fairy family

Chapter 196 Rank Decision, Magpie Bridge Brings Good News

"senior."

Yu Que landed on the deck and saw the old leader flying towards him, so he immediately paid his respects.

Xie Baiyu and Wang Qilin stood to the side, both looking at the two with curiosity. Yu Que exchanged a few words with the old leader and then introduced them.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the chief examiner, Yuan Wu, used his magic to close the entrance to the Nine Dragon Waterfall.

The cascading streams of water immediately receded, transforming into a misty, cloud-like spectacle, regaining their breathtaking beauty.

However, the students who had just finished their exams didn't find the scenery here beautiful at all.

Even the top-performing candidates among them narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Yu brothers.

The chief examiner, Yuan Wu, stood atop the crowd, looking down at the swaying figures on the cloud-like ship, and shouted:

"Dear candidates, the martial arts exam has now concluded."

"Set off immediately back to the Immortal City. The results will be announced no later than noon tomorrow."

After saying this, he flew into the top floor of the cloud ship on his own, completely ignoring Yu Que and the other two who had just come out of the secret realm.

This made the three of them frown slightly.

It wasn't that they thought this person was arrogant, but rather that since he wouldn't communicate with the three of them, they couldn't very well tell him about the "true teachings."

Left with no other choice, the three of them waited a few moments before deciding to return to the Immortal City and tell the other examiners in the city about their decision.

The journey back to the city was smooth.

The enormous cloud ship flew over Huangshan Immortal City.

Nearly ten thousand candidates disembarked from the ship like ants and entered the celestial city.

The exam is over, and whether they did well or poorly, everyone feels as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders, and they can breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the results were not yet available, and everyone remained tense.

As a result, some people went to recuperate, while others went about their own debauchery, and the city of Xiaobanxian became lively.

Yu Que had no place to stay in the city, so Xie Baiyu and Wang Qilin invited him to stay at their respective properties.

However, since the old leader of the association came to accompany him during the exam, Yu Que declined their suggestion and instead strolled around the city with the old leader.

at the same time.

The chief examiner, Yuan Wu, held a scroll in which the names of the candidates participating in the martial arts examination were meticulously listed.

Each name still shimmers with a spiritual light, shining through the scroll. The intensity of the light varies, just like the merit smoke pillars accumulated by the many examinees in the secret realm.

He arrived at a large, secluded room. The room was empty except for memorial tablets standing on three sides.

He bowed to each of the three walls, then raised his voice and shouted:

“Master Yuan Wu, the invigilation is over. I respectfully invite all the esteemed masters to comment on the results and determine the merits.”

A buzzing sound emanated from the memorial tablets on the wall, and upon closer inspection, smoke was seen rising from at least ten of them.

As the smoke shifted, ten figures appeared in the secret chamber, each releasing their divine sense. This caused the light and shadow to change within the airtight chamber, as if a colossal creature had squeezed into the place.

Yuan Wu stood respectfully at attention, and he immediately sensed ten powerful divine senses. They glanced at him, making his body feel as heavy as ten thousand pounds.

Although he could bear such pressure, he still couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, thinking to himself, "If I am not a god of the heavens, I am still just a junior."

A telepathic message was transmitted from those divine senses:
"Another year of palace examinations has come to an end."

"I wonder how many outstanding disciples will be able to enter the Taoist temple this year."

"I've heard that two members of Brother Xie's clan are taking the Heavenly Temple exam this year. It seems the position of true successor will surely belong to the Xie family."

These immortals and spirits discussed amongst themselves for a while before finally instructing the chief examiner, Yuan Wu:

"Now present the merit chart."

The chief examiner, Yuan Wu, immediately responded. He quickly stepped forward and unfurled the scroll, which was nearly ten feet long.

Streaks of spiritual light rose from the scroll, varying in height and extremely dazzling.

Upon seeing this scene, many of the assembled immortals exclaimed softly:
"The world is indeed becoming more and more extraordinary. The results of the palace examinations are becoming more and more dazzling each year. It seems that the requirements for entering the palace this year will have to be raised again."

Amidst the soft exclamations, someone also said:

"Why raise the bar? In my opinion, we should expand the number of students. Only accepting a little over two hundred disciples a year is a waste of the city's talents."

Amidst the clamor, finally, the voice of the Divine Immortals was heard:
"Further discussion is pointless; let's quickly rank them."

"can."

Immediately, at the command of these immortals, the chief examiner Yuan Wu extinguished one name after another on the merit chart, leaving only three hundred names on the chart.

The performance of these three hundred candidates in the secret realm was commendable, meeting the requirements for entering the palace.

However, the immortals first gave out a list of names, thus securing the qualifications of a group of candidates to enter the palace. Then, they released their divine senses to randomly check the performance of all the candidates in the secret realm.

"Although this child did not cause any harm, he dared to commit adultery in the examination hall. He is hereby dismissed."

"This young man has had some bad luck, but he has a good character and never gives up. Let him stay."

The names on the merit chart flicker on and off; some are extinguished, while others are rekindled by deities who take a liking to them.

A full quarter of an hour later, only 250 candidates remained on the map.

After another quarter of an hour of deliberation, and confirming that no further changes were needed, the group withdrew their divine senses.

From the moment the immortals made their decision, Yuan Wu stood silently, holding the merit chart in a hollowed-out manner, without uttering a single word.

Only after the list of 250 disciples to enter the palace was finalized did he bow and speak:
"Thank you all for your hard work in laying the foundation for Huangshan for Gong Luncai."

One of the immortals chuckled immediately: "Yuan Wu, you are the Martial Immortal, aren't you? You certainly know how to talk. No wonder you were appointed as this year's chief examiner."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, I eagerly await your sacrifice to the heavens and refine your inner energy, so that the palace may have another great immortal."

The immortal surnamed Yuan, who was being teased, replied with a faint smile: "The juniors are just handling some miscellaneous tasks, why bother with such concerns? Now that the disciples for entering the palace have been selected, we should quickly impart our true teachings to them."

The immortal surnamed Yuan paused for a moment, then asked Yuan Wu, who was in the secret chamber:
"As the chief examiner for this year's palace examination, you have the authority to recommend candidates according to custom. You only need the approval of half of the immortals present to pass. Have you decided on your candidates?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wu's gaze immediately moved between the names on the merit chart.

The names of Xie Baiyu, Wang Qilin, Yu Que, and Xie Qingjie are shining brightly on the picture, and the brightness of the first three is almost the same, making them indistinguishable.

Therefore, Yuan Wu immediately eliminated Xie Qingjie from the selection of true successors, and instead pondered among the top three.

The fact that all three students had the same score was not a problem for him; on the contrary, it was a good thing.

This means that no matter which of the three he chooses, it won't cause too much dissatisfaction among the other immortals.

Moreover, the selection of the true disciples in this way meant he owed a huge favor. "The favor of being the mentor of two hundred and forty-nine inner disciples and the favor of one true disciple—that's the benefit of being the chief examiner."

As Yuan Wu pondered this to himself, a slight smile played on his lips.

After a moment's thought, he immediately ruled out Yu Que's name. This boy came from a poor family. Although his background was clean, he had offended the master of the Examination Peak and the Snake Family. Choosing this boy as a true disciple would be asking for trouble.

After eliminating the remaining options, Yuan Wu pondered for a while and found himself in a dilemma: should he choose between the Xie family and the Wang family?

The Wang, Xie, and Yuan families were the top three families among the nine families on Huangshan Mountain.

The Xie family now boasts outstanding descendants, with two members of the Heavenly Temple emerging in a single generation. Gaining their favor is the most worthwhile thing to do. However, as a result, the Xie family's strength and prestige in this generation will likely be the highest on the mountain.

If a member of the Wang family is chosen as the true successor, the power and prestige of the Wang and Xie families can be balanced.

Seeing Yuan Wu deep in thought, the immortals in the secret chamber did not urge him, but waited patiently. This was their way of showing respect to their future fellow Daoist.

After ten breaths, Yuan Wu finally made his decision.

He bowed to the three walls and exclaimed, "This junior recommends this young man; he is worthy of being a true successor."

With a hum, the inspiration of a name suddenly emerged, its light reaching the top of the head, dazzling and radiant.

The name "Wang Qilin" shone brightly before everyone.

Yuan Wu, in the end, followed the idea of ​​balancing the Wang and Xie families and recommended the true successor. He thought to himself, "In this way, the Wang family will owe me a greater debt of gratitude, and it will be easier to get the other immortals besides the Xie family to agree to this matter."

After careful consideration, he felt that his decision was extremely fair.

"Haha!" A burst of laughter immediately echoed in the secret room.

One of the powerful immortals said without any pretense, "On behalf of that young man, I thank Examiner Yuan for his recommendation."

This immortal being was from the Wang family. Immediately after he spoke, two immortals chimed in with the word "perfect."

Upon seeing this, Yuan Wu immediately felt that this round of examinations was over, and he could return to his cave to wait for the Wang family's son to come and visit.

But just then, someone in the secret room suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and discovered it was the immortal surnamed Xie.

Many people, including Yuan Wu, frowned slightly, especially the Wang family's Gang Shen, who directly shouted:

"Hey Xie, what nonsense are you spouting now? This is Gong Luncai? Does your Xie family have absolute power in the palace?!"

The immortal surnamed Xie chuckled softly:
"Fellow Daoist Wang, please do not be anxious. These are the words sent by those three juniors through someone. You will understand as soon as you see them."

A burst of light appeared, and a letter unfolded on the Merit Chart. It was a letter from Yu Que and his two companions who had successfully become disciples, received immortal seeds, and formed a sworn brotherhood, willing to advance and retreat together.

Yuan Wu stared at the letter in astonishment. After a few moments of thought, his face turned slightly ashen.

Faced with such a "polite refusal of the true teachings," even though the immortals present were all powerful deities who had lived for over a hundred years, they were still astonished.

"This...this is the first time in the history of the Dao Palace?"

"Tsk tsk, these three have truly won the favor of that Nine Dragons Immortal... They certainly have big appetites."

Amid the discussion, many immortals, including Yuan Wu, suspected that the immortal surnamed Xie had fabricated the story and hurriedly instructed the other examiners outside to bring Yu Que and the other two over for questioning.

However, the three remaining examiners had already approached each other and reported the matter to the examiners at each level. It was just that Yuan Wu left in a hurry and did not discuss it with the other examiners, so he was unaware of the matter.

Now that things were truly as they were, the examiner Yuan Wu's face turned even more ashen.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with the sworn brotherhood between Yu Que and the other two. On the contrary, the fact that they formed an alliance immediately after gaining the favor of an immortal showed that these three little guys were quite courageous and resourceful.

These three shouldn't have kept it from him or not explained it to him beforehand!
Moreover, if these three sons advance and retreat together, regardless of whether they all become true disciples or not, wouldn't Yuan Wu, as this year's chief examiner, have been doing all this for nothing?

While pondering, Yuan Wu saw the immortals in the secret chamber arguing endlessly with each other.

Moreover, the immortals immediately summoned their friends and called upon their old friends who were in seclusion in the palace, which caused several more powerful divine senses to suddenly appear in the secret chamber.

The discussion at the scene quickly shifted from the issue of this year's true teachings to whether or not more true teachings should be added.

Yuan Wu was among them, his gaze lingering, and he couldn't help but glance at another person in the merit chart—Xie Qingjie.

………………

While the people in the Taoist palace were discussing this, Yu Que was pacing back and forth in a red building.

Inside and outside the building, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and occasionally, shy whispers could be heard coming from inside.

No one knows what the old leader was thinking. He claimed that he needed to help Yu Que relax and that he should curry favor with Yu Que beforehand. So he led Yu Que to the largest red building in the Immortal City.

This fellow also wanted to call out a famous courtesan in the building—the Fairy in Colorful Clothes—to keep Yu Que company.

The shameless old man even clamored that he would deflower that courtesan today, which angered the crowd and almost caused Yu Que to be beaten up by the patrons in the building.

Yu Que paced back and forth, glancing back at the shameless old man's figure in the room, and shook his head helplessly.

As noon approached, the Dao Palace's rankings had not yet been released, and the positions of the true disciples remained undecided.

Even though he had been mentally prepared for this and knew that the results would be released later this year, he was still somewhat anxious.

Yu Que thought to himself:

"I wonder if my two senior brothers will be able to stick to their own opinions..."

He was worried about the two of them.

Xie Baiyu and Wang Qilin, each with their own businesses, were also worried about the other two.

Furthermore, the person Wang and Xie were most worried about was Yu Que.

They were all thinking:

"I hope my junior brother won't be short-sighted or lose his ambition because of poverty."

Before long, it was noon.

The many candidates in the Immortal City were puzzled and became increasingly anxious while waiting. Rumors even circulated that someone had cheated this year, which was why the results were being released so late.

Finally, as the noon bells rang throughout the city, thousands upon thousands of magpies flew out from where the bell tower stood, cawing incessantly:
"The results are out! The results are out!"

These magpies circled over the city and soon landed on the heads of one examinee after another. They held a vermilion letter in their beaks, indicating that the examinee had passed the palace examination and could enter the Taoist palace.

In addition, hundreds of magpies flew to the Red Mansion.

In front of numerous singers, dancers, and drinkers, they flew through the building, opened doors and windows, and flew to Yu Que's side.

The magpies formed a bridge, chirping and inviting Yu Que, calling out:
"Congratulations, Master Yu Que, on passing the imperial examination!"

"Congratulations, Master Yu Que, on passing the imperial examination!"

……

(End of this chapter)