Chapter 80 - 33: Forest Spirit Heart Scripture, Divine Tree·Jianmu

Chapter 80: Chapter 33: Forest Spirit Heart Scripture, Divine Tree·Jianmu

The next moment, she grabbed Jiang Xuan and ran toward the entrance of Huangni Village. Once she found Meng Yingyue, Wu Shan, and her other senior brothers and sisters, she blurted out the good news.

"Huh?!"

The news that Jiang Xuan was willing to stay left Di Chuan, Wu Shan, and the others completely stunned.

Zhou Qing even secretly sent a voice transmission to Xia He. "Little Junior Sister, did you not tell Jiang Xuan about the situation in our Four Seasons Valley, and the dangers of cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Technique?"

"Hmph!" Xia He stomped her foot in annoyance. "What kind of person do you take me for? I would never do something like that. Even after I told him everything, Junior Brother Jiang Xuan still wanted to stay."

Hearing this, Wu Shan and the others looked at Jiang Xuan with even more surprise. But beyond their astonishment, a hint of approval and admiration also appeared in their eyes.

Among them, the usually cold Di Chuan showed Jiang Xuan the most approval. "I am also cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Technique. If you have any questions in the future, you can always come to me."

This surprised Jiang Xuan. He immediately cupped his fists in a solemn gesture. "Then I must thank you, Senior Brother Di Chuan."

After Di Chuan, Meng Yingyue stepped forward with a gentle smile and said in a warm voice, "Although I don’t know what you’ve considered, choosing to stay is by no means the wrong decision."

"Indeed, with your Talent for Comprehension, you could have easily gone to other Middle Veins or even had a slight chance of entering the Nine Upper Veins. But your Spirit Root Talent is ultimately your weakness, and true top prodigies have no such shortcomings."

"More importantly, those other peaks are filled with prodigies; you wouldn’t be the only genius there. Even if they accepted you, they wouldn’t necessarily pour all their resources into your training. But Four Seasons Valley is different. Geniuses are rare here. If you stay, all of us will do everything in our power to help you with your Cultivation."

Her words struck a chord with Jiang Xuan, as this was one of the very reasons he had chosen to stay in Four Seasons Valley.

’Of course, it was better to leave this as a tacit understanding.’ Jiang Xuan had no intention of saying it out loud.

After formally re-introducing himself to the group, Jiang Xuan cupped his fists toward Wu Shan and the others with a smile. "From now on, I’ll have to ask all of you senior brothers and sisters to look after me."

Just as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and added with a smile, "Oh, right. Since you’ve all accepted me, does that mean I don’t have to take the Hundred-Day Exam?"

The moment he said that, Xia He shook her head vigorously. "No way! Not only do you have to take it, but you have to get a great score!"

"Huh?"

Now it was Jiang Xuan’s turn to be stunned.

Seeing the confused look on his face, Xia He quickly explained, "It’s not about us testing you. By taking the exam, both you and the Four Seasons Valley can receive benefits."

The gentle Meng Yingyue then picked up where she left off, explaining the reasoning in detail. "The Hundred-Day Exam is the Shenxiao Sect’s annual grand event. Those who excel in it not only get to choose which Mountain Gate they wish to join, but they also receive generous rewards from the Sect."

"The rewards for the top three even include treasures capable of raising one’s Spirit Root Grade."

"Furthermore, to encourage the various Dharma Veins to recruit more disciples, Shenxiao Hall has a clear rule: if a Dharma Vein successfully recruits a high-ranking prodigy from the exam, it will receive a large sum of Sect merit points based on that prodigy’s rank. And these Sect merit points are one of the core criteria used to determine each Vein’s official rating."

At this, Meng Yingyue looked at Jiang Xuan, her tone carrying a solemn request. "So, whether for your own opportunities or for the sake of Four Seasons Valley, I hope that over the next few days, you will prepare well for this exam alongside Hehe."

Hearing this, Xia He immediately nodded vigorously. She clenched her small fists and vowed, "Don’t worry, Senior Sister Yingyue! Junior Brother Jiang Xuan and I will definitely make it into the top thirty-six in this exam!"

"Top thirty-six?"

The words gave Jiang Xuan pause. He hadn’t expected that Xia He, who had personally witnessed his Talent, wouldn’t set their sights on the top ten, or even the top three, but would get stuck at the rank of thirty-six.

Jiang Xuan’s brows rose, and a flicker of solemnity passed through his mind.

’I doubt Xia He is just spouting nonsense. With her extraordinary background, and the fact that she probably cultivates in the Daozi Courtyard, she must have set this goal for a reason. It can only be because she’s personally witnessed just how terrifying the true prodigies are.’

Realizing that in the Hundred-Day Exam he would be fighting not just for himself but for Four Seasons Valley, Jiang Xuan stopped speculating and asked his questions directly. "Why aim for thirty-sixth place? Is there something special about that rank? And are you not trying for the top ten because there are truly difficult opponents in the Daozi Courtyard?"

In response to his questions, Xia He answered the first one seriously. "Of course there’s a reason for that rank. The top thirty-six are designated by Shenxiao Hall as the Sect’s official elites. They are the orthodox Inner Sect Disciples, and most of the resources for their training are allocated directly by Shenxiao Hall. Any Inner Sect Disciples ranked below them are recruited by the individual peaks, which must bear the full cost of their resources."

"Besides, only the top thirty-six are qualified to compete for... Ah, never mind. That’s still too far off for us. There’s no point in talking about it now."

After glossing over the rest of her sentence, Xia He moved on to his second question. This time, however, the previously cheerful girl’s expression sobered instantly. A heavy sense of powerlessness clouded her features, and her voice filled with unconcealable dread. "As for not aiming for the top ten... it’s because there are actual monsters in the Daozi Courtyard!"