Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

"clang."

The bronze bells tolled, signaling the official start of the assessment.

The first subject of the Chengdao Class exam was formation.

The hall was completely silent and quiet.

Standing on the platform was a stern-faced examiner with a long beard.

The Zhou clan of immortals is flourishing and has a profound cultural heritage.

The Qingjin Hall in Qinglin Bay is just one of many branches of clan schools.

In addition, there are "Bai Lu Tang" in Bai Lu Wan and "Chi Shui Tang" in Chi Shui Wan.

The old Master Zhou who is supervising the exam today is someone specially assigned from the Mingji Academy of our sect to inspect the exams. He is known for his impartiality and incorruptibility.

With a wave of his sleeve, Master Zhou sent a gentle breeze through the air, and the exam papers fell precisely onto each person's desk like snowflakes.

Each person has their own answer sheet, the scent of ink lingering faintly.

Zhou Baoqing lowered his gaze and glanced at the array formation test paper.

The first question tested the "directional deduction of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in the Small Water Gathering Formation".

He smiled slightly; he had just solved this problem in the cave two days ago.

He picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write furiously.

The classroom was quiet except for the soft rustling of the brush as it swept across the paper, like silkworms eating leaves.

The students displayed a wide range of behaviors.

Some were scratching their heads, some were biting their pens, and some were sweating profusely, staring at the paper as if they wanted to see a hole through it.

But absolutely no one dared to whisper to each other, let alone cheat.

The reason, of course, lies with the examiner sitting above.

This is a genuine Qi Refining cultivator. Cultivators of this level are sharp-eyed and keen-eared, able to see through any disturbance in the examination hall. Who would dare to cheat under his nose?

After finishing a whole page of the exam paper, Zhou Baoqing looked up, breathed a sigh of relief, and subconsciously looked in Zhou Changping's direction.

After pondering for a while, the chubby boy seemed to have a sudden enlightenment, and began to write furiously.

There was none of the embarrassment and anxiety I felt before when the thought of taking an exam made me want to go to the toilet.

It seems that the "exam-taking tricks" I used on him this morning had a remarkable effect.

This is also inseparable from Zhou Changping's extreme trust in him.

Just as I was about to turn my gaze away and continue answering the last few big questions, I keenly felt another sharp gaze fall upon me.

Turning around, I saw it was that old Master Zhou.

Zhou Baoqing was somewhat surprised, wondering why the teacher was staring at him. Surely the teacher didn't think that he was looking at Zhou Changping as if he were peeking at someone else's exam paper.

There was an aisle between the two.

He didn't seem to care much, and calmly looked away, continuing to answer the questions.

A gentle breeze blew in through the window, lifting a corner of Zhou Baoqing's exam paper and also ruffling Old Master Zhou's long beard.

This is the third time that Master Zhou has come to Qingjin Hall to supervise the examination.

Old Master Zhou had a very deep impression of the boy Zhou Baoqing.

In the first two quizzes, this kid would just spread out his test paper, tilt his head to the side, and fall asleep with drool dripping down his face.

Today, I was sitting up straight and writing incredibly fast?

Old Master Zhou was astonished. Could it be that he had given up and was just scribbling on the exam paper?

He walked down from the podium with his hands behind his back, came to Zhou Baoqing's side, and looked at him closely.

Although the formation deduction on the scroll was not perfect, it was clear and logical, and the principles of the five elements were used appropriately. It was by no means a random scribble.

Moreover, most students would be so nervous that their hands would tremble and their minds would freeze when they saw the proctor standing beside them like an iron tower.

Zhou Baoqing, on the contrary, remained calm and composed, writing steadily without even pausing for breath.

Master Zhou nodded secretly, feeling gratified.

This child actually realized his mistake and turned back to the right path; his composure in the face of danger is truly remarkable.

A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold. If one maintains this kind of aspiration, one may very well stand out in the future.

only……

Looking at the rows of crooked ink marks on the paper.

Master Zhou felt ants crawling on his body.

The handwriting is so ugly it's almost unbearable, like a dog crawling, what a waste of such a clear problem-solving approach!

"clang."

The bronze bell rang again.

"Stop writing, hand in your paper."

Master Zhou's voice rang out.

A chorus of wails and sighs suddenly filled the examination hall.

Su Wan frowned slightly, seemingly still somewhat unwilling to accept her answer to the last question.

Li Hou looked completely exhausted, slumped limply on the table.

Apart from Zhou Changping, who was extremely confident after being "treated" by Zhou Baoqing and handed in his paper with his head held high, most of the others had expressions of relief after surviving a disaster.

After the exam, checking the answers is an essential part of the routine.

For the basic questions about battle formations, such as the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and the Five Elements and directions, you can just memorize them; everyone is pretty much the same.

However, the last few challenging questions, which differentiated students' scores, thoroughly revealed their true abilities.

The tutors huddled together, buried themselves in their work, and their answers instantly became all sorts of different things.

Holding the deduction steps she had written down on the scrap paper, Su Wan said confidently, "The final step of the 'Maze Formation' is to place the Life Gate at the Fire position. By using the power of wood to generate fire, you can see through the illusion. I have deduced it three times, and it is absolutely correct."

Zhou Baoqing frowned, quickly went through the information in his mind, and raised an objection: "No, if we set it directly at the Fire position, the Qinglin Bay's earth veins are rich in water vapor, and the water and fire will clash, causing the formation to backfire. We must first circulate it through the Wind position, so that the wind can help the fire, in order to be safe."

As he spoke, the expressions of the people around him immediately became quite interesting.

Li Hou and Zhou Changping were stunned. Although they couldn't understand it, they were deeply shocked.

Su Wan paused for a moment, then lowered her head to carefully deduce the solution. She then lightly tapped the scrap paper with the tip of her pen, her eyes shining as she smiled:

"Your ability to imagine the collision of water vapor from the earth's veins is indeed extremely perceptive. However, take a closer look at the timing given in the question."

The timing of this formation is set on the night of the new moon. During the new moon, the power of the moon is hidden, and the wind direction in the Xun position will be reversed accordingly.

If, as you say, the energy flows through the Xun (巽) wind position, not only will it not benefit from the wind's momentum, but it will also be blown away by the headwind.

Therefore, considering the unpredictable nature of the lunar phases, the only option here is to take a risky tactic and directly confront the Fire element to break the deadlock.

"I see, I've learned something new."

Zhou Baoqing looked at her deduction steps and thought about it. Sure enough, there was a flaw in his own deduction.

Although he recognized the influence of the earth's veins and water vapor, he overlooked the waxing and waning of the moon in his calculations regarding the changes in the Xun wind position.

If Su Wan answered this question perfectly, then I would only get eight points.

The formations are unpredictable and contain the principles of natural evolution. They not only require consideration of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, but also the calculation of many variables such as the timing of heaven and the location of earth.

Even if he has the understanding of an adult and is motivated by shame to strive for improvement, it would be difficult for him to achieve perfection in a short period of time.

The sea of ​​learning is boundless, and there is no end to learning.

Su Wan chuckled and said, "Formations are very difficult. You've only been studying them seriously for half a month, and you've already achieved a lot by being able to deduce them to this extent."

Despite saying that, she smiled and revealed two shallow dimples, clearly in a good mood.

Zhou Baoqing didn't care.

He didn't necessarily want to be number one. You should know that his initial goal was simply to pass the exam and not be kicked out of the clan school.

What's more, this is only the first exam so far.

but……

Although he said he didn't care, Su Wan's smug little face spurred Zhou Baoqing to a long-lost competitive spirit.

He turned to look out the window. The sun was shining brightly, a gentle breeze was blowing, and everything exuded the vibrant energy of youth.

"Let's go, get ready for the next match."