**Chapter 115: Peculiar Nature**
This cliff face was so slippery that one could barely find purchase—running up it was virtually impossible!
Not all scholars had practiced the art of flight, so jumping up was extremely difficult. Moreover, they were all at the Spirit Embryo or Five Stars realm; their cultivation levels were insufficient to learn supernatural powers.
This cliff alone would likely eliminate half the scholars.
However, a fair number of scholars who had practiced flight arts began ascending the cliff with ease, passing this test without difficulty. But they were still the minority. Many scholars attempted to charge up the cliff, only to slam face-first into the jade surface without exception.
Those who hadn't learned flight arts scowled in frustration. Some leaped upward, trying to jump to the top, but the cliff stood thirty to forty zhang high—who possessed the physical strength to leap that far?
Most could only reach halfway before falling back down. Those who fell were immediately struck from the rolls by the middle-aged Daoist standing at the cliff's base and expelled from the mountain gate.
"Getting up the cliff is that simple?"
Wei Yong stepped forward, chuckling: "You all think about running up, jumping up, flying up—why didn't any of you think about pulling yourselves up?"
Despite his round head and plump ears, he was remarkably agile. He used qi threads to bind his sword, controlling it with qi to send it flying to the cliff's summit first. Wei Yong controlled ten qi threads in succession, using them to hook the cliff's edge. Then he slowly tightened the threads, pulling himself up inch by inch until his chubby palms could grip the cliff face. He flipped himself onto the summit and waved down below: "Brother Qin, why don't you pull yourself up too?"
"No need."
Qin Mu crouched low, nearly squatting to the ground. Then his leg strength erupted, his qi exploded, and his figure shot upward with a whistle—leaping forty zhang into the air before landing beside Wei Yong with a thunderous boom.
Wei Yong startled, glanced down, and exclaimed in astonishment: "Brother, you practice martial combat techniques? Of course—you use a blade. Your combat skills are truly remarkable!"
Below the cliff, hundreds of scholars stared wide-eyed.
The middle-aged Daoist nodded, marking Qin Mu's name with the character "Martial," and writing "Clever" beside Wei Yong's name.
Wei Yong's method was quite ingenious. Inspired by him, scholars below began getting ideas—some controlled swords, others used different methods to hook qi threads to the cliff face, allowing them to climb up.
More and more people gathered at the summit. Qin Mu and Wei Yong walked forward. Though this was a jade peak, there were still mountain springs and waterfalls, flowers and trees, creating a serene atmosphere. There were even birds and beasts, though they appeared extraordinary—unusually large, and often covered in scales and feathers. They had likely absorbed the dragon qi from the nine dragon veins, causing their mutation.
"Scholars, halt!"
They arrived at the Imperial Academy's first great hall. This hall was enormously wide, stretching a hundred zhang from side to side, with an equally vast platform before it that could accommodate several thousand people. Qin Mu looked around—the divine ability users who had ascended the mountain earlier were not here. Their examination content would surely be different.
Ninety-nine Daoists stood before the hall. Behind each Daoist stood a divine figure—these were divine forms manifested from their qi, containing only upper bodies without lower halves, floating in the air, appearing imposing and magnificent.
"Impressive!"
Qin Mu's heart shook. These ninety-nine Daoists possessed extraordinary abilities. Their qi manifestation had likely reached the threshold of the Heaven-and-Man realm. Each Daoist's strength probably rivaled that of the Heavenly Demon Cult's hall masters!
The Imperial Academy truly deserved its reputation as the world's foremost sacred ground and supreme institution of learning!
However, these ninety-nine Daoists still hadn't reached the level of Fu Yundi, the City Lord of Xianglong. The eight-armed, eight-headed celestial deity phantom behind Fu Yundi had been fully manifested, appearing almost solid and terrifyingly powerful. Clearly, these Daoists fell short of Fu Yundi by one or two levels.
"But why are the divine figures manifested from these ninety-nine Daoists' qi all identical?"
Qin Mu frowned. If their opponents learned their true capabilities, wouldn't they be able to kill them at will?
"Grandma Si could kill ten of these Daoists with one hand!" the youth thought.
The State Preceptor's promotion of primary and secondary schools also had its downsides—the martial arts and supernatural powers taught were too uniform. Qin Mu began to see that sects had their own advantages. After all, different sects had different specialties and techniques.
Of course, primary and secondary schools were still extremely effective. They allowed more scholars to avoid having their talents buried. Previously, sects only accepted a few disciples, but now schools existed everywhere, producing exceptional talent.
The ninety-nine Daoists stood motionless. Suddenly, the divine figures behind each of them drifted forward, landing on circular platforms before the hall.
The lead Daoist spoke solemnly: "Scholars from各地, form groups of ten and step forward. Use your strongest techniques to attack the divine figure phantom before you! Any method is permitted—divine arts, demonic arts, Buddhist arts—use whatever you wish without restriction! The divine figure phantom will also attack you. Only one in ten will survive. Whoever remains on the platform will pass."
The scholars before the hall erupted in uproar. Surviving the divine figure phantom's attacks with only one in ten making it through—this test was even more ruthless than the previous one. The cliff-climbing test had already eliminated half the scholars, but this one would eliminate ninety percent!
After a flurry of慌乱, everyone formed groups and ascended the platforms. Wei Yong quickly moved away from Qin Mu, climbing onto another platform.
Qin Mu stood on his platform. Before long, his circular platform had ten people, and the other ninety-eight platforms also had ten scholars each.
"Begin!" a Daoist commanded.
As soon as his words fell, on each platform, ninety-nine divine figure phantoms moved simultaneously, attacking the scholars. Everyone rushed to defend themselves!
At that moment, Qin Mu's movements became ghostlike. He dodged the divine figure phantom's attack, dashing across the platform. With long strikes and close combat, nine explosive sounds rang out in succession—nine figures flew through the air, tumbling off the platform.
The scholars on his platform hadn't been knocked off by the divine figure phantom—they had all been knocked off by him!
On the platform, the divine figure phantom attacking Qin Mu froze abruptly, motionless.
"You pass." Before the hall, the ninety-nine Daoists showed expressions of surprise. The lead Daoist spoke solemnly.
Qin Mu bowed respectfully and walked off the platform. The Daoist's expression darkened slightly as he whispered to a nearby Daoist: "I perceive this youth's intentions are unorthodox—somewhat peculiar. The others on the platform were joining forces to resist the divine figure phantom's attacks, but he alone attacked the other scholars."
As they spoke, cries of alarm rose from other platforms. Other scholars were following Qin Mu's example, attacking their fellow scholars simultaneously under the divine figure phantom's assault. Within moments, hundreds of people had been forced off the platforms.
Shortly after, this test concluded. Only about a hundred remained. All who passed were scholars at the Five Stars realm—no Spirit Embryo realm scholars had survived. Qin Mu looked around and saw that Wei Yong had also passed. This round-headed, plump-eared youth's cultivation was indeed profound, worthy of being from the Wei family of Jiangling.
The Daoists were stunned, never having expected the examination to turn out this way.
After a moment, a Daoist announced: "Scholars who passed, enter the hall. All others, descend the mountain."
Qin Mu and the other scholars walked toward the great hall, but he felt eyes watching him from behind. He turned to see all ninety-nine Daoists' gazes fixed upon him.
Qin Mu straightened his clothes, found nothing amiss, and flashed the Daoists a brilliant smile before entering the hall.
"Peculiar, peculiar!" Behind him, the ninety-nine Daoists spoke in unison.
The lead Daoist wrote an assessment behind Qin Mu's name in the register, then tossed the register into the air. A crane flew down, seized the register in its beak, and carried it over the hall into the mountains.
"A youth this peculiar is best eliminated along the way, lest he bring trouble to our Imperial Academy and tarnish its reputation! I hope the later examiners will fail him!"
Qin Mu and the other scholars entered the great hall but still didn't see the group of Sixfold Realm scholars who had ascended earlier. Those scholars were divine ability users, so their examination content would surely differ.
Qin Mu looked around and noticed murals painted on the hall's pillars—strange and varied. He asked in confusion: "What does this test examine?"
Wei Yong chuckled: "The Imperial Academy's examination content changes every year. No one knows what will be tested. If the questions were known, entering the Academy wouldn't be so difficult."
Qin Mu nodded, then suddenly felt his heart tremble. These murals on the pillars were actually qi circulation diagrams for various cultivation techniques!
Each diagram showed the qi circulation route of a different technique!
He examined them one by one, deeply moved. The Imperial Academy's confidence in engraving these technique diagrams here was extraordinary—weren't they afraid of someone stealing them?
"The qi circulation diagrams in this hall are all incomplete."
A scholar beside him explained: "Every technique is incomplete. I've heard the Imperial Preceptor collected incomplete techniques from across the land and had these partial diagrams engraved here."
Qin Mu suddenly noticed one diagram, and his heart pounded violently. This diagram was the qi circulation map for the Supreme Body Three-Dan Art!
Then he frowned. This diagram showed the Sixfold Realm circulation path, not the Five Stars realm path he needed most.
"Could the Ancestor have discovered the Supreme Body Three-Dan Art's circulation diagrams somewhere and had them engraved here? Does the Ancestor know of the other diagrams? Regardless, I must become an Imperial Scholar and meet the Ancestor!"