tallest building

Chapter 145, Fourth Round

When Gong Chang'an arrived at the back, he saw three small main rooms, much smaller than the ones in front.

Upon entering, one finds the furnishings elegant and refined, with snacks and tea already laid out on the table.

"You can wait here!" the man who brought him said with a smile. "Help yourself if you're thirsty or hungry."

Gong Chang'an thanked him, then touched his stomach, which was indeed flat.

I sat down, poured myself a cup of tea, and slowly ate my snacks.

After eating and drinking his fill, and seeing no one else come in, he couldn't help but yawn and curled up in his chair for a nap.

More than half an hour after Gong Chang'an came in, someone else came. Gong Chang'an saw that it was the man named Ye Guanghan.

"Is it just you? I don't see anyone else?" Gong Chang'an asked.

"Those who didn't make it out went out from the front; only those who advanced to the next round came to the back." Ye Guanghan smiled at him. "Didn't you know that?"

"I didn't ask, and no one told me, but I still didn't pass." Gong Chang'an scratched his head.

“You’re still just a kid,” Ye Guanghan laughed, “but you’re really smart.”

He sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and ate a few pastries.

Seeing a chessboard on the table next to him, he invited Gong Chang'an to play chess.

After the two finished two games of chess, another person came in, and this person also came in looking for food.

It was past noon, and everyone was hungry.

When they arrived at Wei Chu, a total of seven people had come.

“I’m the last one,” said a man named Li Jia. “There are only seven people left in the fourth round.”

Eleven people were eliminated in this round, leaving only a few.

The crowd waiting outside surrounded each person who came out and asked them questions.

Some of those who were eliminated were filled with shame and indignation, unwilling to talk more, and simply walked away.

Some, however, didn't mind at all, standing there chatting and laughing with the crowd.

"Wow, this question is really tricky." Everyone couldn't help but sigh after hearing it.

Zhu Hui stood there, staring straight ahead.

Feng Tianzhu and several other children surrounded him. Qiao Ziyu shook his head and said, "Everyone says that Lord Zhu is cold-hearted, but I don't think that's necessarily true. He cares about Chang'an just as much as we do."

“I could tell he was very concerned. I was just a little worried about his neck; it seemed to have stretched more than two inches in the last moment,” Feng Tianzhu said softly.

"Changshun, we're hungry. Go and get us something to eat," Xu Mang instructed his attendant. "Get us something hot, it's a bit cold today."

It was already late September, and it was getting quite cold, but no one wanted to leave.

Soon enough, the attendant brought over a lot of food, and Qiao Ziyu presented a portion to Lord Zhu with both hands, saying, "Please enjoy, sir."

Zhu Hui glanced at the money, then blindly pulled some out of his sleeve and handed it to Qiao Ziyu: "Thank you, thank you, but I can't accept your money for nothing."

Only after Qiao Ziyu received the money did he pick up the bowl and slowly drink the noodle soup.

He had never shown such concern when the Three Paths Academy selected disciples in the past.

But this year is different. He originally thought that Gong Chang'an was just here for fun. Who would have thought that he would pass the first test so easily?

This surprised him greatly, making him feel that the child was exceptionally intelligent. However, he didn't have high hopes, after all, there were still several rounds of written tests to go, and Gong Cai'an was simply too young.

Unexpectedly, the second round passed, and he didn't appear in the third round even after waiting for a long time.

The longer time passed, the greater his expectations grew. If this child could really enter the Three Paths Academy, then… He told himself not to let his mind wander, but he couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.

Finally, the last person to be eliminated came out.

Mr. Hua Ying came out to announce the list of those who advanced to the fourth round, and Gong Chang'an's name was first.

"Wow, Chang'an! You truly are worthy of being my sworn brother!" Feng Tianzhu didn't even bother to swallow the food in his mouth, spitting it everywhere.

The others were also greatly encouraged: "Impressive! Truly impressive! Chang'an is really something else!"

These children were genuinely happy for Gong Chang'an, but they felt no jealousy whatsoever.

"Hehehe, we're proud of ourselves now. If I hadn't insisted on coming today, how could Chang'an have taken the written exam?" Qiao Ziyu said smugly. "Now that people know our brother has entered the Sanjing Academy, hey! They'll be green with envy!"

"You are the number one hero!" Xu Mang said, "It's all thanks to you."

"Lord Zhu, you've spilled your soup," Feng Tianzhu reminded Zhu Hui while wiping his hands. "It's burned my hands."

"Oh, oh!" Zhu Hui suddenly woke up and quickly straightened the bowl. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

In fact, not only were they happy, but everyone else was also talking about Gong Chang'an.

"This child from the Gong family is truly remarkable! A truly formidable young talent!"

"That child is clearly intelligent; he's destined for greatness!"

Gong Chang'an couldn't hear these discussions, as the seven of them had already been led to an open space.

Knives, guns, bows and arrows, and stone blocks were placed all around.

"This looks like a martial arts training ground!" everyone said. "Are we going to test their martial arts skills?"

Then the teachers, all wearing cloaks, came forward, and everyone quickly greeted them respectfully.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the fourth and final round of the competition," Mr. Hua Ying said with a smile. "This fourth round will not test your literary skills or numerology, but rather your physical strength."

"As long as you demonstrate one of your strengths on this stage and impress the masters, you'll pass."

The group looked at each other, and some of them looked like pale-faced scholars, completely weak.

He only reads books and has never exercised.

But now that we've come this far, we have no choice but to give it a try.

They lined up by age and took turns performing.
Xiao Manlang was the first. After much consideration, he realized that he was not good at wielding swords, but he had managed to draw a bow a few times.

So he picked up the bow and arrow, and immediately disciples from the academy set up the target.

Xiao Manlang used all his strength to draw the bow and aim at the target, but after shooting three arrows, he failed to hit the target at all.

He wanted to shoot a fourth arrow but was stopped: "Three arrows have been shot; you cannot shoot any more."

The second to take the stage was Lü Song. He picked up a sword and tried his best to imagine himself as a swordsman, swinging left and right.

But to his surprise, the sword became increasingly unruly, nearly striking him several times.

He stumbled and barely managed to stand, but he was also panting heavily.

The third was Ye Guanghan, who also chose a sword. Unlike Lü Song, he was agile and wielded the sword with the grace of lightning, dazzling the eyes and captivating the spirit.

After finishing his moves, he held the moon in his arms, his face not flushed, and his breath not out; it was clear he had a solid foundation.

The remaining people were a mix of good and bad, and in the end, they all ended up in Gong Chang'an.

The group looked at him with pity, after all, what could such a tiny child possibly know?