Chapter 235: Four Books and Three Swords
Chapter 235: Four Books and Three Swords
Led by a woman in white robes, Mu Feng, who had successfully passed the assessment, came out from the side hall and stood before the students gathered in the square. As he looked at the huge projection frozen in its final moment on the palace wall, he realized that his every move had actually been exposed to everyone’s eyes all along.
“Young Master Mu, please place your hands on this.”
Before Mu Feng could take a closer look at the projection on the palace wall, the woman in white came over holding a crystal ball. In an instant, the noisy, bustling square fell completely silent. Everyone craned their necks in anticipation. The five senior figures from the Scholastic Palace, seated behind him, all turned their gaze toward him at the same time.
Breaking through the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction had already demonstrated Mu Feng’s strength, but there was one final step left in the entire test assessment: determining Mu Feng’s cultivation stage, to see just how far he had progressed.
“Alright!”
Mu Feng stepped forward and stretched out both hands, pressing them onto the crystal ball.
Soon, Talismanic Script started to appear on the originally dull and faded crystal ball, and a black light shone brightly. Then, the black light gradually faded, turning brown. When the brown was at its deepest, the color slowly shifted to a faint red, growing increasingly intense.
“Orange, orange…”
“I bet Mu Feng has at least reached the middle stage of the Elite Realm, turning from red to orange, maybe even turning yellow.”
…
Watching the crystal ball change colors under Mu Feng’s hands, the crowd grew excited and widened their eyes, waiting for the thrilling final moment.
Black represented the Early Mortal Realm, brown represented the Middle Mortal Realm, and red represented the Mortal Realm Peak. The orange that came after red represented the early stage of the Elite Realm, yellow represented the late stage of the Elite Realm, and so on. The deeper the color of the crystal ball and the more colors it changed through, the higher the test-taker’s cultivation stage.
Having broken through the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction in one move, Mu Feng’s formidable strength was deeply imprinted in everyone’s minds. With such strength, everyone thought that even if he hadn’t broken through to the late Elite Realm, he must at least have reached the middle Elite Realm.
Everyone waited eagerly, but the result turned out to be beyond their expectations.
The color of the crystal ball grew redder and redder, until at last it was a piercing red, emitting a dazzling red glow. However, after a long while, it still did not change from red to orange as people had predicted.
What did this mean?
It meant that although Mu Feng’s strength was great, his cultivation stage remained at the Mortal Realm Peak; he had not yet stepped into the Elite Realm!
The very Mu Feng who had broken through the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction in one go and displayed such prowess under everyone’s watchful eyes—was actually still a mere mortal?
People were dumbstruck, and then the crowd erupted completely.
“Impossible! How can he still be a mortal?”
“That’s right. Even a master of the Elite Realm wouldn’t dare claim they could break through the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction. How could a mere mortal possibly do it?”
…
People stared in disbelief and began to discuss fervently.
Among the thousands of students present, quite a few had broken through to the Elite Realm, but many of them admitted they lacked the courage and boldness to attempt breaking the Eighteen Battle Puppets Restriction. Yet a mortal, whom they had never paid much attention to before, had managed it. How could they not be shocked?
For true cultivators, anyone below the Elite Realm was considered a mortal. Even at the Mortal Realm Peak, one was still a mortal, no different in essence from an ordinary person incapable of cultivation. Often, once a hundred years passed, they would turn to dust; no matter how outstanding or wealthy in life, they would vanish in the river of time.
Yet here was Mu Feng, calm and composed under the gaze of thousands, showing everyone the power and grace a mortal could possess!
Who said that mortals were always destined to remain ordinary their whole lives!
Who said that mortals were nothing but ants!
With his low-key and calm demeanor, Mu Feng made people reconsider their long-held, deep-rooted prejudices about mortals.
“The Mortal Realm Peak? Impressive, truly impressive…”
Amid the crowd, the Ghost Prodigy Lu Xuanfeng, who had remained expressionless all along, let out an exclamation, his eyes gleaming sharply.
Back at Wangjiang Tower, he had known that Mu Feng was no ordinary person, possessing remarkable cultivation. He had originally thought Mu Feng must have at least reached the middle Elite Realm, if not the late Elite Realm. Never had he imagined that Mu Feng was actually only at the Mortal Realm Peak.
After the shock passed, instead of looking down on him, Lu Xuanfeng’s expression became even more solemn.
If he was already this formidable while only at the Mortal Realm, what would happen once he broke through to the Elite Realm?
Even the usually impassive Ghost Prodigy Lu Xuanfeng couldn’t help but be moved by Mu Feng’s potential in cultivation!
Watching the dazzling red crystal ball under Mu Feng’s hands, the crowd was deeply shaken, and the five senior figures seated behind Mu Feng were no exception. After a moment of silence, they exchanged glances and finally displayed their respective evaluations.
The expressionless Old Woman in the center gave the lowest score again, only two points. Grand Master He Xuangao gave the highest score, four points. The woman in white robes on the far right, who had kept her face veiled, surprisingly chose to abstain once more, giving no evaluation. The other two both gave three points.
The overall assessment was three points. That meant from now on, Mu Feng could embroider three swords on the cuff of his right sleeve, earning the title Mu of Three Swords.
Four Books and Three Swords!
Seeing the evaluations from the five senior figures, the students gathered in the square erupted into excitement once more, chattering and discussing.
Though some felt disappointed or even dissatisfied with the Three Swords assessment and believed Mu Feng had been treated unfairly, the overall assessment of Four Books and Three Swords was still inspiring enough to stir the entire city.
To receive such an evaluation at such a young age, accomplished in both civil and martial arts—this was a rare occurrence in the long history of the Scholastic Palace!
“Young Master Mu, this is your Scholastic Palace robe. Please!”
The woman in white put away the crystal ball and quickly came forward holding a spotless white robe. She bowed respectfully and then said, “By wearing this robe, you officially become a student of Xiangshan Academy from this day forward. Young Master Mu, next, please choose a school of study: you may join the Civil and Martial Hall, which emphasizes both civil and martial arts; the Literary Brush Hall, which focuses on civil arts; or the Literary Sword Hall, which emphasizes martial arts.”
Standing in front of Mu Feng, the woman in white spoke while respectfully bending her slender body slightly. As soon as she said this, the noisy square immediately fell silent. Everyone craned their necks, waiting for Mu Feng’s choice.
The Civil and Martial Hall valued both civil and martial arts equally. Typically, students studied civil arts during the day and practiced martial arts at night, striving tirelessly.
The Literary Brush Hall advocated civil arts first, martial arts later. Students were to first understand the principles of conduct, affairs, and cultivation before beginning martial training. Students of this school were weaker in the early stages but progressed rapidly later on. It was rare for a master to emerge from this school, but once one did, they were sure to be a peerless genius.
The Literary Sword Hall was the opposite of the Literary Brush Hall, advocating martial arts first and civil arts later. Students in this school cultivated martial arts first, gaining a certain level of strength before studying civil arts to delve into the deeper principles of cultivation. Students of this school often traveled far and wide, journeying across the world to promote the righteous spirit and unyielding integrity of Xiangshan Academy.
For centuries, the three halls worked together externally but competed intensely internally, striving to recruit talented new disciples. A new student with Four Books and Three Swords—naturally, his choice was a matter of great interest to all!