Path to Dual Cultivation

Chapter 11: Examiner Number 29

"You're disqualifying me because I asked you about the rules? That's unreasonable!" Su Yang said with a frown, refusing to accept this outcome.

"So what if I am being unreasonable? What are you going to do about it, huh?!" The examiner spoke in a provoking tone, his face filled with mockery and disdain.

Su Yang's body trembled in anger, and without hesitation, reached for the medallion in his robes.

However, as he grabbed the medallion, an unfathomable presence filled the entire exam site, startling the Sect Elders and terrifying the examiners. As for the examinees, they were having trouble breathing because of the immense pressure, feeling as though there were mountains on their shoulders.

"S-Senior Wu?! Please calm down! You're going to hurt the examinees!" The Sect Elders quickly tried to de-escalate the situation.

The pressure vanished into thin air a moment later, and Senior Wu spoke in a calm yet cold voice, "Examiner number 29."

"Huh? Me...?" The examiner standing before Su Yang had a puzzled look on his face after being called out by Senior Wu.

"If I recall correctly, there are no rules that prohibit an examinee from wearing a mask during the entrance exam, so why did you disqualify that examinee? Are you trying to make our sect look bad?" Senior Wu questioned him with a cold gaze.

"T-That... I..." The examiner began sweating profusely after being corrected by Senior Wu.

"If you want to be unreasonable to the examinee, don't blame me for being unreasonable to you." Senior Wu added.

Sensing Senior Wu's cold gaze, the examiner immediately bowed his head and apologized, "This disciple was wrong! It will not happen again!"

"Why are you apologizing to me? I was not the one you wronged." Senior Wu calmly stroked his beard.

The examiner gritted his teeth and turned to Su Yang. "I am sorry, I was wrong. Let's start the exam immediately."

'I will properly lecture that useless disciple later.' Senior Wu's voice resounded inside Su Yang's head.

Su Yang looked at Senior Wu with raised eyebrows, wondering how that was possible.

'I am speaking to you through spiritual sense, so only you can hear my voice now. Go ahead and continue the exam.'

Su Yang nodded and placed his hand on the crystal a moment later.

"First exam, pass." The examiner said.

He proceeded to switch out the green crystal for a crystal ball.

"Place your hand on it and don't let go."

Su Yang followed the instructions and waited for his evaluation.

A moment later, the examiner said, "Average small-sized Dantian. Pass."

"Huh?" Su Yang looked at the examiner with a puzzled look on his face. He knew that he had a large-sized Dantian because Senior Wu had personally tested him, so what happened this time? Was the an error with the evaluation?

Unbeknownst to Su Yang, the examiners are supposed to refill the crystal ball with Profound Qi after every few uses, but this examiner had purposefully skipped doing so to sabotage Su Yang's exam as revenge for causing him to be scolded by Senior Wu before so many fellow disciples and elders, losing a huge amount of face.

Since there was only so much Profound Qi in the crystal ball, once Su Yang absorbed all of it, his evaluation would naturally be much lower than reality.

Typically, such a lowly trick would escape notice even from the Sect Elders, which explained why the examiner dared to employ such tactics. Even if he was caught, he could simply claim that it was an honest mistake and nothing would happen to him. Unfortunately for the examiner, Senior Wu was there, and his blood boiled with anger when he realized what had happened.

However, Senior Wu didn't say anything, as he realized that it would benefit him if Su Yang's evaluation came out much worse than reality. After all, the other elders would not pay attention to someone with average results, allowing him to take Su Yang for himself without any competition.

'Don't worry about the results, there was an error. You definitely have a large-sized Dantian, I can vouch for that.' Senior Wu used his spiritual sense to speak with him again.

Su Yang was relieved to hear Senior Wu's words. He left the platform and gathered with the other examinees that passed. A disciple approached them sometime later, guiding them to the next exam area.

Once Su Yang left, Senior Wu stood from his seat and walked to the platform, stopping in front of examiner number 29.

"G-Grand Elder?" The examiner could feel Senior Wu's imposing aura bearing down on him, his clothes quickly soaked in sweat.

"You dare tamper with the entrance exam in my presence? Have you gone mad?" Senior Wu glared at the examiner, who was trembling violently from fear.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about, Grand Elder!"

"Oh? Now you're even lying right in my face? Good! Very good!" Senior Wu turned to look at bewildered Sect Elders there and continued in a commanding voice, "Bring him to the Disciplinary Hall and find a replacement for the exam!"

None of the elders dared to question Senior Wu's decision and obediently followed his orders.

"Please! Grand Elder! There must have been a misunderstanding! This is unreasonable!" The disciple cried as he was dragged away.

"So what if I am being unreasonable? What are you going to do about it?" Senior Wu repeated the disciple's own words, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood from frustration.

Meanwhile, Su Yang was ushered into another area filled with small buildings, each spacious enough to accommodate a single person.

"You will spend the next seven days studying the sword manual placed in each house. However, if you wish to be evaluated earlier, you may approach the stage over there." The disciple pointed at the platform in the distance.

"One last thing. The sword manual will not leave the building at any point for any reason. If you dare try to smuggle the sword manual out of this place, your life will be forfeited. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!" The examinees responded loudly.

"Good luck."