As Lin Xi asked the question with great curiosity about what it meant to be "Heaven's Chosen," the young girl in the green robe, whose expression had been composed all along, smiled lightly. Her small, delicate nose slightly wrinkled as if a breeze had stirred the calm waters of a spring pond.
At the same time, a proud black-haired young man, whose face had once been filled with overwhelming arrogance, suddenly looked shocked and confused. His gaze pierced through the crowd like a sword, landing directly on Lin Xi.
He was from the Wen family, one of the top families. Even in the thousands of candidates gathered from across the Yunqin Empire, he stood out by achieving an astonishing 31 points in the comprehensive score. But he never expected that someone would achieve the same score as him—especially a young boy from a remote border town with only second-tier talent in cultivation!
"Heaven's Chosen refers to those who are selected through fierce competition among the professors, and the final decision is made by the heavens," explained a young man with a golden spoon in his hand, who had already been selected for admission, in a tone of awe.
At this point, all the candidates who had passed the academy's exam had been finalized. Even the black-robed middle-aged lecturer who called out Lin Xi's name couldn't help but glance at the young man from the border town, wondering how he had achieved such a score and why the selection process would now require a final decision from the heavens.
After casting a brief look at Lin Xi, the black-robed middle-aged lecturer solemnly announced, "Candidates who have passed the academy exam, remain here. Those who have not passed, please leave the grounds."
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the area became chaotic.
Some of the failed candidates cried uncontrollably, while others, with the resolve to die if they could not enter this prestigious institution, even attempted to take their own lives. A group of experienced students from Qingluan Academy, dressed in black robes, moved swiftly through the chaos, preventing these tragic events from occurring while quickly folding up the tents.
"Isn't that Gao Yanan? She also made it into Heaven's Chosen?"
Amid the chaos, Lin Xi, who stood motionless, saw the green-robed girl walking to a slightly empty spot. To his surprise, in this noisy, turbulent environment, the beautiful green-robed girl casually leaned against a willow tree by the lake and fell asleep, unaffected by the surrounding turmoil.
"My name is Liu Yingtian, and we'll be classmates in the academy from now on." The young man with the golden spoon, who had explained the "Heaven's Chosen" concept to Lin Xi earlier, approached with a friendly smile, extending his hand toward him.
Liu Yingtian was somewhat short and stocky, with a rugged face and slightly darker skin. He wore a silk robe of jade-green hue, and at his waist hung a jade lion ornament.
Suddenly, Mu Shanzhi, who had been silently observing the situation, became embarrassed and angrily shouted at Liu Yingtian, "You're making friends with them at this moment? Is this not an affront to me? If you wanted to make friends with them, at least wait until I leave before doing so!"
Liu Yingtian, whose skin was slightly dark, raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Your father is a provincial governor, and so is mine. You've entered the academy, and so have I. Why should I give you face?"
Mu Shanzhi opened his mouth, but no words came out. He realized that he had no grounds to argue, as it was not his place to dictate who others befriended. He had been too unreasonable in his demands.
Lin Xi smiled lightly, accepting Liu Yingtian's handshake. He had no particular prejudice against the "golden spoon" youth.
Mu Shanzhi once again opened his mouth, his face turning red with anger, but before he could speak, a loud, thunderous voice suddenly erupted from Liu Yingtian's mouth, silencing the surrounding chaos.
"Actually, there's something I've been wanting to say..." Liu Yingtian shouted, causing everyone to stop and look at him in stunned silence.
Many of the failed candidates, who had been crying earlier, stared wide-eyed at Liu Yingtian. As they awaited what he would say, Liu Yingtian closed his eyes and loudly declared, "Actually... I am a pig!"
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
The efficiency of Qingluan Academy was remarkable. Within a short period, the chaos by the lakeside was completely under control. All the failed candidates were escorted out of the camp, and all the tents were folded neatly and stored away.
Meanwhile, the area outside, where many carriages had been parked, began to grow busy.
Some of the carriages began to depart, while others, belonging to different academies or imperial officials, started to engage the failed candidates, trying to recruit them.
Suddenly, many people working by the carriages froze. Especially the older figures, after a momentary lapse in attention, immediately bent their bodies in respectful greetings toward the lakeside.
These individuals were of high status, and yet they bowed willingly, their eyes filled with shock and reverence.
All the candidates sensed this strange atmosphere and turned to follow their gaze. They saw an elderly, battle-worn man with a missing arm, walking out of the last dismantled tent, accompanied by six professors. The crowd couldn't help but bow to this elderly figure.
"It's Vice Dean Xia..."
Someone instinctively called out the elder's name, which immediately sparked a wave of low murmurs throughout the crowd.
"He is Vice Dean Xia? What happened to his arm?"
Almost every candidate, whether they had passed or failed, was stunned. It was as if they had never seen the elderly figure before, and upon regaining their composure, they all bowed in deep respect.
"Vice Dean Xia? Who is he?" Lin Xi asked in a daze.
Li Kaiyun's legs trembled not from fear, but from awe. His voice was shaking, and his words were filled with reverence: "Vice Dean Xia was one of the seventeen Qingluan Academy students who fought in the Battle of Falling Star Lake alongside Dean Zhang. He is a legendary figure from the past."
"One of the seventeen Qingluan Academy students?" Lin Xi was stunned. Although he was only a traveler in this empire, he had clearly heard the stirring song about these legendary individuals—the seventeen Qingluan Academy students and five thousand border soldiers who had faced a 300,000-strong army. That image had been etched in his mind.
Now, this battle-worn, unassuming elder was one of those legendary figures.
The one-armed elder walked ahead of the six professors and a line of academy students, nodding in acknowledgment as he passed the gathered candidates. A palpable, awe-inspiring energy radiated from him.
"Only courage and loyalty can forge unyielding glory, only then will you be remembered," he suddenly spoke in a voice that resonated deeply with all present.
His words were not loud, but they carried an undeniable weight.
"Glory is not exclusive to Qingluan Academy alone," he added.
Many of the failed candidates, still bearing tears on their faces, were struck by these words. They shuddered, as if they had gained sudden insight, and solemnly bowed to the elder.
After speaking, the one-armed elder turned to speak softly, but just loud enough for only the candidates to hear, "Welcome to Qingluan Academy."
The lakeside fell silent. All the successful candidates felt a bit lost for words.
The elder turned to look at Lin Xi, Gao Yanan, and Wen Xuan Yu, and his piercing gaze landed on Lin Xi.
"Lin Xi, your selection begins now."
The candidates before Lin Xi automatically stepped aside. Lin Xi felt as if his legs were made of lead, his heart racing inexplicably, and yet he was surprised that after the elder's words, the black-robed middle-aged lecturer merely walked up to Lin Xi, pulled out six rolled-up parchment scrolls, and handed them to him.
"Pick one," the lecturer instructed.
Lin Xi casually picked one. The middle-aged lecturer unrolled it in front of everyone. The scroll displayed the words "War"
"The result of the selection: War Department!" the lecturer announced loudly.
"After all this, it's still the War Department for me," Wen Xuan Yu, whose age was hard to discern, let out a smug smile. The other professors groaned in frustration, their faces showing dissatisfaction.
The one-armed elder's gaze shifted to Wen Xuan Yu, who stood arrogantly on his own.
"Wen Xuan Yu, it's your turn to begin the selection."