Occasionally, you can catch a glimpse of a stunning girl.
Because of cultivation, both men and women can wield power, so the status of women in the Great Xia Dynasty is not low, nor could it be.
Lin Yi watched silently, finding it strikingly similar to the situation around the university in his previous life.
Long-buried memories surged up within him, the past and present intertwined—was it real? Or fake?
Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, or perhaps the butterfly dreamt he was Zhuangzi?
"Ouch!" Suddenly, Lin Yi was bumped into. When he came to his senses, he saw a little girl touching her forehead and looking at him angrily.
"Why did you suddenly stop walking like that?" the little girl said fiercely.
Looking at the little girl's expression, Lin Yi couldn't help but smile and said, "It was my fault, I bumped into you and hurt you."
The young girl glanced at Lin Yi and said, "You're quite polite, unlike those barbarians from the military. I'm too lenient to hold a grudge against you, so I'll forgive you."
After the little girl finished speaking, she ignored Lin Yi and walked into the Hundred Schools Academy.
Lin Yi walked to the entrance of the academy, took out a name card from his sleeve, and said, "Lin Yi, a rogue cultivator, has come to participate in the assessment today."
The gatekeeper glanced at the name card, which bore the seal of the Baijia Academy of Lechun County, and let Lin Yi in, even enthusiastically pointing out the directions.
Stepping into the university, the bustling outside seemed to be shut out. Although there were many students coming and going, it gave people a sense of tranquility.
Following the gatekeeper's directions, Lin Yi soon arrived at his destination, Lan Yue Tower.
Upon entering Lanyue Tower, two men dressed as hunters, one old and one young, were sitting in the lobby on the first floor.
The two men were dressed simply and appeared ordinary. The boy still had downy hair around his mouth, but his muscles were strong and well-defined, like those of a young leopard. He carried a longbow on his back, which, though its gleam was understated, exuded a fierce and formidable aura, making him quite extraordinary.
The old man had large, rough hands and feet, and his face was weathered, a mark left by years of hard work. He coughed from time to time, clearly indicating that he was not in good health.
Upon seeing Lin Yi enter, a glint of light flashed in the old man's sallow eyes, which then disappeared in an instant.
Lin Yi glanced at the two people in the room briefly, then sat down on the other side.
Neither of them intended to speak; they waited quietly.
About half an incense stick's time later, footsteps came from outside.
An elderly Taoist priest with a refined appearance, a kind-faced young scholar, and a burly middle-aged martial artist walked in one after another.
Lin Yi and the old man and the young man opposite him stood up at the same time.
The young Confucian scholar said, "Liu Xu, Lin Yi."
Lin Yi and another boy stepped forward and said at the same time, "Here."
The young scholar nodded slightly and said, "Give me your name cards."
Lin Yi and Liu Xu stepped forward and handed their name cards to the young Confucian scholar.
The young scholar took out a talisman, activated it with his true energy, and a beam of light swept up the two name cards and flew away instantly.
"Next, it's up to you two," the young Confucian scholar said with a smile to the old Taoist priest and the middle-aged martial artist on either side of him.
The people who came to assess us this time were from the Taoist and military schools; he was only there to supervise.
The middle-aged martial artist led Liu Xu to the backyard, where there was a training ground. For the military cultivators' assessment, the first step was naturally to pass the test.
Compared to the violence of military strategists, Taoist assessments are much more subdued, consisting of only two stages, one internal and one external, testing understanding of Taoist scriptures and one's own internal cultivation.
The Daoist sects in the Great Xia world have a well-developed system.
Prospective disciples who are devoted to the Dao are eligible to be registered in the Daoist pantheon, but they are not yet Daoist priests. Only by passing the academy's examination can they receive ordination. From then on, they will possess certain privileges.
Above Taoist priests are other levels such as Dharma Masters, True Persons, True Lords, and True Immortals.
Each of the other schools of thought in the Hundred Schools of Thought has its own classification of realms. For example, the military school of thought has levels such as warrior, martial arts master, grandmaster, martial saint, and human immortal.
Because the cultivation methods of the various schools differ, it is difficult to correspond many levels one by one. Therefore, in the definition of the Great Xia Dynasty, the most simple and direct approach is to roughly divide them into first-order, second-order, third-order, etc.
As for specific combat strength, sword cultivators are undoubtedly number one.
Especially for cultivators of the "Sword Sect," a flying sword can be used for both long-range and close-range attacks. Even if their true energy is exhausted and they don't have time to recover, they can still use their refined physical flying sword to cut through melons and vegetables and fight against heaven and earth.
Okay, we've gone off on a tangent again. Let's get back to the main topic.
Meanwhile, outside the Lan Yue Tower, the military examiner and the young examinee Liu Xu engaged in a fierce and thrilling hand-to-hand combat.
Inside the Lan Yue Tower, Lin Yi was writing furiously on a scroll.
The titles on this scroll are all derived from nine Daoist scriptures, such as the Tao Te Ching, the Qingjing Jing, the Taishang Ganying Jing, and the Huangting Neijing Jing.
After answering one question, another question immediately appeared on the scroll.
Lin Yi thought to himself, "This is like a paperless exam from a fantasy world..."
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally finished answering all the questions.
The old Taoist priest, who had been squinting, walked over, took out a seal, and stamped it onto the scroll. Then, he drew upon his inner energy to form a talisman, and with a flash of light, the scroll flew away.
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Chapter Nine: The Way of Sainthood Begins Here
The old Taoist priest slowly said, "In Taoist cultivation, the first step is to refine the five elements internally, the second step is to circulate the Jade Elixir nine times, and after the third step, due to the differences in the methods of various schools of Taoism, the paths taken are different and each has its own ingenuity. I won't go into details here. The Taoist priest's ordination is to verify his cultivation level and prevent people from passing off inferior ones as superior ones. This is an essential part of the process."