Chapter 133: Seeking Knowledge at Huai Mountain (Part 2)
The foot of the mountain was still shrouded in layers of clouds and mist, which was indeed unusual.
Wen Weilan sent a spirit message to her Senior Sister, informing her of their arrival.
Before long, the clouds and mist parted to reveal a winding path of bluestone slabs leading upwards.
The mountain path was deep and secluded; as they ascended the steps, heavy clouds and mist obscured the views on both sides. Although they couldn’t see clearly, they could hear the rustling of pines, the swaying of bamboo forests, and faintly, the gurgling sound of clear springs flowing over stones.
Ling Xiaoshu ran at the very front, quite excited.
After all, as a tree, having lived among humans for so long felt like being in a cage. Naturally, she longed to return to nature, and every flower, blade of grass, and tree felt incredibly familiar.
It was a pity that the clouds and mist were so dense that she couldn't venture beyond the bluestone path.
After walking for a while, the clouds and mist finally thinned, revealing lush green pines, cypresses, and bamboo forests.
The three walked a bit further, and at the end of the bluestone path, deep within the dense forest, a clearing suddenly opened up. There were four or five bamboo huts, with vegetables and fruits planted in the yard, and a gurgling stream flowing past.
With a creak, the door of one of the bamboo huts opened, and a tall woman in a green gown gracefully stepped out, accompanied by a large yellow dog.
Upon seeing the newcomers, the large yellow dog immediately wagged its tail, bared its teeth, barked a few times, and excitedly tried to pounce on them.
"嘯天 (Xiao Tian), come back."
The woman in the green gown gently scolded it, and the large yellow dog dejectedly lowered its head and tail, walking back behind its owner, but its eyes remained fixed in one direction.
That direction seemed to be where Ling Xiaoshu was standing.
Liu Sheng was somewhat surprised; could this dog really see Xiao Shu?
No wonder, though it looked no different from a common dog, it bore such a majestic name.
"Senior Sister!" Wen Weilan called out with a smile.
It seemed the woman in green was the legendary Senior Sister Nangong Wan. Although Wen Weilan had said she should be sixty years old, she looked only about thirty. Her appearance was beautiful, the most stunning Liu Sheng had ever seen, and coupled with her resilient and unyielding temperament, like a green bamboo in the wind, seeing her made one forget all worldly concerns.
Though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, there was no awkwardness between them.
Nangong Wan directly reached out and squeezed Wen Weilan's shoulders and arms, her myriad words condensing into one sentence: "Wei Lan, you... you've lost weight."
"It's fine, perhaps I've just been too busy lately."
"Even if you're busy, you must eat more."
"Okay."
"This must be Liu Sheng, who opened Qingyun Pavilion with you, right?" Nangong Wan looked at Liu Sheng, revealing a kind smile, like that of an elder.
"Hello, Senior, I am Liu Sheng." Liu Sheng proactively bowed and introduced herself.
"No need to be so polite. You can call me Senior Sister, just like Wei Lan does."
Liu Sheng readily changed her address: "Senior Sister."
As they spoke, 嘯天 (Xiao Tian) kept circling Ling Xiaoshu, making Ling Xiaoshu's calves tickle and causing her to giggle.
"Although you are Wei Lan's good friend, according to my custom here, I still need to assess you in person first," Nangong Wan said seriously. "After all, my Huaishan Training claims a 100% success rate. To be blunt, I cannot accept seeds that are too inferior; I cannot tarnish my reputation."
"I apologize, I was a bit too direct," she said apologetically to the two of them.
If they weren't acquaintances, she wouldn't even offer such an apology.
In fact, in the Curriculum Assessment training circle, the Huaishan Training's reputation was not weak; on the contrary, it was famous for all participants certainly passing the examination.
Therefore, countless Xuezis came to her, offering large sums of gold and treasures just to receive a bit of her guidance.
However, she only selected a few promising Xuezis each year for cultivation, focusing on quality over quantity.
Others said she was truly foolish for not taking advantage of such a great opportunity to make money, but they also had to be impressed by her outstanding training results.
Wen Weilan had been preparing for the imperial examination since she was young and didn't need to participate in training, so she didn't know much about it. Only now did she realize her Senior Sister's training had such a high threshold.
She couldn't help but feel a little worried. Although she had confidence in Liu Sheng's intelligence and talent, her Senior Sister was definitely not someone who would go easy. Liu Sheng, after all, had not systematically prepared for the imperial examination. What if she really didn't pass?
Nangong Wan saw Wen Weilan's face wrinkle into a frown and chuckled softly.
She continued to speak to Liu Sheng: "I heard you graduated from Hanshan Academy two years ago and were admitted to the Weaving Institute. Although it's a Weaving Institute in a small place, it still indicates you have some ability."
"But after all these years, much of your knowledge should have been set aside long ago. Not to mention, you come from the Tiangong Department, so your Curriculum Assessment knowledge is limited."
"And as for policy essays, there's no need to mention them. Non-Curriculum Assessment Disciples wouldn't have relevant courses, because policy essays are only useful during the imperial examination."
"For the martial examination, I also don't have much confidence in you. I heard you only achieved a Breakthrough to the Initial Realm this year, and it hasn't even been two months. Do you know how many examinees have tempered their foundations since the age of three and started to Cultivate since the age of twelve for this? Countless. There are also some who specifically seek out Great Masters for sparring, and even more capable individuals go out to hunt aberrations for combat practice."
"I truly don't understand why you don't wait until next year to try again? If you did, I would have confidence in taking you on. If I guide you for a full year, becoming a Jinshi would be no difficult feat."
The imperial examination, a matter as difficult as thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge, was described as "no difficult feat" by Nangong Wan. This indicated either an arrogant person or someone with absolute confidence.
Liu Sheng was not annoyed by Nangong Wan's words; she calmly said, "There's no need to make a judgment beforehand, Senior Sister can certainly try."
"Good." Nangong Wan's eyes showed appreciation. "Come over here."
"No one else should follow, including that little girl playing with 嘯天 (Xiao Tian)."
Everyone was startled. Ling Xiaoshu's small hand, which was rubbing the large yellow dog's head, stopped in fright. She hadn't expected this older sister could see her directly.
Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng couldn't help but look at Senior Sister Nangong with more respect. Although Senior Sister's cultivation was not top-tier, she definitely possessed extraordinary qualities unknown to others.
How could someone who could see through the "one-leaf-blinds-the-eye" of a Universe-level tree species be an ordinary Cultivator?
Nangong Wan led Liu Sheng to one of the bamboo huts. It was empty, with only a few tables and chairs.
She took out a blank scroll and placed it on the table.
"The table has all the writing tools: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. You can start the examination now. I will collect the paper in one hour."
"Do not attempt any cheating. I have set up a Restriction here; once you cheat, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Liu Sheng responded with a sound, indicating she understood.
"Good, focus on writing."
With that, Nangong Wan left, leaving Liu Sheng alone.
Liu Sheng picked up the scroll and looked at the questions one by one.
The first question was a fundamental yet profound essay question.
"Discuss the origin of Spiritual Qi and its principles of circulation between heaven and earth."
The second question:
"Discuss how the theories of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements can be applied to the harmonization of Spiritual Qi, and their effects on improving a Cultivator's cultivation."
Liu Sheng nodded, deep in thought.
This question indeed reflected the Fusion of contemporary cultivation theory and ancient theories, requiring the examinee to have some knowledge of ancient texts.
...
After ten Curriculum Assessment essay questions, there was a major policy essay question.
"Anomalous events are occurring with increasing frequency. The security of the nation and the welfare of its people are all tied to this. Discuss the strategies the state should adopt for the prevention and control of anomalous events."
Liu Sheng pondered for a moment, then turned back to the first question, dipped her brush in ink, and began to write in the blank space below the title.