Ye Chenyan propped his chin on one hand and watched Yu Qingtang play the qin to guard the others during their breakthroughs. On the surface, he looked utterly unimpressed, his gaze cool and indifferent.
In reality, he stayed right there and dutifully protected them the entire time.
Only after Scholar Xiao and Chi Yantian had both successfully broken through to Out-of-Body did Wen Tianxia give a slight nod. He turned toward the Four Books Academy students.
“Did you gain anything from watching?”
The students’ eyes shone.
“Yes!”
“Good.” Wen Tianxia nodded in satisfaction. “Each of you will submit a manuscript. Any angle is acceptable.”
Yu Qingtang stared at him in shock, then leaned toward Ye Chenyan and whispered, “He just assigned them homework, and nobody even groaned?”
Ye Chenyan pressed his head against Yu Qingtang’s and whispered back, “Four Books Academy students truly are extraordinary.”
“No.” Scholar Xiao, freshly finished with his breakthrough, leaned over to join them. “It’s because if you groan, Academy Head Wen makes you write more.”
Yu Qingtang breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. Most people in this world are still normal.”
After assigning the homework, Wen Tianxia turned back toward the four of them.
“Why are you still standing around?”
“Hm?” Yu Qingtang blinked and exchanged a glance with Ye Chenyan before answering with perfect confidence, “We broke through.”
“He only broke through to Soul Transformation.” Wen Tianxia looked at Yu Qingtang. “And you’re merely at Out-of-Body.”
Yu Qingtang recoiled in horror.
“What does that mean? Don’t tell me you expect us to keep cultivating!”
He pointed at Ye Chenyan.
“If he keeps cultivating, he’s going to hit Integration next! An Integration cultivator can already go run a sect!”
“You people really do pull seedlings up by the roots!”
“With his talent, reaching Mahayana through cultivation alone is more than possible. Only after that will he need opportunities and enlightenment.” Wen Tianxia remained perfectly calm. “As for the rest of you, you should at least reach Soul Transformation.”
Ye Chenyan frowned slightly.
Something about this arrangement felt wrong.
He tested the waters.
“Isn’t it bad to keep cultivating behind closed doors like this without sparring with anyone?”
Wen Tianxia pointed at Yu Qingtang.
“Isn’t he right there?”
“Have him open the Lotus Realm, then pound away.”
“What?” Yu Qingtang pointed at himself in disbelief. “Me? Spar with him? Am I even qualified?”
“It’s not about whether you’re qualified.” Scholar Xiao’s eyes curved with amusement. “It’s about whether he could ever bring himself to—ow!”
Before he could finish, Wen Tianxia kicked him straight back into the Sea of Books Formation.
Wen Tianxia looked at the other three.
“Are you going in yourselves, or would you like a kick too?”
Yu Qingtang covered his backside.
“We’ll go ourselves. Definitely ourselves.”
He grabbed Ye Chenyan and very sensibly dove straight back into the Sea of Books Formation.
Chi Yantian looked confused. He glanced back at Wen Tianxia, then at the formation, scratched his head, and followed them inside.
Only after they had obediently gone in did Wen Tianxia dismiss the remaining students.
“You can all leave.”
Once the crowd dispersed, Girl in the Bamboo remained standing silently behind him, staring at the entrance to the Sea of Books Formation.
Wen Tianxia didn’t send her away.
Instead, he asked the Sage’s Book, “Have they started?”
“Yes,” the Sage’s Book replied. “The Esoteric Sect has sent Heavenly Realm envoys down the mountain to seek those chosen by fate. It has begun.”
Girl in the Bamboo kept staring at the formation.
“You’re trying to hide them.”
“Yes.” Wen Tianxia gave a slight nod. “That’s what deceiving Heaven is all about.”
“You won’t be able to hide them for long.” Girl in the Bamboo frowned. “The Esoteric Sect can’t possibly be unaware that they’re here.”
“That’s exactly why they need to know.” Wen Tianxia smiled faintly. “If those four advance at extraordinary speed, the Esoteric Sect will only be pleased.”
“Or rather...”
He narrowed his eyes at the low-hanging sky.
“That is precisely what they’re counting on.”
Concern appeared faintly on Girl in the Bamboo’s face.
“Will there be enough time?”
“If everything goes smoothly, then just barely.” Wen Tianxia clasped his hands behind his back. “As long as we move faster than the Esoteric Sect expects, there will be.”
He chuckled.
“That is what it means to wrest one’s fate from Heaven.”
Girl in the Bamboo thought for a moment.
“What can I do?”
Wen Tianxia considered the question, then pointed at the entrance to the Sea of Books Formation.
“Keep an eye on them. Don’t let them sneak out.”
Girl in the Bamboo frowned in confusion.
“Isn’t the Sage’s Book already watching them?”
Wen Tianxia said casually, “It doesn’t have eyes. Maybe it won’t see them.”
Girl in the Bamboo: “...”
“If there’s nothing I can actually help with, you can just say so.”
“Oh.” Wen Tianxia nodded. “There isn’t.”
Girl in the Bamboo silently picked up the two kittens and descended toward the spirit-beast facility with Flamelet.
...
Inside the formation.
Ye Chenyan sat cross-legged, chin propped on his hand in thought.
“Do you get the feeling...”
“Yes!” Yu Qingtang nodded decisively. “There’s definitely something wrong with them!”
“Right?” Ye Chenyan immediately perked up. “You noticed too?”
Yu Qingtang looked deeply worried.
“Academy Head Wen brought all those Four Books Academy students over to watch our breakthroughs, but then the homework he assigned afterward could be written from any angle.”
“How many angles can there possibly be to a breakthrough? They aren’t planning to write some weird gossip tabloid about us, are they?”
Ye Chenyan: “...That’s not what I meant.”
“Huh?” Yu Qingtang turned to him in confusion. “That wasn’t what seemed strange to you? What else is there?”
“Locking us in here and making us cultivate as fast as possible is already suspicious.” Ye Chenyan frowned. “And he wants me to keep going all the way to Mahayana...”
“Hm—” Yu Qingtang frowned too.
Long Aotian definitely hadn’t broken through like this in the original novel.
After meeting Ji Ruxue again in Rongzhou, he had whisked her away from the Esoteric Sect. From there, the two of them had fled the Esoteric Sect’s pursuit while gradually developing feelings for one another.
Back when they had crossed paths in the rear mountains of Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion, Long Aotian’s fleeting appearance had already left an indelible impression on Ji Ruxue. Somehow, that memory had even begun to shake her Dao of Emotionlessness.
The two then traveled together.
There had been the usual plotlines: rescuing beauties, beating up arrogant cannon fodder by the roadside, crushing local cultivation clans that lorded over their territory, befriending wandering cultivators, stumbling across rare treasures emerging from the mountains...
Only after all that had Long Aotian gradually reached Soul Transformation.
Yu Qingtang rested his chin on his hand and looked at Ye Chenyan, his expression growing complicated.
Naturally, a Long Aotian capable of building a harem lived by the principle that anyone who passed up a free advantage was an idiot.
There had been plenty of hugging, touching, blushing, and racing heartbeats along the way.
But now...
Yu Qingtang tilted his head slightly as he studied Ye Chenyan.
“You somehow don’t look as smart anymore.”
“What?” Ye Chenyan blinked innocently. “What about me doesn’t look smart?”
Yu Qingtang stared at him for a while, then solemnly looked away.
“Whatever it is, it definitely isn’t my fault.”
“I’ve never heard of a protagonist’s intelligence being lowered by external forces.”
Ye Chenyan bumped his shoulder lightly.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Hua Shimiao’s experiences.” Yu Qingtang looked a little worried. “I mean, you should be able to break through anywhere, but if you stay locked in here the whole way, you’re definitely going to miss out on a lot of opportunities and treasures...”
“I don’t particularly care about the treasures. I just think there’s definitely something fishy going on between them.” Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow and draped an arm over Yu Qingtang’s shoulders. “How about we sneak out?”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
That sounded awfully familiar.
Back in Nanzhou, hadn’t this been exactly how he’d failed to resist temptation and let Ye Chenyan lure him out?
Yu Qingtang felt a little nostalgic.
Then he turned toward him.
“You really want to sneak out?”
“Academy Head Wen and Senior Tianji Zi wouldn’t hurt you...”
“I just want to see what trick they have up their sleeve.” Ye Chenyan stared toward the exit. “They’re being way too secretive.”
Yu Qingtang hesitated, but eventually nodded.
“All right. I’m already aboard the pirate ship anyway. Of course I’m going with you.”
“But don’t you think they’ll have something waiting for us at the entrance?”
“Definitely.” Ye Chenyan picked up his demonic weapon with a sly smile. “Get the transmission stone. We’ll send Scholar Xiao and Chi Yantian ahead to trigger the traps first.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
You little bastard.
Ye Chenyan took out the transmission stone and openly told the other two to scout the entrance for traps first.
And somehow, both of them actually agreed.
Yu Qingtang rested his chin on his hand, expression complicated.
A short while later, Scholar Xiao’s voice came through the transmission stone, sounding somewhat puzzled.
“Brother Ye, Brother Yu, I got out without the slightest difficulty. Nothing stopped me at all.”
“I even asked the Sage’s Book. It said that if we no longer wish to cultivate, it won’t prevent us from leaving. Could it be... that we simply overthought this?”
Chi Yantian was standing beside him and using the same transmission stone. His booming voice came through.
“Hey, who cares? We’re fine either way. If you two want out, hurry up!”
“We all broke through. The least we can do is go eat something outside! Come on, my treat! Let’s get something good!”
Yu Qingtang immediately brightened.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Ye Chenyan’s expression only grew stranger.
This felt even more like a trap.
He pressed a hand against Yu Qingtang to stop him and said to Scholar Xiao, “Ask the Sage’s Book again. Is it only you two who can come and go freely, or can we leave too?”
“Well...” Scholar Xiao sounded surprised. “Surely they wouldn’t specifically stop the two of you? I’ll ask.”
A moment later, Chi Yantian’s booming voice rang out.
“Bad news! You two really can’t leave! It says if you come out, you have to undergo a trial. If you fail, there’s a punishment!”
Yu Qingtang went pale.
“What?! Another exam?!”
Scholar Xiao sounded genuinely worried.
“This one isn’t like before. Last time they gave you a study range and even added bonus points. This time you really have to score fifty on your own.”
Ye Chenyan narrowed his eyes.
“Suspicious.”
He stood up.
“Come on. Let’s try it.”
“What?” Yu Qingtang stared at him. “You know it’s suspicious, and you still want to take the exam?”
Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow.
“If they went to the trouble of setting up a punishment, wouldn’t all that effort go to waste if I didn’t try it? I want to see what they’re playing at.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
I really don’t understand you Long Aotian types and your obsession with marching straight into the tiger’s den.
He quietly shifted his backside away.
“How about... you try it, and I’ll stay here...”
Ye Chenyan grabbed him and cheerfully hooked an arm around his shoulders.
“No running. Didn’t we agree to share both joy and hardship?”
Yu Qingtang looked up at him with the exhaustion of a man who had seen too much of life.
“When we made that promise, I didn’t realize ‘joy’ included taking exams together.”
The two went to take the test.
Unsurprisingly, neither passed.
Ye Chenyan looked up at the Sage’s Book. He appeared casual, but his hand had already quietly closed around his demonic weapon.
“We failed. What’s the punishment?”
The Sage’s Book flipped through its pages.
Then suddenly, a sheet of paper floated into Yu Qingtang’s hand.
“Hm?” Yu Qingtang looked down in surprise. “What’s this?”
The Sage’s Book answered,
“A childhood drawing by Ye Chenyan, disciple of Whatever Peak of Guiyi Sect.”
Yu Qingtang unfolded the paper and tilted his head in confusion.
“This... pitch-black thing. What is it?”
Ye Chenyan went pale with horror.
He lunged for the drawing, the tips of his ears turning red in an instant.
“A shadow! I drew a shadow!”
The Sage’s Book exposed him mercilessly.
“He drew you.”
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