Chapter 66: During the Entrance Examination

Why are there so many familiar-looking Bluestar facilities here in the Lanru Continent? Could it be that this place has been influenced by Bluestar's culture?

Recalling the system's mention that a Bluestar base was located near this city, it proved that the people of Bluestar had definitely visited this place and perhaps left some traces behind. Was this the reason why Wan'an City had turned out this way?

She suddenly thought of the "Blue Academy" mentioned by City Lord Tang. With the word "Blue" in its name, could that be the very base she was searching for?

Autumn Ci's desire to enter this Twin-Star Academy instantly grew stronger.

"Sister Xiao Ci, I've found out where the academy registration is taking place." Zhen Yi said excitedly, pointing to the right as she continued to observe the city. "The registration point is over in the west of the city. Shall we head over now?"

"Let's go." Autumn Ci nodded. Although she was curious about the city, joining the academy was the priority, so the four of them turned and headed toward the registration spot.

Coming from across the continent, it was already getting quite late, but they still hadn't expected the site to be so crowded. A dense sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see, with dozens of winding queues already lined up in front. The serpentine lines seemed to have no end in sight, demonstrating just how many people were registering.

"Didn't they say the academy registration and selection would last for five days? Today is only the first day, why are there so many people?" Autumn Ci was startled; the crowd on-site must have numbered in the tens of thousands.

"Perhaps everyone wanted to rush over early," Zhen Yi guessed. He had just spotted several familiar faces who should have also come from Yuanhai City.

"Sigh, well then, let's get in line!" Autumn Ci accepted her fate and nodded.

After wandering around for a while, the group finally found the tail end of the queue, though it practically stretched out into the street outside.

As the sun hung high, approaching noon, the line remained motionless. They hadn't moved forward by much, and at this rate, it wouldn't be their turn even by nightfall.

The four of them couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Jing Hong and Feng Ting didn't say anything, obediently following behind her, while Zhen Yi on the side grew restless, periodically peeking ahead before finally losing his patience.

"We can't go on like this." He stepped out of the line and walked forward, saying, "Sister Xiao Ci, wait for me here. I'm going to the front to make a friend and see if I can speed things up."

With that, he vanished directly into the crowd.

The three of them: "..." Wait, can friends really be made on the spot like that?

Events proved that it was indeed possible! Zhen Yi's social butterfly trait operated with absolute reliability. Before long, the communication talisman at her waist transmitted his voice: "Sister Xiao Ci, hurry over here! The very front of the first row on the right."

"..." He really had found a way to jump the queue.

The three looked at each other, then glanced at the honest people still waiting in line around them, feeling inexplicably guilty. Why was that?

Even so, the three of them very honestly headed toward the far right. Soon, they squeezed their way to the front of the line. They had assumed the "new friend" Zhen Yi found would be someone near the front, and they were already prepared to be scolded if the line-skipping failed.

To their surprise, when they arrived, what they saw was Zhen Yi with his arm slung over the shoulder of a young man right at the front. Wait, wasn't cutting in right at the front a little too blatant?

Looking closer, they realized it wasn't quite like that. Sitting next to the man in cyan robes were several other people wearing the same uniform, with two star patterns embroidered on their collars.

He was a student of Twin-Star Academy, and obviously one of the officials handling the registration.

"Hahaha, what are you saying, Brother Zhen? Since you and I are brothers, this is just a small matter!" No one knew what Zhen Yi had said, but the young man patted his chest loudly, looked up at them, and greeted them warmly, "You must be the friends Zhen Yi mentioned. Come, come, just write down your names and cultivation levels, and you can take the academy entrance assessment."

As he spoke, he pushed the roster in front of them and pointed to the brush beside it, while continuing to manage the queuing crowd on the other side without missing a beat, directing people to write down their names.

The three of them: "..." So, since Zhen Yi couldn't handle the people waiting in line, he simply handled the person in charge of them?

For some reason, Autumn Ci felt that in a certain sense, Zhen Yi was quite formidable.

Autumn Ci and the others didn't hesitate. Since they had the ability to take the backdoor, why wouldn't they? She stepped up first, picked up the brush, and swiftly wrote down her name and cultivation level. Before she even put the brush down, the young man in cyan spoke up in surprise.

"Oh? You're at the Deity Transformation stage!"

"Indeed," Autumn Ci nodded.

The young man's attitude instantly improved even further. He quickly cupped his fists and said, "Then you've lined up in the wrong place, Daoist. The assessment for Deity Transformation isn't here; you need to go and register over at the inner courtyard instead," he said, pointing to a small courtyard nearby.

"Ah?" Was the registration divided by cultivation level? Though upon second thought, it made sense. "Thank you."

After giving instructions to Feng Ting and the others, agreeing to meet later at an inn in the city, she headed toward the small courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it seemed to have some sort of array set up. As soon as she stepped inside, the noise from outside vanished, leaving the place extremely quiet.

Unlike the densely packed crowd outside for registration, the number of people here was pitifully small. Counting them up, including herself, there were only about eighteen people. Moreover, their cultivation levels were similar to hers—all in the mid or late stages of the Deity Transformation realm—though they all appeared to be middle-aged or elderly, and their bone ages probably weren't young either.

Autumn Ci was somewhat amazed. Was Twin-Star Academy so lenient in accepting students? There wasn't even an age limit!

Perhaps because there were so few people, a number of chairs were arranged inside the courtyard, and everyone was seated, with tea even provided nearby. Her sudden entry instantly drew the gazes of everyone present, but they merely glanced at her faintly before quickly looking away.

Perhaps because everyone was unfamiliar with one another, the courtyard remained entirely silent, with no one conversing.

Before long, an elderly man accompanied by a young disciple walked out from the back of the courtyard. They wore the same cyan robes as the temporary friend outside, though theirs were more refined, with special rune markings on the cuffs and hems. What was even more startling was the spiritual energy radiating from them, carrying a faint sense of oppression.

This was Autumn Ci's first time feeling such pressure, and she instantly made a judgment: the other party's cultivation was above the Deity Transformation stage, and might even surpass the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

"Thank you for waiting, fellow Daoists." The elderly man stroked his beard, smiled kindly, and pointed to the door behind him. "The assessment will begin shortly. Those whose main pursuit is Alchemy or Daoist Runes may enter the left room; those focusing on Formations or Artifacts should enter the right room. Inside, there will be examiners corresponding to your paths. As for the paths of the Sword and Dharma, they will be handled by this disciple of mine."

Autumn Ci froze upon hearing this. What was going on? Why were the examination subjects different? Wasn't it supposed to be climbing a tower?

Could this be the reason City Lord Tang didn't let her enter the tower? Because the exam content for the Deity Transformation stage was different and required specialized testing?

While she was still in doubt, the Deity Transformation cultivators present all stood up in unison, bowed toward the elderly man, and then some walked to the left, some chose the right, while others followed the disciple in another direction.

Everyone moved very quickly. While Autumn Ci was still pondering which path to choose, in the blink of an eye, she was the only one left in the room.

Wait, why did everyone choose their specialties so fast without even considering it?