On the arena, Zhu Zijin sighed helplessly and looked at Jun Luo with a complicated expression. "Your sword qi is stronger than mine. I lost."
Jun Luo retracted his peach wood sword and waved his hand over Zhu Zijin’s wrist, dispersing the lingering chill.
Zhu Zijin sheathed his sword and moved his wrist around. Now that the freezing sword qi was gone, he only needed to take some healing pills when he got back; it wouldn't affect his subsequent matches.
After the referee martial uncle announced the winner and the two left the arena, Zhu Zijin took out his identity jade token. "Want to add me as a friend? Let's spar again in the future."
As a fellow sword cultivator who loved to spar, Jun Luo naturally didn't refuse.
Braving the wary, solemn, complex, and bizarre expressions of the other disciples below the stage, the two left the arena area and headed toward their respective spectator sections.
Jiang Yao remarked, "That match was quite the spectacle."
Wen Xuan added, "How unlucky must Zhu Zijin be to draw Jun Luo in the very first round? With his strength, under normal circumstances, he would have had no problem winning three matches and successfully advancing. Now, he’s missed out on a full hundred and eighty points from the advancement matches."
"The elders of my family once said that luck is also a part of one's strength."
Mu Chenze’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. "However... a single coincidence doesn't prove much. We'll have to see what happens next."
Rather than believing in something intangible like luck, Gu Ningyun trusted her own strength more. "I believe luck exists, but for me right now, I value tangible strength more. If Zhu Zijin were the strongest person here, he wouldn't have lost even if he were unlucky enough to run into Jun Luo. Or rather, it would have been Jun Luo who was unlucky to meet him."
"But the fact remains that he met Jun Luo when his strength wasn't enough. Out of six hundred and ninety-three new disciples, it just happened to be Jun Luo."
Mu Chenze cast a smiling glance at Gu Ningyun. "Ningyun, I agree with your view, but there are always exceptions to everything. Let's see if Zhu Zijin will be that exception."
Wen Xuan asked, "An exception? Do you mean being so unlucky that even strength can't save him?"
"What are you talking about?"
Gu Ningyun looked over at the sound of the voice; Jun Luo had returned.
"We were talking about luck," she replied.
Mu Chenze added, "Or rather, a person's fortune."
He took a moment to address Wen Xuan’s confusion. "Yes, that’s more or less what I meant."
Jun Luo had just come off the arena, and his body was still tinged with the lingering gold and ice-attribute sword qi that hadn't yet dissipated.
Hearing their words, the sword qi on his body hummed. His voice was cold and youthful, yet incredibly firm.
"Regardless of what my fortune is, I only believe in the sword in my hand. Wherever my sword points, that is where my fortune lies."
Jiang Yao interrupted, "Hey, stop arguing. The results for the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 are out."
Gu Ningyun’s heart skipped a beat.
She was both expectant and nervous, but her hands moved without delay to check the results.
【Second Stage | Almanac of Heavenly Wonders | Distinction.】
The moment she saw the grade, Gu Ningyun’s heart stopped for a second, followed by a surge of immense joy.
Distinction in every single assessment—she had done it!
This feeling was even more joyous than getting a perfect score in a single subject back before she transmigrated!
As for getting perfect scores in every subject... she had never achieved that in her past life, so she didn't know what that felt like.
Wen Xuan exclaimed, "I actually got Grade A! The questions were so ridiculous that I had no confidence while answering. I can't believe I got Grade A!!"
Mu Chenze said, "Quick, look! The Xiaosheng section of the forum is blowing up."
Gu Ningyun switched her focus and immediately saw a post’s comments jump from two hundred to five hundred in an instant.
【The hardest exam questions have appeared! Who is the only one to receive a Distinction?】
【The senior sister of a friend of the martial uncle leading our group is from the Disciple Training Department. According to her, all the questions for the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 came from various parts of Xiaoyao—one question from each of the seventy-two inner peaks, and one from each of the formal disciples' guides. Finally, the Disciple Training Department did the final review.】
【The questions for our batch's 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 were the hardest in several years. Most people could only get Grade B, and those who got Grade A are exceptionally outstanding. There is only one person who got Distinction. As for who this big shot is, the Disciple Training Department hasn't revealed the information yet.】
The comments below were a mixed bag.
"Lol, who could get a Distinction on that? Unless they started memorizing the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 the moment they joined the sect."
"There are only six hundred and ninety-three formal disciples in our batch, across one hundred and thirty-two groups. If everyone reports whether their group has a Distinction, wouldn't that narrow it down and lock in the winner?"
"No need for all that trouble. I’ve been watching the scores of the top ten on the leaderboard. Just now, Gu Ningyun’s score suddenly jumped by ten points."
"The music cultivator Gu Ningyun? Does being a music cultivator mean you're good at memorizing the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 because you have to remember songs?"
"Memorizing isn't enough; the difficulty of the questions lies in applying the knowledge freely."
"She's a walking 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》! If I team up with her for secret realm explorations in the future, wouldn't I be set for life!"
...
Without scrolling further, Gu Ningyun checked the New Disciple Competition leaderboard. Based on the point increases, her other four companions from Ruiyu Pavilion had all received Grade A.
The moment her divine sense exited the jade token, Gu Ningyun realized that countless pairs of eyes were staring at her.
She felt that the way these fellow disciples—who were supposed to be her opponents in the competition—were looking at her was a bit off.
It was a bit like... the way she looked at spirit stones.
Before she could react, a young girl nearby walked over, clutching her identity jade token. "Senior Sister Gu, what are your plans after the competition? We've started an exploration group and are planning to find a place to gain experience once the competition is over. Would you like to join us? You don't have to worry about safety; we know you're a support-type music cultivator, and we'll all protect you."
"This... I can't say for sure yet," Gu Ningyun stammered, a bit dazed by how things had taken this turn.
"That’s okay. We can add each other as friends first and discuss it in detail after the competition."
The girl clearly had high emotional intelligence; her words and actions didn't make things difficult for anyone.
Gu Ningyun didn't mind making friends with such a person. She asked for her name—Yin Qingshu—and then added her from the sect directory to her friend list.
Following Yin Qingshu, many other disciples came over, all expressing their desire to invite her to join their teams for future experiences.
Gu Ningyun looked into the distance and saw even more disciples squeezing through the gaps between seats to head her way.
What was going on!
Wen Xuan immediately pulled her behind her back. "Hey! Are you lot trying to poach people right in front of us at Ruiyu Pavilion? Everyone has to memorize the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》. Ningyun just happened to get a Distinction; is there any need for all this?"
Gu Ningyun poked her small head out from behind Wen Xuan’s shoulder and nodded repeatedly at the fellow disciples in front of her.
"Her memory and my memory are clearly not the same thing!"
"There's a world of difference between rote memorization and flexible application."
"I memorized it a month before the exam and forgot it all the moment it was over."
"Most importantly, when we explore, we need a support who can play healing melodies, defense melodies, and 《Clear Heart》. If the team competition allows for merging... mmmph!"
Before he could finish that last sentence, he was dragged away by his teammates who covered his mouth.
But what he had said before that allowed Wen Xuan and the others to understand these people's true intentions.
It wasn't just because she got a Distinction in the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》. These people were using that as an excuse; their real goal was to snatch away the only music cultivator and the strongest support of their batch!
Rate on N.U.
