Chapter 141: Registration and Second Examination

Unexpectedly, the “washing of the muscles and cleansing of the marrow” that the Grandmaster mentioned actually worked. After eating only half a piece of mung bean cake, the old man’s long-stagnant Heart of the Profound technique suddenly broke through to the fifth level the very next day. His meridians seemed much stronger overall. At first, he was a little delighted—though the process had been arduous, the result was quite satisfying. Even the soreness in his chrysanthemum from having spent a whole day and night in the latrine didn’t feel so unbearable anymore!

Thus, over the next few days, he kept pushing his luck and secretly tasted more things: thunder-inducing sticky rice balls, soul-separating dried fruit, exploding fried twists, and flame-spitting jerky…

Yun Jiao: “…”

Bai Yu: “…”

Only then did the old man realize something was wrong—was the Grandmaster using him as some kind of experimental subject?

By the time he came to his senses and wanted to stop this self-torture, he found that even the water he drank, the meals he ate, and the wild fruits he occasionally picked all had problems. They either caught fire, electrocuted him, or even grew mouths that bit people.

Bai Yu wanted to cry but had no tears. Would it still be in time if he went to beg the Grandmaster for forgiveness now?

He developed a deep fear of all food and even considered fasting altogether. Eating had become a literal life-threatening act.

The worst part was—it was the same food! Why was it perfectly fine when the girl ate it, but turned murderous the moment it touched his hands?

The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. Clearly, he must be the adopted disciple here!

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and quietly handed the snacks to Yuan Jiang, even taking care to explain that they were gifts from the Grandmaster. It wasn’t until he personally saw Yuan Jiang get blasted pitch-black by lightning from the rice ball that his tormented heart finally felt balanced again.

Mm, knowing he wasn’t the only one despised somehow made it much better.

Yuan Jiang: “…” MMP!

---

Recently, Yun Jiao had been much more relaxed. Ever since she no longer had to cook for the Grandmaster, she suddenly found herself with a lot more free time. However, perhaps due to lack of information, she still hadn’t figured out how to effectively utilize her one-time spiritual energy body.

She was thinking about borrowing more reference materials from the Celestial Masters Hall when Hall Master Xu contacted her first.

“Registration Examination?” Yun Jiao was surprised. Hadn’t they just taken one not long ago? Was it time for the next batch already?

“Yes,” Hall Master Xu explained. “Tomorrow is the date for the upper-register assessment. All the sect leaders and elders unanimously recommended you, Daoist Yun, as the chief examiner. You have profound cultivation and have lectured countless disciples—no one is more suitable.”

“But I’m not familiar with the registration procedures or the standards,” she hesitated.

“That’s not a problem,” Hall Master Xu continued. “The Celestial Masters Hall has conducted registration exams for many years and has a fixed procedure. As the chief examiner, you only need to oversee the formations and spiritual medicine sections. The content has already been decided, and other elders will assist from the side. In truth, your presence alone will be a great encouragement to the disciples.”

“Oh, in that case, there’s no problem.” Yun Jiao relaxed a little, then asked, “Should I prepare a few test papers for the disciples?”

“NO!”

Before she could finish, several firm, overlapping voices of refusal echoed from the communication talisman.

“…”

“Heh, haha…” Hall Master Xu let out a few awkward laughs. “There’s no need to trouble Daoist Yun with that—we’ve already prepared everything.”

Let her write the questions? That would guarantee the first all-zero exam in history—and they wouldn’t even know the correct answers themselves.

“…All right then.” Yun Jiao had no choice but to nod.

After agreeing on the time, she cut off the talisman’s connection. But the old man beside her suddenly leaned over. “Girl, are you going to the Celestial Masters Hall? I’ll come too—maybe I can help.”

“No way!” Yun Jiao rejected him outright.

“Why not?” The old man was stunned.

She spoke earnestly, “There are only a few of us left at the temple. If you also leave, wouldn’t that mean the Grandmaster will be left alone there? Is that appropriate?”

“No, girl!” The old man looked as though he might cry. “Then how is it appropriate for you to leave me alone with the Grandmaster?”

“…” That made sense—she was momentarily speechless.

Yuan Jiang: “…” Did you two forget I’m here?

---

Perhaps because he had developed psychological trauma from the Grandmaster’s cooking, the old man shamelessly insisted on tagging along to the Celestial Masters Hall.

Whether it was due to the recent academic fervor in the sect or something else, this year’s registration exam had even more participants than the one Yun Jiao attended.

The entire Celestial Masters Hall was packed with people—just the registration line alone nearly stretched out of Xuan City. Yun Jiao was startled when she saw the crowd gathered in the main square; she hadn’t expected so many people to show up.

What surprised her even more was that most of the participants weren’t returning disciples but new initiates taking the registration exam for the first time. That meant the sect was recruiting far more new disciples this time around.

“This is all thanks to you, Daoist Yun.” Hall Master Xu’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he looked at the endless registration line. “If it weren’t for the cultivation methods you wrote, there wouldn’t be so many people choosing to join the sect.”

“Cultivation methods?” Yun Jiao blinked. “What cultivation methods?”

“Have you forgotten?” Hall Master Xu explained quickly. “Some time ago, you asked me for a few basic cultivation manuals, and you also wrote some personal notes on your understanding of spell techniques.”

“Oh, you mean those reading notes?” Because of her spiritual meridian studies, she had indeed borrowed some basic manuals from the Hall. Qingyang originally had those books, but since his study kept getting destroyed, she had to borrow them instead. Out of habit, she jotted down simplified interpretations in plain language as reading notes and handed them back along with the books.

“Yes, those!” Hall Master Xu said excitedly. “Though they were only elementary spell manuals, your annotations made them so much easier to understand. Even ordinary people, as long as they can read, can use them to self-study and explore cultivation on their own.” His eyes gleamed as his tone grew even more animated. “After discussing it with the other sects, we distributed copies of your notes—and they became immensely popular! Many people started cultivating because of them. That’s why this time’s registration has so many new recruits.”

“Oh.” So she had inadvertently simplified the sect’s introductory textbooks and indirectly boosted their enrollment numbers. Yun Jiao nodded, not taking it too seriously, but after a moment she couldn’t help asking, “So… did you charge tuition fees?”

Did she get a cut?

Hall Master Xu: “…” Are you kidding me right now?

---

“Hall Master, the disciple you mentioned has arrived at the Celestial Masters Hall. The registration disciples at the front hall just received his entry record,” a disciple suddenly reported while they were talking.

Hall Master Xu froze for a moment before remembering his main task. “Good. Bring him to the main hall immediately.”

“Yes.” The disciple withdrew.

Hall Master Xu turned back to Yun Jiao, looking a bit excited. “Daoist Yun, besides having you serve as the chief examiner for the registration assessment, there’s actually another important matter I need your help with.”

(End of Chapter)