Fusang Sword Heart Diagram

Chapter 91 Autumn Assessment
As dusk turns to dawn, it is already golden autumn.

Osmanthus blossoms in the mountains, bright yellow like stars, their fragrance lingering on one's clothes.

Ning Fusang went to Guangyuan Hall early in the morning to collect this month's cultivation resources and new sect attire. On her way back to Tianxin Peak, she saw a figure squatting at the entrance of the mountain path.

"Senior Brother Yang Ruo."

Ning Fusang greeted him politely but distantly.

The boy helped himself up with the stone tablet. The immaturity on his face had faded. He was half an ear taller than Ning Fusang. His eyes were still clear as water, but he looked somewhat troubled.

"Junior sister Ning."

Ning Fusang gave a soft "hmm" and asked him, "What is Senior Brother Yang Ruo doing here?"

Yang Ruo followed Ning Fusang up the mountain path: "Elder Gongyang, aren't the exam questions going to be announced soon? I'd like to see Junior Sister Ning's notes."

Ning Fusang stopped, turned to look at him, and said, "One hundred spirit stones, here you go."

Yang Ruo was taking a make-up class on the Monster Compendium, and was in Class B along with Ning Fusang. The instructor was Gongyang Mo, who had already explained the assessment criteria in the previous class, which consisted of two parts.

One test is on theory. He will create questions based on the first to third-tier monsters discussed in class, testing their characteristics, preferences, weaknesses, and so on.

The second part is a practical test, which is linked to the assessment of the Spirit Plant Encyclopedia. It's said that spirit plants are accompanied by symbiotic beasts. Elder Gongyang will give everyone information about different beasts, and they will need to find the spirit plants guarded by these beasts and bring them back. Passing this test means passing the assessment.

Yang Ruo's theoretical foundation was very weak, so he wanted to borrow Ning Fusang's notes to read, memorize them, and pass the assessment.

His master said that he needs to get an A grade in his coursework before he can stop taking this course.

Despite the difficulties, Yang Ruo didn't think too much about it, because his senior brother Liang Heng also had to get an A grade in every course.

Outsiders perceive Elder Gu as gentle and tolerant, but in reality, he has always been very strict with his disciples.

After a moment's thought, Yang Ruo agreed.

After receiving the spirit stones, Ning Fusang handed him the notes she had compiled, smiled, and said, "I won't see you off any further, Senior Brother. Please go ahead."

Yang Ruo looked down at the approximately fifty or sixty steps below, a slight smirk playing on her lips. She then looked up at the endless mountain path and nodded.

He hadn't even visited Tianxin Peak yet, and Junior Sister Ning was seeing him off way too quickly. Yang Ru muttered to himself as he walked back.

The courses at the Southern Star Sword Sect usually end in the autumn, with a few months specifically set aside for assessments.

What should have been Dai Fengyin's swordsmanship class turned into a series of tests on monster illustrations and spirit plant illustrations.

One hundred and seventy-eight disciples participated in the assessment and gathered at Lingtai Cave on Jiyue Mountain. Some looked nervous, while others were calm and composed, each with a different expression.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the delicate fragrance of begonias.

Gongyang Mo walked out of the cave with his hands behind his back, glanced at everyone, and said, "Those who are taking the Demon Beast Compendium exam, enter through the left door; those who are taking the Spirit Plant Compendium exam, enter through the right door. Disciples taking both exams should enter through the middle door of the cave."

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone lined up again, handing over their identity jade tokens for the invigilating elders to check their identities.

Yang Ruo only needed to be tested on the monster encyclopedia. After glancing around, he walked to the end of the left-hand queue.

He thought to himself, "I thought Class A and Class B would take the exam separately, but I didn't expect it to be like this. The exam must have been set by the two elders. Junior Sister Ning hasn't attended Class A's classes, so her notes probably aren't complete. She'll have to rely on herself."

Yang Ruo sighed, listlessly handed over his identity jade token, and entered the Lingtai Cave.

On the other side, after entering through the inner gate of Lingtai Cave, everyone's eyes were suddenly opened up to a bright and clear space. The cave was like an independent little world, with autumn outside and spring-like inside.

Dozens of desks were set up in the gentle breeze and warm sunshine. Gongyang Mo gestured for everyone to sit down as they pleased. "This assessment consists of a total of one thousand questions. There are five hundred questions on the monster encyclopedia and five hundred questions on the spirit plant encyclopedia. Considering the large number of questions, the exam will last from the fourth quarter of Chen Shi (7:45 AM) to the end of Wei Shi (1-3 PM), giving everyone three and a half hours to answer the questions. Please try to fill the exam paper as much as possible."

"There are still 25 minutes before the exam starts. If you have any questions, ask them now. During the exam, you must not make a sound."

Someone raised their hand to signal, and after receiving Gongyang Mo's approval, asked, "Elder Gongyang, may we hand in our papers early?"

“Of course.” Gongyang Mo nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone. He pushed the lottery tube on the table forward. “After you hand in your exam papers, you can come to me and draw questions for the practical part of the exam.”

Several disciples raised their hands to ask questions, and Gongyang Mo patiently answered them all, as long as they were unrelated to the exam content.

After no one asked any more questions, Gongyang Mo spoke up and gave everyone a few instructions. At four quarters past Chen hour, he used magic to send the exam papers to everyone's desks at the same time.

Ning Fusang raised her hand and gently touched the exam paper. The restriction disappeared, and she spread out the exam paper and slowly began to answer the questions.

The first half of the exam paper consisted of questions on monster illustrations. Ning Fusang lowered her eyes. The first question showed two rats that looked very similar. The question asked which of the two rats, one on the left and one on the right, was a gray bamboo rat.

The following questions are: Where are the common distribution areas of gray bamboo rats in Yuling Prefecture? What do they like to eat? If there are no special circumstances, what is the highest level of a gray bamboo rat that it can grow into, and at what level can it form a beast core?

After circling the gray bamboo rat with her pen, Ning Fusang continued answering the next question. She hardly needed to think, but her writing wasn't lightning-fast either; it was simply exceptionally smooth, with its own rhythm, her pen moving slowly and leisurely.

Time passes silently.

She had already answered half of the test paper. A straight vermilion vertical line divided the paper into two parts, and the next part was the test questions on the spiritual plant encyclopedia.

Ning Fusang rubbed her wrist and continued answering the questions.

Whether it's the course on monster illustrations or the course on spirit plant illustrations, what the instructor teaches is all within the range of the first to third levels.

Therefore, Ning Fusang felt that the inner sect's courses had a better framework and structure, and were a gradual process.

First, teach them how to identify low-level demonic beasts and spiritual plants. In later lessons, teach them to recognize mid-level demonic beasts and spiritual plants from Yuling Prefecture.

Ordinary independent cultivators do not have such learning opportunities, so it is common for their horizons to be inferior to those of disciples from sects.

Ning Fusang's knowledge and experience only gradually improved after she came to the Southern Star Sword Sect.

Actually, the intermediate-level monster encyclopedia course is easier than the low-level one, because the higher you go, the fewer powerful monsters there are, and the less you need to remember.

There are too many low-level monsters and the scope is too wide, so even more people fail the test. This year, two classes were even opened.

Ning Fusang still had a few questions left to answer, and some people had already raised their hands to hand in their papers.

She didn't look up, but focused on answering the questions. After finishing the last stroke, she slowly rolled up the test paper, tied a knot, and walked towards Gongyang Mo.

“Master, I am handing in my paper,” Ning Fusang said.

Gongyang Mo remembered this student; he had heard of Ning Fusang's deeds—the leader of the outer sect and a direct disciple of Tianxin Peak. However, these weren't the real reasons that caught Gongyang Mo's attention.

She attended her classes diligently, never late or absent, and listened attentively in every lesson. Gongyang Mo once glimpsed her notes; the handwriting was neat and beautiful, and the content was clear and concise—she was a good student.

She handed in her paper early because she had answered all the questions, not because she couldn't finish and wanted to go out for some fresh air.

Gongyang Mowen nodded gently, took her test paper, put it aside, and said, "Draw questions from the practical section."

Ning Fusang casually drew a fortune stick, and only after leaving Lingtai Cave did he focus his mind on examining it.

(End of this chapter)