He could clearly feel that he was becoming more and more skilled with the heart technique, and he even developed his own insights and understanding, no longer just applying it rigidly like before.

It was hard to describe the feeling; all in all, everything seemed to flow naturally, as if aided by divine intervention. He had planned to familiarize himself with the sect’s skills before entering the Immortal Ascension Academy, but after unknowingly practicing the heart technique for a month, he might have continued on if he hadn’t been slapped awake at the last moment, potentially missing the entrance exam for the academy. After practicing the 《Wen Xing Tu》, Jiang Baiyu had a vague guess about the questions the academy would pose to the candidates.

Taking his month of closed-door training as an example, from barely adapting to the heart technique to mastering it, the time he spent on the snowy mountain peak would only be longer.

Could an exam really take that long? Jiang Baiyu doubted whether he had even changed locations; perhaps his consciousness had been immersed in an illusion while his body remained in place. The Immortal Ascension Academy had a special way of observing candidates’ performances, and the beams of light enveloping each candidate before the exam began were quite suspicious.

No matter how the academy filtered candidates, Jiang Baiyu could conclude that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At the normal pace, he would never have been able to master the heart technique of 《Wen Xing Tu》 so quickly. Now that the exam was still ongoing, he could follow his plan to thoroughly study the sect skills of the Observation Pavilion and truly master these abilities.

He hoped that this opportunity gifted by the academy would support him through the entire process. The Observation Pavilion mainly had twelve skills corresponding to the twelve jade mirrors of the sect, divided into six categories: attack, defense, displacement, field control, interruption, and support, with attack skills being the most numerous. The support skills he usually used for divination were typically for buffing himself; the idea of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune was just background information, but it truly came into play in reality.

The rigid skills that could only be used in the game could be developed into many applications in reality. Jiang Baiyu had long realized this.

He set aside distractions and entered his memory palace, focusing entirely on studying the sect skills of the Observation Pavilion, thoroughly understanding the principle of “injection” until it became his own.

The snowy mountain peak was still so cold, with the wind and snow swirling around. As Jiang Baiyu immersed himself, snow lotus flowers began to bloom one after another, quite beautiful. The dense dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, revealing a deep and mysterious starry sky that shone alongside the person on the snowy mountain peak.

……

The square was filled with people taking the entrance exam, all enveloped in beams of light, their eyes closed, fully immersed in the illusion. Some beams were bright, forming powerful energy fields, while others gradually dimmed, eventually exhausting their energy and disappearing. When the candidates opened their eyes, a voice rang in their ears.

“You have been eliminated.”

As soon as the words fell, that candidate’s figure instantly vanished, expelled from the square and appearing in front of the Immortal Ascension Academy’s gate.

Some candidates neither formed energy fields nor dimmed their beams; their eyes remained closed, faces contorted in pain, struggling in endless nightmares.

At first, the beams enveloping the exam were all the same, with no distinction between bright and dim.

Candidates kept their distance from each other, and as one after another was eliminated, obvious gaps appeared in the square. The elders and the dean of the academy observed each candidate’s reactions from a high platform, sometimes showing approving glances, sometimes frowning. Among them, the candidates with bright beams and strong energy fields received the most attention.

They whispered to each other, commenting on these candidates, with some even wanting to reserve students in advance.

“The academy’s exam questions have been like this for thousands of years, but they are very effective. When people are bored, they will find the things they are most interested in to pass the time. The absence of exam questions is the biggest exam question. Every action they take in the illusion is the answer.”

“Even if someone tries to leak the questions, human nature won’t change just because of a few words. In a completely free and unrestrained environment, it’s hard to keep pretending. The influence of family background will completely disappear, and all the chain reactions caused by their actions can only be faced by themselves.”

“Those troublemaking young masters who enter the illusion, losing their family support but still causing trouble, will soon be eliminated.”

“Look, this candidate who entered the state first has the brightest beam in the field, and the energy field around him is very strong. His gains in the illusion must be substantial, far exceeding those of other candidates.”

“The entrance exam of the Immortal Ascension Academy is itself an opportunity given to each candidate. Whether they can seize it depends on themselves. Those who can’t grasp the opportunity presented to them are just wasting time by entering the academy.”

“This candidate comes from the Observation Pavilion; has anyone heard of this sect?”

“Not at all. Perhaps it’s a remote sect from somewhere.”

The Grand Elder of the Immortal Ascension Academy held significant authority among the elders, being second only to the dean. He focused on the brightest student in the square and softly exclaimed, “This candidate…”

The dean understood what she was about to say, and the Grand Elder noticed it too; how could the dean not see it?

“Perhaps it’s the sect’s inheritance.”

The Grand Elder’s furrowed brow relaxed. “Being able to seize this opportunity is his fortune.”

The dean nodded. “Having a heritage but not being able to use it freely is like a child carrying a gold brick walking through a bustling market. If he can grasp the opportunity during the exam and integrate it, it will be of great benefit to him. He has come to the right place for the entrance exam.”

The Grand Elder smiled, “The dean seems to be quite fond of him?”

The dean replied, “Let’s see how he performs in the future.”

The Grand Elder smoothly changed the subject. “This young master from the Chen family, the direct descendant, has performed much better than the previous young master.”

The dean casually remarked, “After all, he is the son of the family head; he must be nurtured in every aspect.”

The Grand Elder added, “These two disciples from Tianji Sect are also quite good. I thought they would be restless and unable to calm down, but they have shown great composure in the illusion.”

The dean agreed, “Yes, indeed.”

She stared at Lou Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhu for a while before shifting her gaze to other outstanding young talents.

These candidates had actually all passed the exam; the reason they were still immersed in the illusion within the beams was that they had discovered its secrets. The academy’s teachers were guarding here, effectively protecting the candidates, ensuring that no one could tamper with them under their watchful eyes.

Candidates who could light up the beams were those who barely crossed the passing line; the brighter the beam, the better the performance. If the beam did not light up and gradually dimmed and disappeared, they would be eliminated. It wasn’t just about enduring for a long time; even if one persisted until the end, if the beam showed no change, they would still be eliminated.

This was the academy, and naturally, they wanted to recruit students who would work hard to learn and improve themselves.

Candidates without any foundation need not worry; the illusion had its own arrangements.

……

Jiang Baiyu woke up from the illusion, hearing the same voice announce that he had passed.

??????

Although he had a vague guess in his heart, without verification, it was always uncertain. He looked at the group of elders on the high platform with a head full of question marks, hoping for an explanation.

However, not a single elder stepped forward to clarify, and the dean also ignored the eager gazes of all the qualified candidates below.

Compared to the bustling square before the exam, the number of those who qualified had decreased by more than half.

The dean announced that they would arrange accommodations for everyone next, and Jiang Baiyu felt as if he had just woken from a dream, looking up at the sky.

The sun was high in the sky when it began, and now it was almost setting, with brilliant clouds and a sky full of red glow; it turned out that only this much time had passed.

Looking around, Lou Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhu were both there, not eliminated.

The three of them took the exam together and passed together; they would be classmates from now on.

But looking at their expressions, they seemed dazed and lost, showing no signs of joy from passing the assessment.

Before Jiang Baiyu could say a few words to his brothers, the square lit up with beams again, and this time it was truly a teleportation.

Jiang Baiyu’s vision blurred, the beams scattered, and he landed on his feet in front of a large gate.

One could say that the Immortal Ascension Academy was indeed impressive; even the accommodation arrangements were so convenient and high-end, making him feel as if he had been teleported to a home. Looking at the courtyard in front of him, Jiang Baiyu fell silent; they really had directly assigned him to a home, such a generous move?

A jade plaque floated in front of the gate, radiating golden light, faintly enveloping the entire courtyard, indicating it was some kind of restriction to prevent outsiders from entering freely. Jiang Baiyu stepped forward, tentatively reaching out to touch the jade plaque, and the golden light barrier surrounding the courtyard shrank, all entering the jade plaque.

If there were a prompt sound right now, it would probably be: Login complete.

Jiang Baiyu hung the jade plaque on his waist and pushed the door open, instantly shocked by the benefits of the Immortal Ascension Academy.

Not only was it a private courtyard, but the scenery was also so beautiful and spacious!

It was filled with an ethereal aura!

Various flowers and plants were abundant, along with flowing water, artificial hills, and pavilions for shade. There were fish in the water, colorful koi, and when the wind blew through the flowering trees, petals fell like a rain of blossoms, creating a picturesque scene.

The building was not very tall, only two stories, but it had a high-end feel. Jiang Baiyu was instantly in awe of the academy’s sophisticated aesthetics.

Even if he designed a home himself, he couldn’t create something this beautiful.

Once inside, he kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, unable to help but grin foolishly.

Hehehe…

A ball of spiritual light flew out of his little pouch, spinning around the room, carefully checking every corner, confirming there were no issues. Seeing Jiang Baiyu still grinning, it hugged the blanket, clamping it with its legs, bubbling with joy, completely immersed in happiness.

Spiritual Light: A courtyard can make you this happy?

Jiang Baiyu couldn’t suppress the smile on his face, “You just don’t understand!”

Spiritual Light: The Immortal Ascension Academy is indeed generous; for just an entrance exam, they actually put forth such a grand gesture, granting each candidate such a great opportunity. If I’m not mistaken, the spiritual energy of the beams comes from the Immortal Pool, and cultivating in the illusion is equivalent to having trained in the Immortal Pool of the academy, naturally leading to rapid progress.

Jiang Baiyu: “Hehehe…”

Spiritual Light: Thanks to them, I also benefited greatly. It’s a pity that with so many eyes watching, I can’t let loose.

Jiang Baiyu: “Hehehe…”

Spiritual Light: …

Jiang Baiyu: “Hehehe…”

Suddenly, the spiritual light grew larger, pressing down on the grinning Jiang Baiyu like a mountain.

Jiang Baiyu snapped back to reality, painfully swatting at the spiritual light, “I’m going to suffocate!”

Spiritual Light: Hmph!

Jiang Baiyu angrily retorted, “If you keep this up, I might just have to use my ultimate move!”

Spiritual Light: If you dare to spit on me…

Jiang Baiyu scoffed, “What? You think you can spit on me? Come on, I’m waiting for you!”

The spiritual light fell silent for a moment, then pressed down hard, and Jiang Baiyu struggled against it.

With a loud crash, the bed collapsed.

Jiang Baiyu lay on the broken bed frame, stunned, then put on a mask of pain.

On the first night of school, the bed collapsed; how was he supposed to explain this to others!!!