It was still early and there was still some time before the registration started. Numerous youths chatted as they waited on the white jade plaza in front of Haze Academy, creating a lively atmosphere.
The youths were mostly dressed in luxurious clothing and several of them had even brought servants with them.
There was no need to guess. They were definitely from rich and powerful backgrounds.
Of course, there were also commoner disciples who were ordinarily dressed. However, they were clearly the minority here.
Most people who could reach the Human Dipper stage in their teens and pass the prefectural exam were disciples from rich and powerful clans.
No matter how talented the commoner disciples were at birth, it was difficult for them to achieve much without sufficient cultivation resources.
This was reality.
Dozens of years ago, a prestigious and reputable Heaven Ascension expert from Qinglu Academy once said that it would be difficult for the poor to produce cultivators, causing a huge commotion at the time.
Many people criticized him for exaggerating and being too absolute. However, those who truly understood the current state of the empire knew that he was not wrong.
Although the empire was gradually growing stronger, most of the cultivation resources were monopolized by powerful factions!Under such circumstances, although commoner disciples did not have zero hope of changing their destiny and soaring to the heavens, the chances were too minuscule. It was possible for no one to succeed even among ten thousand people.
This was the cruel reality of that Heaven Ascension expert’s statement.
Fortunately, the upper echelons of the empire also realized this which resulted in the creation of the present-day district, prefectural, provincial, and national exams. Their goal was to fairly select true talents from the country.
Commoner disciples who performed well in the various exams would receive rewards from the empire. If they chose to enlist in the army, they would receive even more privileges.
All in all, the empire exams were relatively fair and were seen as the only opportunity for commoner disciples to change their fate!
Lin Xun had yet to properly understand the intricacies behind the exams. When he stepped onto the white jade plaza, however, he experienced an unexplainable hostility.
“Come and look, it’s another country bumpkin.”
“Haha, look at his attire. He doesn’t have a single aeth equipment and is wearing such plain clothes. I can’t believe that such a person is thick-skinned enough to come here and participate in the provincial exam. What a joke.”
“Don’t laugh at others. What if they’re sensitive and you hurt their pride? That would be too ungentlemanly of us.”
“Heh heh, a commoner is a commoner. They are too naive if they think they can pass the exam like a carp crossing the dragon gate. Don’t they know that nearly all of the commoner disciples from previous years have failed? Guess what happened to these people afterward?”
“What happened?”
“Simple. They were recruited by all the great factions and clans to become lackeys, attendants, or servants. It might seem impressive but all they can do is work for our factions their entire lives! Once they leave us, they will be akin to phoenixes that had all their feathers plucked and be less than chickens. Hahaha.”
Mocking laughter and voices could be heard. Numerous gazes fearlessly stared at Lin Xun as if looking at an ugly duckling that had wandered into a flock of swans.
Lin Xun was stunned by this scene. He never imagined that he would suddenly become the butt of the joke for no reason.
This was definitely a sudden and unexpected disaster!
He could not help but look around and found that those laughing were arrogant and well-dressed youths.
They were also in their teens but their words were unrestrained and had a tone of superiority.
Are these the noble disciples nurtured by the great clans and factions? Are these the cultivators who are about to participate in the provincial exam?
Lin Xun was skeptical but found it amusing instead of being angered.
Compared to the Blood Kill Camp students, these youths were childish imps who were arrogant and judged by appearances.
Lin Xun did not know that this was a common occurrence. In the noble disciples’ eyes, the commoner disciples were nothing but lowly and insignificant servants.
The most frightening thing, however, was that this hostility was present in every province of the empire.
Naturally, the commoner disciples did not dare to say anything despite being provoked and looked down upon. All they could do was grit their teeth and endure the mocking.
They knew that offending such noble disciples was equivalent to offending a great faction or clan. The consequences were not something they could afford.
A bunch of idiots.
Lin Xun inwardly remarked as he shook his head. He found a quiet corner, sat down, and began meditating.
There was no way for him to rebut because the other party wasn’t a single person but a group!
He couldn’t possibly deal with them one by one, right?
However, after experiencing this event, Lin Xun realized that although he had entered the Ziyao Empire, he still did not truly understand what kind of world it was!
Feiyun Village was too remote, Donglin City was too far from the capital, and Kill Blood Camp was too closed-off. Only in Haze City was Lin Xun finally able to see the true face of this world.
Of course, Lin Xun understood that these youths did not represent the entire empire. They were merely a small portion of society.
In other words, they were a group that had no worries, had never experienced real battle before, and had lived under the protection of their clans and factions since young.
Arrogance, frivolity, and conceitedness were common problems in their group.
Compared to them, Shi Yu, Ning Meng, Bai Lingxi, Zhao Yin, and Zhangsun Hen resembled true noble disciples more. They were mature, tenacious, wise, shrewd, were capable of employing unpredictable first-rate tactics, and had extraordinary power.
These noble disciples were the most terrifying!
In Lin Xun’s opinion, it would be better if all of the participants were like this group of youths. At the very least, they were of little threat to him.
However, he soon discovered that there was no lack of formidable characters on the plaza. In fact, some of the cultivators gave off powerful auras that made Lin Xun not dare to underestimate them.
A commotion was suddenly heard.
“Gosh, the Wen Clan’s First Young Mistress is here!”
“Who?”
“Who else but the Haze City Wen Clan’s once in a thousand years girl genius, Wen Mingxiu!”
“So it’s her. Didn’t they say that she was sent to some mysterious place to train?”
“Correct. I heard she returned half a year ago but I did not expect her to appear on the first day of registration.”
“Things are starting to heat up. From what I know, including Wen Mingxiu, there are already a few dozen top-class individuals participating in this year’s exam.”
Another wave of discussions swept through the crowd, surprising Lin Xun. Wen Mingxiu? Is it her?
Lin Xun could not help but look over and saw a beautiful carriage pulled by four white deer slowly come to a halt. A well-dressed, proud, and pretty young lady soon emerged from within.
It was the very same young lady who had always been hostile towards him and was subsequently defeated by him in a single attack, Wen Mingxiu!
Lin Xun’s lips curled at an odd angle. So, she was the famous girl genius of Haze City.
If she was a girl genius, what would they call Bai Lingxu?
Lin Xun felt rather strange.
A student that had been eliminated from Kill Blood Camp at the quarterly assessment had suddenly become a figure admired by the numerous youths in Haze City. Lin Xun did not know whether to laugh or cry at this contrast.
It was not that Wen Mingxiu wasn’t strong. During the year he had spent training in Blood Kill camp, Lin Xun had mostly been in contact with the empire’s most elite younger generation. Due to this, his standards were far higher than normal.
Wen Mingxiu’s appearance caused quite a commotion and made the scattered crowd in the plaza gather towards her. Even the noble disciples were no exception.
Gaze after gaze looked toward Wen Mingxiu in envy, admiration, and even infatuation.
Several people soon gathered at Wen Mingxiu’s side like stars around a moon, making her stand out even more.
Wen Mingxiu was long accustomed to such treatment. She wore a slight smile and a composed expression that displayed confidence, pride, and elegance. However, she felt a little irritated inside.
The youths around her might have some fame in Haze City but they were now unable to enter her eyes after her experiences in Blood Kill Camp.
Of course, Wen Mingxiu knew that many participants would not be inferior to her and some would probably be even stronger.
Unfortunately, she had yet to discover a single one.
This was normal as it was only the first day of registration. The true experts would not appear together all of a sudden.
Eh!
A familiar figure in the distance suddenly caught Wen Mingxiu’s eyes, causing her heart to shake as she subconsciously came to a stop.
Why is it him!?
Intense humiliation and hatred surged in her heart as she recalled what had happened in Blood Kill Camp. Her reserved smile suddenly turned frosty as well.
As the focal point of the plaza, Wen Mingxiu’s strange behavior immediately drew many people’s attention.
Someone beside her could not help but ask, “Miss Mingxiu, did you see someone you know?”
The others curiously followed Weng Mingxiu’s gaze but did not find anyone noteworthy.
Wen Mingxiu withdrew her gaze. After some deliberation, she displayed a faint smile. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect to see an old friend here.”
As she spoke, she casually glanced at Lin Xun.
This little gesture was instantly noticed by many people around her, causing all of them to look toward Lin Xun.
Several people were stunned by the sight of the unfamiliar youth in plain clothes. Old friend? Since when did Wen Mingxiu have an old friend like this?
One of the cultivators seemed to recognize Lin Xun and blurted out, “It can’t be. Isn’t that the country bumpkin from earlier?”
The cultivator was in complete disbelief.
With this reminder, many people began to faintly recall that they had ridiculed this very young man earlier.
They were also shocked by the revelation.
Wen Mingxiu was the First Young Lady of the Wen Clan, the once in a thousand years girl genius, and the dazzling pearl of Haze City. How had she become old friends with such a person?