Chapter 116: Heart of a Child

Qin Mu diligently memorized the Six Harmonies realm cultivation diagram of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art from the pillar. He had previously obtained an incomplete Five Luminaries realm diagram of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art in the Central Palace of the Suppressor. With the addition of the Six Harmonies realm diagram, the previously incomprehensible parts of the incomplete diagram began to become clearer. However, fully completing the diagram still seemed unlikely.

Since the young Grand Master had seen the cultivation diagrams of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art, he might also possess an incomplete Five Luminaries realm diagram. Even if it was incomplete, it might be combined with the diagram Qin Mu already knew to fully complete the Five Luminaries realm.

This concerned his cultivation, so he had to be diligent.

Suddenly, a monk emerged from the back of the hall and said gravely, "Which of you are scholars from Jiangling? Jiangling scholars, step forward. You do not need to pass this stage; proceed to the next one and wait."

Wei Yong was stunned. He and two other scholars stepped out and began walking into the hall. He looked back and said, "Brother Qin..."

"Silence!"

The monk said sternly, "The Jiangling scholars suffered heavy casualties, so they are exempt from further examinations. The rest of you remain here and await assessment."

Qin Mu was greatly surprised. There were monks in the Imperial College!

Having seen so many Daoists, he had initially assumed that despite its name, the Imperial College was essentially a Daoist institution. He never expected to see monks here.

"The Imperial College integrates both monks and Daoists. I wonder what Great Thunderclap Temple thinks of this?"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, another monk in a yellow robe walked out from behind the hall. He had prominent brow bones, long flowing eyebrows, and held a roster. His piercing gaze swept around, holding the scholars in the hall spellbound. He then announced, "This stage tests your mental fortitude."

His voice boomed like a massive bell, causing everyone's eardrums in the hall to hum and their minds to go blank.

He sat cross-legged, with lowered gaze, and said, "The sutra I recite contains true mantras. If you cannot withstand it, leave the hall. Those who can endure this sutra may proceed to the next stage."

He pressed his palms together, slowly turning his prayer beads, and recited, "Buddha told Subhuti: All Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas should thus subdue their minds: All sentient beings, whether born from eggs, from wombs, from moisture, or by transformation; whether they have form or no form, whether they have thought or no thought, or neither thought nor no thought, I shall cause them all to enter Nirvana without remainder, and liberate them. Although countless, boundless, immeasurable sentient beings are thus liberated, in truth no sentient being is liberated. Why so?"

The Buddhist chants resonated, each true mantra seemingly a Tathagata descending, thundering from the sound into the minds of all scholars in the hall, into their bodies, their vital energy, their Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, and Five Luminaries Divine Treasure!

Even in their thoughts, mighty Tathagata Buddhas appeared, radiating light.

The vibrations grew increasingly intense, becoming unbearable. The reverberations caused their qi and blood to fluctuate, their vital energy to scatter, and their divine treasures to become difficult to guard!

Resisting the chanting was incredibly difficult; their minds simply couldn't withstand it, as if all their thoughts were illuminated and stripped of any secrecy.

Finally, one scholar could no longer bear it, stood up, and rushed out of the hall!

If he continued to listen to the yellow-robed monk's chanting, he feared his vital energy would directly collapse, his divine treasures would be overwhelmed by the Buddhist sounds, and perhaps even his muscles, skin, bones, and meridians would be shattered!

No sooner had that scholar bolted from the hall than several others, unable to endure, also rose and ran out. Before even reaching the exit, they couldn't help but vomit violently, as if they wanted to disgorge their very hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys.

The yellow-robed monk remained unmoved, continuing to recite the true sutra. The Buddhist mantras thundered relentlessly, growing heavier in sound, and more scholars fled the hall in disarray.

Unbeknownst to them, only about twenty people remained in the hall. Qin Mu sat there, entirely undisturbed by the surging Buddhist sounds that shook everything around him. He silently recited demon incantations, engaging in a joyful stalemate with the Buddhist chants—one attacking, the other defending, and then vice versa.

The Buddhist sounds had minimal effect on him, unable to cause any disturbance to his consciousness.

After a moment, Qin Mu switched to the divine language he had learned, engaging in another fierce contest with the Buddhist sounds.

A long time passed again, and the yellow-robed monk's brows furrowed. He opened his eyes and looked towards Qin Mu, only to see Qin Mu sitting there completely at ease, gazing up at the murals on the pillars, seemingly unaffected by his chanting. By this time, only a dozen or so people remained in the hall.

"Strange," he mused. "His assessment clearly stated 'malevolent nature' and 'key observation required.' If his heart were truly evil, how could he endure my Buddhist chants for so long?"

The yellow-robed monk was greatly perplexed, and his chanting involuntarily slowed. He thought to himself, "He shows no trace of malevolence now. If I were to deliberately make him retreat due to difficulty, I fear all the scholars in this hall would be forced out, and no one would pass."

He paused, then stood up and said, "You have passed. Exit through the back hall and proceed to the next stage."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, standing up to find themselves drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked. Only Qin Mu seemed entirely oblivious, not having perspired even a drop.

The yellow-robed monk looked him over a few more times, then took out his roster and made notes beside each person's name. When he came to Qin Mu, he hesitated for a moment before writing, "Heart of a pure child, unmoved by external forces."

The monk walked out from the back hall, tossed the roster into the air, and a crane flew down, snatching the book and soaring upwards. The yellow-robed monk then returned to the hall.

The crane flew halfway up the mountain and landed before a large hall. Holding the book in its beak, it handed it to a young attendant who approached. The attendant hastily entered the hall and presented the book to a middle-aged Daoist inside, saying, "Master Lingyun, the roster has arrived."

Daoist Lingyun opened the roster and chuckled, "Every year, the Imperial College grants ten admission slots, selecting outstanding disciples from among scholars in the Spirit Embryo and Five Luminaries realms. I wonder who the talents are this year?"

He scanned through the names one by one, nodding slightly. "Fourteen people remain, all highly rated. Although this year has been turbulent and the talent pool isn't as strong as in previous years, there are still some promising young talents worth noting... Hmm?"

He fixed his gaze on Qin Mu's name, his expression peculiar. He reread a particular line several times, puzzled. "What's the deal with this Qin Mu? How can it say he's 'malevolent' and needs 'key observation,' yet also 'has the heart of a pure child, unmoved by external forces'? These people are writing evaluations haphazardly!"

The attendant replied, "Master, the three scholars from Jiangling have already been pre-approved. You need to eliminate seven people in this stage. Also, General Tiance sent word that his daughter is also taking the examination and asked for your special care. The Grand Commandant's Residence also sent a letter saying their grandson wishes to enter the Imperial College to cultivate. Furthermore, the Grand General of Cavalry, the Qin family in the capital, and Prince Zhen'an (heir) have sent letters, saying that Prince Zhen'an's young master also wishes to..."

Daoist Lingyun had a splitting headache. He said, "They all want to enter the Imperial College, and they all come from very influential backgrounds, more powerful than mine, regardless. The three scholars from Jiangling already occupy three slots—that's the Grand Tutor's prestige. With only seven slots remaining out of ten, how can I accommodate so many people? What's the background of this Qin Mu? Could he be from the Qin family in the capital?"

The attendant shook his head. "The Qin family says their young master is named Qin Yu. This Qin Mu should have no relation to the Qin family; his household registration is from Lizhou Prefecture."

Daoist Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll have to let him be the one to suffer. I'll simply make sure he doesn't pass my stage later. Who else has no background?"

"There are also the two brothers, Ding Shan and Ding He, and this woman named Si Yunxiang. As for those with minor backgrounds, there are these few: this person is a relative of the Yan Mountain Governor, and she is a cousin of the Yudu Prefect..."

Daoist Lingyun sighed in relief. "While officials of the second and third ranks should not be easily offended, at this moment, I have no choice but to offend them."

Emerging from the back hall, Qin Mu looked up to see a mountain path. Over a dozen scholars ascended together. Before long, the path suddenly flattened, revealing a magnificent sight: a waterfall cascading down a jade-like cliff. Its spray, like scattered pearls and jade, shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, dazzling with myriad colors. Qin Mu and the others couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, truly a sacred place fit for immortals.

"Sister, is your surname Si too?"

Qin Mu looked at the girl beside him and asked curiously, "The surname Si is quite rare. I have a relative with that surname."

The girl next to him was named Si Yunxiang, a quiet girl with large eyes. People with the surname Si were few. Besides Granny Si, this was the first time Qin Mu had met someone with that surname. He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times and approached her to strike up a conversation.

The girl with the surname Si seemed to notice his gaze. She looked shy, lowered her head, and continued walking forward, ignoring him.

"She's shy, so it's not Granny disguised," Qin Mu thought with relief.

He mused, "Granny is never shy. Granny is in Disabled Elderly Village now, unable to leave the Great Ruins, and certainly wouldn't come all the way here. If it were Granny, she wouldn't use the surname 'Si' at all, because she'd know I'd be suspicious. Haha, am I really just being too suspicious?"

He was a bit paranoid now, and hearing the name of the girl called Si Yunxiang made him suspicious, so he went forward to test her.

Before long, they arrived in front of a grand hall. A young attendant, holding a roster, looked at them and announced loudly, "Scholars, this stage of the examination is rigorous and may result in injury or death. Does anyone wish to withdraw?"