MTLNOVEL Chapter 318: Utterly Humiliated
Emperor Wei slightly nodded, "Great Master speaks the truth; the Academic Sacred Land is mostly filled with scholars, bound by Confucian texts and anecdotes, unlike the disciples of the Sect Holy Land."
"I've heard there's a 'Demon Hunting Hall' within the Grand Void Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi replied, "Indeed, most of the senior and junior brothers in the sect undertake tasks from the Demon Hunting Hall to train in the mortal world, gaining knowledge as well as earning money and elixirs necessary for cultivation."
Great Master showed a bitter smile and cupped his hands toward him, "I've learned something; our Kyoto Academy cannot always just build cars behind closed doors."
Emperor Wei comforted him, "Haha... Great Master need not belittle yourself, for the Academy also has its strengths."
"Such as?" Chen Yi looked at the two with a faint smile.
"Such as..." Emperor Wei paused, his gaze falling on the ministers from Kyoto Academy, pondering, "More books?"
Great Master: "..."
He wished not to say anything, only feeling a stinging pain on his face.
"Seems I'll have to travel the world after the grand event, take a look around, hoping to advance our Kyoto Academy further."
"Indeed, it should be so..."
Chen Yi chuckled but did not continue to tease Great Master, as Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist paths each have their strengths and weaknesses.
Attacking the opponent's weak points with one's strengths truly offers no discourse.
"Let's see how Jiang Ye breaks the deadlock."
In fact, at this moment, the prodigies standing on the arena, after their laughter, started to ponder ways to break through the barrier.
They even began to think about breaking through not just to earn a higher rank but to avoid making a joke like Jiang Ye during their endeavor.
After all, rankings do not affect the standings of these prodigies, but if they become a laughingstock...
It might be a stain that lasts a lifetime.
Erhua felt especially tense; she quietly tugged on Hua Xianzi and asked via sound transmission, "Sis, do you have any good ideas?"
Hua Xianzi glanced around, nodding slightly, "Break through with strength, just force a way through those thickets to the end."
"Huh? That simple?"
Hua Youxiang couldn't help but shout, attracting the surrounding prodigies to look over, and she quickly shrank her neck, pretending nothing happened, looking straight back at them.
After the surrounding people chuckled and looked away, she apologized to Hua Xianzi, "I was wrong, Sis..."
"After the grand event..." Seeing her pathetic look, Hua Xianzi couldn't bear to say harsh words, "Don't speak too loudly; this 'Thousand Mechanism Tower' isn't as simple as it seems."
"How's it not simple?" Hua Youxiang sought help from her, "Sis, you can't abandon me; I'm up next."
"I can't say for certain; you'd best hope scholar Jiang Ye clears more stages, so I can give you better advice."
Saying this, Hua Xianzi looked at Lin Xueru, Xiao Xuanzhen, Du Yan, and Du Yanqing, who were muttering together, then reassured Erhua with a few words and shared messages with them.
"Senior Sister, it seems this 'Thousand Mechanism Tower' doesn't much test personal cultivation techniques."
Xiao Xuanzhen naturally noticed but did not feel relaxed; instead, she helplessly replied:
"Your Senior Sister Xueru hasn't figured out how to solve the first stage yet; I'm still persuading her."
The young girl indeed has high talent, but she isn't someone who likes to use her brain; if it doesn't involve matters with Chen Yi, she wouldn't care.
In some ways, Lin Xueru might not be stronger than Erhua.
Realizing this, Hua Xianzi felt somewhat worried, "What should be done?"
"It's a small matter; I've instructed Junior Sister Xueru if she can't find a way to solve it when she enters, she'll have to resort to destruction."
"..."
This indeed seems like the best approach for the moment, as even now only the first stage has trapped Jiang Ye; if similar strange things appear later, even those with high talents would find it daunting.
Considering this, Hua Xianzi advised Erhua similarly.
Erhua, although with low cultivation and techniques, could still remember her sister's words well.
After all, she absolutely did not want to become the next Jiang Ye; that would be utterly embarrassing.
At the same time, the other prodigies also began mutual exchanges, mostly realizing the second stage of the test was different from their initial expectations.
Many even discovered that the more closed-door cultivators without experience traversing the Martial World were more easily jammed at the first stage.
"Jiang Ye is too rule-abiding, really."
Xie Dongan looked at Jiang Ye crashing around like a headless fly within the maze, feeling quite helpless.
But thinking now is futile; blame only Jiang Ye for being the first to enter the "Thousand Mechanism Tower" without any preparation.
"Let's hope he quickly finds a way to break through, otherwise..."
At this moment, already circling over ten times, Jiang Ye was drenched in sweat, standing dazedly at the entrance.
Looking at the surroundings filled with green and lush thickets, he felt like his brain was turning into grass, numb.
Even visions began appearing in front of him; at the entrance, on either side of the thickets, two figures seemed to appear, one a Tree Demon, and the other also a Tree Demon.
And they were sneering at him, "Come on, come again, you're just trash, hahaha..."
Jiang Ye became furious, shouting in anger, "Huangshan Taoist priest, I'll fight you!"
Then he dashed straight forward regardless.
Although he couldn't use True Yuan now and his Fist Dao techniques couldn't be employed, his physical body wasn't weak.
"Even if I hit until I'm bloodied, I won't surrender to your humiliation!"
With a cry of fury, Jiang Ye plunged headfirst into the front thickets, soon feeling the landscape before him transform.
Looking again, neither maze nor thickets remained around him; he had arrived at an ethereal pavilion like a cloud-top Immortal Realm.
Inside the pavilion, apart from him, sat a middle-aged man of elegant demeanor in long robes behind a table, looking at him with a faint smile:
"Seeing your sweat-drenched state, why not sit and rest for a moment?"
As he spoke, he picked up the kettle from the stove beside him, brewing and pouring tea, gesturing his hand:
"Come, have a cup of tea to relieve your fatigue."
Jiang Ye paused in a daze and did not immediately move forward, cautiously asking:
"Have I passed the first stage?"
The elegant middle-aged man laughed and nodded, "Naturally so; this is the second stage of the Thousand Mechanism Tower, with myself humbly appointed by Huangshan Taoist as the Gatekeeper."
"You're the Gatekeeper?" Seeing he could converse with someone, Jiang Ye felt a sense of relief, "Finally, Huangshan Taoist did something decent."
Saying this, he sat facing the elegant middle-aged man, conveniently picking up the teacup and taking a sip, asking:
"What is the test for the second stage?"
"No hurry," The elegant middle-aged man, seeing him drink the tea, smiled more richly, speaking gently:
"I see you are also from the Confucian side; conversely, so am I. Today let us use tea as wine, not waste this chance encounter."
As he spoke, he raised the teacup towards Jiang Ye slightly, emptied it in one sip.
Jiang Ye watched him finish drinking, despite feeling something was off, but having just endured the first stage, he truly felt thirsty, thus followed suit by finishing the remaining tea.
"Is it okay to speak now?"
"Today's test is quite important; I've already delayed... mistakenly... you've added something to the tea..."
Before finishing his sentence, Jiang Ye's eyes rolled up as he fainted to the ground.
In his fading consciousness, he was left with one thought—damnit, only one stage passed and now I've disgraced myself!
Yet more absurdly, after his collapse, the elegant middle-aged man who claimed to be the Gatekeeper inexplicably started dancing as if celebrating a victory.
"Fool, couldn't last even the duration of an incense stick, foolish, foolish..."
Indeed.
At this time, upon seeing Jiang Ye knocked out by a cup of tea, the Jianghu guests, prodigies, and Emperor Wei outside, after pausing for a while, couldn't help but burst into laughter, louder than before when he cursed Huangshan Taoist.
"Haha..."
"I must admit, Ziqi ha... your family's second boy is indeed a bit straightforward."
"But Huangshan Taoist is truly mischievous; how did he come up with this method to test prodigies?"
"No wonder he previously didn't disclose anything when I asked him; now I see, hahaha... so wicked!"
Jiang Ziqi: "..."
I wonder if it's still possible to expel this troublesome son from the family now?