Scripture of Days Past

As Chu Qiguang approached the other trainees, he could feel a palpable sense of excitement in the air. Everyone was staring straight ahead with looks of anticipation on their faces.

Upon spotting Chu Qiguang, Zhang Haizhu immediately said excitedly, ”Look, Brother Chu! There are some really good rewards on offer for the half-yearly examination!”

Chu Qiguang looked ahead and saw a wooden board standing behind Yang Ling, upon which the rules and rewards of the half-yearly examination were written.

The half-yearly examination would test a total of five subjects: faith, fiends, cults, ghosts, and martial arts. For each subject, the trainees would receive a grade ranging from A to C. The top ten in each subject would receive an A, the next ten would receive a B, while everyone else would receive a C.

Furthermore, each subject came with a different reward. For example, the top scorer in the faith test would receive a concealment talisman.

Even Chu Qiguang was drawn in by this tantalizing reward. A concealment talisman from the Heavenly Master Religion had countless uses, and he certainly wouldn’t mind getting his hands on one.

However, given his complete lack of belief in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, there was no way he could possibly receive a grade above C in the faith subject.

With that in mind, he let out a disappointed sigh.

”The top scorer in the fiend test will receive a batch of Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment, while the top scorer in the ghost test will receive a Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pill, both of which were refined by Fu Nanzi, the top pill refinement master of the Heavenly Master Religion!” Zhang Haizhu exclaimed with excitement. Chu Qiguang was also slightly taken aback to see this.

He had previously obtained a batch of Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment from Ding Daoxiao’s collection, and it had enhanced his skeletal integrity to nearly that of a fifth-state martial artist back when he had only been at the fourth state.

Given that the batch of Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment being offered had been personally refined by Fu Nanzi who was a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator, its effects were bound to be even more potent.

”They’re really going all-out this time!” Huang Xiangyu said. ”I recall from our pill lessons that several ingredients from the dragon race are required to refine Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pills.”

This was indeed true. The Dragon Blood Flower that Chu Qiguang had previously consumed was one of the ingredients required to refine Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pills.

”The Golden Millet Sprout Pill for the top scorer in the cult test and the Myriad Beast Divinity Ointment for the top scorer in the martial arts assessment are extremely precious as well,” Li Chu chimed in, a look of yearning in his eyes.

The Golden Millet Sprout Pill could temporarily enhance the consumer’s learning ability, making it perfect for mastering different martial arts and making breakthroughs.

In the past, Chu Qiguang had purchased Seven Treasure Pills for five hundred taels of silver per pill to help him reach the fifth state, but the Seven Treasure Pill was really only an inferior version of the Golden Millet Sprout Pill.

As for the Myriad Beast Divinity Ointment, it was a highly sought-after medicine that could permanently elevate the user’s intelligence, reactions, and reflexes. There were some side-effects, but those were far outweighed by the benefits.

”The Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment can enhance skeletal integrity, the Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pill can permanently increase the power of your qi and blood, the Myriad Beast Divinity Ointment can enhance reflexes and reactions, and the Golden Millet Sprout Pill can improve learning ability. If anyone can take all four at once, it would surely give them a massive boost!” Zhang Haizhu exclaimed.

He then turned to Chu Qiguang with a hint of envy in his eyes and asked, ”Given your eidetic memory, I’m sure you’ll be able to claim the top spot in several of the subjects, right, Brother Chu?”

All of a sudden, Jiang Longyu turned to Chu Qiguang and declared with complete confidence, ”I’m definitely going to claim the top spot in every subject this time!”

Yi Shuang has already given me all the test papers in advance! So what if you have an eidetic memory? No one’s beating me this time!

However, Chu Qiguang simply ignored him, leaving Jiang Longyu with that same hollow sense of frustration.

The wooden board also contained information on how the results of the half-yearly examination would affect the factions to which the trainees were assigned.

As it turned out, trainees could choose which factions they wished to join, but each faction had different score requirements for the five subjects.

The Hunter Hand Faction had the lowest barrier to entry, requiring only a B grade in both the martial arts assessment and the fiend test.

The requirements for the Fiend Assassin Faction were slightly more stringent, with trainees needing an A in the martial arts assessment and a B in the fiend test.

Then there was the Spiritualist Faction, which required a B in the martial arts assessment, an A in the ghost test, a B in the cult test, and a B in the faith test.

The Dao Soldier Faction had the highest barrier to entry, requiring an A in the martial arts assessment, the faith test, and the cult test.

Those who failed to qualify for any of the four factions based on their results could only become ordinary soldiers in the Demon Vanquishing Department. Alternatively, they could be inducted through recommendations made by important figures in the four factions.

”If you can’t make it into any of the four factions, then even if you enter the Demon Vanquishing Department, you’ll just be an ordinary soldier for the rest of your life,” Huang Xiangyu sighed.

”Even if you manage to join one of the four factions, not all of them are made equal,” Li Chu said. ”I heard that the members of the Hunter Hand Faction are constantly sent into the wilderness to hunt beast fiends. Honestly, I don’t think that’s much better than being an ordinary soldier.”

Once the rules of the half-yearly examination had been explained, it was time for the examination to begin, starting with the faith test.

Chu Qiguang shook his head in resignation as he watched the trainees take turns activating the Demon Vanquishing Talisman. As expected, when his turn came, nothing happened.

Zhao Lingxiao was very disappointed to see this.

Why does the Profound Origin Dao Lord refuse to embrace such an earnest and determined child?

Zhao Lingxiao had seen countless trainees during his time on Jade Face Mountain, yet not a single one of them had read as many Daoist scriptures as Chu Qiguang, nor had any of them been as sincere and diligent in their efforts to find faith.

If even such an earnest child is deemed to have no faith, then what does faith even mean?

Zhao Lingxiao was beginning to question everything he had stood for and believed in since joining the Heavenly Master Religion.

Chi Shude was in a very good mood. He was confident that he would be able to secure the top spot in the faith test, so the concealment talisman was already as good as his.

However, his mood immediately soured when he saw Chu Qiguang fail to activate the Demon Vanquishing Talisman, and a hint of disgust appeared in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Cheng Ming was also glaring at Chu Qiguang with intense resentment. He had been dying to get back at Chu Qiguang ever since he reached the fourth state, but he had yet to find an opportunity.

He’s good at hiding, I’ll give him that! He’s either cowering in the archive building or hiding behind the lecturers, but he won’t be able to hide anymore!

Following the faith test came the ghost test, the fiend test, and the cult test, in that order.

All of the trainees sat at their desks, furiously writing their answers on the test papers.