Among the six elders seated behind the intricately carved long table, the remaining grey-bearded elder exchanged a glance with the stern middle-aged man wearing a grey leather hat, and they nodded slightly.
"Next."
The grey-bearded elder gestured towards another exit of the tent while calling out.
Lin Xi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but after a moment's contemplation, he appeared to recall something and swiftly made his way towards the exit.
This exit led to a series of interconnected tents, presumably to prevent any leakage of examination content, where all previous candidates were gathered.
A mere glance revealed Zhang Ping sitting cross-legged in the left corner.
Zhang Ping appeared dejected and lost, clearly having performed poorly in the examination. Ignoring the gazes of others, Lin Xi approached him directly and quickly inquired, "Zhang Ping, what was your examination content? Was it also the pairing of several pieces of refined iron and symbols, selecting weapons, memorizing herbs, and identifying which egg is alive?"
"Yes," Zhang Ping replied, his face pale as he looked at Lin Xi. "I did very poorly; according to that professor, I only got one pairing correct out of four. Even if I manage to enter the academy, I doubt I will qualify for 'Tian Gong.'"
Lin Xi nodded, furrowing his brow as he uttered two words, "Go back."
...
The scenery shifted abruptly.
"Lin Xi, do you truly have such confidence in entering the academy, and that your examination results surpass his?"
Lin Xi and Zhang Ping were no longer within the large tent designated for candidates but stood outside the tents of the professors. Beside Zhang Ping was Meng Bai, both regarding Lin Xi with skepticism as they whispered their inquiries.
The golden-spooned youth nearby looked at Lin Xi with disdain, sneering coldly.
"Do not worry; unless I deliberately wish to lose," Lin Xi replied with a slight smile, "otherwise, I am certain of my victory."
"Lin Xi, this is not a trivial matter…"
At that moment, the stern middle-aged lecturer in the black robe called out with severity, "Zhang Ping!"
Zhang Ping instinctively jumped up from the ground.
"Wait…" Lin Xi grasped the extremely tense youth, patting his shoulder, wishing him luck, and whispered in his ear, "Zhang Ping, don't you aspire to enter 'Tian Gong'? I recall reading something that stated Black Water Gold requires the Water Cloud Pattern for compatibility, Black King Iron necessitates the Golden Phoenix Pattern, Red Iron must pair with the Evergreen Pattern, and Silver Radiant Gold aligns with the Ancient Vine Pattern… I wonder if this will be of any help to you."
Zhang Ping was momentarily taken aback, clearly bewildered by Lin Xi's sudden remark. However, he had no time to question further; after a glance at Lin Xi, he nodded and hurried into the passage behind the black-robed middle-aged lecturer.
"Coming!"
Before long, Lin Xi smiled, and simultaneously, the stern middle-aged lecturer in the black robe called out, "Lin Xi!"
Lin Xi once again stepped into the large tent where the six elders of the academy and the one-armed elder were gathered.
In that instant, both the six elders and the one-armed elder listening nearby exhibited slight astonishment.
Any youth encountering such a serious atmosphere, along with the deliberately displayed viscera and eyeballs, would inevitably reveal some degree of shock. Yet, Lin Xi's countenance remained remarkably calm, as if his heart bore no significant turbulence.
In that fleeting moment, the black-haired man and the middle-aged woman behind the long table regarded him with a hint of approval.
"You are Lin Xi; have you cultivated soul power?"
The coldly stern black-haired man spoke again. "Approach and examine these weapons; which one do you find most suitable?"
"I am Lin Xi, and I have not cultivated soul power." Without hesitation, Lin Xi stepped forward and directly took hold of a slender and sharp longsword.
"Good, put down the sword." The black-haired man nodded coldly.
The elderly woman, resembling a witch in her black robe, then spoke. "Now, observe these items and the patterns on the scrolls. Which of these do you intuitively feel corresponds best with the patterns? Please group those you believe to be compatible."
Lin Xi nodded respectfully and approached.
Once again, there were the four pieces of refined iron and the four parchment scrolls. He calmly placed the scroll depicting the phoenix tail feather pattern next to one piece of black iron, positioned the scroll with the withered vine pattern beside the silver iron, placed the scroll with the flowing water and cloud pattern next to the other piece of black iron, and naturally set the remaining scroll featuring the verdant vine pattern beside the crimson gold iron.
As Lin Xi placed down the third parchment scroll, a strange light flickered in the eyes of the black-robed woman.
A momentary silence enveloped the scene.
"Look over here," the middle-aged woman's voice finally broke the stillness.
"Have you seen clearly?" After observing Lin Xi for a moment, the middle-aged woman waved her hand, covering everything before her with a large white cloth.
"Now, tell me how many herbs there are, what they look like, and their respective positions on my table, excluding those jars." The middle-aged woman turned her gaze towards Lin Xi and asked.
"There are a total of fifteen herbs; five are alive and planted in containers, while ten are dried… The leftmost one is a yellow dried herb, about a foot long, with three small black fruits at the top. Next to it is a living herb planted in a celadon pot, resembling a rose, with purple flowers and thorns on the stem and leaves…"
Not only the middle-aged woman but even the stern middle-aged man wearing the grey leather hat displayed a moment of astonishment on his face.
As Lin Xi continued to elaborate, the middle-aged woman's eyes brimmed with excitement, even fervor. She abruptly interrupted Lin Xi, asking with utmost seriousness, "Did you deliberately memorize these herbs from the beginning? Otherwise, even with an exceptional memory, it would be impossible to recall them so accurately in such a short time."
Lin Xi felt a slight jolt within; he realized his outstanding performance had raised the middle-aged woman's suspicions. However, he remained unperturbed and calmly replied, "Not really… It was just that the gruesome display of viscera and eyeballs was somewhat alarming, which drew my attention. The herbs appeared intriguing, ones I had never encountered before, so I took a closer look, allowing me to remember them well."
"You found those herbs intriguing?" The middle-aged woman inhaled deeply, regarding Lin Xi, her voice slightly altered.
Before Lin Xi could respond, an elderly voice suddenly rang out, "Among these five eggs, only one is alive and capable of hatching; see if you can identify it."
"Pfft," recalling the earlier remark from the seemingly stern old man, Lin Xi couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"What are you laughing at?" The old man's brow furrowed, and all eyes turned to Lin Xi.
"Nothing," Lin Xi replied with an innocent smile, gesturing towards the red-shelled egg among the five. "I merely thought that egg resembled an ordinary chicken egg, and a boiled one at that. I wondered if you had casually placed a leftover breakfast egg in here."
The old man's eyes widened in disbelief, drawing in a sharp breath. "Do you truly believe that is a boiled chicken egg?!"
"Yes," Lin Xi nodded, a smile playing at his lips.
The old man inhaled deeply, fixing an intense gaze on Lin Xi. "Then which one do you believe is alive and capable of hatching?"
"If I had to guess," Lin Xi pointed to the largest egg, "I would choose that one."
The old man swallowed hard, looking at Lin Xi. "Hmm, very well…"
"I have a question for you," at that moment, the stern middle-aged man adjusted his hat, addressing Lin Xi.
Lin Xi felt a wave of nervousness wash over him, for this middle-aged man had not posed any questions thus far.
"From the moment you walked in until I asked you this question, how much time do you believe has passed, and how many times do you estimate your heart has beaten during that interval?" The stern middle-aged man fixed his gaze on Lin Xi.
Lin Xi exhaled in relief, the tension in his clenched fists dissipating.
Since arriving in this world, he had not learned much, but when it came to time… few could likely calculate it more accurately than he could, and he had meticulously counted it beforehand, making this question perfectly aligned with his strengths.
In this world, a "breath" equated to what he had known as a "second" in his previous life. A "minute" in his former world was termed a "pause" here. From the moment he entered the tent until now, approximately three minutes and forty seconds had passed, and his heart had likely beaten between sixty and sixty-five times per minute.
"From the beginning until now, I feel that approximately three pauses and over forty breaths have elapsed. My heart has beaten around two hundred twenty times," Lin Xi replied calmly.
The stern middle-aged man inhaled deeply, lowering his eyelids, and fell silent.
"I shall test your literary talent," the grey-bearded elder suddenly seemed to regain his focus, speaking hurriedly. "Complete this line of poetry; the first half is 'Do not worry about the road ahead without friends.'"
"…" Lin Xi was momentarily taken aback, his body trembling slightly.
It was not due to a lack of knowledge, but rather because this line of poetry was too familiar to him.
"It's quite alright; if you cannot answer, it is no matter." The middle-aged woman and others exchanged glances, understanding each other's sentiments. The middle-aged woman was even on the verge of offering comforting words, suggesting Lin Xi could step down and await the results. However, to their surprise, Lin Xi, who appeared unable to respond, suddenly began to recite slowly, "Who in the world does not recognize you?"
"Do not worry about the road ahead without friends… Who in the world does not recognize you!" The grey-bearded elder sprang to his feet, and even the one-armed elder listening nearby displayed evident astonishment, his lips moving as if to recite the line.
"Who in the world does not recognize you! Excellent response! What great spirit!" The grey-bearded elder, after a moment of standing in shock, exuberantly applauded.
"Step down now," the middle-aged woman regarded Lin Xi, nodding with profound significance.