Chapter 23 - Dao Shin
Chapter 23 - Dao Shin
Elder Wang looked at Feng Yu Die with a helpless expression.
"Feng Yu Die, tie your hair again before you enter the hall. Your appearance will affect your grades."
After reminding her, Elder Wang looked at Pei Lianxue again. When he went to the Hundred Lotus Sect before, he hadn't seen her, so he asked with some confusion, "You came with Feng Yu Die?"
"Yes." Pei Lianxue cupped her hands. "My name is Pei Lianxue, and it was Young Master Ye who asked me to accompany Sister Feng."
"A disciple of the Hundred Lotus Sect." Elder Wang stroked his beard and asked, "Her companion is not Young Master Ye, but you?"
"Yes."
Elder Wang was somewhat baffled. When he went to the Hundred Lotus, he felt that Ye Ao really wanted Ye Anping to become an inner disciple of the Black Star. So, after learning about Feng Yu Die, he took for granted that Ye Ao would arrange for Ye Anping to be her companion.
But now, a girl with three spiritual roots had been sent here, and he no longer knew what Ye Ao thought.
After a moment's hesitation, he waved his hand and said, "Nevermind, Black Star's standards for disciples' companions are not too strict, but still, they are not without requirements. I kindly remind you that as Feng Yu Die's companion, you must participate in the entry selection with her. The standards will be lower, but if you can't pass it, you still won't be able to enter the Black Star Sect."
Pei Lianxue cupped her hands again. "I understand."
"Okay. Then, come with me. The first round is the written test." With that said, Elder Wang led them to the side hall.
Pei Lianxue gulped and hurriedly followed in his footsteps, ignoring Feng Yu Die. In fact, she didn't feel nervous when she arrived, thinking that the Black Star Sect entry selection was more or less the same as the Hundred Lotus Sect's and that at most, the competition was just a little more intense.
But, when Elder Wang said she was going to take a written test, she panicked a little. She was very confident in any competition: sword, spells, refining the energy, but had little confidence in writing essays and the like.
If she didn't pass the test, wouldn't that mean her brother sent her here for nothing?
Seeming to sense her anxiety, Feng Yu Die came over and asked, "Are you nervous?"
"I'm not." Pei Lianxue looked away, but then she added, "I'm just not very good at writing. My brother seldom taught me these things before..."
"I'll find a way to pass you the answer."
"...Do you know the scriptures?"
"You bet." Feng Yu Die looked like a satisfied cat as she bragged, "I know the contents of the scriptures by heart, humph."
As Elder Wang, who was walking in front, heard them whispering, he sighed and reminded them, "Feng Yu Die, if you want to help her cheat, both of you will be disqualified and will never be able to participate in the Black Star Sect selection again."
"Ah, Elder Wang, I was just joking." Feng Yu Die replied awkwardly, then made a face behind his back.
"Sigh..."
Elder Wang sighed faintly and suddenly thought of a common saying. 'People who don't belong together don't get to live together.' Although he had only met Feng Yu Die twice, he somehow saw in her the shadow of her master, the great Taixu.
Feng Yu Die winked at Pei Lianxue, then whispered, "Sister Pei, wait for my signal later."
"Aren't you afraid you'll get caught?"
"If they catch me, they catch me. At worst, I'll follow you back to the Hundred Lotus Sect, then we can practice together all the time."
Although Feng Yu Die was whispering, Elder Wang still heard her, but this time he did not say anything. In fact, Feng Yu Die's quota had long been set by the Matriarch and Elders. As long as she didn't make a big fuss, they would definitely turn a blind eye.
After all, not only was she a heavenly spiritual root, but she was also Master Taixu's personal disciple and the Holy Emperor's descendant.
If they expelled her and then she went to one of the other four major sects of the Immortal Families, then for Black Star, the loss would not be as simple as losing a spirit mine vein or heaven's opportunity.
Elder Wang could only hope that Feng Yu Die's actions would not be too blatant. If she only made a small move, he would not care about it.
The girls followed Elder Wang through a teleportation spell by the hall gate, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at an open courtyard large enough to accommodate 10,000 people.
There was a mahogany desk every ten feet in the venue, each with a complete calligraphy set. Many disciples who came to participate in the entry selection were already sitting at those desks, answering questions.
Pei Lianxue wanted to see the disciples' answers with her keen eyesight, but there seemed to be a spell around every table, not to mention their exam papers. Not even their faces could be seen clearly.
Elder Wang went to a high platform in the center of the venue, approached an elder with a white beard sitting there to receive two wooden tokens, and after looking at them, he crushed them.
In an instant, Pei Lianxue and Feng Yu Die, who were still standing together, were transferred to their respective desks. The next moment, Elder Wang's voice was transmitted directly into their minds.
"It's very simple. The jade tablet on the table has a question written on it, so just write the answer on the paper. The time limit is one hour. If you finish it ahead of time, you can say, 'Answer finished', and the spell will send you out."
"Answer finished?" Feng Yu Die asked doubtfully.
With that, a blue light covered her, and she was transported out.
"Hiss..." Standing in the center of the venue, Elder Wang could only take a deep breath, then quickly made a hand gesture and teleported out of the examination hall.
Three breaths later, while grabbing Feng Yu Die's collar, he once again teleported back from the entrance of the examination hall through the same spell.
"..."
"Ah... ah ha ha," Feng Yu Die scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Oops, I said it unintentionally, ahaha..."
Elder Wang looked at her resentfully, then sighed helplessly before leaving to get a new wooden token. Then, he sent her to another seat.
Pei Lianxue was speechless for a moment, and after a sigh, she stopped caring about Feng Yu Die. She picked up the jade tablet and looked at the title.
Upon seeing the title, she was taken aback. There were only two words written --- "Dao Shin."
Previously, her brother had insisted on teaching her Dao Shin. Although what he said sounded obscure, and she couldn't understand what he meant by the 'Way of the Heart', he asked her to memorize as much as possible of what he said.
Therefore, she memorized it and could even recite it fluently.
Pei Lianxue picked up the brush and started filling in. 'What we call Dao Shin is to eliminate evil and do good, eliminate human desires, and preserve the principles of nature. Show benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith. Unity of knowledge and action leads to the consciousness of the heart in everything...'
Elsewhere, Feng Yu Die looked at the words 'Dao Shin', thought for a while, and asked in a small voice, "Xiao Tian, ??how do I answer this?"
Xiao Tian, who was floating above her head, gave her a blank look. "I wonder who just boasted to that Pei girl that she could recite the scriptures by heart?"
"Oh, that was just a little pretense to curry her favor."
''Heh.'' Xiao Tian sneered. ''When Master Taixu asked you to memorize the book, you didn't do it. You regret it now, don't you?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I regret it. So, what's the answer?"
"Ah." Xiao Tian sighed, waved her hand, and took out the Heavenly Dao Scroll. She flipped through it for a while and said, "I'll only read it to you once. What we call Dao Shin is to eliminate evil and do good, eliminate human desires, and preserve the principles of nature. Show benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith. Unity of knowledge and action brings the consciousness of heart in everything..."