Chapter 644
Gu Chang pressed his lips together and remained silent. Gu Mu spoke again, “He’s not just daydreaming. He passed the inner sect exam and even attended the headmaster’s interview.”
“That might scare others, but it doesn’t scare me,” Aunt Chen said coldly. “My nephew has been in foundation building for two years and thinks the competition is too fierce to enter the inner sect.”
“Today is the day the results of the inner sect exam are announced. He’s just sitting at home, not even bothering to check if your son’s name is on that list. Don’t you know in your heart?”
These words left Gu Mu speechless, her head drooping as she struggled to find a way to defend her son.
...
The results of the inner sect disciples’ admissions were indeed out.
On University Island, a three-zhang high, five-zhang wide light screen lit up in front of the Nine Chapters Calculation Array.
“There’s movement!”
Over a thousand disciples crowded together, shoulder to shoulder, jostling in front of the light screen.
Mu Qingyan didn’t step forward. Beside her, a senior sister who had come from Qingmu Sect smiled and said, “Qingyan, aren’t you anxious?”
“I can see it from here.”
Mu Qingyan replied calmly.
“You’re practically a shoo-in, right?”
Mu Qingyan smiled, her expression brimming with confidence.
In terms of talent, effort, and learning, she didn’t feel inferior to anyone else.
Her cultivation level might not match some competitors, but it wasn’t due to laziness; rather, she had participated in too many sect activities, which had delayed her training.
However, those activities were certainly not a burden; on the contrary, she knew they were viewed as merits in the headmaster’s eyes.
Not to mention the various experiences she had accumulated and the precious knowledge she had gained.
She even understood that when the headmaster asked her questions, he seemed more interested in her academic insights than her cultivation level.
During the interview, the headmaster’s gaze was filled with satisfaction.
Before the interview, she had little experience and felt somewhat nervous.
But after it was over, she felt as if she had taken a calming pill.
Seeing her like this, her senior sister became even more curious and whispered, “Do you… have insider information?”
Mu Qingyan shook her head, her tone firm. “Senior sister, I just have confidence in the hard work I’ve put in over the years.”
“You’re amazing, Qingyan!”
Seeing her so certain, her senior sister was even more delighted, playfully linking arms with Mu Qingyan and shaking her, saying, “I’ll be relying on you from now on!”
“It’s out!”
Names began to scroll down the light screen, divided into ten or so columns.
The first row of each column displayed the names of the mentors.
Below that were the names of the disciples admitted this time.
Some mentors had admitted over a dozen or twenty inner sect disciples.
Others had fewer...
“Qingyan! I see your name!”
Her senior sister jumped up and shouted, but Mu Qingyan remained motionless, staring blankly at the light screen.
“Hey? Who is this Gu Chang? Why is his name above yours?”
Her senior sister asked, puzzled.
Mu Qingyan didn’t respond, still gazing at the two characters “Gu Chang” on the screen.
“Didn’t they say the headmaster only wanted to admit one disciple this time? Why are there two? Is it an exception?” Her senior sister scratched her head in confusion. “Is Gu Chang really that impressive? How come I’ve never heard of him?”
“Not impressive…” Mu Qingyan finally snapped back to reality. “Not at all.”
...
At Gu Chang’s home, no one knew about his name on the list.
Gu Mu was still smiling apologetically, while Gu Chang remained silent, with only Aunt Chen maintaining her stance.
“Gu Chang!”
A loud shout suddenly came from the doorway. Gu Chang looked up to see a colleague of his, also a disciple of Jiu Shan, who was now teaching alongside him on Le Tu Island.
Though he was also a cultivator, this colleague seemed out of breath, his face flushed, whether from exhaustion or excitement was unclear.
“What are you still doing here?”
“What?”
Gu Chang stood up, confused.
Inside the house, Gu Mu and Aunt Chen also stopped talking, looking at the disciple at the door.
“The results are out! Don’t you know today is the announcement day?”
“I know.”
“Then why are you at home?”
“…”
“...You’ve been admitted!”
The room fell into a stunned silence.
“Admitted? What do you mean?”
“To be a disciple of the headmaster! You!”
Gu Chang stared blankly into space, seemingly dazed, as if he couldn’t believe it.
His colleague, anxious, grabbed Gu Chang’s arm and rushed outside. “I’ll take you to see!”
Watching their backs disappear through the door, Gu Mu and Aunt Chen remained in a daze. After a long while, they finally reacted.
“I... I’ll definitely find a good wife for your talented son!”
“…”
“I’ll make sure to put in the effort.”
“My son Gu Chang is not just daydreaming!” Gu Mu suddenly stood up, glaring at Aunt Chen. “He’s not!”
...
Gu Chang was pulled along, dazed and stumbling, nearly rolling his way to University Island.
There it was, his name on the light screen!
Standing in front of the screen, Gu Chang looked up, and before he knew it, tears streamed down his face.
“This junior brother, I didn’t get in either. It’s no big deal; we can try again next time.”
A disciple nearby, seeing him cry so pitifully, spoke up to comfort him.
“Who says he didn’t get in?” His colleague retorted, pointing at the light screen and shouting, “See? Gu Chang! That’s him!”
The disciple froze, looked up at the light screen again, then back at Gu Chang, lost in thought—if the headmaster’s disciples cried like this, wouldn’t I be better off dead?
“Gu Chang?”
His colleague’s words reached others’ ears.
A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd, and soon a group of about ten people rushed over.
They were a mix of young and old, charging toward Gu Chang with an imposing presence.
Gu Chang blinked through his tears, momentarily startled.
“Master Gu!” a middle-aged man at the front said. “Are you married yet?”
Gu Chang shook his head in confusion.
The man immediately broke into a smile. “I have a daughter, bright and virtuous, with three spiritual roots—she’d make a perfect match!”
Gu Chang was bewildered.
“Three spiritual roots? My daughter has dual spiritual roots!”
“Your daughter fails at talisman crafting every year; she’s a fool!”
“Your daughter is ugly!”
The group split into two factions right in front of Gu Chang, arguing heatedly.
Gu Chang was even more frightened, trying to back away, but these people surrounded him, leaving him nowhere to escape.
As they bickered, the two sides even began... to fight over Gu Chang.
“Don’t tear my clothes!”
Gu Chang’s face turned red as he thought about becoming the first headmaster disciple to be completely exposed... his eyes grew even wetter.
A gust of wind swirled around him, parting the crowd.
When the wind set Gu Chang down, he finally escaped, and in a glance, he saw Mu Qingyan standing nearby.
“Senior sister?” Seeing a familiar face, Gu Chang felt a mix of joy and relief, cupping his hands in gratitude. “Thank you for saving me.”
Mu Qingyan looked at Gu Chang, her eyes filled with curiosity, and after a moment, she spoke:
“You should call me junior sister.”
“Ah?”
“My name is below yours.”
Gu Chang understood then; the explanation on the light screen indicated that the list of admitted disciples was arranged in order of entry.
...
The next time Gu Chang saw this junior sister was in the headmaster’s courtyard.
He stood beside Mu Qingyan, feeling a bit awkward and uneasy, clearly still struggling to accept his identity as a disciple of the headmaster, let alone feel confident about it.
“Have you never been here before?”
Gu Chang shook his head and whispered, “Senior... have you been here?”
“Yeah, often.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Chang’s expression turned a bit envious.
But considering her qualifications and cultivation, he understood.
He just didn’t dare to call Mu Qingyan junior sister...
“Are you here?”
Zheng Fa hurriedly entered the courtyard, glanced at the two, nodded, and without a word, pointed to the stone bench beside them. “Sit!”
As they took their seats, Mu Qingyan sat naturally and confidently, while Gu Chang slightly hunched his shoulders.
“Let’s keep it brief. Do you both wish to take me as your master?”
“Absolutely!”
Only Mu Qingyan’s voice rang out.
Gu Chang, however, remained silent.
“Gu Chang?”
Zheng Fa and Mu Qingyan both turned to look at him.
“Headmaster... why did you choose to admit me?” Gu Chang said softly. “With my current qualifications, I can barely cultivate; I’ve long lost the chance to build my foundation.”
Mu Qingyan’s eyes widened in surprise, but Zheng Fa only sighed.
Gu Chang’s physical experiments, while seemingly simple, were quite complex.
For instance, he had four spiritual roots—metal, wood, water, and earth. He would deliberately destroy part of his wood-related nerves... As the wood spiritual root diminished, the proportions of the other three roots would increase, turning him into a three-root cultivator.
In the end, by observing the speed and ratio at which he absorbed spiritual energy, he could derive a relatively rough experimental result.
Table of Contents
