words and deeds of the sages, comprehending the virtues and spirit within them.
Unconsciously, he had finished reading an entire Analects.
During this process, he seemed to have felt no passage of time.