As he spoke, the old Taoist priest took out a talisman from his sleeve and handed it to the young scholar standing beside him.
After examining the talisman, the young scholar nodded, then returned it, saying, "The talisman is fine. Please begin."
The old Taoist priest flicked his finger, and the talisman landed in Lin Yi's hand. He said, "Quickly calm your mind and focus your energy."
Lin Yi responded with "Yes," and the Star River True Qi in his dantian burst forth.
Just then, with a thought, the Star River True Qi passed through several acupoints, causing the Yin and Yang to separate. The Star Fire was drawn inward, while the Three Lights Divine Water was released outward, flowing into the talisman in his palm.
Immediately, a bright white light shone from the talisman. The flame was three inches thick, its color a pure white.
The old Taoist priest nodded slightly. The purer the light, the purer the true energy; the thicker the flame, the deeper the true energy.
Only when both indicators are qualified can it be considered as passing.
"Alright." The old Taoist priest waved his hand, and the talisman flew back into his hand. The white light dissipated, and he took out the seal again, stuck it on the talisman, and then used magic to send it away.
Lin Yi stared thoughtfully in the direction the talisman had flown away.
At this moment, the old Taoist priest said, "The assessment is over, and the results will be out in a little while. You can sit aside and wait for a while."
Lin Yi nodded and sat down on a chair to wait quietly.
A moment later, the middle-aged martial artist led the young soldier Liu Xu in from outside.
Liu Xu was covered in dust, and his face was covered in bruises, but he looked very excited, clearly having passed the first stage of the martial arts test.
The second hurdle he will face next is the written test.
Throughout history, military strategists and generals have always valued both wisdom and courage, as well as both literary and martial skills; neither is dispensable.
A wise general is one who can adapt to any situation, respond to any whim, turn misfortune into fortune, and achieve victory in times of crisis.
A general whose spirit surpasses that of the entire army, whose will is light towards powerful enemies, who is afraid of small battles but brave against great ones, is called a fierce general.
A great general is one who treats the wise as if they were not worthy of his attention, accepts advice as if it were flowing water, is magnanimous yet firm, and is courageous yet resourceful.
As Liu Xu was in another room, furiously writing down the exam questions on a scroll, a beam of light carrying two items flew into Lan Yue Tower and landed in the old Taoist priest's hands. Inside was a name card and a jade talisman.
The old Taoist priest didn't even look at them, simply tossing the two items to Lin Yi and saying, "My mission is complete, I'm leaving now."
With that, he waved his sleeve and turned to leave Lan Yue Tower.
Lin Yi put away the name card and looked through the jade talisman in his hand.
The jade talisman, about two fingers wide and three inches long, has a line of text engraved on its front: "Lin Yi, a Taoist priest from Lechun County, Nancang Prefecture, Lingzhou, Great Xia Dynasty".
There is a small tripod-shaped mark on the back.
"One cauldron seal equals one level one." Lin Yi smiled slightly. From now on, he was a first-level cultivator recognized by the imperial court. He was exempt from taxes and enjoyed special privileges.
After putting away the jade talisman, Lin Yi walked out of Lan Yue Tower.
………………
As night fell, in a quiet room in Qingxin Pavilion at Cangyuan Academy.
Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the cloud couch, the Starry True Fire and the Three Lights Divine Water derived from the Star River True Qi constantly tempering the broken sword in his hand.
At the same time, the lingering will within the sword constantly assaulted his mind.
An endless fantasy unfolded before my eyes: a sea of blood, mountains of bones, darkness spreading, and the wailing of ghosts and gods.
Amidst this cataclysmic scene, a sage king wielding a long sword is relentlessly battling.
"This person must be the King of Chu who was killed by the Great Sage of the Demon Clan," Lin Yi observed calmly.
The King of Chu was surrounded by waves of holy virtue, and the Qilin True Fire in his hand spurted out, slaying countless demons and monsters.
In this world, the act of slaying demons and eliminating evil has a very clear definition.
Justice and evil, kindness and malice—it's all just a pile of stinking dog shit.
In racial conflicts and struggles for survival, there is no right or wrong; the victors continue to thrive, while the losers vanish into thin air.
The sword is inherently a weapon of violence, but it is also the best vessel for the path of saintly virtue.
Ultimately, the way of sainthood is actually the way of killing.
Only a saintly heart can wield the sword of slaughter.
"So this is the Way of Sainthood." Lin Yi's eyes became even deeper, unfathomable.
Within the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows, the celestial river transformed from the "Star River True Scripture" has condensed back into a book. This is another aspect of the path of sainthood; beyond slaughter, sainthood is also a symbol of civilization.
A faint light appeared on the long-silent "Gate to the Other Shore".
Lin Yi could sense that the other side of the door was calling out to him incessantly.
"It's time to begin my journey through countless worlds." The illusions before Lin Yi's eyes all shattered. He gently stroked the broken sword in his hand and said, "Your Chu Kingdom will be rebuilt on the ruins, and the demon race will perish. The future Southern Wilderness will become a paradise for humanity."
Points of light emanated from the broken sword, and Lin Yi felt as if he were seeing the King of Chu in the illusion again.
After all the strange phenomena disappeared, Lin Yi felt as if the broken sword in his hand had gained something, but upon closer inspection, he found nothing.
The next day, Lin Yi left Cangyuan City by boat and headed towards Taiping County, the capital of Lingzhou Prefecture.
The ship's gunwale lapped against the waves, splashing up sprays of water.