We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?

"Who said I'm boring?" Bai Ruxue snorted, hands on her hips, looking like she was about to do something while you were away. "Xiao Mo, you don't need to worry about me. Just go to the academy for the exam. I'll wait for you to come back."

"Alright, I'll go then."

"Okay, be careful on the road. I'll give you a surprise when you come back."

"What surprise?"

"Xiao Mo, you're so silly." Bai Ruxue pouted. "If I had told you, would it still be called a surprise?"

"How about we reveal some details beforehand?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

"No!" Bai Ruxue stepped forward and straightened Xiao Mo's clothes. "If you want to know sooner, then come back sooner, understand?"

"understood."

"Good to know. I'll go pack your luggage."

Bai Ruxue turned and ran into the house.

Early the day after tomorrow, Shang Jiuli and Luo Yang will pick up Xiao Mo and take him to the Confucian Academy.

Bai Ruxue saw Xiao Mo off as he gradually disappeared into the distance.

After Xiao Mo left, Bai Ruxue rolled up her sleeves and began cleaning the courtyard.

After cleaning, Bai Ruxue went to Bailu Peak of Bailu Academy.

Bailu Peak is the courtyard where the headmaster of Bailu Academy resides.

"A rare guest indeed."

When Bai Ruxue arrived, the headmaster of Bailu Academy, who was brewing tea in the courtyard, stood up and bowed to her.

"I have met the Lord of the North Sea."

"I have been at your esteemed institution for many years, and it is only now that I have come to visit Mr. Shang. Please forgive me, Mr. Shang." Bai Ruxue bowed slightly.

Bai Ruxue had long known that her identity couldn't be hidden from the dean, but the dean didn't come looking for trouble.

"Miss Bai, you're too kind." Shang Qi stroked his white beard. "I wonder what brings you here, Miss Bai?"

Bai Ruxue didn't mince words with the old scholar and said directly, "I want to do something on a mountain peak north of Bailu Academy, which might cause quite a stir, so I've come to let Mr. Shang know first."

Furthermore, I would also like to request that Mr. Shang issue a notice instructing all disciples of the academy not to approach that mountain peak for the next three months.

"Yes, I understand. Please rest assured, Miss Bai." Shang Qi did not ask Bai Ruxue what she wanted to do.

Since the other party has come to greet me, it means it's not a bad thing.

Not to mention, it happened right under their noses.

Moreover, with the great war between humans and demons imminent, doing the Lord of the North Sea a favor is a small act of kindness.

"Then I'll leave it to the Dean. I'll take my leave now." Bai Ruxue nodded.

"Take care, Miss Bai." Shang Qi bowed and saw her off.

But Bai Ruxue stopped after taking only a few steps: "There is one more thing, Dean, you can listen to it casually."

"Please speak, Miss Bai."

“Miss Shang is not young anymore. How can a girl not get married? I know quite a few handsome young men. If Miss Shang is willing, I can act as a matchmaker,” Bai Ruxue said with a smile.

Shang Qi was taken aback, not expecting the Lord of the North Sea to say this to him.

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Bai, but my granddaughter is stubborn. However, when she comes back, I'll talk to her about it. This old man also wants to have another great-grandchild." Shang Qi accepted the other party's kindness.

Bai Ruxue nodded, said no more, and turned to leave.

Watching Bai Ruxue's departing figure, Shang Qi stroked his chin, his mind filled with doubt:

"Why is this Lord of the North Sea suddenly concerned about his granddaughter's marriage?"

[We're about to get into a rhythm, so I'll just outline the main points today. These two chapters will serve as a transition. Starting from the 1st, I'll update four times a day for a month, and I mean it.]

Chapter 113 The Test of a Gentleman

It took Xiao Mo and his group about a month to travel from Bailu Academy to the Confucian Academy.

This doesn't mean that it took a month just to travel.

During this month-long journey, Xiao Mo and his group traveled at various stops and encountered many things along the way.

Small acts of kindness include helping lost little girls in town find their mothers, while larger acts include performing exorcisms on homes.

Although exorcisms are mostly performed by Taoist priests and monks, Confucian scholars are not exempt from doing them.

I did it casually after seeing it, nothing more.

As to whether this was actually an examination conducted by the Confucian academy, the three of them neither knew nor cared.

In addition, Xiao Mo and his two companions went up the mountain to suppress bandits and annihilate some man-eating and harmful demons.

The three of them had a distinct air about them being scholars descending from the mountain to travel the world.

However, during his travels, Xiao Mo learned that the entire world was gradually changing.

Although the great war between humans and demons has not yet broken out, the tension on the eve of the great war has gradually spread.

Not to mention the sects, large and small, every mortal dynasty was preparing to face a great war that would determine their survival.

This atmosphere naturally spread to the general public.

No one knows when the great war between humans and demons will truly break out.

No one knows how long this great battle will last.

Just as the three of them approached the Confucian academy, they encountered a rabbit spirit.

In the end, Luo Yang let her go.

"If you say that Senior Brother is kind, then when facing those monsters that harm and eat people, he has never blinked when he draws his sword, just like an executioner."

Shang Jiuli leaned against a tree, arms crossed, and smiled as he looked at Luo Yang.

"But if you're going to say that Senior Brother is decisive in killing, then you've just let a rabbit spirit go. Aren't you afraid that she'll harm people in the future?"

"What do I have to be afraid of?"

Luo Yang sheathed his longsword.

“She has not harmed anyone; she has only diligently absorbed the essence of the sun and moon to cultivate until now. If I kill her, how am I any different from those demons who harm people?”

If she harms others in the future, that's a matter for the future, but who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

I only care about the present.

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yang continued walking forward.

Shang Jiuli shook his head and said to Xiao Mo beside him, "Your senior brother just likes to show off."

Xiao Mo smiled and said, "Putting everything else aside, I do agree with what you said, Senior Brother."

"Which one?"

“I only care about the present,” Xiao Mo repeated.

Shang Jiuli blinked, looking at Xiao Mo with a half-smile: "Junior brother, are you expressing your affection for senior sister? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but junior brother should think carefully about how to explain it to Miss Bai when you get back."

"..." Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment before realizing what his senior sister was talking about.

Xiao Mo shook his head and walked forward as well.

"Hey? Junior brother, don't walk so fast. I'm serious. Aren't you going to consider it?" Shang Jiuli jogged to catch up, but his joking words didn't sound serious at all.

Three days later, Xiao Mo and his two companions arrived at the entrance of the Confucian Academy.

Besides Xiao Mo and his group, some scholars from other academies also came.

It wasn't just the students from the four major academies, but also those from academies all over the country.

The so-called "Four Great Academies" are simply the four most famous academies outside of Confucian academies.

In addition, there are thousands upon thousands of Confucian academies of all sizes.

All of these academies were under the jurisdiction of the Confucian academy.

"Let's go up."

Luo Yang looked up at the dense aura of literature emanating from the mountaintop, then led his junior brothers and sisters into the academy.

The territory of the Confucian academy was extremely large.

The academy is located in both this long mountain range and this plain.

After registering with their jade tokens, Xiao Mo and his group parted ways with their senior brothers and sisters.

Luo Yang and Shang Jiuli went to participate in the "Academy Headmaster" assessment. After passing the assessment, they could open up a peak in any Confucian academy, teach, and take on disciples.

Xiao Mo is participating in the "Gentleman" assessment. Those who pass will receive the title of "Gentleman". If they pass the advanced assessment, the title of "Upright Person" will be added before "Gentleman".

However, most scholars could only obtain the title of "gentleman," while the title of "upright gentleman" required another examination.

Guided by several senior students from the academy, Xiao Mo arrived at "Gentleman Peak" to undergo the assessment.

Xiao Mo glanced at his fellow disciples who were taking the assessment. There were young and old people, the youngest being only fifteen or sixteen years old, while the older ones looked like they had white hair.

This seems to have something in common with the imperial examination system.

Without exception, every scholar exuded a noble and righteous spirit.

After exchanging pleasantries and chatting with some of his fellow disciples, Xiao Mo learned that the number of scholars standing there was only half of the original number.

The other half was deemed "unqualified" on their way to the academy and returned to continue their studies.

After a quarter of an hour, the whispers gradually subsided.

The old man from the academy flew over, stood in mid-air, and bowed to the crowd.

The candidates quickly returned the greeting.

The old man had a jade pendant hanging from his waist with the four characters "学宫司业" (Xuegong Siye, meaning "Director of Studies at the Academy") written on it.

"Thank you all for coming from afar. Our assessment is divided into two parts."

The old man scanned the crowd and slowly began to speak.

"The first test is to examine your Confucian knowledge. Please enter the hall and find a seat wherever you like. We will distribute the test papers in one hour."

After the old man finished speaking, he left. Xiao Mo found a school and entered, then sat down casually.

An hour later, several senior students from the academy came in and distributed the exam papers one by one.

Xiao Mo looked at the papers being reviewed.

These exam papers do indeed contain very advanced questions and present some difficulty.

But none of these are the most crucial points.

With each word Xiao Mo read, he felt his energy being depleted.

When Xiao Mo picked up his pen to do the problem, he could feel the weight of the ink.

This calligraphy brush is none other than the one I used a few years ago when I participated in the selection process for Bailu Academy.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Mo picked up his pen to answer.

The exam lasts for the duration of three incense sticks.

Halfway through the first incense stick's burning, some candidates were already sweating profusely, their faces growing increasingly pale.

As the first incense stick burned out and the senior student in charge of proctoring lit the second, one after another, the scholars could not hold on and collapsed on their desks.

Looking at the fallen scholars one by one, the senior student couldn't help but shake his head, as if lamenting that this was the worst class he had ever seen.

But it wasn't that no one persisted.

The proctor looked at the scholar at the back by the window. He wrote at a steady pace, his face calm. Although he was sweating a little, he wasn't drenched in sweat.

It's clear from his usual practice that he has a solid foundation.

What puzzled the proctor was why he seemed to be carrying a faint dragon's might.

Chapter 114: Such a comfortable way to turn the pages, it has the feel of a junior brother.