Morning.
The sun shone brightly.
The autumn sun felt warm on one's body.
The Changkong Academy was the largest in scale on the Kyushu Continent.
Today was the day when the elders checked the students' studies once a week.
Following the order, starting from the direct disciples, each student had achieved good results.
The chief elder, Ling Ruo, maintained the same expression as she inspected them one by one.
These students had good talents, but only that.
Among the direct disciples, only a few had reached the Seventh Realm.
When it came to the inner - sect disciples, the elders didn't hold out much hope.
At first, the spiritual power of Wu Xuan and the others had shown a good growth trend. However, later on, among the inner - sect disciples, there were even spiritual pharmacists who had just reached the Fifth Path.
The number of alchemists was extremely small.
A look of displeasure began to appear on Elder Ling Ruo's face.
After checking all the inner - sect disciples, Ling Ruo's expression became more and more solemn.
The accompanying elders secretly wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
Everyone knew that whenever Ling Ruo frowned, it was a precursor to her getting angry.
Elder Ling Ruo was the chief elder of the Changkong Academy. She had the highest status except for the sect master.
It was said that Elder Ling Ruo had ordinary talents when she was young, but she had worked extremely hard later. Under the guidance of the sect master, her spiritual power had been rising steadily.
Although she was a woman, she had single - handedly quelled the chaos in Poyang back then.
This heroic woman was no less capable than a man.
After that great battle, Ling Ruo's name had resounded throughout every corner of the Kyushu Continent.
So everyone was very convinced when she took the position of the chief elder of the Changkong Academy.
"Elder Ling Ruo, the children have all completed the test."
Ling Ruo rubbed her temples.
She felt a dull pain there.
"Is this all?"
The accompanying elder lowered his head.
"Are these students' aptitudes only this level?"
Ling Ruo asked again.
Everyone buried their heads even lower.
Ling Ruo stood up and then said, "Are all the direct disciples and inner - sect disciples of this year here?"
Wu Xuan shifted slightly but didn't step forward.
However, her action was easily seen through by Ling Ruo.
"Why are there only three people in the Wangyue Courtyard?"
Wu Xuan replied, "Reporting to the elder, there is another person in our courtyard named Luo Feiyan. However, she has been missing for a full six days. The Seventh Prince of Dongzhou, Tang Qi, has also disappeared with her."
Ling Ruo frowned and looked at an elder surnamed Zhou beside her.
"Elder Zhou."
Ling Ruo had heard that Tang Qi was the seventh child of the prince of Dongzhou. And she remembered Luo Feiyan even more clearly.
This Luo Feiyan was the candidate that Elder Zhou had desperately recommended to be an inner - sect disciple back then.
"Elder Ling Ruo."
"Elder Zhou, is this Luo Feiyan the girl you insisted on getting in back then?"
The white - haired old man bent his waist even lower.
The frost on Ling Ruo's face grew thicker.
"I said back then that students who got in through connections didn't have real talents. You told me that the child was smart and hard - working and would never cause trouble for our Changkong Academy. Under your guarantee, we admitted Luo Feiyan."
"Elder Ling Ruo, it's my fault."
The woman stood up from the high seat.
She looked at the crowd behind and pointed at them, saying, "Do you see them? Those people couldn't get into the inner sect of our Changkong Academy. Although they are outer - sect disciples and know that today's test has nothing to do with them, they still came just to seize a chance to make the inner - sect disciples remember them and to make the elders take a look at them."
"Elder Zhou, there are countless such hard - working students. Why did you choose the most good - for - nothing one?"
The white - haired elder bent down repeatedly.
Ling Ruo wasn't being overbearing.
Everyone in the Changkong Academy knew that Elder Ling Ruo hated students who got opportunities because of their family backgrounds the most. Everyone in the Changkong Academy knew about Luo Feiyan's special situation. Ling Ruo had already been very dissatisfied with this. Now that she had the chance, she naturally wouldn't let it go.
"Elder Ling Ruo, maybe the girl was delayed. Look, there is still half an incense stick of time until the end of the test. How about we wait for half an incense stick of time?"
"If she still doesn't show up after half an incense stick of time, Elder Zhou, you and Luo Feiyan can just pack up and get out of the Changkong Academy. Our Changkong Academy is too small to accommodate great people like you."
"Yes, yes, yes - I understand."
The position of the chief elder was much higher than that of the accompanying elders.
No one dared to be presumptuous in front of Ling Ruo.
Wu Xuan lowered her head, with a victorious smile on her face.
This was the real way to eliminate the root of the trouble. Even if Luo Feiyan wasn't dead and came back, after this incident, the Changkong Academy wouldn't want her anymore.
From then on, she would truly disappear from this academy.
And Brother Qingyan wouldn't see that woman again.
Ling Ruo sat down.
Since there was some free time, she started chatting with a few direct disciples beside her.
Those disciples asked her for advice on some questions.
From time to time, they also expressed their own opinions.
For such studious children, Ling Ruo naturally analyzed and explained things to them carefully.
Time passed second by second.
The incense stick was getting shorter and shorter.
In at most a moment, the incense would be burned out.
At this time, Ling Ruo had lost most of her patience.
She stood up.
Her expression was solemn.
"I think there's no need to wait anymore. Our Changkong Academy has thousands of disciples, but now we've waited until now for a student who doesn't understand either spiritual power or mental power and is also late. This is extremely absurd."
"Elder Ling Ruo, you -"
Ling Ruo's eyes were like a knife as she suddenly looked at Elder Zhou who was speaking.
If looks could kill, Elder Zhou would probably have been tortured to death tens of thousands of times by now.
Under such a stern look,
Elder Zhou had no choice but to shut up and retreat to the side.
Wu Xuan smiled.
Xia Qingyan looked thoughtful.
The other inner - sect disciples also couldn't hide their joy.
After all, they had long been annoyed by Luo Feiyan. She had no aptitude at all but had gotten into the Changkong Academy.
"Here, I declare."
"The daughter of the Marquis of Ruoqiang - Luo Feiyan, and the Seventh Prince of Dongzhou - Tang Qi, from today on, no longer belong to our -"
"Wait a moment!"
An urgent voice came.
The woman was extremely agile.
She was covered in a red veil.
The red lotus on her forehead, which Luo Feiyan had painted on for her last night, looked extremely lifelike.
The young girl flew down from the air lightly.
The gentle breeze blew.
The woman's eyes flickered slightly, and her long hair fell to her waist.
There were bells jingling on her feet.
The young girl landed gently.
When she was Zhao Shuning before, she had learned some etiquette in the Lin family. Since she was now pretending to be the eldest daughter of the Luo family, Zhao Shuning became much more gentle.
"Who are you?"
Zhao Shuning gently took off the red veil.
"The daughter of the Marquis of Ruoqiang - Luo Feiyan. I'm sorry, everyone. I was delayed and came late."