Chapter 27: Azure Cloud (5)

The wooden sword was broken. The assessing senior brother was stunned for a moment, then quickly flipped through the roster. “He Tingtong, third realm, preliminary test, pass!”

Then he raised his hand, swept up the things on the table, and got off work happily, not forgetting to instruct before leaving that the remaining people should wait until tomorrow when the puppet was repaired to be tested.

Fu Fengyan, who was queuing behind, held his sword and looked at He Tingtong resentfully, receiving a guilty turn of the head.

He had just been sparring with Fu Fengyan frequently recently and had some new insights. Who would have thought that the puppet’s wooden sword had fallen into disrepair and, after years of sparring, actually had cracks inside?

He was surprised when the wooden sword was cut off.

He Tingtong said cautiously, “How about I accompany you tomorrow and wait for you by the side?”

As soon as these words came out, Fu Fengyan’s expression was like the sky clearing after rain, instantly softening, and he nodded obediently, “Okay.”

After the dispersal, the two went to the Langhuan Pavilion together to find someone, but found Yue Qianxun squatting outside the venue, his face black and his curly hair messy.

The boy looked like a rolling brocade just pulled out of the stove, the hair on his head exploded loosely, his pupils contracted, looking around in surprise and uncertainty. Seeing He Tingtong and the other come over, he scurried over in a few steps, screaming.

“Damn! There was a weak chicken setting up an array inside, put the position wrong, turned the Spirit Gathering Array into a Spirit Exploding Array, disturbed the spiritual energy, and during the assessment, it exploded from the last row to the first row!” Yue Qianxun pointed at the smoky pavilion behind with trembling fingers, his eyes full of indignation towards the idiot. “That hall is closed! Closed! I was pressing the spirit stone and drawing the talisman, and suddenly I was blasted from behind!”

The bristling rolling brocade gritted his teeth, “If you can’t even pass such a simple question in the preliminary test, you might as well go home early to sell sweet potatoes!”

“What about you? Is your array also destroyed?” He Tingtong asked.

The array talisman assessment would randomly draw five arrays. As long as three could be successfully set up in the preliminary test, it would be considered a pass.

“Fortunately, I was fast and set up the first four. The assessing senior brother counted it for me.” A trace of pride appeared in Yue Qianxun’s eyes. He wiped his face, which immediately became black and white. “What about you two? Did you pass?”

Fu Fengyan said expressionlessly, “He passed, I didn’t.”

Yue Qianxun was startled. He carefully examined Fu Fengyan’s expression and found it didn’t look good. He had learned to read people’s expressions recently and said carefully, “So you’re going back to your hometown?”

Thinking of his speech about planting sweet potatoes just now, he really wanted to slap his own mouth.

This person clung to He Tingtong tightly, sticking to him every day like a dog skin plaster. How to send him away?

His sympathetic gaze fell on He Tingtong, only to find the other party smiling, holding the sword in one hand and patting Fu Fengyan’s shoulder with the other. “My fault, I accidentally broke the exam question. He will pass tomorrow.”

So confident, as if passing the Azure Cloud preliminary test was just buying a pancake on the street.

Yue Qianxun thought about it and agreed. After all, it wasn’t difficult.

Array talismans were about setting up arrays, and sword cultivators were just about dancing with swords, right?

He passed so easily, so He Tingtong and the others must also find it very simple.

So the next day, at his strong request, He Tingtong took him to watch the sword cultivator assessment.

Today, the assessing senior brother was changed. Probably because half of the tests not finished yesterday became his task today, the tall and strong young man nestled in the chair, looking ugly, black as the bottom of a pot.

He raised the roster, his voice low, calling names in order. Then Yue Qianxun saw the extremely familiar mechanical puppet, and the brand-new long sword in the puppet’s hand, dancing with the wind.

The first young man on the arena made a standard and elegant bow gesture. However, after the assessment began, before the long sword at his waist was completely pulled out, he was knocked flying by a wooden sword, vomiting breakfast all over the ground, and then rolled down from the arena crying for his parents, admitting defeat.

Dying before success, he was even forced by the assessing senior brother to scrub the arena clean before leaving.

This miserable state instantly reminded Yue Qianxun of the terrifying memory of being kicked more than ten meters away by Qin Tan. He trembled, feeling the scene was too cruel, and dared not look.

This was not an assessment, this was clearly torture!

It was better to be an array talisman cultivator. Just memorize and remember, and pass easily.

Yue Qianxun swore secretly in his heart that he would never be a sword cultivator in the future!

He hid behind He Tingtong uneasily, watching the figures flying on the arena. The assessing teenagers were tossed around by the mechanical puppets, looking for their teeth all over the floor. It took a long time for another one to last for a quarter of an hour, crawling down from the arena as if it cost him his life.

The arena eliminated people too fast. Before long, it was Fu Fengyan’s turn.

He drew his sword under the stage, stuffed the scabbard into He Tingtong’s arms, went up to the arena in a few steps, flourished a sword flower, and performed a set of movements smoothly, extremely relaxed and elegant.

This time he was much more normal in receiving the sword, not flying away with one blow. Fu Fengyan’s steps were extremely steady. When the puppet struck like thunder, he countered with a backhand move of four ounces moving a thousand catties, dissolving the force of the puppet’s slash. He still used the ordinary Nine Styles of Frightened Swan that most of the cultivation world knew. Each move was more precise than in the book, just looking slow and soft, without any momentum. Even the speed of the Qin Tan puppet’s attack seemed to slow down, and the sound of the swords clashing wasn’t even heavy. Only the wind, centered on the arena, rolled up a gust, blowing people’s robes and long hair wildly.

Yue Qianxun stretched his neck, feeling that this fighting speed was like a turtle crawling. He felt he could do it again.

A quarter of an hour later, the puppet stopped, the mechanism all over its body making clicking sounds of disrepair. It was a draw, and the assessment ended.

Fu Fengyan walked down slowly, carrying a scorching heat. He fell into He Tingtong’s arms like a collapsing jade mountain, but he was too tall and failed to collapse, only leaning diagonally, his head against He Tingtong’s head, looking at him pitifully with his eyes, “So hot.”

He Tingtong pushed him away expressionlessly and said gently, “Go back and drink more cold water.”

Fu Fengyan: “…”

“Fu Fengyan, second realm, preliminary test, pass.” The assessing senior brother paused at the second realm, moved his gaze here, took a look, and seemed a bit surprised.

When the next person went on stage, Yue Qianxun followed He Tingtong out. Walking and looking back, he saw the teenager in the arena being picked up three meters high by a sword, flying directly out of the arena, and falling to the ground with a smack, motionless.

Yue Qianxun shivered, turned his head to look at Fu Fengyan again, and felt a surge of respect.

“The Azure Cloud preliminary test is divided into preliminary test, re-test, and final test. After passing the preliminary test, you can stay in the academy to study for half a month, and the second test will be conducted after half a month.”

“There are about 30,000 disciples entering the preliminary test of the academy this year. Less than one in ten can reach the re-test.” He Tingtong packed his small bundle and explained seriously to Yue Qianxun: “The preliminary test only looks at the realm and foundation, so there are many tasks that can be passed. The re-test will be divided into branches according to the registered talent, and there will be more tests.”

“Starting from today, students will be divided into districts. We two are moving to the Sword Pavilion, and you are going to the Langhuan Pavilion.”

Raising his hand to tie a bow on the small bundle, He Tingtong put the luggage in Yue Qianxun’s arms and emphasized: “Xiao Yue, after you go over, even if no one is watching, don’t relax and slack off. Remember to study hard.”

Yue Qianxun carried the small bundle wrapped by He Tingtong and waved his hand, “Got it. I’ll get up early every day to write at least ten array talismans from memory, improve three before going to bed, and show you for inspection then.”

“If you are bullied, fight back directly, don’t kill them.” He Tingtong thought for a moment and added, “If you can’t beat them, run. Come to the Sword Pavilion to find me. Ah Fu and I will help you.”

Fu Fengyan stepped forward, looking very reliable.

Yue Qianxun advanced a few steps and then retreated, his eyes shining, “…Really?”

He Tingtong nodded, “Really. There are many young masters over at the array talisman side, not easy to get along with. Make friends if you can, avoid them if you can’t.”

“But if you deliberately pick a fight, I will not only beat you up but also tell Immortal Lord Qin Tan after he enters the academy and let him beat you up again.”

Yue Qianxun: “…” Gone, gone.

The Langhuan Pavilion was in the northwest corner, and the Sword Pavilion was on the east side, a bit far away.

Having lived in the Embrace Clumsiness Courtyard for just over ten days, they had to move collectively.

Unlike the spacious houses in the Embrace Clumsiness Courtyard, the disciple courtyards in the Sword Pavilion were much smaller. However, the training ground outside was extremely large and spacious, paved with acres of blue bricks. Looking from a distance, it was a huge Tai Chi disk.

In the middle of the training ground was a white jade arena, said to be moved from the Nine Luminaries Mountain. Past Azure Cloud top scholars had all fought on it.

Bypassing the training ground was an apricot blossom forest, with several pavilions and towers scattered in the middle, which were teaching dojos. Several covered bridges connected them, dividing and connecting the venue. Walking across a wooden bridge was their residence.

Several small quadrangle courtyards were gathered in rows like a nest of crowded small mushrooms.

Mist was hazy. At the beginning of March, apricot blossoms were just blooming. Several branches with pink and white petals poked in from outside the wall, tremblingly touching the window, shadows crossing.

Xie Xuanxiao pushed open the door, looked at the cramped, dim, damp, and cold house in front of him, backed out again, turned to look at Zhang Duixue who was looking around behind him, and persuaded: “Do you really want to stay here? Your technique test was also qualified. Why not go to the South Courtyard to live with me?”

The Sword Pavilion probably vacated all the territory for the training ground. The accommodation place was frighteningly small. Not being a pavilion was fine, but four people had to squeeze into a small courtyard!

Unreasonable.

Xie Xuanxiao wrapped his fingers with a handkerchief, pulled the door open, and slowly closed it again.

Zhang Duixue stood in the courtyard, looking up at the birds jumping on the branches. Today he was changed into new hair accessories and clothes. A layer of shark silk was draped over the light crimson outer robe. He looked like an apricot blossom in the mist, with a kind of pitiable beauty.

Every time he thought of the injury during the assessment that day, Xie Xuanxiao felt a huge stone pressing on his heart, almost breathless.

“It’s very far from my place. It takes a long time to walk to see you.” He approached slowly, looking at his lover with gloomy eyes.

Zhang Duixue stood on tiptoe and rubbed affectionately against his forehead, “Young Palace Master, since I passed the assessment, there is no reason not to come? I have to prove myself. I want to show all those who look down on me that I am actually very powerful!”

Xie Xuanxiao’s mouth corners hooked slightly, “Ah Xue has always been very powerful.”

Looking at his lover’s shining eyes, he finally took a step back. “If anyone dares to bully you, go to the Langhuan Pavilion to find me.”

He thought of the two rascals he met during the last trial, and frowned.

Zhang Duixue was very satisfied with everything in front of him. He pushed Xie Xuanxiao out, “Young Palace Master, you know, who can beat me? Just don’t worry!”

So Xie Xuanxiao left uneasily.

Zhang Duixue strolled around the courtyard with great interest, then took out soft bedding from the storage pendant and spread it out.

Just halfway through tidying up, he heard the sound of the door opening outside. It should be his roommate arriving.

He put down the things in his hand, excitedly opened the door to look, and saw the blue-robed boy who mocked him on the arena that day unlocking the lock, his long ponytail hanging behind his waist, and his companion beside him bending over to study something.

Probably hearing the sound of him opening the door, the two turned their heads together and looked at him.

The blue-robed one raised his eyebrows, smiled at him, and waved his hand, “What a coincidence.”

Zhang Duixue: “…” Enemies on a narrow road.