Chapter 45: I Wish to Achieve Immortal Ascension (Fourteen)
“Greetings, Hall Master!”
Although everyone muttered to themselves that with only three of them as an audience, he still had to strike a pose to scare people, they still had to maintain the necessary etiquette.
The Hall Master nodded with satisfaction, seeing the three of them were courteous and well-behaved, but the movement caused his neck to creak as if it were a rusty hinge that hadn't been oiled in a long time. He tried to force a benevolent smile onto his stiff face, but it only made his wrinkles bunch together, and his piercing gaze made him even more terrifying.
“Excellent. You are now Upper Dormitory Students of the Seven Profound Academy. Since you have obtained the method of Cultivation, you must diligently Cultivate and not be negligent. The path of Cultivation is like ascending a high mountain; every step is arduous. Only with perseverance can one reach the Peak. If you Cultivate day and night, without interruption through spring and autumn, the day of your Immortal Ascension will be just around the corner.” The Hall Master stroked his long, grizzled beard, nodding his head as he spoke.
“Yes!”
With the Hall Master’s encouraging words, coupled with his intense stare, they naturally dared not fail to respond.
“These are your results for this time.” The Hall Master flicked his robe sleeve, and everyone's seven profound token glowed faintly.
Liu Sheng's seven profound token now displayed:
【Name: Yao Sujin】
【Age: Nineteen】
【Identity: Seven Profound Academy Inner Dormitory Student】
【Admission Date: Tianhe Twenty-Third Year】
【Courtyard: Xichun Dormitory Ugly Twelve】
【Bone Structure: Low Grade】
【Comprehension Ability: Top Grade】
【Cultivation: None】
She hadn't expected the tian yan stone to cheat for her, even producing a Top Grade Comprehension Ability.
…
Just as everyone was focused on their examination results, suddenly, under the moonlight, outside the long window, a distorted figure squirmed and crawled on the ground.
Liu Sheng and the other two felt a tightening in their hearts and looked out the window in unison. They saw the figure dressed in a red Daoist robe, as vivid as blood, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding darkness. Its movements were slow and stiff; its limbs seemed to have been broken, and every movement was accompanied by painful trembling.
Looking at its face, a mass of long, disheveled dark hair covered most of it, revealing only a pale, bleeding chin and red lips torn open to its ears. Its sharp eyes were gone, replaced by two empty sockets.
Although it had no eyes, its face was still turned towards Liu Sheng, and the bloody holes looked at her like eyes.
Liu Sheng immediately recognized it as the female Instructor who had been targeting her!
It's just that her current appearance was too miserable, wasn't it?
Its hands reached out weakly, emitting faint, intermittent whimpers, a sound filled with pleading and unwillingness.
As it crawled, a trail of fresh red blood was dragged across the ground.
It turned out that the Daoist robe on its body was stained red with blood.
With a 'thwack', the ruler struck the table, bringing the attention of the three back.
“Do not be distracted,” the Hall Master’s voice was low and calm, as if it could reach the depths of their hearts. “Many external disturbances are tests on the path of Cultivation. Only with a mind as still as water can one glimpse the true meaning of the Heavenly Dao.”
As the Hall Master's words fell, two fleshy strips, like shelled razor clams, scurried over from outside the lecture hall, grabbed the female ghost on the ground, and said anxiously to the Hall Master, “Apologies, Hall Master, we were momentarily careless and let her escape. Who knew she would dare to run here and disturb your lecture.”
After speaking, the position of their heads kept nodding towards the Hall Master, but because they had no faces, no expression could be seen. The fleshy strips trembled, seemingly quite afraid that the Hall Master would punish them as well.
“Take this disgraceful thing away!” The Hall Master impatiently waved his hand, also feeling a bit of exasperation.
“As an Instructor, one should prioritize virtue and integrity. How can there be improper behavior such as academic fraud and accepting bribes? Furthermore, abusing private power, engaging in favoritism and retaliation, and covering up the truth, damaging the integrity of the teaching profession, is truly a disgrace to the Academy, and even to the Immortal Realm!”
Liu Sheng understood why the female Instructor was punished. She hadn't expected that amidst this ghostly disaster, within this twisted academy, there would still be such a Hall Master who deeply revered the Dao, and couldn't help but feel respect.
“I refuse! I refuse! I just… I just… didn’t want to see any other creatures appear around him…” The female Instructor shrieked unwillingly before being dragged away, her cries echoing with blood, and her whimpers gradually faded until they could no longer be heard.
Only then did Liu Sheng realize that the reason she was targeted was so melodramatic…
She had originally thought it was because she was a heaven-sent genius who was envied, or that she was the female protagonist in a story who was always inexplicably targeted, or perhaps she was simply too beautiful and outstanding in the eyes of the ghosts, naturally blessed with beauty that was hard to ignore.
She never expected that this was a twisted love affair between the female Instructor and the Pig-Head Chef, a story of “he flees, she chases, and neither can escape.” And she, Liu Sheng, an ordinary human, a wage earner, had inexplicably become a part of their game.
Seeing that everyone's attention had been completely drawn to this vague gossip, the Hall Master sighed softly: “Foolish children, this is the consequence of having too deep an obsession. You should take this as a warning.”
“Enough. Since you are all not in the mood to learn, let us stop here.” The Hall Master put away his ruler with disappointment.
“The Chongdao Shrine has Spiritual Veins that can aid Cultivation. You may reside within the shrine and Cultivate peacefully. Only when you Breakthrough to the Qi Refinement Stage can you come here and participate in the final Ascension Examination.”
After his final instructions, the Hall Master gave the three a deep look, then waved his robe sleeve.
Liu Sheng and the other two were instantly expelled from the Qingxu Hall. The half-moon's clear light and the deep night swirled over the plaza.
Several Disciples who had just finished today's Outer Dormitory Student Ascension Examination also walked out of Qingxu Hall at this time, looking at them curiously.
Someone whispered, “They look clean and don't seem to have suffered much.”
“Yes, and three of them survived! I remember five went in, so the survival rate isn't low!”
Another person said optimistically, “It seems the Inner Dormitory’s Ascension Examination isn’t difficult either. We’ll come tomorrow!”
Liu Sheng, She Chan, and Jiang Tao exchanged a bitter smile.
Then, without another word, following the rule of no more than two people walking side-by-side, Liu Sheng and She Chan descended the stairs to the right together, while Jiang Tao walked down the stairs alone to the left, his figure gradually disappearing into the black mist.
…
Liu Sheng and She Chan descended the stairs, passed through the black mist, and walked towards Xichun Dormitory.
The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the ancient bluestone slabs, forming a mottled pattern. Around them, pine and cypress trees stood silent, looking down from above. Occasionally, a scream or roar could be heard in the distance, and the omnipresent gazes in the darkness sent shivers down one's spine.
“Today, fortunately, we had you.” She Chan bit her lower lip, looking at Liu Sheng seriously. “I won’t ask how you did it, nor do I know what you went through, but I know it couldn’t have been easy. If it weren’t for you today, I’m afraid I would have died inside. And I wouldn’t have had the chance to obtain a Cultivation Technique… Thank you, Su Jin.”
Liu Sheng smiled faintly, accepting the thanks naturally.
She Chan’s face flushed slightly. After some thought, she continued, “Su Jin, what are your plans next?”
“What I mean is, I’ve practiced some martial arts, and now I’m an Upper Dormitory Student.” She was afraid Liu Sheng wouldn’t understand her meaning and quickly added, “My dormmates are all… gone. I want, I want to ask, how about we team up from now on?”
After She Chan finished speaking, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled.
Liu Sheng speculated that it was probably because she directly proposed to cling to a powerful figure, which made her quite embarrassed.
For She Chan, Liu Sheng was a reliable powerhouse she had just met.
And for Liu Sheng, after countless deductions, She Chan was her most familiar stranger.
In every deduction, She Chan had never actively harmed her, except when her consciousness was muddled. She was a good person.
Moreover, She Chan knew some martial arts, so she shouldn't be a burden. Perhaps having someone by her side would even be helpful.
“Alright, let’s team up.” Liu Sheng nodded in agreement.
“Coincidentally, my dormmates are all gone too.”
Yes, how could it be such a coincidence!?
This chapter number cures obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This volume is relatively important, so it will be a bit longer.