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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 14: Elder Ji
The list for the Examination, unlike other lists, only revealed the top three names.
In front of Xiaoxiang Academy stood a towering stone tablet, as tall as a person and half as wide. The tablet was inscribed with numerous names, all belonging to the top three disciples from past Examinations.
Lin Feng finally noticed the existence of this stone tablet and eventually spotted the name of Sword Saint Senior. During the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference, he had achieved second place in the Examination, while his junior sister Mo Yunshang secured third place. The first place went to that year's biggest dark horse, Dugu Po.
Also etched on the tablet were the names of Cold Rain, Guan Family, Qi Wan'er, and Xiao Mi, all of whom had ranked first in their respective Examination.
"The results are out! Quick, look!"
Someone shouted, and everyone turned their attention to the stone tablet. Although no one was carving anything, strokes began to appear on its surface. Finally, a character of congratulations emerged.
"Congratulations? He Rongsheng? That can't be right!"
"The first name that appears is usually third place. Could He Rongsheng really be third?"
Amidst the crowd's astonishment, the complete name appeared on the tablet—indeed it was He Rongsheng, followed by the title Third Place Scholar.
"He Rongsheng is only third? How is that possible?"
The disciples displayed expressions of disbelief, and even many elders looked surprised. The Elder Steward of Qingyun Sect wore a grim expression, clearly angered.
"Look! The name for second place is appearing."
The strokes continued to carve out a character that resembled 'Lin.'
"With the surname Lin, it seems to be a disciple from Solitary Moon City. Is it Ethereal Body Lin Miaomiao?"
"It’s possible, and only she is qualified to be placed before He Rongsheng."
Soon, the full name of the second place appeared before everyone, and it was indeed Lin Miaomiao, Disciple of the Lone Moon Sect.
"It really is her. But who is in first place?"
"This person ranks above Ethereal Body and Eye of Destiny. Who could it be? It seems this Examination will reveal a surprising Dark Horse."
"Could it be Lin Feng from Solitary Moon City?"
"Absolutely impossible. He wouldn’t even bother to look at himself in the mirror."
As the crowd discussed, a character from the top scorer's name appeared. It was the character 'Lin.'
"Another Lin surname? Could it really be Lin Feng?"
"No way, what right does he have? Remember, he couldn’t even see a blade of grass in the painting."
"Among the Fifty Art Observation Disciples, who else has the surname Lin?"
"Look, the second character has appeared. It has a radical for wood; could it really be Lin Feng?"
As the strokes continued, everyone craned their necks and widened their eyes. When they finally saw the last character, a voice rang out from the crowd.
"Why is it him?"
"What right does he have?"
"What qualifications does he have to rank above Ethereal Body and Eye of Destiny?"
"I refuse to accept this. I want to challenge him."
Examination First Place. Solitary Moon City Lin Feng.
Not only did the other disciples find it hard to believe, but Lin Feng himself was also somewhat incredulous. After all, what he had witnessed was still far from what Lin Miaomiao could do. But why was he the one who came in first?
All the elders from various sects, including Elder Lin and Elder Yue from Solitary Moon City, were left speechless in astonishment. They could not accept this fact and never imagined that Lin Feng would claim the top spot in the Examination.
Many were skeptical, too many questioned it, and some shouted in disbelief. But no one could change this reality. Lin Feng's name shone brightly on the stone tablet.
Moreover, these stone tablets held immense power. They withstood wind and rain. They would endure for eternity.
With his first-place victory, Lin Feng was granted an audience with Elder Ji, receiving guidance from him. This could be a tremendous opportunity.
Under the lead of a young attendant from the Mechanism Pavilion, Lin Feng entered the back courtyard of Xiaoxiang Academy. Upon entering, he saw two elderly men engaged in a game of chess.
One of them wore a fitted outfit and, despite his white hair, exuded an aura of iron-like toughness. He was the Sovereign of Divine General Manor.
Opposite the Sovereign, the other elder appeared much shorter and somewhat hunched over. His sparse white hair framed a face adorned with a goatee.
"Is it you?"
Lin Feng displayed a look of surprise, never expecting that the elder before him was the fortune teller he had seen in the capital of the Tang Empire.
"He is actually Elder Ji?" Lin Feng thought to himself in shock.
As the two esteemed elders played chess, Lin Feng could only stand quietly by and wait. He didn't know how long had passed when the Sovereign of Divine General Manor expressed admiration, saying, "Senior, your chess skills are remarkable. I am truly impressed."
"You are not bad yourself. There are few in this world who can play chess with me," Elder Ji replied with a smile.
The Sovereign of Divine General Manor looked at Lin Feng, seeing through his cultivation at a glance. He slowly said, "One hundred thousand pounds of physical strength in Foundation Establishment; you are quite similar to the Dugu Po of years past."
"However, the Dugu Po of that time was at the peak of Fate Realization. This one is still far behind compared to Dugu Po," Elder Ji remarked quietly.
"There is indeed some distance."
The Sovereign of Divine General Manor stood up and bid farewell to Elder Ji.
After the Sovereign left, Lin Feng immediately bowed respectfully to Elder Ji and said, "Disciple pays respects to the senior."
Elder Ji did not look at Lin Feng but instead focused on the chessboard before him and asked, "Do you know how to play?"
Lin Feng shook his head and replied, "I do not know."
Elder Ji sighed and was about to speak when Lin Feng added, "But I can learn."
"Wait until you have learned. The Dugu Po of that time could still play a few games with me; how can you not know?" Elder Ji asked Lin Feng.
Upon realizing that this person was Elder Ji, who had already reached the Sage Realm, Lin Feng felt he could not afford to be frivolous like he was with the fortune-telling old man. Not knowing how to respond, he respectfully remained silent.
Elder Ji said, "You ranked first in the Examination; therefore, you can ask me one question. Think carefully before answering; you may only ask one."
Lin Feng pondered seriously for a long time. He indeed had many questions in his heart. For instance, what exactly was the Stone Pearl? Did he have any special identity when he was on Earth? Why could he not see anything within the giant painting?
In the end, Lin Feng thought of Lin Miaomiao.
Thus, Lin Feng spoke up, "I have a girlfriend named Lin Miaomiao. Surely, senior has some impression of her?"
Elder Ji nodded and said, "That girl is quite good."
"She often dreamed. She saw a man riding a giant dragon, soaring through the universe. Please tell me, senior, who is that man?" Lin Feng asked.
Elder Ji listened and calculated with his fingers, revealing a serious expression. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "This matter involves too deep a mystery. It is inconvenient to predict. Please ask another question."
Lin Feng pondered what question to ask instead. After a moment of thought, he inquired, "Senior, please tell me about Lin Miaomiao's background."
Elder Ji calculated again, his expression once more turning grave. "This matter involves too deep a mystery; it is inconvenient to predict. Please ask another question."
"Then do I have another identity that I am unaware of?" Lin Feng asked casually.
Elder Ji calculated yet again, his serious demeanor returning. "This matter involves too deep a mystery; it is inconvenient to predict. Please ask another question."
"Why do you seem to know nothing? Always avoiding the questions," Lin Feng couldn't help but ask.
Elder Ji, hearing this, replied angrily, "How can you speak to your elder like that? Regarding you and Lin Miaomiao, how could I not figure it out? Do you know that breaking through the Dao brings punishment? I still want to live a few more years; can't you ask something simpler?"
"Then why can’t I see anything in your painting? Isn’t that question simple enough?" Lin Feng asked again.
Elder Ji calculated once more, his serious expression returning yet again.
Lin Feng realized what was happening; before the elder could speak, he muttered to himself, "This matter involves too deep a mystery; it is inconvenient to predict. Please ask another question."
Elder Ji picked up a white chess piece and casually tossed it at Lin Feng. As Lin Feng saw the white piece flying towards him, he tried to dodge but found that while its trajectory seemed straightforward, it contained countless hidden paths. No matter where he moved, he could not escape.
In that instant of contemplation, the white piece landed on Lin Feng's forehead.
Lin Feng let out a cry of 'ah,' feeling a sharp pain in his forehead. He reached up and discovered that he was bleeding. His physical body was incredibly strong, yet Elder Ji had casually thrown a single white piece hard enough to break his skin.
Elder Ji shouted angrily, "How did Divine Ruins accept such a stubborn disciple like you?"
"Senior, do you know I am a Divine Ruins Disciple?" Lin Feng asked in surprise. This was something he had never disclosed to anyone, not even Miaomiao.
"Is being a disciple of Divine Ruins something impressive? Is it mysterious? Even your senior brother bows to me. Do you understand the concept of respecting your elders?" Elder Ji questioned.
Lin Feng looked at Elder Ji, whose angry demeanor at that moment resembled anything but a Sage; he looked more like a fortune teller on the street.
"Senior, when you left a poem in Great Tang Capital, what did that poem mean? Is that acceptable?" Lin Feng inquired.
Elder Ji frowned and said, "Why do you keep asking about your backgrounds? Don't you have any other questions?"
"Senior, I really can't think of any other questions," Lin Feng replied after some thought.
"Alright then, let me help you think."
Elder Ji pondered for a moment, and after a while, he slowly spoke, "You have a calamity of bloodshed coming soon."
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng responded, "Senior, ever since I arrived in Gaojing, troublesome events have never ceased. If it weren't for my good luck, I might have died many times already. Surely this isn't an allegory?"
Lin Feng's meaning was clear: if you won't answer my question, at least don't try to brush me off with vague statements.
Elder Ji glared at Lin Feng and said, "You don't know how to appreciate kindness. The calamity I foresee is unlike any before; it could very well lead to your demise. Today, out of respect for the Market, I will grant you a treasure to help you avert disaster."
With that, Elder Ji picked up a White Stone from the chessboard and handed it to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng looked at the White Stone and then at the numerous White Stones on the board. Unable to contain himself, he exclaimed, "Senior, you can't be serious! Is this how you dismiss people? Are you really Elder Ji? The one who knows the past five thousand years and the future five thousand years? Senior, you can't possibly be a fraud!"
"What are you saying?"
Elder Ji threw the White Stone again. This time, it suddenly enlarged to the size of a manhole cover and struck Lin Feng, sending him flying out of Xiaoxiang Academy.
Lin Feng finally managed to break free from the pressure of the White Stone. After getting up and brushing off the dirt from his clothes, he couldn't help but say, "This old thing is quite impressive. But is my question really that hard to answer?"
"Sigh, I didn't gain anything. I should have asked for a Sword Technique. A Sword Technique from the Sage Realm would be so impressive. Why am I so foolish?"
"Senior, please grant me a Sword Technique; that should be possible, right?"
"Ji Senior, are you going to give it to me or not?"
Lin Feng stood outside the wall of Xiaoxiang Academy, shouting loudly as he saw Elder Ji remain silent for a long time. Unable to hold back, Lin Feng exclaimed, "Divine Trickster, why are you being so stingy? If you don't give me a Sword Technique, I'm going to ruin your reputation today. Since I got first in the Examination, you should fulfill my request."
Elder Ji could no longer tolerate it and shouted, "Get lost."
Then, that word transformed into a powerful gust of wind that swept Lin Feng away hundreds of miles. (To be continued...)
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