Chapter 36: THE EXAMINATION(10)

After leaving the restaurant, Li Yan asked Gu Jun where he was staying. He had assumed their inns would be far apart, but Gu Jun pointed toward a familiar street only a short distance from the inn where Li Yan and Hu Biyan were staying.

"That is where I am staying," Gu Jun said, pointing toward a three-story building decorated with red lanterns. "I was assigned a room there after passing the first examination."

Li Yan looked between the two inns and realized that only a few streets separated them. "Then we should stay together during the mountain examination tomorrow. Since our inns are close, we can meet here before entering the array, and our chances of passing will be better if we work together."

Gu Jun readily agreed. He had already seen how capable Li Yan was during the written examination and how composed he remained. At the same time, Elder Mo testing his knowledge had removed any doubt he might have had about following him.

"That works for me," Gu Jun said with a determined smile. "Whatever the Nine Jade Sect puts inside that mountain, we will face it together."

"Then be here at first light," Li Yan replied, giving him a pointed look. "Do not make me wait."

Gu Jun laughed and promised that he would arrive on time before leading Li Yan farther into the city.

Gu Jun had spent several days exploring Floating City before the examination, so he knew which streets were busiest and which shops were worth visiting. He eagerly showed Li Yan markets filled with cultivation artifacts, spiritual herbs, weapons, and unusual treasures brought from different parts of the Warring Continent.

Li Yan found himself more interested in the food than the treasures.

Gu Jun quickly noticed that and began taking him from one food stall to another. They tried roasted spiritual beast meat, sweet pastries made with spiritual fruits, noodles cooked in fragrant broth, and several snacks Li Yan had never encountered before.

"You really know your way around this city," Li Yan said after trying another skewer of roasted meat.

Gu Jun looked pleased with himself as he pointed toward the crowded street ahead. "I arrived several days before the examination, so I had plenty of time to explore. If you want to know where the best food is, you can always ask me."

Li Yan smiled at his confidence and followed him toward the next stall.

They spent the afternoon wandering through Floating City without thinking too much about the examination waiting for them the following day. Gu Jun showed Li Yan several elevated platforms where cultivators gathered, and they eventually stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the lower districts of the city.

Li Yan rested his hands against the railing and looked across the endless expanse of floating buildings. From this height, the people below looked tiny, while the distant platforms seemed to disappear into the clouds.

"Floating City really is enormous."

Gu Jun stood beside him and followed his gaze. "This is only one part of it. There are several districts farther away, but we would need another day to explore them properly."

Li Yan glanced at him before smiling. "Then we can look around after we pass the examination."

Gu Jun immediately agreed. "We will pass."

Li Yan found his confidence amusing, but he did not disagree. After everything he had studied, he also believed that he had a good chance of passing.

As evening approached, the lanterns throughout Floating City began illuminating the streets, and the city took on a different appearance beneath the darkening sky.

Gu Jun eventually stopped outside his inn when he realized how late it had become.

"We should rest now," Li Yan said as he looked toward the entrance. "Tomorrow’s examination may last longer than we expect, so you should recover your strength tonight."

Gu Jun nodded and straightened his clothes before assuring him, "I will meet you at first light. You will not have to wait for me."

"I will hold you to that."

Gu Jun laughed at the warning before entering his inn, while Li Yan continued toward his own lodging with Hu Biyan.

By the time Li Yan returned to his room, the day’s exhaustion had begun catching up with him. He washed, changed into clean clothes, and settled onto the bed, finally allowing himself to relax after spending most of the day outside.

Xiaoxiao’s voice soon sounded inside his mind, carrying a trace of amusement.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself today."

Li Yan smiled as the afternoon’s memories returned to him, particularly the food Gu Jun had insisted he try. "I did. I had forgotten how enjoyable it could be to explore somewhere without worrying about studying."

"You certainly ate enough to make up for all those meals you missed while studying."

Li Yan laughed softly at the teasing. "The food was good."

"I noticed that too."

Li Yan shook his head with a smile before settling more comfortably against the pillow. "Gu Jun knows the city quite well. I would not have found half those places without him."

"He seems very enthusiastic about following you."

"He takes his promises seriously," Li Yan said after thinking about the young man’s behavior. "He helped me during the examination, I helped him today, and now he thinks he has a debt to repay."

Xiaoxiao seemed to find that amusing. "And you solved the problem by making him your lackey."

Li Yan’s smile widened. "He agreed willingly."

"That is because you promised to make him the strongest and richest man on the continent."

Li Yan’s expression became slightly smug as he remembered Gu Jun’s reaction.

"It was a good offer."

Xiaoxiao laughed softly before changing the subject and telling him more about Floating City.

The city had existed for countless years, suspended high above the western region through an ancient formation. As the Nine Jade Sect grew in influence, more cultivators began traveling there, and merchants soon followed them.

Over generations, Floating City developed into one of the greatest cultivation centers on the Warring Continent.

Li Yan listened quietly while Xiaoxiao explained how cultivators from all four nations came there for trade, cultivation, and opportunities within the Nine Jade Sect.

"So the sect is largely responsible for the city’s prosperity," Li Yan said after hearing the history.

"The sect played a major role," Xiaoxiao replied. "But Floating City eventually became prosperous enough to stand on its own. Even without the Nine Jade Sect, it would still be an important cultivation center."

Li Yan considered, looking toward the window. The city’s lights remained visible through the darkness, and even from the inn he could hear distant voices drifting up from the streets.

Tomorrow, the mountain examination would begin.

Unlike the written examination, there was nothing else he could study tonight. The contents of the array were deliberately changed every year, which meant that preparation could only take him so far.

Xiaoxiao seemed to sense what he was thinking when she asked, "Are you nervous?"

Li Yan stared at the night outside for a moment before considering the question honestly. He had already prepared as much as possible, and worrying about an examination whose contents he could not predict would accomplish nothing.

"No," he answered. "I am curious."

Xiaoxiao laughed softly at his response.

"That sounds more like you."

Li Yan pulled the blanket over himself and settled into the bed. "Wake me if I oversleep. I do not want to keep Gu Jun waiting."

"I will."

With Xiaoxiao’s assurance, Li Yan closed his eyes and let the exhaustion of the day finally take over.

Tomorrow, he would find out what the Nine Jade Sect had prepared inside the mountain array, and for once, there was nothing left for him to do except rest and face it when the time came.

No point thinking about imaginary dangers.