The intermission between the second and third rounds of the evaluation.
The sixty-sixth seat looked at the fifty-second seat, his eyes filled with triumph. “See? What did I tell you? That kid was deliberately controlling his score just now.”
“But there is one thing I do not understand,” the fifty-second seat said, puzzled. “If he truly wanted to stay low-key, why did he suddenly become so high-profile in the second round?”
“He got mesmerized by a woman,” the fifty-ninth seat said while snacking on peanuts with great gusto.
“That is why I hate partnering with you old men; you do not even know how to properly appreciate gossip.”
“However, you have to admit that the Changsheng Yun family really does have something special. Some of those capture plans were things even I could not have devised.”
“Indeed, indeed. I can only say it is a good thing I did not lower the difficulty. Otherwise, we would have truly missed out on another great treasure for our demon inspection department. In time, this kid could definitely become our superior!”
“This kind of practical talent is exactly what our demon inspection department lacks!”
“I plan to keep this jade slip and show it to those greenhorns tomorrow. I need to give them a wake-up call so they stop shadowboxing aimlessly in the training room all day, only to be completely lost once they reach the front lines.”
“That makes sense. I also have a team coming back in a while. I will hold a meeting for them then.”
The fifty-ninth seat (sweat emoji): “You two can chat all you want, but why are you taking my peanuts? You are both old men at the peak of the Integration Stage.”
“How can your hands be so filthy? Do you even need to eat? Stop eating my peanuts! You are not allowed!”
***
On the other side, compared to the casual chatter of the examiners, the candidates’ area was filled with a more academic atmosphere.
Most of the female cultivators were gathered around Lin Xiaoyue to ask questions, while a group of male cultivators mostly surrounded Yun Heng.
Although they were noisy and spoke all at once, most were seeking clarifications regarding the contents of the previous jade slip.
Yun Heng was very patient. Keeping his ears open to all directions, he managed to answer every question systematically through the layers of chaotic voices.
“To be honest, Young Master Yun, when I first saw you, I thought you were just another useless playboy here to waste his lifespan. Only now do I realize that you are actually the most prepared among us.”
Yun Heng gave a wry smile. “Actually, I did not prepare at all. It was all improvisation…”
“Oh, Young Master Yun, do not be so modest. Your reputation outside is truly quite bad, but at least those of us here now know that it is all nonsense!”
Yun Heng felt a cold sweat. ‘I’m actually quite curious just how bad my reputation is out there…’
“Things like being unlearned, lecherous, good for nothing but having been born into a good family, and still being stuck at the Qi Refining Stage at age 20… things like that.”
“There are also rumors saying that you, Young Master Yun, spend all your time wandering the middle and lower six continents.”
“They say you are extravagant and wasteful, relying on your family background, and that you only travel with a single book boy. What kind of future could you have?”
“There is more! People outside say the ancestors of the Changsheng Yun family are turning in their graves.”
“They say that Yun Wangji siring such an unmotivated descendant is a sign that the Yun family’s fortune is at its end!”
The cultivation levels of the candidates participating in the demon inspection department’s entry assessment ranged from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul.
Most were young people under 100, and many were rogue cultivators the same age as Yun Heng.
When they witnessed a “playboy” with a poor reputation demonstrate overwhelming professional skill, the curiosity in their hearts naturally began to stir.
Seeing that most of the questions had been answered, everyone stopped worrying about the third round and began to gossip about this “mysterious eldest Young Master of the Yun family,” whom they often heard of but rarely saw.
“But there are also people who say good things about you, Young Master Yun. For example, that you are proficient in poetry, formations, and various miscellaneous studies—you just do not like to cultivate.”
“That is true. Not competing, not fighting, just playing in the mortal realm and treating the glory of a Great Family like dirt—that is true freedom. If I had your background, I would be playing even harder than you!”
“Oh, that is right, Young Master Yun. How far have things progressed between you and the daughter of the Su family? We are truly curious.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire examination hall fell silent.
Not only the male cultivators around Yun Heng, but even the female cultivators near Lin Xiaoyue and the examiners who were fighting over peanuts turned their burning, gossip-seeking gazes toward him.
The marriage alliance between the Changsheng Yun family and the Everlasting Su Clan was a “major gossip” item that the entire cultivation world watched with great interest.
If the two sides successfully intermarried, it would cause a massive shift in power not just for Penglai, but for the entire human race.
Because of this, Yun Heng and Su Zhenxue had been watched by spies and various forces since childhood, and assassination attempts had been constant—all to ensure the marriage did not proceed smoothly.
As a half-step immortal venerable with ten thousand years of experience, Yun Heng had lived through countless hardships and changes.
His way of thinking, his understanding of the world, and his perception of emotions were far beyond those of a teenager.
However, when the outside world viewed him as a “20-year-old playboy,” he suddenly felt like a doctoral student forced to sit in a primary school classroom.
The teacher was asking him what one plus one equaled while the other children watched in anticipation.
It was… quite embarrassing.
Yun Heng could not respond with his true soul, yet he found this misunderstanding absurdly laughable. In the eyes of others, however, this looked like “the blush of a youth that triumphs over all.”
Although some among the candidates could sense the “awkwardness” hanging in the air, not one of them wanted to break it.
After all, this might be the only chance in their lives to hear the latest progress on this ultimate gossip directly from the source.
“Regarding Lady Su and me…”
Seeing that he could not avoid it, Yun Heng could only sigh helplessly.
“We are much like two ancient volumes placed on adjacent shelves. The world sees only their ornate bindings and assumes their contents are a perfect match, declaring they must be kept in the same case.”
“Yet, few ever ask if the books themselves wish to be bound by the same annotations, secured by the same lock, and confined within the same span of time.”
Yun Heng looked at the questioner and smiled with a hint of cynicism, skillfully wrapping himself back in the persona of a playful youth.
“How can a matter as great as marriage be determined by street gossip? Besides, Lady Su is like the bright moon in the sky; next year, she will shine upon the lofty towers of the Heavenly Way Academy.”
“As for me, I am but a lazy fish on the ground who loves basking in the sun, occasionally splashing around just for a bit of peace and quiet.”
“As for ‘how far’ the moon and the fish have gone… it is likely just that she travels her path while I bask in my sun. We have seen each other’s silhouettes from afar, and that is all.”
Finishing his speech, Yun Heng gave a well-timed shrug. “So, my fellow colleagues, please do not make things difficult for me anymore. I am a man of no great ambition.”
“I simply love traveling and writing a few low-class storybooks. Other matters should be left to my father and great figures like Master Su to worry about.”
“As for us, should we not be concerned about the issues for the next round of the assessment?”
Exactly at that moment, the time reached 10:00 PM.
*Cough, cough, cough.*
The fifty-ninth seat, who had been eating peanuts with excitement while savoring this young man’s innocent view of love, hurriedly cleared her throat and wiped her mouth. “Everyone, return to your seats.”
She also really wanted to keep listening to the gossip, but official business came first.
Yun Heng breathed a secret sigh of relief.
However, as the crowd dispersed, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of Lin Xiaoyue. Her lips were curled into a faint, teasing smile that she was just about to pull back.
Her gaze was a bit strange.
It did not look like a young person listening to gossip; rather, it seemed like… the irrepressible urge to laugh born from the joy of seeing a friend in an awkward situation.