Book 1: Chapter 14: Unfading Glory

Right when Lin Xi asked Mu Shanzi the absurd question of what heaven’s choice was, that green-clothed young lady who had always remained extremely natural revealed a faint smile, her small and exquisite nose moving slightly, as if a light breeze gently stirred a clear pond.

At the same time, an icily arrogant black-haired youngster’s face that was full of pride instead suddenly changed to shock and confusion. His eyes were like sharp swords, sweeping past Lin Xi’s body.

He was from Wen Family, even in these over a thousand examinees who gathered from the entire Yunqin Empire, he was vastly superior, obtaining a shocking composite score of 31 points. However, he never expected there would be someone who obtained the same score as himself, moreover a young man with only two levels of cultivation aptitude, from some ordinary small border town!

“Heaven’s choice is when an agreement cannot be reached because all of the department heads want someone, so the heavens will make the decision instead.” A ‘golden spoon’ youngster who had been chosen replied to Lin Xi’s question with a face of shock and disbelief.

Only now were the examinees who passed the entrance examination fully announced. Even the black-robed middle-aged man who called out Lin Xi’s name couldn’t help but give Lin Xi a look, not understanding why this youngster who came from a small border town could obtain such astonishing results, moreover in the end needing to use heaven’s choice to determine which department he ended up in.

Only after giving Lin Xi a look, did this black-robed middle-aged lecturer use his usual serious tone to slowly say, “Those who have passed the academy examination, stay behind. Those who did not, please leave first.”

Following these words, this place momentarily became even more chaotic.

Some examinees who failed to get accepted broke down into tears, some with heroic ambitions who vowed to end their own lives if they didn’t enter actually prepared to cut themselves down on the spot. However, a group of Green Luan Academy students in black academy robes moved through the chaotic scene in an extremely practiced manner, stopping those bloody scenes from happening, at the same time quickly putting away the tents.

“So she’s named Gao Yanan. She actually also ended up as heaven’s choice?”

Through this chaotic scene, Lin Xi who stood in place without moving saw that green-clothed young lady walk up to a slightly more vacant place to wait. What left him dumbstruck was that in this type of chaotic and noisy environment, this pretty green-clothed young lady actually laid down by a willow tree next to the lake, taking a nap as if no one else was here.

“I’m Liu Yingting, from today on, we are fellow students in the academy.” The golden spoon youngster who replied to his question about ‘heaven’s choice’ in Mu Shanzi’s place reached out his hand towards Lin Xi and the others in a friendly manner.

This golden spoon youngster was rather short and stout, face honest and sincere, skin color a bit darker. He wore green jade-colored silk clothes on his body, a fine jade lion hanging from his waist.

Mu Shanzi suddenly erupted with rage from humiliation, shouting at this golden spoon youngster, “Acting friendly to them in front of me, isn’t this not giving me any face at all?! Even if you want to become friends with them, you have to at least wait until I leave, right?”

The darker skinned Liu Yingting’s eyebrows jumped, not showing any lenience, curling his lips and saying, “Your dad is a province supervisor, my dad is also a province supervisor. You entered the academy, I also entered the academy, why do I have to give you face?”

Mu Shanzi opened his mouth, yet couldn’t say anything, because he really didn’t have much reason behind his actions in this situation. The other side’s decision to be friendly was his business, telling others not to be friends really was a bit too overbearing.

Lin Xi revealed a faint smile, reaching out his hand and shaking it with Liu Yingting’s. Towards this ‘golden spoon’, he didn’t have too much prejudice either.

Mu Shanzi immediately opened his mouth again, his entire face about to become red-purple.

“Actually, there is something that I wanted to tell everyone for some time…” A thunderous, crazy voice sounded from his mouth, making the chaotic scene come to a momentary standstill.

Many examinees who were crying from failing to be accepted widened their eyes, looking towards Mu Shanzi, but when everyone looked at him with strange expressions, waiting to see what he wanted to say, they only saw a golden spoon shout with his eyes closed, “Actually… I am a pig!”

…

Green Luan Academy’s efficiency was extremely shocking. Soon afterwards, the chaotic scene by the lake was completely stabilized. All of the examinees who didn’t pass the test were sent out of this camp. All of the tents were collected and properly folded up.

Instead, it was the many chariots that were parked outside that became chaotic.

A few chariots began to leave, while those who came from other academies or high officials from other places began to busily recruit students who didn’t pass the test.

“That is?”

Suddenly, many people who were bustling about the chariots froze, especially the academy head elders who were already well on in their years, after a moment of absent-mindedness, they all respectfully bowed towards the lakeside.

These figures who bowed down all had quite the statuses, but their display of respect was done sincerely, their eyes full of shock and reverence.

All of the examinees felt like this was strange. When they followed these people’s eyes, they saw that under the midday sunlight, the single-armed elder whose face was covered by marks of great experience and six professors came out from the last tent that was taken down. Meanwhile, those people’s display of respect seemed to be all directed at that single-armed elder.

“It’s Vice Principal Xia…”

Someone subconsciously called out this elder’s name, and then low cries of alarm sounded like a tide.

“He is Vice Principal Xia? Why is his arm…”

Almost all of the examinees who heard this title, regardless of whether they were accepted or not, they all felt as if their bodies were struck by lightning, as if they were seeing this elder for the first time. When these people snapped out of their daze, almost all of them showed polite and respectful attitudes, as if they were looking up to a great mountain, paying their respects to this elder.

“Vice Principal Xia? Who is he?” Lin Xi asked with a somewhat stunned expression.

Li Kaiyun’s legs were shaking, not because of fear, but because he was shaking from the core. His voice was also shaking, as if it was hard for him to speak. “Vice Principal Xia is one of the seventeen Green Luan Academy students who suppressed Starfall City in Starfall Lake’s battle together with Principal Zhang! So he was Vice Principal Xia!”

“One of Green Luan Academy’s seventeen students?”

Lin Xi was stunned. Even though he faced the glory of this empire with the attitude of a tourist, the intense and moving song made him clearly remember these legendary figures. During the long and continuous singing, he also pictured more than once how grand of a scene it was when those seventeen Green Luan Academy students faced that great army of three hundred thousand.

Meanwhile now, this elder whose face was full of great changes, no longer carrying much harshness, was actually one of the seventeen students from back then.

The single-armed elder walked at the very front of the six professors and rows of students. He gave a slight nod towards everyone. A wave of shocking power continuously spread from his body.

“Only valor and loyalty can establish unfading glory, only this will be remembered.” He stopped not far from the examinees who were accepted, suddenly saying this.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly entered everyone’s ears.

“One does not need to be a Green Luan Academy student to have valor and loyalty, obtain glory.”

Many examinees were crying from not being accepted, yet after hearing this line, their bodies suddenly shook. Many of them seemed to understand what he was saying, respectfully bowing towards this elder again.

After saying those words, this single-armed elder instead used a voice only the examinees by the lakeside could hear, “I welcome all of you to Green Luan Academy.”

The lakeside was completely quiet, all of these students who passed the test were a bit at a loss for what to do.

The single-armed elder didn’t pay anyone else any more attention, his wise and farsighted gaze passed by Lin Xi, Gao Yanan, and Wen Xuanyu’s bodies, and then returned to Lin Xi. “Lin Xi, we will start the heaven’s choice with you.”

The students in front of Lin Xi moved aside. Lin Xi felt as if his legs had lead poured over them, his mind becoming extremely nervous for no reason. However, what left him stunned was that when he heard the single-armed elder speak, that black-robed middle-aged lecturer walked up to him, producing six small sheepskin scrolls, placing them into Lin Xi’s hands, saying, “Choose one of them.”

Lin Xi randomly picked one of them. The black-robed middle-aged lecturer opened it before everyone, on it written the words ‘Self Defense’. “Heaven’s choice results, Self Defense Department!” The black-robed middle-aged lecturer then announced with a serious and loud voice.

“After wasting all this time, he still ended up in my Self Defense Department.” When the black-robed middle-aged lecturer opened the small sheepskin scroll, revealing the words ‘Self Defense’, the black-haired man whose age was hard to guess revealed a ruminate smile. Meanwhile, the other professors all turned their heads, releasing a snort with an unpleasant expression.

The single-armed elder’s eyes landed on the proudly standing Wen Xuanyu’s body. “Wen Xuanyu, next, it is your turn for heaven’s choice.”

The black-robed middle-aged lecturer put away the ‘Self Defense’ small scroll Lin Xi chose, and then removed one out the remaining five small scrolls[1]. Finally, he placed the four sheepskin scrolls that were left before Wen Xuanyu.

This overly simplified ‘heaven’s choice’ method, due to Green Luan Academy students’ tradition, as well as the revealing of the single-armed elder’s identity, became extremely serious. Everyone watched with rapt attention, but what was unexpected was that Wen Xuanyu didn’t immediately choose a small sheepskin scroll, instead raising his head and shouting out, “I am opposed to this! This is unfair!”

It was clear that he was also extremely nervous, lips shaking a bit. However, his gaze didn’t shrink back in the slightest, directly staring at all of the academy personnel before him, including that single-armed elder.

Everyone took a deep breath. After all these years, no one dared express unfairness to Green Luan Academy’s entrance examination. Wen Xuanyu really was daring, making many people develop a cold feeling inside; could it be that he wasn’t scared that he might not enter Green Luan Academy because of this?

“Why?” The single-armed elder gave Wen Xuanyu a dignified look, asking.

“If it is a fair heaven’s choice, then after he made his choice, based on normal reasoning, I should have six departments to choose from again. However, the Self Defense Department was removed, and then another department was taken out, only four departments left to choose from. Because of this, I lost the chance to enter the other two departments!” Wen Xuanyu still didn’t cower back. He gave Lin Xi a look, loudly shouting, “Why can I not enter the Self Defense Department?! Even if his entrance examination results were higher than mine, everyone knows that in the following cultivation to come, it will largely depend on aptitude! His aptitude is only second level, I refuse to believe that my progress in the Self Defense Department will be inferior to his!”

When Wen Xuanyu’s words sounded, many people’s expressions changed. The faces of those in Wen Family’s chariot in particular became pale.

Those who came out from Green Luan Academy all knew that Green Luan Academy’s tradition was now called into question. Wen Xuanyu’s first half was still understandable, but the second half was clearly directed at Lin Xi, already equivalent to berating Lin Xi right in front of his face, saying that his cultivation aptitude wasn’t good enough.

“You have to remember one thing. In Green Luan Academy, the interest of the group will forever be above that of the individual.” However, the single-armed elder seemed to still not be angered, only calmly giving Wen Xuanyu a look. “Since you cannot accept the arrangements we found suitable, then I will also agree to let you and the heavens choose which of the six departments you belong to.”

1. In c.12, they agreed to also remove Spiritual Sacrifice as an option if Lin Xi didn’t choose it

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